Easy Sunday Dinner

My daughter asked for her favorite meal pre- vegan : beef tips over mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, sweet & smokey green peas, and lemon roasted veggies. Challenge accepted!! Anything can be veganized, trust me.

We are in love with all things Gardein. They make great meatless products and help make those pre-vegan meals happen again. We don't use a lot of "fake meats", but this meal was so delicious, it was totally worth it!

Looking for more Vegan Dinners?  Try BBQ Tempeh over Cauliflower Rice, Kale Stuffed Eggplant Parm, Sriracha Roasted Tofu with Rainbow veggies, Chick'n in Mushroom gravy with Stuffing And finish with Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake

Recipes:

Vegan garlic mashed potatoes:

8 cups potatoes, cubed
1 tsp turmeric
Olive oil
2 cup plant milk
1/2 cup vegan butter
5 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
Salt & pepper

Beefless tips & gravy:

2 (9 oz.) Bags of Gardein beefless tips
8 oz. of sliced portobella mushroom
Oil to sautée
2 Tbsp. flour

2 Tbsp. Earth Balance ( or other vegan butter)

1/2 tsp arrowroot  (or corn starch)
1/2 tsp each- cumin, garlic powder & thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup vegetable stock

Lemony Roasted Vegetables:

6 cups fresh vegetables  (whatever you have on hand will do)

1 large lemon, juiced
1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning 

Salt and pepper to taste

Smokey Sweet Peas :

2 cups of frozen sweet peas
1/4 cup of vegetable broth
1 tsp paprika

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a large mixing bowl, toss potatoes with turmeric, salt and pepper and enough olive oil to coat potatoes.

Pour potatoes on to a baking sheet.

On another greased, sheet pan, add mixed vegetables. 

Squeeze fresh lemon juice over vegetables. Add Italian seasoning, and pepper to taste.

Place both sheet pans in the oven to roast for about 30 minutes.

While vegetables and potatoes roast, prepare your beefless tips *and gravy...

In a deep skillet over medium high heat, brown Gardein beefless tips *, mushrooms and onions in a little bit of oil.

Remove beefless tips, mushrooms and onions from the skillet and set aside. * Do not remove liquid from the pan, it will help flavor your gravy!

Add butter and flour to the skillet. Whisk until the lumps are gone.

Add vegetable broth, cumin, garlic powder, thyme, arrowroot, salt and pepper to skillet. Whisk again to combine.

Allow to come to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium.

Add 1/2 cup of plant milk and whisk again.

Add beefless tips and mushrooms back to the gravy. Cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow gravy to thicken.

While gravy thickens prepare your potatoes:

Melt 1/2 cup of butter over medium heat. Add crushed garlic.

Allow garlic to flavor butter, but do not let it burn. Once you smell the garlic, it's time to add the milk.

Add 2 cups plant milk to the butter and bring to a simmer.

In a large bowl, blend roasted potatoes, warm milk, salt and pepper with a hand mixer on medium, until smooth and creamy.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, warm up peas, vegetable broth and paprika.

Assemble :

Pour beefless tips and gravy over potatoes. Serve with peas and roasted vegetables.

Makes 4-6 servings

* If you can't find Gardein beefless tips, you can use any beefless tips, seitan, tofu or even just extra mushrooms. 

Serve with crescent rolls Or my Vegan cheddar Biscuits

Lazy Vegan Beer Cheese Sauce

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I'm a busy vegan mom who loves sports and nachos. Short cuts are my friend! I have been making the amazing cheese sauce recipe from veggie on a penny for months, but I hate peeling and boiling veggies. So I used my busy mom skills to come up with a solution for snacks with my husband that will get me back to the game quick. (This recipe does call for beer, so if you're making it for kids, sub it out for water or veggie broth since it will not cook out).

Now that you have the cheese- use it in: Cheezy Baked Enchiladas, Black beans and plantain Rice Bowl, Award winning Vegan chili, Chipolte Mac-n-cheeze with smoky lentils & Buffalo Jackfruit Quesadillas , Vegan Philly & Cheese, Caribbean Burrito, & Cheezy Bac'n & Chick'n Stuffed Jalapenos Or make my White bean Queso

Lazy Vegan Beer Cheese Sauce:

1 can (15 oz) potatoes, drained
1/2 can (15 oz) carrots, drained
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup of your favorite vegan beer ( or veggie broth)
1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp.  paprika
1-2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar 
Pickled or fresh jalapeños to taste (optional)

Toss it all in the blender on high until smooth.

