Vegan Comfort Food

Today was a nice and quiet day in our home.  Walt went to work, I spent the morning singing and playing games and sharing time with Natalie.  I had a simple oatmeal breakfast.  Then for lunch, I decided on leftover Mexican.  As I've posted before, Mexican is my favorite food.  It just so happens that our next door neighbor owns the local Mexican place right up the street.  It also just so happens that it's the best Mexican food I've ever had!  I used to send Walt up there twice a week towards the end of my pregnancy.  I have flat out told my neighbor that I single-handedly increased his quarterly sales during my third trimester.

Over the weekend we'd had some guests over so we ordered from our neighbor's place, and I decided to bust out the leftovers today.  I always order something called a Botana, which is a crunchy layer of house-made chips topped with refried beans, shredded lettuce, fresh avocado slices, onion slices, tomato wedges, green olives, jalapenos, house-made salsa, and green pepper slices-- optionally including melted cheese, a meat of your choice, and sour cream.  It's the greatest thing ever.  Seriously.  We usually get the cheese and sour cream, but I left that off of my order this time to veganize and then added a dollop of Sour Supreme.  (I know from speaking to the owner that all of the botana's other ingredients, including his refried beans, are vegan-friendly.)

Hello, gorgeous!

When Walt got home, I began to think about what to make for dinner.  It has been overcast and rainy the last day or so, and it just feels like a comfort foods day around here.  Thankfully, I'd found and customized a recipe for Vegan Shepherd's Pie.  I have to be completely honest when I say that I wasn't sure how this would come out.  I was worried that it would taste off, or just not be appealing.  I couldn't have been more wrong about it.  It was absolutely insanely delicious.  It satisfied every craving I've had not only since becoming vegan for Lent, but since becoming a vegetarian.  It's the best and most original thing I've made in my own kitchen in months.  It's definitely going in the permanent rotation file.

(And it's easy to revert back to vegetarian for those who want it that way!)


Traditional Style Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients
Mashed potato layer:
5 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 cup margarine
3 tablespoons vegan cream cheese substitute (such as Tofutti)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Main layer:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup frozen or canned peas
1 tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute (or similar)
1 clove garlic, minced, or more to taste
1 pinch ground black pepper to taste
1 (14 ounce) package vegetarian ground beef substitute
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar-style soy cheese

Pie Crust:

Use your favorite vegan pie crust recipe or use a frozen, pre-made crust.  (Pie crust is entirely optional.)


Directions

Preheat the oven to 400*.

1. Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until tender, about 25 minutes; drain.

2.  Stir the vegan mayonnaise, soy milk, margarine, vegan cream cheese, garlic powder and salt into the potatoes, and mash with a potato masher until smooth and fluffy. Set the potatoes aside.

3.  Spray a pie plate with cooking spray OR use a frozen, pre-made pie crust or homemade crust to line the pie plate.  (I personally use the crust because I like the way it holds the food together, and hey... I just like pie crust.)

4.  Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion, carrots, celery, peas, and tomato until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the seasoning, garlic, and pepper.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, and crumble the vegetarian ground beef substitute into the skillet with the vegetables. Cook and stir, breaking up the meat substitute, until the mixture is hot.

5. Spread the vegetarian meat substitute mixture into the bottom of the baking dish (or into the crust), and top with the mashed potatoes, smoothing them into an even layer. Sprinkle the potatoes with the shredded soy cheese and a sprinkling of black pepper.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and slightly browned and the casserole is hot, about 20 minutes.

And here it is!

MmMmM!

A little closer up...

And this one's messy, but I wanted to show the layering.

Served with a spinach salad and some rolls, it was the most satisfying vegan meal of all time.

Product Review-- Tofutti Cuties

Ice cream is one of those foods I just love.  I have so many happy memories of it-- chasing down the ice cream man's truck, having a cone in the summer while swinging on the swing set, going to the Dairy Queen in high school, having a Mickey Bar in Disney World on my honeymoon, or getting some from a little shop in Manhattan with my daughter... sigh, good times.  

And now I'm vegan for Lent.  ENTER:  Tofutti Cuties.

Um, yum!  They're quite good.  My only complaint is that they're super small, but that's actually a good thing when you are trying to be healthier.  It is a small portion, but that stops me from going all nuts and eating 600 calories worth of ice cream-- not that I've ever done that... :)

Until next time!