Cabbage Stew

Not everyone likes cabbage, and the smell it makes while cooking isn't particularly appealing. However, mixed in with other things while it cooks, and you won't even notice.

Cabbage Stew

One package sliced mushrooms
4 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
One onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. basil
1 t. oregano
1 t. paprika
1 t. salt
1 t. thyme
4 c. vegetable broth
One large can diced tomatoes
One small can tomato paste
Half a head of cabbage, chopped
2 T. apple cider vinegar

Saute in oil or water the mushrooms, celery, carrots, and onion until the onions are softened. Add the garlic, seasonings, vegetable broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer about 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and simmer another 10 minutes, or until the all the vegetables are tender. Add the vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and serve. Enjoy!

Thai Style Coleslaw

Coleslaw is often a staple with barbecue. Some people, like my dad, preferred the more sour version. Me, I prefer a sweeter slaw. But I get bored of the typical slaw served in most restaurants. So, I like to try out different variations. This is one.

Thai Style Coleslaw

3 c. shredded cabbage (or just buy one bag of ready to go coleslaw in the produce section)
One carrot, shredded
One onion, sliced thin
2 t. dried mint
2 t. dried basil
2 T. lime juice
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. water
1 T. sugar
Toasted sesame seeds

Combine everything, except the sesame seeds, in a bowl and mix well. Let sit to blend flavors. Top with sesame seeds. Serve. Enjoy!

Hearty Vegetable Soup

It got down to the 30s here. Finally. I actually had to break out the throws for people to curl up under and keep their feet warm. It called for a hot and hearty soup.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
One onion, diced
One can diced tomatoes
1/3 c. uncooked rice
One head of cabbage, diced
2 zucchini, sliced
One can garbanzo beans, drained

Add all of the vegetables to a large Dutch oven, and fill with water. Bring it to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Season to taste. Serve. Enjoy!

Cabbage and Tomato Soup with Sausage

My husband's father used to make a cabbage soup that my son always loved. I think he likes my cruelty-free version much better!

Cabbage and Tomato Soup with Sausage

One onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
One head of cabbage, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
1/2 T. paprika
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
4 c. vegetable broth
1 c. water
Two links of sausage (I used Tofurky Kielbasa), sliced

In a large Dutch oven, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until softened. Mix in the paprika and stir to coat well. Add the cabbage, tomatoes, salt, pepper, broth and water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in the sausage and cover. Simmer until sausage is heated. Serve. Enjoy!

Vegan Corned Beef and Cabbage

On March 17, according to the  History Channel, everyone wants to be Irish. For those of us with Irish ancestry, it's an everyday thing!

I know corned beef isn't an Irish thing, it's really an American thing, but it is something we look forward to every year. When you are vegan, and Irish!, you look for ways to indulge cruelty-free, and it can be a challenge. I try out a different recipe every year to find one that everyone says, "This. This is it!" I came pretty close this year.

My daughter is a huge fan of the Meet the Shannons website. So when I found their recipe for Corned Beef-less Tips and Cabbage, I knew I had to try it. And it was delicious! It is made with Gardein Beefless Tips. The only complaint I have, and I'm not entirely sure how to fix that, is the pickling spices. They are an absolute must in duplicating the corned beef flavor, but they aren't fun to eat. Too often I found myself stopping chewing to pull out a little hard spice bit. I'm wondering if I could grind them up first, if that would work as well? It is definitely worth trying.

At any rate, this has been the best thus far and definitely a keeper.

Drunken Bean Stew

My ancestry is both Irish and German, with plenty of Viking thrown in for good measure. One would think that I could drink anyone under the table. Surprisingly, I'm not fond of the taste of strong liquor, and I've never actually acquired a taste for beer. Unbelievable with my ancestry, right? I like Belgian beer, because they are sweet, and my son concocted what my dad later told us is known as red beer. Beer mixed with tomato juice. I can drink that.

All of that aside, I really like cooking with alcohol. I'm not sure why I like the flavor it imparts food, but don't like drinking it straight. So when I come across a recipe that lists alcohol as an ingredient, I tend to want to try it.

Drunken Bean Stew

One can green beans
One can black beans
One can kidney beans
One can lima beans
One can pinto beans
One can corn
One quart of V8 juice
One can diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 bags frozen mixed vegetables
One small cabbage, diced
2 T. barley
3 cloves garlic, diced
One bottle of dark beer

Combine all the ingredients except for the beer in a large pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour. Add the beer and simmer another 45 minutes to an hour. Season to taste. Serve. Enjoy!

What I like about this stew is how adaptable it is. You can add or subtract the veggies to suit your taste. It is one of those recipes for a cold day and you don't want to go to the store, so you raid your pantry and freezer. Kind of like add a rock and you have stone soup.

Serve it up with some cornbread or a crusty bread that invites you to tear hunks off and slather with some vegan butter, and you've got a great filling meal.

Non-traditional Thanksgiving

You could say our Thanksgivings have been anything but traditional since we became vegan. Despite the lack of a turkey centerpiece, I still love the multitude of dishes that are made for the day. Leftovers!

