Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

I LOVE potatoes. Cook them any way you want and I will eat them. When I was a kid my mom made scalloped potatoes as a side dish, or added vegetables and meat and made it a meal. It is one of those comfort foods from childhood that I have missed since going vegan. Up until last night, I had not been able to master a tasty vegan recreation. I searched through different recipes for inspiration and then looked at my fridge to see what I had. The result: a creamy, perfectly seasoned, “cheesy” potato heaven. Coconut milk for baking is my favorite thing in the world and it is perfect in this recipe.

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

4 medium potatoes

1 can coconut milk (I used light coconut milk)

1 bunch of fresh spinach

1/3 cup of nutritional yeast

2 TBSP Corn Starch

1/3 cup vegan sour cream

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp dried cilantro

½ tsp thyme

1 cup vegan cheese (I use Daiya)

½ cup or 1 stick vegan margarine

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and oil a 9X9 or 8X12 baking pan

2. Cut potatoes in thin slices. Layer potatoes, spinach and Daiya in the baking dish. Save some cheese for the top layer.

3. In a mixing bowl combine coconut oil, corn starch, sour cream, nutritional yeast and spices. Blend well to get out any lumps.

4. Pour liquid mixture evenly over potatoes. Sprinkle remaining cheese, a bit of cilantro and salt and pepper on top.

5. Bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes. Use a fork to test if extra time is needed.

6. Remove from oven and let set for 15 minutes before serving. (A burned tongue did not take away from the enjoyment, but I don’t recommend it to anyone else.)

Additions:

Feel free to add other vegetables, broccoli, corn, etc. Also, add in a protein of your choice, it should bake really well. We added some of Upton’s Italian Sausage Seitan and it was really delicious. If you add anything else, share to let everyone know how it works!

Oh FUDGE!

The holidays are hard on vegans. We are surrounded by gigantic turkeys, tubs of whipped cream and desserts filled with butter, milk, eggs and tons of additives. This irresistible fudge recipe is the cure to holiday dessert envy.

Bring these sweets to your family Christmas or New Years party and it will blend in with all of the other desserts - no one will ever know the difference, except you! Psssst…it also makes a great gift!

Ingredients:

¾  cup         Canned coconut milk

2 ¾  cups    Sugar

¼ cup          Earth Balance (or vegan butter)

1 cup           Chocolate Chips

1 tsp            Vanilla

1 cup           Almonds, pecans or nut of choice (optional)

3/8  cup       *Dark Cocoa

2 TBSP       *Olive oil

*(You can substitute the cocoa and olive oil and add another cup of chocolate chips.)

1.     Use nonstick spray to coat an 8X8 pan

2.     Mix Coconut milk and sugar in saucepan – stir slowly until mixture comes to a boil.

3.     Stop stirring! Lower heat and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Mixture will turn clear and begin to get candy like after 3-4 minutes.

4.     After 5 minutes, remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips, butter and cocoa. The top should have a nice sheen to it. Mix cocoa and olive oil so cocoa is dissolved and stir into pan.

5.     Add vanilla and almonds fudge

6.     Pour into prepared 8X8 dish

7.     Place in fridge for 1-2 hours

8.     ENJOY!!

 

Have a FABULOUS Holiday and Happy New Year!

Vegan Living in Des Moines

As a recent transplant to Des Moines, a new adventure in searching for places to eat and things to enjoy has begun!

My stomach misses Iowa City – home of all things good and vegan in Iowa. However, Des Moines has quite a few “Vegan Friendly” restaurants that I have come to enjoy.

• Cool Basil - 8801 University Ave, Clive Iowa (50325); Great selection of Thai food and good vegetarian sushi!
• A-Dong Restaurant – 1511 High Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3109; Really fresh Vietnamese food, with a separate vegetarian menu!
• Bandit Burrito – 5340 Merle Hay Road, Johnston, IA 50322; Bandit has a “Soy-Chorizo” you can add to your veggie burrito and fabulous guacamole.
• PF Changs – 110 South Jordan Creek Parkway, West Des Moines, IA 50266-8141; Located next to Jordon Creek Mall, Changs has a small vegetarian menu, as well as a Gluten Free menu!
• Ritual Café - 1301 Locust St Ste D, Des Moines Iowa (50309) (at Grand); Small menu with some great veggie selections!

