VeganMoFo: Homestyle Lentil Pie

It's getting nice and fall-like around here. Last night I wore warm socks and a sweatshirt to bed. Time for comfort fall food! I had this pie in mind because I just stocked my pantry with HP Sauce which is the secret ingredient in this dish. I adapted this recipe and change a few things. I used 1/2 cup green lentils to 2 cups water, a can of drained diced tomatoes and extra HP Sauce. I also had to cook the lentils a lot longer, more like 20-25 minutes or so and I had to add a little water here and there when it got too dry. Once the lentils were soft and slightly mushy which is how I like it, that's when I decided it was ready to pour into a casserole and topped with mashed potato.

NOTE: IF you can't find HP Sauce, Pickapeppa sauce is a good stand in and is available at major grocery chains like Vons.


Here's the filling before being covered with potato.


Here it is out of the oven.


I had a bit for lunch. Delicious!

Shepherd's Pie

Made this pie in about 40 minutes using the leftover "taco meat" from last night, some frozen veggies, mushrooms, homemade miso gravy and instant mashed potatoes (sorry, it's a weekday!). The miso gravy is so good. Find the recipe here. Make sure to substitute vegan margarine for the butter. I also added a little veggie broth as well. Can't wait to eat this when I get home from work!

Chili Dogs! + Bonus Sparky Pic.

There are days when I crave good old comfort foods like soups, stews, casseroles and chili. Today was that day. I almost made a Thai noodle dish but decided to give in to the craving and also use up some hot dog buns I have along with a package of Smart Dog veggie hot dogs. Chili dogs were what I had in mind. I based my chili off of the "East Coast Chili" in Robin Robertson's Vegan Planet but added some stuff, namely green pepper, jalapeno, carrots, cumin, a bit of bbq sauce and omitted the veggie burger crumbles. Great tasting chili on hot dogs bring me back to my childhood in the summer when my cousins and I sat around a table at lunch time stuffing our faces and not talking (my aunt who babysat us never allowed talking at the table). Good times!


I should post more photos of my animals here as they are one of the reasons why I'm veggie. Here's Sparky hanging out outside his cage. He was strangely attracted to these framed tarot cards hanging on our bedroom wall. He's ready to read your fortune! Isn't he just a beauty?

Biscuit Casserole Stew

It's cloudy and overcast today which makes me want comfort food. I'm still trying to use up whatever I have in my kitchen and after thinking a bit, I remembered this stew from Brian McCarthy's 'Vegan Family Cookbok'. It's a very easy recipe where I was able to add things from my fridge that needed using up. It's a thick soup-like stew with a split pea soup base and features potatoes and carrots with a drop biscuit crust. I added some extra veggies and made whole wheat biscuits for the top. There was a bit of overspill in the oven (should have use a bigger dish), but it made it look interesting I think!

Ingredients from my pantry:
can of split pea soup
plain soymilk
whole wheat flour
all purpose flour
olive oil
veggie broth powder

Ingredients from my fridge:
mushrooms
broccoli
potatoes
carrots
onions
garlic
zucchini

Ingredients I had to purchase:
none


Warm and comforting.

Tofu Cacciatore

Here's another comfort food meal which is super easy for a weeknight. I got the recipe from a vegan recipe site called 'Ethnic Vegan'. This particular recipe is called "Better Than Chicken Cacciatore". It originally calls for a chicken substitute but I used baked tofu chunks instead. (You can probably use extra firm unbaked tofu as well.) I had already prepared some baked tofu and tempeh bacon this morning to make club sandwiches during the week so I was all set. Just needed to add some red and green bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and tomato sauce and presto!: tofu cacciatore. I omitted the last step in the recipe where it requires you to bake the cacciatore. I was fine with just simmering it in a saucepan for a while. Mmm. mmm!


On top of linguine!


Here's the baked tofu that I made. I used half for the cacciatore and saved the rest to make club sandwiches. I brushed both sides of the tofu slices with a marinade of olive oil, soy sauce, dijon mustard, garlic and black pepper. I baked them on an oiled baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes flipping them halfway.

