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vegan entrees

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

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I try really hard when I have an idea, to do some research and make sure there are not already a bunch of recipes already available that are pretty much the same recipe as what I want to work on. I prefer to not find any, but if I do, I make sure it is in no way similar to the recipe I have written. That being said, this is the exception. I have seen many vegan shepherd’s pie recipes. There is a very important reason that I went ahead and I am posting this recipe anyways. This is THE BEST vegan shepherd’s pie EVER. I have had several different vegan shepherd’s pie, and none compare to this one. 

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There is a reason that this is the best, my husband has been lovingly developing this for years. He has tried a million different combinations, and has ultimately come up with something so totally addictive, I have a very hard time just having one serving. It is so comforting and hearty, this is the perfect cold weather dish. It will also feed a crowd, which is great for this time of year! 

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This bad boy has not just ale in it, but a nice splash of whiskey for the ultimate warmth and comfort. My husband likes to to add corn and carrot as the veggies, but also sometimes does a little leek depending on the year, so that is something to consider if you want. This recipe just has carrots and corn, and it was amazing! However, I am a sucker for leeks! This is a great make ahead recipe, as you can make the separate components and then put together in a baking dish and bake when ready! I get so busy, I love to have these casserole thrown into an oven options!  

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This is definitely the ultimate plant based comfort food to share with your family on one of these long cold nights! So easy, and ready to be baked when you are. I hope you guys enjoy!

picmonkey-collage

Vegan Shepherd's Pie
Serves 8
Warm meaty filling with a hint of beer and whiskey, topped with delicious mashed potatoes!
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Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
1 hr 15 min
Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
1 hr 15 min
Filling
  1. 2 Carrots (grated)
  2. 1/2 An Onion (grated)
  3. 1 Can of Corn
  4. 3 Cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
  5. 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
  6. 1 Pkg. Veggie Beef, I used Gimme Lean
  7. 1 C. Textured Vegan Protein (TVP)
  8. 2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
  9. 2 C. Vegetable Broth
  10. 1 Bottle Vegan ale, I used Yuengling
  11. 2 Tbsp. Vegan Whiskey
  12. 1 tsp. Thyme
  13. Salt and Pepper to taste
Potato Topping
  1. 6-8 Yukon Gold Potatoes ( depending on size)
  2. 1/3 C. Vegan butter, I used Earth Balance
  3. 3 Cloves of garlic (chopped)
For the Filling
  1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil, and add the carrot.
  2. Sweat the carrot for a few minutes then add the onion, corn and garlic.
  3. Cook for a few minutes, then add the veggie beef. Using a spoon or smasher, smash the veggie beef and start to brown.
  4. Add the TVP, tomato paste and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir together. The TVP will start to absorb the liquid.
  5. Add the ale and whiskey, then the thyme.
  6. Reduce down for about 15 minutes, the filling will thicken up. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Set aside while you make the potatoes.
For the Potatoes
  1. Peel and chop the potatoes.
  2. Boil until soft.
  3. Mash with the vegan butter and garlic.
  4. Salt to taste.
  5. Preheat oven to 375.
  6. In a large baking dish, scoop the filling into the bottom and smooth out.
  7. Scoop the potatoes on top and smooth out. Scrap with a fork to create texture.
  8. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. You can broil for a few minutes as well if you want to brown the top more.
Rabbit and Wolves https://www.rabbitandwolves.com/

 

Vegan Sweet Chipotle Tofu Fingers

by 3 Comments

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When I was a kid, my dad would experiment with different chicken wings. He would make up a bunch of different sauce combinations, and toss a few wings into each and give them a try. My dad loves to cook, and experiment, and from a very young age, he inspired me greatly. He instilled in me how amazing it is to eat whole foods, non-processed junk and to eat all my veggies! In the 80’s and 90’s, everyone was always so impressed that my dad loved to cook, was raising kids by himself, had a full time job and still managed to make most of our meals from scratch. My dad is a hardworking bad ass, who is madly in love with chicken wings, and this recipe is dedicated to him.

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One of the best sauces my dad made, was his sweet and spicy sauce. However, from what I remember, he used ketchup and sugar. So, probably not the healthiest choice, and then there is the matter of the chicken. I thought about what protien I could get crispy and firm enough without frying, and tofu was my answer. Yes, these babies are baked not fried, with a refined sugar-free sauce. I felt pretty guilt-free downing a couple of these tofu fingers.

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I dried and pressed the tofu for a good amount of time first, also pro-vegan tip, salt the tofu before you press it, it will draw out even more moisture! Then I baked the tofu sticks at a high temperature for a while, and bam! Super crispy, crunchy, so amazing, no one will know it isn’t fried tofu fingers! Then I tossed it in the best damn sauce you have every tasted, dunked it in some vegan ranch and holy crap! You will never look at tofu the same way again. Boring old tofu, hell no!

