Vegan Poutine

Vegan mozzarella recipe by Healthy Kitchen. Original gravy recipe from I Wash You Dry

This was my second attempt at Vegan Poutine but I found a winning combo! We can thank Canada for this serious comfort food in the cold winter months! I went the simple route but I think it would be really good with mushroom gravy or onion gravy too! 

Vegan Poutine

Ingredients

Fries or tater tots.

Vegan Mozzarella chunks

Gravy of choice

Green onions for serving

Vegan Mozzarella Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup raw cashews or blanched almonds*

¼ cup tapioca starch

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

¾ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 cup water

Method

Add everything to your blender and process, starting on low speed and increasing to high speed until smooth.

Pour the liquid into a small sauce pot or pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. You will see the mixture go from liquid, to lumpy, to eventually a big ball of cheese. This process will take about 3-4 minutes. Make sure to keep stirring so it doesn't burn.

Serve hot with crackers, chips or veggies for dunking. Or scoop onto pizza, or into a grilled cheese.

Gravy Recipe

Ingredients

4 tbsp vegan butter

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose GF flour

1 cup vegan chicken broth (I used Massel)

1 cup vegan beef broth (I used Massel)

Method

Melt butter over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in the pepper, whisk to combine.

Slowly add in 1/4 cup of flour, constantly whisking to combine. After a minute or two of whisking the mixture will be thick.

Combine the broths in a measuring cup and slowly begin to pour into the flour mixture, whisking constantly, until smooth and well blended. Allow to cook several minutes until thickened.

Toss together the hot french fries with cheese in an oven proof dish or skillet. Pour your desired amount of gravy on top and pop back in the oven for a minute or two to let the cheese melt even more. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Holiday Dressing (Stuffing) - Two Ways

 Holiday Dressing (Stuffing) - Two Ways

Vegan Pecan Stuffing

Ingredients

8 cups GF bread of choice, cubed

1 cup large yellow onion, chopped

1½ cups celery, chopped

7-8 white mushrooms, chopped

1 tbsp dried thyme, minced

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

2 tbsp fresh sage, minced

2 cups vegetable broth

½ cup pecans, chopped

½ tsp Pink Himalayan or sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F. 

Start by spreading the cubed bread out over a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes (stir at the 10 minute mark), until it's dry.

In a large pot, oil-free sauté the onions, celery and mushrooms for 5 minutes (just add a bit of the veggie broth if it's sticking), until softened. Add the herbs and salt and pepper. Mix it up, then add 1½ cups of broth. Add the bread and pecans then mix everything well. The stuffing should be moist, but not soaking wet. If your stuffing is still a little dry, keep adding a bit of veggie broth until it's moist (you shouldn't need more than 2 cups total)

Bake in the oven for 1 hour.

Let cool 15 minutes, then place in the fridge.

When you're ready to serve it, take it out of the fridge, slice in 1 inch slices, wrap it back up and bake for 20 minutes at 350°F.

Tofu Turkey Stuffing

Ingredients

About 4 cups of gluten free bread cubes ( or use oatmeal or whole wheat bread cubes)
1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped and toasted
1 small-medium red onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 apple, peeled and diced ( i kept the peel)
1 tsp oil for frying
1/2 tbsp fresh sage, cut into thin strips
1/2 tbsp chopped cilantro or parsley
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground peppercorns
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cups dried cherries
1/2 cup no-salt vegetable broth or water

Method 

Place the cubed bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated 225F oven for 20-30 minutes or until dry and crisp.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet. Add about 1 tsp oil and saute the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add celery and saute for 2 minutes more.
Stir in the apples along with other seasonings. Cook for 5 minutes. Add maple syrup and the vinegar and remove from heat.
Combine the bread cubes along with apple mixture. Stir in almonds and dried cherries. Transfer to a greased baking sheet and pour broth over the top.
Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the stuffing begins to brown on top. You can make a crisp filling by removing the foil and baking for 10 minutes more.

Creamy Dill Pickle Soup

This was a recipe I saw on FB but it just showed the ingredients list so I tried to wing and boy, was it delicious! You need to be a dill pickle fan for sure, it's very tangy!

Creamy Dill Pickle Soup

Ingredients

1Tbls vegan butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups of vegan chicken stock or veggie stock

2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 large carrot, grated

1 cup of dill pickles, grated (I just chopped finely)

1/2 cup pickle juice

1 cup vegan sour cream

1/4 cup GF flour (I like rice flour for thickening)

Fresh dill (optional)

Method

In a large saucepan or pot add butter and melt on a medium heat.

Add garlic and onions and stir till onions are clear.

Add potatoes and carrots and stir for a few minutes till heated through.

Add stock, pickles and pickle juice and bring to boil.

Once boiled turn to a simmer and stir occasionally until potatoes are cooked through (about 15mins).

