By Jamila Alfred, Maryland/DC Events and Outreach Coordinator
The winter season calls for savory items, carbs, and hearty eats—or all of the above if possible.
You see, “Junk Food” is my middle name, so I couldn’t help but pair two awesome recipes to make the ultimate comfort food dish! This hoagie and wedge combo hits the spot in more ways than one, and it was super easy and fun to make. Warm yourself up with this delectable delight and enjoy!
Grilled Sausage and Pepper Hoagie
Yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
2 red, yellow, and/or orange bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½” thick rings
On a medium baking sheet, toss peppers with 1 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Place onion rings on same baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt, keeping layers intact.
Grill peppers, onion, and sausages, turning as needed until vegetables are softened and partially charred and sausages are nicely browned.
Grill buns briefly to lightly toast, then divide sausages, peppers, and onions between buns.
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Garlic Potato Wedges
Yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
3 cloves peeled garlic, minced
½ cup Italian parsley, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 organic russet potatoes (or about 1 ½ pounds of baby Dutch yellow potatoes), cut into wedges
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon each salt and pepper
*Note that you can get every ingredient the Garlic Potato Wedges recipe calls for—aside from the olive oil, salt, and pepper—directly from Melissa’s Produce!
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a bowl mix together the garlic, parsley, and oregano.
Roll the potato wedges in the mixture to coat all sides.
Coat a baking sheet with the olive oil and place the wedges in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until fork tender.
I’m always a little skeptical when I come across a new recipe that claims to be a “quick meal.” On a number of occasions I’ve set out to make one of these quick meals and it has taken longer than anticipated. So for anyone who has shared a similar, frustrating experience, I’m here to validate that this recipe is, in fact, quick!
I bring this up because preparation and cook time wasn’t actually my motivation for making this dish, but it was a much-welcomed bonus! And I figured other quick-meal-seekers, curry lovers, and Gardein fans would appreciate it!
I encourage you to add or substitute any other kind of vegetable you like!
I added broccoli, and if I had eggplant on hand I would have added that too. I served this meal over long grain white rice, but it would taste excellent with whatever type of rice you have available. Keep in mind that some types of rice can take up to an hour to cook, so in the spirit of keeping this meal quick make sure you consider the amount of time it will take to cook the rice.
I highly recommend this recipe to anyone who is attending or hosting an event where there will be non-vegans. The flavors are so rich and the chick’n is so flavorful that even meat eaters will enjoy it!
Let your meat-eating friends know that Gardein is a favorite of David Carter—a 300 lb NFL player!
David and Paige Carter at Gardein Headquarters Tasting New Products
And keep checking Gardein’s website and your grocery store freezer section—they’re coming out with new products all the time!
Gardein’s Chick’n and Cauliflower Curry
Serves about 6.
Ingredients
1 package Gardein Chick’n Scallopini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1″ piece fresh ginger, minced
2 bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange), cut into short strips
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
1 tablespoon agave syrup
2 tablespoons curry (adjust amount depending on strength of curry)
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
For garnish: chopped fresh cilantro and green onions
Directions
Cook scallopini according to package instructions. Let cool slightly, then shred into small pieces and set aside.
Preheat non-stick deep skillet with olive oil at medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add coconut milk, agave syrup, curry powder, flour, salt and pepper and stir well. Bring to a boil and add cauliflower. Return to boil, then reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Add the scallopini pieces and cook another 5 minutes.
Serve the curry chick’n and cauliflower over your choice of rice and garnish with cilantro and/or green onions.
This great recipe for Vegan Goulash comes from Vegan Outreach friend Bob German. You know a vegan lifestyle is spreading when The Salina Journal in Kansas is publishing vegan recipes!
I made it this past weekend and it was so tasty, I ate an entire pot in one day! I highly recommend it.
Cook macaroni in separate pan with water until almost tender. Brown crumbles and onion in skillet. Add cooked macaroni, tomatoes and V8 juice. Let simmer until juices are almost gone. Garnish with chili powder.
Variations: add small can tomato paste when adding tomatoes and V8 juice; add can of drained mushrooms when adding tomatoes and V8 juice.
Above is a photo of the vegan ground crumbles I used. If your local grocery store doesn’t have this brand, I also recommend Yves Meatless Ground Round Original!
