Vegan Comfort Foods

With the plethora of vegetarian substitutes on the market made to resemble their meat counterparts, i.e., hot dogs, sausage, hamburgers, today's vegan no longer has to make these products at home. Yet, a vegan loves his comfort food just as much as anyone else does. Comfort foods, for anyone, are generally easy to make and wonderful to eat. Try some of the following recipes when you need your dose of comfort.

Bean Stroganoff

1 cup soymilk
2 1/3 cups of oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons vinegar
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups cooked soybeans
1 cup cooked rice

In a blender, pour cold soymilk and slowly add the oil while blending at high speed. Continue to blend until the mixture becomes very thick. On a low speed, add in the sugar, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar. Measure out 1 cup of the resulting mix, putting the remainder in reserve in the refrigerator.

To the one cup mix, add in the soy sauce, garlic power and the remainder of the vinegar. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until mixed well. Mix together the cooked soybeans and rise, then add the stroganoff sauce. Reheat if needed and serve.

Lasagna

1 package vegan-certified lasagna noodles
1 onion, chopped
1/4 olive oil
5 cups tomato sauce
2 teaspoons each, chili power and oregano
1 teaspoon each basil, salt and paprika
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, crushed.
1 package crumbled tofu or
2 cups cooked vegetables.
Nutritional Yeast (optional)


Prepare the noodles according to package instructions. When done, rinse in cool water to prevent sticking.

In a Dutch oven, sauté the onions in the oil until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for thirty minutes.

In a greased baking dish, start with a thin layer of tomato sauce, and then add a layer of noodles. Spread out a layer of crumbled tofu or cooked vegetables. Ladle tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle the sauce nutritional yeast if desired. Repeat layers, starting with the noodles and ending with sauce.

Bake for 35 - 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Macaroni and Fake Cheese Casserole