Comfort Food: Veggie Pot Pie

This morning I woke up and smelled it, last night's dinner.  You know when you bake something and can still smell the delicious aroma the next day?  That's what happened.  I immediately started daydreaming about leftovers at lunch.  Sad, huh?  But it was that good.

My family loves a good pot pie.  I hadn't made one since we jumped on the vegan wagon in August.  I don't typically make them in the hot months of the year, so as soon as it started cooling down our cravings picked up.  We needed pot pie.  A google search and some recipe reviews turned up some great ideas.  This one was the most inspiring, but I already knew it would have to be tweaked.  I planned on using store-bought crust and only the veggies that I already had at home.  My stomach is growling right now, and I'm starting to wonder if we really need to save those last two slices for Daddio (who was, sadly, overnighting in the The Bahamas and missed out on this delicious dinner!).

Without further adieu...

Veggie Pot Pie

Ingredients:

Cashew Cream
1.5 c raw cashews (*soaked)
1 c. veggie broth
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 t. nutritional yeast
1/4 t. salt

Veggie Mixture
1 t. olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
hashbrowns**
frozen mixed veggies (my medley included corn, carrots, peas, green beans)**

Cashew soaking:  Four to eight hours before you need them, place the cashews in a bowl and cover with piping hot water.  Allow to soak and then drain immediately before processing.

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Pour olive oil into skillet on medium-high, add onions as oil begins to heat up.  Sauté until they begin to caramelize.  Add hashbrowns and allow to begin browning before dumping in mixed veggies.  Sauté for a few minutes to get the cooking process started.

3.  While veggies are sautéing, put cashew cream ingredients into high speed blender or food processor and liquefy.  Add more nutritional yeast and/or salt to taste.

4.  Combine veggies and cashew cream and stir well.  Season to taste.

5.  Pour veggies & cream mixture into pie crust.  Cover with another crust and pinch edges to seal.  Poke holes or designs in top crust to vent.

6.  Bake for 40 minutes.  About 1/2 way through baking, cover edges of pie so they don't burn.  I have a crust shield, but foil works well, too.

7.  Remove from oven carefully and allow to sit for 20 minutes.  This will help the cream thicken up and allow the pie to cool a bit.  It will still be very warm when you cut into it.

**Add veggie amounts based on your personal preference and what dish you're planning to use.  If I could keep mushrooms long enough to use them, I would've put those in this dish to add some meatiness.  However, we absolutely didn't miss them or the meat!

Unfortunately, this picture doesn't do it justice.
I'll be totally honest and say that I couldn't spare the time to make it pretty
and take a good picture because the smell was so enticing.  :)

And that's what it's all about!

In our homeschool co-op, Sunshine is taking a class in which each student has to complete a 20 minute presentation on a topic of his/her choice.  Today was Sunshine's day to present.  Their teacher instructed them to choose something they felt passionate about.  Sunshine chose...veganism!  :)  We were very proud of her informative presentation and her passion for veganism.

She spent 3 weeks doing research and organizing her notes, prepared a PowerPoint presentation, and then decided that she wanted to share some vegan food with her friends.  After all, most people assume that vegan food is nasty.  She wanted to prove otherwise, so she armed herself with chocolate chip cookies.  YUM!  We've made these at least 4 times in the past (almost) 7 weeks.  They come together easily and are delicious!  (I've had several non-vegan friends ask for this recipe, too!)

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. flour (I have used 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 c. Earth Balance "butter"
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
replacer for 2 eggs (either 1/4 c. applesauce per egg or Ener-G Egg Replacer)
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift flour, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl.  In a separate bowl cream "butter", sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and "egg".  Add dry ingredients and stir until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are golden.

Cooking for non-vegans

Last week we had company in town...of the non-vegan sort.  The goal was to make food items that would be filling and satisfying so they didn't realize they were missing anything.

We had pancakes for breakfast from a mix, using almond milk and egg replacer.  They were light and fluffy, topped with strawberries and delicious, maple syrup.

For lunch, we went with a build-your-own sub sandwich bar.  We had lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, avocado, vegan ranch dressing, and veganaise.  To be 100% honest, we also offered our guests ham, cheese, and Miracle Whip.  I think they were relieved.  ;)  The subs were good, I love to use the ranch as a sandwich spread.  Mmm!

Dinner time was another build-your-own bar, but this time we went with burritos.  We had black beans, lettuce, tomato, onion, corn, avocado, salsa, and cilantro.  I also served cilantro-lime rice.  This is one of my simple meals that is easy to put together on a busy night, and everybody is happy because they can add whatever they like.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

Make 2 cups of rice in rice cooker.  Add 2 tablespoons of lime juice and 2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro. Stir & serve.  So easy!