Groceries – There are a few markets in town outside of Hy-Vee’s small health food section. These are the places I found that actually have good organic produce. I still travel up to Ames or back to Iowa City to hit the Co-ops and stock up on my bulk food items!

• Trader Joes - 6305 Mills Civic Parkway, West Des Moines Iowa (50266) (at S 64th St)
• New City Market – 4721 University Ave, Des Moines Iowa (50314)
• Gateway Market - 2002 Woodland Ave, Des Moines Iowa (50312)
• Campbells Nutrition – When I arrived in Des Moines, everyone raved about Campbells. Unfortunately, it is not worth raving about if you have ever been to a co-op. The prices are high and the selection is small. I was very unimpressed, and in fact a little depressed when I first entered the store. (I think my expectations were a little too high!)

Chili Rellanos With a Twist

One of my all time favorite dishes is Chili Rellanos. This is a twist on the traditional Chili Rellanos using polenta and some vegan cheese to stuff the peppers. The first time I made this dish, my husband said it was the best meal I had ever made! For this dish I usually have things going in more than one pan to get things prepped a bit faster.

Prep Time 1 Hour/ Cook Time 45 Minutes

Ingredients:
6-8 Fresh Poblano Peppers, washed
1 Cup polenta
½ of a Large Onion
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp chili powder (or chili powder to taste-mine is super spicy & only takes a dash)
Vegan Cow Nacho Cheese Vegan Cow Swizz or Brie 2-3 Cups of Enchilada Sauce

Step 1
Turn your oven onto 475 Wash poblano peppers and place on a baking sheet Place in oven for about 10 minutes. The peppers will begin to brown and the skin will start to puff up a bit Turn peppers over and cook another 10 minutes. The outer skin should be pulling away from the peppers, and peppers will begin to brown Remove peppers from oven and allow to cool slightly While still warm peel away the outer skin (the stuff puffed up on the outside) from all of the peppers. Cut off the ends of the peppers and remove the seeds, carefully so as not to tear the peppers

Step 2
While the peppers are cooking make your polenta It takes about 20 minutes, patience, and attention to make polenta Heat 4 cups of water to boiling Add 1 cup of polenta corn meal (the think grainy looking corn meal) Reduce heat to a medium low. Once the polenta begins to thicken add the onion, garlic and chili powder If you don’t keep stirring bubbles will form and pop in your face, so STIR AWAY! Continue stirring…Greg gets really impatient with this and begins to eat it after about 15 minutes…But if you are patient the polenta will thicken even more and begin to pull away from the sides and forms a mound in your pot. You will want to use the polenta while it is still hot because it will begin to firm up as it cools.

Step 3
Add 1-2 cups of Vegan Cow Nacho Cheese (or vegan cheese of your choice.) Stir in the cheese so it is mixed in well. If you do not have vegan cheese, never fear, this recipe is delicious regardless. Using a small scoop, (I use a small melon ball scoop) fill each poblano pepper. I also add some creamy Vegan Cow Brie or Swizz cheese to make the inside of the peppers creamier. Cover all of the stuffed peppers with enchilada sauce. At this point if you have a mexi- topping you like, or want to add more vegan cheese of choice, it is an option that makes it look pretty when coming out of the oven when guests are over.

Step 4
Cover glass baking dish with aluminum foil Bake at 400-425 (depending on your oven) for 40-45 Minutes Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes Serve as a main dish! We don’t usually need anything else to go with this ☺

Enchilada Sauce
Just in Case You Want To Make Your Own
– 2-4 Cups Water
– 1-2 Vegetable Bullion Cubes
– 3 TB Onion Powder
– 3TB Garlic Powder
– 3 TB Corn Starch
– 1 jar of tomato paste (the organic glass jarred tomato paste has almost no sodium!)
– 1 Tsp chili powder (if you use mild chili powder you might need up to ¼ cup but again I use super HOT stuff where a little goes a long way

Mix in all of the ingredients except for the cornstarch and tomato paste. Use about ¼ cup of the water in a small glass or dish. Add the cornstarch to the ¼ cup of water and mix in completely. Then pour this mixture into the pot, stirring constantly. Once it thickens a bit add the tomato paste, stir and let simmer! This is my favorite recipe adapted from a couple of different recipes I found online. I like to make a big batch of this and then freeze it so I just have to thaw it out the next time I make a Mexican dish!