Fat Tuesday is for Vegetarians too!

So Happy Fat Tuesday my friends!  If you wanna know the history behind this yummy holiday click on this link: The History of Mardi Gras

Now on to a few traditional (AND DELICIOUS!) recipes that have been adjusted slightly to suit our vegetarian lifestyles.

Creole Black Beans and Rice

• 2 pounds Tofurky Sausage, cut into 1-inch slices
• 3 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1-1/2 cups each chopped onion, celery and green pepper
• 1 cup water
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 teaspoon veggie bouillon
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• Hot cooked rice

In a large skillet, brown sausage over medium heat. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker.

In a large bowl, combine the beans, onion, celery, green pepper, water, tomato sauce, garlic, thyme, bouillon, white pepper, cayenne and bay leaves; pour over sausage. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaves. Serve with rice. 

Vegetarian Jambalaya

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 2 zuchinnis, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups okra, (fresh or frozen)
• 1 can diced tomatoes OR 4 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup mock meat, such as Gimme Lean, Morningstar Crumbles, Boca Burger Crumbles, Yves Meatless Ground
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt (or sea salt)

In a large bowl, mix tomato paste with vegetable broth until smooth and set aside. In a large pot, sautee onion, garlic, celery and green pepper until slightly soft, about 5 minutes.  Add uncooked rice and allow rice to toast for one minute, stirring.  Add tomato and broth mixture.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a separate skillet, sautee the okra, zucchini and mock meat until just barely cooked, about 3 minutes.

After the rice has cooked about 10 minutes, add the sauteed mock meat and veggies, spices and diced tomatoes, stirring well.  Cover, and allow to simmer 10-15 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are fullly cooked and rice is soft.  Serve with your favorite hot sauce for extra kick.

King Cake (Not Vegan)

Recipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Dough:

• 1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 4 to 5 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/2 cup warm milk (105 to 115 degrees)
• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup finely chopped candied citron
• 1 pecan half, uncooked dried bean or King Cake Baby

Glaze:

• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• Purple, green and gold sugar crystals

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Combine the warm water, yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside to a warm place for about 10 minutes. Combine the 4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, nutmeg, lemon rind and add warm milk, melted butter, egg yolks and yeast mixture. Beat until smooth. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place the dough in a well-greased bowl. Turn once so greased surface is on top.

Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours). Punch the dough down and place on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle with the citron and knead until the citron is evenly distributed. Shape the dough into a cylinder, about 30 inches long. Place the cylinder on a buttered baking sheet. Shape into a ring, pinching ends together to seal. Place a well-greased 2-pound coffee can or shortening can in the center of the ring to maintain shape during baking. Press the King  CakeBaby, pecan half or dried bean into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough. Cover the ring with a towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the coffee can immediately. Allow the cake to cool. For the glaze: Combine the ingredients and beat until smooth. To assemble, drizzle cake with the glaze. Sprinkle with sugar crystals, alternating colors. Cut into the cake and hope you do not get the baby.

Vegetarian Shepherds Pie!

You should be very very excited! I have a hearty vegetarian recipe for you.  This one pleases vegetarians and omnivores alike.  What is unique about this Shepherds Pie is the way it’s layered.  The potatoes are on the bottom, “meat” in the middle, and a yummy layer of biscuit on top.  It’s super duper cool.

I found this Paula Deen Shepherd’s Pie recipe and made it so much better!  I substitute the ground beef with Yves Meatless Ground Round, which all supermarkets have nowadays, and a few other tweeks described below.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 2 Carrots
• 4 stalks of Celery
• 2 Packages of Yves Meatless Ground Round
• 2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups of peas (no salt)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 to 10 medium red potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 12 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups instant biscuit mix ( I prefer the garlicky kind)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Potato Layer:  Peel and slice potatoes 1/4-inch thick. Cook in salted boiling water for approximately 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Whip potatoes; mix until moderately smooth (lumps are good.)  Add 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup butter, and sour cream. Salt and pepper, to taste.  Mix ’em up again, until you have reached your desired consistency.

Beef Layer: Create your standard mirepoix by chopping up your onions, celery, and carrots.  Saute your mirepoix in 2 tablespoons butter. Add Yves Meatless Ground Round.  Once the Yves Meatless Ground Round is hot and has absorbed some of the yummy mirepoix juices, add tomato sauce; mix in peas.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Biscuit Layer: Combine biscuit mix and 1 cup milk. The mix should be thinner than normal biscuit mix but not runny.

Layer a 9 x 13 dish or pan half way up with the mashed potatoes. Next, spread a layer of the “beef” and veggies.  Pour biscuit mix over meat.  Bake for approximately 35 to 45 minutes until top is golden brown.

I like to add a dollop of sour cream on the top of my serving for an extra kick.

Enjoy my friends!