All you need is comfort food!

Today I needed something warm, hearty and comfort foody. Pot pie to the rescue! I've been wanting to try the 'Vegetable Pot Pie' recipe from the Country LIfe Vegetarian cookbook for quite some time. I'm glad I did as it's a little different from the pot pies I usually make. The gravy is creamier with the addition of soymilk and flavorful from the 'country style seasoning' which is another recipe in the book. I didn't make the 'Flaky Oat-Wheat Crust' that is supposed to go on top because I didn't have all the ingredients so I used a frozen pie crust that had been languishing in my freezer for a while. I just thawed it and popped it out of the tin pie plate and flattened it out with a rolling pin and cut out little biscuit shapes for the crust. Came out real nice.




The insides: potatoes, green beans, carrots, onions, corn, celery and broccoli. I was going to put mushrooms in here but I forgot!

Edited to add the pretty purple smoothie I had after a long dog walk. Blueberry/Strawberry/Applesauce/Soymilk

Creamy Tomato Pasta

I have this really great cookbook called 'Pasta and Vegetables' that I got at a bargain bookshop for $1. It's filled with great vegetarian recipes utilizing vegetables in different ways and pairing them with pasta. Tonight's dinner was from this book. It's the "Creamy Tomato Blender Sauce" which was really easy to make and features lots of garlic, red pepper flakes, tomatoes from a can and soymilk. The recipe originally called for fat free milk but it was easily switched out to make the recipe vegan. I added a few handfuls of chopped and steamed swiss chard to give it some color as well as boost the nutrition content. This orangey pink sauce is thick, creamy, velvety smooth and delicious! The consistency of the sauce was very much like an alfredo sauce. You know, it's dishes like this that can shatter misconceptions about vegan food. It proves that animal free food is not bland or boring or a self punishing diet of plain vegetables. You can easily make tasty, comforting, indulgent food that you've always remembered, no problem.

Psst...you can get this book at Amazon merchants for as low as 1 cent!

Make favorite dish. Eat. Repeat.

I have this annoying habit when I really like something I will have it over and over without tiring of it. At least for a while. It could be movies (I've watched some films over 10 times), music (currently Doctor Who series 4 soundtrack on a continuous loop), books (I've read 'I Capture the Castle' more times than I can count) and finally food. If I like something and if it always turns out perfectly, I'll make it again. And again. And again... Drives my husband nuts.

Well tonight was one of those nights. I know I made Vegan Dad's mac and cheese a few weeks ago but I really wanted it tonight. It's cool and crisp out and I wanted some comfort food with a comfort vegetable. I made a side dish of garlic broccoli in which I burned some of the garlic but it still came out good.

On to the pics...


I did do something a little different. I used regular yellow mustard instead of the dijon that the recipe called for. Good!


I love broccoli.

You'll find the mac recipe here.

The Quintessential Comfort Food.

Back in my pre-vegan days I used to make a quick chicken pot pie from a store bought chicken, frozen pie crust, frozen vegetables and a can of cream of potato soup. Not anymore. Today's pot pie was a realization of all the fresh vegetables that I had available. It was also a result of last night's french onion soup leftovers. You see, I was already thinking "gravy" while I supped on the rich and delicious soup. What better way to utilize gravy than in a vegetable pot pie recipe? No need for those condensed and canned soups. I was going for a gravy that was rich and creamy with the flavors and aroma of caramelized onions, miso and red wine (ingredients that were in the soup). Something that would give the vegetables intense flavor. I think I succeeded.

What I did was this. I strained the broth from the onion soup and made a roux with Earth Balance margarine and flour. Then I stirred in the broth and whisked and whisked until it thickened. Then I added plain soymilk little by little while I whisked and let it simmer. I chopped some of the caramelized soup onions and put them in there too. A dash of salt and pepper later and I had my gravy. The filling was all about chopping and dicing: potatoes, broccoli, spinach, green beans, carrots, mushrooms and (frozen) corn. I cooked them over heat with a little water to soften the potatoes and then combined the mixture with the gravy. Then I poured it into the pie crust and covered it with a very lazy top pie crust and baked it for 40 minutes. I say lazy because I used an oil based pie crust which I think lacks the butteryness and that something something that traditional pie crusts have. I could have made one with margarine or shortening to get that flavor/texture but like I said, I was too lazy. But no matter, the pie turned out beautiful. Don't you think? No not really. It's a very home made lookin' pie and for what it lacks in beauty, the taste makes up for it all the more.