This year we went to my parent's to celebrate with them. My father has had a turkey aversion for a few years now, after getting sick after eating some. While I would say that suits me fine, it hasn't stopped my parents from having some meat dish for the day's meal. This year my mom settled on ribs. Knowing that the vegans in my family wouldn't be eating any, and that I would be cooking later in the day for a second feast (my kids work retail and wouldn't be home until evening), I volunteered to make a couple of sides to accompany my mom's choice of macaroni and cheese (non-vegan, of course!)

I went with potato salad and coleslaw. Completely non-traditional, but certainly an accepted accompaniment for ribs.

Dill and Sour Cream Potato Salad

3 lbs. red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 T. fresh dill
1/2 t. black pepper
2/3 c. vegan mayonnaise
2 t. fresh parsley
One container vegan sour cream
1/2 t. salt

Boil the unpeeled potatoes until tender, about 20-30 minutes. Drain and cool. Refrigerate them until ready to mix with remaining ingredients.
When ready, add remaining ingredients to the chilled potatoes and mix well. Refrigerate again until serving time.

Tri-Color Coleslaw

One head red cabbage, shredded
One head green cabbage, shredded
One bunch kale, shredded
2/3 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. pumkin seeds
Vegan mayonnaise

Mix all the ingredients together with enough mayonnaise to coat well, but not too juicy. This makes a LOT of coleslaw, so make sure you are feeding a crowd!

My mom loves potato salad and my dad loves coleslaw, so the choices were a success. My husband thought the potato salad needed more salt (I tend to use less because of his propensity for salting at the table before tasting) and my dad doctored his coleslaw servings with more mayo (he likes his creamier), but everyone else thought the dishes were just right.

Personal preferences aside, try these out at your next cookout or non-traditional feast. Enjoy!

Rosemary Stew

Someone offered me a couple of rosemary bushes awhile back. The poor things didn't survive the transplant, but before they passed I harvested as much of it as I could. I love the smell every time I open the container I put it all in.

Rosemary Stew

Olive oil
One onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 t. rosemary
One small head of cabbage, shredded
2 cans white beans, drained
4 c. vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste

In a Dutch over over medium heat, cook the onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots and rosemary in the olive oil. Cover and stir occasionally until the vegetables have softened a little. Add the cabbage, beans, broth, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, cover and simmer until all of the veggies are fork soft.

Serve with some good bread and butter and enjoy!

Lettuce Wrap

I just had the tastiest lunch, so wanted to type this up before I forget the ingredients!

Lettuce Wrap

Shredded red and green cabbage
Julienned carrots
Cucumber sticks
Few sprigs of cilantro
Chopped peanuts
Thai peanut sauce
Romaine lettuce

Layer cabbage, carrots, cilantro and cucumber sticks on top of the romaine. Pour peanut sauce over the vegetables and sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top. Roll the entire thing up in the lettuce, burrito style. Enjoy!

I'll need to find a recipe for a peanut sauce now. This was slightly sweet. It was messy to eat, but truly finger lickin' good!

Tempeh with Cabbage and Potatoes

When I was younger, my mom would make this dish she called skillet hash. It was ground beef with potatoes and some kind of gravy, but the concoction was quite tasty. I've gone the way of cruelty-free for awhile now, but this dish I made reminded me an awful lot of that skillet hash of my childhood.

Tempeh with Cabbage and Potatoes

Olive oil
One onion, chopped
Half a head of cabbage, shredded
3 potatoes, diced (I always leave the skin on)
1/2 c. water
salt and pepper to taste
Smoky tempeh (recipe follows)

Saute the onion on the olive oil until softened. Add cabbage, potatoes, water and seasonings, cover and cook about 12-15 minutes. Uncover, cook until vegetables are soft, and add the tempeh. Cook until flavors are nicely blended, about 10 minutes.

Smoky Tempeh

One package of plain tempeh
3 T. soy sauce
3 T. water
1-1/2 t. liquid smoke
1 T. olive oil

Cook tempeh in water over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Crumble the tempeh (I use my little food processor). Mix the soy sauce, water and liquid smoke together. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh and cook until browned, then add the liquid mixture. Stir to coat the tempeh well and continue cooking until the tempeh is evenly coated and the liquid is absorbed.

The smoky tempeh is good in any recipe that calls for crumbled bacon. I like mine in grits. Yes, I'm from the South.

Next time I make this dish, I'm going to chop the potato much finer, to more resemble the skillet hash my mom made.

Emerald Isle Pot Pie

I don't think there is anything easier to throw together for supper when you use premade pie crusts. Add the ingredients and pop it in the oven and voila! Supper!

Emerald Isle Pot Pie

Premade frozen double crust
Any vegetables you like, chopped
Vegetable broth
Olive oil

Saute the chopped vegetables in the olive oil until softened. Add a little vegetable broth to moisten. Add sauteed vegetables to the pie crust and top with second pie crust. Poke a few holes with a fork on the top crust. Place pot pie on a cookie sheet, and bake at 375 for about 30-40 minutes until the crust is golden. Enjoy!

 The veggies I used were onion, cabbage, potatoes, green pepper, green onions, collards. Throw in some herbs like dill, thyme, sage or any you love. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This is one of the most versatile dishes you can ever make! I made mine for with lots of greens to celebrate my Irish heritage.