Use Your Words

11 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

Tags

blogging, fishing, hiking, memories, mountains, travel, use your words, vegan, veganism, word swap

Hello again. It is time for another crazy fun blog using words submitted by: http://www.outmannedmommy.com

Fish ~ Summer ~ Robin ~ Baby ~ Squirrel ~ Unbelievable

Today’s post is a writing challenge. This is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once and all the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.

Funny that these words were chosen to me because the three of the are animals, (I am a vegan, after all) and one is my absolute favorite season! Not just because it is a break from school, I love summer because of the adventures! (and sometimes misadventures.) I am taken back to Colorado when we went on an unbelievable vacation to the Grand Mesa, the largest flat topped mountain in the US. It is where my dad taught me how to fish and how to paddle a canoe. Squirrels scampered along the ferns and falled pine needles. Red-breasted robins chirped early to welcome in the new day, hopping along on their tiny little bird feet. I have always thought bird feet were structurally strange for their body size, especially robins. Have you ever seen an very plump, round robin? He still hops along with just as much ease as others! I think it is precious. Douglas fir, Foxtail pine, and white-tailed deer scattered the landscape surrounding an expansive lake atop the mountain; the water was as still as glass. That is, until a fish swam up and made the prettiest rings, growing larger until they were no longer seen. We would paddle a canoe to the very center. “Hook a worm. Let it sink to the very bottom. Reel up just about ooooone foooooooot. That should do it,” I can hear him say. Nibble. Tug. TUGGGG!! These fish were actually HUGE compared to my little 6 year old body! They were especially huge to my baby brother, being three years younger than I was. I remember some of them rocked the boat! Once snagged, (the vegan inside me right now is dying, thinking of what I used to do) we reeled quickly until the fish was grabbed, unhooked, and tossed in a large cooler. Okay, so this is not as horrifying to a fish-consumer, but I have been fish free for over a year now and a major reason was my love for all animals. The fishing industry is just too cruel and careless to the fish for my tastes and I personally choose to refrain. This is not a plug for veganism; I am just trying to help you understand my mentality and how strange it is looking back and seeing how the things I used to do have changed so drastically. We would go back to the cabin and descale the fish. Even at that time in my life, I did not want to personally do it. I did not want to cause any additional harm to the creature that I had just taken from its habitat. I will not go into the graphic details but I was horrified at the gutting. It was unbelievable to me that this was a necessary part of life until I realized that it was not necessary in my life. I have loved this prompt because it really has taken me back to good memories in my life with family and vacation. I miss the beautiful scenery of the Rocky Mountains, the diverse wildlife, and especially the treacherous trails we used to hike. My dad would always go first to test the stability and watch us carefully while we traversed the rocks and dirt. I still think of Colorado when I see robins, squirrels, and even rainbow trout. This is just a little snippet into my life that I have never been able to pull out until now!

I want to send a big thank you to http://www.outmannedmommy.com for submitting those words. It is unbelievable how fitting they were to my past! It worked out great! I never write personal blogs, just recipes, so this actually has been a very nice change of pace to my normal routine. I look forward to the next blog challenge! If you liked this post, I may just write more of my life and feelings because I have greatly enjoyed writing this.

Here are the other participants! Read their crazy words!

http://bakinginatornado.com Baking In A Tornado

http://followmehome.shellybean.com Follow me home . . .

http://stacysewsandschools.wordpress.com Stacy Sews and Schools

http://www.outmannedmommy.com/ Outmanned

http://www.someoneelsesgenius.com Someone Else’s Genius

http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/ Confessions of a part-time working mom

http://www.themomisodes.com The Momisodes

http://www.impoverishedvegan.com Impoverished Vegan

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com Spatulas on Parade

http://batteredhope.blogspot.com Battered Hope

http://www.eviljoyspeaks.wordpress.com Evil Joy Speaks

http://www.JuiceboxConfession.com Juicebox Confession

Secret Subject Swap

04 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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Tags

blog engagement, blogging, community, secret subject swap, vegan

I am doing things a little bit differently today. I stumbled across a blogging community that takes blogging to a whole new level! They get together and challenge each other to write blog posts that have a very specific point; today, we are secret subject swapping! Most of the bloggers are humor writers and they have some really great posts. I have noticed there are numerous mothers participating so if you have a child, I would totally recommend reading some of these women! They are hilarious. This was my subject:

“There are no hurdles or constraints whatsoever, so If you could arrange a special surprise that totally blows their mind for someone, for whom and what would it be?”

