Tag: dinner

Recipes, Uncategorized

Cream of Mushroom Soup

veganlivingbydanielle

Green bean casserole has always been my favorite side dish at holiday dinners (sorry mashed potatoes). When I went vegan, I knew there had to be a way to make this dish vegan or I’d cry. Yes, the year that we messed up the green bean casserole and didn’t have it for Thanksgiving is infamous with my family.

Even after years, and all the great vegan products that have come out lately and hit mainstream grocery stores, I still cannot find pre-made vegan cream of mushroom soup. When I Google canned vegan cream of mushroom soup I only find recipes, and some of them are complicated!! We all have enough going on for holidays, especially if you have multiple dishes to make, are hosting, or just don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen!

Here is MY recipe that works really well with my green bean casserole.

PS. I follow the green bean casserole recipe on the back of the French’s Crispy Fried Onion container, but substitute this soup and some original flavor oat milk or other dairy-free, unsweetened milk to veganize! You know what else? This recipe yields enough soup that I can freeze half of the soup when I make it for Thanksgiving and use the rest for green bean casserole at Christmas!

I hope you find it as easy, and as delicious as I do!

YOU try to take a flattering picture of cream of mushroom soup, okay?

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 small white or yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 lb baby portabella mushrooms or other small mushrooms, thinly sliced or chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp thyme (recommended but optional)
  • 3 Tbsp flour
  • 2 cups vegetable stock or broth
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy, unsweetened, original milk (I prefer oat milk)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a medium/large pan over medium-high heat.
  2. Add onion and saute until translucent, not brown.
  3. Add mushrooms and saute until tender (about 5-8 min) stirring frequently. (Tip: I use a mandolin to get my mushrooms nice and thin quickly! I’m so slow with chopping and cutting so having a mandolin saved me so much time.)
  4. Stir in a pinch of salt and pepper, garlic powder, and thyme if desired.
  5. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies in the pan.
  6. Stir in 1 cup of vegetable stock or broth until the flour blends in and cook until it boils.
  7. Stir in the remaining broth and non-dairy milk.
  8. Reduce heat to simmer.
  9. Add any salt, pepper, or additional broth/stock to taste and desired consistency.
  10. Remove from heat and serve!

Enjoy!

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Recipes

Shepherdess Pie

veganlivingbydanielle

I get so many compliments on this dish from vegans and non-vegans alike! I like to veganize this dish to share at potlucks and holiday gatherings. It is a hit time after time! I think it’s pretty simple, I hope you agree.

I Googled “what do you call a vegan Shepherd’s Pie?” and it came up “Mushroom Planter’s Pie” or “Sheperdess Pie” so I chose the latter. The first felt like a mouthful…

If I’m making this to serve for dinner, I use a casserole dish. For potlucks, I use a crockpot.

If you’re using a crockpot, you’ll have to skip steps 6 and 11.

This is allergen friendly too because it’s dairy free, nut free, gluten free, and soy free!* *depending on the “butter” used

Ingredients:

Mashed Potato Topping

  • 3-4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 cup vegan butter
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened original oat milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)

“Meat”

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb Beyond Meat
  • 1 tsp rosemary
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp parsley
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 8 oz vegetable broth
  • 1 1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies
  • 2 Tbsp flour (sun corn starch to be gluten free)
  • 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Directions:

  1. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover the potatoes with water, and boil until they are soft, about 10-15 min.
  2. While the potatoes are boiling, dice the onion and mince the garlic.
  3. Saute the onions in a large frying pan over medium heat with olive oil. After about 3 min when the onions are golden, add the garlic and Beyond Meat. Turn the burner up to medium-high heat to brown the meat.
  4. While the meat is browning, add the herbs, salt, and pepper.
  5. Once the meat is browned, add the broth and veggies. Then add the flour and nutritional yeast to thicken. Cook for about 5 min until the veggies are no longer frozen, and the sauce has thickened.
  6. If you’re using a casserole dish to serve, move the oven rack toward the top of the oven. Preheat the oven on to broil at 550F.
  7. Drain the water from the cooked potatoes.
  8. Add the butter, milk, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast to the potatoes and mash them up until smooth.
  9. Add the meat and veggie mixture to the dish or crockpot and spread evenly.
  10. Spread the mashed potatoes over the meat and veggies evenly.
  11. Put the casserole dish, uncovered, in the oven to cook the top of the dish until the potatoes are golden brown. This should only take about 2 minutes so keep an eye on it!
  12. Top with parsley flakes for garnish, optional.

