Turkeyless pot pie

My son woke me up today and told me he wanted pie for dinner, which sounded delicious,  so of course I made some turkeyless pot pie to satisfy our cravings.
Turkeyless Pot Pie:
Preheat oven to 425 F

Crust:
16oz flour
8 oz butter
1/2 tsp salt
Water (just enough to make dough kneadable )

In a large bowl mix flour,  butter,  and salt until crumbly and evenly mixed. Slowly add water until just kneadable,  knead for 5 minutes, divide and turn onto counter, roll until 1/4 inch thick,  form bottom crust to pie pan pinching up the sidesand over the top, roll out top slightly larger than bottom,  fill and cover with top dough, pinch around edges until bottom and top connect.  Score middle, stick in oven for 25 minutes and enjoy! 

Filling:
3 tbsp oil
1/4 flour
2 cups vegetable bouillon
1/2 cup of my no-turkey seitan , chopped into cubes
1 small head of broccoli,  chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 medium carrots,  chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup peas
3 asparagus,  chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 kale leaves,  chopped
1 tsp turmeric
A dash of salt & pepper (optional )

Heat oil in a large sauce pan, add all ingredients but flour and bouillon, cook on medium heat until veggies are soft (about 10 minutes) stirring occasionally. Add flour to mixture and stir,  giving all veggies a nice coating.  Add bouillon and mix until you no longer see flour, bring to a boil and pour into crust. 

Candied acorn squash and green bean casserole

Today was a good day,  and on good days I just love to eat yummy holiday-like food that makes me feel all warm inside.  Today I got offered my dream job,  so I decided to make a celebratory feast.  Enjoy :)

Candied acorn squash
(makes 4 servings )

2 acorn squash,  halved and cleaned
1 can of your favorite whole berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
Pecans or walnuts (optional)

Mix sugar,  cranberry sauce, nuts and cinnamon in a bowl,  thoroughly clean seeds from squash and spoon cranberry mixture into center.  Bake at 375 F  for 1 hour, serve with some no-turkey seitan and yummy vegan green bean casserole!

Green bean casserole
3 cans organic  green beans
4 tbsp vegan butter
1/2-1cup flour
1/4 cup panko
2 cups vegetable bouillon (I use better than bouillon)
Start out with a roux, add 4tbsp vegan butter to a pot. Once melted stir in 1/2 -1cup flour and cook until golden.  Add 2 cups vegetable bouillon and bring to a boil while mixing,  cook until thick like gravy, remove from heat.  In a casserole dish add green beans, layer gravy mixture over green beans until none is left.  Top with panko and garlic powder to taste. Cook in oven at 375 F for 1 hour and enjoy! 

Asian inspired stir fry

This is a very easy way to get that yummy takeout taste without all the bad food! 
What you'll need:
2 Carrots
1 Zucchini
A handful of Peas
Four leaves of chard *
3 leaves of Kale
(feel free to add more depending on personal preferences)
1package of Maifun rice stick noodles

Chop all vegetables and fry in a well oiled pan over medium low heat. While veggies are frying combine in a separate pan:
For the sauce:
1/4cup liquid aminos
1/4cup sugar
3tsp rice vinegar
1 cup water**
2 tbsp Golden flax seeds
1/4tsp ginger powder

Mix over medium until well combined,  add Maifun noodles to sauce and cover,  reduce heat to medium low. Let cook for 5 minutes, transfer to veggie pan, and mix well.  Cook, covered , until noodles are see through and serve! 

*even if you hate chard,  add this,  it's high in iron and you can't even taste it
** you may need to add more water if your sauce reduces too much,  trust your gut!

tomato and olive vegan quiche

This isn't the traditional quiche,  it's creamy and flavorful but it has savoury Italian hints and salty cheesy undertones.  In other words,  it's a delicious party of flavor in your mouth. I will definitely incorporate this dish into our monthly meal plan! 

8oz firm tofu
14.5 oz can of organic diced tomatoes basil and garlic flavored
1tbsp better than bullion
drizzle of worchestershire and brags
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black salt
1/2tsp pepper

blend ingredients above. In a crusted pie pan, add
2 small broccoli florets chopped
1 large kale leaf ripped into pieces
1 green onion shoot chopped
pour tofu mixture over vegetables, lightly swirl with a spoon until evenly dispersed. Poke
black olives in top going in a circle. sprinkle with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, rosemary, and basil. cook covered at 375 for 1.5 hours or until firm but still slightly jiggly. Serve and enjoy!

easy vegan horchata

this is super simple,  and very delicious,  we went shopping yesterday and rice milk was on sale for $0.89! Needless to say we stocked up (even though we usually do hemp milk) I like to explore with new  flavors every now and then. 

what you'll need for the horchata:
1qt unsweetened rice milk
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp agave or honey

bring ingredients to a boil while stirring occasionally,  remove from heat and cool, shake well before drinking and enjoy!

Fried Chickpea Chik'n

I'm exploring the wonderful world of chickpeas and today decided to try my hand at some chikn! I love chickpeas,  when I was little I would ask for salad at round table just so I could stock up on them but I had no idea how versatile they were until I became vegan.

Fried chickpea chik'n:

about a cup and a half cooked chickpeas
3-4tbsp vegan poultry seasoning
1 large portabella mushroom- cleaned, minced
4 garlic cloves -minced

for the coating:
flour and water mixture to form a paste

bread crumbs

combine seasoning, mushroom,  and garlic in either a food processor or by mashing into a paste, add chickpeas, mash until well blended.  form into balls and gently press out a steak shape. dip in flour and water mixture then in bread crumbs. fry in oil over medium heat until both sides are golden brown

Easy vegan fondant!

It's that time of year again,  when I scramble to get everything done for a very special little person's birthday.  That's right my friends,  Keeley's turning 3! I make him a custom cake every year based on what he's interested in. His first birthday was magical dragon themed,  I made him a seven layer rainbow cake with fondant dragons on top.  Last year his obsession was cows so I made him a farm cake full of little fondant cows. This year it's minecraft,  and with our new vegan pledge I needed to improvise with the ingredients to make a delicious,  cruelty free,  and allergen free fondant. 
vegan ricemallow fondant:

Ingredients: 
1tub of vegan ricemallow fluff (10 oz)
about 16 oz vegan powdered sugar
1tsp organic vanilla extract

vegan shortening

cover the inside of a large bowl with a thin layer of shortening.  Using a rubber or silicone spatula, scoop ricemallow fluff in bowl,  generously cover hands in shortening (you may need to do this a couple times during the process to keep from getting too sticky) add 16 oz of powdered sugar and kneed until dough- like (about 8-10minutes ) when dough is stretchy and no longer sticky,  form into a ball and add vanilla (if adding food coloring now is the time) kneed into dough adding more sugar if needed.  refrigerate in plastic wrap or sealed container at least 8 hours before using. when ready to use,  roll out about1/4- 1/2 inch thick,  transfer to a lightly iced cake, and decorate! 

UPDATE! the fondant is very sticky if it's too warm.  Before rolling out fondant,  make sure to have a cup of cornstarch ready.  Coat surface in cornstarch as well as rolling pin, do not roll thinner than 1/4inch or you will not be able to transfer.