My cousin, Debbie, makes a chicken casserole that is the talk of
our family. Every reunion, party, get together, or potluck, she brings this
casserole and it is cleaned out before it hits the table. The casserole is so
good, she has named it “marriage proposal casserole” because she had 2 men propose to her after
eating the casserole! Before going vegetarian, and now vegan, I would make this
dish to take to my husband’s family or for potlucks and I had the same reaction.
It was a real family tradition.
I find it hard to
take dishes that have so much tradition and “veganize” them. The main reason is
that I know it will be held to the standard of the original dish, no matter how
I try to tell everyone to “taste it for the first time” or try it with an open
mind. If it’s not exactly like that dish, it will rejected on the spot. Family
dishes are “sacred” and must not be touched unless you know you have got it
right.
This was a crazy idea I had floating in my head for a little
while now, but I was always afraid to try it… I was even afraid to tell my husband
I wanted to try and “veganize” my cousin’s famous recipe. I knew the reaction
would be “no”. Yesterday I decided I can figure it out and I would make it
work.
My husband called me while I was cooking dinner yesterday
and asked “what’s for dinner?”. I just replied “I’m making something with jackfruit and steamed cabbage”. That was the safe answer. I was, in fact,
making a jackfruit casserole and steamed cabbage. I wanted to surprise him, but
I would make pulled jack fruit sandwiches quick if it turned out to be a
disappointment. Luckily, it was a HIT! Everyone loved it last night. I had a
completely empty dish and my husband ate 3 helpings!!! I hope this casserole
will bring you a proposal, or at least, a happy family!
Looking for more great family meals? Try my Baked Enchiladas, Chili & cornbread Casserole, Baked Spinach & Artichoke Pasta, BBQ Tempeh over cauliflower "rice", Vegan Philly & Cheeze Sandwiches , & Easy Sunday Dinner
Creamy Jackfruit
& Poppy Seed Casserole:
*Jackfruit filling:
4 (17 oz.) cans of jackfruit, drained and shredded
Olive oil
½ cup carrots, diced small
½ cup celery, diced small
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. thyme
½ tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
*Creamy “chick’n” sauce:
4 Tbsp. vegan butter
4 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
3 cups plant milk
2 chick’n bouillon cubes
¾ cup vegan sour cream
*Buttery Ritz & Poppy Seed Topping:
2 sleeves Ritz crackers, crushed
½ cup vegan butter, melted
2 tsp. poppy seeds
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Sautee all ingredients for the jackfruit filling in a deep
skillet over medium high heat until tender , this will take about 10-12
minutes. ( jackfruit should no longer look “transparent”.)
Add jackfruit to a large mixing bowl and set aside while you
prepare the sauce.
Melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to prevent
lumps. Cook about 2 minutes, but don’t allow it to “brown”. You want a blonde
roux for this sauce.
Add plant milk, salt and bouillon cubes and allow to come to
a boil. Boil about 5 minutes, until thickened. Continue to whisk often to
prevent lumps.
Add sauce and vegan sour cream to your jackfruit and mix
well.
Pour into a greased 11x13 casserole dish.
In another mixing bowl, mix crushed Ritz crackers, melted
vegan butter and poppy seeds together.
Pour cracker mixture over jackfruit evenly.
Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool 5- 10 minutes before
serving.
Serves 6 people.