Sick day!

Last night about dinner time, our littlest herbivore got sick.  UGH!  As soon as I got her settled and felt comfortable leaving for 30 minutes, I ran to the grocery store for rations.  Lemon-lime soda, little noodles, cleaning supplies (we try not to use paper towels but when somebody gets sick I have no problem using disposables), bananas, bread, etc.  You know, stuff to follow the BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) diet.  There went my plan of using up pantry food and not hitting the store again until payday.  Oh well, going with the flow!

Fortunately, the bug seemed to be very short-lived (knock on wood) and Punky was up for some solid food by lunch time today (we tested her stomach this morning with saltines).  I relied on an old standard, what my mom always made us when we were sick but able to stomach solids: little noodles in chicken broth.  But, uh, no chicken broth, right?  Unless you use these awesome little nuggets of goodness:

I wanted to make a substantial amount of broth, so I used 4 cubes to make 8 cups of broth.  As soon as it came to a boil I added angel hair pasta that had been broken into small pieces.  The pasta now mimicked the "little noodles" my mom used to make us (Skinner Fideo Mediano, but our grocery store didn't have any in stock).  My kids have learned to appreciate a mug of little noodles as fantastic comfort food.  They were all delighted to slurp their noodles down with some saltines on the side.

Review by the kids:  They all ate happily, and said the "Not Chick'n" broth tasted just like the real thing.  They actually used straws to slurp their noodles and said it was the perfect way to warm their bellies on our first fall day (yay for Texas cold fronts!).  There was nothing left in the pot or their mugs after lunch.

Review by the mom:  The broth was fantastic, and I'm glad we found it at our grocery store and decided it would be a good pantry item (it was also endorsed by a v-friend, who said she orders it from Amazon).  The angel hair was a great sub for the little noodles.  I'm glad I didn't get discouraged when I couldn't find the old standard. 

We made it vegan: Korean Beef

I'm a sucker for a simple, kid-pleasing recipe.  I stumbled across this Korean Beef recipe on Pinterest a while back.  I made it once and the kids loved it, so it quickly became a favorite.  Other than making sure I had beef in the freezer, it was a pantry item menu filler.  At least at our house.  I did modify it just a bit to make it more pleasing to my kids (they don't like green onions) and hubby (he loves water chestnuts) and me (not a fan of ginger).

Ingredients:
"beef" crumbles
1/4 c. soy sauce (organic, low sodium is our preference)
*1/4 c. brown sugar (or sugar and molasses)
hoisin sauce (1-2 T)
1 tsp sesame oil
small can water chestnuts, drained & chopped
crushed red pepper (I usually leave this out, but you can definitely add it to desired spiciness)
green onion (see above)
ginger (see above)
**cooked rice

Put sesame oil in skillet with garlic for a minute on medium.  Add soy sauce, brown sugar, and hoisin sauce.  Stir carefully.  Add "beef" crumbles and water chestnuts (and optional ingredients as you wish).  Allow crumbles and water chestnuts to soak up the delicious sauce and warm through.

Serve over cooked rice.  Garnish with green onion if desired.

*I used the information in the sugar & molasses link to make a substitute for light brown sugar using vegan sugar.
**I use a rice cooker to make life easier.  I always burn stovetop rice. ;)

Recipe review: Banana muffins!

I got lucky.  I googled "vegan muffin recipe" and this one was the first on the list.  That seems to keep happening.  The first one I tried is the one that we're going to stick with.  I did find one other one, but the muffins fell and were too dense.  We still ate them, just took us a bit longer to scarf them down.  This one is the one I went back to when Punky had to take snack to preschool.  I love that my kids want to help, and we had fun baking these vegan banana muffins.

(The first time I made them I added pecans to half of the muffins, and I loved them.  This time we left the pecans out completely because I wasn't sure how the kids would feel about them.)

Punky couldn't wait for the muffin to cool so she could gobble it up!
She had one as a bedtime snack and one for breakfast the next day.
Then another for school snack.  They were delicious!

Refreshing strawberry milk!

A couple of weeks ago, my girlies went out to lunch with some family members while I was hanging with friends.  My sweet Punky ordered chocolate milk—and then everyone remembered that cow's milk was a no-no.  Yes, I said that I would let my kids eat/drink what they wanted, but what I didn't disclose is that Punky hasn't really tolerated straight dairy since she was a tiny Punky.  Everybody knew that the chocolate milk might make her feel yucky, so they intervened.  She was NOT happy.  Poor girl didn't understand why her cousin could have the milk and she couldn't.  At home she drinks chocolate milk, why not at the restaurant?  Later that afternoon, my mom called to tell me what happened and asked that I please make Punky some special milk that night.  I didn't have any chocolate milk, but I had fresh strawberries, so we improvised.

