Unstuffed Cabbage

I remember when my Mom used to make stuffed cabbage rolls for dinner. I loved them, but they were time consuming and of course I no longer eat meat. I saw this recipe over at Laaloosh and decided it would be fast and also easy to make vegan. I had some leftover sauerkraut from our Reuben sandwiches last weekend and leftover rice from last nights stir-fry. So this was a really simple dish to make and a great way to use up some stuff in the frig. I used about a cup of leftover rice, but I'll include the directions for starting from scratch. I love the sweet and sour tastes of this dish.

• 1 package Gardein beefless ground
• 1 medium head of cabbage, cored and chopped (not too small but bite sized pieces - mine wasn't small enough)
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup sauerkraut
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice (I used a cup or so of leftover cooked rice)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 cup beef-less beef broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cabbage and let cook for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in garlic and onion, and cook until just softened a bit, about 2 minutes.

Add the beefless ground. Cook until everything is warmed through.

Stir in diced tomatoes, sauerkraut, tomato paste, broth, vinegar, sugar, thyme and paprika. Lower heat to medium and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add in rice and cabbage and mix well to combine.

Season with additional salt and pepper as desired and let simmer another 5 minutes to heat up.

Enjoy!

White Bean Stew with Kielbasa & Kale

Yes, soup when it's hot outside. Sometimes I just can't help it. I love soup. I saw a beautiful bunch of kale at the store the other day and brought it home. Then I had to decide what I wanted to do with it. I had everything needed to make this quick stove top soup. Feel free to use any white beans you have (if you have time and dried beans they would be awesome.) You could also throw all the ingredients except for the kielbasa in the crockpot. I like to cook vegan sausages in a skillet to get a little brown and texture to them and just add a few slices to each bowl of soup. I even keep them separate when I store the leftovers. Just toss the sausage coins in a container/baggie and then when you reheat add them at the beginning. I find that they lose their texture if they are stored in a soupy dish. Head over to the Virtual Vegan Potluck to check out my recipe and many others.

• 1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 6 cups no-chicken chicken stock
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes including the juice
• 1 package Tofurky Spinach Pesto sausage, cut into coins or half-moon slices
• 1/2 bunch or about 4 cups fresh kale, coarsely chopped

Sweat the onions and garlic in 1/4 cup water until tenter in a large soup pot.

Add all the other soup ingredients EXCEPT for the sausage to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a small amount of oil in a nonstick skillet.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the browned sausage.

Enjoy!

Crispy Chick'n Sandwiches

What's not to love about a sandwich? I mean the entire meal between two slices of a bread that is either soft, or firm, toasted or not. Ummmm - I love Gardein products and had just bought a fresh pineapple from the grocery and decided to grill the pineapple and make a sandwich for lunch. Below is how it all came together:

• 1 package Gardein Crispy Chick'n Fillets (I only used 2 fillets)
• 2 Pretzel Rolls (or bread/bun of your choice)
• 1 pineapple, peeled and sliced into 1/2 thick slices, cored
• 1 red onion, sliced (not pictured)
• Sriracha
• Vegenaise

Mix 2 parts Vegenaise with 1 part Sriracha-- stir well, set aside.

Heat the grill, once ready grill the pineapple slices and 2 slices of red onion (1 slice per sandwich)

 Cook chicken fillets according to package directions

Spread the mayo/sriracha mixture on each side of buns.

Add a slice of grilled pineapple.

Top with chicken fillet. (You can add another smear of sauce if you have some leftover.)

Top with grilled onion slice.

Add the top bun, and enjoy!!

Sweet Potato, Kale and Sausage Bake

By now it's established I love a good one pot wonder/casserole. I also like gooey, saucy dishes. This dish satisfies on both of those levels. I saw this over at Pinch of Yum and knew I wanted to make it vegan. It was awesome and you seriously need to make this. We consumed it on two meals (total of 4 servings, yep, it's that good.)

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (4 cups)
• 1 package Field Roast Italian sausage, cut into rounds
• 2 cups no-chicken chicken broth
• 3/4 cup plain soymilk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 slices Daiya swiss cheese, sliced into small pieces
• 2 cups finely chopped kale

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the sweet potatoes and Italian sausage. Shake to coat in oil, let sit for a few minutes to brown, and shake the pan gently again to move everything around. Repeat until the sweet potatoes and sausage both have golden brown exteriors.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring the broth and 1/2 cup soymilk to a low boil, then turn the heat to keep it at a low simmer.

Toss the kale into the skillet with the potatoes and sausage and let it wilt down while you finish the sauce. You can turn the heat off just leave the skillet on the burner.

Whisk the flour and remaining 1/4 cup milk to form a thick paste.

Add this to the broth, whisking to keep the sauce smooth. Add 2/3 of the cheese and stir until melted. Transfer the veggies to a greased 9-inch square baking dish.

Pour the sauce over the sweet potatoes, kale, and sausage in the baking dish.

Top with remaining cheese.

 Bake for about 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted.

Serve with a side salad or bread. We just had a saucer of the dish - it was so darned good! (It's tough to make a dish like this "Look" good in a pic - but trust me it was awesome!)

Enjoy!!