I decided to start this blog as an attempt to document the different baking and cooking projects that I frequently dive into. My girlfriend, Michelle, and I have cooked various cuisines inspired by India, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, but we both found abundant love and kitchen creativity in becoming vegan. We both are working on becoming more environmentally conscious as well as health-conscious, and starting a vegan lifestyle was the next logical step. We have been working on it for the past couple of months, and have been taking much inspiration from Vegan Soul Kitchen and Vegan Richa’s Instant PotTM Cookbook. Other forms of inspiration have been some local Seattle restaurants or old non-vegan fast food favorites. I hope that this blog can be a source of inspiration for each of you that is reading now; a growing repository for vegan/environmentally focused cuisine as well as a community board for your tips and tricks!

I decided on the name “Karman Kitchen” off of the Karman line, the usually agreed-upon point at which our atmosphere ends and outer space begins. I have had a deep love of space since I was in high school, and always had a sense of wonder and longing when gazing at the stars or feeling like a school kid seeing the launches of new satellites and rockets over the last couple of years. I wanted to emulate the level of wonder and awe that I have when staring at the sky in the food that I cook, so I created “Karman Kitchen” as a personal goal to myself to create food that recreates that for my family, friends, and now you!

Starting this blog post, I wanted to come from a place of familiarity and ease. One of Michelle and I’s “frequent flyer” spots when making the switch from eating meat to becoming more plant-focused was Taco Bell. We usually grabbed bags of bean burritos (“Fresco Style” of course!) and Diablo sauce and be perfectly content. On one of our trips through the drive-thru, Michelle and I reminisced about the crunch wraps that Taco Bell sells and how much we missed getting that iconic meal. During our meal prep for the week, we decided to come up with our meatless version of the crunch wrap, and it instantly became a favorite recipe!

All vegan and delicious, the main protein base is lentils with a hearty amount of cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika. Lentils should be prepared per the package: sorted and rinsed, making sure that no stones are in the lentils. They are placed in a pot of cold water and brought up to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the lentils to a simmer and cover for twenty to thirty minutes, or until tender. Once the lentils are cooked, strain them and place them to the side. Half a yellow onion and 3 cloves of garlic are cooked down for eight minutes, after which the lentils are added to the cooked onions. The cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika are added to the lentil mixture at this time, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Remove the cooked mixture and place to the side and grab the rest of your crunch wrap ingredients. First, with your burrito tortilla, place around a quarter cup of the lentil taco mixture and a slice of vegan cheese on top of the lentils. Next, grab your tostada and place it on the cheese, following up with a smear of vegan sour cream over the tostada. Finely chop a couple of slices of onion and cucumber and mix with your favorite salsa, placing the mixture on top of the sour cream. Lastly, you’ll want to wrap the edges of the tortilla over the fillings and place folded side down on a skillet over medium heat. Cook for around two to three minutes (or until golden brown) and flip. Cook again until golden brown on the top and promptly remove from the heat. Serve with lime, your favorite salsa or guac, or maybe even some Diablo sauce from Taco Bell!