Mock Chicken Noodle Soup

 These past few weeks have just flown by as the weather gets cooler and cooler. I haven't really felt like cooking anything lately. This time of year is kind of a down time for me emotionally; or as I like to call it, "I'm on the bipolar rollercoaster!"  I'm working on getting through it and coming out the other side. I am looking forward to cooking with the VegCookbookClub again in November. We will be cooking out of Isa Does It! I told myself I wasn't going to buy any more cookbooks but my willpower was weak one day and I broke down and ordered it from Amazon. I've been watching her cooking videos on her site. Love them! I really want to try the Rosemary-Chocolate Chip Cookies; they sound so interesting and daring.  

This is another soup recipe from Vegan Soups & Hearty Stews for All Seasons by Nava Atlas.

The recipe calls for baked tofu but I used the rest of my seitan that I had frozen; time to make some more! I cubed the seitan, sprinkled a little Chik-Style Seasoning on them and browned in a little oil.

For the 6 cups broth I used Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base. It gives the soup an authentic 'chicken-y' color and flavor.  I used broken-up fettuccini noodles which were a little thick; next time I'll try and use a finer noodle. 

Mmm~  Love the No Chicken Broth; it tastes just like good old fashioned canned chicken noodle soup my mother always fed me when I was sick! The seitan gives it the needed meaty chunks without using any chicken. The hubby gave this one a thumbs up! Maybe he'll be getting this kind of chicken noodle soup the next time he's sick. Hehe!

Cacciatore Noodle Bake

Another great recipe from Vegan on the Cheap. I had some Simple Simmered Seitan I had made a few months ago and frozen. It was so easy to thaw out and use in this delicious dish.

Browning the seitan cubes.

Cooked fettuccine and the browned seitan.

Sauteeing onions, bell pepper, mushrooms and garlic.

All combined in a casserole dish along with some canned tomatoes and spices and baked in the oven for 30 minutes. So simple!

Yay! My Sprouts market has Go Veggie! Vegan Parmesan.

Cacciatore Noodle Bake with a side of steamed broccoli. 

Skillet Hash~pg. 129

VegCookbookClub May recipes from Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson:

Browning the hash; that looks like cheese but it's shredded carrots. I used the Simple Simmered Seitan I had made and frozen into portions. So easy to take out of the freezer and use when I need it!

This recipe seemed a little blah to me so after browning the hash I added Daiya mozzarella shreds and mini sweet peppers on top. I covered with a lid until the cheese melted. 

I served the Skillet Hash with Sauteed Chard from Crazy Sexy Kitchen. I also used a little Sambal Oelek to add a little more spice.

Simple Simmered Seitan~pg 50; Savory Vegetable Cobbler~pg 166

VegCookbookClub May recipes from Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson:

New month, new cookbook! Or rather a cookbook I've had a long time and made one recipe out of it-Mu Shu Burritos. Now I've made a whole list of recipes I want to try.

I had alot of energy yesterday and decided to tackle making some seitan (wheatmeat). It's easy but it takes an hour to simmer. I like this particular seitan recipe because it makes about 2 pounds. I divided it into 4 portions so I can freeze for later use. I love the texture; it's not as hard and chewy as other recipes I've tried.

Simmering the seitan.

Draining and cooling seitan.

Chopped and ready to go in recipe.

Veggies and seitan waiting for the sauce.

Hot and bubbly from the oven.

Yum! This reminds me of the frozen pot pies I ate as a kid. I even added some ketchup to mine like I always did. This is the kind of food my hubby likes to eat; so I aim to please! I usually don't like to make long drawn-out recipes and this took over 2 hours to cook everything but it was worth it.

Mongolian BBQ Seitan

VegCookbookClub October recipes from Chloe's Kitchen:

 

Love this! I like the sweet and spicy taste that the hoisin sauce, sriracha, ginger, cloves and cinnamon give it. Will put this on my 'make again' list.

 

Mongolian BBQ Seitan served over brown rice

Chick'n and Dumplings

Had to post one more recipe from The Vegan Slow Cooker for the VegCookbookClub .

