Friday, September 29, 2023

Plant Based Pumpkin Pecan & Cranberry Strata (breakfast casserole) with Caramel Syrup

We recently served this to a breakfast crowd of young adults. While they aren't necessarily fans of plant based/vegan cooking, some of them said it was the best thing they had ever had for breakfast. A perfect fall, winter or holiday breakfast featuring pumpkin, spices, cranberries for a tart contrast and crunchy toasted pecans, topped with a delicious caramel syrup. 
Because this recipe needs to be refrigerated overnight (to allow the bread to soak up the liquids), it is a perfect prep and bake - simply pop it into the oven, and enjoy seeing your home wake to the delicious aromas of cinnamon, pumpkin and caramel. We especially love this for holidays as all of the clean up can be taken care of the night before. 

Let's just acknowledge that this isn't a great photo - it was devoured before a photo was taken, so here's what your leftovers may look like! :) 
 

Blend 

1 large can (29 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

Aquafaba drained from 2 cans chickpeas (approximately 1/2-3/4 cup)

8 oz soft tofu 

1 T. freshly grated or finely chopped ginger, or 1 t. ginger powder

1/2 t. salt

1 T. Cinnamon

1/2 t. freshly ground nutmeg

1.5 t. vanilla

1/2 t. cardamom

5 cups soy or plant based milk

1/4 cup maple syrup


Cut or chop into 1 inch cubes and place in large mixing bowl

2 loaves sourdough bread

4 costco artisan rolls


Pour over bread cubes and toss to coat

3/4 cup coconut cream (melted), or coconut oil


Add and mix in

2 cups toasted pecans, roughly chopped

1.5 cup frozen cranberries

Pumpkin mixture

Place in parchment lined baking dish or 11x15x2 pan 

Cover with foil. 

Refrigerate overnight, or for 4-6 hours.

Bake at 350* for 30 min. 

Remove foil, bake for an additional 15-20 min. 


Caramel Sauce

Combine in small pan and bring to boil

1.5 cups maple syrup 

1 cup coconut milk

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook until reduced into a thick syrup (20-30 min). 

Add 

1 t. vanilla

1/4 t. salt 

Dash of cinnamon and ground cardamon

Serve with baked strata. 







Smoky Vegan Chick'n & Jalapeno Enchiladas




Yesterday while wandering the aisles of my grocery store thinking about things I haven't eaten for a while and have missed, I remembered our chicken jalapeño enchiladas that I was (slightly) famous for when I was a young newlywed. 

They never disappointed and were super easy-chicken, jalapeños, sour cream, cheese, tortillas, and cream of chicken soup.

I looked all over the internet and simply couldn't find anything similar to my old recipe, so here's my re-creation.

 While this plant based recipe takes much more time, it's definitely worth the work.

There are some make ahead items for this recipe. While I don't usually buy vegan dairy products due to the oils, I'm sure you could use them to speed this up.

First off, you will need some plant based yogurt or sour cream. I make this by the quart and it is usually on hand in the fridge. Super easy to make if you have an instant type of electric pressure cooker-note it takes 8 hours. Here's my recipe for 2 ingredient plant based sour cream/yogurt.

Next, if desired, you can make mozzarella. This recipe turns out great-and is super quick and easy to make. I made it first so that it could set while I was prepping everything else.

You'll need soy curls and you will also want to prep them-simply pour hot water over them, add soy sauce, sage, thyme, Trader Joe's Vegan Chicken bouillon seasoning, and if desired black pepper or ground grains of paradise. 

You will also need a high speed/powered blender to make cashew cream. 

Ingredients

Soy curls

3 cups soy curls

1.5 T soy sauce

2 t. thyme

1/2 t. sage

1 T. Trader Joe's Vegan Chicken bouillon


Mozzarella cheese

Coconut cream or oil, sauerkraut, nutritional yeast, silken tofu, tapioca flour/starch, agar agar or kappa carrageenan salt, garlic powder

Enchiladas

8-10 tortillas

1 diced onion

2 jalapeños diced and stemmed and deveined (to taste depending on how much spice you prefer)

1 c. coarsely chopped mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 T. soy sauce

1/4 c. Coconut cream

1/4 c. Whole grain wheat flour or flour of your choice


Cream sauce

1 cup raw cashews

2.5 cups water

1 small can diced green chiles

Salt, cumin, smoked paprika to taste

1. Make mozzarella cheese and set aside to set: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/the-best-vegan-mozzarella/

2. Place 3 cups of soy curls into a bowl or container and cover with hot water. Add soy sauce, and spices and allow to re-hydrate and marinate. Set aside until later. 

2. Add soy sauce to large saucepan or frying pan. Add onions, and sautee for 2-3 minutes, then add garlic, and mushrooms and sautee until tender. 

3. Over medium heat, add coconut cream or milk to sautéed vegetables. Once melted and coated, add flour. Stir to coat and mix in to create a roux 

4. Add milk to flour/vegetable mixture and stir until a gravy begins to form. Continue to add milk and stir until the mixture resembles a thick sauce. (Note-in the traditional recipe this would be canned soup-so make sure it is about that thickness-undiluted). 

5. Add sour cream/yogurt, and freshly chopped jalapeños. Mix in. 

6. Drain and then squeeze all of the liquid from the soy curls. Add soy curls, and thoroughly mix. 



7. Spoon mixture into tortillas. Corn tortillas can be wrapped in a dishcloth and microwaved for 2 minutes to make them pliable. 

8. Fill tortillas with chicken filling, and place seam down in baking dish (9x13), lined with parchment paper. 

9. Blend cashews in water and pour into saucepan. Add green chiles, salt, cumin, and smoked paprika to taste. Stir gently until sauce begins to boil and thicken, creating a gravy. Pour over enchiladas. 

10. Grate mozarella cheese and sprinkle it over the enchiladas and bake at 375* for approximately 30 minutes.