Holiday Archives » I LOVE VEGAN

Vegan Mushroom Gravy

Brittany — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 15:05:24 +0000

This vegan mushroom gravy is deep, flavourful, and luscious. Sliced cremini mushrooms, minced onion and garlic, vegetable broth, soy sauce, and miso make this vegan gravy hearty and robust.

Pour this easy vegan mushroom gravy over Tofurky Roast, lentil loaf, mashed potatoes, vegetable stuffing, or holiday smashed potatoes. Use up leftovers in a holiday shepherd's pie!

What kind of mushrooms are best for vegan gravy?

White button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, and portobellos are all the same variety of mushroom but at different states of maturity.

White button mushrooms, the youngest of the bunch, are pale and tender with mild flavour. When thin-sliced and cooked, white buttons tend to lose their shape and fall apart.

Cremini mushrooms are a little more mature than white button mushrooms. They're still small, but they have brown skins (with white flesh) and a firm, sturdy texture.

Portobellos are fully mature. They're large, open-capped, and have a hearty, meaty texture, and robust flavour. Due to their large size, they need to cut down to make this vegan gravy.

The middle-aged Cremini mushrooms are just right. Their small size, contrasting colours, and hearty texture make them ideal for making vegan mushroom gravy. They hold a clean shape even after cooking, resulting in a gravy that tastes great and looks appealing.

Feel free to experiment with different varieties of mushrooms.

Vegan Holiday Recipes to Pair with Mushroom Gravy

Vegan Mushroom Gravy

★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews

Author: Brittany Mueller
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 3 cups
Category: Sauces
Method: Simmering
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

This vegan mushroom gravy is deep, flavourful, and luscious. Sliced cremini mushrooms, minced onion and garlic, vegetable broth, soy sauce, and miso make this vegan gravy hearty and robust.

Ingredients

4 tbsp (60 ml) vegan butter or canola/olive oil
¼ cup (40 grams) minced onion (approx. ¼ onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups (230 grams - 1 small package) sliced cremini or white button mushrooms (approx. 12 mushrooms)
3 tbsp (35 grams) all-purpose flour
2 cups (500 ml) vegetable broth
½ cup (125 ml) water
1 ½ tbsp (23 ml) soy sauce
1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) white (shiro) miso, (optional)
Black pepper, to taste
Fresh or dried thyme, to taste (optional)

Instructions

If using, mix miso with a little bit of the vegetable broth to smooth out any lumps.
Heat vegan butter or oil over medium heat. Once the butter is hot, add the minced onion and garlic. Cook until the onion appears translucent (about 2 minutes).
Add the sliced mushrooms and stir, cooking until the mushrooms are just soft (about 3 minutes).
Add the flour and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. It's normal for the flour to stick to the bottom of the pot and begin to brown.
Slowly and gradually stir in the vegetable broth and water. If the liquid is added too quickly the gravy will have lumps in it. Avoid whisking in the liquid to avoid breaking up the mushroom slices. If necessary, scrape any bits of flour or vegetables off of the bottom of the pot as you add the liquid.
Stir in the soy sauce and miso.
Simmer until the gravy reaches your desired consistency (3-5 minutes). The gravy will thicken as it cools to a comfortable temperature for eating. Thin with water if needed.
Taste and adjust seasoning with black pepper and thyme.

Notes

Fore best results, cremini mushrooms are recommended. White button or portobello mushrooms will work just fine but won't look as appealing.

Store in refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat.

Keywords: vegan gravy, vegan mushroom gravy

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Vegan Vegetable Walnut Stuffing

Brittany — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 08:54:53 +0000

Vegan Vegetable Walnut Stuffing

This vegan stuffing has a crisp golden-brown top and a perfectly soft center. Finely chopped walnuts, nutritional yeast and mushrooms add robust depth to this hearty holiday side dish. Fresh thyme and oregano adds festive, holiday flavour.