Heat in a microwave safe dish and serve with your favorite chips or toss with warm pasta for a delicious vegan mac-n-cheese.

This recipe freezes and reheats well.

You can add to a ice cube tray to freeze into individual servings. 

Makes about 4 cups.

Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes

Living in NC, I have grown up around the most amazing soul food cooks in the world. Trust me when I say you don't know soul food until a southern grandma cooks for you!! This is a southern classic. One of my friends, Traci Carr, taught me 15+ years ago & something every Southern lady must know how to cook. Tonight I was inspired by my husband to create an amazing fried green tomatoes recipe worthy of a true southern kitchen & I impressed myself in the process!!! 

None of this would have been possible without the discovery of  aquafaba... The liquid in a can of chic peas! Anyone interested in learning more about cooking and baking with this vegan magic, check out the Facebook page - Vegan Aquafaba & Meringues

Looking for More Southern Style Vegan Food?  Try Smothered Chick'n over garlic mashed potatoes , Banana Pudding Pie, Vegan Sunday Dinner , Buffalo Tempeh over Cheeze Grits

Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes:

2 green tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk
3 Tbsp aquafaba
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup corn meal
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional )
Salt & pepper
Oil to fry

Heat oil in deep frying pan over medium heat.

Combine milk, aquafaba, flour, corn meal, chili powder, salt & pepper in a bowl. Stir to make a wet mixture similar to a pancake batter.

Test oil to make sure its ready to fry by dropping a few drops of water into the pan, if it sizzles, it's ready.

Pat your tomato slices dry with a clean dish towel.

Dip green tomatoes into batter to coat.

Place in warm oil to fry.

Fry until golden brown on each side and allow to cool on a paper towel.

Sprinkle with salt while fresh out the oil if desired.

Serve hot with a spicy vegan ranch or top with hot sauce and layer between bread for a delicious vegan sandwich.

Makes 4 servings.

Cheesy Cuban Black Bean & Plantain Bowl

I wanted plantains. I wanted spicy. I wanted black beans and rice. I had fresh peppers in my garden. I had an avocado in the refrigerator. I have a batch of my cheese sauce ready. Sounds like the perfect set up for a rice bowl with lots of flavor! No real introduction today because the family is ready to eat this lovely dish.

Cheesy Cuban Bowl:

2 plantains, peeled and sliced into strips
chili powder (optional)
Oil to pan fry
1 1/2 cup of rice
1/2 cup salsa Verde
1 tsp turmeric
2 cups water
1 med. onion thinly sliced
1 fresh jalapeño, chopped
1 fresh red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup corn
2 (15 oz) cans of black beans, drained& rinsed
1 large avocado, peeled & chopped
1 recipe Lazy Vegan Beer Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste 

Prepare your rice with the turmeric, salsa Verde and water.

Heat oil over medium heat. Toss plantains in pan and fry until browned on both sides, about 12 minutes.

Sprinkle plantains with chili powder whole still hot. Allow to cool on a paper towel.

You can reuse the pan you just used for your plantains to sautée your onions, peppers, and corn. Cook until browned over medium heat. 

Layer rice, black beans, peppers & onions, fried plantains & avocados. Top with vegan cheese sauce.

makes 4 servings

Vegan Baked Enchiladas

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Since going Vegan, how many have noticed that Mexican restaurants are pretty much off the list? As a vegetarian, I never even thought to ask if their beans and rice were ACTUALLY vegetarian because they were on the vegetarian menu. Turns out that most Mexican restaurants add lard (pork fat) to their refried beans and cook their rice in chicken broth! WHY?! My local restaurant even cuts it's guacamole with mayo...yuk! The only thing SFV (safe for vegans) their was the chips and salsa. Such a disappointment and outrage at the same time. I miss going to eat there, but I'm also very upset that I was eating animal products in my vegetarian meals all these years. 

