16 Bean & Sausage Stew

Follow me for more great Vegan Ideas: Facebook    Pinterest    Instagram

I LOVE crock pot meals for the Fall. Start it before work and come home to a finished stew. That's as easy as it gets! This was an idea I had when I noticed a bag of dried beans called "16 bean soup". I checked the label, it was vegan ( you never know, so always read the label!). Now I had something new to prepare and I was already thinking up ideas. The classic combination of sausage and beans was the route I decided to take with this bag of beans. I bought some fresh kale, carrots, a few potatoes and some Tofurky Italian sausage. 

Just had to soak my beans overnight, rinse well and remove "debris" before starting my stew idea. I woke up today and put my beans, potatoes and carrots on while I was making lunches for the kids. Covered my beans and veggies with salted water. Turned my crock pot on to low and left it cooking while I worked today. With about 10 mins work, I had dinner ready!

Looking for more Fall Recipes? Try my Easy Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, Cheezy Butternut Macaroni, Sothwestern Sweet Potato Soup with Applesauce Cornbread, Award Winning Chili, & Sriracha Black Bean Burgers

Recipe:

1 ( 20 0z) bag of dried 16 bean soup mix

water

salt, pepper, and cumin to taste

1 ( 14 oz.) package Tofurky Italian Sausage, cut into bite sized pieces.*

2-3 potatoes, cubed

1 1/2 cups chopped carrots

1 bunch kale, sliced into ribbons

olive oil

red pepper flakes (optional)

Method:

The night before: Rinse beans well. Remove and debris. Cover dry beans completely plus about 2" of water. Cover beans tightly and allow to soak over night.

The next morning: Drain water from beans and rinse well. Pour beans into your crock pot. Cover with enough water to fill crock pot half way. Add salt, pepper, cumin, potatoes, carrots, and red pepper flake.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

When you come home: Cook your Tofurky Italian Sausage* and kale in a little olive oil over medium high heat. Cook until kale is wilted and Tofurky is slightly brown.

Pour Sausage and kale into beans soup. Taste. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Serve with crusty bread or cornbread for a delicious country style meal.

Makes 6 - 8 servings.

* If you can not find Tofurky, any Vegan sausage or seitan will work. You can also use mushrooms as a substitute if you don't use vegan proteins.

Vegan Fried Chick'n & Gravy

Follow me for more great vegan ideas: Instagram , Facebook, Instagram

Anything you can make, I can make vegan!! I have said it over and over. This dinner tonight was my offering to my husband, who used to adore Southern fried chicken and gravy. This is my first attempt at a vegan version of this family classic. I watched several videos and read a few recipes before coming up with my plan. This recipe is really a mixture of all those recipes and my own knowledge as a Southern lady. No processed vegan "meats", this is all homemade. Get ready for a great Southern meal! This would be great served with my Vegan "Cheddar Bay" Biscuits.

Looking for more Southern Vegan Classics? Try my Fried Green Tomatoes, Classic Sunday Dinner, Black Eyed Pea "Caviar", Pulled Jackfruit & NC Style Greens, Big Country Breakfast, Butternut Macaroni & Cheeze, & Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Recipe:

2 cups vital wheat gluten 

2 packs rapid rise yeast

1 Tbsp. Rotisserie chicken seasoning*

Salt & pepper to taste 

1 3/4 cup warm water

32 oz. Vegan chick'n broth (or veggie broth, if you can't find it)

2 cups flour

2 Tbsp. Corn meal

Paprika, salt and pepper 

1 cup unsweetened plant milk 

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, mix vital wheat gluten, yeast, seasoning, salt, pepper, and warm water. It will form a thick, sticky dough. (Don't worry, this is exactly what you want. )

Cover bowl with a damp towel and allow dough to rise for about 30 minutes on the counter. 

Heat your broth to boiling while dough is rising. Also start warming up your oil over medium heat.  

Mix your flour, corn meal, paprika, salt and pepper in a dish.

After 30 mins, separate dough into 12 - 16  pieces (depending on size desired. They will expand about 3x while cooking in broth). Stretch to form a chick'n shape. Do not pull too thin!! You want it to be thick for the best texture. (About 1/2" thickness is perfect.)

Drop your pieces of chick'n into the boiling broth, about 3 pieces at a time. Let cook about 2 minutes on each side.

Remove pieces of chick'n from the broth and coat in flour mixture. 

Drop a few drops of water in your oil to test. If it's hot enough, it will "pop".

Place your flour coated chick'n pieces into the hot oil carefully. 

Cook until golden brown on both sides. 

Let drain and cool on a paper towel. 

While chick'n cools, pour out most of your oil from your frying pan.

Add about 2 Tbsp. of the flour you used to bread your chick'n to the oil left in your frying pan.

Whisk to form a thick paste.

Add your remaining vegan chick'n broth (which should have reduced while you boiled the chick'n in it) to your oil & flour. Whisk until smooth & then add your plant milk.

Let your gravy come to a boil, whisking frequently. Add salt & pepper to taste. Gravy will thicken as it cooks. Once it reaches your desired consistency, pour over your chick'n. (Add a little more flour if it is still too thin until you get a nice thick gravy. Remember to re-season if you add flour!)

Makes 12- 16 pieces of chick'n. 

* if you can't find Rotisserie chicken seasoning, you can mix paprika, salt, pepper, garlic and thyme to make your own seasoning. 

Chocolate Dipped Stuffed Dates (vegan "Snickers")

Follow me for more great vegan recipes & ideas: Facebook   Pinterest   Twitter   Twitter

This is an idea I have seen floating around a few places, so I wanted to try it at home. My boss was sweet enough to give me a large container of Madjool Dates, so it seemed like a great time to test the idea out on my kids. 

This is back to school week here, so I am actively trying out new lunchbox ideas and treats for my teens. So far, the Gardein Crispy chicken wraps have been the winner for sandwich idea. This little treat won desert, hands down yesterday. These "vegan Snickers bites" were simple enough to make the night before and refrigerate until morning. They held up well in the lunch boxes and the kids shared with friends, who also approved ( always a plus for them as teenagers). 

** If you have a peanut allergy, these can be made substituting any other nut and nut butter, or ( in case of  nut allergy, use a tahini paste and seed mixture (maybe pumpkin?)**

Looking for more great Vegan Deserts or Lunchbox ideas? Try my Easy Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Mediterranean Cucumber Salad, Summer Berry Cobbler, Vegan S'Mores Pie, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches, & Pineapple Upside Down cake

Recipe:

1/2 cup Vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips ( I used Enjoy Life)

12 Madjool dates, pitted and peeled (peeling is not necessary, but makes the candy smoother)

peanut butter

peanuts

Method: 

1. Using a double boiler, gently heat chocolate chips over low heat until smooth. ( If you do not have a double boiler, boil water in a small pan and heat chocolate chips in a small bowl placed over the pan to avoid direct heat on the chocolate). 

2. While chocolate melts, stuff your dates. Place a layer of peanuts in your dates. Top peanuts with peanut butter to fill dates.

3. Once chocolate is smooth, remove from heat.

4. Roll dates in warm chocolate quickly to coat ( Careful not to melt peanut butter)

5. Place dates on a plate covered in parchment paper.

6. Refrigerate dates for at least an hour to allow chocolate to set. ( I let them set overnight and they held up well in my kids lunchboxes).

Makes a dozen "Snickers" bites.