The Betty Crocker Project : The Southwest Pasta Bowl

I know what you're all thinking: that's not a cupcake! Where's my delicious vegan baked treat this week? WTF Annie?!?

Well, this has been a pretty big week for us Shannons. So here's my list of excuses, in no particular order:

• This weekend is our dearest friend Sarah's birthday. I'm making some pretty awesome cupcakes for that and I don't want to spoil the surprise. You all know Sarah as our Facebook group Vegan Foods = Joy poster grrl. I do promise to post the recipe and tons of photos of the cupcakes and DC Vegfest on Monday. Just a reminder, the DC Vegfest is where all the cool kids will be, and it's free. You should swing by if you can!
• Dan & I have full-time jobs on top of this blog, and so sometimes we get super busy with that. We kinda have to do our jobs to pay for all the goodies we are making. The downside of being employed is that sometimes you suck at blogging.
• Season 5 of Supernatural came out on DVD and as many of you might remember, I adore that show. What can I say? I'm a grown woman who loves CW shows. It fills that campy sci-fi nook in my heart where Buffy, Angel, True Blood, X-Files and the classic old school Friday the 13th (the TV show) also live. Hell, I'll admit it: Charmed lives there too. If you're jonesing for something to scratch that nerd itch, I recommend giving Supernatural a try. I had to watch the entire Season 5 back to back for 48 hours and it put a crimp in my kitchen time.
• Dan and I wrapped up Lost. This was actually kinda meaningful for Dan and me, and I'm still kinda wrapping my mind around it. So I'll revisit that.
• We had a pretty big media hit this week. Kinda huge actually. Maclean's magazine (if you're not familiar, they're like 'the Newsweek of Canada') wrote a pretty meaningful piece about our little project that I hope you'll take a minute to check out, and maybe share it with friends or leave a nice comment. You can find it by clicking here. We've been getting even more emails than normal SO I'm even more behind than usual. Sorry 'bout that.
• Robots. They're always messing things up. Example A: Skynet's Cyborgs

But let's not focus on the cupcakes that are coming. Let's enjoy this dish that will make enough for two pretty ambitious eaters to have for lunch for a week. That's not too shabby for something that isn't a cupcake.


The Southwest Pasta Bowl (Yes, we added a lot to this, but only because we wanted it to last forever.)

• 1 Package Whole Wheat Pasta (We went with Rotini, but Bowtie or Spiral Pasta would be good too.)
• Olive Oil Cooking Spray
• 1/2 Cup Beer (I'd go Corona if you can get it)
• 1/2 Cup Frozen Corn
• 1 Can Black Beans (drained & rinsed)
• 1 Can Kidney Beans in Chili Sauce (not drained or rinsed)
• 1 Can Garbanzo Beans (drained & rinsed)
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin
• 2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce
• 1 Tomato (diced)
• 1/2 Red Onion (sliced)
• 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
• 1 Tablespoon Braggs
• Dash of Liquid Smoke
• Nutritional Yeast, Black Olives, Fresh Cilantro, and Fresh Avocado Slices to top 'er off

Cook & drain Pasta per instructions on the package.

In a large saucepan, mix remaining Ingredients except Olive Oil, Cooking Spray, and Toppers, and simmer to a boil on a medium heat.

Put your Pasta in a large bowl and spray with Olive Oil Cooking Spray. Toss a few times and spray the Pasta no more than 4 times.

To serve, fill a soup bowl with Pasta and ladle some of the Bean Mix on top. Sprinkle on your favorite Toppers and let's party.