As a food blogger, my first go-to would be to cook for someone! But who… There are many, many people for whom I would absolutely LOVE to cook for, so narrowing it down will be quite the task. I look to my friends. I have successfully cooked for many of them with great compliments and astounding praise. I love preparing a meal, serving it, and watching my guest consume the food and enjoy it thoroughly. It really does bring me great joy when others have joy. Hmm…. Who could I cook for that would bring me joy if they enjoyed my meal?

I then think of a chef that changed the world. Julia Child. Wait…
THE Julia Child? Why, yes.

Julia Child.

If I could arrange a special surprise for someone that would totally blow their mind with no constraints whatsoever, I would cook for Julia Child.

TIDBIT of the day: the last meal Julia Child ever consumed was French Onion Soup.

This is where this post gets crazy. I am going to assume that Julia could come back to earth for one day. She would get to relive her last moments of life. I am going to prepare an exquisite, vegan version of French Onion Soup, and take her to the National Museum of American History, where her beloved kitchen is now on display because she donated it for the love of food. I want her to be able to know and appreciate the effect she had on the world and on food. Her last book, My Life in France, ends with the quote:

“… thinking back on it now reminds that the pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite – toujours bon appétit!”

Wow. Bon appétit!

That was her special catch phrase she uttered at the end of her cooking show! Getting back on track, I would like to propose a special recipe for the second last meal of Julia Child.

What would I use? How would I make it exquisite? Would it be good enough? She is the authority on French cuisine and I am attempting to make her a meal????

What have I gotten myself into?!

Okay, do not panic. Keep Calm and Carry On, or whatever that weird meme is.

For the base…
I imagine a wonderfully rich vegetable broth with carrots and celery, boiled down to a thick consistency.
When you start to sauté the onions, the kitchen will reek with unbelievable scents. Add a bit of garlic and everyone will start to drool…

Place some herbes de provence in the onions and the spirit of France will come alive in your kitchen!
Transfer everything to a soup pot and start to simmer to a boil.

French Onion Soup must be accompanied by bread of some fashion.
Start to toast sliced french baguette in a toaster oven and add a basil pesto halfway through. Once the toast is crispy, remove from the oven and let sit until the soup comes to a boil.

Place the savory soup into individual bowls and top with a slice of the basil baguette. All of the ingredients will be toasty and warm and now comes time to top with cheese!

CHEESE?! But this is a vegan blog!

“You do not consume cheese!” some may say.

Alas, there does exist some creation of a vegan cheese that would adorn this soup most royally.

Daiya makes an excellent vegan havarti cheese that comes from the vegan goddess of cheese! I actually used this on my Buffalo Tempeh Burger awhile back! It was divine.

The soup is almost complete. With herbes de provence, the french scent is heavily apparent. Basil baguettes top the savory soup with a crisp crunch. Heavenly havarti adds a sharp undertone to the top of the soup. All that is left is the garnish.

Take a sprig of rosemary and shed those little leaves upon the melty, gooey, crispy, crunchy, savory, salty soup for the perfect vegan French Onion Soup!

If this intrigues your senses, look forward to the specific recipe coming soon! This super exciting blogging challenge gave me the inspiration to construct a vegan French Onion Soup in real life. I will shop this weekend and try to bring this potential recipe to life!

A huge thank you to Confessions of a Part-time Working Mom for this wonderful prompt! To read more of her stuff, click here!

This challenge has been organized by Karen, her blog HERE!

To see the other entries in the challenge this month, here is a list of the blogs that are participating in this Secret Subject Swap!