Enjoy!

Recipes, Uncategorized

Potato Leek Soup

veganlivingbydanielle

vegan-living-by-danielle-potato-leek-soup-ingredients.jpg

Ingredients:

  • 3 leeks, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 leafs of kale, stems removed
  • 1 Tbsp thyme
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 4 cups of broth
  • 2 medium potatoes, diced (peeled, if desired)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 drained can of chickpeas (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • chives (optional, garnish)

Directions:

  1. Chop white parts of the leeks. (I also use the very light green parts.) It is easiest to wash the leeks in a strainer after they are cut.
  2. In a soup pot, sauté the leeks and garlic over medium-low heat until slightly wilted (about 5 minutes).
  3. Remove kale leaf from the stem. Roughly chop the leafy part of the kale.
  4. Add the kale, thyme, salt, and pepper to the pot. Cook for 2 minutes.
  5. Add broth, diced potatoes, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
  6. Once boiling, reduce to low heat, add chickpeas, and cover.
  7. Once potatoes are soft, remove the pot from heat.
  8. Remove the bay leaves.
  9. Use immersion blender to blend soup until smooth.
  10. Alternative to using the immersion blender: allow soup to cool off to luke warm temperature, ladle into a blender, and blend in batches. Dump the blended batches into another container or directly into bowls.
  11. If desired, serve garnished with snips of chives.

Enjoy!

Vegan Living by Danielle | Potato Leek Soup

Recipes, Uncategorized

Corn Chowder

veganlivingbydanielle

I have missed chowder so much! A perfect mix between the New England and Rhode Island style chowders. Feel free to substitute more non-dairy milk for water and add extra cornstarch for a chowder that is more creamy.

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil or butter flavored coconut oil
  • 1 cup white onion, diced (about 1 small onion)
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup celery, chopped (about 4-5 stalks)
  • 1 cup carrots, chopped (about 4-5 carrots)
  • 2 cups unsweetened, original non-dairy milk
  • 4 1/2 cups of canned sweet corn (about 28oz)
  • 2 cups potato, diced (about 1 medium potato. Peel potatoes if you prefer, I leave them on because a lot of the nutrients are there.)
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Chowder Ingredients | Vegan Living by Danielle

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, over medium heat, sauté the onions in oil until soft.
  2. Once the onions are soft, add the water, celery, and carrots. Cook for 12 minutes.
  3. Add non-dairy milk, corn, potatoes, and spices. Cover and cook for 20 minutes over medium-low heat.
  4. Serve warm. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired.

Enjoy!

Meal Prep Tip: Let the chowder cool, stir, and portion into 8oz – 12oz Tupperware to take with you for lunch! I can normally eat the same thing for lunch for the whole week and not get tired of it, but if you like more variety, throw a couple of the Tupperwares in the freezer. Just be sure to leave about an inch or more of space because liquid expands when it is frozen and you don’t want to crack the Tupperware. Also, I have found that soup can look a little strange as it defrosts, so don’t be alarmed if it does. Stir it up and thoroughly heat in the microwave or on the stove.

Corn Chowder | Vegan Living by Danielle

Recipes, Uncategorized

Winter Kale Salad

veganlivingbydanielle

Winter Kale Salad | Vegan Living by Danielle

Ingredients:

Salad –

  • 1/4 cup dry quinoa (I think red or tri-color quinoa look the best)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 8 cups of kale, thick stems removed
  • 1/4 cup hemp seeds (walnuts work well too, we have a nut allergy in the family so I sub hemp seeds)
  • 2 apples, chopped (I like fuji and honeycrisp best, but chose your favorite apples!)
  • 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds (sub dried cranberries)

Dressing –

  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup

Directions:

  1. Put dry quinoa in a small pot with of water.
  2. Set timer for 15 minutes once the burner is turned on.
  3. Move the temperature to low or medium-low once water is boiling. (You’ll know quinoa is fully cooked when the kernels opened and look fluffy.)
  4. Remove the thick stems from kale and cut into bite-size pieces.
  5. Put all kale in a pot to steam with about 1-2 cups of water. Stir kale and repeat until all kale is very slightly cooked.
  6. Once kale is cooked, drain the pot and pat kale dry with paper towel if needed.
  7. In a small bowl, mix the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and syrup.
  8. In a large bowl, combine cooled kale, cooled quinoa, fruit, seeds/nuts, and dressing.
  9. Toss until mixed thoroughly and dressing is evenly distributed.
  10. Enjoy!

Makes about 4 side salads, or 2 lunch-sized salads!