Hearty Shepherd's Pie

This would be a great main-dish for a holiday dinner or cozy winter night. But I also enjoyed it on a random wednesday in August. For this shepherd's pie, I was inspired by a recipe on VegNew's website.

First, start boiling 4 yukon gold potatoes, cut in pieces. Then, saute a chopped yellow onion and carrots, along with some garlic in a skillet. Once the onions and carrots have cooked for a few minutes, add the veggie crumbles and continue to saute.

For the gravy: Bring 2 cups of veggie broth to a boil with a dash of tamari. Reduce heat to low, and add a mixture of arrow root and water and stir continuously for about 3 minutes. The sauce should thicken to become a gravy.
Add the gravy and 3/4 cup of frozen peas and mix together. Lightly oil a casserole dish and add the veggie mixture.
For the mashed potatoes: Combine Earth Balance vegan butter, almond milk, salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, and thyme and mash well.
Top with veggie mixture with an even layer of the mashed potatoes.

Finally, sprinkle bread crumbs and olive oil over the top and cover with tin foil. Bake for 40 minutes on 350, then remove foil and continue to bake for another 15 minutes.
We were so pleased with this dish. It was really tasty. The best part was that it was even better as left-overs!

Homemade chiken nuggets

This was my first experience making seitan... so bare with me!  We made a really simple seitan recipe using my food processor's dough-blade (just combine vital wheat gluten and water, then boil in vegetable broth for about an hour).  Then we sliced the seitan, dipped them in almond milk and panko, and fried.

panko and almond milk

I'm definitely going to need to keep experimenting with seitan, but my first attempt was mostly successful!  I was surprised how easy it is to make.  And I love chiken nuggets!  The rosemary mashed potatoes on the side were good too.

Easy Vegan Lasagna

If you are looking for a vegan lasagna that reminds you of classic meaty-cheesey lasagna, this is it.  Plus, it's really easy to make. 

Ingredients:
Lasagna noodles (I like De Boles brand of rice noodles because they don't need to be pre-cooked!) 
Marinara sauce
Onion
Garlic
Mushrooms
Frozen veggie crumbles
Olive Oil
Basil, oregano, salt, pepper, splash of agave nectar, dash of cayenne pepper
Extra-firm tofu
Daiya vegan cheese

First, make some tofu-ricotta.  Just combine extra-firm tofu, salt and pepper, olive oil, and italian spices in a food processor until smooth.
Next, saute the chopped onions and garlic in a little oil.   After a few minutes add the veggie crumbles and cook until they start to brown.  Add the sauce and extra spices.  Finally, add the mushrooms and cook for a couple more minutes. 

In a casserole dish, start with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom.  Then place a layer of noodles, tofu ricotta, sauce, and sprinkle cheese.  Repeat with noodles, ricotta, sauce, cheese.  3 layers is best.  Cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes on 350.  Take the foil off and broil for about 10-15 minutes to get the top nice and brown.