(trust me, this was exceedingly fun and made me think of a fun way to write my blog!)

http://www.BakingInATornado.com Baking In A Tornado

http://themomisodes.com The Momisodes

http://stacysewsandschools.blogspot.com Stacy Sews and Schools

http://followmehome.shellybean.com Follow me home . . .

http://www.someoneelsesgenius.com Someone Else’s Genius

http://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/ Confessions of a part-time working mom

http://www.dribblesngrits.com Dribbles and Grits

http://www.impoverishedvegan.com Impoverished Vegan

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com Spatulas on Parade

http://dinoheromommy.com/ Dinosaur Superhero Mommy

http://morethancheeseandbeer.blogspot.com More Than Cheese and Beer

http://www.eviljoyspeaks.wordpress.com Evil Joy Speaks

http://www.JuiceboxConfession.com Juicebox Confession
http://climaxedtheblog.blogspot.com/ Climaxed

Please visit these wonderful blogs and look forward to the next installment of these awesome blogging challenges!

Cheesy Tomatokra Soup

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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Tags

cheese stew, cheesy stew, okra, tomato, tomatoes and okra, vegan, vegan cheese, vegan stew, veganism

Beloved vegans and nons, I come to you with this hodgepodge of ingredients from my refrigerator and pantry. This is what happens when you are in between grocery trips but are in the mood for a warm meal. The formula for this recipe is similar to my dear friend Emily’s vegan stew! Recipe here. She threw together a few cans in her pantry and it turned into one of the most hearty, delicious stews I have ever had! For times like this, I keep vegan cheese sauce at the ready most of the time, except when my cat spills all of my cashews that had been soaking for 8 hours onto the floor, ruining any plans for mac and cheese. This happened. I was furious. Going back to the recipe, prepare the cheese sauce according to the blog post.

Ingredients:

1 batch cheese sauce ($3.00)
2 cans tomatoes and okra ($0.99)
1 can black beans, drained ($0.59)

Preparation:

Throw it all in a large pot and heat until warmed through. For less than $4.50, you have a wonderful stew that could also serve well as a party dip! Try it with corn chips, carrot sticks, or just straight up with a spoon!

Cheesy stew!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

21 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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artichoke dip, Casserole, healthy lifestyle, healthy snack, party, party dip, spinach artichoke dip, spinach dip, vegan, vegan party dip, vegan spinach artichoke dip, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarian party dip

I actually had never really experienced spinach artichoke dip until I dined at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza. Sure, I tasted it at Super Bowl parties and family reunions but it was never really something that I saw as an exquisite dish or appetizer. Spinach Artichoke dip at Brixx is the most savory, warm, salty dip served with either pita bread or blue corn chips for the gluten-free. It completely opened my eyes to how amazing this dip can be. Since turning vegan, I have tried many imitations of cheese, cream, dairy, and meat. Other than when I made Vegan New England Clam Chowder, I feel like this recipe replicates the creamy, cheesy, gooeyness of non-vegan food the best!

Ingredients:

3 slices whole grain bread ($0.16)
3 tbsp. vegan butter ($0.24)
1 medium onion, diced ($0.24)
1 tbsp. olive oil ($0.02)
2 cans white beans, drained, rinsed ($1.10)
6 tbsp. nutritional yeast ($1.60)
½ cup vegetable broth ($0.35)
2 tsp. sea salt ($0.02)
¼ tsp. dried basil ($0.04)
2 tsp. red pepper flakes ($0.06)
6 cloves of garlic, minced ($0.99)
8 cups of spinach, chopped ($1.60)
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained ($0.99)
1 cup vegan mozzarella cheese ($2.35)
1 can french fried onions ($0.99)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the bread and butter in a blender or food processor and blend to create a dough like consistency. Set aside. Insert the white beans, nutritional yeast, vegetable broth, salt, basil, and red pepper flakes in the same food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside. Sauté the onions in the olive oil on medium heat until translucent. Toss the garlic in and cook for 2 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts and stir until warmed. Slowly throw some of the spinach in a few handfuls at a time. Wilt the spinach and then add some more. This will take some time but will yield a healthy, hearty dip! Turn the heat off and add the white bean mixture and half of the mozzarella cheese. Stir until warmed through. Place in a casserole pan and spread the dough mixture over the top of the dip. Add the rest of the cheese on top and place a layer of aluminum foil over the dish. Bake for 20 minutes; remove the foil and add the french fried onions. Bake for an additional 15 minutes; you should have an irresistibly savory spinach and artichoke dip!

