Mushroom Millet Soup

This is such a yummy soup and so easy to put together.  It is from Oh She Glows but I changed it up a bit.  I added two cans of Great Northern beans and some chopped kale and used a bottle of Shiitake Soy Ginger sauce instead of Worchestershire sauce.  I just happened to have it on hand and it sounded really good.  It's an all natural sauce with no added fat and it is tasty!  But if you don't have it, I'm sure this soup would be good anyway.  I'm sure we'll find out because I'll definitely be making this one again!  Sorry about the terrible picture.  It was an afterthought.  We were hungry and I had to steal this mug from one of the kids.  (They like eating their soup in a mug lately.)  I also blended mine too much.  If you want to see really appetizing pictures of this amazing soup then go on over to the Oh She Glows link above!  I'll try to remember to take another picture next time I make it. :)

Mushroom Millet Soup

1 cup uncooked millet (or Quinoa)
2 pounds fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced (I just used regular white mushrooms this time)
4 cups chopped sweet onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
7.5 cups vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 cups finely chopped kale
Garnish:  toasted walnuts, fresh herbs, etc.

In a pot or skillet, "toast" the dry millet over medium heat for 4 minutes or so until it has a nutty aroma.  This adds more flavor.  (If using quinoa, make sure you rinse first.)  Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes.  Fluff with fork.

While millet is cooking, in a large pot over medium-low heat, add a bit of oil (about 1 tsp.) along with the chopped onion and minced garlic.  Sautee for about 5 minutes until transparent, stirring frequently.  Add sliced mushrooms and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes until most of the water cooks off.

Stir in broth, along with seasonings (salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce).  Add only about half of the salt to begin, adding the rest to taste right before serving.  Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Scoop half of the mixture and beans into a blender and blend until almost smooth but still a bit chunky.  Add back into the pot.  Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender, but be sure to leave it nice and chunky.

Stir in cooked millet and chopped kale.  Season to taste and serve with a garnish of toasted walnuts, garlic bread, fresh parsley, or anything that you like!

Our Vegan Thanksgiving

So my husband, Tory, and I (and our kids because we feed them) have been really focusing on eating right.  We always have eaten a plant-based diet but have mixed it up with other animal-based foods especially during the holidays.  Well, we haven't had any meat or animal products whatsoever for over a month and we didn't want to ruin our good streak with our Thanksgiving feast.  So we adapted it to our newer, healthier way of eating.  It was really a lot easier than I thought it would be.  I wanted to have all of the traditional and special dishes...just "healthified".  The boys were a little concerned about not having turkey...but mostly because they wanted to break the wishbone.  And I just wanted to make sure I'd be able to make pumpkin and apple pie!

Do you know the line from Disney's Tangled movie where Flynn Rider is using a frying-pan to sword fight Maximus the horse?  It's one of my favorite lines of the movie.  He says, "You should know that this is the strangest thing I've ever done!"  LOVE that part!  Anyway, that line kept popping in my head (ok...and I said it out loud probably way too many times...it's just so fun to say!) as I was making my vegan Thanksgiving dinner.  Although, nothing was weird or unusual (no tofu turkey here!) it just seemed so strange to me.  No turkey!  But sooo easy!  We waited to start cooking so we could eat at noon.

It was the most delicious dinner.  All seven of us ate to our heart's content with plenty of leftovers.  I've never seen my kids clean their Thanksgiving plates like they did this year.  And the best part?  About half-way through the dinner my second son, Dallin, said to our oldest, Austin, "Hey, remember the turkey?"  And Austin looks at him confused and said, "What turkey...?  Oh, yeah!"  They didn't even miss it!

A few of my recipes came from one of my favorite food blogs, Oh She Glows (OSG).  I knew I couldn't go wrong with her recipes.  And I also adapted a few of our old favorites.  I'm going to post a list of what I made here linked to the individual recipes because this dinner I will for SURE be making again!  We're already counting down the days to our Christmas feast!

Sourdough Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy (OSG)
Sweet Potato Casserole (OSG)
Steamed Asparagus
Corn with Red Peppers and Green Onions
Relish Dish with Vegan Ranch Dressing
Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust (OSG)
Brown Bag Apple Pie
Sparkling Apple Cider

Brown Bag Apple Pie

I decided to make this version of our apple pie because I didn't want to have to buy a vegan shortening that I most likely wouldn't use much of when I was finished.  This recipe is super easy because you don't have to roll out the crust.  It still has a lot of oil and sugar in it so I wouldn't call it "healthy" but it sure was good!  The original recipe calls for sliced apples but our traditional "McFarlane Apple Pie" uses shredded apples so that's what I do.  This recipe also calls for nutmeg but I leave that out.  It's good...but it's too different from my favorite.  I used whole wheat flour ground from white wheat in this recipe and it was fantastic!  You could use spelt flour or unbleached white flour as well.  