Since they don’t sell V8 at Sprouts grocery store, I picked up this R.W. Knudsen Very Veggie juice instead. I followed the recipe directions and everything tasted delicious! I also added a handful of Daiya cheddar shreds when I was cooking the tomatoes, and it was a yummy extra touch.
Quorn, a readily available vegetarian meat substitute is now offering vegan versions of their popular meat-free products!
Having tried my share of vegan meats, I can easily say Quorn’s measure up! The texture is spot on—not too chewy, not too tough, and so flavorful. It would please vegans and meat-eaters alike!
The only issue I had with these vegan meats was deciding how I wanted to cook them and what I wanted to enjoy them with.
I whipped up some gravy to pair with the Vegan Breaded Chicken/Chik’n Cutlets. I added a side of slaw I had leftover in my fridge, and it was a great, filling meal! These cutlets are the perfect main dish, especially for meat-eaters incorporating more vegan food into their diets.
Quorn Vegan Breaded Chicken/Chik’n Cutlets
And with Quorn’s Vegan Chicken/Chik’n Tenders, I put together a delicious, cheesy breakfast hash.
Your stomach is growling now, right? No problem! My tasty hash recipe is listed below.
Before you run out to get yourself these vegan meats, check out the store locator on the Quorn website. You can specify which products you want and locate the stores closest to you that are carrying them.
Cheesy Breakfast Hash with Quorn’s Vegan Chicken/Chik’n Tenders
Cheesy Breakfast Hash
Serves about 2.
Ingredients
Hash
½ of a 32 oz bag tater tots
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
½ bag of Quorn Vegan Chicken/Chik’n Tenders
2 vegan sausage patties (I used Hilary’s Apple Maple Veggie Breakfast Sausage)
½ cup broccoli florets
¼ cup edamame
¼ cup raw cashews
Cheese Sauce
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon flour
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven and heat tater tots according to instructions on bag.
While the tots are cooking, heat oil in a large skillet. Add Quorn Vegan Chicken/Chik’n Tenders, vegan sausage, broccoli, and edamame. Cook over medium heat.
When heated through, add cashews and lower heat.
Meanwhile, for the cheese sauce, combine milk and flour in a small saucepan over medium heat and mix thoroughly.
When sauce begins to simmer, reduce heat to low and add nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
When tater tots are finished cooking, carefully add them and the cheese sauce to the skillet and mix well. Serve hot and enjoy!
Vegan Outreach’s Community Events team ended 2017 with some awesome events! From cooking demonstrations to a vegan hip-hop event, the vegan message was spread far and wide!
Gwenna Hunter, Greater Los Angeles Community Events Coordinator, organized a Holiday Soul Food event at the Alma Reaves Library in Los Angeles, CA. Chef Sol—AKA Josue Solis—captivated the audience with his personal story about going vegan. The room was packed to its capacity, and attendees enjoyed a tasty vegan meal. Chef Sol served macaroni and cheese, collard greens, cornbread, and “chicken” casserole made with Gardein products. Daiya Cheezecake was served for dessert!
Roopashree Rao, Indian American Community Events Coordinator, organized a vegan food tasting event at the Jain Temple in Sunnyvale, CA. Approximately 450 people enjoyed sampling a vegan dish, which included Kite Hill unsweetened plain yogurt in place of dairy yogurt, a popular food used in Indian cuisine. Roopashree assisted the chef and learned how to cook for 500 people. She also gave a presentation on the connection between Ahimsa and veganism.
Nzinga Young, Greater NYC Community Events Coordinator, organized an adult vegan cooking class at the Brownsville Recreation Center in Brooklyn, NY. Attendees learned how to make a massaged kale salad and discussed the ethical, environmental, and health benefits of adopting a plant-based diet. Immediately after the class, some of the attendees met as a group at their local grocery store and purchased the ingredients they’d used in the class. What a fantastic moment it is when we see how our message motivates people!
Victor Flores, Greater New Mexico Community Events Coordinator, organized an event at the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, in Albuquerque, NM. The Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice provides resources and a space for organizations and individuals working on peace and justice issues to network with one another and share information. Victor teamed up with local rapper I.Q. The Professor and organized—in just eight days—The Conscious Eating Hip Hop event. The event featured a number of other local hip-hop artists and delicious vegan food.
The Community Events team would like to send a big Thank You to all the volunteers and donors who make this work possible! We truly appreciate your support!
