Category Archives: tofu

Portobello Green Bean Casserole

Posted on December 22, 2011 | 1 comment

There is a dish I feel must be consumed at some point during every holiday season… a green bean casserole. I admit, I meant to make this before Thanksgiving!  In fact, I meant to share several good holiday-ish h’oerderves, but now I find it is already 3 days until Christmas and I find myself repeatedly asking, “where did the time go?!” (Did I mention that I haven’t wrapped a thing yet?! Thank goodness my husband is taking the kids to his mom’s for the day today, so I can spend my day wrapping all the gifts!)  

I don’t know if I mentioned before, but there are, I believe, 11 birthdays in my family (among the two biggest family-gathering-holidays, Thanksgiving and Xmas)  just between November and January – oh – and that does not include my friend’s birthdays!  So, as you can imagine, my brain has been pretty busy remembering to mail cards, make food, make plans regarding how and when we are having get togethers (& what I am to bring), buying gifts, etc., plus the every day to day life… “Life is what happens to you while your busy making other plans” – WELL SAID, John Lennon.  With all this going on, my poor blog has been neglected 😦  Well, one of my new years resolutions is to make sure I don’t slack off on sharing vegan deliciousness!  )You may be interested to know that I acquired an ice cream maker at an early christmas gathering… & I can’t wait to try it out!)

My kids are funny about green beans.  For some reason, they don’t normally like fresh green beans.  However, they will totally eat up canned green beans (only the regular cut kind, not the french cut) and they REALLY eat ’em up when we play a game I like to call “Buh-Bye Green Bean” (where we put one in our mouths and suck it in really fast – they think it is hilarious and it really makes them excited to clean ALL the green beans from their plate!).  This is one recipe using fresh green beans I found that they enjoy, and I hope you & yours do too!

Buh-Bye Greenbean!

I came up with this recipe after scoping out several green bean casserole recipes and then combining my favorite bits and pieces of each one, until… TA-DA!  A delicious green bean casserole appeared… like magic 🙂  Well, almost.

~Portobello Green Bean Casserole~

  • 1 1/2 – 2 oz fresh green beans (prepped and cut into 2″ pieces) 
  • 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2-3 small cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 block xtra-firm silken tofu, crumbled well or pureed (I like the Mori-Nu brand… though I bet a 1/2 – 3/4 block of regular drained tofu would work just as well as the silken tofu)
  • 3 large Portobello caps, cut into chunks (or a pre-sliced 6oz pack of caps works just as well)
  • a large box (1 qt) of Imagine brand Creamy Portobello Soup (you can use anywhere from half to the whole thing…  I usually use 3/4 of the box.
  • 1/2 tsp dry dill
  • 2 Tbsp butter/soy margarine
  • 1 1/2 tsp parsley
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • dash cayenne
  • 1 can (6 oz) French’s fried onions (or make your own)

    Gather ye rosebuds (or in this case, ye ingredients) while ye may...

1)  Preheat your oven to 375.  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook the green beans for about 6 minutes, strain, rinse with cold water & set aside.

2) In a skillet, heat olive oil.  Add onion, garlic & cook about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until soft.  Set aside.

3)  TO MAKE SAUCE: heat about half of the box of soup (or up to 3/4 of the box) with the margarine.  Add the tofu* and all other spices.  Cook until it thickens up a bit and becomes a little more “saucy”. Add the mushroom/onion/garlic mixture. Stir together well.  (*If crumbled, the tofu will look chunky… if this is gonna be an issue for you, simply puree the tofu before adding it to the soup, or use an immulsion blender if you have one -just make sure to do so before adding the mushroom mixture.  Adding the tofu helps give the casserole that thick creamy goodness, plus protein/vitamins.  Personally, I think I prefer to puree mine into the soup.)

4) Pour the beans into a 9 x 13 casserole dish (or 8 x 11.5 if you must) and pour the sauce over the top. Mix slightly. Cover and bake about 15 minutes.  Remove top/foil and add the 6-oz container of fried onions.  Bake another 15-30 minutes until browned and bubbly.

before the final bake with the onions on top

Voila! It's all done when it's nice and cripsy on top

The color of the creamy sauce is dependant on how much soup is used. If you use more soup, your sauce will appear darker.

