Creamy Beans on Toast

We are having an actual spring this year--regular rain and cool nights. It's days like these that make me seek out something warm, hearty and comforting. Best to enjoy this dish before it gets too hot. 

INGREDIENTS

- 1/4 cup margarine, or oil

- 1 large onion, diced

- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

- 1 tsp tarragon

- 2 cups diced cremini mushrooms

- 1 tbsp light tamari or soy sauce

- 1/3 cup all purpose flour

- 2.5 to 3 cups warm vegetable stock

- 1 19oz can mixed beans, rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)

- 2 cups peas, fresh or frozen

- salt and pepper to taste

- toast

METHOD

1. Heat margarine or oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onions for 5-7 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. 

2. Add the tarragon and the mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 3-5 mins, or until the mushrooms begin to soften. Add tamari and cook for another 5 mins. The mushrooms should be soft.

3. Add flour and mix well. Cook for a minute or so, stirring constantly. 

4. Stream in 1.5 cups of the stock, stirring constantly so that the sauce remains smooth.

5. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. (NOTE: I do this because my kids are picky about pieces of mushroom. You can blend just half of the mixture.)

6. Return the blended mixture to the pan, add the remaining stock, the beans, and the peas. Bring to bubbling, stirring constantly. 

7. Serve over thick slices of toasted hearty bread. 

Creamy Chickpeas and Biscuits

This is pure comfort food inspired by a frosty walk home one day. The creaminess of the coconut milk complements the earthiness of the chickpeas and the sweetness of the roasted pepper. And all of that on top of a tender biscuit. The biscuits are a Reinhart-esque riff on The New Basics Cookbook recipe. The key here is to make sure all of the sides of your biscuit are cleanly cut--you can accomplish this with a good biscuit cutter, or by using a pastry cutter as I have suggested below. Cleanly cut sides allow the laminated dough to rise nice and high.

INGREDIENTS
Creamy Chickpeas
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 1 rib celery, small dice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 medium (yellow) potato, diced
- 1 spring fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3.5 cups warm vegetable stock (more as needed)
- 1 can chickpeas (or white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
- 2 roasted red or orange pepper, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 3/4 cup corn
- 3/4 cup peas
- 1 can light coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion and celery for 5-7 mins, or until golden. Add garlic and saute for 1 min more.
2. Add carrot, potato, herbs, and a big pinch of salt and saute for 3-5 mins, until fragrant and sizzling. Add flour and mix well to coat. Cook for 1 min then stream in the stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
3. Add chickpeas, roasted peppers, and nutritional yeast and bring to bubbling. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 mins, uncovered, until veggies are tender. If the sauce reduces too much, add more stock.
4. Add corn and peas and cook for 3 mins, or until done. Remove thyme sprig.
5. Add in as much of the coconut milk as needed to get the consistency you want (I used the whole can).

Biscuits
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp (2.5 oz) cold vegan butter
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup plain soy milk

METHOD
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.  Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
2. Add the vinegar to the bottom of a 3/4 cup measure. Fill half way with soy milk and mix until thick. Fill the cup measure full and add to flour mixture. Bring together into a soft dough with a wooden spoon.
3. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface. Roll/pat into a rectangle then fold like a letter. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. Repeat again. The dough should have firmed up by now. Roll into a rectangle, trim the outside edges with a pastry cutter, and cut into 6 or 8 pieces.
4. Brush the tops of the biscuits with soy milk and bake for 14 mins.

Dumplings

My mom used to make stew with dumplings like this when I was a kid. Basically, these are just like mini biscuits, but cooking them on top of the stew makes them tender and moist. My mom also used to serve them with pumpkin soup. Use them as you see fit.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 cup flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/4 cup plain soy yogurt

- 1/3 cup plain soy milk

- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

METHOD

1. Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together wet ingredient in a separate bowl, then add to dry ingredients, gently mixing until just moistened.

2. Drop spoonfuls of batter on the top of a simmering stew or soup. Cover, and let simmer for about 10-12 mins, until dumplings are cooked through.

Biscuits n' Chickpeas n' Gravy

Bascially, this is chickpea pot pie meets whole wheat biscuits. It was easy to make, and the kids loved it. 'Nuff said.

INGREDIENTS

- make the filling for chickpea pot pie

- make one recipe of biscuits, substituting one cup of the white flour with one cup of whole wheat pastry flour

METHOD:

1. Slice biscuits laterally. Spoon generous amounts of filling on top. Eat with gusto.

Dijon Tofu and Potatoes

This is a somewhat fancy spin on comfort food. The dijon mustard works well with the spicing to give the dish a more complex yet familiar flavour. The boys gave it the thumbs up, which is good enough for me! As you can see in the picture (well, kind of), I put the tofu on the mashed potatoes, then spooned the sauce over top. You can keep the tofu and potatoes separate if you want. I made crispy tofu, but you can prepare it however you like.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 block tofu, cut into 16 triangles, and prepared however you like

- mashed potatoes, mixed with 1 tbsp dijon mustard

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 large onion, cut in half, and sliced

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 large carrots, chopped

- 2 ribs celery, chopped

- 1 tsp thyme

- 2 tsp poultry spice

- 1/4 tsp tumeric

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/4 cup flour

- 2 cups water (or more, as needed)

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic for 5 mins. Add in carrots and celery and saute 5 more mins. Add in spices and mix well.

