Slow-Carbed Vegan Hot Wing/Mac and Beans Casserole

This is a twist on an old favorite.  The substitution of white beans for pasta not only lowers the carb content, it also makes it absurdly easy.  I used a fire-roasted ketchup sweetened with stevia in this recipe, but you could easily sub tomato paste instead.  This is all kinds of decadent.  Creamy vegan comfort food with no sacrifices.

Hot Wings
1 package Trader Joe's chicken-less strips
3 Tbsp melted Earth Balance margarine OR olive oil (I bet AllSpice's butter-flavored olive oil would be awesome here)
4 Tbsp stevia-sweetened ketchup OR tomato paste
2-1/2 Tbsp Siracha

Whisk the melted margarine, ketchup and Siracha together.  Put the "chicken" strips in the bottom of a casserole dish and pour the sauce over them.

Mac and Beans
2 cans white beans (cannelini or butter beans), drained and rinsed

1/3 cup raw cashews
2/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
2 Tbsp white miso
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp tahini
1/2 Tbsp roasted garlic powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Layer the beans on top of the hot wings.

Blend everything else in a blender for 3-5 minutes, or until completely smooth.  Pour the cheese sauce over the beans.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Seitan Roast Stuffed with Mushrooms and Leeks

This is basically this recipe from the PPK, but with a few substitutions/additions:

• I had cooked cannellini beans, so I used those instead of pinto beans
• I subbed mashed beans and almond meal for the breadcrumbs in the filling
• I used mushroom broth and mushroom-flavored olive oil to boost the mushroomy-ness
• I served it with this gravy

I got rave reviews from everyone who's tried it, and it's packed full of tasty protein.

Scrambled Eggs with Soyrizo and Salsa

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tube soyrizo, crumbled
4-5 eggs
1/4 cup cheddar or gouda, shredded

Heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and soyrizo and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.  Add the garlic, spices and salt and cook for 1 more minute.  Add the salsa and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.  Add the eggs and cook until no longer liquidy, stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle on the cheese and serve immediately.

Mexican Tofu Scramble

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp salt (can use up to half black salt if an 'eggy' flavor is desired)
1/4 cup salsa
1 pound firm tofu, mashed
1/2 tube soyrizo
hot sauce to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until translucent.  Add the spices, salt and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the tofu, salsa and soyrizo and cook for 5 more minutes, or until heated through.

Broccoli Gardein Divan (Vegan Option)

Thaw by microwaving, steaming, or pouring boiling water briefly over them in a colander.

• 2 Gardein chick'n scallopini breasts
• 1 bag frozen broccoli florets

Chop the Gardein into bite-sized pieces. Blend up the sauce (you could also use Hurry-Up Vegan Alfredo):

• 1 cup nonfat Greek plain yogurt (or plain soy yogurt)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat mayo (Trader Joe's brand is accidentally vegan)
• 1/4 cup hummus

Mix into the sauce:

• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp celery flakes

Put a layer of Gardein bits in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Top with broccoli. Top with sauce.
Top that with:

• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup toasted almond slivers

Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Stuffed Delicata Squash w/ Apples, Onions, "Sausage" and Beets

Ingredients: Makes 6 servings

3 delicata or acorn squash, halved, seeds scooped out1 Tbsp. olive oil1 apple, diced1 medium onion, diced2 Morningstar Farms veggie sausage patties,s diced1 beet, roasted2 tsp. pomegranate molasses1 tsp. sage1/4 tsp. turmeric1/4 tsp. garam masala1/2 tsp. smoked salt

2 Tbsp hummus

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the squash halves cut side down in a baking dish with a little water in it and let cook while the rest of your ingredients are being prepared.

Dice the roasted beet and toss with pomegranate molasses.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion, apple and sausage chunks and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the spices and stir for another few minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the hummus and beets.

Remove the squash halves from the oven. Drain off the water. Spoon the apple mixture into the squash halves and bake for 20 minutes.