Bread and Butter

Gooey butter dough

Bean Batter

Blended bean batter

Just onions…

DELICIOUS GARLIC ONIONS

ALL THE SPINACH

Starting to look like artichoke dip

REMEMBER THE BATCHES
ADDING ALL THE SPINACH AT ONCE WILL MAKE A MESS

Wet, wilted, wonderful spinach

Even more gooey than you ever thought possible

Dollops of dough

This is Daiya brand mozzarella but Trader Joe’s has a nice version

Are you excited yet??

You do not have to add the whole jar
I LOVE FRIED ONIONS
The cheese is also optional but who does not love CHEESE??

Crunchy, creamy spinach dip

Layers of luscious dip

Another amazing artichoke entrée

Look at that oozing artichoke casserole!

Soooo….we ate the entire casserole in one sitting
It is seriously that DELICIOUS

Devilishly delicious dough makes a great addition to this dip

Look at my new kitchen! It is so much bigger than I am used to
I have room to take display food photos!
I still have a lot to learn so if you guys have any advice on
cooking OR photography, please let me know!

Alright, alright… this casserole dip concoction is a tiny bit more expansive than the recipes I usually post; if you do not eat it in one night it will save very well and actually evens out in price versus quantity of food. BUT WE ARE COWS AND VEGANS NEED MORE FOOD. Anyway, I just thought I would send a shout out to One Green Planet for providing the base for this amazing resskippee (how my boyfriend pronounces recipe, isn’t he cute?!) and another should out to my coworkers for being the guinea pigs for this recipe. Except that would involve animal testing. And I am vegan. And I am against animal testing. So never mind about the guinea pigs; I just want to thank them for being so supportive and eating the delicious food that I make. That is all.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day (Vegan Reuben)

16 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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irish, luck of the irish, reuben sandwich, saint patrick's day, saint patty's day, st. patrick's day, vegan, vegan reuben sandwich

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Time for green beer, shamrocks, and dancing leprechauns. Instead of going to the store and buying pre-packaged, over priced, imitation meat product, I decided to get creative and try to work out a Reuben sandwich without the meat! My favorite part was creating the vegan Thousand Island dressing! It is a great vegan version if I do say so myself. Here is what I came up with:

For the Thousand Island:

1 cup vegan mayonaise ($0.26)
⅓ cup ketchup ($0.12)
1 dill pickle, diced ($0.05)
⅓ cup Annie’s Goddess ($0.65)
1 tbsp. dijon mustard ($0.18)

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and you will be in shock of how similar this tastes to real Thousand Island dressing! Also, $1.26 is not too shabby for a homemade dressing.

For the Sandwich:

1 slice of pumpernickel rye bread ($0.22)
3 tbsp. vegan Thousand Island ($0.16)
1 large mushroom, sliced ($0.15)
1 tbsp. beau monde seasoning ($0.18)
3 tbsp. sauerkraut ($0.08)
1 tbsp. vegan butter ($0.12)
1 cup vegetable broth ($0.15)

Slice the mushroom and soak it in the vegetable broth and beau monde seasoning for about 15 minutes. This is a good time to make the Thousand Island dressing. Cut the slice of bread in half. Toast the bread, then apply half of the thousand island to both sides of the bread. Save the other half for later. Sauté the mushrooms in the vegetable broth on medium until soft. Scoop the mushrooms out and set aside. Add the sauerkraut to the broth and lower the heat to low until warmed. Layer the mushrooms and the sauerkraut on the bread and add the remaining dressing. Melt some butter in a small saucepan and fry both sides of the bread. Bia blásta! (or Irish for ‘tasty food’, like saying bon appetit) (($1.06 per sandwich))

I prefer Vegenaise but NayoWhipped was all I had in my fridge
I am curious as to how this would have turned out
using Vegenaise because it was so great the first time

