Shepards Pie

This dish is so satisfying and filling I usually make it for special events when I know there will be no vegan options and I want to bring something simple and straight to the point! Its got all the fixings one would desire when craving a nice comforting meal!

Ingredients:

1 package of store bought VEGAN dry bread dressing or bread crumbs of your choice

approx. 2 cups vegetable broth

3 celery stalks

1/2 of a sweet onion

2 cups of diced mushroom

1 red pepper

2 heads of broccoli

1-2 bags of frozen mixed veggies (peas, corn, carrot)

8 potatoes

approx. 2 cups of non dairy milk

salt and pepper

garlic

onion powder

parsley

paprika
crispy onion salad toppers (optional)

Directions:

1. Peel, dice, and boil potatoes until soft.

2. Drain potatoes, add milk, salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, and parsley and mash until creamy. Add more milk if needed. Set to the side.

2. In a large pot sautee diced celery, onion, half of  mushrooms, red pepper, and garlic.

3. Add veggie broth and bring to a boil then add dressing or bread crumbs and mix everything together until dressing softens, add more broth if necessary.

4. Season dressing with salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika. Set to the side.

5. In a large pan add a couple table spoons of water and sautee mushroom, diced broccoli, frozen veggies, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic. Cook until tender and set to the side.

6. In a large non stick baking dish add dressing and lay flat to create the first layer of  shepards pie. For the second layer spread across the sautéed veggie mix. For the third layer top with mashed potatoes and spread evenly across.

7. Bake pie for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool down before serving.

Top this meal with my delicious  Mushroom Gravy 

Although I don't get into many holidays I still make sure that I am eating good as long as I'm gonna be surrounded by people indulging in various non vegan dishes! What I'm supposed to eat the veggie tray??? Lol, yeah right! This dish has all of your favorites combined into one. Plus its low in fat and guilt free! If you give this recipe a try you wont be disappointed!

~Peace begins with your plate~

Consumerism and its effects on humanity

Well, its that time of year again. People stampeding through stores to get first dibs on the sales, spending money they don't have to show how much they love their family and friends, cars and homes being broken into just so people can get their hands on these so called desired material items. For those like myself who have completely disconnected from this idea of material belongings bringing happiness or labeling them as a "blessing", the world can seem frightening at times. Watching children rip open gifts that they do not need and being told they are fortunate to receive these things is borderline disturbing. What are we really teaching them? We are living in a world where people are judged by the physical things they can achieve more so than the content of their character. We witness this in the celebrity world as well as in our real every day lives. We will drive past another human on the road asking for food and tell our children don't give them anything they are probably on drugs or just need to get a job totally discrediting this person as a living being on this planet. Even animals display more love to their species when in need. How did we get to this point? Most people are working 40 plus hours a week not to survive but to keep up with the material things society has told us we need to have in order to fit in. What if we were spending more of that time with our loved ones and actually raising our children full time as opposed to spending it on the time clock to be able to pay someone else to watch our children so we can purchase items we really don't need for them. I know, I know, that sounds totally crazy right? Not to me it doesn't. Society has warped our minds so much that the most simple things don't make sense anymore.

Everyday we are subconsciously influenced. You turn on the TV and every single commercial is some corporation telling you to buy something that you don't need. Ads are literally everywhere. You drive down the street and billboards are plastered everywhere trying to sell you something. Social media is full of ads and people trying to tell you where to shop and what to eat. We have turned celebrities into idols and strive to live our lives as close to theirs as possible wearing whatever clothes they tell us to wear and looking however they tell us is trending. Individuality is dead. Thousands of people will line up to purchase something to look like everyone else. Corporations are feeding off of this behavior and are controlling society with it. No matter how much we have we always want more and they keep making new versions of the same shit to keep people coming back. People are spending $1000 on a phone that cost pennies to make and don't even question it.  Of course your phone is acting up before the launch of the new one. We don't question anything we just buy not realizing that our money is our time. Time we could be spending on things that actually matter. We believe blessings come in material belongings.  This is what keeps us as modern day slaves. We strive to make more money so we can purchase more things. We even look at people like they are crazy or struggling if they still have a flip phone, drive an older car, wear the same clothes for years, or simply refuse to keep buying things to keep up with society. We refuse to believe that could be a choice.