This cookbook also happens to be written by Michelle and Josh, a busy vegan couple managing a business and a household. They write:
Often we are asked for the ‘one cookbook’ that would be good for new vegans…. and we think this is it. From breakfast through dessert, simple to sorta fancy (but not really fancy because we are not!), healthy to decadent and always, ALWAYS totally yummers. We honestly live on these recipes. Baked oatmeal? At least twice a week. Kale salad? All the time. Beet burgers, tahini dressing, spinach salad, tofu feta, Sweetpea snickerdoodles… better go, I am getting hungry.
Along with the cookbook, Michelle and Josh are also going to send a combo pack of Herbivore Clothing’s stickers, buttons, and magnets.
This giveaway will run from Tuesday, May 17 through Saturday, May 21. We’ll announce the winner next Tuesday, May 24.
And while you wait for the results of the giveaway, we thought we’d give you a little taste (literally and figuratively) of Michelle and Josh’s book. This No-Bird Noodle Soup recipe comes directly from Eat Like You Give a Damn and sounds absolutely delicious!
No-Bird Noodle Soup
Serves about 4.
Ingredients
Tofu Chicken
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 ounces extra-firm or super-firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
Soup
1 teaspoon olive oil
1½ cups finely chopped carrots
1½ cups finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cups no-salt-added chicken-style broth
8 ounces angel hair pasta, spaghetti, or fettuccine noodles, broken into bite-sized pieces
Salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions
To prepare the tofu, put the oil in a large skillet (cast iron if you have one) or mist with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. When hot, add the tofu; it should sizzle. Don’t crowd the tofu (cook in batches if your skillet isn’t large enough to hold the full amount). Let it cook undisturbed until crispy and brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn the pieces over and let the other side cook undisturbed until crispy and brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Sprinkle the tamari over the tofu and shake the skillet to coat all the pieces evenly on both sides. Sprinkle half the nutritional yeast over the tofu and shake the skillet to distribute it evenly. Turn the tofu over and sprinkle with the remaining nutritional yeast.
To prepare the soup, heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion starts to brown, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the bay leaf, thyme, parsley, and a few grindings of pepper. Add the broth, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil.
Add the pasta, decrease the heat to medium, and cook, stirring once or twice, for 6 minutes.
Stir in the reserved tofu and any nutritional yeast in the skillet. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and additional pepper to taste. Stir in the lemon juice just before serving.
When I first went vegan, I very much enjoyed looking at vegan cookbooks with not-so-easy to prepare recipes that called for unfamiliar ingredients. I liked trying out new ways to prepare plant foods—spiralized sweet potato noodles, anyone?—because I was eager to get distance from the types of animal-based meals I had been brought up on. I don’t know why I felt the need to do that, nor do I particularly care because, after all, I acquired a lot of awesome culinary knowledge. I also had the idea that other people (i.e., non-vegans) would enjoy the obscure dishes I was preparing and it would spark their curiosity in adopting a vegan lifestyle.
Fast forward five years and you’ll find me sticking close to recipes that have short ingredient lists and often include one or more store-bought vegan meats and/or cheeses. Not only have I found preparation to be much quicker, I’ve noticed a difference in the way people respond to what I’ve prepared. More frequently than not, I hear how similar my vegan meal tastes in comparison to a meal that’s usually prepared with animal products.
The changes I’ve made over the years has also influenced the types of cookbooks I thumb through, as well as the types of cookbooks I choose to do a review on the Vegan Outreach blog. I now look for simple comfort foods recipes and close-to-home dishes that non-vegan friends and family members may be interested in preparing for themselves in their own kitchens.
When I was contacted by Jenny Engel and Heather Bell, authors of Vegan 101, about doing a cookbook review, I was excited to see that our approaches to cooking seemed pretty similar. The cookbook is beginner-friendly with easy-to-follow advice for those who’re looking to incorporate more plant-based foods into their meals. It has several easy recipes that won’t require a trip to a specialty spice market, or require a whole day’s worth of preparation.
I also want to mention that the authors, Jenny and Heather, are co-owners of a Los Angeles-based vegan cooking school, Spork Foods, which takes them to universities, health care companies, hotels, corporations, markets, and restaurants all around the world to teach chefs how to prepare tasty vegan meals. These women are sincerely dedicated to educating others about the fun and simplicity in preparing delicious vegan food.
