Curried Quinoa!!

Ever have those days when you just don't feel like making anything fancy? Yeah, I had that day today. I decided to start with some quinoa and see where it took me from there. As I puttered around my kitchen looking for other stuff to add to the quinoa, I found some frozen peas and some chopped walnuts. But what spices? Dudes, you know I can't resist curry powders, so I decided to take a chance and make curried quinoa. This was pretty tasty on its own, but even more so with some garlic naan (or a garlicky pita). They go perfectly together. Take my word for it! I command you. Enjoy....or not....whatever.

This makes enough for 3 bowls as a main dish or 4-5 as a side.

What I used:

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 large carrot, grated (I actually used a microplane to grate mine)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1-2 tsp curry powder of your choice
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp coriander
• salt

What I did:

1. Combine broth, water and spices in a pot over medium-high heat with lid on. Once lightly boiling, stir in the quinoa, carrot and onions. Leave the lid on and lower the heat to medium. Cook for about 12-15 minutes.
2. Remove the pot from the heat. Carefully stir in your peas and walnuts, and place the lid back on the pot. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Taste for spices and dig in.

Meg's Epic Six Bean Stew

Such a pretty bowl of beans.

I'm a little proud of myself, I must say. I've never made a stew before. Ever. But, bean soup had been sounding particularly yummy, and bean soups from restaurants around here are nearly always made with ham. Gross. Since I can't bear to eat my lil piggy friends, I decided to try my hand at making a VEGAN multi-bean stew. Success! It was absolutely fantastic with some garlic naan. I'm not sure if it's just me, but bean stew (or soup) pretty much always requires bread to go with it. Don't want the bread, then don't have it. No skin off my back. Whatever.

Legumes used:

• cranberry beans
• black-eye peas
• pinto beans
• chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• light red kidney beans
• black beans

So, since I insisted on using dried beans, you can't really just whip up this soup. You need to soak and cook your beans. I'm thinking my beans took about 90 minutes to cook. Just put the soaked beans into a large pot and cover with several inches of water. I added 1 TB Kosher salt to mine and cooked with the lid askew until the chickpeas were done. The 3 cups of dried beans will magically morph into about 6 cups.

This recipe makes a TON. At least 6 large bowls. Which is perfect for me as I love soups and stews better the second and third days. It just seems like the flavors have more time to meld and get awesome. Or whatever.

What I used:

• 1/2 cup dried cranberry chocolate
• 1/2 cup dried black-eye peas
• 1/2 cup dried pinto beans
• 1/2 cup dried chickpeas
• 1/2 cup dried light red kidney beans
• 1/2 cup dried black beans
• 1 large idaho potato, peeled and diced small (about the size of dried chickpea)
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly about 1/8-1/4 inch
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• about 5 cups of your favorite veggie broth
• 1 tsp all purpose seasoning (I prefer Simply Organic brand)
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• salt to your tastes
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp curry powder of your choice (mine's a spicy muchi curry powder)
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

What I did:

1. After the beans were cooked, I drained them and added them to my large soup pot. Add all the ingredients. Stir well. Cook about 30 minutes over medium heat with the lid on. Stir every once in a while. 
2. Then remove the lid and let the soup cook down over medium-low heat for about 20 more minutes. 
3. I pureed about half of my soup with an immersion blender to make some of it smooth. You can use a blender or a food processor if you want, but be careful, hot liquids can make small explosions. Stir it all together and you're done. 

Vegan Grilled Cheese...Only Better

I was on twitter a few days ago, and my pal @Whitrae mentioned a sandwich that she made. It sounded bizarre, but being a curious chickpea, I had to make it. It was a Daiya, Tofurky and Tofutti grilled cheese. Odd, yes. Delicious, hell yes. I'm always on the lookout for new ways to make a grilled cheese as it is one of my oldest comfort food indulgences, and this really switched it up...in a good way.

Here's my version of Whitrae's comfort food favorite:
Slather the outsides of your bread with some Earth Balance. On the opposite side of one slice, spread some of the Tofutti cream cheese. Top with some Daiya cheddar and minced onion, then add a few slices of Tofurky (I used the thinly-sliced hickory smoked turky). Top with more cheese then the other slice of buttered bread. Then just make it like a regular grilled cheese in a skillet. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted.

