Homemade Vegan Pot Pie Casserole

Yet again we find ourselves at the beginning of another week, a Monday. Today marks the last full week of shopping. While the hustle and bustle of your week is just beginning, I’m hoping that this recipe will ease the stress of the week and provide a delicious meal that you and yours can sit down and enjoy!

This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe that I originally saw in this year’s Holiday issue of Food Network Magazine, which should only go to show how easy it is to take your favorite recipes and make them vegan by substituting in new ingredients.

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Homemade Vegan Pot Pie Casserole

Ingredients:

1/2 a stick of vegan margarine 

4 carrot sticks, chopped into small pieces

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

8oz of baby bella mushrooms

1 1/2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons of flour

1 1/2 cups of soy milk

1/2 cup of soy creamer

1 14oz block of tofu cut into small squares (save the water*) 

1 15oz can of peas

7 slices of bread, made into bread crumbs**

Salt and peper to taste

Directions: 

1.  Melt you butter in a large oven safe dish. 

2. Add in the carrots, onions, and celery. Cook until they are slightly softened, remembering to still occasionally. Usually around 5 minutes.

3. Add in the mushroom and the soy sauce and cook until the vegetables are soft. Usually around 3 minutes. 

4. Add in the flour, stir, and cook for one minute. 

5. Add in the soy milk, soy creamer, 1 cup of water, and salt to taste.  

* I like to use the water my tofu was packaged in, if it is not quite one cup just add water to bring it to a cup. 

6. Bring your mixture to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.

7. Add the can of peas and the tofu, bring to a simmer, and then add salt and pepper to taste. 

8. Remove from heat, stir thoroughly, and add the bread crumbs evenly to the top of the dish. Then bake in the oven @ 425 for about 8 minutes or until the top is slightly browned. 

**Cheap vegan bread crumbs are not an easy thing to find, so I tend to just make my own. I toast the bread, break it into small pieces separating the crust from the bread. In a food processor, I blend the bread first and pour that into a bowl. Then I do the crust, and mix it all together in bowl. 

For this recipe, I add both the crust crumbs and the bread crumbs into the food processor and add 1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt. 

I'm making this for dinner tonight with my Dad. I can't wait to share our reviews and of course some pictures with you! (:

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Chili Baked Potato with Facon Bits.

Today's post is going to show you a great and quick meal idea, using the facon bits I talked about yesterday! 

One of my favorite ways to eat these yummy vegan bacon bits is on a baked potato with chili. 

This delicious meal is really simple and quick. 

Underneath all that delicious chili is a baked potato with butter. I've topped mine with facon bits, which complement the Boca crumbles. 

Try out this recipe today! 

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Meatless Monday: Vegan Stir Fry

It’s Monday, which is not a fun day.

I would guess, your want to try something meatless.

Okay, so maybe I’m not the best at rhymes but I’ll bet you will love this stir-fry recipe.

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Vegan Stir Fry

Ingredients:

Canola Oil

Rice

Assorted Vegetables*

Soy Sauce (or other preferred sauce)

*I recommend using some or all of the following: mushrooms, onions, carrots, bean sprouts, peppers, zucchini, water chestnuts, baby corn, or really any other vegetable that you like. Your options are limitless!!

Directions:

1. Boil rice per the directions on the rice package.

2. Chop the veggies to the desired consistency.

3. Place them in a hot and oiled pan and cook them until as desired.

Frying Tip: I like to add water into my vegetables while they are cooking. I use a squeeze bottle but a cup works too! This extra water adds moisture to you veggies, which helps them from drying out. It also allows you to cut down on the oil that you need to use, which helps cut down on the fat.

4. When the veggies are close to done, mix the rice and soy sauce into the pan and mix together.

Serve & Enjoy!!

What veggies are you using? I’d love to see your spin on this delicious dish!!

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Meatless Monday: Fried Avocado Tacos

It's Monday, which means it's time for another Meatless Monday recipe! (: 

Today's recipe is a little unconventional, but it's delicious none the less. 

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Fried Avocado Tacos.