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So, to make these tofu fingers so crispy and dreamy, besides the baking at a high temperature, the dredging process is key. Three bowls, three steps, vegan buttermilk, flour with salt and pepper and panko bread crumbs. My pro tip for this process, and to keep your sanity, use one hand for the wet and the other hand for dry ones! Makes life so much easier. I promise this is not a complicated process. You are on your way to one of the greatest things ever.

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Yum, yum. In the oven they go. The sauce is a quick process done in a small sauce pan heated for a few minutes until thickened and you are ready to go! Hope you enjoy!

Vegan Sweet Chipotle Tofu Fingers

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Created by Lauren Hartmann on October 27, 2016

  • Prep Time: 1h 30m
  • Cook Time: 45m
  • Total Time: 2h 15m
  • Serves: 6
  • Yield: About 20 tofu fingers
  • Category:

Ingredients

Tofu Fingers

  • 1 Block Extra firm tofu
  • 1 c All purpose flour
  • Dash of salt and pepper
  • 2 c Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 c Almond milk
  • 1 tsp. Lemon juice
  • 1/4 c Coconut oil

Sweet Chipotle Sauce

  • 1/2 c Tomato sauce
  • 1/2 c Agave nectar
  • 1 tbsp. Hot sauce
  • 1 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. Garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Chipotle powder
  • 1/3 c Cold water
  • 2 tbsp. Cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Cut tofu into sticks, salt and press in between paper towels for at least an hour.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. With three large bowls, put flour and salt and pepper in one bowl, panko in another and almond milk with lemon juice in the last one.
  3. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread coconut oil or oil of choice on the bottom of the pan.
  4. Dip each tofu stick into flour,then almond milk mixture and then into panko. Make sure they are fully coated. Place each stick onto the baking sheet and repeat until all are breaded. Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes. Flipping over each tofu stick half way through the cooking process so they brown on both sides. They are finished when brown and crispy.
  5. While the tofu is baking, in a small sauce pan, whisk all the sauce ingredients together, except the cold water and cornstarch. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and in a small bowl, mix together the cold water and corn starch. Add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce pan and whisk. Simmer for about five minutes until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings.
  6. Once the tofu is done, toss in the sauce and serve! I recommend a vegan ranch dressing to dip in, but plain ones are mighty fine as well!
Source: Rabbit and Wolves
 
 

Vegan Lobster (Mushroom) Bisque

by 10 Comments

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I am always trying to find ways to make it easier to be a vegan, and live a healthier lifestyle, for me and everyone. About six months ago, my husband and I were perusing the Fresh Market, and were looking at dried mushrooms. I had been eyeing the lobster mushrooms for a while, and we got to discussing making a “lobster” bisque with them. We both thought this was pretty genius. So, I set about to concoct the most delicious seafoody bisque ever, and I think I have achieved that. It is perfect, I am pretty proud of myself. It tastes just like I remember a seafood bisque tasting. It has been a while, but I still feel confident that is very close.

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Fun fact, Lobster mushrooms are not actually mushrooms (I just learned this, thanks to an IG friend!) They are a parasitic fungi that grows on mushrooms, but they have good amount of fiber, protein, calcium and iron. Score! They are also delicious and have a great texture, and are beautiful!

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This recipe has a few steps, making it a little messy, but all in all after the soaking of the cashews it was pretty quick. Also, you are really just blending, and adding things, so I feel like it isn’t very complicated and you don’t need to be a super experienced cook to master it. The cream is just four ingredients blended, and the rest is just a few veggies sauteed and liquids added.

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Aren’t these so beautiful? The first picture is while they are dried and the second is after I soaked them for a while and they became soft. They turn such a beautiful bright color and are an amazing meaty texture that is perfect for the bisque. You can definitely use other mushrooms for this, if you can’t find lobster mushrooms, but I highly recommend getting lobster mushrooms!

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This is creamy, dreamy, warm, and seafoody amazingness! I can’t think of much better than a creamy soup on a cold day, except, a vegan gluten-free creamy soup on a cold day! I hope you enjoy!

Have any questions or feedback for me? Leave me a comment, I would love to hear from you!