I'm not saying anything is wrong with treating yourself and your loved ones from time to time, but lets be real as a society we are over doing it and it has created a storm of problems beyond social and economic. As the demand for goods increase so does the need to produce these goods. This leads to more pollutant, emissions, increased land use, and deforestation. The average American tosses 82 lbs of textile waste each year which adds up to 11 million tons of stuff from our country alone. These textiles are not biodegradable which means they sit in landfills for at least 200 years. We are effecting the environment as well. I wont get too deep into that because that is a whole separate post.

I know what its like to be an excessive consumer because I have lived that life myself.  Upgrading phones, trading in cars, owing hundreds of pairs of shoes, needing a walk in closet just to hold my clothes. Spending an hour deciding what to wear because I had way too many things to choose from. I remember those days like it was yesterday. I'm still working to minimalize more aspects of my life. All of those things I was doing was just to solidify my status to others. Go thrifting before purchasing something brand new whenever possible, focus more on giving back to the planet than taking from it. There are enough material items in circulation for us to never have to produce more goods again.  It is this consumeristic mindset we have all been brainwashed into participating in from childhood that keeps us craving more. This behavior is a large part of what is keeping us in debt to a system designed to keep us forever enslaved by consuming so much of our time we think the idea of working less and living better is a fairy tale unless we have come into money some other way.  If you do celebrate Christmas, I encourage you to find ways to express your love to your families with things that cant be purchased. Actually sit down with them and tell them how much they mean to you and all of the reasons why you love them so much and just enjoy good conversation and quality time.

"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds."



Curried Tofu with Rice

Growing up I remember my mom used to make the most delicious chicken curry and rice. I wanted to recreate that dish in a vegan version so I took her recipe and put a little twist on it. This dish is super simple to make and full of flavor. If your new to this vegan lifestyle and having a hard time deciding what to eat think about your favorite dishes you used to enjoy and figure out how to veganize it!

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

2 packs of extra firm tofu

wild rice or brown rice

1 onion

4 celery stalks

1 pack of mushrooms

1 cup of frozen peas

minced garlic

salt and pepper

curry powder

onion powder

paprika

 approx. 2 cups of vegetable broth

approx. 1 cup of spelt flour

 

Directions:

1. Drain tofu and slice into chunks the size of your liking. Coat both sides with curry powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika and bake at 425 degrees for 1 hour flipping half way through.

2. Cook rice

3. Dice onion and celery and saute in a large skillet with garlic for about 10 minutes. I just use a dash of water to saute.

4. Add mushrooms, peas, broth, flour, salt and pepper, paprika, and curry powder to the skillet and stir everything together until you have a creamy gravy consistency. You may have to adjust flour and broth depending on how thick you want it to be..

5. Put tofu in the skillet with the curry sauce and mix everything together. Allow everything to simmer stirring occasionally for at least 15 minutes so the flavor can marinate through the tofu.

6. Serve over rice and enjoy!

 

 

 

This meal definitely reminded me of my moms chicken curry and rice recipe. The only difference is I used tofu instead of chicken and added mushrooms and peas to make it a bit more filling. I don't give instructions on how much spice to use because I feel like that is completely up to your taste buds. You can use as much or as little as you like.  I personally just throw spices in the pan until I think its enough! Hope you enjoy this recipe!

 

~Peace begins with your plate~

 



Tortilla Soup

It is getting pretty cold outside and nothing warms your insides up like a bowl of warm, savory soup! This creamy tortilla soup will leave your taste buds very satisfied!

 

 

Ingredients:

1 pack of corn tortillas

1 yellow onion

1 red bell pepper

2 fresh jalapeno peppers

3-4 garlic cloves
cilantro

green onions

1 container of vegetable broth

2 cups of almond milk

2 cans of black beans

2 cans of corn

1 can crushed tomato

2 whole tomatoes

cumin

paprika

nutritional yeast

salt and pepper

1 pack of chipotle fields roast vegan sausage (optional)

daiya cheddar shreds (optional)

 

Directions:

1. Dice yellow onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno, and sautee with a few sprigs of cilantro and minced garlic cloves. Add salt and pepper and cook on med high heat until vegetables are soft which should be about 10 minutes.

2. Add veggie broth, black beans, corn and crushed tomato. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Dice up tomatoes and vegan sausages add to the pot with cumin, paprika, nutritional yeast and almond milk. Let simmer for another 20 minutes
4. Cut tortillas into strips and place on a baking sheet sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Bake strips for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees.
5. Dice green onions add them to soup and bring it to low temperature.
6. Pour soup into a serving bowl and top with daiya shreds and tortilla strips then enjoy!