You will need: 

A frying pan 

A spatula 

A knife

A cutting board

3 small bowls

Ingredients: 

Small flour tortillas

Black Beans

Onions

Avocados

Flour

Water

Shredded Lettuce 

Salsa 

Directions: 

**Before you start prepping your avocado, I recommend that you begin heating a frying pan with about 1/4 inch of olive oil, so that your oil will be hot when you are ready to start cooking**

1. Using the knife, slice open the avocado and slice it length wise into long slices. 

2. Dip your avocado into water, then roll it in your bowl of flour, and once it is thoroughly covered it is read to fry. 

3. Place these slices into your pan, flipping them over after about 5 minutes.

You want the outside to be crispy, but for the best taste you want to keep the inside soft and creamy. 

4. When they are ready, pull them out of the frying pan (I recommend using tongs) and place your avocado slices on some paper towels to help absorb any extra oil. 

**Since I had the pan and the oil already heated up, I chose to go ahead and sauté my onions as well. This is a completely optional step, depending on how you like your onions. 

Now it's time to build you tacos!

I built this scrumptious taco, by layering black beans and onions on the bottom of my soft taco shell. Then I placed several slices of avocado into my taco and covered that with lettuce, salsa, a little salt, and some pepper. 

I served my tacos with margaritas, and they were a big hit! The avocado slices were the perfect touch to my tacos, they had that extra little crunch on the outside but maintained there smooth creamy rich texture on the inside. They complemented the salsa and other vegetables quite nicely. 

If you give this recipe a try, I would love to know what you think!

Enjoy!

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Crescent Rolls

The best part of November 1^st is getting to eat all the Halloween candy from last night, whether it be from your own trick-o-treating adventure or candy that never got handed out.

So, in honor of that, I’m going to break my routine once again tonight. Instead of posting about something sweet, I’m going to assume that everyone else has their fill of sweets at home to eat and talk about a meal staple in my house.

I’m a big fan of breads, whether it is for a sandwich or with pasta or even with a little butter as a snack.

One of the staple breads that I keep in my fridge at all times, is the Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls. 

Pop them out of the can, roll them up, and throw them on a cookie sheet. 

In 11-13 minutes they come out of the over warm and golden brown! They are quick and delicious and work great as a side to pasta, soups, and stews in the winter when a nice warm bread complements your meal perfectly. 

Add a little butter and just look how delicious this looks! So flakey and wonderful, plus they are only 100 calories a roll! (:

Have you ever tried these crescent rolls? What did you think about them?!

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Enjoy!

Vegan Mac & Cheese.

Tonight I’m going to share with you one of my favorite quick and vegan meal options. This one comes straight from the freezer isle, to the tune of macaroni and cheese.

This Amy's Mac & Cheese is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Cholesterol Free, Lactose Free, and Tree Nut Free. The noodles are made from rice flour and the cheese is Daiya. 

With just over 500 calories, 190 of which are from fat, and 8 grams of protein, this is truly a great meal starter. 

I love to pair this with some vegan chicken strips and a green vegetable, like steamed broccoli. 

I mean look how creamy & delicious that looks! How could any one not want to give this a try!?!

If you do try it out, leave a comment and let me know what you think!

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Veggie Sandwich!

Today’s fast food option is another hit from Wendy’s. This vegetable sandwich isn’t actually on the menu, but rather something that is a special order.

What I Order: A premium toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle. No cheese. No mayonnaise.

This literally means you are getting a hamburger bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle.

Sometimes, I eat it just like that. Sometimes I bring my own vegan chicken patty or vegan hamburger with me and just grab the bun when I’m feeling lazy.  I’ve also added my own sauce to this sandwich as well.

Keep in mind that the new pretzel bun does contain milk, so if you are still transitioning, are a vegetarian, or for any other reason don’t mind milk as an ingredient; then you can certainly ask for a pretzel bun in lieu of the premium toasted bun.

If you are looking to make this a meal, checkout my post on Wendy's Hit The Spot Fries!

If you give this sandwich a try, let me know what you think!

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Enjoy!

Meatless Mondays: Mac & Bean Casserole!

Today’s Meatless Monday recipe is a filling and delicious casserole of sorts. It’s simple, quick, and perfect for an on the go dinner.

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Mac & Bean Casserole

Makes 4 large servings.

You will need:

A 2 quart microwaveable safe bowl

A spoon

A large strainer

Ingredients:

1 box of Elbow noodles

1 28 oz can of baked beans*

Directions:

1. Fill your bowl with water and your noodles.

2. Cook your noodles for 3 minutes and then stir. Repeat.

3. Cook for an additional 4 minutes, stir, and strain the noodles.

4. Mix the noodles with the beans, stir thoroughly, and microwave for another minute.

Enjoy!

