Day 149: Vegan Meatball Subs

Original Source: Me :)

My daughter has apparently become so SICK of hearing why I'm trying to transition to veganism that she has decided to give in rather than fight it! Keep in mind, my kids and husband are not forced to cut animals from their diet, and so her "free will" decision was a super proud moment for me! While leaning more toward vegetarianism than veganism, she asked me if I could make her a meatless meatball sub that could taste fantastic. I agreed to try.

The result ended up with THIS post from her on instagram....

She was quite pleased, and this will indeed become a very regular meal in our home!

Serves 4

What you need:
Ready? It's super complicated.
4 Sub rolls
1 Jar Vegetarian Marinara sauce
1 bag of Gardein Meatless meatballs (Nate's are also great!)


What to do:

Set oven to broil.

1. Place marinara sauce in a large skillet. Add frozen "meatballs" and about 1/2 a cup of water. Simmer until meatballs are warm all the way through (about 12-15 min)
2. Slice rolls down the middle, keeping them in tact. Scoop out a bit of the bread in each one to make room for meatballs.
3. Broil rolls, open-faced, for 1-3 minutes, checking constantly so they don't burn. When edges of cuts begin to crisp, remove from oven and fill with 3-4 meatballs per sandwich, depending on length of rolls. Scoop a little extra sauce on each, sprinkle with vegan Parmesan cheese (I use Go Veggie!) and serve. SO DAMNED GOOD.

The second time I made these, I scooped them boat-style instead of a slice down the side.

ENJOY!

Day 148: Red Beans and Rice (Vegan)

Original Source: My Recipes

So the original recipe for this is not vegan, as it included andouille sausage. However, that's easily modified by simply omitting the sausage altogether or using a vegan sausage instead. (I have not tried the latter and can't vouch for it, but omitting it altogether resulted in a fantastic meal regardless!)

• 1 lb dried red beans
• 7 cups of water (Plus an additional cup if needed upon checking halfway through)
• 1 large green bell pepper or 2 small, diced
• 1/2-1 whole white onion, chopped (depending on taste.)
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 lb vegan andouille sausage (optional)
• 3 TB creole seasoning
• green onions for garnish, optional

Add all ingredients except green onions to slow cooker and cook on high for 7-8 hours or until beans are soft. Serve over rice and top with green onions if desired.

This is one of my new favorite go-tos. I forgot to take pictures last time I made it, but as it is cooking in my kitchen as I type this, I will likely add some this evening. ENJOY!

Day 147: Cashew Sour Cream

Original Source: Cafe Johnsonia

I love Tofutti's brand of dairy free sour cream, even more than I ever used to love the original. But it is a bit pricey so I wanted to try my own.

Here's what I discovered.... cashews are as expensive as #^@^@! Also, mine came out way creamier/thicker than the picture above. The taste was fine, even really good. But I'm not sure the time/effort/money was worth it. I think stopping and grabbing my Tofutti brand might just be easier! Regardless, give it a go if you're looking for a dairy-free alternative and have cashews to spare.

Get the recipe here

Day 146: MIA

I have been sadly MIA lately. I know this. Primarily, this is due to a dietary change I've been working through since April. Mostly, it was cutting out land animals, which has turned into veganizing 90% of my diet with the goal of not having to qualify that with a percentage this year.

I won't go into why here. It's nobody's business but my own. All I will say is it feels right for me.

So here forth, the recipes I post will be at the very least vegetarian... and more than likely will be recipes I've adapted to be so.

We could all do with more veggies, folks.

Hang in there!

Fan Favorite Repost - Cream Cheese Pancakes

So full of protein, I'm not surprised people keep coming back to this post. Just a couple ingredients, quick to make, and oh so tasty. I've found a lovely non-dairy cream cheese to try next time along with an egg substitute so maybe I can actually enjoy these again.

CREAM CHEESE PANCAKES

Day 145: Corn Salsa

Original Source: The Food Network

I was looking for something really fresh and healthy to use as a dip and came across this recipe on the food network. I gave it a go and it wasn't bad. It was a bit too liquidy for me (I'm sure due to a fault of mine and not the recipe) and I found it was even runnier the next day. I did however love love love it on top of some black bean enchiladas I made the next night!

I would imagine this would be fantastic on top of a veggie, cheeseless pizza as well!

In this picture, you can see the liquid overload I was talking about.

GET THE RECIPE HERE

Day 144: Vegetarian Enchiladas

Original source: Me

I've been looking for ways to cut a lot of meat and dairy out of my diet, and one of my family's favorite meals is meaty enchiladas smothered in cheese. I wanted to make them taste as close to my original recipe as possible, but without all the animal product. This was the result, and I can tell you, it's fantastic. You will notice in the picture above, that the left side of the enchiladas are cheesy. The right side is not. That was the side I ate, but I was assured by the family that the cheesy side was great too!

What you'll need:
(serves 6)
6 big tortillas
2 cans of enchilada sauce
2 cans vegetarian refried beans
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of corn (optional but recommended)
Cheese of your choice if desired
Nutritional yeast if desired (a nice replacement for cheesy flavor)
Optional toppings: tomatoes, onions, black olives, sour cream (I used a dairy free sour cream), parsley, cilantro, guacamole... basically anything you usually love with these flavors.

What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat the bottom of a baking dish with about half a can of enchilada sauce.

Assemble enchiladas:

1. Place on tortilla on a plate/cutting board/clean counter.
2. spread about 1/4 cup of refried beans in center of tortilla
3. top with about 1/4 cup of black beans
4. add a bit of cheese here if you choose, or sprinkle on some nutritional yeast if you just want a cheesy flavor but not all the fat from dairy.
5. roll tortilla into a burrito that's open at both ends and place, seam side against the casserole dish. (each subsequent tortilla will be placed seam side against the previous enchilada)
6. Continue until dish is full of enchiladas (about 6)

Next:

Cover the enchiladas with enchilada sauce, making sure all of the tortillas are covered well. (don't forget the corners!) This usually takes the rest of the opened can I used for the bottom of the dish, and then a bit of the second can also. I keep the other can open for My Guy who likes extra sauce when we pull them out of the oven and some of the sauce has dried up.

Top with cheese if desired. Sprinkle with remaining black beans and corn (if using) and any other toppings you chose. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until cheese is bubbly or (if not using cheese) the sauce darkens and partially dries up. (Baking time should be less for these WITHOUT cheese). You do not want your tortillas to dry out and become brittle, so if needed, add a little more sauce if you're not using cheese.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa or whatever you please. Enjoy!

I know this isn't a pretty picture, but it was damned good!