And don't forget to thank Whitrae for her awesome idea. :)

My First Thanksgiving Feast!!

Holy crap, I set this to post on the 25th of November, but it somehow never posted. So, here it is...ridiculously late!!
 
Believe it or not, this was my first time ever cooking a holiday meal. And, I'm damn proud of myself. I deserve a cocktail. You can tell from my spread that I have never been a "traditional" Thanksgiving meal lover. My momma and I usually made lasagna or tacos for holidays, and sometimes, we just went out to eat somewhere. I just never understood why people would want to eat such boring food year after year. Plus, I was a picky kid and wouldn't really eat anything besides mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls from the Thanksgiving feasts my family had. So, for my first Holiday meal, I decided to pick random foods and put them all together into a rad dinner. It was so very excellent. Oink oink!

Here's what I made:

• Veggie curry potpie with handmade crust
• Homemade stuffing with honeycrisp apple
• Broccoli-walnut coleslaw
• Spinach-artichoke dip with white beans, with pita wedges and crackers to dip
• Frozen rolls, which happened to be vegan

Here's the spread:

I made the artichoke dip as a kind of appetizer. I got the recipe from Nava Atlas's book, Vegan Holiday Kitchen. Instead of the recommended onion, I used red onion. It's what I had on-hand and it worked excellently. Here are some photos of the progress:

The dip is stunning!!! Absolutely delicious. You need to make it.

The slaw was also excellent. It was also inspired by a Nava Atlas recipe, but I changed it up to fit my tastes, adding some spices and celery salt, along with changing adding more Veganaise. You can never have enough of that stuff.

Next up is the stuffing. It was also inspired by a Nava Atlas recipe, but again, I changed up the ingredients to fit my own tastes. I do absolutely LOVE the addition of some cubed apple to the mix. It gives the stuffing a slightly sweet taste. The original calls for apple juice to moisten the bread, but I used veggie broth instead. I thought the apples alone would sweeten it enough. I was right. It was quite lovely.

And, finally, we come to the potpie. I've been making this dish for quite a while. It has evolved over the last 2 years and has ended up as a most tasty curry-spiced veggie delight. You can find my recipe here. For my very favorite homemade pie crust, click here. It's really easy and exceptionally tasty.

 

So, there you have it. My very first Thanksgiving meal! What did you all have?

Even Daisy wanted to sample a little bit of everything...

Lasagna - Finally!

Resistance is futile.

I've been waiting and waiting and waiting to attempt vegan lasagna. Why? Because I'm picky as hell and I was scared that I'd never make one half as good as the old dairy version I used to make. My biggest fears revolved all around the dairy aspects: 1) I used ricotta in the old recipe, so I was scared to try tofu ricotta. 2) As much as I love Daiya, I was scared it just wouldn't be as good as real mozzarella in this dish. I'm pleased to announce that I am really excited with how this lasagna turned out. And, while it wasn't 100% like the original, it was still awesome all the way around. We loved it.

For this one, I did take some shortcuts as I was absolutely starving! I typically take the time to make my own marinara sauce, but this time I used a garden veggie jarred sauce. I also used the no-boil lasagna noodles. I probably won't use them again, as they just weren't the same. But, they were quite convenient. I also made some simple tvp "meat" for texture that resembled the meaty version most of us grew up with - the recipe is below somewhere.

Anyway, I did use tofu, which is something kind of rare in my kitchen. I have a long history of not enjoying tofu as much as your typical veg-head seems to. It's okay on occasion, but not something I can really get behind. I'm coming around, though. I altered this recipe to make the ricotta, and I'm pretty pleased with it overall. Here is my version of the recipe:

• 2/3 of a block of well-drained tofu (extra-firm)
• 1 1/2 TB tahini
• 1 1/2 TB lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3 TB minced red onion
• 3 TB nooch (nutritional yeast)
• 1 1/2 tsp white miso
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 TB dried parsley
• some salt & pepper to your liking

 Throw everything into a food processor and pulse until well combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. How easy was that? Set aside until you start assembling the lasagna.

