Veg Power: Helpful tips, recipes & encouragement on vegan living. Go Green!

I made it through my first holiday remaining completely vegan!  I am so proud and the food I made was DELICIOUS!!!  I will share with you my recipes in case any of you are interested.

Easter was at my Aunt Maureen’s house.  I knew what to expect – many many appetizers – one being her famous cold cut pie & sausage pie.  They really are fantastic!  And I knew that would be the one thing I would truly miss.

So I figured why not make my own version?  That’s just what I did!  I used a vegan Pillsbury dough, Lite Life’s immitation sausage, onions, mushrooms, olive oil & some maple syrup.  (Official recipe below)  Unfortunately, me and my cousin Kristin loved it so much, we finished it before we could take a picture!

Next, I knew there was a chance my aunt would make stuffed mushrooms, which my mother was also famous for.  So I took my mother’s recipe and substituted the grated cheese & mozzarella for vegan versions.  Instead of using 4C Breadcrumbs (which Mom used), I used organic crumbs.  Well, turned out my aunt didn’t make the mushrooms.  Kristin (who is vegetarian) and I ate most of them, but a bunch of other family members tried them as well.  Most of them couldn’t tell the difference!  The ones that could already knew they were vegan, so I think they had it in their head.  (What a stubborn family! lol)  Once again, these babies went – and I forgot to take a picture!

Also for appetizers, I had a cheeze dip, crackers and pepperphoni (as I like to call it!).  The cheeze dip I bought from veganessentials.com and it’s called “We Can’t Say It’s Cheese” spreads.  I got the cheddar-style dip.

Then it was time for the main course…while the rest of my family feasted on ham, pork, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and veggies loaded with butter & cheese, I had a more sensible meal that kept me stuffed but didn’t make me feel sick.

I bought Field Roast’s Stuffed Celebration Roast from Whole Foods as my meat substitute, which was not bad at all – a little strong on the seasoning, but a pretty decent roast.  I made mushroom gravy, a recipe I got from the book, Vegan Table.  I also made mashed potatoes, a family recipe that I used vegan versions of the ingredients.  They came out so creamy and yummy!!  For my veggie, I made maple glazed green beans with toasted pecans & cranberries.  So good!   My sister Suzie and cousin David also loved them!  This recipe I found in Vegetarian Times (March 2010).

Finally, dessert time came…I brought a Mrs. Smith’s Apple Pie – which of course, everyone asked, “That’s vegan?”  My family is under the impression that if it’s vegan, it must be weird.  Oh well.

My cousin, Meghan, who has a gluten allergy made vegan/gluten-free brownies, which were rich & delish!  I also made a Maple Pecan Sables recipe that I found in Vegetarian Times (March 2010) as well.  I think I over-toasted the pecans a bit and cooked the cookies a little too long, but other than that I thought they had a good flavor.

There you have it…my first vegan Easter!  I survived…it feels great to have made it through and not falling off the wagon.  I have more confidence that this year, I can make it through Thanksgiving AND Christmas without a problem!

Now, for those recipes I’ve promised…

“Sausage” & Mushroom Pie

Ingredients:
1/2 package Lite Life Sausage Style Meat Substitute
1 Small-Medium Onion
1/2 package sliced cremini Mushrooms
2 tbsp. Soy Butter
2 tpsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar
1 container Pillsbury Seamless Dough

Melt butter in frying pan.  Add onions, let cook until they get a little soft.  Scramble in “sausage”.  Add mushrooms.  Cook till sausage is browned.  Set aside.

Spread seamless dough.  Mix olive oil, a little butter & maple syrup together.  Brush dough with mixture.  Add “sausage”, onion, mushroom mixture on top.  Drizzle maple syrup on top.  Roll dough over to look like a calzone. 

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 350*.

Kathy Carney’s Stuffed Mushrooms (Turned Vegan)

My mother never measured.  Honestly, neither do I.  So some of these measurements are just estimates.  Use your best judgment! 

Ingredients:
1 package of whole Mushrooms
1/4 cup Grated Parmezano Imported (Vegan Cheese)
1/4 cup Organic Breadcrumbs (Italian Style)
Salt & Pepper
Onion Powder
1 medium Onion
Olive Oil
1/4 cup Daiya Italian Shreds

Wash mushrooms.  Separate stems from caps.  Place in a pot of water and boil until mushrooms get soft and turn color.  Spread caps on a foiled cookie sheet.

Add stems to a food processor and chop finely.  Chop onion finely.  Heat up frying pan with enough olive oil to cover the bottom.  Add onion and stems.  Cook until onion starts to brown.  Add bread crumbs and grated Parmezano.  Season with salt, pepper & onion powder.  Keep stirring until ingredients are all mixed in and cook 3 minutes.  Turn off heat.  Let mixture cool a bit.

Scoop mixture into mushroom caps.  Top with Daiya cheese.  Bake in the oven 10-15 minutes at 350*.

Carney Family’s Mashed Potatoes (Vegan Style)

I have no measurements for this recipe.  It was never accurately written down, just passed down from generation to generation.  You just have to eyeball it and adjust depending on how you like your potatoes.

Ingredients:
Potatoes
Soy Butter
Soy, Rice or Oat Milk
Tofutti Sour Cream
Coconut Milk Creamer
Salt & Pepper To Taste (optional)

Peel potatoes and thinly slice.  Place in a pot of water and boil until potatoes are soft enough to run a fork through them easily.  Strain potatoes and place in a mixing bowl.  Beat with electric mixer and add milk, butter, sour cream, creamer until smooth or relatively smooth.  (Some people like there to be some lumps in it.)  Add salt & pepper if you like.  I leave it out and add it to my meal when I’m about to eat.

Hope everyone had a great holiday!

Thanks for reading,
Sandy