Once potatoes are done, mix the flour and 1/4 cup of the soup stock in a small bowl until it becomes a paste with no lumps.

Add back to soup and turn the heat to medium.

Occasionally stir until soup starts to thicken slightly.

Once soup has thickened remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

Serve with a sprinkling of dill and top with sliced dill pickles.

Holiday Sugar Cookies

I adapted this recipe from one on Sugar Spun Fun. It works really well for structure.

Holiday Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

Sugar Cookies

1 cup (226 g) vegan butter softened

1 cup (200 g) granulated vegan sugar

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg replacer

2 ½ cups (315 g) GF plain baking flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon table salt

Sugar Cookie Frosting

3 cups (375 g) vegan powdered sugar, sifted (weigh before sifting)

3-4 Tablespoons non-dairy milk

2 Tablespoons light corn syrup (see note)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Vegan food coloring optional

Additional candies and sprinkles for decorating options

Method

Sugar Cookies

Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and use an electric hand mixer) and beat until creamy and well-combined.
Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until completely combined.

In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet until dough is smooth and completely combined.

Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and transfer approximately half of the dough onto the wrap.

Cover dough with clear wrap or wax paper and mold into a flat disk. Wrap tightly. Repeat with remaining cookie dough in another piece of clear wrap. 

Transfer dough to refrigerator and chill for at least 2-3 hours and up to 5 days.

Once dough has finished chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I use reusable silicon sheets). Set aside.

Generously dust a clean surface with GF flour and place one chilled cookie dough disk onto the surface. 

Lightly flour the dough and roll out to ⅛" (for thinner, crispier cookies) or ¼" (for thicker, softer cookies). 

Add additional flour as needed both on top of and beneath the dough so that it doesn't stick. 

Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and use a spatula to transfer shapes to prepared baking sheet, spacing at least 1" apart. 

If you are not intending to decorate your cookies with icing, you can decorate them with sanding sugar at this point before you bake them. 

Bake on 350F (175C) for 10-15 minutes (this is for cookies that are approximately 3" [7.6cm]; note that smaller cookies will need less time and larger cookies will need more), or until edges just begin to turn lightly golden brown. 

Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet before decorating.

Easy Sugar Cookie Icing

Combine powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons of dairy-free milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract in a medium-sized bowl and stir until combined. You want the frosting a little thick if you're adding food coloring because it will dilute the icing.
If coloring the frosting, divide into bowls and color as desired at this point.

Transfer frosting to a piping bag with a piping tip (I used Wilton 5), or place in a Ziploc bag and snip a small piece of the corner off (not as neat, but this will still work, just take care that the frosting isn’t so thick that it breaks open the seam of the bag when you are squeezing).  

Pipe frosting on cookies and decorate with decorative candies, if desired.

I just use bowls and a spoon and no piping bags.
Allow frosting to harden before enjoying, stacking, or storing (this took several hours for me and may vary for you depending on the consistency of your frosting).

Chocolate Holiday Bark

Chocolate bark is a lovely gift for the holidays! You can use whatever nuts and fruits you like or have on hand. We save peppermint bark for after the holidays since the candy canes are on the tree ;)

I made three batches, which used three trays and 6 packets of chocolate chips. These were gifts for 30 coworkers.

Chocolate Holiday Bark

Ingredients

Vegan choc chips of choice (I used Enjoy Life)-2 10oz bags for each large cookie tray.

Pistachio pieces 

Slivered almonds or almond pieces

Pine nuts

Cranberries

Dried apricot 

Pecans pieces

Method

Line your tray with parchment or wax paper.

Have your ingredients ready to go.

Use a double broiler or a stainless steel bowl that fits snuggly over a saucepan full of boiling water.

Once water is boiled add chocolate chips to bowl and stir occasionally until completely melted.

Remove from stove and wipe any condensation off the bowl with a hand towel. If water gets into the chocolate it will become grainy.

Pour directly onto your lined tray and smooth out with your spatula.

Sprinkle your ingredients over the bark and once you're happy with it transfer it to the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Once completely hardened you can take out of the fridge and use the parchment paper underneath to flip up the edges and crack the chocolate into pieces for serving or packing. You can always 

This is how I packaged it - in sealable bags with a handmade gift tag.

With a fancy vegan white chocolate drizzle.

Friendsgiving 2024

Had a wonderful Friendsgiving event with a 100% vegan and gluten-free menu! Here's the full menu if you're needing inspiration :)

Cheese Board

Grapes, Pear Slices, Apple Slices, Plant Provisions slices, Darë Vegan Balsamic Fig Cheese, Nuts for Cheese Black Garlic, Rebel Gruyere and Smoked Cheddar cheeses which I get from Purple Carrot since it's cheaper and more reliable shipping than buying through Rebel. Variety of gluten-free crackers, sweet gherkins, pickled onions and Sicilian olives. 