(Almost) Vegan Tuna Noodle Casserole

This whole odyssey started when I found a package of veggie tuna at Campbell's -- which, sadly, contains whey and egg products, so it's the only part of this recipe that isn't vegan. (I'm sure a good substitute could be made with a steamed chicken-style seitan plus fishy flavoring. I'll experiment more with this in the future.)

Both the boy and I miss tuna noodle casserole from our omnivorous days, so I decided to try veganizing it. I replaced the cream of mushroom soup with vegan alfredo + mushrooms and used Daiya pepper jack shreds for the cheesy top. The result was an unqualified success: creamy, salty, baked noodly deliciousness.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish.

1 lb. noodles of choice (I used Kalona tomato noodles)

4 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

Boil the salted water. Drop the noodles in and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and add to casserole dish.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

8 oz. mushrooms, chopped (I used oyster mushrooms from the farmers' market)

1/4 tsp smoked salt (sea salt will do just fine)

1 package veggie tuna, chopped finely

Heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are starting to get translucent. Add the chopped veggie tuna and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish, mixing with the noodles.

Vegan Alfredo

1/3 cup raw cashews, preferably soaked for an hour or so (if not, just blend longer)

2/3 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp white miso

2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine

2 tsp stone ground mustard

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 Tbsp hummus

4 cloves roasted garlic (optional)

1 tsp nori or dulse (seaweed) flakes

Combine in a blender and blend for 3 minutes, or until completely smooth.

Pour the alfredo over the noodle mixture and mix well. Top with Daiya shreds. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melty. Consume!

Ingredient Notes: I got the veggie tuna and nori flakes at Campbell's. The noodles and Daiya shreds came from Gateway Market. The mushrooms and mustard came from the downtown farmers' market. I get my miso, nutritional yeast and Earth Balance at New City Market. The smoked salt came from Trader Joe's.

Skillet Wine-Braised Chard, Beans and Sausage with Polenta

Inspired by this recipe and the fact that I got a tub of organic rainbow chard at Hy-Vee for 99 cents last week.

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tube polenta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

In a non-stick skillet, pan-fry the polenta cubes until crispy on several sides (you can also spray them with oil and stick them in the oven for this).

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tofurkey Italian sausages, sliced into coins
2 cloves garlic, chopped
a whole mess of rainbow chard, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup red wine (any red wine will do; I used a TJ's Cabernet)
1 can white beans (I used cannellini, but any will do), rinsed & drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp capers, drained (optional)
1 handful fresh basil, chopped

Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and saute for a few minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute or so. Add the chard and wine, stir, and cook, covered, for 5 minutes, or until the chard has wilted. Add the beans, tomatoes, capers and herbs. Heat through. Stir in the crispy polenta cubes and serve hot.

Quick Seitan Tacos

We threw together tacos last night in about 10 minutes flat.

corn tortillas, warmed on a hot skillet*

pan-fried seitan** of choice

a schmear of chipotle remoulade or hummus

salsa verde***

chopped avocado

a handful of arugula (or other salad green of choice)

* You do need to warm the tortillas, or they won't be flexible enough. If you over-skillet them, though, they'll get tough. 15 seconds on each side should do it.

** The seitan I used was a pre-made batch of Veganomicon chickpea cutlets, only with pinto beans instead of chickpeas (and steamed, not fried). I just chopped them into strips and pan-fried them with a little olive oil until they were crispy on two or three sides.

***You could use regular salsa, but salsa verde is amazingly awesome; I get mine fresh from Gateway Market.

Vegan Taco Pizza

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted (or crescent roll dough, or pizza dough)

1/2 can vegetarian refried beans

1/4 cup salsa

2-3 Tbsp vegan cream cheese (optional)

1 handful kalamata olives, diced

1 vegan chorizo sausage, crumbled (I used the recipe from Vegan Brunch)

1-2 handfuls Daiya cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If using puff pastry, bake it on a pizza stone for 10 minutes before adding toppings.