A flax "egg" helps bind this vegan stuffing. Before baking, brush the top of the stuffing with melted vegan butter to get that golden-brown crispy top. If you prefer extra crisp stuffing, give it a quick stir once the top is toasty before continuing to bake.

This recipe makes 1 large (9x13-inch) casserole dish, or about 8-10 servings. Don't forget the vegan gravy!

This vegan stuffing is a great side dish to serve alongside a Tofurky roast (with Tofurky "dripping" gravy and vegetables) or our vegan Thanksgiving loaf with cranberry glaze!

How to Make Vegan Stuffing Without Stale Bread

You'll need to make that bread "stale" or dry before it's suitable for making stuffing. If possible, use the overnight method below. But if you're crunched for time, you can dry out your bread cubes quickly in the oven.

Keep in mind, fresh bread will lose volume and about 20% of its weight after it's dry/stale. Prepare a little more than necessary if you're "quick drying" your bread.

Overnight method: As early as possible, cube the bread and transfer to a large bowl, casserole dish, or paper bag. Leave the bread out, loosely covered so it can dry out.

Quick method: Preheat oven to the lowest possible setting. Spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet. Put your baking sheet into the oven to dry out slightly. If your oven’s lowest temperature is too hot, turn off the heat after 5 minutes. You want to the bread cubes to dry out, not toast. Once the bread cubes are “stale”, after about 1 hour, transfer them to a bowl until ready to prepare your stuffing.

More Vegan Thanksgiving & Christmas Recipes

Holiday Watch List Recommendations

The Office holiday episode marathon
Parks & Rec holiday episode marathon
Community holiday episode marathon
The OC season 1, episode: The Best Chrismukkah Ever
Keeping Up Appearances Christmas Specials
A Charlie Brown Christmas
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
The Santa Clause
or this Canadian classic: The Vinyl Cafe - holiday podcast marathon ← If you're cooking Christmas dinner or doing some holiday baking, these are a MUST LISTEN!!!

Vegan Vegetable Walnut Stuffing

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Author: Brittany Mueller
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
Category: Side Dish, Thanksgiving, Christmas
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Vegan stuffing with a crisp golden-brown top and a perfectly soft center. Finely chopped walnuts, nutritional yeast and mushrooms add depth to this heart holiday side dish.

Ingredients

1 tbsp (7 grams) ground flax seed
3 tbsp (45 ml) water
9 cups (700 grams) cubed stale bread (approx. 2 fresh loaves)
2 tbsp (30 ml) vegan butter or olive oil
1 cup (120 grams) chopped celery (approx. 2 ribs)
1 cup (150 grams) chopped carrot (approx 2 medium)
1 cup (130 grams) chopped onion (approx. 1 small onion)
2 cups (140 grams) chopped mushrooms (approx. 8 medium mushrooms)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (1 tsp dried)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (1 tsp dried)
1 ½ cups (375 ml) vegetable broth
3 tbsp (15 grams) nutritional yeast
½ cup (60 grams) finely chopped walnuts
2 tbsp (30 ml) melted vegan butter, for brushing

Instructions

Prepare flax "egg": in a small dish, stir together flax seed and water. Set aside to thicken.
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
In a large saucepan heat vegan butter or olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add celery, carrot, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion appears translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the mushrooms and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Cook until the mushrooms start to sweat, about 1-2 minutes.
Turn the heat off and stir in walnuts, flax egg, nutritional yeast, thyme and oregano.
Add the bread cubes and stir well. Season with ½ teaspoon salt.
Gradually add the vegetable broth (depending on how stale your bread is, you’ll need more or less broth), ¼ cup at a time, stirring as you go to moisten the bread evenly. Add enough broth so that the outside of the bread is moist and the stuffing easily sticks together but not so much broth that the bread is soggy all the way through.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Line a large (9x13-inch) casserole dish with parchment paper. Add the stuffing, spreading it evenly into the pan without pressing it down or compacting it. Brush the top with 2 tablespoon of melted butter.
Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp.
For crispier stuffing, stir and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Notes

If you don't have stale bread:

Overnight method: As early as possible, cube the bread and transfer to a large bowl, casserole dish, or paper bag. Leave the bread out, loosely covered so it can dry out.