The lasagna was super quick to put together since I didn't have to boil the pasta. I did take a few minutes to make some tvp "meat." I used about a cup of tvp crumbles, put them in a small pot (with a lid), covered with some veggie broth and turned the heat up to medium-high. Add some all-purpose seasoning, a pinch of cumin and 1/4-1/2 tsp liquid smoke. Stir well and cover. Cook about 5 minutes, until the liquid is mostly absorbed. I mixed about 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce into the tvp and cooked a couple minutes over low heat to blend the flavors.

While the tvp was cooking, I sauteed up some diced bell pepper, diced onion and sliced mushrooms. Oh, and a little garlic, too. I meant to add some chopped zucchini, but in the rush, I totally forgot. Once that's done, you're ready to start making the lasagna.

I used a deep casserole to bake it. Since I used the no-bake noodles, I poured some sauce on the bottom of the pot, then added a layer of noodles. On top of that was a thin layer of sauce, then a little veggies and a smidge of the tvp meat. Top with noodles, then sauce, then little blobs of the ricotta I made. More sauce, then noodles, the rest of the meat and some more ricotta, a little more sauce. Noodles, sauce, veggies, topped with lots of Daiya. Something like that. I just made sure to use some sauce on all of the noodles to make them moist. Now, I should have told you that you should carefully press each layer to make sure everything is smooshed down and not airy between the layers. I added some garlic salt and a bit of pepper to the top of the cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes at 420 degrees. Then uncover and cook another 8-10 minutes so the cheese will melt and brown slightly.

Sorry I don't have an exact recipe, but I was in a rush and starving, so you'll just have to forgive me! This one made 4 MASSIVE servings of 6 normal ones.

Before...

And after :)

Chicken Ranch Wrap of Destiny!

Last week I got some absolutely fabulous large spinach wraps/tortillas, and I decided that since Gardein products are on sale at my grocery store, I'd go ahead and do a little experiment for dinner tonight. I've used the Gardein crispy tenders for all sorts of yummy meals (they're extra tasty with some mashed potatoes), so I felt confident making them into a tasty wrap tonight. Served with some sauteed zucchini, red onion and mushrooms, the wraps were quick, easy and filling dinner.

I just cooked the tenders in the oven, according to the directions on the package (430 degrees, cook about 22 minutes, flipping once during cooking). On the spinach wrap, I piled on lettuce, red onion, diced tomato and some ranch dressing. I usually make my own by just throwing some mayo, vinegar and spices together until it tastes good. Another rocking sauce combo for the chicken wraps is a blend of ranch and bbq sauce. Whatever way you choose, I'm sure you'll dig it. OH, and I make a tasty homemade Caesar dressing, which I also think would be spectacular next time I make the wrap.

I have nothing left to say, except that you should totally try making Gardein into some wraps. I don't think you'll regret it.

Baked Daiya Mac and Cheese

Pardon the crap photo. I was too hungry to try for a better shot.

Mac and Cheese! Who doesn't love it? Clearly, you have no soul if you're in Mac and Cheese haters club. Well, anyway, I needed (yes, I NEEDED) some mac and cheese today. I always loved macaroni and cheese, especially when it's baked. So, I had a go at making a vegan version and it was a mega hit. We absolutely LOVED it! It made enough for 3-4 people, but two of us ate it all. Oink oink!!

I based this version on my previous stovetop version of my Daiya Mac and Cheese with a few little changes. I baked this up in an 8x8 inch baking dish, and it fit perfectly. I might add some sauteed onions into the cheesy goodness next time I make it. I think it'd be pretty rad.

What I used:

• 1/2 pound medium shell pasta
• 1 1/3 cups Daiya cheddar plus a little more to sprinkle on the top before baking
• 1/3 cup Daiya mozzarella
• 3/4 cup plus 2 TB almond milk
• 3 1/2 TB  Earth Balance 
• 1 tsp flour
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 -2/3 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp onion powder
• 2 TB nooch (nutritional yeast)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• salt to your liking
• about 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

What I did:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray your baking dish with a light spritz of cooking spray. Set aside. 
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the box. While the pasta is cooking, get another pot and start on the next step.
3. Heat the empty pot over medium heat. Add the milk and Earth Balance. Whisk in the spices and flour. Bring to a light boil, then add the cheese. Turn the heat to medium-low and keep whisking until the cheese is nice and melted and creamy as all hell. 
4. By now, your pasta should be done. So, go ahead and gently mix the drained pasta into the cheese sauce. Remove from the heat. If it's too thick, mix in a little more milk to loosen the sauce up a smidge. 
5. Pour the mac and cheese into the baking dish. Sprinkle a little Daiya cheddar over the top of the mac and cheese. Then sprinkle the bread crumbs on the top.
6. Leave uncovered and bake for 15 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are lightly browned.

