Vegan pizza at Mellow Mushroom

I was thrilled when I saw that my local Mellow Mushroom now serves Daiya vegan cheese. Artichokes, mushrooms, onions, light daiya. MM is definitely one of the highlights of living in the south. :)

Better than your average ramen.

While growing up, I always enjoyed an egg dropped into my ramen noodles.  Now I prefer crumbled tofu, and I always try to add something green such as seaweed or kale.  Instead of using the flavoring packets, which aren't always vegan, I keep a jar of vegetable stock concentrate in the freezer and make an instant vegan broth.  I like to add sesame seeds, a drop of toasted sesame oil, splash of soy sauce, and a couple red pepper flakes as well. 

Grilled Mock Chicken Salad Sandwich

My most recent vegan gotta-have-it food is the Mock Chicken Salad from Whole Foods.  It's good on sandwiches and bagels, spread on crackers, or mixed in a pasta salad.  Grilled sandwiches are my ultimate comfort food. 

Spiral Pasta

I have been slacking on my blog for the past few months but I think I might get back to it.

This is a veggie pasta that I whipped up with mushrooms, onion, red pepper, capers, olive oil, tomato paste, vegan pesto concentrate, and about 1/4 cup of vegan 'chicken' stock. I didn't want a full on "red sauce" but by just adding tomato paste and pesto concentrate the flavor was enhanced.

Flakey Spinach Pockets

For a Christmas appetizer, we made these savory pastries with phyllo dough, spinach, and crumbled tofu.

First, steam the spinach and chop it, then mix it with crumbled firm tofu (I just used a fork in a large bowl). Add salt, pepper, spices, garlic, etc. to taste.

Melt some Earth Balance vegan margarine and lay out the phyllo dough layer by layer. Brush the butter between each layer of phyllo dough (about 5-6 sheets per batch). Then we used kitchen scissors to cut the dough into little squares and put a spoonful of the spinach mixture on the filo square. Then pinch the filo into a little pocket and brushed more butter over the top. Just bake on 375 for a few minutes, until they turn a nice brown color.

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.