Tools and things you will need:

Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-75BC 200 Watt 2 Speed Hand Blender (Brushed Chrome)
Dried Lobster Mushrooms – 4 oz. Life Gourmet Shop
KitchenAid KSB1570SL 5-Speed Blender with 56-Ounce BPA-Free Pitcher – Silver

Vegan Lobster(Mushroom) Bisque

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Created by Lauren Hartmann on October 7, 2016

  • Prep Time: 30m
  • Cook Time: 15m
  • Total Time: 45m
  • Serves: 4
  • Yield: 1 Quart of soup
  • Category:

Ingredients

  • 1 c Cashews, raw(soaked for at least 3 hours)
  • 1 c Vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp. Kelp powder
  • 1 tbsp. Cornstarch
  •  
  • 1 tbsp. Olive oil
  • 1 Shallot, minced
  • 1/2 c Carrots, diced
  • 1/2 c Celery, diced
  • 3 Garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp. Tomato paste
  • 4 c Vegetable broth
  • 1 c White wine
  • 2 c Dried Lobster mushrooms (soaked)
  • 1 tsp. Smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp. Thyme
  • 1/4 tsp. Cayenne
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. After soaking cashews for 3 hours or up to overnight, add them to a blender with 1 C. of veggie broth, kelp powder and cornstarch. Blend until smooth this will take a few minutes. Set aside. Start soaking the lobster mushrooms, soak for a few minutes until they are soft.
  2. In a large soup pot, add olive oil and heat on medium. Add the shallot, garlic, celery and carrot to the pot and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes until they begin to soften.
  3. Add the tomato paste and stir into the veggies. Add the broth, wine, cashew cream mixture, softened mushrooms and all the seasonings. Bring to a soft boil, then reduce to low heat and cook for about 10 minutes to develop flavor and finish cooking everything.
  4. At this point you can puree some of the soup either with an immersion blender, or putting about half the soup in the blender, pureeing, then returning to the pot. You don’t want to puree it all unless you don’t want any texture and want it completely creamy, so I suggest just pureeing half.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste and adjust flavoring as you need it. Serve immediately!
Source: Rabbit and Wolves
 
 

Vegan Wonton Soup

by 2 Comments

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Make this, I promise you will thank me later! I have been dreaming about wonton soup recently, like literally, picturing myself slurping up that fragrant broth and biting into the tender dumplings filled with deliciousness! Once upon a time, I lived in Brooklyn, and you can get amazing Chinese food all over the place. There is one place in particular that I miss, and that is an all vegan Chinese restaurant in my brother’s neighborhood in Brooklyn. They deliver to his apartment, and there is literally nothing better on a cold day than getting Chinese delivery and chowing down without having to go anywhere. Well, it just so happens that they have a mighty fine vegan wonton soup. I love it, I dream of it, and now, I think I have made something just as good!

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Amazing fragrant broth with ginger, garlic and shallots, a bit of tang with some rice wine vinegar, and you have something I could just drink by itself. However, adding the meaty, garlicy, gingery tofu in an adorable little package makes it the greatest thing ever. I was able to find vegan wonton wrappers at my local Asian market, however I have been told this is not easy. So, I did a little research and tried out a couple of other things you can use. I found some fresh pasta sheets that were vegan, and I also found some fresh spring roll wrapper that you can use that were also vegan. So, you have a few options if you don’t get as lucky as me. I suppose if you are feeling super ambitious, you can also make your own. Just remember to cut the sheets into square if you use larger sheets.

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So, this is insanely easy. It requires a bit of prep with the chopping and filling and folding and all, but it was pretty quick. Here is an example of how to fold your wontons that is very simple, but you can really fold them however you like. I just like the way this looks, and I didn’t have any bust open.

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Alright, so go to the grocery store right now, pick up all the ingredients to make this and go do it! You will be pretty happy with yourself, at least I was. It is super comforting, light but filling at the same time, and slurping good!

Have any questions or feedback for me? I would love to hear from you!

Vegan Wonton Soup

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Created by Lauren Hartmann on October 5, 2016

  • Prep Time: 30m
  • Cook Time: 30m
  • Total Time: 1h
  • Serves: 6
  • Yield: 6 bowls of soup
  • Category:

Ingredients

Broth

  • 1 tbsp. Sesame oil
  • 3 Cloves of garlic
  • 1 Inch of ginger(grated)
  • 1/2 of a Shallot
  • 8 c No chicken broth or veggie broth
  • tbsp. Rice wine vinegar

Filling

  • 2 tbsp. Coconut oil
  • 1 Block of Extra firm tofu
  • 1 tbsp. Liquid smoke
  • 2 tbsp. Soy sauce
  • 3 Cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 of a Shallot
  • 1 inch of ginger(grated)
  • 3 Green onions

For serving

  • Vegan wonton wrappers or vegan fresh pasta sheets or vegan spring roll wrapper(what ever you can find)
  • Green onions

