Vegan Chicken Pot Pie

It's been so long since I've had Chicken Pot Pie. I think I may have tried the Amy's brand of vegan pot pie, but it's just not the same as homemade. Luckily the people from Beyond Meat sent me some samples of their chicken-free strips to try and I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I was so excited when they contacted me. I've heard so much about Beyond Meat in the press and have heard so many good things about it (Like Bill Gates' endorsement and a food writer at the New York Times being fooled by it's taste and texture.) They come in three flavors: Lightly Seasoned, Southwest, and Lemon Rosemary - and I get to sample all three! I couldn't wait to try it...so I went to work right away in the kitchen!

The filling for this recipe is pretty much a basic chicken pot pie recipe, but the recipe for the crust has been in my family for generations. I normally am AWFUL at making pie crusts (they never come out flaky enough, or there's never enough for a whole pie), but this one turned out fantastic! Delicious, buttery, and flaky. Everything you want a pie crust to be. This vegan chicken pot pie is definitely going into my repertoire of dishes to serve for entertaining. I know vegans and meat-eaters alike will love this one - and I hope you do too!

Pie Crust Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 5 tablespoons cold water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

The key to a flaky pie crust is to use cold ingredients. Therefore - always keep all of the ingredients refrigerated before hand. 

Blend the flour and cold vegetable shortening in your food processor or with a pastry cutter until the mixture is mealy and the shortening is pea sized. Mix in the applesauce, salt, and vinegar and pulse your food processor a few times.

Add in the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time - pulsing after each tablespoon. Once the dough forms into a ball and when you pinch the dough and it sticks together - it's done. Pour out onto your counter and separate into two balls. Cover each ball of dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Filling Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp light oil (I used coconut)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 garlic clove - minced
• 1 12 oz package of Beyond Meat
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (mine was peas, corn, carrots, and green beans)
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

In a large skillet, heat the 2 tbsp oil over medium high heat. Add in celery, onion, and garlic. Cook until celery has softened and the onions are semi-translucent. Stir in the Beyond Meat and frozen mixed vegetables. Allow to heat through for 2 minutes.

Add in the flour, broth, and milk to create the sauce. Mix together well and stir in the salt and black pepper. Continue to stir until the sauce is bubbly and has thickened. Remove from heat.

After the dough has refrigerated for a bit and you're done cooking the filling, roll out your pie crust on a floured surface. Press the bottom crust into your pie pan and cut off any excess crust off the edges. Pour your filling over the pie crust. Roll out the other half of the pie crust and place on top of the filling. Trim away any excess crust. Seal the edges by pinching together the bottom and top pie crusts and crimping them with a fork. Cut 4 holes in the middle of the top pie crust to allow ventilation.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown. If the edges of the pie crust are browning quicker than the middle - cover them with tinfoil for the last 10-15 minutes.

Banana Nut Cake with Brown Sugar Almond Frosting

I have to be honest - I had a love affair with this cake. It was short. It was brief, but it was magical. I made the cake on a Friday...and it was gone by Monday. Granted I brought my parents a couple of slices, but the rest was all me. I almost when into a self induced sugar coma, but it was worth it. Now I feel like I need to some sort of cleanse, but that's another topic entirely.

I came across this recipe when I was going through all of my Grandma's recipes a while back and I just knew I had to re-create it.  I happened to have a bunch of bananas that were way passed their prime (we're talking almost black) so it was perfect timing. This was always one of my favorite desserts growing up...I know I say that often, but my Grandma made some amazing desserts. I hope you guys like this cake as much as my family does!

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 2/3 cup non-dairy milk
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Measure and sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. 

In a large bowl, cream together the mashed bananas, sugar, and shortening. Once well combined, add in the non-dairy milk, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir in your dry ingredients and blend together on low speed, scraping the bowl constantly. Once the batter has come together - stir in the chopped walnuts.

Grease a 9"x13" baking pan or two 9" round pans. Pour the batter into the pans. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes in a rectangle pan or 35-40 minutes in the round pans. Cake will be done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.

Brown Sugar Almond Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup brown sugar - packed
• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
• 2 cups powdered sugar - sifted
• 1 tsp almond extract

Cream together the shortening and brown sugar. Once well combined add in the non-dairy milk, powdered sugar, and almond extract. Mix until it has reached your desired consistency. Spread onto cooled cake.

Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This isn't your Grandma's grilled cheese sandwich - or at least it's not my Grandma's. This was definitely a departure from the grilled cheeses that I used to eat growing up. Mine was usually a couple of slices of Wonder Bread that were buttered and had two slices of American cheese slapped in the middle. Not that there's anything wrong with that (I still make classic grilled cheese sandwiches once and a while - veganized of course), but my taste buds have changed and I wanted to go for something more sophisticated and exciting!

Luckily the people over at Go Veggie! sent me two bags of their new cheese shreds to sample. I've had their Mexican shreds before - I used them to make my Mexican Lasagna a while back. This was my first time using their Mozzarella shreds...I knew the cheese was going to be good, so I had to come up with a few other classic Italian ingredients to pair with it. I wasn't sure if I'd like spinach on a grilled cheese, but let me tell you - this sandwich was amazing. Go Veggie's mozzarella shreds were ooey and gooey - just like cheese should be! They're perfect for all of your favorite Italian dishes! I can't wait to try them my Grandma's Lasagna recipe!

*Makes 1 sandwich*

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of crusty Italian bread
• 2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes - coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh basil - coarsely chopped
• 1 handful of baby spinach (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/3 cup Go Veggie! Mozzarella Shreds
• pinch of garlic powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Spread the coarsely chopped sun dried tomatoes on once slice of the bread. Top with the fresh basil, spinach, mozzarella shreds, and garlic powder. Place the other slice of bread on top - then brush the outside of the bread with olive oil.

Place the sandwich in a skillet over medium heat with the oiled slice of bread own. Brush the other slice of bread with olive oil. Grill for 3-4 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown. Serve with Marinara sauce for dunking!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I spent Easter Sunday with with my family over at my Aunt's new house. She just moved up here from the Milwaukee area on Friday and decided to host an Easter dinner at her house on Sunday! Crazy, right?! That would be too much stress for me after moving, but she did an amazing job and it was so much fun catching up with her and eating some great food.

This Easter was my Mom's first holiday as a vegetarian! She's finally decided to give up meat (again) and I couldn't be more proud of her. She's reading a few books and doing her research, but she knows this is the best decision for her health, the environment, and of course - the animals. She's even on her way to becoming a vegan! So of course I had to make her a delicious dessert to celebrate the occasion. These cupcakes are always a hit whenever I make them, but the frosting was a tasty new addition.

The frosting turned out so well - all thanks to Go Veggie's Vegan Strawberry Cream Cheese. It honestly tasted just like strawberry ice cream! My family loved the frosting so much they were eating it with a spoon! I know I'm going to be making this one again and again. I hope you like it as much as we did!

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegan shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup unsweetened smooth applesauce
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla, applesauce, and vinegar - mix well.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and then mix into the batter in three steps - alternating with the milk.

Scoop the batter into oiled cupcake liners, filling them 3/4 of the way full. Helpful Tip: Use an ice cream scoop to evenly measure the amount of batter you pour into your cupcake liners.

Bake the cupcakes for 18-21 minutes. Check at 15 minutes to maker sure the tops aren't getting too brown! Allow them to cool before decorating.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 2 8 oz containers of Vegan Strawberry Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup vegan shortening
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Cream together the cream cheese and shortening in a medium bowl until well combined.

Sift in the powdered sugar and the beat on high until well incorporated. Pipe frosting on to cupcakes. Garnish with chocolate shavings. Refrigerate any leftover frosting.

"The Vegg" Vegan Egg Yolk Giveaway!

Hopefully by now everyone has heard of the wonderful new vegan egg yolk on the market called The Vegg! It's such an amazing product that can be used in all of your recipes that call for eggs! It's a recipe converter's dream come true!

Recently my recipe for Tiramisu Cupcakes (which you can check out here) was a finalist in The Vegg recipe contest. One of my prizes was three bags of The Vegg!  I do intend on coming up with some more recipes using The Vegg, but I don't really need three whole bags to myself - so I had an idea. What better than to share them with all of you guys?! So, I'm holding a little contest for my amazing readers to see who wins the three bags of The Vegg. Honestly, I wish I could send each and every one of you a special prize, but unfortunately I only have three bags to hand out. There are plenty of ways to enter - so be sure to enter with every option for a better chance at winning.