Ingredients:
almond milk (or soy, if that's your thing)
fresh strawberries (greens & all)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Place all ingredients in a blender, liquify.  Pour into a "fancy" jar and add a straw.  Everything tastes better through a straw.

Bonus points for using fresh strawberries!  Double bonus for keeping the greens on (they can't taste the greens but they can use the vitamins)!!

Recipe review: the best ever ranch dressing!

Our kiddos are ranch dressing lovers.  Okay, let me be honest, we are all ranch dressing lovers.  One of the initial priorities when starting this journey was to find a delicious replacement.  We hit the jackpot on our first try.  While standing in Whole Foods, Daddio did a google search for vegan ranch dressing.  We made the first one that came up.  The kids loved it so much, I think they would've had it as a drink.  We have tried one other variation just to double check and we were not nearly as happy.  This recipe is so good that I've even told several non-vegan friends to try it.

Store leftovers in a mason jar and use within a few days.  This is also a really good base for vegan, creamy jalapeño dressing/dip.  Slurp!

On the 11th day...

And on the 11th day, the three year old has a breakdown realizing that there is no turkey & cheese in the house.  "But I need turkey and cheese not made out of animals!"  Sweet girl.

To the rescue....

Daddio heated the hot dogs stove-top in a skillet.  They had the right flavor and a very similar texture to a hot dog...without all of the hot dogness of a hot dog.  You know what I mean. ;)

These will become a refrigerator staple now that I know Punky will eat them when all else fails.  Whew!  Crisis averted!

Bring on some vegan Tex-Mex!

Daddio was on the road (in the air?) for five days, maintaining his goal of a vegan diet, and it was a challenge.  I'm hopeful that I can convince him to blog about it because I think it will be interesting to look back on this point and think about how far he's come...some day.

On his last day out, I sent him a text: What do you want for dinner? Anything you want, I'll make it.  Just name it.

I knew he was hungry.  

He replied:  Black bean enchiladas?  Or any Tex-Mex recipe.  Creamy jalapeño?  

My man has a thing for Tex-Mex.  He could eat it every meal.  I'm not kidding.  

I quickly set out to find some recipe options.  I have several enchilada recipes, but all would require too many substitutions to be a safe, homecoming dinner.  I knew this had to be a tried & true recipe.  And I found a couple.  First, I used this black bean enchilada recipe.  I doubled it because I knew it would be good and I wanted leftovers.  My mouth started watering as I was reading the recipe.  (Actually, my stomach is growling just thinking about it.)

I also stumbled upon this recipe for another version of vegan enchiladas and avocado cream sauce.  I decided to make the cream sauce to slather on the top of our finished product after it came out of the oven.

Bottom line: really good choices.  Both recipes were delicious!  Honestly, I can't think of anything that would've made them taste better.  We didn't miss meat or cheese at all.  

I served this with vegan creamy jalapeño (Chuy's inspired) and Corona margaritas.

Everybody was home with full bellies.  Moma was happy.  ❤

Raspberry Peach Smoothies

YUM!  We love smoothies.  The girls think they're getting a treat and I know they're getting good nutrition.  Okay, let me rephrase.  We all love the deliciousness, but the only one I'm still fooling is Punky.  They're growing up! <sniff, sniff> ;)

Last week on our Costco trip, I picked up a flat of organic peaches.  They weren't quite ripe, so we placed them in a large paper sack for a day (just leave sack on the counter).  Fast forward, the next day they were fragrant, juicy, and ready to devour.  But, for some reason, by the very next day, they needed to be used ASAP!  Into a smoothie was the best way for us to use up this fruit.  I decided to pair it with some raspberries that were also aging in the fridge, and a banana, of course!  I think every smoothie has to have a banana for creaminess and flavor.

The girls loved these smoothies so much that I made them again the next day!

Peach-Raspberry-Banana Smoothies

Peach-Raspberry-Banana Smoothies
Recipe (4 good size smoothies)

4 peaches, pitted and roughly chopped
2 bananas
1 pint raspberries
1 c coconut milk yogurt (we used vanilla)
1/2-1 cup almond milk
ice
*flax seed
*brown rice protein powder

*optional

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Add almond milk (or other dairy free milk) as needed.

