Taco Stuffed Twice-Baked Sweet Potato

Taco Stuffed Twice-Baked Sweet Potato

Vegan

Ingredients (for a single serving):

• 1 Sweet Potato
• 5 Organic Corn Chips
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Lettuce
• 1/4 Cup Jalapeno Slices
• 2 Sliced Black Olives
• 1 Tbs Pico de Gallo
• 1/4 Cup Almond Milk
• 1/4 Cup Vegan Shredded Cheese
• 1/4 Cup TVP
• 1/4 Cup Steamed Lentils
• 1 Tsp Taco Seasoning
• 1/4 Cup Diced White Onions
• 1/4 Cup Diced Green Onions
• 1/2 Tbs Diced Cilantro

Instructions:

Start by microwaving the sweet potato. Once finished, scoop out the potato into a mixing bowl and add vegan cheese and almond milk. Mix until smooth and then add back into the potato skins. Place into the oven at 400 degrees and bake for 15 minutes.

As you’re baking hydrate your TVP by adding 1/4 cup of hot/boiling water and stir. Add to a small pan with lentils and taco seasoning and cook over medium heat until hot.

Once potatoes are done, remove from the oven, plate, and top with TVP/lentil mixture and all other toppings. Add your favorite hot sauce and enjoy!

Vegan Thanksgiving – The Results!

As a follow-up to my Thanksgiving menu post I wanted to make sure and post the results – and they were grander than I could have ever imagined! Drum roll…

Everything came out incredibly delicious and I did a couple things different than how I planned in my previous post. Instead of persimmons mini cakes I made a pumpkin-tofu pie, I created a vegan cheese sauce to make the mac n cheese as “cheesy” as possible, and I bought a Gardein Holiday Roast instead of a Tofurkey (so glad – never going Tofurkey again now!)

Final menu:

Gardein Holiday Roast

Oh yes…once you try a Gardein Holiday Roast you will never get a Tofurkey again. Even my meat eating husband LOVED it! I ended up using the packs of gravy that came with the roast for my mushroom and onion gravy and it was equally as delicious (and husband-approved).

Mushroom & Caramelized Onion Gravy

I used the gravy packs that came with the Gardein Holiday Roast. First I caramelized onions and mushrooms in a pan, then I added the gravy and cooked until hot.

• Crimini mushrooms
• White onions

Mashed Parsnips

Check a couple posts below for the full recipe!

• Parsnips
• Unsweetened almond milk
• Adobo seasoning

Balsamic Glazed Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Petite Carrots

These came out amazing – and until now I didn’t realize that I forgot to add the hazelnuts! DARN IT! I ended up mixing balsamic vinegar and imitation honey together, then brushed it over brussel sprouts and petite carrots and seasoned with sea salt. I roasted these in the oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes on the top shelf.

• Balsamic vinegar
• Imitation honey
• Petite carrots
• Brussel sprouts
• Sea Salt

Baked Mac n’ Cheese

I created a vegan cheese sauce to make the mac n cheese as cheesy as possible. I chopped and boiled the carrot and potato until tender, then added into the food processor with the adobo, yeast seasoning, water, and olive oil and blended until smooth. I then mixed into the cooked pasta. In a square glass baking dish I added half the pasta and spread throughout and topped with Daiya cheddar shreds. I then added the rest of the pasta as a top layer, topped with the rest of the Daiya shreds and sprinkled panko over the top. I baked in the oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes on the bottom shelf.

• Brown rice penne pasta
• Daiya cheddar shreds
• Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 large carrot
• 1 russet potato
• 2 tbs adobo seasoning
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast seasoning flakes
• 1 tbs olive oil

Pumpkin Tofu Pie

I created the crust using 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour, 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of apple sauce. I rolled and spread evenly into a glass pie dish and baked at 350 for 10 minutes. As it was baking I added a container of firm tofu, 1/2 cup stevia, a full can of pumpkin, 1 tbs cinnamon, 1 tbs pumpkin pie spice, 1 tbs vanilla extract, and 1/2 tbs nutmeg to the food processor and blended until fine. I added it all into the pie dish and put it back in the oven for 20 minutes. Once out of the oven, I cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap, and then refrigerated until cold.

• Tofu
• Canned organic pumpkin
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Whole wheat pastry flour
• Unsweetened apple sauce
• Stevia
• Vanilla extract

 

My Vegan Thanksgiving Menu

If you are still trying to decide what to make for the holiday, I’ve posted the dishes I will be making below. Since each one of these recipes will be an experiment, besides the mashed parsnips (you can find the recipe from last week) I will be posting general preparation ideas versus exact instructions. Part of making new food is the fun of figuring it out as you go! I hope you get some good ideas from this post – please feel free to steal them all!

MY THANKSGIVING MENU

Tofurkey Veggie Roast

Just following the instructions on this one!