Quick method: Preheat oven to the lowest possible setting. Spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet. Put your baking sheet into the oven to dry out slightly. If your oven's lowest temperature is too hot, turn off the heat after 5 minutes. You want to the bread cubes to dry out, not toast. Once the bread cubes are "stale", after about 1 hour, transfer them to a bowl until ready to prepare your stuffing.

Note: Fresh bread will lose about 20% of its weight once stale. Be sure to prepare a little more than called for in the recipe.

Keywords: vegan stuffing, vegetable stuffing

The post Vegan Vegetable Walnut Stuffing appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Vegan Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

Brittany — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 19:58:25 +0000

This post is sponsored by The Little Potato Company.

These savoury potato pancakes are super quick & easy to prepare. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples that you likely have on hand right now! The Little Potato Company's tender skinned Baby Boomers work perfectly here - once they're grated you'd never know we'd didn't peel a single potato for this recipe.

Latkes (Jewish potato pancakes) are usually made with eggs to helps bind the mixture together and are served at Hanukkah. In this vegan recipe we're going to use flour (taking care not to over develop the gluten) and a touch of cornstarch to do the same job. I'm going to be naughty and serve these ones with tzatziki 'cause I love it and it's almost spring! For a more traditional, Hanukkah-appropriate side, serve 'em with apple sauce.

Some tips for the crispiest, easiest potato pancakes:

For best texture, use a thick cut grater to shred potatoes
Use a food processor to grate your potatoes (if you have one), it's quicker and you'll save your finger tips
Squeeze most of the moisture from the grated potato before making the batter (the same goes for any moisture-rich veggie add-ins too)
Stir the "batter" well to help develop the gluten in the flour which helps the cakes bind together without egg
The latkes are at their crispiest immediately after cooking, but reheating them in a pan over medium heat (without oil) will heat them thoroughly and crisp 'em up again

This recipe is an excellent place to use up any odds and ends from your fridge. Fresh herbs, onion, carrot, zucchini, and any other veggies that aren't too moist (or that you can squeeze the moisture from) would be good options. We enjoyed these crispy cakes a couple of ways, topped with a dollop of homemade tzatziki and a sprinkle of green onion (that's how we served it for these photos), with ketchup and sriracha, and with vegan cheese and fresh dill mixed into the "batter". I'm most excited to try these "breakfast style", topped with tofu scramble, veggies, and tempeh bacon. You can customize and top these crispy cakes however you like! Enjoy 😀

This post is sponsored by The Little Potato Company.
We love them for their commitment to simple, healthy whole foods like their delicious Creamer potatoes. Thanks for supporting the brands that support I Love Vegan!
Learn more about why we love Little Potatoes at www.littlepotatoes.com

Vegan Potato Latkes

★★★★★ 4.6 from 21 reviews

Yield: 4 latkes
Category: Appetizer, Side dish
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Easy crispy fried egg-free potato pancakes.

Ingredients

2 cups packed, grated, and drained potato (half of a 1.5 lb bag of The Little Potato Company's Baby Boomers)
⅓ cup unbleached all purpose flour
3 tbsp sliced green onion
3 tbsp unsweetened nondairy milk
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 ¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
black pepper, to taste
vegetable oil, for frying (canola, olive, or coconut all work well)
optional: 2 tablespoon fresh, chopped dill
optional: ¼ cup vegan cheese shreds

Instructions

Grate potatoes and squeeze out as much moisture as you can using paper towel.
Combine 2 cups grated potato, flour, green onion, almond milk, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and black pepper (optional: add dill and vegan cheese.) Mix well to develop the gluten in the flour (which helps with binding.)
In a frying pan, preheat a generous amount of vegetable oil over medium heat.
Spoon ¼-1/3 cup of potato mixture into the pan. Use a spatula or pancake flipper to flatten the patty to about ¼" thick. Fry until golden brown, flip, and fry the other side. Drain excess oil on paper towel if necessary.
Serve with your favourite toppings (we used sliced green onion, tzatziki, and black pepper.)

