Vegitarian Shepards Pie

 

Some days I'm just craving something hearty and filling. I must've been in a mood, because I needed silence. This is a rarity for me.  I generally make this recipe with Seitan, however was a little broke and went with the veggie crumbles I had in my fridge. This is a recipe that Benny wouldn't come near..even just a small bite of the potato's. So I had the luxury of sharing with lil' sessta and eating several days for lunch. This recipe, like the Quiche is not perfected like my momma's, but I will continue the quest for perfecting my ever changing recipe. Hope you enjoy!

Pie Shell

Half diced purple Onion

Half chopped zucchini

1 cup of chopped mushrooms.

(Add any other veggies you want)

1 cup of your favorite shredded cheese (I used half cup of mozzarella and a half of Colby)

1 cup of chopped green onions

5 potato's (I used Idaho, use more if you choose smaller potatoes)

One box (Meijer's has my favorite-organic, small box of cream of mushroom..mmmmm so good!) or can of your favorite mushroom soup

Half bag of Veggie crumbles or package of Seitan

Salt /Pepper

Earth balance or Butter (for mashed potatoes)

Soymilk or sour cream (for mashed potatoes)

Heat oven to 375

Fill pot of water- enough to cover potatoes and put on high heat

When oven is warm, poke pie shell several times with fork and sprinkle a thin layer of cheese

Cook for five minutes (or until cheese is melted)

Sprinkle your veggies on bottom layer of crust. Set aside

Sautee your green onion and mushrooms on low

Add soup and veggie crumbles to mixture. Cook until all ingredients are warm.

 Salt and Pepper to taste.

When ready spread over veggie's in crust and sprinkle remainder of cheese on top.

 When potato's are done, drain and mash them. I like mine cheesy and chunky, with skin on, but you can go the smooth route or healthier route and skip the soy milk/butter or sour cream.

 

Spread mashed potatoes over your veggie crumble mixture.  

 Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 20 minutes.

ENJOY!!! 

Stuffed shells

Misfits- The Shining

So today was day two of an unexpected snow day. I made it a absolute To Do: to create a recipe, eat it and post. It's been three months for goodness sake! I've been going to the gym with the new year and have been realizing I need more protein...I'll eat dinner and then eat again and again. My favorite go to for protein....beans : ) I was able to sneak those stinkers into this recipe. For extra protein some veggie crumbles would be good as well.

1 box of jumbo shells

1 can of cannellini beans (white kidney)

15 oz. of ricotta cheese

4 mushrooms chopped

4 chopped green onions

2 cups of chopped spinach

1 Tablespoon of Earth Balance (I used vegan--tastes so much better than butter!)

1 Tablespoon of Pesto

1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley

1/2 cup of feta (I used tomato and basil)

1 cup of shredded mozzarella (optional)

1/4 cup of egg whites (optional)

Panko (optional)

Marinara sauce (optional)

Start out by following the directions the box of shells. Pre-heat oven accordingly.

Sautee the spinach, mushrooms and green onion with earth balance.

In a bowl mix the ricotta cheese, parsley, feta, mozzarella, garlic powder and egg whites. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. I didn't want my beans to be whole, so I used a food processor and added the basil to this, after grinding I mixed with ricotta cheese. Completely up to you if you want to skip this step. Mashing beans works too.

Mix sautéed veggies with ricotta mix.

Lightly spray your pan and stuff your shells to your hearts content! I saved the red sauce for later, but you can pour on top now. I sprinkled with panko and pepper before baking.  I cooked mine for 40 minutes and the last few minutes I warmed up my red sauce in a bowl.

ENJOY!!!! 

  

Five ingredient Chili

Okay...just realized my last post from OCTOBER was chili as well...oops..but this one is yummy and even easier...snow day - crock pot- chili - couch!

Can of spicy rotel (two cans of water)
Half purple onion
Half green pepper
Veggie crumbles
One can of kidney beans

Top with cheese, green onion, cilantro, sour cream or hot sauce. 

Quick Chili (Vegan option)

Too Starvin' for tunes

 

Today was one of those days where I was thinking about food on my way home from work...thinking about food at gym and by the time I walked in door, I needed food so quickly that even the kitty food smelled good... I may be losing it!! Fortunately I had four key ingredients to make this yummy, easy, filling chili..and it took less then ten minutes...no need to eat cat food...always a plus!

One bag of Boca Crumbles

One can of diced Ro-tel tomatoes (I used can with chili peppers added)

One can of Chili Beans(drained)

One can of Black Beans  (drained)

two can fulls of water

Diced Onions

Shredded cheese (optional)

If I weren't so ravenous, I would have added cabbage, celery, kale, fresh zucchini and purple onion..however..needed... food in...my...belly.....fast. Add all of the fixin's til' your hearts content.