My Wintry Morning

This is what I woke up to. Kind of beautiful...unless you have no soul (in which case I wonder why you bother visiting a vegan website in the first place). Really. Why would you even bother?

This is the first snow of the year and I'm totally giddy for it. By February, I'll be over it, but for now, I just want to enjoy it.

Anyway, cold, snowy mornings always make me hungry for a hot breakfast. So, I remedied that situation by making this:

Chelsea waffles from Vegan Brunch (altered, of course) and some oniony, mushroomy, cheesy hashbrowns.

You can tell that I love my hashbrowns. I could eat them pretty much every single day without complaint. The Chelsea waffles from Vegan Brunch were altered because I didn't have all the ingredients in the recipe. It calls for barley malt syrup, which is ridiculously expensive around here, so I subbed in maple syrup. It also calls for canola oil, but I used coconut instead. Ever since I first tried these waffles, they have been my favorite. I've probably made them 15 or more times. I usually make a full batch so I can freeze the rest for quick breakfasts later on. They're awesome popped in the toaster and topped with a good slather of Earth Balance. Mmmm, dudes. I know I always talk about Vegan Brunch, but for real, YOU NEED THIS COOKBOOK. Best cookbook purchase I've ever made.

Here's the rest of my lovely snow photos from this morning.

Heavenly Tempeh Wrap

 

This is my 200th post here on this blog. Crazy. I always thought I would do something special for my 200th, but I completely forgot. Silly chickpea. So, anyway, I had a massive craving for tempeh that just wouldn't quit. I had some super tasty spinach tortillas and some ideas rolling around in my brain. Alas, this spicy and tangy tempeh wrap was born.

The wrap is crazy easy to make. It really takes almost no effort. You should totally make some. The sauce will seem pretty tangy on its own, but once you cook it with the tempeh and add your toppings, it'll go together surprisingly well. I know, the sauce sounds odd. Just try it. Now, I'm getting back to reading a book on my day off, so go make some food, dudes! Go forth and cook.

Makes 2 large wraps.

What you need:

• 1 block tempeh, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 TB garlic chili pepper sauce (I used A Taste of Thai brand) You could sub sriracha maybe.
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 2 large spinach wraps
• toppings of your choice- I used Vegenaise, shredded carrot, red onion, romaine and a handful of baby spinach

What you do:

1. Whisk together the ketchup, soy sauce and chili sauce in a bowl. Plop your tempeh in after the sauce is all mixed up. Then go ahead and let it all marinate for a few. I maybe left mine about 20 minutes. Ideally, I'd marinate it longer, but this worked just fine. 
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the coconut oil. Once hot, add the sauced-up tempeh. Cook about 4 minutes on each side, until browned. You can spoon more of the leftover sauce on the tempeh while it is still cooking. I did. 
3. Now fill your wrap however you want and tuck in.

My Pantry Essentials for New Vegans

My most-used food cupboard. Top shelf is pasta and other dry goods (Jiffy mix and Stovetop are not vegan, but I live with a non-veg fella). Middle shelf is egg replacer, VWG, dried legumes, oats, nooch and peanut butter. Bottom is dried fruit, lots of nuts, teas and some snacks.

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now because I have had several people ask me how to get started cooking after spending years survivng on boxed food and take-out. When I first started to cook (about 2 years ago), I didn't know what I needed to keep in my pantry. It felt like every recipe I tried required tons of ingredients, but that was just because I didn't have well-stocked pantry. Over the months, and now years, I have learned what I will always use and try hard to keep it stocked. It includes and assortment of baking goods, spices, condiments, dried goods and even a few cans and frozen goods. I hope this helps those of you just starting out. Don't be discouraged, after you get the pantry stocked, cooking gets loads cheaper because you'll already have lots of stuff ready to use. But, it does take $$ and patience when you get started. Good luck! And please feel free to contact me if you need any help or ideas.

