Tamale Pie

I found this recipe quite some time ago and made it back then. It was already vegan but I made some substitutions and left out the oil. If you want it to be whole food plant based then just leave off the cheese at the end. The flavors of this dish were amazing. This made 4 large servings or you could get 6 smaller ones if you served with a side dish or side salad. The  leftovers reheated very well either in the microwave or in a toaster oven. 

Filling:

• 3/4 cup soy curls
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 1 small/medium poblano pepper, seeded and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 small can sliced black olives, drained
• 3/4 cup corn - I used frozen and just let it sit out as I prepared everything
• 1 tablespoon chipotle hot sauce

Topping:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup Daiya cheddar style shreds (optional)

Garnish:

• pickled jalapenos
• salsa
• shredded lettuce
• guacamole

Preheat toaster oven to 400F. Add the soy curls (I broke the bigger pieces into bite-sized pieces) to veggie broth or water to rehydrate for 10-15 minutes.

While the soy curls are hydrating add the onion, poblano and garlic to a nonstick skillet with 2 tablespoons of water. Sauté for 7-9 minutes until onion is translucent.

Drain the soy curls and press out all of the water. Add them to the skillet with the spices and cook 5-8 minutes until the curls have browned a little. Add a splash more of water if things start to stick.

Stir in tomatoes and cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Stir in olives, corn and hot sauce. Cook 5-7 minutes until everything is hot and filling is thick.

Spread filling on bottom of 8x8 baking dish.

Prepare the topping. Add water to a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Whisk in cornmeal. Remove from heat and whisk for 2-4 minutes until you have a thick mixture.

Quickly spread this mixture over the filling.

Bake for 40 minutes until top is lightly browned. Sprinkle Daiya (if using) and bake 6-8 minutes until cheese is melted. Let cool for 10-12 minutes before slices. (You can see I forgot to get the pic of the finished pie before digging in).

Garnish, other good garnishes would be sour cream, sliced scallions, fresh jalapenos or a vegan cheese sauce. (Sorry this pic is a little blurry.)

Enjoy!!!!!!

Baked Eggplant Arrabiata

This is one of my favorite ways to fix eggplant. It's similar to eggplant parmesan but you cook each slice and once they are done you can stack them or leave them separate. I like to cook pasta and serve these over the pasta with the extra marinara sauce over the pasta. Add a side salad and you have an amazing dinner. I haven't tried it, but I think it would also make a great sandwich! There are a couple of steps to getting these ready for the oven but this dish is totally worth it.

• 1 medium globe eggplant
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup non-sweet almond milk
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• pasta

Seasoning for bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• a few grinds of black pepper

Eggplant topping

• 1 cup marinara sauce (plus extra for the pasta)
• vegan mozzarella cheese, shredded
• nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and get three medium bowls and a few forks to make your breading station. 

Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch thick circles. In the first bowl the coconut flour.

In the 2nd bowl add the garlic to the milk and stir. 

In the 3rd bowl add the spices and pepper to the breadcrumbs, stir.

Use a fork to help you turn and/or remove the slices from each bowl. Coat eat slice in flour, then milk wash and finally in breadcrumbs. Place slices on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Start the water for your pasta and cook it according to package directions.

Remove from oven and increase oven to 425F.  Turn each slice over.

Add a dollop of marinara to each slice then spread from edge to edge. Top with mozzarella and return to oven for 12 minutes. 

Sprinkle each slice with nutritional yeast. 

Serve the slices over pasta with extra marinara and a side salad.

Enjoy!!

Glazed Tempeh Strips with Collards (WFPBNO)

These tempeh strips are marinated for a short time in a delicious sweet, sticky and a little heat sauce. Then baked. I served this with freshly cooked collard greens that had sautéed in a garlic, vegetable broth until they were tender. So delicious and really simple. 

• 8 ounces tempeh, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• a few grinds of black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 

Whisk together syrup, orange juice, ketchup, mustard, sriracha, soy sauce, pepper and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. 

Bring this glaze to a simmer over medium heat and cook 6-8 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Place tempeh strips in a heat safe container. I used my 8x8 baking dish. Pour the hot glaze over the tempeh and let marinate 30 minutes or more.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the tempeh strips on the baking sheet. Reserve the marinade. Cover the baking sheet with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven, remove foil, flip the pieces over and brush with more glaze. Return to oven for 5 more minutes, without the foil cover. Remove from oven and brush once more.

Serve with cooked collards and a side dish of your choosing. I had a vegan mac and alfredo in the pantry. You can serve with the glaze on the side so that you can add more if you would like. 

This was so good and I used some leftover tofu scramble with a tempeh strip the next morning for a delicious breakfast burrito!! 

Enjoy!

Hash Browns (WFPBNO)

 I've used my waffle iron to make hash browns before and thought it was time to share the recipe with everyone. This is so simple, I feel odd, calling it a recipe. You need a large bag (mine was 30 ounces) of hash browns, I thaw them overnight in the frig, some spices and a waffle iron. So simple, yet so yummy!

• 1 30-ounce bag of hash browns, thawed, look for potato to be the only ingredient
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash, Southwest Chipotle seasoning
• 1/4 red onion, minced

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and stir well.

Preheat non-stick waffle iron. Add potatoes. You will need to press down on the lid several times during cooking. Don't lift the lid! I cooked these about 15 minutes, until there was no more steam escaping when you press down. If you try to lift the lid too soon the top will stick to the lid of waffle iron.

After 15 minutes on the highest setting. 

While you cook the rest, the first batches can be placed in a 200F oven to keep warm. Serve with your favorite condiments (ketchup and spicy BBQ sauce). I also had homemade breakfast paddies.

Enjoy!!

Nacho Cheese Sauce

This simple cheesy sauce comes together so fast in your blender. No high calorie cashews, this one uses beans. Serve this sauce on a baked potato, with nachos, as a dip with chips or on a messy sandwich. Makes about 3 cups and will keep well for a week. You can reheat on the stovetop or microwave.

• 1 can (15-ounce) cannellini beans (do not drain)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup plain unsweetened milk (I used almond)
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 3-5 pickled, sliced jalapeno peppers (start low, you can add more but you can't take 'em out)
• 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno brine
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend on high until smooth and thick.

Pour into mason jar for keeping.

Enjoy!!