2. Add in flour and fry for 1 min. Slowly add in water and bring to bubbling. Adjust seasoning to taste. Simmer for 10 mins, until carrots are soft.

3. Stir in nutritional yeast and Dijon mustard and mix well.

4. To serve, put some mashed potatoes on a plate and make a well in the center. Put 4 pieces of tofu in the well and top with the sauce.

Potato Cauliflower Mash

OK, I admit that the picture for this is pretty weird (and so is the name), but it is really tasty. Let's face it: potatoes and cauliflower are friends. Combine these two with onions and garlic and you have a delicious combination that comforts you from head to toe. Not only that, the boys love it.

INGREDIENTS

- 3 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

- 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

- 1 large onion, diced

- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

- 2 cloves garlic

- dollop of margarine

- salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Place potatoes, onion, cauliflower, and garlic in a large pot and fill with enough water to almost cover the veggies. Bring to boiling and simmer for 20 mins, until all veggies are soft. Drain well.

2. Mash veggies well with margarine and salt. I use a electric beater to really blend it all well. Serve.

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie is great because you can throw just about anything into a baking dish and add mashed potatoes. So, feel free to experiment with whatever you have hanging out in your fridge. Vegan Mom made this version, which was the best tasting pie we have had yet. This recipe is a bit weird because it makes use of the leftover mushroom mixture from last night's tacos--you don't have to make the same mixture, but I do think the mushrooms add nice flavour to the whole dish

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 onion, diced

- 1 1/2 cup TVP

- 1/2 recipe of this mushroom mixture, finely chopped

- 2 tbsp HP sauce

- 2 tbsp soy sauce

- 1 1/4 cup water

- 1/4 cup ketchup

- frozen mixed vegetables

- 8-10 potatoes, cooked and mashed with margarine and soy milk

- 1/2 cup bread crumbs

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over med-hi heat. Saute onions for 5-6 mins, until softened and translucent. Add in TVP, mushroom mixture, HP sauce, soy sauce and mix well. Add water and cook until absorbed and TVP is soft. Stir in ketchup and remove from heat.

2. Spread 1/3 of the mashed potatoes in the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Add a layer of mixed vegetables, and 1/2 of the TVP mixture. Repeat. Top with a final layer of mashed potatoes, sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

3. Bake for 45 mins, until top is golden.

Cheesy Chickpea Shepherd's Pie

So, Son#1 and Son#2 now both have fevers and decreased appetites. The doctor assures us it is just a cold (with respiratory infection) and it will clear up soon enough. Tonight my wife (I guess I should call her Vegan Mom) created this kid-friendly dish that is as close to comfort food as you can get without boiling a chicken carcass and adding noodles.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 onion, diced

- 1 rib of celery, diced

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 cup eggplant, peeled and diced

- 2-3 cups cooked chickpeas

- 3/4 cup soymilk

- 2 tbsp flour

- 2 tbsp "chicken" broth powder

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- salt and pepper to taste

- mashed potatoes (about 7 medium potatoes)

-frozen peas and corn

METHOD:

1. Make mashed potatoes as usual (use soymilk and vegan margarine).

2. Meanwhile, saute onion and celery in oil on medium heat until translucent. Add eggplant and saute until onion is golden and eggplant is soft. Add chickpeas and mix through.

3. Whisk flour into soymilk in a separate bowl (or put in container with a lid and shake until mixed). Add to chickpea mixture and bring to bubbling. Add broth powder and nutritional yeast. Add salt and pepper.

4. Put a layer of mashed potatoes into a large Corning ware or Pyrex dish. Put a layer of the chickpea mixture on top, then a layer of frozen peas. Repeat, this time using a layer of frozen corn. Top off with a thick layer of mashed potatoes.

5. Place in oven and bake for about 40-45 mins, until potatoes are browned.

"Chicken" Pot Pie

As you might have guessed, it was another seitan meal tonight as we work through the batch I made on the weekend. But, chickpeas are also very good in this pot pie.

FOR THE CRUST:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
- 5-6 tbsp ice cold water

1. Mix together flour and salt in a large bowl.
2. Cut in shortening with two knives, or pastry cutter.
3. Stir in enough water with a fork for the pastry to come together in a ball.
4. Roll out on a floured surface in a shape that fits your baking dish.

FOR THE FILLING:
- 1 tbsp oil
- one onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 cups of cubed seitan (or one can of chickpeas, rinsed)
- water
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1-2 tbsp flour or cornstarch
- 2+ tbsp vegan "chicken" broth powder

METHOD:
1. Saute onion and celery in a saucepan. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Add carrots and potatoes, and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until veggies are soft (15-20 mins).
3. Add seitan (or chickpeas), corn, and peas.
4. Mix flour or cornstarch in a few tbsp of water and add to veggie mix. Cook until mixture thickens. Add more if still too thin. Add broth powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
5. Pour into glass or Corningware dish (9x13 or so). Roll out crust while mixture cools. Put crust on top of veggie mixture, and cut a few slits in the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for 40-60 minutes, until crust browns.

VERDICT:
The kids loved and asked for seconds. Mmmmm . . . comfort food.