Things you'll always find in my freezer:

• peas - add to curries, soups, even salads
• corn
• hashbrowns & tater tots - perfect for quick breakfasts and lunches
• shelled edamame - add to soups, salads and stir-fries
• Daiya - I like to always have some on-hand and it keeps longer in the freezer
• tempeh - perfect for pretty much any meal
• Gardein crispy chikn strips - nom nom nom

Spices I can't live without:

• garlic powder and garlic salt
• onion powder
• chili powder
• coriander
• cumin
• curry powder
• black pepper
• kosher and sea salts

 Foods in my Cupboards at all times:

• dried legumes and lentils
• brown rice
• nuts -almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, and walnuts
• pasta -spaghetti, penne and shells
• canned beans - chickpeas, black beans and kidney beans save time in a rush
• tomato sauce and crushed/diced tomatoes for making my own pizza/pasta sauces and chili
• Nooch (nutritional yeast) - I add it to tons of dishes for cheezy flavor and for the B-12.
• peanut butter
• Bisquick (yup, it's vegan)
• coconut oil or any cooking oil, like olive oil. Coconut oil can be pricey if you don't hunt for bargains.
• sesame oil
• TVP/TSP - textured veggie/soy protein makes a great ground beef texture when cooked

In my fridge all the time:

• soy sauce and Braggs aminos
• mushrooms
• Veggies: carrots, lettuce, red onion. potatoes, fresh heads of garlic, spinach, broccoli
• ground flax - add it to all sorts of stuff, even smoothies, make flax eggs.
• dressings, especially vinaigrettes
• salsa
• maple syrup for anything from baking, breakfast, to tempeh bacon
• yellow and dijon mustards
• Vegenaise (Best vegan mayo brand ever). Find it in your grocer's cooler.
• Earth Balance vegan buttah

Baking goods:

• unbleached all-purpose flour
• sugar (find sugar made from sugar beets as they don't use bone char to bleach the sugar)
• brown sugar
• cinnamon
• vegan chocolate chips - I always use Ghirardelli semi-sweet chips which are accidentally vegan
• cocoa powder
• vegetable shortening
• vanilla extract
• powdered sugar

I hope this helps out :)

Lentil Loaf Heaven

I have been obsessed with using lentils these last few days. I made the lentil tacos, lentil nachos and the lentil shepherd's pie. I'm digging the lentils hardcore, dudes. They taste rad, especially when cooked with vegetable broth with some spices. Well, I've been looking for a lentil loaf recipe for about a week because when I re-organized my cupboards, I found 2 bags of lentils I had forgotten all about. Why lentil loaf? Why the hell not? I always hated meatloaf as a kid, so I have no idea why I became obsessed with making a vegan version.

Whatever, though. This stuff was fucking perfect. I will admit, though, that I was completely skeptical as I don't really love tofu. There, I said it. I don't love tofu. I like it in scrambles, and that's about it. But, I'm certain that I will never make lentil loaf again without it. It keeps it moist and helps it hold it's loafy shape.

Here's the original inspiration recipe. I did make kind of a lot of changes. But, without this recipe, I would have ended up with a dry, crumbly mess. So, I do recommend it. I just needed more spices and sauce.

So, here are the changes I made to the recipe.

• Instead of making that tomato sauce, I used ketchup and bbq sauce topped with some salt and pepper.
• I used just green bell pepper, not red.
• Instead of the 1 TB tomato mixture, I added about 2 TB ketchup and 2 TB bbq sauce into the loaf.
• I left out the balsamic vinegar, sugar, thyme (I don't like thyme) and corn meal.
• Used 1 TB coconut oil to cook the veggies in, then 2 tsp olive oil in the loaf.
• Cooked my lentils in veggie broth with some cumin and all-purpose seasoning.
• Used Braggs aminos instead of soy sauce.
• Upped the spices to:
• 1/2-3/4 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried mustard
• 1 TB dried parsley
• 1/4-1/2 tsp garlic salt
• Added these spices:
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/3 tsp Simply Organic all-purpose seasoning
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp rubbed sage
• pepper
• I followed the directions as-is, except that I ran my drained tofu through my processor instead of mashing it by hand. 
• I didn't measure the bbq sauce and ketchup that I brushed on the outside. I'm guessing 2 TB bbq, and 3-4 TB ketchup.

