Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Best Poutine Ever! Ⓥ

Okay, so this is honestly not much of a "recipe" per-say but this was so delicious that I decided I had to share. ;) Before going vegan I admittedly loved the Canadian-invented poutine-- for those that don't know what a poutine is, it's french fries smothered in cheese and gravy. Healthy I know. I've had fries and vegan gravy since but not with cheese, even the vegan varieties. However, this idea came to us and I have to say, it's the best poutine I've ever had in my life (and I've been to Montreal and had them there too ;)). 

What you'll need…

Vegan Poutine:

Your choice of favourite french fries

Vegan Gravy (recipe here)

Daiya Mozarella Cheese

Tofu Balls (recipe here)--totally optional. 

I think what made this extra delicious was the perfect combination of ingredients. The fries were from the "Bite" truck in Nelson which are by far the best french fries I've ever had--they're organic and fried with non-hydrogenated vegetable oils too! So find your favourite french fries or make your own! Next we topped them with Daiya mozzarella "cheese" (thank goodness for Daiya!!) and smothered them with home-made vegan gravy (recipe here)--which melted the daiya. I also made tofu balls to go with them and it was, again, simply delish! 

  

You could easily replicate this easy "recipe" and make your own with your personal favourite french fries and take care of the rest as I described above. Seriously good! Again, I'm aware not the healthiest, but as far as unhealthy food goes, this wasn't so bad and totally worth the treat. ;)  

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Holiday Feast Ⓥ

 Okay, so I know this is a bit late since Thanksgiving and Christmas have already passed, however I figure for all those other holiday meals that like to pop up throughout the year this would be useful for you to have anyway. well

When it comes to having a Vegan Holiday Feast, many of us aren't quite sure where to start, especially if you're new to the vegan world. This is to give you some ideas, some of my favourites, and how to make sure your guests will enjoy the meal as--because, hey, vegan food is amazing and it's nice to prove people wrong! ;) 

Replacing the essentials...

Vegan Gravy (recipe here)

Vegan Stuffing: Aside from the thought of anything cooking inside a turkey's privates sounding absolutely revolting, vegan replacements are far healthier and tastier (in my personal opinion). Even back before I was vegan and a carnivorous junky, my mother made this dish Not inside a turkey's butt and it was delicious. All you really need are breadcrumbs, spices, and vegetable broth and it tastes just like any other stuffing. You can even find gluten-free breadcrumbs to keep it gluten-free or flavour a Rice dish with stuffing spices. The Recipe here is great.
Or for something a little different try "Rice Stuffing" Recipe here. 

One of my favourite items to make and serve for any Holiday Feast is a Roast. Carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes, parsnips, squash, whatever root vegetables you'd like!
Recipe here: Root Vegetable Roast!

You could also make Mashed Potatoes or yams ,or Roasted Squash. 

Tofurky is a lovely turkey replacement. However, if you're allergic to wheat or gluten, like me, then this is not a good option. My favourite thing to make are Tofu Balls (recipe here), and everyone always loves them, I haven't heard anyone not like them yet. 

If you want something non-traditional, I love making Mac 'n' Shews, the most amazing vegan macaroni and cheese recipe ever! 

A Cauliflower bake is another wonderful addition to a Holiday Feast. I'll share a recipe soon from a friend of mine that she made at a potluck back for Thanksgiving. And any other veggie dish is always lovely, and healthy of course!

Really, though, it is not hard to have a Vegan Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, or any other feast. You don't have to sacrifice anything, you won't feel as if you're missing out on that turkey or any other meat once you try a vegan feast. Give it a try and you'll fall in love with a vegan lifestyle as I have! :) 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Vegan Gravy Ⓥ

 This is so simple and easy to make, plus you're not using unhealthy animal fat (yuckyyyy!). I don't know why you'd ever want to use gross meat-stuff ever again. ;) 

This is also gluten-free, although you can make this with just about any flour. :) 

Vegan Gravy

3 cups Vegetable Broth

3 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided

1/3 cup Rice Flour (or any other flour)

dashes of black pepper

3/4 tsp Salt

In a heated medium pot, add the oil along with the flour, stir together. It should become a gooey clump. Add a little more oil if necessary. Toast for approx. 15 minutes in the pan until it smells toasty and turns a medium brown colour. Stir practically the entire time so it cooks evenly. Use a whisk to avoid clumping as well. 

Stream in the 2 cups of broth, whisking constantly so it doesn't clump--the trick is to add the broth slowly, if you do it too quickly it will clump. Whisk until it's thick and smooth. 

Add pepper and salt to taste, parsley is a nice addition as well, feel free to play around with flavours.

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