Veganized Rachael Ray: Mushroom-spinach Bread-zagna

Mr Pescador is a “meat and potatoes” kind of guy.  Love her or hate her, Rachael Ray (in my opinion) has mastered comforting, home-style recipes that appeal to the Standard American Diet.  So I’ve started veganizing her recipes to make healthier foods that still have the flavors Mr Pescador is used to.  When I first made this recipe, I followed her directions exactly and I wasn’t crazy about the bread slices on the bottom of the casserole – completely mushy and gross.  I’ve since modified her recipe to make it more of a crostini-style recipe, which is more to my taste.  If you prefer, you can follow her original recipe.

Vegan Mushroom & Spinach Bread-zagna

Original Rachael Ray recipe here

2 c unsweetened plain non-dairy milk (I used rice)

¼ c nutritional yeast

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

6 slices peasant-style bread, cut into 1” thick slices

¼ c olive oil

8 oz cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, chopped

4 c spinach leaves, chiffonaded

¼ c shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp dried ground thyme

¼ c dry white wine

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a bowl, combine milk, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and onion powder.  Whisk until well combined.  Soak bread slices, put in greased casserole dish, and bake in the oven for 30-45 min (until bread is golden and crispy).

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet.  Brown the mushrooms until tender and dark.  Add shallots and garlic, and cook until softened.  Deglaze the pan with the wine, add the thyme, and cook until wine reduces and becomes thick.

To serve, scoop mushroom-spinach mix over top of the bread.

Party Mix

Merry Christmas!  While we're all celebrating with loved ones, I thought I'd share my version of Chex mix.  I don't know why I only make it during the holidays because it's honestly my favorite holiday treat (batch #3 for the month is in the oven right now).

5 c Chex cereal, name brand or generic (you can use just 1 kind - I stick to corn - or you can mix and match to total 5 cups)
3 c Cheerios, name brand or generic
2 c pretzels (I like the sticks best, but you can use any of the shapes)
2 c nuts (use any kind or kinds you want)
1/3 c butter, melted (or use olive oil instead
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp all-season salt

Preheat oven to 250F.

Combine cereals, pretzels and nuts in a roasting pan.  Melt butter, then mix in olive oil (if using), soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder and all-season salt.  Pour over mix in roasting pan, and gently stir to distribute the liquid (I use a spatula so it doesn't crush the cereal).  Bake for 1 hour, gently stirring every 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and spread out on cookie sheets or towels to cool.  Store in an airtight container - if you don't eat it all while it's cooling! :)

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

I got this recipe off Food.com, substituting agave nectar for honey.

6 oz fresh cranberries, washed

¼ c agave nectar

2 Tbsp packed brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

3/8 c orange, apple or pineapple juice (1/4 c + 2 Tbsp)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 min (until cranberries have burst and sauce has thickened).

Serve cold or at room temperature. Sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance.

A Stuffing Recipe

12 oz Pepperidge Farm Sage & Onion Stuffing

1.5 Tbsp oil

4 Tbsp vegan butter/margarine

½ c onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

½ Tbsp garlic, minced

1.5 c vegetable broth

½ c white wine

½ tsp poultry seasoning

½ tsp sage

1-2 Tbsp melted vegan butter/margarine

Preheat oven to 350F.

Heat oil and butter in a pan. Saute onion, celery and garlic until they start to soften, about 5 min. Add the herbs, cook a minute or two, then add the broth and wine. Simmer for 5 min.

Meanwhile, lightly grease a small roasting pan. Add bread cubes and liquid, tossing lightly to combine. Brush top with oil or melted butter. Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 min or until browned and crispy.

Green Bean Casserole

To come up with this recipe, I combined and tweaked several recipes (including Tofu'n'Sproutz's country gravy as the base for my homemade cream of mushroom soup)

1 bag frozen green beans, cooked according to package directions

½ c cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, diced

1 Tbsp vegan butter/margarine

½ Tbsp garlic, minced

1.5 Tbsp vegan butter/margarine

1/3 c flour

2 c unsweetened rice/oat milk

1/8 tsp salt

1 can French fried onions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cook green beans according to package directions. Set in colander to drain.

