I love my crockpot.

Crockpot's rule. I love that you can put a bunch of odds and ends in and you get something fantastic about 8 hours later. That's what I did this morning. I didn't necessarily have many fresh veg but I was still able to chuck in a bunch of frozen veg and come up with this easy vegetable and white bean soup.



I also made the 'Pepper Jack Uncheese' from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. This is a soft, mild tasting cheez with a hit of hot peppers. Very nice. I served it with seeded baguette slices.

Crockpot Vegetable Soup

2 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14oz. can stewed tomatoes
4 cups water
1 14oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen green beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp all purpose seasoning (like Mrs. Dash)
2 TB soy sauce
fresh cracked black pepper

Saute onion, celery and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add them to the bottom of the crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients, give it a stir and set it to LOW for 8 hours.
Option: To add some leafy greens to this soup, saute or steam some chopped chard or kale and add it at the end of the cooking time, right before serving.

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!