**I use Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans

If you try this recipe, leave me a comment & let me know what you think!

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The Perfect Baked Potato

Yesterday, I shared with you two vegan butter substations that I love. Today's recipe is going to use one of those butters and tomorrow's recipe will use the other. Today's "recipe" is really more of a meal idea, but none the less it is delicious. 

As I told you yesterday, if I am eating my butter on something (as opposed to in something) I prefer Smart Balance Light with Flaxseed Oil. 

Today was a very busy day for me, after working 9 hours and then volunteering for another hour, I hadn't really thought about dinner and I didn't haven't anything planned. 

Luck for me, my wonderful parents had a plate waiting for me. :) 

I'm a big fan of sweet potatoes, especially cooked in the oven.

For the perfect baked potato (whether sweet or not) I cook 'em in my toaster oven for an hour. 

With this meal, I had grilled green beans and onions. 

This is a great example of a simple meal that is vegan and made complete by having a vegan butter substitute in the fridge. 

This is a great meal for someone transiting, because there are no mock products and it's simple; both of which are great! 

Meatless Monday: Grilled Mushroom Sandwich

After a slam packed weekend of work and fun, I woke up exhausted. It certainly didn’t help that today was Monday.

Therefore, tonight’s dinner is going to be super simple.

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Grilled Mushroom Sandwich

You Will Need:

A frying pan

A knife and fork

Paper towels

Toaster

Ingredients:

10-15 medium or large mushroom slices

2 slices of bread

Olive Oil

Sandwich Spread*

Lettuce, onion, tomato, or your other favorite veggies (optional)

Directions:

1. Toast bread.

2. Sauté mushrooms in olive oil, until they become dark brown in color and soft.

3. Smooth sandwich spread across bread.

4. Using your fork pull the sauté mushrooms from the oil, blotting the excess oil off with the paper towels.

5.  Put the mushrooms on your bread and add your other vegetables to you sandwich.

Note: I used Smart Balance Light, but you can also Vegenaise or your favorite dressing. I am using the Cobblestone Mills San Francisco Style Sourdough Bread, but any bread will do. 

If you like mushrooms, you will love this sandwich. I enjoyed mine with some Stacy's Whole Grain Pita Chips. 

As you can see, my sandwich lacks any vegetables. This is because I didn't have any fresh vegetables at my house and going to the store tonight was out of the question. (I told you guess I was exhausted).  Normally I like some fresh lettuce, a nice slice of tomato, and some red  onion. 

If you try this recipe, comment below and let me know what you think. 

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Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Spaghetti with Veggie Pasta Sauce

Meatless Mondays are become more and more prevalent; in fact I might even dare to say that they are becoming a trend and I LOVE it. The idea of going meatless for a day (or even just for one meal) is a great way to incorporate creative and delicious vegan meals into a diet.

Monday often gets a bad rap because it brings about the end of the weekend and the return to work, school, and responsibility; and getting back to the routine of the week can be stressful. After a long day (even if it’s not a Monday) the last thing I want to do it come home and cook a big meal.

If you are anything like me, you will love this simple yet delicious meal idea to make your Mondays just a little less manic. (:

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Spaghetti with Veggie Pasta Sauce

You Will Need:

Large pot

Saucepan

Spoon

Colander

Ingredients:

1 box of spaghetti noodles

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1 ¼ cup spinach

¾ cup mushroom slices

*You can use as little or as much spinach and mushrooms as you like, these measurements are reflective of my preferences.

Directions:

In your large pot, cook the pasta per the directions on the box, keeping in mind the number of people and the serving size.

While the pasta is cooking, sauté your mushroom slices in olive oil.

When the mushrooms are almost done, mix in you spinach and sprinkle the garlic salt over the mixture, stir until thoroughly mixed.

Pour in your sauce.

Continue stirring until both the mushrooms and the spinach are fully cooked and the sauce is warm.

Drain your pasta and serve it with you sauce.

Enjoy!

Note: A quick look at the ingredients list on both the pasta box and the jar of sauce will determine if they are vegan; be on the look out for milk or eggs in your noodles and milk or meat bi-products in your sauce. I like to use Mueller’s Thin Spaghetti and Prego Traditional Sauce.