Mix the refried beans with the salsa and cream cheese. Spread a generous slathering on the crust. Top with olives and sausage, then with Daiya. Press everything down flat. Bake for 20 minutes.

Crockpot Seitan Roast w/ Carrots and Potatoes

This is loosely based off recipes from Robin Robertson and Ellen's Kitchen, though of course I can't do anything normal and have to screw around with it. I put this in my crock pot this morning, and I'm letting it cook for 6 hours on low. I'll report back with results.

UPDATE: The texture was a little soft for my liking, but the flavor was spot-on. I used about half a cup of black beans in this batch... I think I'll leave them out next time and perhaps replace them with chickpea flour. Also, I was in a hurry and probably didn't knead it long enough.

For the veggies:
1 pound baby carrots
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 pound potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup vegetable stock (I used liquid left over from slow-cooking beans)

Oil the inside of a crock pot. Mix the carrots, potatoes, garlic and onions together with the thyme, salt and pepper in the bottom of the crock pot. Pour the stock over the vegetables.

Seitan dry mix:
2 cups vital wheat gluten
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp each cumin, smoked paprika, dried sage, chipotle powder, vegetable broth powder, sea salt and black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme

Mix together in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Seitan wet mix
1-1/2 cups water (I used bean cooking liquid)
3 Tbsp tahini
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp better than beef bouillon
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp olive oil

Blend until smooth. Add to the seitan dry mixture and knead for about 3-5 minutes, or until the dough springs back when you release it. You may need to add more wheat gluten, depending on various factors. Your final dough should be a little moist, but not sticky. (I always make sure to take the mixture into the other room while I'm kneading it and moan "BRAAAIIINS. BRAAAAIIIIINS!") Shape into a loaf, rub with a little extra olive oil and lay on top of the vegetables in the crock pot. If you like, you can pour another half cup of stock over the roast.

Put the lid on the crock pot and cook for 6 hours on low.

Tofurky Vegan Pizza

I found these at New City Market last night, and they are deliciously reminiscent of the Tombstone frozen pizzas I used to eat as a kid. Not health food by any stretch, but very tasty. I tried the Fire-Roasted Veggie and Sausage variety; your mileage may vary with the other flavors.

Spicy Black Bean Chorizo Stew

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 Spicy Pinto Bean Sausages, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp each chili powder, cumin & unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 cans black beans, undrained
1 can diced tomatoes w/ chilis, undrained
1 chipotle pepper in adobo
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

Using clean hands, crumble the sausage with your hands until it resembles ground beef. Mix with the diced onion, spices and salt. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot and add the onion-sausage mixture. Saute for 5-10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.



Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the liquid from the tomatoes and stir to scrape up any spices that have stuck to the bottom. Transfer the whole shebang into a crock pot. Add the black beans, tomatoes, chipotle pepper and liquid smoke. Cook on low for eight hours.

Kale-Mushroom-Sundried Tomato-Sausage Quiche

1 can biscuit dough (Hy-Vee's Texas biscuits are vegan)
4 eggs (or 1 batch Vegan Brunch omelette mix)
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup kale, destemmed and chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. oyster mushrooms
2 handfuls sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
2 Morningstar Farms sausage patties, chopped
1 handful fresh basil & oregano (or other fresh herbs)
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a pie plate. Press the biscuit dough into the pie plate until the bottom and sides are covered in a thin layer of dough.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic, kale and mushrooms for 5-10 minutes, or until the kale is dark green and tender. Mix in the tomatoes, fresh herbs and sausage chunks and spread evenly over the biscuit dough.

Whisk the eggs together until yolks and whites are incorporated. Season with a dash each of salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the egg mixture is set.

OMG Gardein Seven Grain Cripsy Tenders

I'll confess... one of the things I've missed about occasional carnivorousness is chicken tenders. So I was curious when I saw the Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders in the frozen section at Campbell's.