In a skillet, cook mushrooms and garlic in 1 Tbsp butter. Remove from skillet and set aside. Place skillet on med-high heat for 1 min or until heated. Add 1.5 Tbsp butter and melt. Whisk flour into the butter and cook over low heat for 1-2 min (to remove raw flour taste, roux shouldn’t turn golden/brown).

Remove skillet from heat and whisk in milk, a little at a time to prevent clumps. Add salt and mushroom mix, and return to med-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Once simmering, stir continuously until gravy thickens.

In a casserole dish, combine green beans and mushroom gravy. Bake, covered, in oven for 20-30 min or until cooked through and bubbly.  Add onions and bake uncovered for 10-15 min or until onions are lightly browned.

Holiday Gravy

2 Tbsp oil

½ c flour

3 c vegetable broth (or 3 c hot water + 1 bouillon cube)

¼ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp garlic powder

4 tsp nutritional yeast

¼ c soy sauce

Whisk together oil & flour in a sauce pan over medium heat until the roux starts to turn golden.  Slowly whisk in remaining ingredients and heat until thickened and bubbly.

Mini lentil loaves

As promised, here's the first of my Thanksgiving recipes, mini lentil loaves.  I bake them in a petite loaf pan, so they come out as little individually sized loaves - which makes it easy to freeze some for later!

Mini Lentil Loaves
Makes 8 mini loaves

1.5 c red lentils

3 c water

2 Tbsp flax

6 Tbsp warm water

1 c rolled oats

½ c diced onion

6 Tbsp ketchup

4 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp dried basil

½ tsp seasoning salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease loaf pan.

 2. In a saucepan, combine lentils & 3 c water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until cooked and most of water is absorbed, about 20 min. Mash.

 3. Combine flax & 6 Tbsp warm water. Set aside for 5 min.

 4. In a bowl, combine lentils, oats and onion. Add flax mix, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, basil and salt. Mix well, it should stick together and not be soupy (if it’s soupy, add more oats).

 5. Spray mini loaf pans with cooking spray. Evenly divide up lentil mixture. Even out the tops with a spatula or fork.

6. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until top is golden and crispy.

If you want a normal loaf size, you just need to increase the cooking time another 15-20 minutes.  When I'm not eating it smothered with holiday gravy, I like to eat it meatloaf-style with a drizzle of ketchup or sliced up in a sandwich.

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

A lot has happened since my last post over a year ago. I started my new job, which constantly threatens to swallow me up into the vast workaholic void where I'll never see my loved ones or kitchen again. But I sneak away when I can.

I got engaged. To an omni, Mr Pescador. But he eats what I cook for him and always tells me it's delicious, so we make it work. Last month we moved in together. I love our new place - it's closer to work (yay sleeping in 15 min more!) and the kitchen is huge. There's even enough cabinet space for all my gadgets.

Which brings me to Thanksgiving dinner. Mr Pescador's mom hosted on Thanksgiving day and she seems to take it as a personal affront if I bring my own meal, so I ate what I could and planned for my own totally veg Thanksgiving on Friday.

I'll be posting the recipes in a series of posts, but here's the menu (apologies for the horrible camera phone photo, much of my photography gear is still packed):

Mini lentil loaves (pictured), sage and onion stuffing (pictured), mashed potatoes with holiday gravy (pictured), green bean casserole (pictured), garlic and mustard glazed Brussels sprouts, sweet potato saute with pecans and cranberries, spiced cranberry sauce, and pumpkin-pecan pie. I like both pumpkin and pecan pies but I didn't want to bake 2 whole pies so I figured why choose?

It was great to spend time with family Thursday, but also to be able to cook and eat my version of a Thanksgiving feast Friday. I think I started a new tradition.