For those of you that don't have picky eaters in your household, simply cook in pan and serve with chopped onions on top or a spoonful of shredded cheese or tortillas. Benny is not a fan of whole beans, so I poured everything in a blender and its magical...no one will ever know what you snuck in.

...to avoid the lovely brown color, add more tomato's or use white beans instead of chili and black : )

Enjoy!!!

 

Arcadia Brewing Company-Kalamazoo

701 East Michigan Ave.

Kalamazoo, MI

49007

www.arcadiaales.com

Oh la la, mmmmm mmmm good. Arcadia has wonderful sunshine, fresh vegetarian sides, wine, cider and flavorful beer. Perfect location for us to ride our bikes, meet friends and eat until stuffed. I love that the food is local and I can add fresh jalapenos...and even better they have free dill pickles : )....I am not much of a beer drinker, however I have been dabbling in Arcadias Deliverance and ohhhh boy does it make my taste buds happy. Cant wait to see what's on the menu next time!

So happy to see they have a cider on tap!

 Yellow and purple beet salad, with sour cream dressing, made fresh while we watched.

Pasta and Kale salad with peas.  

 Potato Salad...mmmm mmmm good!

Jalapeno Cheddar Corn bread 

Mac and Cheese- I added the fresh jalapenos and asked for a sprinkle of green onions 

Pretty sure on any sunny day this our go too spot, can't wait for the patio and outdoor area to be finished. Beautiful view of the river and perfect way to greet Kalamazoo out of towners! 

Shakespeare's Pub

241 E Kalamazoo Ave #100, Kalamazoo, MI 49007

(269) 488-7782

www.shakespearespub.com

"Oh, how I missed you"

I have not had Shake's nachos in over 8 months (trying to eat healthier??)...after having them again

I am wondering why it took me so long to order them...Ted (co-owner.. convinced me to try them again)

They came out hot, smelling wonderful.

I added olives and they were stacked high, layers of cheesy goodness, queso, tomato, purple onion

and a side of salsa and sour cream. If you want some extra kick ask for a side of their spicy buffalo

or add jalapenos.

I would not have been able to eat them all...well probably could have..but would not NEED to..

my sister helped me finish them off and we proceeded to finish our game of cards.

Saturday evening happy hour went from 6-9, we were able to get a good table, watch the

games, enjoy the food and good company.

Nachos

Golden tortilla with diced tomatoes, onions, lettuce, queso dip and shredded cheddar cheese.

 Served with a side of salsa and sour cream

small order $6.99 full order $8.99

‎

 

My favorite sandwich in town

Crows Nest

816 S Westnedge Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49001

(269) 978-0490

  http://www.allmenus.com/mi/kalamazoo/272611-crows-nest/menu/

I dream about this sandwich...makes my mouth water just thinking about it...I love it so much Ive gotten it late night and then again the next day for brunch. Awww yeh...mmmmm mmmmm deeeelish. 

Mast $9.00

Marinated organic tofu, spinach, sauteed onion, kalamata olive tapenade, vegan basil-walnut pesto, goat cheese, fourth coast bakery marbled rye ...I add extra Havarti cheese..just because...but sandwich defiantly does not need it. I usually get the french fries, but was very delighted with the hummus and pita...as was everyone at the table that wanted a bite. Actually I have yet to have anything bad from Crows Nest, I do however miss thier breaded mushrooms, they were the perfect late night snack. I highly recommend eating here as often as you can...perfect dishes for meat and veggie lovers.



  

Mushroom/Tofu Puff Pastry

90'S Alternative Radio

I love this dish, one of my new loves are mushrooms, really...I was a total mushroom snob, would send food back at restaurants, pick them off of pizza, refuse to eat my moms delicious quiche if there were any snuck in...now I can't get enough, maybe my taste buds grew up when I turned 29...so excited they did!!...I probably could have eaten all six puff pastries, but I limited myself with only two. I did cheat and use Pre-made Organic Soup, next time I will try making my own broth.

1/4 cup of chopped firm tofu

12 oz. of Pacific Cream of Mushroom Condensed Organic Soup

5 White mushrooms

Puff pastry shells (in freezer section, next to pie shells, come in a box of six)

1 tablespoon of Earth Balance garlic and herb "butter"

1 small zucchini

3 green onions

Garlic powder

Salt

Black pepper

Pre-heat oven following directions on back of puff-pastry box, warm up skillet with "butter", chop up mushrooms, zucchini and tofu. Add to pan. Sautee mix on low, until tofu is texture you like (I like my tofu a little crispy), Add the soup ( I used soy-milk instead of water to mix, 1 to 1 ratio), continue to cook on low, until soup is warm. Dice green onions. Sprinkle salt and fresh pepper on top. Add a few shakes of garlic. When puff-pastry's are done, fill each one with mixture, I used the "tops" of pastry as a lid for each individual shell. MMMMMmmmmm good!

Enjoy!!