The post Vegan Latkes (Potato Pancakes) appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Aquafaba Marshmallow Topped Sweet Potato Casserole

Brittany — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 01:11:13 +0000

Have you tried vegan marshmallows? I haven't even laid eyes on them yet. Unfortunately, in my neck of the woods, vegan marshmallows just aren't "a thing" yet.

When I was a kid, sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows was one of my favourite things about Thanksgiving. That and turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry jelly, and dinner rolls with butter. I'd veganized the turkey (sorry, I mean Tofurky has), the gravy, the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, switched to cranberry sauce, and fallen in love with vegan butter. But the fluffy, toasty marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole was still on my list. I've been waiting patiently for vegan marshmallows to make it to the Canadian mainstream, but they are still. not. here.

(Left) Spiced mashed sweet potato base, (Right) Sweet potato based topped with aquafaba meringue - uncooked.

Well I couldn't wait around any longer. Something had to be done. After developing a Vegan Meringue Pie and a Raspberry Eton Mess for Nature's Path using aquafaba this summer, I knew what my next course of action would be. You see, aquafaba, better known as the less sophisticated sounding "bean juice" (as in, the liquid from a can of chickpeas) happens to make really great meringue which is very very close to marshmallow cream. Marshmallow cream almost equals marshmallows. Let's roll with this.

We're topping a lightly-sweetened, slightly buttery, perfectly spiced mashed sweet potato base with a sweet, airy, and TOASTY aquafaba marshmallow cream. Yep, we've damn near done it. And we didn't even need vegan marshmallows. Happy Holidays!

PS: It's Vegan MoFo Day 16! (that's Vegan Month of Food for anyone who thinks I'm crass for throwing around the "mofo" word damn near everyday for last 2 weeks.) The challenge is to talk about vegan food, as much as possible, for the entire month of November. I’m shooting for 5 days a week. For the rest of the month, the posting schedule will (hopefully!) be Sunday-Thursday. JSYK: I’m not really following the 2016 Vegan Mofo Themes and Prompts, but I am using them as inspiration when needed!

Here are the posts so far:

Day 1: Easy Vegan Tofu & Black Bean Enchiladas
Day 2: How to Make the Best Vegan Grilled Cheese
Day 3: Review: Vegan Pantry Haul from iHerb
Day 4: Vegetable Pot Pie with Vegan Biscuits
Day 6: Vegan Caffé Mocha
Day 7: Tempeh Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich
Day 8: Chickpea & Lentil Coconut Curry
Day 9: Vegan Jackfruit + Mushroom Gyros with Tzatziki
Day 10: Vegan Molasses Cookies
Day 13: Vegan Holiday Burger
Day 14: Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Walnut Sauce
Day 15: Vegan Holiday Shepherd's Pie
Day 16: Aquafaba Marshmallow Topped Sweet Potato Casserole<

Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Aquafaba "Marshmallow" Topping

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Author: Brittany Mueller
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 1 5"x7" casserole
Category: Casserole, Side dish, Thanksgiving, Christmas
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Sweetened and spiced mashed sweet potatoes topped with a toasty "marshmallow" topping.

Ingredients

800g sweet potatoes (approx. 2 medium-large)
2 tbsp vegan butter
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
pinch pumpkin pie spice (optional)
pinch salt
½ the liquid from a (540 ml/19 fl oz) can of low sodium or no salt added chickpeas
¼ tsp cream of tartar
½ cup granulated sugar or berry sugar

Instructions

Sweet Potato Base

Preheat oven to 350F.
Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1 ½" chunks. Transfer to a large saucepan and cover with water (add about 1" of extra water.) Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until potatoes are fork tender. While potatoes are boiling, begin whipping aquafaba marshmallow topping (below.)
Drain potatoes and mash with butter, brown sugar, almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, ground ginger, pumpkin pie spice (optional), and a pinch of salt. Mix well and taste. Adjust salt to suit your preference.
Layer the sweet potatoes into the bottom of a 5" x 7" casserole dish. Top with aquafaba mixture (directions below), and bake for 15-20 minutes. Finish under the broiler if the topping isn't toasty enough.