You can serve this soup over rice and add more green onion and cilantro to make it pretty! Also the vegan sausage and vegan cheese is totally optional so if you are looking for a healthier meal definitely skip those ingredients and the soup is still delicious and full of flavor. And as always you can adjust the seasonings to your liking I usually go over board with garlic and onion because that's what I like but by all means use however much your heart desires. I hope you enjoy this soup and it keeps you warm on a chili day!

~Peace begins with your plate~

 



Perfect Tofu

I cant lie, the first time I purchased tofu I had no clue how to prepare it. I was really scared to even try it because of the common belief non vegans have of tofu being bland, having weird texture, and just being overall nasty. I didn't even try tofu until being vegan for nearly 2 years lol and now I could seriously eat it every day. The problem is most people simply don't know how to cook it. Tofu by itself is bland and it does have a weird texture but when you cook it right it can taste like whatever you want it to! Thats the beautiful thing about tofu, however you season it that's what it will come out tasting like. If you want it to taste like chicken use the same season you would on chicken, if you want to eat it in an Asian dish, use the same season you would in an Asian dish. Its really very simple! I'm gonna show you guys the most basic and delicious tofu recipe ever!

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 package of firm or extra firm tofu

Garlic powder

onion powder

pepper

paprika

 

Directions:

1. Drain water from tofu and remove from package.

2. Wrap tofu in paper towels so soak up the water and let it sit for at least a few minutes in paper towels. If you have a tofu press you're really in business.

3. Dice tofu up into the size of pieces you desire. I usually cut each block into about 10 rectangular pieces but its totally up to you.

4. Season each side with seasonings and place on a tray lined with parchment paper or foil and nonstick cooking spray.

5. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 40 to 45 minutes flipping them over half way through. You can usually eyeball it, once the edges are crisp its usually time to flip it but if you don't let it cook long enough the texture will still be soggy on the inside. When its done it will have more of a firm texture like a chicken strip.

 

 

 

 

 

You can top it with gravy for a hearty meal

 

 

 

Tofu strips tossed in buffalo sauce over a salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baking tofu is by far the best way in my opinion to cook tofu. I used to sautee or grill it but I felt like no matter how pretty the outside of the tofu looked the inside would still be mushy and bland. Baking it keeps it firm and makes it easier to use as a meat replacement. You can also coat it with sauce and place it back into the oven for a few minutes if you want more of a saucy tofu especially as a meat replacement in Asian dishes. Tofu is also a cheaper alternative to buying other processed vegan meats. If you can tell, I like to dip mine in bbq sauce and it taste just like chicken! Give this recipe a try and you will never look at tofu the same!

 

~Peace begins with your plate~

 



Vegan Crab Cakes

Seafood was always my favorite type of food before transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. Whenever I get the chance to veganize a seafood dish I am all about it! You will be surprised about how with the right spices and ingredients you can get that same fishy flavor and texture with out the cruelty and toxins that come from actual seafood. Remember the ocean needs the life that exist in there to maintain our ecosystem and sea animals are very much so sentient beings! Enjoy this recipe:)

 

 

Ingredients:

1 package of oyster mushrooms

1 package of shiitake mushrooms

1 can of hearts of palm

1/2 or a red onion

1 stalk of celery

4 stems of green onions

approx. 1 cup of fish fry or vegan bread crumbs

1 flax egg (1tsp of flax mill mixed with 1 tsb of water)

1 tbsp. of vegan mayo

old bay seasonings

Cajun seasonings

 

(This is how they should look before baking)

 

 

Directions:

1. Rinse mushrooms clean and place in a blender. Pulse until shredded to look like crab meat and place in a mixing bowl.

2. Pulse hearts of palm in blender as well and add to mixing bowl.

3. Chop or pulse red onion, green onion, and celery into small pieces and add to mixing bowl.

4. Add bread crumbs or fish fry, vegan mayo, and seasonings and mix together. If its too mushy add more bread crumbs.

5. Add flax egg and mix everything together with your hands

6. Line a pan with parchment paper and mold mixture into patties the size of your liking and place in the oven at 400 degrees.

7. Cook for about 40 minutes flipping them over at the halfway point

8. Allow them to cool down a bit as this lets them firm up even more and then serve with vegan tartar sauce or cocktail sauce! Below is the crab cake diced up over a baked potato topped with my homemade vegan sour cream and green onions. This was my favorite way to eat them!

 

 

 

These crab cakes taste just like the real deal! If you wanted you could even fry them up in a bit of oil for a few minutes on each side instead of baking them but I wanted to show you guys an even healthier option. I hope you all enjoy!

 

~Peace begins with your plate~



 

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