THIS. Just THIS. If you have not tried this dressing,
stop reading and go to Kroger and BUY IT!
To me, it tastes like a vegan caesar dressing
To my boyfriend, a blue cheese dressing
Either way it is absolutely delicious and I feel like it is
the secret ingredient to this Thousand Island

Add caption

DO NOT TRY AT HOME, KIDS
I love taking danger shots of blenders with the lid off

Little shot of dressing
I could almost drink this stuff straight
Almost

Beau Monde means beautiful world and it certainly lives up to the name

This looks so nasty and actually smells so nasty
although it does taste great
DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY OUTWARD APPEARANCE

Broccoli Cheddar Rice Casserole

08 Saturday Mar 2014

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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broccoli cheddar, broccoli cheddar casserole, broccoli cheese, broccoli cheese casserole, vegan, vegan casserole, vegan cheese, veganism

Everybody loves the flavor combination of Broccoli and Cheddar. That may or may not be because cheese makes everything better and cheddar is one of the best cheeses. I admit it; I am a vegan who still discusses how amazing some cheeses are! I love cheese. I will always love cheese. I have come to terms with the facts and cheese is bad for animals and the human body, but otherwise, I would literally consume cheese with every meal. With cheddar, the sharper the better! I want to feel the bit from the cheddar on my whole tongue. Anyway, getting back to the recipe… I created this casserole when we needed a hearty, wintery meal that involved cheese (vegan, obviously). Easy, inexpensive and delightfully tasteful, this vegan broccoli cheese casserole kills zero animals and contains zero cholesterol!

Ingredients:

2 heads broccoli ($0.99)
2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.25)
1 cup brown rice ($0.20)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced ($0.99)
4 tbsp. soy sauce ($0.15)
1 cup vegetable broth ($0.30)
2 tbsp. corn starch ($0.10)
1 cup vegan cheddar cheese ($2.99)

Preparation:

Cook the rice according to your preferred method of cooking. I use a wonderful Japanese rice cooker that smart senses when the rice is cooked; it takes about two hours but cooking on the stove is completely acceptable. Steam the broccoli for 15 minutes. Feel free to drink one glass of red wine while the broccoli cooks. Mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms and garlic for approximately 6 minutes or until the mushrooms soften. Mix in a bowl the soy sauce, broth, and corn starch. Add this to the mushrooms and garlic. This should create a broth-like “cream of mushroom soup” consistency. Turn the heat off. Add the broccoli. Stir well. Place into a casserole pan and top with the vegan cheddar cheese. Daiya makes two types of vegan cheddar cheese. The cheddar-style shreds are oily when heated, but the cheddar-style wedge melts marvelously for a great topping to this casserole. I recommend the block of cheddar, which yields a more crunchy topping; the shreds will yield a very fine stringy, cheesy, gooey, melty casserole. Preference is important. At this point, you should probably consume one more glass of red wine (make sure it is vegan). Bake in the oven for 20 mins on 350°F. TADA! Broccoli and cheese have come together perfectly in this vegan casserole!

Try not to overcook the broccoli
It will continue to cook in the casserole

Rice cookers do an amazing job of producing fluffy rice
Stove cooked rice will do just fine

Beet Hummus! from Healing Tomato

26 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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beet hummus, beet recipe, beet root, healthy lifestyle, healthy living, hummus, vegan, vegan beet recipe, vegan snack, vegetarian

It is high time for a guest recipe! I have been following the Healing Tomato blog for a couple months now and have been fascinated by all of her recipes. It is a vegetarian blog but it would be very easy to turn her recipes vegan either by omission or vegan substitutions. When she posted this recipe for beet hummus, I just knew we were meant to be friends. I LOVE BEETS! I grew up on beets. My mom fed me beets like candy and I developed a taste for healthy vegetables. She used to put beets on cottage cheese and it was one of the best meals in the whole world. I have been meaning to look up some vegan cottage cheese to bring this memory back to me in vegan form. Anyway, back to the Healing Tomato. I do not even know her name but she is fabulous and the blog is a great read! Check her blog for the recipe for beet hummus! She is on Google+ as well. I will be making this as soon as I get a free moment. Working two jobs and being a full time student is very difficult, especially when trying to move across town during the middle of mid-term week! All this work will pay off in the long run. Who knows? Maybe this blog will transform from the Impoverished Vegan to the Almost-Above-Poverty-Line Vegan! Just one step closer to being the Rich Bitch Vegan that I have been dreaming of becoming.

