Ever eat chickpea sandwiches? They're a staple in my world. I love taking them for lunch at the library because they don't make your bread soggy (I absolutely cannot deal with soggy bread) and the flavor seems to get better as it sits. As for the bread, I never much took any interest in foccacia, but the fella came home with a giant, flat loaf from the store today. I wondered what the hell I was going to with it. Alas, I made a sandwich. And it was great. The foccacia was soft inside and chewy outside. Better yet, it was vegan!

This little recipe started with a recipe I found on Happy Herbivore's blog a couple years ago, and has constantly evolved ever since. This makes 1 sandwich, but I'll leave it up to you to double/triple/whatever.

What I used:

• 1/2 can drained chickpeas (About 2/3- 3/4 cup)
• 3 TB diced onion
• 2 TB sunflower seeds for a little crunch
• 1 TB Vegenaise vegan mayo
• 1 1/2 TB dill relish
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 TB nooch
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/8 tsp dried dill

What I did:

1. Put everything in your food processor and pulse a few times, until the mix holds together. If it's too dry, add a little more mayo or dijon mustard and pulse a few more times. Spoon the mix out onto some bread, top with some baby spinach (or lettuce) and a slice of tomato. Dig it.

Vegan Sausage Hashbrowns

If you come here often, you probably already know that I love hashbrowns. Who doesn't? Well, I decided the other day that I really needed hashbrowns, but I really wanted a little extra kick to it. What better way to make breakfast than to make it all in one dish? Dudes. Adding sausage to the hash was a stellar idea. I'm totally hooked on LightLife Gimme Lean Sausage, and find excuses to use it whenever possible (it just made an appearance on some pizza recently,too).

This is just a 1-person serving. You can do the math to double or triple the recipe. I'm feeling too lazy to do it for you. Come on, cut a chickpea some slack. I'm a hard-working librarian again.

What I used:

• 1 1/2 cups frozen hashbrowns (I use frozen to save me some time. Feel free to use fresh)
• 1/4 tube of Lightlife Gimme Lean sausage, broken into bite-sized pieces
• 2 TB diced bell pepper
• 3 TB diced onion
• pinch fennel seed, crushed
• pinch red pepper flake
• pinch sage
• pinch garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp oil 

What I did:

1.  Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add all the ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and peppers are soft, the sausage is browned, and the hashbrowns are golden. NOM NOM NOM

Creamy, Cheesy Potato Soup

I've been super mega hesitant to try making a creamy vegan potato soup. I assumed it wouldn't quite compare to the fat-laden dairy version I grew up on and I didn't want to be a disappointed chickpea. Really, who does? I hadn't even thought about potato soup in ages, but I got home from my dream job and was faced with a box of organic produce that was delivered earlier in the day. Because I am ridiculously lazy (on occasion) I never feel like putting all of it away, so I ended up digging through and taking stock of the veg to try and come up with some random dish. The main things I saw were russet taters, yellow onion, celery, and garlic. I knew it was fate. Today was the day I would finally conquer my fear! I WOULD MAKE CREAMY CHEESY VEGAN POTATO SOUP! Yes, capslock was necessary. This is a big fucking deal.

I won't lie and say there is any specific recipe. I was cooking multiple things at once (sauteed zucchini with onion and mushroom), so I wasn't paying very close attention to the exact proportions. However, I do think I'm pretty close. You should just play it by ear and figure out your preferred formula. My version easily serves 4 as a main dish.

What I used (I think):

• 2 large and 1 small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into a small dice
• about 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/3 cup celery, diced small
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp olive oil 
• 3 TB vegan buttah
• scant 1/4  cup flour 
• 1/4-1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 cup veg broth
• 3-4 cups unsweetened (or very lightly sweetened) almond milk
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/3-1/2 cup Daiya cheddar
• salt and pepper

What I did:

1. Boil a pot of salted water. Add the potatoes and cook until fork-tender. Drain and set aside. 
2. In a dutch oven or stock pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and celery. Once, softened, add the garlic and cook another minute or so. 
3. Add the butter and the flour and turn into a thick paste by stirring it all together.
4. Add the potatoes, the broth, yeast and enough milk to just cover the potatoes. Then add in the spices. Mix it really well and bring up to a light boil.
5. Stir every few minutes as the soup thickens. I actually started using a whisk near the end to keep the milk from burning to the bottom. The soup probably took 25 minutes once in the pot. But, like I said, I was distracted. In the last 10 minutes or so, I used my immersion blender and pureed about 1/3 of the soup to thicken it up a bit.You can also do it by running a bit through your blender or processor...optional, not necessary. 
6. Once the soup is thickened to your liking, lower the heat and add in the Daiya cheese. I used a whisk to keep stirring mine until the cheese was all melted.

Cheesy Vegan Southwestern Hashbrowns

I am, and will always be, a fan of hashbrowns. This dish is no exception. Dudes, it was awesome. A little spicy, and packed with tastiness. Don't like hashbrowns? We can't be friends anymore. Sorry. I just can't comprehend someone disliking potatoes. It goes against everything I stand for! So, suck it up and tuck into a tasty southwestern breffast. Do it.

Makes enough for 2 as a main.

What I used:

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked potato hashbrowns
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 1/4 bell pepper
• 2/3 cup chunky salsa
• 1 tsp taco seasoning (I make my own blend)
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 TB oil
• 1/4 cup Daiya cheddar (I know the pepperjack would be even better)
• salt and pepper

What I did:

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the oil. Saute the onion, pepper and garlic for a few minutes. 
2. When your onions are almost translucent, add the potatoes.  You may need to add a little more oil to keep it from sticking to the pan. Cook, stirring regularly for about 8 minutes. Add in the beans, corn, seasoning and salsa. Mix well. Cook another 4-5 minutes, or until the potatoes start browning.
3. Remove from heat and fold in the cheese. Chow down.