Product Review: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free (and vegan!) Brownies
(Paper plate dress up idea courtesy of Pinterest)

Belle was invited to a friend's house over the weekend for a small gathering.  She asked me if there would be food: yes.  Then she asked how she would know what was okay for her to eat.  I gave her what I assume will become my standard reply: Eat what you are comfortable eating.  Eat what you want to eat.  Do not make a big deal out of it.  If you want to eat something that is not vegan, eat it.  Nobody is going to give you a hard time, nobody is going to judge you, nobody is going to say you're not doing a good job.  You're nine years old.  Enjoy life.  Period.

And then the question I actually had prepared for: Can I take something to share that is vegan?

But, of course!  I had planned for this, but not entirely.  It was a project filled weekend for me, so I decided to grab a pre-packaged mix for brownies while I was picking up other groceries.  I had a sneaking suspicion that my girlie was going to want to take a snack to share.  She was excited to hear that she was taking a family favorite, but I think she was a little leery when I pulled out the ingredients.

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix calls for butter & eggs.  Instead, I used Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread and applesauce.  Yum!  I love applesauce as a substitute for eggs in sweet recipes like brownies, muffins, cupcakes, etc.  It really helps keep the final product moist and delicious.  (Next time I'm going to use coconut oil in place of the buttery spread.  Doesn't that sound delicious?!)

One line reviews for the brownie mix:

Sunshine (13):  They are very moist and chocolatey.  Very delicious!

Belle (9):  Sticky, milk chocolatey, delicious!

Punky (3):  I think they are yummy and juicy!  (Me: Juicy?! o.O)

Simple and delicious!

Did I mention that we're a homeschooling family?  Nope?  Now ya know!  :)  Since today is Labor Day, the kids woke up trying to convince me that we should take a school break.  It didn't take much convincing, honestly.  We had a long day yesterday (our A/C broke and the outdoor temp was 105) so I figured a day off would be nice.  We've been working on fun projects instead of school work.  I have a to-do list a mile long, and was really in the zone, so I forgot what time it was.  At 12:57, Belle asked if we could have lunch.  Oops!  :)

I decided to keep working and let Sunshine & Belle figure out what we'd have for lunch.  They settled on tomato & avocado sandwiches, chips and apple slices.  So simple and satisfying!

Belle set forth cutting a deliciously ripe avocado into chunks.  We happened to have a beautiful tomato already cut (leftover from yesterday's salad).  Sunshine spread soy-free Vegenaise on the soft bread.  They put all of the ingredients together and made a yummy sandwich!

Tomato & Avocado Sandwich
(Yes, I know that looks like bacon in the picture but I promise it's a tomato!)

Belle was reading labels while choosing her chips, she's getting really good at figuring out what's vegan and what's not (we're still finding food in our pantry that we didn't clear out the first time through).  It's nice that she's able to identify the hidden non-vegan ingredients.  Great learning experience!

Recipe Review: Broccoli Rice and Cheese Casserole

VegWeb is a site that we've been frequenting.  They have a plethora of recipes WITH PHOTOS!  I'm not a fan of trying a new recipe if I haven't seen a photo of the outcome.  Even a crummy phone photo is better than none at all (and most of my photos have been with the phone lately).  I love looking through these recipes and seeing "normal" food that my family will happily eat.

Well, broccoli-rice casserole (what we always called it) is a huge family favorite, so I was hoping to find something that my peoples would enjoy.  I'm already thinking about Thanksgiving, where I will be providing several vegan options for our extended family.  Broccoli-rice casserole is a staple at our family's Thanksgiving table.  Yes, I know, it's months away, but a busy mom has to plan!

We were excited to try Broccoli, Rice & Cheese Casserole!

The first hiccup in executing this meal plan was poor planning.  I didn't carefully read the recipe, nor did I research what "nutritional yeast" is before sending Daddio to the store.  Oops!  That was issue number one.  Issue number two was that we were in a huge hurry and didn't stick closely to the procedural directions.  That part didn't really come back to haunt us, though.  It all worked out in the end.

The basic run down was that we really liked this recipe, but will tweak it next time and hope for a more palatable outcome.  Here's the skinny:

1. The color was a bit too bright yellow.  Almost unappetizing.  Possibly cut mustard and tumeric amounts or add some paprika to balance.

2.  Cheese was unnecessary.  Cut that next time.  Belle actually picked the cheese out and just ate the rice and broccoli. The creamy sauce is substitute enough for the cheese.

3.  Add some sautéed onions.  I love the oniony flavor of our family's traditional recipe.  This recipe was almost sweet to me.