Try it on apple slices, carrot sticks, pita bread, or triscuits!
The options are endless.

Spaghetti? How about Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino

12 Wednesday Feb 2014

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light meal, light snack, light spaghetti, pasta, spaghetti, traditional spaghetti, vegan, vegan spaghetti, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

I get a lot of my love for cooking from my mother. She was always creating tasty and exciting ways to get me to eat vegetables; she would sneak shredded zucchini and squash into spaghetti sauce. Almost every Friday she would cook up here spaghetti in a huge batch and it would last the whole week! It was usually served with carrot sticks with ranch dip and garlic toast. We would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Her spaghetti is one of my absolute favorite meals even to this day! I had always associated tomato sauce with spaghetti and spaghetti with tomato sauce. That is how it was. That was spaghetti. I recently was referred to a recipe that claimed to be the traditional way spaghetti was prepared, except it did not use a tomato base for the sauce! Furthermore, there was not even really a sauce on it! It turned out to be extremely satisfying and light! If you need to avoid tomatoes or have frequent heart burn, try this type of spaghetti!

Ingredients:

1 serving pasta ($0.45)
1 tbsp. minced garlic ($0.15)
2 tbsp. olive oil ($0.15)
2 tbsp. chopped parsley ($0.07)
½ tbsp. red pepper flakes ($0.09)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice ($0.04)

Preparation:

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain and set aside. Heat the oil on medium heat and throw in the garlic once it has warmed. Sauté for one minute and throw in the pasta. Keep sautéing, stirring constantly and add the chopped parsley, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice. After 2 minutes remove from heat. You are done. That is it. Simple, savory spaghetti in less than 15 minutes! I cooked some mushrooms and asparagus in some garlic and oil for a side dish. For the salad, I used spinach, black olives, red onions, and balsamic vinaigrette. Any pasta dish can be cheezed up with Go Veggie! vegan grated parmesan cheese! Enjoy!

Shu Mai done VEGAN! Happy Chinese New Year!

01 Saturday Feb 2014

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chicken and prawn dumplings, chinese new year, dumplings, shu mai, siu mai, vegan chicken and prawn dumplings, vegan chinese new year, vegan dumplings, vegan new year, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

FAIR WARNING! This recipe is not necessarily for the Impoverished Vegan, as it is relatively expensive. As of late, and in an attempt to recreate the traditional meals of a specific culture, I hereby submit a recipe that would not normally be vegan. This is a blog post attempting to recreate a meat-filled dish without the meat. It will be 100% vegan. As a traditional Chinese dumpling, I had never consumed Shu Mai or Siu Mai, even as an omnivore. These pork, chicken, or seafood dumplings are served for the Chinese New Year on January 31. Yes, I have had Crab Rangoon or Crab Wontons, as has every civilised human in the modern world. When I joined the exclusive community known as foodies+ on Google+, I had NO idea they were definitely a force to be reckoned with. They are a super active community that supports and encourages new recipes and ideas! JUST MY NICHE! Be sure to check out the page and plus one them! I fit in very well there and am very proud to announce my first commissioned piece as a member of foodies+! Introducing, VEGAN ShuMai Chicken and Prawn Dumplings!