Aquafaba Marshmallow Topping

A stand mixer with a wire whisk attachment works best for making this aquafaba topping. A hand mixer is a good substitute but it will take longer to reach soft and firm peaks.
Combine the chickpea liquid and cream of tartar. Beat on high until soft peaks form. Depending on the quality of your chickpea liquid this can take just a few minutes up to 10 minutes.
Slowly add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Rub a small amount of the meringue between your fingers, if the mixture feels gritty continue beating until the sugar dissolves.
Tip: You can’t overbeat aquafaba the same way you can overbeat egg whites. If in doubt, beat the aquafaba a little longer.

Notes

Double recipe to for a 9" x 13" casserole dish.

The post Aquafaba Marshmallow Topped Sweet Potato Casserole appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Vegan Holiday Shepherd's Pie

Brittany — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 00:57:17 +0000

I already confessed the truth when I told you that sandwiches are my favourite way to finish up holiday leftovers. But this holiday shepherd's pie might be giving the "leftovers sandwich" a run for its money. This easy casserole will help you use up leftover mashed potatoes, gravy, holiday roast, and veggies from your Christmas or Thanksgiving feast. Oh, and it gets points for being serious vegan comfort food.

You can use this recipe as a guideline, scaling it up or down depending on how many leftovers you're working with. We had leftover mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, Tofurky roast, and roasted Brussels sprouts, carrots, potatoes, and onion. You can use whatever leftover veggies you have (roasted or not!) If you're not a holiday roast kinda person you could swap in cooked lentils instead. (PS: If you're looking for a non-leftover lentils shepherd's pie, we've got that too!)

Assuming you have a fridge full of leftovers, there's very little prep required. Roughly chop thin slices of Tofurky roast (or whichever holiday roast you're using) and chop your leftover veggies into small bite-sized pieces.

(Top Left) Chopped roasted veggies, (Top Right) Chopped Tofurky and roasted veggies, (Bottom Left) Tofurky & veggies with mushroom gravy, (Bottom Right) Base topped with leftover mashed potatoes.

Layer 2 cups of chopped roasted vegetables and 1 cup of chopped holiday roast into a casserole dish, cover with enough mushroom gravy to coat, top with a layer of mashed potatoes, and bake for 35 minutes. Easy!

We didn't have that many leftovers to get rid of, so I used a smaller 5"x 7" casserole dish. You could use a loaf pan if you have fewer leftovers or a 9"x 13" if you have more!

Vegan Holiday Shepherd's Pie

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 1 small casserole
Category: Casserole, Main Course, Thanksgiving, Christmas
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Use up your holiday leftovers to make this easy vegan twist on shepherd's pie.

Ingredients

2 cups roasted veggies (Brussels sprouts, carrots, potatoes, and onion)
1 cup chopped thin-sliced Tofurky or other vegan holiday roast
1 ½ cups mushroom gravy
2 ½ cups mashed potatoes

Instructions

Preaheat oven to 375F.
Chop vegetables and vegan holiday roast into bite-sized or smaller pieces.
Layer vegetables and chopped holiday roast into a 5"x7" casserole dish.
Top with mushroom gravy, ensuring all vegetables and roast are well coated,
Spoon mashed potatoes over the top of the base, starting with the edges to form a seal and working inwards.
Place casserole dish on a baking sheet or layer of aluminum foil to prevent a messy cleanup if the filling boils over.
Bake for 35 minutes or until the gravy is bubbling and the mashed potatoes are slightly browned and crisp on top. If necessary, brown the mashed potato topping under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

The post Vegan Holiday Shepherd's Pie appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Walnut Sauce

Brittany — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:30:38 +0000

Classic veganized pumpkin pie. This is throwback to one of the first recipes I created for I Love Vegan, waaay back in 2012. You can peep the original on my tumblr. Look, it's the same plate!