P.S. Truth be told, the last time I was making this (yesterday) I somehow forgot to let my soup/sauce thicken… maybe it was the 2 kids running circles around my legs, grabbing onto me while screaming and tickling each other… MAYBE.  Anyway, I forgot to let the sauce thicken, and before I knew it, I was pouring it over the green beans, creating a very watery looking green bean soup! Not appetizing.  SO… I ended up having to deconstruct my casserole by straining out all my veggies with a slotted spoon (which was a huge pain in the arse) so I could cook the sauce down to thicken it up. Take my advice – don’t let that happen to you!  Ay-yi-yiiiiii! Sometimes kids can be so distracting! 🙂

Who ME? Distracting?! (Buh-Bye Greenbean! See YA!)

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Posted in beans, dinner, fall, holidays, tofu, Vegan, vegetables, winter

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Soysage Casserole

Posted on December 13, 2011 | Leave a comment

This is a great breakfast or dinner casserole.  I could literally eat this for every meal – and so could my kiddos 🙂  It can also be made ahead of time, which is great if you are a busy body.  I included this in the “child’s play” category because it’s easy to assemble, but mainly because the kids love helping tear up the bread (though obviously they can’t help cook the “soysage”!).

For this recipe, I prefer using Lightlife Gimme Lean “sausage”, though any other kind of vegan sausage would surely work (though I have never used another kind).  Some people don’t care for all these “fake meat” products, but for the most part, I find them tasty and a quick healthy source protein.  Having been vegan for 10+ years now, I have tried almost every brand of fake meat, cheese & other non-dairy products out there and I’m always open to trying anything new that I see. Some faux-foods have been not-so-great, but I definitely also have ones that I truly enjoy & find delicious!  If you ever want to know my opinion on a product, don’t be afraid to ask! (P.S. I do not get paid by any company whose products I show… If I am endorsing it, it’s because I truly think its great to use in my recipes.)

That being said… onto the bread!  I find that the heartier/granier the bread the better the casserole.  I would not recommend using a really soft bread, as I have found through experience.  I really like using Masada 6-Grain bread. I cannot stress this enough-  a thick, hearty (or grainy) bread makes the best casserole!

This recipe has been adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Vegan Planet, though I have made several changes to the original recipe.

~Soysage Casserole~

  • roughly 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cups crumbled soy sausage (I like to use two tubes of Lightlife Gimme Lean Soy Sausage, prepared as directed below)
  • 2 blocks soft or firm tofu, drained and then crumbled
  • 2 cups soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp ground or whole fennel seeds (if using whole, chop them up into little bits – this is usually what I do)
  • salt and pepper
  • 8-10 slices of bread

1)  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the soysage* and cook, stirring until browned. This will take several minutes.  Once browned, remove from heat & set aside.

*If you are using Gimme Lean Soy Sausage, do this by tearing it into little bits (roughly 1/2″ – 3/4″ pieces) and throwing them right into the skillet.  It’s a little sticky and mushy… just keep ripping it into small pieces (you can chop them up further with a spatula if necessary while you’re stirring them around with the onion) then continue following recipe above, cooking until lightly browned.

2) In a large bowl, combine the crumbled tofu, milk, thyme, fennel, and a little salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well, then mix in the sausage mixture and set aside.

3)  Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces and place in a lightly oiled shallow 9 x 13″ baking dish.  Pour the sausage mixture evenly over the bread and set aside several minutes until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes or overnight. If it looks a bit dry anywhere, it doesn’t hurt to add a splash of soymilk where needed.  (If you do refrigerate until morning, let it come to room temp before baking.)

4)  Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake until the casserole looks puffy and lightly browned, about 45 minutes.  Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.  Let cool slightly. Devour!

Mmmmm! I could eat this for every meal!

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Posted in baking, breads, breakfast, child's play, dinner, tofu, Vegan, winter

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Fettuccine NoAlfredo

Posted on October 22, 2011 | Leave a comment

So this is my vegan version of Fettuccine Alfredo…  I have always wanted to try making an alfredo sauce using cashew cream (surely an awesome recipe like that exists out there somewhere)… however…I LOVE the way this sauce turns out so much that I always end up saying, “I’ll try using cashews next time!” and then I keep making this one again and again and again and again! (It’s truly that good!) I prefer to use the Vegan Gourmet brand of mozzarella soy cheese in this recipe.  Serve with some sliced & buttered French bread on the side. This recipe always gets my kids to happily clean their plates… and there really isn’t anything much better than that!