Inside shot. The gravy was the best gravy I've ever made.


Pie Hole!

French Onion Soup

Warm and comforting, soup will make you warm and fuzzy on a cold fall night. That's what I wanted so I made The Chicago Diner's French Onion soup. It has some nice flavors of oregano, red miso and tamari. I added some red wine and nutritional yeast for even more flavor. Very nice. I've got a big pot of it with lots of leftovers. I've had three bowls of it already and I don't know if I'll be up for soup tomorrow. I wonder what I can do with the leftovers. Maybe make a red wine onion gravy out of it? We'll see.


With a floating piece of garlic bread on top.

Mac n Cheezy.

There's nothing better than comfort food on the weekend. I was up early today and was watching some quality tv and a cooking show was on. A wife was cooking an anniversary meal for her husband and she made him mac and cheese alongside the obligatory piece of meat. The mac and cheese captured my attention and I knew that I had to make it, like right away. I pulled out Vegan Dad's mac and cheese recipe which happens to be the best vegan mac I've tried by far. It's got a creamy cashew base and is flavored with things like garlic and onion powder, miso paste (my fave) and nutritional yeast. It's freaking delicious. Just look at it!




Perfectly creamy mac n cheez with a side of garlicky baby bok choy.

Is it chili or is it stew?

I think it's more of a stew but tastes like chili. I don't think it has enough beans for it be chili but whatever, I love the fall colors and it tasted very nice. I had an acorn squash that I didn't know what to do with besides baking and stuffing and I wanted to use it in a dish that would last a few days. I decided to make a chili with it and this was the tasty end result that I served on top of rice.

Acorn Squash Chili-Stew

2 TB olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 acorn squash, peeled (this was a little time consuming) and diced into cubes
1 14oz. can stewed tomatoes
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 TB chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
2 TB agave syrup or 1 tsp sugar
1 zucchini, peeled and diced
1 14oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp mellow miso paste (I like to flavor everything with miso!)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a pot on medium high. Saute onions and garlic until they are soft.
2. Add acorn squash and saute for a few minutes then add tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, chili powder, cumin and agave. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and cover and let simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.
3. Add beans and zucchini and continue to cook until zucchini is tender but not mushy. Add miso paste and stir to dissolve it in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve hot over rice or mashed potatoes.

Edited to add: I had leftovers the next day like so: Cook 8 oz. of macaroni. Add 1/2 cup of the chili, 2 tsp vegenaise and a squeeze of lime juice and toss together.

Vegan MoFo: Country Life Tofu Loaf and Mashed Potatoes with Miso Gravy.

I haven't cooked much from the Country Life Vegetarian cookbook because I keep forgetting that I have it. So many cookbooks, so little time! I pulled it out today and flipped through it to find something I could do for dinner with the very few items I had in my fridge. Tofu-Check. Walnuts-Check. Onions-Check. Rice-Check. Seasonings-Check! I was on my way to a comforting loaf dinner. I didn't have any fresh potatoes but I did have -dare I say- a box of instant potato flakes in my pantry. I know, I know. Fresh is better but I only use the boxed stuff for emergencies like today! I whipped up a batch of my fave miso gravy and all was well.

The loaf is similar to my favorite loaf recipe from the Whole Foods website. I had a little plate for lunch and I thought it was pretty good. I think I like the Whole Foods loaf better because it doesn't have rice in it. This one does and you can taste it very much and it also gives the loaf a texture. I spread ketchup for a little color and sweetness. This loaf is very sliceable if you let it cool after it comes out of the oven. I will have more of this for dinner tonight! I wonder how it will do in a sandwich...


