Crock Pot Bow Ties and 'Cheese'

I was craving my Mom's mac and cheese today.  I put this together, and it turn out to be this rich, creamy dream of a dinner... with lots of leftovers.

In your crock pot, add and stir together:
250 g whole wheat bow ties (about 8 oz)
2 cups shredded vegan cheddar
4 cups soy milk
1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella
2 cubes of veggie bouillon, crumbled with your fingers
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika

Let cook for 1 hour.  Stir, and check to see if the pasta is tender.  If not, stir and check every half hour.  Mine took 1 1/2 hours to cook.

Next time, I'm adding chopped broccoli. 

Grilled 'Cheese'

Joy and trumpets!  Vegan cheddar cheese that melted!

I ordered mild cheddar style Sheese from Le Monde Vegan and tried it for the first time.  It tasted great.  I will never go back!

This afternoon, I used it to make a grilled 'cheese' sandwich, using vegan margarine and whole grain vegan bread.  Awesome.  Topped it off with a cup of homemade vegan veggie-lentil soup, and felt like I'd hit the jackpot.

Individual Pumpkin Spice 'Cheesecakes'

Perfect for Fall entertaining!  So elegant!

Crumble a few vegan graham crackers or other dry, vegan cookies into the bottom of 4 pretty, little bowls.  I used my favorite cookies in France, called Speculoos.

In a food processor, blend until creamy and smooth:
275 g (10 oz) firm silkened tofu
1/4 cup maple syrup 
1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, and a tiny pinch of ground cloves)

Pour mixture over crumbs.  Chill and serve.

Vegan World

I just received my first order from Un Monde Vegan today.  Lots of yummy vegan cheeses to try... and 'faux gras'.  That's funny stuff!  I couldn't be happier.  Everything came well packaged and on ice.  Fast!

There website is http://www.unmondevegan.com/index.cfm.  I have no connection to them at all.  But I will be ordering from them again soon.

Mashed Potato Cakes

This is in honor of my mother, who used to make a non-vegan version of these when I was growing up.  It's the perfect way of getting rid of leftover mashed potatoes.

Prep some breading by mixing some bread crumbs, some nutritional yeast (if desired), parsley, salt and pepper in a dish.

Heat some oil in a frying pan.  Oil your hands.  Spoon some vegan mashed potatoes into your hand and form a patty.  Bread both sides, then cook in oil until golden.

Serve with plain soy yogurt.  

You can also get creative with this by adding other ingredients or toppings as you want.  Chives, spring onions, mustard, etc.  So good!

Shepherd's Pie

This is now my very favorite vegan meal.  No joke.  I could live on this.

Lentils take the place of the meat in this dish, making it rich and filling, perfect for a cold night's dinner.

Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F).

Make vegan mashed potatoes, using vegan milk and butter.  I had leftovers.

Also, if you are not able to find canned cooked lentils in your grocery, you will need to precook a cup of dry lentils following package instructions.

Saute until tender:
1 diced onion
2 carrots, peeled and chopped 
1 stalk celery, chopped

Add the lentils, a small can of corn (if desired), 2 tbsp tomato paste, and a tbsp of soy sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook until a thick gravy forms.  Spoon this into a medium sized baking dish.  Top with mashed potatoes.  Sprinkle with nutritional yeast (if desired) and parsley.  

Placed dish on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 20 minutes until the top is golden and the filling is bubbly.

Cinnamon Rolls

These were very easy to make, and a very nice snack on a Fall day.

Preheat oven to 185 C (350 F).  Flatten refrigerated vegan pizza dough into a rectangle.  Butter surface with vegan margarine.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Roll up from long side for small rolls (in photo), or from short side for large rolls.  Cut into 1/2 inch pieces, reshape into rounds, and place on an ungreased baking sheet cut side down.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake until golden.  Let cool.  Top with a drizzle icing made by mixing powdered sugar with a tiny bit of soy milk.

You could add raisins if you'd like.  It's all good.