 

Wow! All I can say is I feel like I'm back on the farm at my Grandma's house sitting down to eat her chicken and dumplings. Yummy! I do remember though getting a chicken bone every once in awhile in my bowl. Yuch! No chicken bones here. I used store-bought chicken flavored seitan. Instead of the bay leaf, thyme and rosemary I used my  Poultry Seasoning .

Faux Fish~pg. 286; Veganica.com Cajun Sweet Potato Fries~pg. 186

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

I breaded these in the Shook 'n' Cook Breading-pg. 56 and followed the directions for the Fried "Chicken" on pg. 289 to cook them. Excellent! I made a tartar sauce to go along with my Faux Fish:

Tartar Sauce:
1 C Vegenaise (or other vegan mayonnaise)
2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1 Tbsp. minced onion
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
*combine all ingredients and chill at least an hour.

This is my second attempt to make these fries. The first time they were too oily and salty. This time I only used 1 Tbsp. of oil and they turned out much better. Delicious!

Tomato Walnut-Crusted Fried "Chicken"~pg. 172; Basic Baking Powder Biscuits~271

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Hot dang!! Who needs meat when you can eat like this! I served my 'chicken' with roasted fresh green beans and garlic, leftover Kalamata Mashed Potatoes and Basic Baking Powder Biscuits (pg. 271). I made a brown gravy out of the remaining 'chicken' simmering broth using flour and soymilk.

These biscuits weren't on our schedule of recipes to make. If you haven't made them before you have got to try them! I use this recipe frequently and we love it. The dark flecks you see in the biscuits is oregano; it really gives the biscuits a great, savory flavor. If you don't have La Dolce Vegan! cookbook you are missing out on alot of great recipes. Go out and buy it today! Treat yourself for Christmas!

Faux Turkey~pg. 289; Cranberry Sauce~pg. 299

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

My Faux Turkey simmering in the broth. I didn't add the 1/2 tsp. salt because the broth is always salty enough with the nutritional yeast and tamari. I also replaced the onion powder, sage and thyme with my poultry seasoning I make. I posted the recipe in "Seasonings". I am going to freeze the 'turkey' for later use. We're still eating leftover Tofurky from Thanksgiving yesterday. I roasted the Tofurky with butternut squash, potatoes, carrots and onions. I wish I would have taken a picture; it looked delicious and tasted delicious, too.

I served this cranberry sauce with my Tofurky. I really liked the golden raisins and walnuts in it. The recipe called for apple cider vinegar which I thought was weird but it tasted great.

Faux Ham~pg. 286; Basic Instant Gluten~pg. 284

La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Whoo Hoo! I have created an alternative to the scalloped potatoes (cow milk) & ham (pig) I always used to make.

I sliced my faux ham into chunks before simmering in the broth. For the scalloped potatoes I made a basic white sauce and added chopped onions. Here is the recipe:

1/4 C vegan margarine
1/2 C chopped onion
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3 C. unsweetened soymilk
6 peeled, sliced russet potatoes
salt & pepper to taste
       Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil baking dish. Melt margarine in large skillet and saute' onions until translucent. Whisk in flour until bubbling then whisk in soymilk. Cook until thickened; stirring occasionally. Add salt & pepper to taste. Layer 1/2 of the sliced potatoes and 1/2 of the faux ham in baking dish. Repeat. Pour white sauce evenly over potatoes and faux ham. Cover dish with foil and bake for 45-60 minutes. It is done when potatoes can be easily poked with a fork.

Okay, this will be one of my go-to recipes from now on!

Jay-Lo's Fried "Chicken"~pg 167

Vegan Culinary Institute La Dolce Vegan! Challenge:

Mmm! Mmmm! This satisfies my craving for fried chicken without killing the bird! I fried my"chicken" in canola instead of the olive oil. My seitan broth never boils all the way down so I used the leftover flour coating, some cornstarch and soymilk and made a delicious brown gravy. Reminds me of my mama's fried chicken dinners; now just more compassionate. Even my husband likes this; he walked in this evening while I was cooking and made that "mmmm" sound! On the health side no cholesterol!