Here are the photos of the progress:

Freshly formed loaf. About 2 inches high and 4 wide.

Loafy McLoaf smothered in bbq and ketchup before being baked.

Fresh from the oven. Much loafy love.

So perfect with some butter mashed Yukons and a little ketchup for dipping. 

You should totally make this! Don't let my alterations dissuade you. It's soooo easy and the baking time is only 30 minutes. Just do it!!

Spicy Lentil Tacos

 
Hark! I have discovered my very favorite tacos of all time! The lentil taco. So much awesomeness. Plus, any leftover lentils make some crazy-good nachos. Definitely rad. You should make them.

This batch made 6 large tacos and 2 huge servings of nachos.

What you need:

• 1 cup dry lentils
• about 2-2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 tsp all-purpose seasoning (optional)
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• about 1 1/2 TB taco seasoning (I use my own blend. Recipe here)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 large mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup salsa of your choice
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• salt

What I did:

1. Cook lentils in the broth with the cumin and all-purpose seasoning (if using). I leave my pot covered so that none of the broth evaporates. Mine took about 15-20 minutes, but cooking times vary by how old the lentils are. If they get too dry add more broth or water then cover again and cook until they are tender, but not mush. Once they're tender done, and nearly all the liquid is absorbed, remove the pot from the heat.
2. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook 5 minutes. Then add the mushrooms and cook 3 more minutes. Add the lentils, the spices and the salsa. Stir well and taste for seasonings. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Done.

Have leftover lentil taco filling? Make some nachos. These have vegetarian refried beans, vegan sour cream, some Daiya cheddar mixed into the lentils, some diced onion, sliced black olives and tomatoes. Mega yum, dudes. I wish there were more leftovers. 

Daiya Grilled Cheese...Um, yum.

Yup. Looks great, eh? It was.

Why the hell have I never made a Daiya cheddar grilled cheese before? I feel like I have to eat 100 of them to make up for the last year of not eating it.

I'm kind of a weirdo when it comes to my grilled cheese sandwiches. I like to add a tiny bit of finely diced onion into them. And, here's the part that people have always teased me about: I love them dipped in ketchup. There, I said it. I'm out of the ketchup closet. The only other time I ever eat ketchup is with fries. Otherwise, I pretty much loathe it. But there is something magical about dipping grilled cheese into it. Do it. If you don't like it, then bugger off. It tastes like my childhood and I don't want it tainted with your poor taste.

Lentil Shepherd's Pie with Shrooms

It's not especially photogenic, but it tastes like comfort.

With the weather turning colder by the day, I have been wanting craving comfort food like mad. Funny thing, I never had shepherd's pie until I went veg, so it isn't some childhood memory for me, which is what most comfort food is to me. But, anything smothered in mashed potatoes instantly becomes comfort food. And if you have a problem with that, then I'm just going to have to ask you to leave. Now. We don't need your types around here.

When you look at the recipe, it seems like a lot of ingredients, I know. However, if you cook regularly, you probably have most of it on-hand already. About 1/3 of them are spices. See, less daunting already! I do hope, though, that you have the ability to multi-task because it definitely saves you a lot of time on this one. And if you don't, well, bummer for you.

I have found a new spice love. I feel so unfaithful to my constant standbys of garlic powder, coriander, etc. I'm in love with an all-purpose seasoning by Simply Organics. I only bought it because I found a recipe I want to make for Thanksgiving that calls for it. But, I've been trying it in other dishes and I'm completely hooked. I find it irresistible. So, I thought I'd shared the love and recommend it to you guys, too. I think you'll like it. Enough blathering on about spice. On to the recipe, already. Sheesh.

This makes 1 large-ish dish. I got 6 main-dish-sized servings out of mine.

