Beer and Cheese Potato Chowder

It has been one rollercoaster of a year so far. Health issues, the death of my beloved Siamese, Fergus, and just general mayhem. I am determined that this second half will be better. My daughter is getting married, so it most definitely will be grand!

With all that has been happening, I have sorely neglected my blogs. That ends today. I have had several friends asking for this recipe, so here it is!

Beer and Cheese Potato Chowder

2-3 lbs. potatoes, diced
One onion, diced
One stalk of celery, diced
One clove garlic, minced
1/4 t. pepper
16 oz. vegetable broth
One can of beer
2 c. shredded vegan cheddar cheese
1/2 c. vegan sour cream

Add all ingredients except for cheese and sour cream to a crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Stir in the cheese and sour cream and cover until it melts. Serve. Enjoy!

I added garlic and onion croutons, but it didn't really need it.

We Got the Beet Soup

Once again I am excited to be participating in the Virtual Vegan Potluck! This year you will find many recipes that feature beets as an ingredient. I hope you sample my offering!

We Got the Beet Soup

One package gardein beefless tips
4 c. vegetable broth
2 cans (or 4 fresh, precooked) cut beets, drained and rinsed
Potatoes, diced (depending on size, I used 5)
2 stalks celery, diced
One onion, chopped
1/4 c. vegan sour cream
2 T. flour
1 T. dill

In a large pot, add the beets, potatoes, celery and onion to the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to simmer, and let simmer for 30 minutes. Check for potato softness. Add the sour cream, flour, dill and beefless tips, stirring to blend well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow boil and heat through. Serve. Enjoy!

This goes very well with slices of buttered bread. I cup up the beets before eating the soup, and added a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

To visit the soups before and after mine, go here:

 

 

 

Seitanic Hash

When I gave birth to my first child years ago, my mom came up to stay with us. She did a lot of cooking for us, and shared many of her recipes. We weren't vegan at the time, but I still have all of those recipes, recorded on cards and filed in my recipe box. The beauty of them all were their simplicity.

One dish she made was hash. Hamburger and diced potatoes and onions, simmered in gravy. I've made similar, but this time around I did things a little differently. This is also a good dish to use up any leftover pot roast, like the one I made here.

Seitanic Hash

Leftover seitan pot roast, diced
Two large potatoes, diced
3 carrots, diced
One onion, diced
1/2 t. fennel seed
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

In a large skillet, sauté the pot roast, potatoes, carrots and onion until vegetables begin to soften. Add the seasonings and stir to mix well. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking, and add a little water if necessary. Serve with slices of buttered bread. Enjoy!

My Mom's Irish Stew

When I was a kid, my mom had the best recipes ever. Well, except for those rare times she would cook liver. One of her recipes was what she called Irish Stew. Now, I've looked up Irish stew recipes and none of them ever look like hers. So how her's came to be called Irish Stew, I will never understand. But I don't care. I loved it.

Which is why it was important to me to find a way to veganize it. My first attempt was using seitan, but I didn't like it as much. Enter Gardein Homestyle Beefless Tips and I've got a winner!

My Mom's Irish Stew - Veganized!

One package Gardein Homestyle Beefless Tips
Potatoes (the amount is your choice) cut into bite sized cubes
One can tomato sauce

Place everything into a pressure cooker and stir well to coat, attach the lid and turn the temp to high. When the little top knob begins to rock, turn the temp down until the knob is rocking gently. Let cook about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and do a quick release of pressure. Make sure the steam is aimed AWAY from you!

I like to eat mine with a good loaf of bread and butter.

Ah, childhood memories!

Garlicky Garbanzos and Friends

When life gets full around my house, we have a tendency to fall back on family favorites like rice and beans, spaghetti, salads, quick and easy foods because we are hungry and have limited time for food preparation. It's why I always love slower days, when I can feel like I am actually cooking! Even if it does turn out to be relatively simple to prepare and involves canned goods, it is time I spend in front of the stove, in the kitchen, doing more than throwing something together.

Garlicky Garbanzos and Friends

Olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 t. dried basil
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
2 cans diced potatoes, drained
2 cans garbanzos (chickpeas), drained
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans spinach, drained

Saute the garlic, basil and red pepper flakes in the olive oil until they become fragrant (which is pretty quick). Stir in the canned veggies, bring to a boil, cover, then simmer about 10-15 minutes.

This was really delicious and required no added seasonings. What leftovers I had were still just as tasty reheated.