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken (meatless grill strips) ($3.99)
1 cup shiitake mushrooms ($1.99)
2 tbsp. shrimp seasoning ($0.21)
2 cups no-chicken broth ($0.35)
2 tbsp. woodear mushrooms ($1.00)
½ tbsp. fresh shredded ginger ($0.17)
1 tbsp. scallion root (white part) ($0.12)
1 carrot, finely peeled ($0.10)
⅛ tbsp. sesame oil ($0.01)
3 dashes white pepper ($0.01)
½ tbsp. corn starch ($0.02)
2 dashes salt ($0.01)
peas for garnish ($0.05)
vegan wonton wrappers ($3.50)
hoisin garlic sauce ($1.50)

Preparation:

At first, I tried to make my own wonton wrap because it was difficult to find a vegan version without egg. It failed. It was exceedingly dry and fell apart extremely easily. I eventually stumbled upon a wrap that just so happen to not contain egg! It was slightly smaller than a wonton wrap but that was fine with me.

For the shrimp, I used shiitake mushrooms marinated in no-chicken broth and shrimp seasoning; the chewiness of the mushrooms imitates actual shrimp. For the mushrooms, I had to rehydrate dried woodear mushrooms by soaking them in no-chicken broth and I added some shrimp seasoning to these mushrooms as well. Simple Truth makes a wonderful frozen chicken breast imitation. Strain the mushrooms after about an hour. Thaw the frozen chicken breast strips. Place them in a food processor with the mushrooms, ¼ cup no-chicken broth, ginger, scallion root, carrots, sesame oil, white pepper, corn starch, and salt. Puree until finely chopped or desired consistency. Heat the leftover marinate from the mushrooms in a pan on medium until it starts to bubble. Place 1 tablespoon of the mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper and wrap up tightly. Make a few and place them in the pot a few at a time. Steam for at least 5 minutes. Garnish with the peas, a few sliced carrots, and hoisin garlic sauce!

As healthy as I try to eat, I still love fried food! I had an urge to throw these dumplings in some hot oil and fry them up! It was a success! I turned the traditional dumpling into an Americanized treat! Eastern tradition meets Western gluttony with these fried Shu Mai. I actually went a step further and topped them with my vegan cheese sauce too. Enjoy!

See? They even somewhat look like prawns… haha

This broth has a wonderful, deep flavor, without the meat!
The woodear mushrooms have a captivating suble taste.

Soak for about one hour and they will absorb the liquid and rehydrate

Soak these for one hour as well and they absorb that shrimpy sea flavor

My ginger was a little old so the skin was tough to peel off but
there is nothing like fresh ginger to kick start any recipe

Beautiful, natural vegetables

Pulse, pulse, scrape down the sides, pulse, pulse

Looks like chicken, tastes like chicken, does not contain chicken!

Be careful not to overfill the dumplings or they will fall apart

Soft dumplings

FRIED DUMPLINGS!

WITH VEGAN CHEESE!

Happy Year of the Horse! May it be filled with good fortune and good eats. Cruelty free eats that will reduce your cholesterol to zero, I may add. Even if you still consume meat and dairy, try this recipe out and you will fall in love with vegan food!

Stuffed Mac & Cheese Casserole!

27 Monday Jan 2014

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Tags

Casserole, mac and cheese, mac and cheese casserole, stuffing, stuffing casserole, vegan, vegan casserole, vegan cheese, vegan mac and cheese, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarian casserole, vegetarianism

I was waiting to write this recipe until I had posted the Mac & Cheeze blog because it uses the same cheese sauce. This is seriously one of the best casseroles I have ever consumed! And I made up the crazy recipe on accident! After Thanksgiving, I had a bunch of stuffing leftover and did not want it to spoil. I also happen to have leftover Mac & Cheeze. It was a divine intervention! I thought, “Why not combine two of my most favorite things into a casserole!” And perfection was born. I do not want to know how many calories are in it; being vegan, it does not really matter! Make this cheesy casserole the next time you need to warm up!

Ingredients:

1 unit Mac & Cheeze – recipe here ($4.03)

1 box vegan stuffing ($0.99)

1 jar french fried onions ($0.75)

Preparation:

Make the Mac & Cheeze according to the recipe. Prepare the stuffing according to the directions on the package. Place a layer of the stuffing on the bottom of a casserole dish. Put a layer of Mac & Cheeze on the stuffing. Add another layer of stuffing and the last of the Mac & Cheeze. Top with the fried onions and bake for 20 minutes on 350°F. Crunch and munch and then relish the deliciousness of cheesy stuffing casserole!