Brown Bag Apple Pie

Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup canola oil
2 T. cold milk (I used almond)

-Combine.  Pat evenly in 9 inch glass pie plate.

Filling:
4 cups peeled, shredded Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

-Mix.  Layer evenly in crust.

Topping:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 square Earth Balance butter

-Drop evenly and crumble all over pie.  Bake in large brown paper grocery bag.  Loosely staple top and roll down once.  Lay flat in oven.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust

I didn't think it would be possible to make a smooth, creamy, vegan pumpkin pie that didn't have tofu it it and that still tasted like "real" pumpkin pie but this is it!  We loved this pie!  It was smooth and creamy and the crust was amazing!  You could make it gluten-free if you use GF rolled oats.  I just used regular.  The only change I would make would be to substitute a Tbsp. of molasses for one of the Tbsp. of maple syrup just to make it taste a bit more like our traditional homemade pumpkin pie recipe.  I also used just pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices since that's what we do in our traditional recipe.  Put this one on your list of great vegan desserts!  It's a keeper!  Oh...and of course it is yet another recipe from Oh She Glows.  What can I say...she's got good stuff!

Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust

Crust:
1 cup rolled oats, processed into a fine flour (blender) OR 1 cup GF oat flour
2 cups raw pecans
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. ground flax
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (honey may work if you prefer)
1 Tbsp. Earth Balance, melted

Filling:
2 1/4 cups canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup natural cane sugar or brown sugar
1/4 cup full-fat coconut cream (or almond milk), softened
1 Tbsp. Earth Balance, softened
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 Tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
OR
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves

For Crust:
Grease a 9-inch pie dish very well.  In a blender, process your oats into a very fine flour.  If you don't think your machine can get the oats fine enough, then I suggest buying oat flour.  The oat flour needs to be very fine in this crust, not flaky or chunky.

In a food processor, add 2 cups pecans and process until it starts to clump and oils start to release (about 35 secs), but don't make pecan butter either!  You should be able to make a ball with the pecan dough.

Melt Earth Balance with brown rice syrup for about 30 secs in microwave.  Stir.  Transfer clumpy pecan mixture into a large bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients.  Using your hands, squeeze the dough over and over to combine very well.  You should be able to form a ball with it.  If it's too dry add a bit more oil.

Spoon on the pecan dough and smooth out evenly.  Press down firmly with fingers to form a crust, bringing it up along the sides.  Press as firmly as you can.  Prick base with fork 12-13 times.  Prebake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes.  Remove and cool for 10 minutes.

For Filling:
In a large bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch).  Now add all ingredients and whisk together, adjusting spices to taste.  add more sweetener if desired.

Scoop the filling into crust and smooth.  Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove and cover crust edges with tinfoil or crust shield (this is necessary or it burns).  Bake for another 20 minutes, checking crust after 10 minutes or so.  Place on cooling rack for 1 hour.  Transfer to fridge to set for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight.  (This step is very important!)  Do not slice pie until it has set in the fridge for 3 hours minimum.

Slice with a very sharp knife, very slowly and carefully for best results.  a bit of crumbling may occur, but that's ok because it's rustic and made from scratch!  The main part is it tastes incredible.  Yum!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Another delicious recipe from Oh She Glows.  Everyone loved this!  It's almost more like a dessert.  This is much different than the traditional sweet potatoes my family makes which uses about 6 sweet potatoes cut into about 8 wedges each, cooked slowly for several hours on the stove in 1 package of brown sugar and a stick of butter.  Sooo sweet and caramely!  But these were an extra treat as well.

Sweet Potato Casserole

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cooked
2 Tbsp. vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:
1/4 cup Earth Balance
1/2 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
1/3 cup white or spelt flour
3/4 cups chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 2 quart casserole dish with conola oil.  Peel and then boil sweet potatoes until tender.  Mash the sweet potatoes with the margarine until smooth.  Add the vanilla, maple syrup, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Pour into casserole dish.  Next, mix the topping ingredients together until well-combined.  Sprinkle topping mixture over the casserole and bake for approximately 50 minutes, checking it every so often.

*Makes 10 servings at approximately 215 calories per serving (without pecans).

Vegan Gravy

This recipe is from Oh She Glows.  It's a really good gravy...but very unusual.  You just can't compare it to "traditional" gravy.  It's got a flavor all it's own.  Check out the ingredients!  A little bit of everything.  We all really loved it...except it just seemed to have a little too much "sweet" to it.  We'll definitely make it again but I think I'll leave out the blackstrap molasses and agave.  But that's just our personal preference.  Very good gravy though!