Mushroom & Caramelized Onion Gravy

I’m going to caramelize the onions and oven roast the mushrooms. Once done I’m going to add them all to a small pot with a cup of vegetable stock. I’m going to cook them on a low simmer, and add just enough whole wheat flour to thicken to a gravy-like consistency. I’m not planning on adding any spices because I think the flavor from the stock, mushrooms, and onions will add a good share of richness.

• Crimini mushrooms
• White onions
• Vegetable stock
• Whole wheat flour

Mashed Parsnips

I have already posted this recipe — it is available on the blog. Simple and delicious!

• Parsnips
• Unsweetened almond milk
• Adobo seasoning

Balsamic Glazed Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Hazelnuts

I’m going to blend the balsamic vinegar and imitation honey together until they have a glaze consistency. I’m going to cut all the brussel sprouts in half and place them onto a sprayed baking sheet face down so they can crisp up real nicely. I’ll also put the hazelnuts in with them after lightly crushing them – I don’t want a powder, just nice, large pieces of hazelnuts. I’m anticipating about 20 minutes here, but will be checking frequently. Once the sprouts are lightly browned, I’m going to flip them over and apply the glaze. Then, I’m going to allow them to broil for just about a minute or so to where the browning deepens. Once removed from the oven I’m going to sprinkle the crushed hazelnuts over the top of the sprouts.

• Balsamic vinegar
• Imitation honey
• Hazelnuts
• Brussel sprouts

Baked Mac n’ Cheese

After the pasta is done cooking I’ll mix together with the Daiya shreds and enough almond milk to add a creamy element to the cheese. Then, I’ll add the mac n cheese to a baking pan, cover with another layer of shreds, and sprinkle panko over the top. I’m going to bake for 15-20 minutes at 350.

• Brown rice penne pasta
• Daiya cheddar shreds
• Panko bread crumbs
• Unsweetened almond milk

Persimmons Mini Cakes

This is going to be the real experiment! My plan is to use the whole wheat pastry flour mixed with unsweetened apple sauce as the “crust” by mixing them together until thick and sticky, then rolling them out, cutting out circles, and placing those circles at the bottom of a sprayed muffin tin. Once I’ve done that, I’m going to blend tofu, cinnamon, nutmeg, stevia, and cooked persimmons together in my food processor. I’m going to then layer that mixture on top of the “crust” in the muffin tin. I’m planning to bake for 20-25 minutes at 350.

• Tofu
• Persimmons
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Whole wheat pastry flour
• Unsweetened apple sauce
• Stevia

 

Mashed Parsnips

Mashed Parsnips

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I’ve been putting some thought into what I’m going to make this year. I love the comfort aspect of Thanksgiving food, but I also like being creative. That being said, I’ve decided to theme my creations this year along the idea of “Thanksgiving with a Twist”. The first dish I’ve practiced “twisting” is mashed potatoes. Regular mashed potatoes are completely bland unless you add a ton of spices and other ingredients to them. I came up with mashed parsnips because of the incredible flavor these root vegetables already have. Because of the incredible, natural flavor of parsnips, making a great-tasting mashed parsnip recipe is incredibly simple!

Vegan

Ingredients:

• 2 Parsnips
• 1 Tbs Adobo Seasoning (easier way to get onion and garlic powder without purchasing separate seasoning)
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt

Instructions:

Chop the parsnips and add them to a pot of boiling water with sea salt. Boil until tender. Once tender, remove from heat and drain. Add to a blender or food processor with almond milk and adobo seasoning. Blend until fine and smooth. Makes 2 servings.

Vegan Chile Con Queso

Vegan Chile Con Queso

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Diced Russet Potatoes
• 1 Cup Diced Carrots
• 1 Diced Roma Tomato
• 1 Diced, Seedless Jalapeno
• 1/3 Cup Diced White Onion
• 1 Tbs Diced Cilantro
• 1/2 Cup Bragg Nutritional Yeast Seasoning
• 1 Tbs Lime Juice
• 1 Minced Clove of Garlic
• 2 Tsp Adobo Seasoning
• 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 Filtered Water
• 1/2 Cup Hatch Green Chiles
• 3/4 Cup Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
• 1/3 Cup of Olive Oil

Instructions:

Step 1: Boil the diced potatoes and carrots until they are tender, then strain and allow to cool slightly.

Step 2: Add strained potatoes and carrots to a blender or food processor with the following ingredients:

• Cilantro
• Nutritional Yeast Seasoning
• Lime Juice
• Adobo
• Sea Salt
• Water
• Olive Oil

Blend until fine and smooth.

Step3: Pour queso mixture into a mixing bowl, add the ingredients listed below, and stir until blended evenly.

• Roma Tomatoes
• Onions
• Garlic
• Jalapeno
• Green Chiles
• Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Step 4: Package in a mason jar or plastic container and store in the refrigerator. Heat prior to serving.