Recipe: "Hamburger" Gravy (using lentils) with Bonus: Sloppy Seconds (Sloppy Joes with Lentils)

Many of you probably remember my "Hamburger" Gravy Recipe since it is a favorite. Normally we use a package of Meatless Ground for the hamburger but I have been experimenting. I'm trying to use less packaged fake meats so I tried lentils and it works! You follow the original recipe but use lentils instead. What I did was, I cooked a 16oz bag of dry lentils according to the directions on the package. I added half of it to my gravy in place of the Meatless Ground and put the other half in the fridge for another day. (See Bonus Recipe: Sloppy Seconds below)

Bonus Recipe: Sloppy Seconds

Ingredients:
1/2 lb dry lentils, cooked (use the leftovers from the "hamburger" gravy)
1 can of vegan sloppy joe mix
Your choice of bread, buns, tortillas or taco shells

If you use canned lentils or freshly cooked lentils just heat them in the sauce in a pan until cooked through and serve on buns, bread or tortillas. If you are using cold leftovers, throw the lentils in a pan and mix in a little bit of water and heat before adding the sauce. That is all! It's easy!

Recipe: Cheezy Chikn Enchilada Soup in the Slow cooker

About 7 years ago, I was at a potluck at work. One of my coworkers brought a big pot of Chicken Enchilada Soup. It was a hit. Everyone was talking about the soup and asking who made it. I was one of the lucky ones who went home with a printed copy of the recipe. It was my coworker's version of it and I couldn't find anything online that was exactly the same as it. This became a favorite recipe in our house. Of course, I tweaked my coworkers version a little (and it wasn't vegan because I wasn't there yet.) We made this at our house weekly it seemed like. Then I went vegan and I never had it again, until now. I kept saying I was going to veganize this recipe but I couldn't figure out how to veganize a block of mexican velveeta cheese. I finally figured it out and adapted it to cook in the slowcooker. Here it is.


Ingredients:

1 pkg of Gardein Chikn (or other vegan brand) Strips or Scallopini, cooked and cut into pieces
1 Large Diced Onion (I use the frozen chopped onion)
2 Garlic Cloves, pressed
6 cups Vegetable stock
1 cup Masa Harina
1.5 cups Enchilada Sauce
2- 8 ounce packages of Tofutti (or other vegan brand) Cream Cheese
1 can Diced Tomatoes and Chiles
4 cups of Corn (I used frozen)
Salt to taste (I used none)
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
3-4 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Cilantro (or 2 Tbsp dried)
1 scoop Nutritional Yeast (I think my scoop is a TBSP but add as much as you like)
Optional for Garnish: corn chips, green onions, pico de gaillo, Daiya cheese shreds


Directions:

I have found that this goes much more smoothly if you do all the prep in advance like cooking and cutting up the chikn and sauteing the onions and garlic in a little bit of oil or margarine.
Add the 6 cups of vegetable stock to the crock pot. Whisk in the masa harina a little at a time until there are no lumps. Turn the slow cooker on high and close the lid while gathering and preparing the other ingredients. Add the enchilada sauce, spices, garlic, onions and cream cheese. Stir. The cream cheese will take a little while to melt. Reduce to low after the soup is hot and add chikn, corn, tomatoes with chiles and nutritional yeast. Mix well and let cook for about 2 hours on low. Mix well before serving. Serve with corn chips and green onions (or whatever you like.) Enjoy.

Recipe: "Hamburger" Gravy and Bonus BBQ Chikn Wraps

 Hamburger Gravy over mashed potatoes or rice was a favorite of mine growing up. I would look at my school lunch menu and see "Hamburger Gravy" and I instantly knew it would be a good day. I would happily stand in line and hold up my tray to the lunch lady as she plopped a level scoop of rice or potatoes, then flattened it with the back of her scoop. I'd slide my tray down to the next lunch lady who would then smother it with the hamburger gravy. The whole school would smell like my favorite comfort food. It didn't matter if I was having a bad day or if there was a huge test coming. The hamburger gravy made everything ok. Alright, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but hamburger gravy really was a favorite of my childhood and the smells bring back fond memories. I took the original basic recipe for hamburger gravy passed on from generation to generation and I changed it. The following is my veganized version of the favorite comfort food.