This bit of disappointment, lead us to learn to cook our own Mexican meals at home. These meals we know for sure are SFV and made with all the ingredients we love. I know rice is usually not in enchiladas at your restaurant, but this is our "no rules" way of making them and the kids really love the cheezy rice in their enchiladas and also cheeze on to[p of their enchiladas. They are, after all, suppose to be melty, cheezy, gooey and hearty. Throw these together for company and have your own Mexican Feast by making my Buffalo Jackfruit Quesadilla, Black Bean & Butternut Squash Tacos, Cheezy Cuban Rice Bowl, Baked & Loaded Stuffed Burritos, The Best Vegan Tacos, Mexican Black Beans & veggies over Crispy Polenta Cakes, & Vegan Queso Blanco

Vegan Baked Enchiladas:

1 (28 oz.) can vegetarian refried beans

1 package of Gardein beefless crumbles (or use crumbled extra firm tofu, pressed well)

1 package of tacos seasoning

1 small can of green chilies (don't drain)

2 cups Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce

1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained
1 (28 oz) can red enchilada sauce
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 medium orange pepper, chopped

1 medium  onion, chopped
8 oz. Sliced mushrooms 

1 bunch of kale, chopped & destemed 

Salt & pepper
8 burrito shells

Preheat oven to 350°

Over medium heat, brown beefless crumbles (or tofu) onions, peppers, mushrooms, & kale.

Add taco seasoning & green chillies to the pan.

Cook an additional 3-4 minutes. 

Prepare Vegan nacho cheese sauce.

Coat the bottom of a large casserole dish with enchilada sauce to keep enchiladas from sticking

To assemble:

Layer refried beans, beefless crumbles & veggies. 

Roll tightly like a burrito and place in casserole dish.

Top enchiladas with remaining of enchilada sauce.

Drizzle cheese sauce on top of enchiladas and bake for 25 mintues.

*If you have extra cheese sauce, you can put it in refrigerator or serve with chips on the side.

Makes 8 enchiladas.

Turkish Stuffed Grape Leaves

Today is my daughter's 18th birthday and she requested a Turkish food feast. We made so much food! My husband is Turkish and a great cook. He made his famous green beans stewed in tomatoes and whole garlic cloves while we made lemon roasted potatoes, falafel, hummus and pita, tabouleh, and stuffed grape leaves.

This stuffed grape leaves recipe has been adapted along the way.It's not the bland recipe served in most restaurants. I think you will love this flavorful version. It's evolved from the original into a meal worthy dish!

I will share the other recipes in the future. (Except the Turkish green beans recipe. I may never get from my husband because he never measures or writes anything down)

Stuffed Grape 
1 1/2 cups of rice
3 cups of veggie broth 

1 tsp. Dill
2 fresh chopped chives
2 tsp. tumeric
1/ 4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. dried mint
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
1 onion, finely chopped & sautéed
1 (1 lb.) jar of grape leaves
2 large lemons to serve. 

Prepare your rice by cooking it with your veggie broth, dill, turmeric, chives, mint, salt, and lemon zest.

Once your rice is done, fold chopped parsley and onion into your rice.

Place spoonfuls of rice in center of grape leaf and roll like a burrito.

Fill your steamer with water, a little salt, & juice of 1 lemon.

Place grape leaves in a steamer basket.

Steam 15-20 minutes.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 50 pieces.

*If you don't have a steamer, you can place a colander over a pot of boiling water and cover with a plate to make a steamer.

More Turkish recipes From Our Family - Turkish Rice & Lentils and Turkish Red Pepper & Walnut Dip

Baked & Loaded Burritos

This is my husband's FAVORITE Vegan recipe. I have to make these in large batches and freeze them for the week (along with veggie burgers). These are sweet, from the butternut squash and spicy from the peppers and salsa. They reheat perfectly for a quick Vegan meal on a busy day. So, here's a "meat eater approved" Vegan burrito that the entire family will love & you will love feeding your family.

Looking for more freezer Friendly recipes? Try Buffalo cauliflower & White bean burgers, Award Winning Chili, Chocolate Protein Pancakes  Breakfast Burritos & 5 Minute Vegan Beer Cheese Sauce

"Baked & Loaded" Burritos:

3 cups butternut squash
1 cup of corn
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch of kale, chopped
2 medium poblano peppers, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained
1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 Tbsp garlic
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp chai seeds
1/2 cup salsa verde
1 tsp. chili powder (optional)
8 flour tortillas 

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a sautee pan, cook butternut squash, red pepper, onion, pobalno pepper, kale and corn over medium heat, until tender

In a large mixing bowl, combine veggies and remaining ingredients.

Stuff burritos with veggie mixture. Roll tightly, closing off both ends.

Place burritos on a non stick cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes until golden brown.

makes 8 burritos.

*To freeze and reheat:

Make sure burritos are completely cooled. 

Wrap each burrito in wax paper and place in a Gallon sized plastic bag to freeze. 

*Reheat for 3-4 minutes from frozen, turning half way.