What I used for the mashed potatoes: 

• 5 medium-sized yukon gold potatoes, cubed with skins on (You can use any kind, just peel them before boiling)
• some almond milk
• some Earth Balance
• salt 

What I used for the lentils:

• 1 cup dried lentils
• about 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp Simply Organic All-Purpose Seasoning

What I used for the rest of the dish:

• 1 1/2 TB coconut oil
• 1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
• about 8 ounces of fresh mushrooms, sliced
• about 1 cup finely shredded carrot (I just used 1 massive carrot)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large handfuls of baby spinach, stems removed
• 2 tsp Braggs aminos 
• 2 TB cornstarch
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth (approximate)
• 1 tsp Simply Organic All-Purpose Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• lots of pepper and some salt
• about 2/3 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned ones because that's what I had in my cupboard)

What you need to do:

1. Preheat your oven to about 400 degrees F. Lightly spritz a deep casserole or pie plate with some cooking spray. Shake the bread crumbs into the bottom of the dish to make a light layer covering the whole bottom. You may need more or less depending on your dish size.
2. Put your lentils, their broth and seasoning into a small pot with a lid. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and simmer (with the lid on) until most of the liquid is dissolved and the lentils are softened to your liking. You do want a little broth left over...maybe 2-3 TB. The cooking time varies with the age of the lentils. Fresher lentils cook faster. Mine took about 15 minutes. Once done, leave the lid on and remove from the heat.
3. While the lentils are cooking, put your potatoes in a large pot, add about 1 TB salt to the pot and cover the potatoes with water. Bring to a boil, then cook for about 10 minutes. Maybe more maybe less depending on how big your taters are cut. You want them to be fork-tender. Then drain. Now, using either an electric hand mixer, of a potato masher, whip in some almond milk, butter and salt. I like mine creamy and buttery, but add however much you want. Once you get them tasting awesome, set aside.
4. I started this while the first 2 steps were still happening. You'll need a large nonstick skillet. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook about 5 minutes, until the onions are softened. Now add the garlic and mushrooms. Cook another 4 minutes. Your mushrooms should be cooked perfectly now.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and the broth until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add that mix, along with the lentils and their broth, the Braggs and the spices to the skillet and mix well. Now add the spinach and mix around a bit. Just cook until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Taste and check for seasoning. Remove from heat.
6. Scoop the lentil mix into the baking dish. 

7. Now, scoop all the potatoes on top and smooth out into an even layer across the top. I then sprinkled mine with salt and pepper.

8. Bake about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are lightly golden. Dig in and enjoy. Or not. Your loss.

OMG Hashbrowns

I woke up with an angry belly demanding food...NOW! Well, dudes, I just cleaned out my freezer last night (it was long overdue) and discovered that I still had half a bag of hashbrowns hiding in there. Does anyone else put stuff in the freezer intending to use it, and forget about it for months? I'm trying hard to knock that off because I hate wasting food. But, we shall see. Oh, yeah, so I found the hashbrowns. I am one of those people that loves potatoes...always have always will...and you can't make me change. So there.

Well, as I already mentioned, I woke up super hungry, so I took matters into my little paws and made a very tasty little (okay, okay, the pile of hashbrowns was quite sizeable) breakfast.  You can probably add any veggies you want, but had some broccoli left over from making Chickpea Broccoli Casserole yesterday, so I used some broccoli. Along with that, I added some fresh mushrooms and red onion I had in the fridge.

I'm not sure if you have ever been to Waffle House, but they are kind of famous for their hashbrowns. There, you can add all sorts of stuff to them, including meats (blech) and chili, along with several veggies, fungi and cheese. Having always been a fan of customizable hashbrowns, I took a page from their book. So, my kitchen became a vegan Waffle House this morning. And it was good. Very good. I think the only thing that could have made it better would be if someone else had cooked it for me. But, such is life.

These hashbrowns are ridiculously easy to make. And they take very little time. My version below makes 1 giant serving or 2 average size ones. Don't judge- I ate it all by my lonesome and I am stuffed.