Vegan Gravy

1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1 Tbsp. tamari
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
2 Tbsp. tahini
1.5 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1.5 Tbsp. blackstrap molasses
1/2 tsp. agave nectar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste if desired

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

Pour mixture into a pot on medium to high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce to low and stir frequently to thicken.

Remove from heat and serve.  Add additional agave, water, or vinegar if needed to adjust taste.

Sourdough Stuffing

I've been seeing a lot of stuffing recipes using sourdough bread.  When I found a whole wheat sourdough loaf at Sprouts I knew I had to try it.  I love our traditional stuffing recipe.  It's my favorite thing about Thanksgiving dinner.  But it has a stick of butter, two eggs, and plenty of turkey drippings in it.  So I had to change it up a bit.  I used vegetable broth and also added mushrooms, which our traditional recipe doesn't normally have.  Loved those!  I was worried it wouldn't stick together but it was perfect.  I chopped my veggies and apples pretty small but I think next time I'll leave them a big chunkier.  Especially the mushrooms.   Of course I used our traditional "Bell's Poultry Seasoning" which is what MAKES this recipe!  It's found in a little yellow box.  I know Central Market has it if you live around here.

Sourdough Stuffing

1 loaf crusty sourdough bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 11 cups)
1-2 tsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 ribs celery, diced
3 cups fresh mushrooms (baby bella, cremini, or white), sliced
2-4 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped (I used one Gala and one Granny Smith)
1 1/2-3 cups vegetable broth (I ended up using 1 1/2 cups but I don't like my stuffing soggy)
2 Tbsp. Bell's Poultry Seasoning
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Spread bread cubes evenly on baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, or until bread is dried but not browned.  Transfer cooked bread cubes to a large bowl.  Sprinkle poultry seasoning over bread cubes and stir to coat.  Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil.  Add onion, celery, mushrooms, and apples.  Cook until vegetables and apples are soft, about 10 minutes.  Add to bread cubes and stir to combine.

Pour broth over the bread and stir to combine.  Make sure all of the bread is well coated with vegetable broth.  Season with salt, pepper, and more poultry seasoning if desired.  Stir well.

Pour stuffing into a greased baking dish with sides (I used a glass dish one size bigger than a 9x13).  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.  Stir a couple times during baking.  Stuffing should be lightly browned and crisp on top.  Remove from oven and serve warm.

Buffalo Chili

This chili is soooo good!  I found this on Betty Crocker.  Of course I changed it up a bit.  It's supposed to have chicken in it but I omitted that.  And it's supposed to be served with blue cheese on top but I can't think of a good vegan substitute for that one.  Any suggestions?  I guess you could drizzle some of that yummy Ranch Dressing over the top if you wanted to.  I also added 1/2 cup total of barley and millet.  You could add one or the other or leave out completely.  I just wanted mine thicker and not so "soupy".  I also did different tomatoes and added white beans after reading some reviews.  I really liked the flavor though.  It's definitely got some "spice" to it.  Different than the normal chili flavors.  I am not a fan of chicken wings...ever.  I worked in a deli in between college semesters and saw way too many chicken feathers still attached to those suckers.  Never could eat them again.  But I do enjoy the flavors of the sauce.  We had some freshly baked whole wheat bread to go with it.  Very tasty.

Buffalo Chili

1 large onion chopped (about 1 cup)
2 celery sticks, diced (about 1 cup)
2 carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with chilis, undrained
1 (14.5 oz.) can chili ready tomatoes, undrained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable broth (might need to add up to 2 more cups of broth if you add barley/millet)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt (I will leave out next time.  Plenty salty for us.)
1/2 cup (total) barley and/or millet, optional
1/4-1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce ( I used Frank's Red Hot sauce)
Garnishes: guacamole, ranch, chips, celery sticks, etc.

Put all ingredients in crock pot except hot sauce and garnishes.  (I read the recipe wrong and put the hot sauce in, too.  Worked fine.  I'll probably do this every time.)  Mix.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  If it seems to be getting too thick add more vegetable broth.  Stir in hot sauce (if you didn't before) and serve.

Bean & Veggie Quesadillas

I'm not sure what to call these.  I cook them like a quesadilla but there isn't any cheese.  Of course you could add some vegan cheese sauce to it and that is delicious, too.  I normally make these as a "quick" or "spur-of-the-moment" meal so I normally don't have the cheese sauce handy.  But occasionally I'm lucky and have leftovers to use.  These are quick and simple and a great meal to make in a hurry.  One of our favorites.  The ones in the picture look a little non colorful.  I thought I had tomatoes but all I found was an empty container.  My kids eat grape tomatoes like they're...well...grapes!  Hard to keep them around!  But you get the idea.  Any of your favorite veggies work.  I usually serve these with salad.