A perfect slice with mash and yummy gravy. I also had some HP sauce with it.

VeganMoFo: Revamping Leftovers.

I think I'm pretty good at turning leftovers into a brand new dish the next day. I've turned lentil soup into curry, spaghetti sauce into "Michigan hot dogs" (it's a Quebec thing, my husband is from Montreal), cream of celery soup into gravy and leftover taco filling into meatloaf. Last night was taco night again but I was practically the only one eating. Husband didn't feel well so he had two measly tacos and that was it. I hungrily wolfed down five but I still had a mountain of taco filling leftover.

Today I decided to make a shepherd's pie with the leftovers. It was very easy to put together with ingredients I already had in my refrigerator. I sauteed some onion, garlic, zucchini, carrots, green beans and mushrooms and seasoned them with italian herbs. I made a small recipe of miso gravy (subbed Earth Balance for the butter) and combined all of this with the taco filling (seasoned soy crumbles). I poured it into a casserole, spread mashed potatoes on top and dotted it with bits of Earth Balance. I baked it for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. It came out sooo good. The filling was hearty and the miso gravy gave it a very rich, satisfying flavor. I think omnis will like this just as much as traditional meat based sheperd's pie. Check out these mouthwatering pics!


I dig the gravy pool that's formed on top.


Comfort food at it's best.

Comfort Foods.

Comfort food was something I never imagined I could have again once turning vegan. Foods I remember from childhood: Meatloaf, creamy casseroles, chili, thick stews, mac & cheese, grilled cheese, ohhhhhhh... I thought some dishes would never be vegan friendly. I was wrong. I've prepared ever so many comforting meals that made everything all right in the world. Here are some photos.


Chili really doesn't need meat to be warm, hearty and filling. This Sweet Potato and Veggie Chili really hits the spot. Recipe can be found here.


Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy. Oh yes. This is a really good tofu/veggie loaf that I make often. It's perfect with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy (in this pic, a white bean gravy - recipe from Vegan With A Vengeance). You can find the loaf recipe here. (I omit the egg in this recipe.)


I love getting out my crockpot in winter time. I love getting out my crockpot in summer time too. It doesn't matter what the weather is like; if I want comfort food I am going to have it! This beautiful Lentil and 'Sausage' soup was sooo good. I adapted this recipe by switching out the meat kielbasa for Tofurkey brand tomato and basil vegetarian sausage. This soup thickens into a stew the longer it sits which is pretty damn awesome.


I used to love chicken pot pie. Now I love chickpea pot pie. This one is just like the pot pies I remember. I used Vegan Dad's pot pie recipe because he's such an awesome cook! For the crust, I used this fantastic "Cheezy Quackers" recipe from this great blog.


I once craved the tuna casseroles that my mom used to make for me when I was little. She would use egg noodles, cream of mushroom soup and slices of Kraft singles melted on top. None of these things fit my diet so I had to improvise. What I came up with was this creamy, mushroomy casserole with crushed chips and french fried onions on top. I've added mashed chickpeas to fill in for the tuna as well as provide the protein. This dish is great and well loved by all when I take it to potlucks. I've posted my recipe here.


I call this 'Meat Eating Husbands Love This Shepherds Pie". I adapted a recipe that my friend Becky made for her meat eating husband. He loved it so I thought my meat eating husband would love it too. He did. This one's a winner. It's got broccoli, carrots and potatoes in a rich mushroom gravy. The french fried onions on top was Becky's brilliant idea. I've since used them in other recipes like the casserole above. I've posted my adapted recipe here.


I had to save the best for last. Grilled cheese. While this doesn't taste like dairy cheese it's an awesome equivalent. It's gooey, rich and creamy and so very tasty. I used the Colby Chedda " block cheese" recipe from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. It has a cashew and pimento or roasted red pepper base.

I'd just like to add that I have made several mac and cheese recipes which were wonderful. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of them. I'll get shots of them next time. Hope all these dishes inspire you to make your own veggie comfort foods!