Main Event

Savoury Stuffed Tofu Log - this I prepped the day before and cooked it and then just reheated on the day.

Collard Greens - I do these the night before in the slow cooker and keep them set to warm afterward. I always make this because it's always a crowd pleaser ;)

Green Bean Casserole

Cranberry-Glazed Roasted Butternut Squash - I prepped the veg for this the day before

Rosemary Garlic Potatoes - I love adding in garlic cloves as well for caramelized garlic

Glazed Brussels Spouts - We had plain ones from Publix but this is what I normally make.

Golden Gravy - this is a crowd pleasure with not much effort.

Cranberry Sauce - I had some frozen from last Thanksgiving but I love using Ikea's Lingonberry jam at a pinch! 

Dessert-served with Oatly vanilla ice-cream

Cherry Hazelnut Tea Cake -my grandmother's Hungarian tea cake is always a win!

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Chocolate Pecan Pie

I had a slight fail adapting the pecan pit receipt to a chocolate one because I made the graham cracker crust too moist so next time I'd make sure it was drier and maybe freeze it prior to using. I think this would be good with hazelnuts instead of pecans as well, giving it a Nutella feel!

Pecan Pie

Ingredients

Filling

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup brown rice syrup or agave nectar
3/4 cup maple syrup
4 tbsp. Earth Balance dairy-free, soy-free margarine or coconut oil
3/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch salt
2 cups broken pecans
about 100 whole pecans

Graham Cracker Crust

1 ½ cups (170 g) vegan GF chocolate graham cracker crumbs (or 11 graham cracker sheets pulverized to crumbs in a food processor)

2 Tablespoons vegan sugar

1 Tablespoons vegan brown sugar packed

5 Tablespoons (100 g) vegan butter melted

1/2 cup vegan chocolate pieces for the drizzle.

Method

Crust

Pulverize graham crackers in food processor until finely ground into crumbs (skip this step if starting with graham cracker crumbs). 

Stir together graham cracker crumbs and sugars in a medium-sized bowl.  

Add melted butter and use a fork to combine ingredients well until crumbs are all moistened.

Pour mixture into pie plate or springform pan.  U

se the bottom of a measuring cup to firmly pack crumbs into the bottom of the pan and (if using a pie pan) gently press up the sides.  

Use your fingers to pack crumbs tightly into the sides of the pie pan.

If the crust needs to be pre-baked, bake on 350F (175C) for 10-13 minutes and allow to cool before filling. 

If using this crust as part of a different recipe, bake according to your recipe's instructions.  

If this crust is for a no-bake recipe, refrigerate or freeze for 10-20 minutes before filling.

Filling

In a small saucepan, heat the brown sugar, rice syrup and maple syrup to a simmer.

Simmer a few minutes, until the brown sugar has dissolved.

Turn off the heat and add the margarine, stir to melt.

Then add the applesauce and vanilla and stir to combine.  Set aside to cool.

Line a pie plate with pastry crust and flute edges as desired.

Fill the pie shell with the broken pecans.

Pour the cooled applesauce mixture over the pecans.

Place the whole pecans in a circular pattern on top of the pecan filling.

Place the pie in the oven and reduce the heat to 350 degrees.

Bake about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown (the mixture will be hot and bubbly).

Once pie is cooled to room temperature melt the chocolate in a double broiler and drizzle over the top, refrigerating immediately, can be made the day before.

Serve at room temperature and enjoy!

Cranberry-Glazed Roasted Butternut Salad

I saw this receipt on a vegan Facebook post (no source given) and thought it would go well with our Friendsgiving dinner!

This fall-inspired salad brings together roasted butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes, topped with tangy cranberry glaze, creamy goat cheese, and extra cranberries for a delicious balance of sweet and savory flavors.

Cranberry-Glazed Roasted Butternut Salad

Ingredients:

For the Roasted Vegetables:

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon dried thyme

For the Cranberry Glaze:

1/2 cup cranberry juice

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 tablespoons maple syrup/date syrup

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Finishing touches;

4 oz vegan goat or feta cheese, crumbled 

1/2 cup dried cranberries (for garnish)

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Method

Step 1: Roast the Vegetables

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).

In a large bowl, toss the butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until well coated.

Spread the vegetables on a large baking sheet in a single layer.

Roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until tender and caramelized.

Step 2: Prepare the Cranberry Glaze

While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the cranberry glaze. In a small saucepan, combine the cranberry juice, dried cranberries, honey (or maple syrup), and balsamic vinegar.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens into a glaze.

Step 3: Assemble the Salad - Once the vegetables are roasted, transfer them to a large serving bowl.

Drizzle the cranberry glaze over the roasted vegetables and gently toss to coat.

Sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese and extra dried cranberries on top.

Step 4: Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired, and serve warm.