Meatless Monday

Can we talk guilty pleasures? I love, love, love smothered fries. Top them with chili and vegan cheese, gravy and vegan cheese or in this case vegan buffalo chik’n and vegan cheese.

Seriously what is better than fries topped with ooey gooey goodness?

This weekend I decided to indulge in my guilty pleasure and made a single serving of buffalo chik’n fries. These are seriously so good and super spicy. I don’t know what it is about pregnancy but with Edith and with Baby #2 I just can’t get enough spice so not only did this fulfill a guilty pleasure of smothered fries but also my craving for spice.

Ingredients:

• 1 MorningStar Chik’n Grillers or Buffalo Chik Patty*
• 1 serving of potato wedges (homemade or frozen)
• 1 tablespoon Frank’s Hot Sauce
• 2 tablespoons shredded vegan cheese
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced with greens and whites separated

Directions:

1. Cook the potato wedges based on recipe or package directions.
2. Cook the MorningStar Chik’n based on the stove top directions and then dice up.
3. Arrange the cooked potato wedges in a pile on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and turn the broiler on.
4. Top the potato wedges with the chik’n and the scallion whites, the pour over the hot sauce and sprinkle with the cheese.
5. Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted <– keep an eye on this so you don’t burn them!
6. Remove the wedges from the oven and sprinkle with the scallion greens. ENJOY!

 

Okay and now I want to make another batch of these and eat them all up. Hmm….maybe a double portion next time (I blame baby #2).

Q: What is your guilty pleasure?

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Kellogg’s MorningStar via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Kellogg’s MorningStar.

Find your fresh take on eating well. Browse hundreds of meat-free recipes at MorningStarFarms.com.

*This product is vegetarian not vegan.

I woke up Sunday morning with a desire to have restaurant style breakfast but since we are on a semi-strict budget we are being very selective when it comes to dining out so breakfast was going to have to be homemade. I hadn’t planned on this meal (note to self make plans for a fun weekend breakfast next week) so I had to improvise with what we had on hand without making huge alterations to our menu for the week.

I thought maybe we could have waffles but we are all out of maple syrup or berries (to make a sauce) so not only were waffles out but pancakes and french toast too. We have oatmeal most mornings and that’s pretty boring so that never really made the list. I thought about making tofu scramble with the tofu I had on hand but that is for another recipe this week so that became off limits. Feeling a little frustrated I wasn’t sure what to make and then finally I thought maybe, just maybe, I could pull off some biscuits and gravy.

I grabbed my copy of Vegan Brunch and searched for a biscuit and gravy recipe. I found both however we were missing a number of the ingredients so instead I used them as a template to make my own version of these recipes.

Herbed Biscuits

Based on Herbed Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits from Vegan Brunch p.187
Makes 12 biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons COLD Earth Balance
1/2-1 cup unsweetened almond milk (I used 3/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.

You will need a food processor fitted with the S-blade. To the food processor add the flour, baking powder, thyme, basil and salt; pulse 5 times to combine. Add the cold Earth Balance to the food processor and pulse 8-10 times until pebble sized pieces of dough form. With the food processor on low slowly pour the almond milk through the feed tube until a soft dough is formed.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup drop the biscuits onto the lined sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly browned.

White Bean Gravy

Based on Navy Bean Gravy from Vegan Brunch p.215
Makes approx 2 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable broth
1.5 cups vegetable broth + 1/3 cup all purpose flour (whisked together)
1 15-oz can cannelini Beans; drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons tamari

In a medium sized sauce pan heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onions in the oil for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Add the thyme, black pepper and 1 tablespoon of vegetable broth.

Add the beans, vegetable broth-flour mixture and tamari to a blender and blend until smooth. Add to the onions and garlic and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes stirring often. Serve immediately! If your mixture begins to get too thick add water or vegetable broth to thin out to your liking.

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To finish off my biscuits and gravy I sauteed up some mushrooms, peppers, onions and kale to add a some color and veggies to our breakfast. This breakfast cost me around $6 total and out we would easily spend $10-12 EACH on this same meal. I decided to freeze the extra gravy I had and hope to use it for another weekend breakfast this month.

What’s your favorite restaurant meal to make at home?