Instructions

  1. Crumble tofu, and set on a paper towel and place another paper towel over, and press down. While the tofu is drying, add the sesame oil to a large soup pot and heat on medium. Chop garlic and shallot really small and grate the ginger.(you can do this for both the filling and broth at the same time if you want)
  2. Add garlic, ginger and shallot to the soup pot, and stir. Bring down the heat and cook for a few minutes to start softening and flavoring the oil.
  3. Add the 8 cups of broth and bring down to a simmer. Add the rice wine vinegar and let simmer while you prepare the wonton filling.
  4. In a wok or large pan, add the coconut oil and heat on medium. Chop up the garlic and shallot if you haven’t already and grate the ginger. Add to the pan. Stir for a few minutes to get them soft and then add the crumbled tofu(it should all be crumbled so it looks like ground meat)
  5. Cook tofu on medium-high for about 5 minutes stirring pretty consistently as it starts to brown, but you don’t want it to stick(if it starts to stick add more coconut oil.) Once it has browned and cooked a bit, add the liquid smoke and soy sauce.
  6. Cook a few more minutes, then turn the heat off and add the chopped green onion at the end. Stir in and let cool for a few minutes.
  7. Once the broth is seasoned to your liking and the filling is done, take out your wrappers(if you could only find large wrapper that were vegan, cut into squares)
  8. Place a tsp. of filling in the center of each wonton, wet the sides with water and press together in triangle form and then wet the ends of the triangle and fold together. (See pictures for reference) or you can really fold them however you want!
  9. When ready to eat, take the broth off the heat and add the wontons. Let sit for a few minutes, and then serve immediately, they cook fast! Top with green onion!
Source: Rabbit and Wolves
 
 

Vegan Caesar Salad with Garlic Parmesan Croutons

by 1 Comment

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All salads are not created equal, and I have to say, this salad falls into a new category of totally amazingly delicious salads. Young Lauren also thought all salads were healthy. I had decided that if you put anything on top of lettuce it automatically made it a health food.  I would put cheese and croutons and ranch on top of lettuce and feel super proud of myself for eating a meal that was really good for me. Ha ha. I could fill a room with stuff I did not know about being healthy, and now I think I could fill a stadium with things I do know. One of my favorite, not-so-healthy-salads, was a Caesar salad. I loved the creamy dressing and the crispy croutons and the crisp romaine. When I became a vegetarian was the first time I actually realized the dressing was not only not vegan, but also not vegetarian.

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Sadness, I really felt like I was missing out on that Caesar dressing taste I loved. I soon forgot about it though, as I did with many meaty food items I use to partake of. Then, a few years ago, my husband and I were in Gainesville, Florida, and there is an amazing restaurant there called The Top. I love it, they have so many vegetarian and vegan dishes, but also plenty of meat for those who are interested in that (like my husband). They have pecan crusted tofu to die for. I also discovered that their Caesar salad is vegetarian, and this was when I was still vegetarian and not fully vegan. So, I was super pumped and devoured it. Since becoming vegan, I have had the wheels turning, thinking of all the ways I could make a delicious vegan version of my beloved Caesar dressing and how to make some amazing croutons that taste cheesy. Thus this salad was born, and I would wager a guess that it is actually healthy. I added some more veggies, and made the dressing full of protein with a few calories as possible. It it also pretty fool proof, and you can change the seasonings pretty easily for your preferences.

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These are literally the most delicious croutons I have ever had, by the way. They smelled so amazing, I ate a “few” right when they came out of the oven. I really hope you enjoy this versatile salad. You can really create whatever you want using the dressing and croutons, add your favorite veggies or protein. The next day I added vegan chicken strips to it and had a vegan chicken caesar salad! Have fun!

Vegan Caesar Salad

Posted on by rabbitandwolves85

Created by rabbitandwolves85 on September 12, 2016

  • Prep Time: 2h
  • Cook Time: 10m
  • Total Time: 2h 15m
  • Yield: 4 Salads
  • Category:

INGREDIENTS

Caesar Dressing

  • 1 1/4 c Cashews, raw(soaked for at least 2 hours)
  • 1/4 c Almond milk
  • 2 tbsp. Olive oil
  • 1 tbsp. Capers
  • 2 tbsp. Nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp. Mustard
  • 3 Cloves of garlic
  • 1 tbsp. Rice wine vinegar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp. Agave nectar
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Garlic Parmesan Croutons

  • 1 Loaf of Ciabatta
  • 2 tbsp. Nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp. Garlic powder
  • 2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/4 c Olive oil

Veggies

  • Romaine

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Soak cashews for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut ciabatta into cubes. Place in a mixing bowl and add the other crouton ingredients. Toss until all of the bread is covered with oil and seasoning.
  3. Bake at 450 for 5-10 minutes being careful not to burn them, but that they get firm and crispy!
  4. Add all of the ceasar dressing to a high speed blend. Blend on high until nice and smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning to desired flavor.
  5. When croutons are finished, let them cool, and chop your romaine lettuce and any other veggies you want. Top with croutons, dressing and more nutritional yeast(if you want)
  6. Enjoy!
Source: Rabbit and Wolves