(Left) Uncooked pastry crust. (Right) Uncooked pastry crust with filling.

The original recipe's crust was made with whole wheat flour and coconut oil. This one uses good ol' all-purpose and vegan butter. Do yourself a favour and stick with the white flour/faux butter combo, it's going to make your life much easier and your guests (or you know, just you) really happy. This crust is bang on, it's flakey, it's flavourful, and it's pretty easy too!

Coconut oil certainly works for pie crust, but because it's so sensitive to temperature, it's difficult to work with. Chilled coconut oil is hard as rock (well nearly...) and warm coconut oil is straight liquid. Vegan butter on the other hand? Super easy to work with and so much more flavourful. Use our trusty ol' pie crust tutorial for step-by-step pictures.

If you'd prefer a non-pastry crust, we've got a recipe for Rustic Oat Crisp Pumpkin Pie. That crust is totally foolproof! If you're looking for a no-bake option, try our Pumpkin Pie Parfaits.

Coconut whip and I aren't on speaking terms at the moment so we're topping this classic pie with a simple caramel walnut sauce. Feel free to use coconut whip if you'd like!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hours
Total Time: 1 hours 40 minutes
Yield: 1 pie
Category: Dessert, Baking
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Classic pumpkin pie, veganized! Serve this vegan pumpkin pie with caramel walnut sauce (recipe below) or coconut whip.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups pure pumpkin purée
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp pumpkin pie spice
¾ cup vanilla soy milk
1 tbsp corn starch
4 ½ tbsp ground flaxseed

Instructions

Whisk together canned pumpkin, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
Mix 2 tablespoon soy milk with corn starch. Combine soy milk + corn starch slurry with remaining soy milk, and ground flax seed. Let sit for 5 minutes or until thick.
Whisk the soy milk mixture into the pumpkin mixture and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Baking

Preheat oven to 400F.
Fill pie crust with chilled filling. Bake for 15 minutes.
Turn heat down to 300F, and bake for 40-50 minutes or until center of pie is set. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.

Vegan Pie Crust

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 1 pie crust
Category: Baking
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Delicious, flakey, flavourful vegan pie crust. For best results, use vegan butter instead of coconut oil or shortening.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup vegan butter, chilled (you can substitute vegetable shortening or coconut oil but the crust will be less flavourful - add ½ tsp salt)
¼ cup ice water

Instructions

In a bowl, combine flour and salt (if using coconut oil or vegetable shortening.)
Cut the chilled vegan butter into the flour using your hands or a pastry blender The fat should be cut into very small pieces, resembling coarse corn meal.
Slowly add ice water (just a little bit at a time, you may not need a full ¼ cup), stirring with a fork until the dough is crumbly and just holds together. The dough should not be sticky or wet.
Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap to form a disk. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow to moisture to distribute evenly throughout the dough.
After chilling, unwrap dough and place onto a well floured work surface. Start rolling from the center of the dough to the outside. Roll in different directions to keep a circular shape.
After every few passes with the rolling pin, release the dough from your work surface using a long spatula to keep the dough from tearing.
Roll the dough until it is about an 1 or 2 inches larger than your pie plate. Gently pick up you dough and transfer into your pie plate. Cut off the excess and use a fork to decorate the lip of your dough. Using your fork, prick the bottom of your dough several times.

Notes

Substituting coconut oil for vegan butter will make this crust harder to work with.

Vegan Caramel Walnut Sauce

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 3 /4 cup
Category: Dessert, Dessert Sauces
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

This pourable vegan caramel sauce is great for pumpkin pie, hot drinks, and desserts all year round!

