Tofu Pot Pie Casserole

Did everyone have a nice Columbus Day? I work for a nonprofit native foundation and we get the day off from work, but we certainly don't call it Columbus Day. We call it "Family Wellness Day" and I think that is much more appropriate. Do you know anyone or any group that abstains from celebrating good ol' Columbus? I spent the day organizing the kitchen and guest room, and just generally toiling away at home. 

Well, it's that time again. Time to clean out the fridge before a vacation! Usually this means some sort of soup, but I wanted to make something different and I remembered that I had a package of phyllo dough in the fridge. Now, I'd like to be able to tell you that the dough wasn't a few months shy of it's one year birthday...but that would be a lie. Yes, in fact the last time I used the dough was for this recipe. I know, it's completely shameful, but "waste not, want not" is what my Grandma D always says. The phyllo was totally fine. It was in an unopened roll...that shiz lasts forever. Unless it's opened, then it lasts about two minutes. Phyllo can be a tricksy monster. 

It's now a horrible race to take my photographs without surrendering to the artificial lamp. The sun begins to wane at about 4 pm, as you can see from the photos in this post. I suspect this is the last post without the dreaded lamp.  

“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.”

— Alice Walker

A sturdy and healthy tofu pot pie casserole made with phyllo dough and common vegetables. Quick and easy for a weekday dinner!

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Tofu Pot Pie Casserole

by Katie @ Produce On Parade October-14-2014

A sturdy and healthy tofu pot pie casserole made with phyllo dough and common vegetables. Quick and easy for a weekday dinner!

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 celery ribs and leaves, chopped
• 3 medium potatoes (about 12 oz.), diced small
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 15 oz. can of sweet peas, drained
• 1 heaping cup of frozen sweet corn
• 2 cups non-dairy milk
• scant 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 12oz. block of firm tofu, drained and cubed small
• 1 Tbsp. dried Italian herbs
• 1 Tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast, divided
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 12 sheets of phyllo dough (about ½ a roll)

Instructions

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add the celery and potatoes, bringing the heat to medium and sauté for about 5-8 minutes. Then add the onion and garlic. Sauté another 5 minutes. Add the peas and corn and sauté for 3 minutes. Now, add the milk stirring well to combine. Slowly add in the flour, stirring to combine and ensuring there are no lumps. Stir in the tofu.Mix in the remaining ingredients, excluding the phyllo dough and reserving 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast. Preheat oven to 350 F and coat a large 9 x 13 casserole dish with a nonstick cooking spray. Place 4 sheets of phyllo dough down then cover with half of the pot pie mixture. Add another 4 sheets of dough, then the other half of the mixture. Finish with 4 sheets of dough, coating them with a bit of olive oil and sprinkling with 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast. Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes and serve hot.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 50 mins Total time: 55 mins Yield: 6

Dutch Word of The Day

Casserole --> stoofschotel (stoofs-ho-tull)

Good Deed of The Day

Do you know someone who suffers from multiple sclerosis? Invite them read this new study on the benefits of a low-fat, vegan diet on the disease here. It's worth a shot! That's actually how Todd and I became vegan. Not because of MS, but through seeking relief from rheumatoid arthritis. 

Winter Cabbage & Potato Soup

Someone has to prepare for winter. It might as well be me. It's okay, I live in Alaska so I am allowed to discuss winter in October. It snowed a week ago, okay? But I love winter. Positively adore the icy air, the clean landscapes, and the lacy snowflakes, but more on that later.

This soup might be regarded as bit bizarre due to steaming the onion, celery, and garlic but I encourage you to think of the process like making a stock. It will be well worth the risk. While this soup is proletarian and simple, the ingredients boldly shine without being cluttered.  

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. ”

— Margaret Mead

A luscious, blended vegetable soup with hearty chunks of potatoes and cabbage. Kissed with dill and coriander, and ready in a flash.

Almost all the produce I used came from my CSA box! Even these taters. I think they were labeled as Purple Viking. With a name like that, naturally, one would expect them to be purple throughout. You can imagine my chagrin when I cut them open. It's okay though, they were still delicious. 

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Winter Cabbage & Potato Soup

by Katie @ Produce On Parade October-10-2014

A luscious, blended vegetable soup with hearty chunks of potatoes and cabbage. Kissed with dill and coriander, and ready in a flash.

Ingredients

• 3 (about 1 lb. total) medium potatoes, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, rough chopped
• 3 celery stalks, rough chopped
• 2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and whole
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp. vegan sugar
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. dried dill weed
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. ground coriander
• ¼ cup water
• ½ tsp. mustard powder
• 4 cups (about ½ small head) red cabbage, chopped

Instructions

Dice the potatoes and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water, a dash of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain and set aside until ready to use. Steam the onion, celery, and garlic in an electric steamer or on the stove, for about 15 minutes or until fork tender. Place the steamed vegetables in a blender. Add in the broth through and including the coriander. When the potatoes are done boiling, add about 1/3 to the blender as well. Blend on high, allowing steam to escape the top, for a few minutes until smooth and creamy. In a large soup pot, add the water, mustard powder, and cabbage. Wilt over medium-high heat, until the water has evaporated and the cabbage is tender. Pour in the blender contents and the remaining 2/3 of cooked potatoes. Stir well to combine. Serve hot.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 4

Dutch Word of The Day

Cabbage --> Kool (coal)

Good Deed of The Day

Educate yourself on the debate on "ethically-raised" meat in this intriguing article from Time. 

Spiced Pumpkin Gingerbread

This bread! Well, technically it's more like a gooey dessert loaf. Is that a category? This gooey dessert loaf...will make...your house...smell like heaven.

If I was a heaven-believing type of person (I'm not, with the grotesque exception of a doggy heaven), I know it would smell like this bread baking. It's like if Thanksgiving and Christmas were on the same day. That's what it smells like. 

Like earthy pumpkin, zesty ginger, sweet molasses, and holiday spices. It's amazing what they can do aromatically when married together and heated.

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.”

— Socrates

Socrates knows what's up.

This gooey dessert bread is the essence of Thanksgiving and Christmas combined. Heavenly winter gingerbread is scented with autumnal spices and moistened with pumpkin. Bits of candied ginger throughout lend a spicy bite.

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Spiced Pumpkin Gingerbread

by Katie @ Produce On Parade October-8-2014

This gooey dessert bread is the essence of Thanksgiving and Christmas combined. Heavenly winter gingerbread is scented with autumnal spices and moistened with pumpkin. Bits of candied ginger throughout lend a spicy bite. NOTES: Feel free to use 2 cups all-purpose flour if you like. Be sure to let the bread rest, for it will need to settle.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat white flour
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1 15 oz. can of canned pumpkin
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• ¼ cup candied ginger, minced

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax and cold water. Allow to rest until ready to use.In a large bowl, whisk together the flours through and including the cardamom. In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin through and including the molasses, as well as the flax mixture.Preheat the oven to 350 F. Now, gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Stir in the candied ginger. Do not over mix. Coat a bread pan with a nonstick cooking spray and pour in the batter. Bake at 350 F for 60 minutes or until set. Allow to rest in the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes then remove from pan and allow to cool another 10 minutes.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 30 mins Yield: 1 loaf of bread

Dutch Word of The Day

My bread is similar to a Dutch gingerbread called "peperkoek" (pay-per-cooik) or "pepper cake", except that peperkoek usually uses rye flour! Pretty cool huh? 

Good Deed of The Day

This is one of the best articles I've read in a long time. Originally published in Cosmologics, the magazine of Science, Religion, and Culture program at the Harvard Divinity School. It's titled, Why Atheists Should be Vegans, and you need to read it.