 Ingredients:

1 vegetable bouillon cube
2 cups water, divided
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup chopped onions (I use frozen because its super convenient)
Vegan butter/oil as needed
1 pkg Yves Meatless Ground (Other veggie crumbles will work but this is the best Ive found)

 Directions:

Boil 1 1/2 cups of water in a small pot with the bouillon cube. While waiting for it to boil put 1/2 cup of water and the flour in a small seal-able container. Shake well until it looks milky. When the stock boils, add flour mixture and whisk. Remove from heat and allow to thicken. Fry onions in another pan with butter/oil. When translucent add the gravy and Meatless Ground. Cook until thick and cooked thoroughly and serve over mashed potatoes or rice.


                                                          Bonus: BBQ Chikn Wrap

BBQ Chikn Wraps are so fast and easy. All you need is a package of Gardein (or other vegan brand) of chikn strips. Heat them up in in a frying pan with vegan butter/oil or water. Once cooked add desired amount of your favorite BBQ sauce and mix until heated thoroughly. Remove from heat and spoon into flour tortillas. Add lettuce, onions, pickles or whatever you like and devour! We usually get 6 wraps out of this.

Recipe: Rosemary Bread (Bread Machine) and Bonus 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cake

 This is by far the BEST bread recipe I have ever used. The taste is great! I am not a huge rosemary fan and usually when a recipe calls for it I swap with another ingredient. But in this bread it is great! I used THIS recipe as a guide and I made some changes. It turned out very tasty. The bread was nice and soft, was very easy to cut and was still great the next day. It was great for sandwiches and made some delicious toast with vegan cream cheese and butter. I will make this bread again and again.

 Ingredients:

1 cup warm tap water
2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
3 TBSP sugar (I used sugar in the raw)
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp vegan margarine
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp crushed dried rosemary
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour


Directions:

I followed the directions of my bread machine and added the water and margarine first, then the spices. Then I added the flour and sugar, made a small hole in the mound of flour and added my yeast then I put it on the setting for 1 1/2 pound white loaf. And viola!

  Bonus: 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cake

This 2 ingredient pumpkin spice cake is a favorite in our home. I  make it year after year, over and over again. It doesn't last very long and is often requested. I can't remember where I originally found the recipe. There are many versions of it out there and I don't know who to give the credit to. This cake is simple. To keep it vegan make sure you check the ingredients when you buy a box of spice cake mix. Duncan Hines is usually vegan but always check just to be sure. Simply preheat the oven to the temperature indicated on the box. Mix the cake mix in a bowl with a 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree (not the pumpkin pie mix) until cake mix is moistened. The batter will be thick. Grease the bottom and sides of your cake pan, dust with flour and pour the batter in. You will need to spread it since it will be thick and try to flatten the top and spread out any batter sticking up since it will bake the way it looks when you put it in. Bake for time on box of cake mix until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely then top with frosting of choice. We prefer the vanilla. Enjoy!

Tip: You can experiment with other flavors of cake mix. They will still work but will result in a different flavor.

Recipe: Vegan Jalepeno Poppers and bonus Homemade Bread Crumbs

One thing I really missed from my non vegan life was Jalapeno Poppers. These are my take on the comfort favorite from my past.