What I used:

• 2 cups frozen hashbrowns
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup broccoli cut into tiny florets so they cook faster
• 3 white mushrooms, chopped small
• 1 1/2 TB coconut oil (or other oil)
• salt and lots of pepper

What I did:

1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once melted and hot, add the broccoli and onion. Cook about 4 minutes. Then add the mushrooms. Cook another 3 minutes. 
2. Add the frozen hashbrowns, stir well to coat with the little bit of oil that remains. Cook about 3 minutes, then stir in the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as needed. Then, flatten the hashbrowns down into the pan and let cook until browned to your liking. You can add more oil, if you need to. 

See! Too easy. And dogs love it too. Check out Daisy waiting patiently for them to get done (she likes potato, but not veggies....silly girl).

Here's what I made this day last year: Vegan Pierogies!! <--Click Me!

Chickpea Broccoli Casserole a la VwaV

There are days when you just need a hot, filling meal...something comforting for your tummy to devour and enjoy. Oh yeah, that was today. I woke up super hungry and I couldn't stop thinking about casserole. WTF? I am sooooo not a casserole kind of girl. But, whatever, I needed comfort food and I didn't know what to make. I saw somewhere online that people seemed to really like the broccoli chickpea casserole in the Vegan with a Vengeance cookbook, so I whipped it out. The book, not "it." Get your damn minds outta the gutter.

Well, I have had my VwaV cookbook for a couple years now, and I have made exactly 1 recipe from it. I think there is something wrong with me. I really don't know why I never think to use it. Whatever. Anyway, I made the casserole on page 97 (you can also find it posted all over the internet), but with some changes, including making it a little bit smaller because I didn't have enough chickpeas. Here are the other changes I made:

• had no chives, so I added 2 cloves minced garlic instead
• more breadcrumbs, with some extra on the top
• added lots of pepper and some extra salt (my broth was low-sodium, so that may be why)
• added 1 cup Daiya cheddar into the mix, and will probably add a little more next time
• added about 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, but will add more next time
• added in a little garlic powder and onion powder- maybe 1/4 tsp garlic and 1/3 tsp onion
• I ran most of the chickpeas through my food processor instead of mushing with a fork. Saves time.

Hmmm. Seems like I'm forgetting something. Wait, I do have a suggestion: saute your onion before adding it to the casserole mix. Mine were still a little crispy, and I will be cooking them next time. I do, however, have some more ideas for future casseroles now. Perhaps I will be adding some shredded hashbrown potatoes into it, along with some mushrooms. Who knows. I'm crazy that way. This casserole was quite yummy, though. Especially as it cooled down. You should give it a shot, even if you don't think you're a casserole kind of person. 

Here's what my version looked like before I baked it:

Here's what I blogged this day last year: Review of Strawberry Basil Preserves <--Click me!

Review: Deep Brand Lentil Samosas

I am obsessed with trying and making Indian food. And, today, I discovered a new little Indian Grocer/Cafe near my house! It's called Chutney Bazaar, and it is awesome. It smells incredible when you walk in the door. There are so many awesome spices, about a million different kinds of naan, and some excellent-looking foods. I can't wait to try their cafe foods!!

When I went, they were out of the freshly made vegan samosas, so I snagged some frozen ones instead. They are by Deep brand, and they were $6.99 for 24. The box says that they could be deep fried or baked, and since I hate deep-frying at home, I baked mine. The box does have a misprint, though. It says to bake at 400 degrees F for 6-8 minutes. What it should say is 16-18 minutes. I cooked mine for 16 and they were perfectly done...soft around the centers and just a little crispy around the edges.

They, to me, had just the right amount of spice. Just enough to warm your mouth without burning your tongue. I dipped mine in a tamarind/ginger chutney and they went very well together. I'm curious to try more chutneys, maybe a mango or a mint will be next. Who knows. I'm crazy like that. Haha.

As for the texture, I loved that the lentils held their shape, but they weren't hard, either. They had a texture to chew on, see: 

And here's what they looked like served with the tamarind ginger chutney:

I served mine with some fresh naan. It was awesome. I definitely recommend these if you happen to stumble upon them anywhere.

Any recommendations for a good chutney to go with samosas?

Here's what I made/blogged on this day last year: Pineapple Smoothies & My New Vita-Mix! <--Click Me!