Our first giveaway for the month will be, you guessed it, Vegan 101. So, whether you’re new to vegan cooking, or, you’re like me, and are looking to tone down the complexity of your plant-based meals, this cookbook will be a compatible friend in the kitchen.
This giveaway starts today, Tuesday, May 2 and ends on Saturday, May 20 at 12:00 am North American MDT. We’ll announce the winner on Tuesday, May 23 here on Vegan Outreach’s Vegan Living & Advocacy Blog! Enter by clicking on the giveaway link below!
In the meantime, here’s a sample of one of the many tasty, simple recipes Jenny and Heather provide in their book—Down-Home Seitan Fried Chicken. These patties take very little time to prepare and will be a major hit among your vegan and non-vegan friends and family members!
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus ⅛ teaspoon, divided
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
⅓ cup Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 ⅓ cups water
1 cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup neutral-tasting oil
Directions
To Prepare the Seitan: In a large bowl, combine creamer and vinegar. Set aside for 2 minutes to curdle. Add Worcestershire sauce. Add seitan pieces and toss to coat. Add sea salt and pepper. Set aside for 10 to 20 minutes.
To Prepare the Coating: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, mustard, ¼ teaspoon cayenne, and garlic powder.
Remove and reserve ¼ cup seasoned flour mixture.
In a medium bowl, whisk egg replacer and water until mixture is foamy.
In a small bowl, combine panko, remaining ¼ teaspoon sea salt, remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, and remaining ⅛ teaspoon cayenne. Add reserved ¼ cup seasoned flour mixture and whisk until uniform.
To Cook the Chicken: Add oil to a heavy skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
Dredge each piece of seitan in flour mixture, then dip into egg replacer mixture, and finally coat in panko mixture. Shake off excess panko.
Carefully place coated seitan pieces into hot oil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden. Turn over and cook about 2 additional minutes, or until golden. Once crisp, place pieces on cooling rack over baking sheet. Serve warm.
Recipe Tips/Variations
To test your oil for the perfect cooking temperature, heat it up until you see ripples. Then, stick a clean wooden tool into the oil. If bubbles appear, you’re ready to fry.
The past few years, vegans have seen a huge growth in the availability and variety of non-dairy ice cream. Brands like Häagen-Dazs, Ben and Jerry’s, and Breyers now have vegan versions that occupy shelves in the frozen section of the store, fulfilling almost any flavor craving you might be having!
Get ready to scream—again—for vegan ice cream because Halo Top Creamery recently released seven coconut-based ice cream flavors.
I had the very difficult task of sampling Halo Top’s dairy-free varieties, and I will tell you that I enjoyed every single flavor! I’m a sucker for peanut butter, so naturally my immediate favorite was the Peanut Butter Cup. But if you’re a fan of caramel, you’re going to want to try the Caramel Macchiato and Sea Salt Caramel. Oh, and cinnamon lovers rejoice—they’ve got a Cinnamon Roll flavor just for you! The remaining flavors include, Chocolate Covered Banana and plain Chocolate.
Excited? Us, too! Use Halo Top’s store locator to track down these pints. Many stores are just starting to get them in, and they’ll eventually be available nationwide!
A few months ago, we featured Sunny and Elizabeth—two women who formed a close friendship after being connected through Vegan Outreach’s Vegan Mentor Program (VMP).
Today, we bring you a story of two families who, similar to Sunny and Elizabeth, became good friends after being introduced through the VMP. In this interview, we’ll meet both families, hear about their paths to veganism and the role the VMP played in bringing them together. Most importantly, we’ll see pictures and get the tasty details about their Thanksgiving holiday, which they celebrated together in sunny Florida!
Tell us about yourselves and your families.
Natalie Mindrum: My name is Natalie Mindrum. I work in the airline industry overseeing a real estate portfolio that includes the New York City region. My husband, Adam, is a fellow vegan, and we have two vegan kids, ages 7 and 5, and two vegan rescued canine companions, Leyla, a beagle-mix, and Stuart, a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Pitbull mix.
Kristine Casart: My name is Kristine Casart, and I’m a full-time mom of three vegan kids, ages 9, 6, and 2. My husband, Tim, and I also take care of our vegan beagles Leif and Lars. I’m also very excited about this project that I just started called Mom Vegan Love. So far I have a Facebook page and Instagram. I try to show people how fun it is to be vegan.
What were your respective vegan journeys like?