~Fettucini No-Alfredo~

Saute in a little olive oil & set aside:

  • 1 small (or 1/2 of a large) yellow onion
  • 4 cloves chopped garlic

To make the sauce, puree the following in a food processor:

  • 1 block xtra-firm silken tofu (i like the MoriNu brand)
  • < 1/4 cup vegenaise (vegan mayo)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup soymilk
  • 1 tsp arrowroot flour (or perhaps cornstarch)*
  • heaping 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 cup shredded (packed) Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet mozzarella soy cheese
  • the onion & garlic mixture from above
  • pinch nutmeg, pinch cayenne pepper
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • fresh basil for the top (or you can mix in 2 tsp dry basil to the sauce)
  • 2 packs regular fettuccine noodles (I usually use DuBoles)

*I initally used the arrowroot flour as a thickening agent, though since it is such a small amount, I honestly don’t know if it is really a neccessary ingredient.  If you don’t have any arrowroot, I wouldn’t sweat it.

After you have made your sauce, heat it over medium heat in a saucepan, whisking often. It’s okay to let it bubble a little, but don’t let it boil rapidly.  You should probably keep a cover on it so it doesn’t splatter. Turn heat to low until noodles are done, but continue whisking every minute or two.

Cook fettuccine noodles according to the package.  Drain noodles & toss them with the sauce, or if you prefer, plate noodles and then top with sauce & fresh basil. Serve with sliced bread, if desired, & ENJOY!

Gathering the ingredients...

Now you see it... now you don't!

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Posted in dinner, pasta, sauces, tofu, Vegan

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Veggie Meatloaf

Posted on October 15, 2011 | 1 comment

I have always been somewhat hesitant to try a vegan meatloaf… the ones I have made in the past weren’t the greatest, to say the least, so I hadn’t tried to make one in a while.  However… I made this the other night and was pleasantly surprised with the delicious outcome!  In fact, I have been tempted to call this recipe “Veggie MeatLove”!

If you can get tofu in bulk, I strongly recommend using that.  If you are using the water-packed kind of tofu in a tub, drain & press the tofu before crumbling it.  (Pressing tofu is when you set it on a plate wrapped in a towel and put something heavy on it, such as a big fat cookbook, for about 15 minutes to draw out more water.)

~Veggie “Meatloaf”~

(makes 4 single serving “loaves” / makes 4  4×6″ rectangles about 1″ high)

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 green pepper, minced
  • 2 cups crumbled veggie beef (I recommend 5 crumbled Veggie Burgers of your choice)
  • 2 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (the brand Annie’s is popular – regular Worcestershire contains anchovies)
  • 1 regular sized block of xtra-firm tofu, drained & crumbled
  • 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
  • 1 cup walnut pieces
  • 4 Tbsp ketchup
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp each salt, pepper
  • 1  1/2 tsp fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried)
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp dry mustard

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease/oil 2 rectangular baking pans.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet & add onion, garlic & peppers.  Saute until translucent.  Add “beef” and vegan Worcestershire.  Cook on med heat, stirring often, about 20 minutes, until its nice and browned.

In food processor, combine all else until fully well-blended.  Combine all the ingredients and mix well.  Warning : this mixture will be very sticky!

WET HANDS THOROUGHLY!!  Form into 4 “loaves” (four 4×6″ rectangles, 1″ thick) – The trick here is to wet your hands often to keep it from sticking.  Trust me- you will need to keep wetting your hands in order to form these loaves! Place 2 in each prepared pan, separated so they are not touching each other or the sides of the pan. Bake the pans on the middle oven rack for about 25-30 minutes. Flip the loaves & bake for another 25-30 minutes or until each side is well browned (add a little more oil if you think necessary). Cool at least 5 minutes before serving.

Top with gravy or ketchup and serve alongside your favorite sides like cauliflower mashed potatoes & collards or sautéed kale! Mmmmm!

I adapted this recipe from the Grit’s (Athens best vegetarian restaurant) cookbook! There are tons of great recipes for vegetarians & vegans- like their yeast gravy!  Click here to order the Grit Cookbook!