I just baked some up (24 minutes at 430 degrees) and dipped them in spring roll sweet chili sauce, and wow. I'm a believer. It's almost creepy how good they are.

Butternut Squash, Chorizo and Polenta

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 package polenta, cubed
2 veggie chorizo sausages, diced
2 Tbsp fresh salsa
olive oil

Roast the butternut squash cubes for 25 minutes, or until tender. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a pan and pan-fry the polenta cubes over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until browned. Repeat the process in a different pan with the chorizo. Once everything is ready, add the chorizo and the squash to the polenta, add salsa and stir. Eat hot.

Notes: I used the chorizo recipe from Vegan Brunch, with dark kidney beans, a chipotle pepper in adobo and some fennel. The polenta was homemade, too, and it came out a little mushy, but the flavors in this more than make up for it.

Vegan BBQ Ribs

A quick and easy protein fix. Adapted from the original recipe at Fat Free Vegan.

1 cup + 2 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon paprika (smoked or otherwise)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper powder)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (or peanut sauce, or tahini)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Liquid Smoke
a whole lot of barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the wheat gluten, paprika, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, add the water to the peanut butter bit by bit until it's smoothly incorporated (or use a stick blender to do it fast). Add the liquid smoke and the soy sauce (if using) and mix well.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix well. Knead for a few minutes, then press into a lightly oiled baking dish until it's 1/2 inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into strips roughly 3/4-inch wide.

Bake for 20 minutes. Paint the top side generously with BBQ sauce. Bake for 5 minutes. Flip, paint with BBQ and bake for 5 more minutes.

Serve slathered with extra BBQ.

Roasted Potatoes & Sausage

Couldn't be easier. Just chop, toss, bake and eat.

4-6 cups various potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks or smaller
2 Tofurkey Italian Sausages, chopped (or homemade pinto bean sausages)
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp dried sage
hefty sprinkle of salt & pepper
3 Tbsp margarine
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp stone-ground mustard

Combine everything in a covered oven-safe dish (I used my cast-iron Dutch oven) or a foil packet. Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and serve.

Chicken-Fried Seitan Cutlets

It's best to make the seitan ahead of time. It keeps in the fridge for at least a week, or you can freeze the cutlets.

dry:
1 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup chickpea flour or all purpose flour
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp salt

wet:
3/4 cup cold water or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine the dry with the wet and knead for a few minutes, or until springy. Take golf-ball-sized pieces of dough, flatten out as thin as possible, and place in 6 cups cold veggie broth. Simmer on low for 1 hour; don't allow it to boil. (I do this bit in a slow cooker for 6 hours on low.) Store in cooking broth in the fridge until ready to use.

breading:
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2/3 cup white flour

Remove the seitan from the broth and press to remove as much liquid as possible. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a skillet on medium. Dredge the cutlets in the breading mixture and slide into the oil. Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. Serve with whatever sauce you prefer (I like BBQ).

Biscuits and Gravy

Adapted from the Vegan Brunch Navy Bean Gravy recipe.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 package Morningstar Farms sausage patties, thawed & diced*
3 cloves garlic, minced
5-6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped off the stems
1 tsp dried sage
several dashes black pepper
1 veg bouillon cube
a few shakes liquid smoke
1-1/2 cups water
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup plain or unsweetened soy milk

1 package biscuits**

Bake the biscuits according to package directions. Dissolve the bouillon cube in the water.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and diced sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme, sage, pepper and liquid smoke. Sprinkle in the flour and stir well for a minute or so, then add the water+bouillon mixture. Stir to incorporate. When the gravy thickens, turn the heat off and stir in the soy milk.

Split the baked biscuits and spoon the gravy on top.

* Morningstar's sausage patties are not vegan, so you can substitute their sausage crumbles if you want it to be totally vegan.
** Hy-Vee's Texas-Style biscuits (in the red tube) are surprisingly vegan.