Ingredients

½ cup sugar
50 ml water
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp margarine
¼ cup + 1 tbsp soy milk, divided
⅓ -½ cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
large ice water bath (large enough to hold your saucepan)

Instructions

Gather all supplies and measure all ingredients before beginning. Keep everything within arm's reach.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring sugar and water to a full boil. Prevent sugar granules from collecting on the sides. Avoid stirring.
Once the entire surface of the sugar is boiling, add the lemon juice. Do no stir.
Allow to boil for 3 minutes - until the sugar goes from clear to lightly golden (not brown!)
Leave the burner on, remove the sauce pan from the heat and whisk in 1 tablespoon of margarine.
Put back onto the heat, allow to boil and whisk constantly for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and gradually whisk in ¼ cup of soy milk. Be careful! The sugar could splatter a little bit.
Put back on the heat, whisking constantly, and add an additional 1 tablespoon of soy milk.
Whisk for 1 minute and add chopped walnuts.
Transfer pot to an ice water bath. Whisk vigorously - you’re trying to incorporate a little bit of air while cooling down the caramel.
As the caramel cools it will thicken up, if it starts to get too thick add 1 tablespoon of soy milk and continue to whisk. Add more soy milk and whisk if needed.
Serve over pumpkin pie.

The post Vegan Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Walnut Sauce appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Vegan Holiday Burger

Brittany — Sun, 13 Nov 2016 09:04:54 +0000

Sandwiches made with holiday leftovers are one of the best parts of Thanksgiving or Christmas. But why wait for leftovers to enjoy holiday sandwiches? We're getting straight to the point with these vegan holiday burgers.

(Left) Uncooked and oiled. (Right) Baked with cranberry glaze.

The patty is adapted from one of our most popular holiday recipes, our Ultimate Vegan Thanksgiving Loaf with Cranberry Glaze. With a couple of minor adjustments, the recipe is perfect for making veggie burger patties. This recipe is full of nutritious ingredients like brown rice, green lentils, oats, kale, carrots, and walnuts, but more importantly, it's full of holiday flavours! They strike a perfect balance of savoury + sweet: hearty base with tangy pops of sweetness from dried cranberries and a cranberry glaze.

Take this delicious holiday-inspired veggie patty, add a soft dinner roll, a healthy dose of mushroom gravy, a little extra cranberry glaze, a touch of vegan mayo and heaps of garlicky Brussels sprout slaw for the ultimate Thanksgiving or Christmas burger experience.

These burgers are great for getting your holiday feastin' fix year round. Serve them as a super low key alternative to the whole BIG dinner production or as a fun addition to your holiday menu. Most importantly? Enjoy!

Vegan Holiday Burger

★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 6 burgers
Category: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Burger
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Ingredients

6 dinner rolls or burger buns
mushroom gravy
vegan mayo
2 cups cranberry sauce, canned or homemade, blended smooth

Holiday Burger Patties

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing patties
½ onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-large carrot, grated
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
1½ cups kale, stems removed, shredded and tightly packed
1½ cups mushrooms, thin-sliced
¼ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 cup slightly overcooked green lentils
1 cup cooked brown rice
⅔ cup oat flour (ground oats)
3 tbsp ground flax seed
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ cup chopped walnuts
⅓ cup dried cranberries
½ tbsp caper brine (or lemon juice/vinegar)

Brussels Sprout Slaw

½ tbsp olive oil
approx. 20 Brussels sprouts, ends removed, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Holiday Patties

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan and heat over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and kale. Sauté until the onion is translucent.
Add the mushrooms, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender.
In a large bowl, combine the sautéed vegetables, cooked green lentils, cooked brown rice, oat flour, ground flax seeds, nutritional yeast, walnuts, dried cranberries, and caper brine. Mix VERY well, mashing the mixture to helps the ingredients bind together. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Note: If the mixture doesn't hold together easily, blend about ⅓ of the mixture using a food processor or immersion blender. Recombine.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Portion mixture into ½ cup patties approx. ½" thick. Brush both sides of patties with olive oil. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 15 minutes, flip and bake for another 15 minutes. Spread with cranberry glaze and bake for 5-10 minutes or until glaze appears set.

