Zucchini Casserole-plant based

 For years I've been making my grandma J's Zucchini Casserole, or at least my rendition of it. 

I'm a girl who loves food traditions, but changing to a plant based diet a couple of years ago really affected many of our food based traditions. Like Thanksiving, Christmas, Easter Sunday etc. 

Many years ago our kids boycotted traditional Easter dinner foods. They determined that they loved taquitos (home made), and English trifle. So, that's what we've had for our Easter Sunday meal- for years. This year, my kids threw me a curve ball and said since only two of them eat trifle (it's totally not plant based), and as only one of them eats meat, they were open to some new Easter food traditions. 

Cue up grandma's Casserole.....(drum roll) pure comfort food. 

It is also super easy to adapt based on the quantity of your ingredients. 

There are a couple of steps to making this...and you can adapt and make it as hard or easy as you want-based on your energy levels.

Prep:

Toast 6-8 slices of plant based bread. Allow to sit put for a couple of hours until dried out and hard (if you live someplace humid, you'll want to toast the bread in your oven at a low temperature so that it can really dry out). 

Using a food processor or mandoline, slice 6-8 small-medium zucchinis into very thin slices. 

Similarly, thinly slice/chop one medium onion. 

Place zucchini and onion into a large frying pan and cook over medium high heat stirring or turning periodically. Oil is not necessary as they will quickly begin to release their juices. Cook until translucent- approximately 15-20 min. 

Stuffing:

2 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1T fresh thyme, finely chopped

2 t. fresh sage, finely chopped

Salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to taste

1 can coconut milk

1 can 3 T coconut cream (from the top of a can of coconut milk-I prefer Trader Joe's since it is purely water and cream with no additives).

Using a food processor, or grater grate the bread/toast into bread crumbs. 

Melt coconut cream in large frying pan. 

Melt coconut, add herbs and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add bread crumbs and toss to coat in herb, coconut cream mixture. Cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes. 

While stirring, pour remaining liquid from coconut milk into pan, and quickly mix into bread crumbs. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Set aside.

Cashew cream sauce

1 cup raw cashews (soak for 2 hours if not using high powered blender like vitamix)

1/4 onion

2 garlic cloves

2 T. dried shiitake mushroom powder (I simply blend dried shiitakes for this)

1 t salt

2 T chicken less boullion (Trader Joe's has one, or this recipe)

1.5-2 cups water

Blend in high powered blender, until smooth. 

Pour into a small saucepan, and heat while constantly stirring 1-2 minutes, until thickened. 

Zucchini

Mix cooked Zucchini and onion with 1 cup cashew cream and 1 cup soy yogurt (recipe here). 

Smoked gouda cheese sauce-I use this recipe 

https://thehiddenveggies.com/vegan-smoked-gouda/

Heat oven to 350*. Line a large casserole pan with parchment paper and half of the zucchini, gouda cheese, and breadcrumbs mixture, then repeat. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes. 

Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting - Plant Based

 As the weather gets cooler, I've noticed that I've been mentally exploring how to adapt some of our old favorite recipes into plant based versions. 

This morning I noticed several ripe bbananas on the counter that needed to be used, and decided to adapt my banana bars recipe. 

This recipe features whole wheat flour instead of bleached white flour, chia gel instead of eggs, avocado instead of oil, dates instead of brown sugar, and uses cashews and maple syrup for the sour cream frosting. 

2 cups dates

2 cups boiling water

4 ripe bananas

2.5 T chia seeds mixed with 1 c. water

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

1 c. chopped, toasted walnuts

1 t. ground cinnamon

Place dates into blender and add boiling water. Allow to soak for 10-15 min to soften dates. Drain all but approx 1/2 cup of water, and blend into a thick date paste (add additional water only if needed).

Add date paste and peeled bananas to mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.

Add chia gel and avocado

Add additional ingredients and mix until combined but don't overmix. 

Bake in a parchment or silpat lined 9x13, or 11x15 inch pan, at 350* for 25-30 min (slightly longer for the 9x13 so that it cooks through). 

Cool. 

Frosting

1.5 cups cashews (soaked in hot water for 15-30 minutes

1/4 c. maple syrup

1/4 - 1/3 c. plant based milk

pinch of salt

1 t. vanilla

Drain cashews and using a high powered blender, combine ingredients and blend until smooth. 

Spread over banana bars

Zucchini & Portabello Mushroom Stir Fry

Holy cow! This was such a great dish - my husband asked me when I was going to make it again, even though I just made it two days ago.
This takes a slightly Asian twist on zucchini and is so easy and healthy.
Truly a 15 minute dish.

2 medium zucchinis

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 portabello mushroom, sliced, coarsely chopped

1-2 T. soy sauce

1-2 T. grated fresh ginger

2 t. sesame seeds

Using a grater, thinly slice zucchinis. 

Place in cast iron pan, with a small amount of water (so they don't initially stick). Add onions and mushroom pieces and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until ingredients become tender and translucent.  

Add soy sauce, and grated ginger, and cook down to reduce the liquid. Add sesame seeds, salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.  

Tadka Dal with Potatoes (Split Red Lentils)

We've entered a new realm - the realm of whole food, plant based diet, with no refined sugars or flours, or oils.

So...these next recipes are recipes have been altered to fit into the no anything (see above) category. We've been very surprised to find workable recipes that we've actually liked. The following posts include some of our favorites.

I was at Winco last week checking out their bulk dry options and found some red lentils that I thought might be fun to try out.  They were awesome in this recipe!

Tadka Dal With Potatoes (Split Red Lentils)
1 onion - finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T. grated fresh ginger
1 jalapeno pepper - sliced into rings (with or without seeds)
2 cups red lentils, rinsed
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 T. grated fresh turmeric or 1.5 t. ground tumeric
1 t. salt
6 cups water

1 quart tomatoes
1 T. yellow mustard seeds
1 T. coriander seeds
1 T. sesame seeds
2 t. green cardamon pods
2 T. cumin
1 t. allspice

Pre-heat a pressure cooker using the brown setting.
Add a small amount of water, then cook the onions, garlic, ginger and jalapeno until softened, stirring occasionally.

Add the lentils, potatoes, turmeric and salt. Then add the water, stir and lock the lid into place.
Pressure cook on high for 7 minutes.

Release the pressure using the quick release method.

While the dal is cooking, in a cast iron skillet, heat the spices, stirring occasionally - all except for the cumin and allspice.

Once they've begun to brown and are moving around and popping a bit, add 1 quart of canned tomatoes. Use a potato masher or similar tool to break tomatoes down, and boil and stir this mixture, Add the cumin and allspice, and boil and stir until it reduces and most of the liquid cooks off.

Remove from heat.

Serve in bowls, on top of rice or with naan bread, (or a homemade Maseca corn tortilla), with the tomato mixture on top of the dal.