4.  Add extra broccoli.

5.  MUST have nutritional yeast for flavor and richness.

So, we will definitely try it again and will review the recipe again.  I'm glad we have a starting point, and now can figure out a way to make it even more like the Thanksgiving staple we're sure to crave.  :)

Recipe Review: Portobello Pizzas!

Oh, pizza!  How we love you!  The kids were happy to try this pizza recipe that was recommended to Daddio by one of his colleagues.  Yummy!

Portobello Pizza

A few days ago we became vegan.  Yesterday, we had portobello pizza.  It was amazing!  It is basically mushroom pizza.  I enjoyed it.  It had vegan cheese, pizza sauce, and sautéed zucchini.  I liked the zucchini the best.  Also, the mushroom we had it on was chewy and slick.  It gave the pizza a meaty flavor.

Written by Belle, age 9.

Portobello Pizza

Recipe adapted by Moma

Ingredients:
-5 portobello mushrooms
-pizza sauce (we actually used organic spaghetti sauce)
-zucchini, quartered & sliced
-vegan cheese
-olive oil

1.  Gently twist portobello stems to remove them, and scrape the gills out with a spoon.  Wipe gently with wet towel.

2.  Rub olive oil on both sides of portobellos.

3.  Place the mushrooms, gill side down, on the grill for 8 minutes (ours was set about 400 degrees).

4.  While the mushrooms are heating on the grill, sauté the zucchini pieces in olive oil on the stove top.

5.  Remove mushrooms from heat, place gill side up on a baking sheet.  Top with sauce, cheese, and sautéed zucchini.

6.  Place mushrooms back on the grill, topping side up. ;)  Close lid and allow grill to work like an oven, melting the cheese and toppings into gooey goodness.  This takes about 5-7 minutes.

7.  Remove portobello pizzas gently to a baking sheet and allow to sit for a couple of minutes.  This helps everything kind of thicken up so it's a bit more manageable.

We ate our portobello pizza alongside roasted asparagus, a family favorite.

**This recipe was a hit with everyone, including our 3 year old!**

Recipe Review: Lentil Tacos

A couple days ago our family decided to go vegan.  A vegan is someone who doesn't eat anything produced by an animal (eggs, milk, cheese, meat, and animal fat).  The very first night we ate lentil tacos.  I wasn't sure how it would taste  Usually, our mom makes tacos that have beef or turkey and cheese, which we couldn't have.  Instead, we substituted lentils for beef, and soy-based cheese instead of dairy.  It was delicious, just like a regular taco!  It did have a yummy twist though, because of the lentils.  They had a smooth texture and slightly different flavor than beef.

I was afraid that I would miss the flavor of the foods that we're used to eating.  I think it's just a matter of finding delicious substitutes, like lentil beans and soy-based cheese.  It may be different but it still tastes great!

Written by Sunshine, age 13.

Lentil Taco

Lentil Tacos

Recipe by Moma

Ingredients

* 1 cup finely chopped onion
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 teaspoon canola oil
* 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth*
* 1 cup salsa
* 12 taco shells/tortillas
* 1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
* 1 cup chopped fresh tomato
* soy-based, dairy free cheese

Directions

1. In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly.  (To be totally honest, I usually have to add more broth and let it continue simmering to get the lentils to the consistency we like.)
2. Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and Tofutti sour cream.

*I used homemade veggie broth:  I added about 1/2 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 4 bay leaves, a cup of broccoli, two cups of carrots, and a head of celery to a large stock pot.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Cover pot, reduce to a simmer, let cook for an hour.  Strain veggies for purée, remaining liquid is your veggie broth.  Add salt and white pepper as desired.

In the beginning...

This morning was designated Documentary Monday.  We started out by watching animal fact videos on YouTube, and then moved into the documentary list on Netflix.  There were so many to choose from, and our second show was Vegucation (getvegucated.com).  I thought it would be eye opening, and might help me convince my middle kiddo to embrace our meatless meals (she has an aversion to legumes).  It worked!

We have talked many times about going meatless.  This documentary pushed us past vegetarianism into veganism.  This is something I've never done (I did have a pollo-vegetarian phase during high school and college) and while it is a bit daunting, I'm definitely up for the challenge.  I love cooking and trying new recipes, and now we'll be trying new recipes with new ingredients.

The first task was cleaning out the pantry, fridge and freezer.  We have several bags of food that we're looking to re-home.  We tried to eat pretty healthy before, so the kids were happy to see that a lot of our pantry items are still there.

We currently have veggies simmering into a delicious smelling broth for our lentil taco recipe, which will be our first, official herbivore meal this evening.

The next step is a trip to the grocery store.  As Daddio says, "Wish us luck!" :)