One of the ways to enter is letting me know the dish you would love to create with your bag of The Vegg. I can't wait to see all of your ideas! This contest is open until February 3rd, 2013. Only open to U.S. residents. Good luck everyone!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

German Chocolate Cake Rolls

I'm so glad the holidays are over. Don't get me wrong...I love Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they just seem to get more and more stressful as the years go on. I'm just ready to get some semblance of normalcy and routine back into my life! That being said - I hope everyone had an amazing holiday with their friends and family. I got to spend the morning with Keeva, my Mom, Dad, my sister Kayla, her friend Jay, and my parent's two dogs Sampson and Nana. Then we all went to my Grandparents house to spend Christmas evening with them! I have a huge family - so it was loud and crazy, but I wouldn't want it any other way!

Keeva enjoying one of her presents she got for Christmas!

I've had the idea of making German chocolate cake rolls floating around in my head for a couple of months, but with the holidays going on the past couple of months I've put the idea on the back burner. I spent my time making enough Christmas cookies to feed an army - so anything not holiday related had to wait. I made these yesterday morning and let me tell you - they're so decadently rich. You're going to love...I know I did. I had 4 of them in 20 minutes.

*Makes 10-12 rolls*

Dough Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
• 1/4 cup light oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp yeast

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl mix together the milk, oil, applesauce, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl - sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, sugar, and yeast. Combine with the wet ingredients and mix together until well incorporated. Roll the dough out onto a flour surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. Once you're done kneading the dough - place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel, place the bowl in a warm location, and allow to rise for 2 hours.

 

While the dough is rising, mix together the filling ingredients.

Filling Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes (shredded coconut works too!)

 

Mix together all of the filling ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside until it's time to spread onto the dough.

When the dough has about doubled in size - roll back out onto a lightly floured surface. Punch the dough down and then roll out into a 12x16 rectangle. Take the filling ingredients and spread evenly onto the rectangular dough. Roll up the rectangle tightly to form a log. Cut the log into one inch pieces and place in an oiled baking dish.

 

Let the unbaked rolls sit in a warm place while covered with a towel until they doubled in size again. Bake in the 350 degree F oven for 20-22 minutes.

 

While the rolls are baking, you can mix together the icing.

 

Icing Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3-4 tbsp non-dairy milk (add enough to reach your desired consistency) 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

 

Sift the powdered sugar and then whisk in the non-dairy milk and vanilla. Once the rolls are done, allow them to cool slightly. Pour the icing over the rolls and serve slightly warm.

Peppermint Candy Cane Sugar Cookies

I can't believe it's almost Christmas already! I'm not even close to being done with my shopping yet. It sure does creep up on you doesn't it? The one thing I haven't been slacking on is Christmas baking this year. This recipe is based on a sugar cookie recipe that has been in my family for years. These were always on the table at my Great-Grandmother and Grandmother's houses for Christmas. Also - I'm pretty sure this was the recipe we used for the cookies we left Santa Claus on Christmas Eve...minus the peppermint and candy cane shape.

I've been wanting to make these cookies for a few years now. I tried making a version of these the first year when I became vegan. I was at my Aunt and Uncle's house baking cookies and somehow they came out tasting like play dough. I must have added too much salt.

Luckily my baking skills have improved slightly. These cookies are deliciously soft and chewy with that classic peppermint candy cane taste! The only thing that I was a little disappointed about was the all natural red food coloring. It came out purple instead of red. Oh well - there still kind of adorable, right?

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup vegan shortening
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 4 tsp non-dairy milk
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• red food coloring

Thoroughly cream the shortening, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and peppermint extracts. Add in the applesauce and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the non-dairy milk.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend in with the creamed mixture. Separate the dough into two equal portions. Add your desired amount of red food coloring to one half of the dough and mix until the color is well incorporated.

Chill the dough for 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. After the dough has been chilled, take a small piece of dough and roll out on a floured surface into 4-5 inch rope. Do the same for both the white and red dough. Press one piece of each color together and gently twist together to form a spiral. Shape the dough into a candy cane shape and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all of the dough is used.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 6-8 minutes until the edges become golden brown.

Caramel Apple Pie

There's nothing like a piece of classic apple pie....that is unless you're pouring caramel on top. Then it's just that much better. I was digging through my Grandma's recipes a few months ago and stumbled upon one that read "Grandma Josie's Pie Crust". In the past I've attempted making pie crust and it's never really turned out that well. I always end up not having enough dough or I end up not rolling the dough out thin enough. Pie crust has always been a problem for me. Until I took a shot with this recipe!

