poor girl's cheesy green bean casserole

we are on pantry clean-out mode. i get this way every couple of months - i refuse to go major grocery shopping until we've finished off everything edible that's left in our house. i created this little recipe and thought it would be a perfect cheesy green bean casserole for holidays!

• 2 cans french style green beans
• 1 tablespoons sriracha (or more to taste)
• 3 tablespoons roasted potato blend
• 1/2 sleeve saltine crackers (wheat preferably)
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup water

drain the green beans, and crumble a half sleeve of saltine crackers. mix all ingredients in an 8x8 casserole dish. i used half a pack of concord's roasted potato seasoning (original recipe). also, be careful with sriracha sauce - it is super spicy and those saltines soak it right up. i tend to love really spicy foods - but when i'm cooking for others (pot lucks, holidays, etc.), i ease up a bit.

pop it in the over for about 15 minutes on 350°f.

to be honest, i would have preferred to add soy milk instead of water to give it a more creamy taste. but it wasn't in our pantry so it didn't make it into this recipe.

raw carrot salad

i made this for a mid-day snack. i was feeling raw, and didn't want to spoil my dinner. perfect!

• 1 pkg. baby carrots (6oz.), hand chopped
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw mustard
  
• 3 tablespoons nama shoyu/braggs aminos
  

mix it all up and enjoy the healthy. i make raw mustard by grinding up a couple tablespoons of yellow mustard seeds with a dash of raw apple cider vinegar and water. of course, you can use regular mustard if you aren't worried about eating raw. it makes about two servings of a lite snack. i also think it would make a nice side dish for dinner.

tony soprano sandwich

i was craving an old-school italian meatball sandwich. but, i really didn't feel like making meatballs, so i made a sloppy 'meat' sandwich instead. it might look like a modified sloppy joe, but it tastes way more tony soprano-like to me.

• 1 hoagie bun
• 1 cup cooked tvp (about 1/2 cup dry tvp)
*or 1 cup boca crumbles
• 1 8oz can of tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
• 1 small green pepper, chopped

cook the textured vegetable protein with half the water according to package (about 1/4 cup). add the tomato sauce, water, spices, and peppers to the tvp. heat the mixture for about 2 minutes on med. temperature. toast hoagie if desired, and stuff with tvp mixture.

and if you are a kraut nut like me, i think it complements this dish nicely.

roasted apple butter

i used up the last of our apple bounty to make apple butter. i found a roasted applesauce recipe in vegan with a vengeance, but (of course) wasn't cool with all the sugar involved. i'm sure the original recipe is tasty, but i think apples are already sweet, so i opted for the less caloric approach and pretty much modified the whole thing. also, this turned out decidedly more apple butter than applesauce, because it was thick and could be spread on toast (which i did a lot of).

• about 10-12 small golden delicious apples
• 1-2 tablespoons agave nectar
• cinnamon to taste

preheat oven to 350f°. peel, core and chop the apples into medium size chunks. spread apple chunks in single layer in 9x12 baking/casserole dishes (i used two for 12 apples). drizzle with agave and sprinkle with cinnamon, then gently toss so apples are evenly coated. bake the apples for about 15 minutes, turn once, and bake for 10-15 minutes more. pull out the dishes and let cool. i used a potato masher for one of the dishes, but then my arm got tired. so i used a magic bullet for the other half. makes about 2 pints.

chickpea, sun dried tomato & artichoke salad

i posted a feta recipe in my last post, and that yumminess found a home in this recipe. i'm always looking for new ways to mix up chickpeas, and this sort of just came together. i think it would be great for a potluck or holiday dinner, as this recipe makes quite a bit. and if you haven't tried miso mayo, you should give it a shot. it definitely has a unique flavour, but in small amounts, it's pretty dang tasty!


ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups dry chickpeas (about 3 cups cooked)
• 1 ¼ cups sun dried tomatoes (preferably not oil-packed)
• 1 can (14oz.) artichoke hearts
• 1/2 cups black olives, sliced
  
• 6 oz. vegan feta

dressing:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon stoneground mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup miso mayo, original

combine all ingredients except feta in a large bowl. if you prefer, you can mix up the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and pour over the mixture. i take the lazy way and just throw all the dressing components in with the rest of the salad, stirring as i go. add the tofu last since it will be the most delicate and susceptible to crumbling. toss gently a few times after adding the tofu. chill for at least two hours, really letting the flavours meld. serve up just like a pasta salad.

as a side dish, i think this would serve about 8 (or more if they are super-small-helping types of folk). :)

vegan feta

this is a recipe that i used to make a vegan feta. it's combination between a recipe in the uncheese cookbook and skinny bitch in the kitch. ok, so it's not feta, but it's not terribly too off in taste...

• 1/2 pack of silken extra firm tofu (about 6oz)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder, or fresh garlic (minced)
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

drain and gently squeeze excess water out of tofu. cut into small tofu cubes - the size of feta chunks. put cubed tofu in a bowl. whisk rest of ingredients in a separate bowl and pour on top of tofu. stir gently once or twice to make sure it is evenly coated, and chill for at least 1 hour.

use within a day or two.