Brussels Sprout Slaw

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Add shredded Brussels sprouts and minced garlic. Sauté briefly, until slaw is tender but crisp. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Assembly

Lightly toast buns if desired, cut side down in a hot skillet with butter (optional).
Spread the top bun with a light coat of vegan mayo. Top bottom bun with a generous amount of mushroom gravy, add the patty and additional cranberry glaze if desired, top with Brussels sprout slaw and the top bun. Enjoy!

The post Vegan Holiday Burger appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Vegan Thanksgiving-Style Smashed Potatoes

Brittany — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 02:06:25 +0000

With just 4 days to go before Thanksgiving, we're squeaking out this post just in time. This year, our 2 year wedding anniversary happens to fall on Thanksgiving! Is that cause for a food celebration or what?

(PS: Don't worry US readers, you haven't mysteriously lost 7 weeks of Fall, we Canadians just celebrate earlier!)

Now what about these Thanksgiving-style smashed potatoes??

For such little potatoes, they sure do pack a big ol' Thanksgiving punch. I love bite-sized foods, I love mashed potatoes, smashed potatoes (okay, all potatoes), and I looove cranberry sauce + gravy. So I've smashed 'em all together and created the this cute Thanksgiving appetizer/side.

These crispy smashed Creamer potatoes (Blushing Belles from The Little Potato Company, to be exact) are topped with a savoury mushroom gravy, a touch of tangy-sweet cranberry sauce, and a pretty little sprig of thyme. Smashed Creamer potatoes are a simple & delicious option whether you're entertaining or just cooking up a solo Thanksgiving dinner (throw in a roast Tofurky for a minimalist Thanksgiving dinner.)

Whether you're celebrating this weekend or you've got another 7 WHOLE WEEKS to wait for Thanksgiving goodness, I think these should make it to your table ASAP. Okay? Enjoy!

PS: If you like potatoes and the all-in-one concept you'll LOVE our Roasted Vegan Thanksgiving Bowl recipe!

Vegan Thanksgiving-Style Smashed Potatoes

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 30
Category: Appetizer, Side Dish, Thanksgiving
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Crispy smashed Creamer potatoes topped with savoury mushroom gravy, a touch of tangy-sweet cranberry sauce, and a pretty little sprig of thyme. Makes approx. 30 smashed potatoes (about 5 servings.)

Ingredients

Smashed Potatoes:

1 - 1.5lb bag of The Little Potato Company's Blushing Belles
olive oil (to brush potatoes)
salt, to taste

Thanksgiving-style Toppings

mushroom gravy (recipe below)
cranberry sauce
fresh thyme
black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Cover potatoes with water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until the largest potato feels tender in the center (when poked with a fork).
Drain potatoes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Smash each potato with a large pancake flipper so each potato is about ½" thick. Brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt. Bake for 20 minutes or until potatoes are crisp and golden. Top each potato with ½ tablespoon mushroom gravy, ½ teaspoon cranberry sauce, a sprinkle of fresh thyme, and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Vegan Mushroom Gravy

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2 ½ cups
Category: Sauces
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Luscious, creamy vegan gravy chock-full of thin sliced mushrooms.

Ingredients

1 ½ tbsp canola oil, olive oil, or vegan margarine
2 ½ cups sliced white and/or cremini mushrooms (approx. 14 medium or 1-227g pkg)
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped white onion
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp white miso (blended with a touch of vegetable stock to break up clumpy bits)

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.
Saute onion and garlic for 1 minute before adding the sliced mushrooms. Saute until vegetables are tender.
Add flour, and whisk until mushrooms are coated. Stir often and cook for 1 minute.
Slowly whisk in the vegetable stock, soy sauce, and miso.
Bring the gravy to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Taste and adjust seasoning.

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