Bean & Veggie Quesadillas

Whole grain tortillas
Refried beans (or leftover Un-Refried Beans which is the BEST)
Chopped veggies:  cucumber, tomato, olives, avocado, corn, onions, peppers, spinach, etc.
"Cheese" sauce
Vegan Ranch Dressing
Salsa
Guacamole

Heat large skillet or griddle.  You can oil or spray the tortillas if desired but I usually skip it.  They still get nice and crispy.  Spread beans over bottom tortilla.  Sprinkle chopped veggies over beans (or optionally, save chopped veggies to sprinkle over top of cooked quesadilla.  I have a few who prefer it one way or the other  in my family.)  Drizzle with ranch dressing and/or salsa (or "cheese" sauce if using) if desired.  Place another tortilla on top.  When bottom is golden brown, flip over and heat other side.  Remove from heat and let sit for just a few minutes.  Cut into sixths (or eighths if using really big tortillas.)  Serve with more ranch/salsa/guacamole for dipping if desired.

Vegan Ranch Dressing & Dip

This is yet another recipe from my friend, Jen, over at Belly Bites.  She's got some good stuff so don't be surprised if I post more. :)  This is such a yummy vegan ranch dressing substitute.  I am a ranch fan all the way.  It is my most favorite dressing ever.  I like it on everything and it makes everything better.  My kids love this, too.  They come running with spoons when I make it.  Yes, it's that good.  One thing I have done to thicken it up without adding more Vegenaise is to add a cup of Sunflower Seed Sour Cream to this recipe (posted below this recipe as well.)  This turns it into a great dip for veggies or if you just want a rich, thick, and creamy dressing.  Either way is good though.  Without the Sunflower Seed Sour Cream is quicker to whip up but if you have some leftover SSSC then this would be a great way to use it up.

Vegan Ranch Dressing & Dip

1 cup Vegenaise (like Mayo)
1/4-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1-2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, dill, and chives-chopped (or 1-2 tsp. dried)
1 cup Sunflower Seed Sour Cream, optional

Whisk all ingredients together, except milk, until well combined.  Then slowly add the milk until you get the consistency of dip or dressing you like.  It will thicken some after it's chilled.  Chill and let flavors combine.  Mmmm...

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Sunflower Seed Sour Cream
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup water
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove pressed (or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
1/2-3/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Un-Refried Beans

This recipe is from my friend, Mandy.  I've made it so many times now and decided it was time to put it on here to make hunting down the recipe a little easier.  I love these beans!  I could eat them every day.  And I confess, I've never actually mashed them.  We usually just have a cup of them or put them in tortillas for burritos or tacos.  (That's why I'm putting them in the "soup" category as well.)  The flavor is so good and I love the juices.  I haven't ever made them with the jalapeño.  The first time I made them I had everything but the jalapeño but I did have chipotle peppers in adobe sauce (they come in a can) so I substituted with those.  They add a really good smokey flavor.  I always seem to have the chipotle peppers because I only use a small portion out of the can and then freeze the rest.  When I make these beans I just cut off what I need from the frozen leftovers and then finely dice.  And since I was using chipotle peppers I decided to  switch the chili powder with chipotle chili powder.  One of these days I need to make them with the jalapeño!  Sooo good!  And they smell so good cooking all day.  Super simple and super cheap.  The only bad part is we sure don't have many leftovers.  I guess I need a bigger crock pot so we can double the batch!  The last time I made them I used Cranberry Beans!  I'd never seen them before.  They look a lot like pinto beans but with red stripes and some are completely red.  They turned out great and were big and plump.  Thanks for the great recipe, Mandy!

Un-Refried Beans

1 lb. dry pinto beans, picked through and rinsed

1 medium onion, diced

1 jalapeño, diced (or chipotle peppers in adobe sauce)

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder (or chipotle chili powder)

10-15 cranks cracked black pepper (I've never put the black pepper in since the peppers spice it up a lot)

1 tsp. salt 

6 cups water

Place onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder and pepper into crockpot.  Add the sorted and rinsed beans and the water.  Stir everything well to distribute seasoning.  Cook on high for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  After cooking, remove as much water as possible, saving it in a bowl.  Mash the beans {I used my potato masher}, adding in just enough reserved water to get the consistency you want.  Season the mashed beans with salt.  I would start with 1 tsp, taste, and add more if needed.

This recipe ends up making about six cups of refried beans, so I took the leftovers and divided them into two-cup batches in Ziploc freezer bags. Cool completely in refrigerator, then transfer to freezer.  To use the frozen beans, you can just put them in the fridge in the morning and they'll be thawed by dinner.  Or, if you're like me and can't seem to plan that far in advance, you can always put the whole ziploc bag into a bowl of warm water and they thaw in no time.