Ingredients:

12 large Jalapenos
1 container of Tofutti (or other vegan brand) Cream Cheese
1-2 cups of Homemade Breadcrumbs (recipe below)
Salt (to taste)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Start by washing the Jalapenos and cutting them in half lengthwise. You might want to wear gloves as I found out the hard way that they burn your skin. Make sure to remove all seeds and ribs. If you miss any, there will be more heat. Place the Jalapeno halves on a pan and use a butter knife to spread the cream cheese on/into the halves. (The first time I made these I found that the cream cheese wasn't as flavorful as I liked and needed some salt added. You can mix a little salt into the cream cheese before you spread it or sprinkle on top.)Now use a spoon to spread on a layer of the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes then enjoy. (Do not eat the stems)


                                            Bonus Recipe: Homemade Bread Crumbs

Ingredients:

1 slice of bread of choice
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

Tear the slice of bread into pieces and put into a small food processor. Pulse a few times until crumbs are left. Add in the nutritional yeast and garlic salt. Other favorite seasonings may be used instead. Add more to taste. Pulse again until evenly mixed. Makes about 1 cup of fresh bread crumbs.

Recipe: Vegan Taco Chili in the slowcooker and Ranch Dip

Taco chili in the slowcooker is great on a cool day. I used my biggest crockpot for this recipe and we got 10 bowls out of it.

Ingredients:

--2(15-ounce) cans of kindey beans, drained and rinsed

--2 (15-ounce) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

--4 cups of frozen corn

--1or 2 cups of chopped onion (depending on how much you like onion)
--1 large can (26-ounces) of diced tomatoes

--1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes and chiles

--1 packet taco seasoning
--1 package of Yves Meatless Ground (or other vegan brand of veggie crumbles)
--2 cups vegetable broth or stock
--Garlic Powder
--Onion Powder
--Dill
--Parsley

Directions:Add meatless ground to crockpot. Sprinkle taco seasoning packet over the meatless ground. Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, dill and parsley over the meatless ground (use as little or as much as you like, I just sprinkled a small amount over the meatless ground.) Drain and rinse the beans and add to the crockpot. Add the corn, the onions and the entire contents of the cans of tomatoes. Add the vegetable broth or stock and stir so all ingredients are dispersed evenly. Cover and cook on high for about 8 hours or low for about 4 hours.
When ready to serve garnish with corn chips and vegan sour cream or for a tangy twist use vegan ranch dip (recipe below.)

                                                                          Ranch dip

Ingredients:

--1 container of Tofutti Sour Cream
--Dill
--Parsley
--Onion Powder
--Garlic Powder
--Salt
--Fresh Ground Pepper

Directions:

Ok if you want exact measurements, you've come to the wrong place. Pretty much all you do is add the seasonings until you get the flavor you want. I tend to add way more onion powder than normal people would. Mix it well and once you get the taste you like (it will taste like the sourcream and the seasonings) refrigerate for a few hours or over night. Pretty much the longer it chills in the fridge, the more the flavors blend together. You will no longer taste the sour cream but just the delicious ranchy flavor. This is great for dipping veggies, chips, topped on salad, baked potatoes or on chili.

Tip: Have baby carrots on hand to taste the ranch while you add seasonings. Once you do it a few times you will know about how much to add to the taste you like but it is still nice to have carrots to sample it while you go.

Review: Follow Your Heart Mozzarella

Follow Your Heart Mozzarella- ****
Ok, so I won a contest for a vegan kit from Follow Your Heart. I recieved a jar of vegenaise, a tub of cream cheese, a block of this cheese and a spreader tool. I started by cutting off a chunk of the "cheese" and ate it. I was instantly grossed out. The texture was like tofu. I wasn't expecting it and it was not pleasant at all. Well the after taste was great. It didn't leave a weird after taste like most vegan cheeses do. So I decided that I would grate the cheese and use it on a lasagna. The first layer I used the remaning DAIYA vegan mozzarella I had. The other 2 layers I used the Follow Your Heart (FYH)  stuff. The fyh stuff shredded great. It was super easy with my cheese grater. The lasagna was AMAZING! My daughter loved it. She had seconds. Her response was "It has a taste I've never tasted before but I love it! This is really good!" She was right. It didn't exactly taste like mozzarella but it was good. I will definitely use it for lasagna or pizza again and I prefer it to the mozzarella alternative I had been using before. I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because it wasnt the best ever and it had a texture I didnt like when it was straight out of the package but it did melt good. I would recommend it.