Natalie: I became vegan back in 2007. I read a book by E.O. Wilson called The Diversity of Life, which got me thinking about how similar humans are to the animals on our plates. Then I saw Earthlings and the rest was history. My boyfriend, now husband, was a bit resistant in the beginning, but now he’s been vegan for nearly a decade, too—for the animals. I decided to become a mentor for Vegan Outreach’s VMP because I wanted to meet fellow vegans and I was interested in helping people who were trying to go vegan.
Being matched with Kristine and her family, who lived just a few minutes away from us, was more than what I could have hoped for from the program! It’s led to what I hope will be a life-long friendship!
Kristine: I first watched Forks Over Knives about four years ago and wanted to go vegan overnight for health reasons. My husband was not quite ready at the time, and we started by transitioning to a vegetarian diet. About 2 ½ years ago we watched Earthlings together. We completely made the connection and went vegan for the animals that day.
I absolutely love us as vegans! Getting rid of asthma, allergies, low immune systems, and stomach issues has led us to enjoy life to the fullest. Opening our hearts to live according to our core values and letting love and compassion be our guide is just amazing. Our only regret is not having gone vegan sooner.
We do feel like the odd couple on the block sometimes though, ha ha. After a trip to California 1 ½ years ago, where vegan felt so much like the norm, I felt the need to find like-minded people closer to home. Meeting Natalie and her amazing vegan family has been just what we needed. We definitely feel like this is the beginning of a life-long friendship, and we’re so grateful to Vegan Outreach for setting us up.
Natalie (left) and Kristine (right)
Kristine, you just moved from Illinois—where you and Natalie met—to Florida. Have you two been able to spend time together since relocating?
Kristine: Yes! We all celebrated Thanksgiving together last year back in Illinois. Natalie and her family cooked an absolutely amazing meal for all of us, which I still dream about. We were thrilled when they could come down to Florida this year so we could return the favor. We had so much fun!
Give us the scoop on your Thanksgiving!
Natalie: Tim and Kristine are amazing cooks! I’m always telling them that they need to open a restaurant. We felt so excited to get to hang out with them in sunny Florida and eat their incredible food. I’m still thinking about the carrot lox and blueberry cheezecake.
Kristine: We had so much fun during their stay. Feels like a dream, truly something to be thankful for!
If you could offer one piece of advice to an aspiring or new vegan, what would it be?
Natalie: Remember that veganism isn’t about your own personal purity—it’s about reducing animal suffering. In the beginning, just do your best and don’t beat yourself up if you make a mistake. Remember to be compassionate to your fellow humans too, including yourself!
Kristine: Make the connection to where your food comes from—watch documentaries. Finding out that plants have plenty of protein and the health benefits of a plant-based diet made it possible for me to finally pull down the veil and make more compassionate choices.
Just take it one meal at a time and have fun! We love Pinterest for recipes—just type in whatever you’d like to eat and add the word Vegan. There are so many delicious options at your fingertips. Sign up for a mentor through Vegan Outreach, the support and companionship is amazing.
The author of the recipe, Kacy Franzen, is a dedicated animal activist, certified health coach, and lover of food. If you’re a fan of this recipe, check her website and Instagram.
Isn’t holiday baking great? Unless you’re lazy. Then you know what’s better than holiday baking? Not baking!
For example, melting a couple of ingredients together and turning them into chocolate truffles with a festive candy cane coating—easy as that! So turn on some Christmas music, pour yourself a little vegan nog, and whip up these delightful little treats that your friends and family are going to love!
Candy Cane Truffles
Yields 12-16 truffles.
Ingredients
10 Peppermint Candy Canes
1 ½ Cups vegan chocolate chips
½ cup coconut cream
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
Directions
Place the vegan chocolate chips in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the coconut cream over medium heat for a few minutes until it begins to simmer. Pour the hot coconut cream over the chocolate chips and cover. Let the mixture sit for five minutes.
Add the peppermint extract and gently mix everything together until melted and well combined. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
While the chocolate is chilling, place the candy canes in a plastic bag. Use something heavy to smash them into little pieces (I used a rolling pin). You can also crush them up in a food processor.
When the chocolate is chilled and firm, use a teaspoon to scoop out chocolate and form into little balls. Then roll the balls in the crushed candy canes to coat.
Place the truffles on parchment paper and put them into the refrigerator to chill until you’re ready to share—or enjoy all to yourself!