I'm not exactly sure who Grandma Josie is. I asked my Grandma who she was and from what it sounds like - she's not even related to us, but thank you Josie for this recipe. The crust turned out deliciously buttery and flaky! I even had enough for a bottom crust and top crust (how novel is that?) I'm not quite sure what the vinegar does, but I wanted to follow the recipe exactly. I know I'm going to be using this one for years to come. I can't wait to try this with vegan chicken pot pie!

This pie is topped with my super easy Microwave Caramel Sauce.

Crust Ingredients:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 5 tablespoons cold water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

The key to a flaky pie crust is to use cold ingredients. Therefore - always keep all of the ingredients refrigerated before hand. 

Blend the flour and vegetable shortening in your food processor or with a pastry cutter until the mixture is mealy and the shortening is pea sized. Mix in the applesauce, salt, and vinegar and pulse your food processor a few times.

Add in the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time - pulsing after each tablespoon. Once the dough forms into a ball and when you pinch the dough and it sticks together - it's done. Pour out onto your counter and separate into two balls. Cover each ball of dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

After the dough has refrigerated for a bit, roll out your pie crust on a floured surface. Place the bottom crust into your pie pan and cut off any excess crust off the edges. For the top layer - you can put a full crust with a few holes on top - or do like I did and create a lattice crust! For a great tutorial on how to create a lattice crust watch this video here!

Pie Filling Ingredients:

• 6 cups thinly sliced apples
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

Toss the sliced apples with the rest of the ingredients until well coated. Pour into prepared pie crust then top with your top layer of pie crust.

Bake in a 425 degree F oven for 35-40  minutes until the apples are tender and the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool before serving.

Easy Microwave Caramel Sauce

This caramel sauce is so amazing. I seriously drank it out of the jar. Well - I would say I "sipped" it out of the jar. Just don't tell anybody... I didn't really know how much I was missing caramel until I had a little taste of this sauce. It tastes just like I remember from my "pre-gan" days. I used to love drizzling caramel over my ice cream when I was a kid! This vegan version tastes just like the stuff I used to know!

If you follow me on Facebook - hopefully you saw my post about this recipe. I said that this sauce is a little dangerous since it's so easy to make - and it is! All you do is mix all of the ingredients together and pop it in the microwave! How simple is that?!

The sweet and smoky flavor of this caramel sauce goes perfectly with apples, over ice cream, or on top of a 3-Minute Microwave Brownie. I made a yummy apple pie served with this caramel sauce on top and it turned out so well! I'll share the recipe for that with all of you very soon!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• pinch of salt

Mix all of the ingredients in a medium sized microwave safe bowl. Whisk together until all ingredients are well combined.

Microwave on HIGH for 6 minutes - stirring every 2 minutes. If the sugar hasn't melted into the sauce after 6 minutes, microwave in 1 minute increments until it has dissolved.

Refrigerate for about 2 hours to allow the caramel to thicken before serving. Store in the refrigerator in a covered container.

Nate's Meatballs Review

The people over at Nate's were generous enough to send me a few bags of their delicious meatballs to sample! It's been so long since I've had meatballs I had forgotten how delicious they were! They have three varieties of meat balls to choose from: Classic, Zesty Italian, and Savory Mushroom.

I tried the Classic meatballs first over spaghetti noodles with tomato sauce, but they would be amazing with barbecue sauce or in a Swedish meatball recipe! It's so easy to prepare them too! They can be cooked in the microwave, simmered in sauce, or sauteed on top of the stove. I chose the later and they came out having a crispy crust and a delicious juicy center. Any non-vegan would be easily impressed with these guys!

The Zesty Italian ones were my absolute favorite! I had them between two slices of crusty baguette and topped with marinara sauce and Daiya mozzarella. It was amazingly delicious! These would be really great for your family's spaghetti night as well!

The Savory Mushroom meatballs had a slightly more earthly flavor than the other two, but paired deliciously with my Grandma's gravy (veganized of course). You could also pair this with a sweet tomato sauce for a delicious dinner!

These meatballs are much healthier than their meaty counterparts. Not only are they cholesterol free, but they're all under 100 calories and have almost 10 grams of protein per serving! If you're looking to impress your meat eating family and friends - try creating a dish with Nate's Meatless Meatballs!