tater tot casserole

Alas the first chosen winner for Vegan Sandwiches Save The Day never responded and therefore some other lucky person is the new winner! 

Laurie is the new winner!

Laurie, please contact me to own your very free new cookbook 

by Tami Noyes and Celine Steen!

veganaide (at) yahoo (dot) com

In other interesting development, below is Tater Tot Casserole, Duggar style, just a lot healthier. 

Tater Tot Casserole is amazing because you can utilize whatever protein you'd like for the bottom layer: soy curls (thanks, Dorian!), TVP, ground seitan, tofu, marinated, grilled and diced, or tempeh. I used Soy Curls, rehydrated and sauteed with onion and garlic. The sauce is a creamy "chicken" style gravy. The whole thing is slathered with tater tots and baked to golden crispiness. 

It is as easy as you want it to be and it is sure to be the favorite of any kid. Throw some veggies on the side to make it a complete meal. 

I've blogged about Tater Tot Casserole before, but this time, I am taking the time to write up the recipe.

Cost Breakdown

Soy Curls: $3
onion, flour, spices: $.75
almond milk: $1.50
tater tots: $3
Total to make 5 servings:
$8.25

RECIPE UPDATE: this dish has been tested and revised and will be featured in the upcoming cookbook "Everyday Vegan Eats," by Zsu Dever.

"vegan sandwiches save the day" + cordon bleu wheels

Traditionally Chicken Cordon Bleu has involved three different animals: chicken, pig and cow. This dish is a chicken breast, either butterflied or pounded thin, rolled around bacon, prosciutto or ham with a slice of cheese. It is all rolled up, breaded and fried.

Daiya has introduced a few new products (at least in my neck of the woods) and since the wedge of Jack, a soft, easily melt-able, cheese-sub, sounded perfect for the veganization of Cordon Bleu, here is a new rendition of Cordon Bleu. 

My previous Cordon Bleu post involved replicating the dish using gluten as the main ingredient. I wanted to change things up a bit, especially for all those who are not yet loving gluten as much as my family does.

For this version I utilized puff pastry dough as the medium of rolling choice and relegated the gluten (or tofu) to the inside along with the cheese.

Let's break it down: the puff pastry bakes up crispy, especially with the addition of the panko crumbs it is rolled in, layered with thinly sliced seasoned seitan (or tofu) and slivers (or shreds) of vegan cheese. 

Comparatively, the prep for this version is ridiculously easy: Prepare the seitan, roll the dough, slice the Daiya, layer, slice the roll into wheels and bake.

Naturally, I couldn't leave well enough alone and decided on another component. I add kale and parsley sauteed with garlic. Parsley should not be just the condiment as it is originally in the traditional recipe where it is added to the breading. In addition, kale added to anything can only be wonderful, as far as I am concerned.

The result was fantastic!

About as good as dishing out the contest winner for Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day by Tamasin Noyes and Celine Steen.

Out of the 61 comments who entered the contest, number 32 is the winner, awesomeveganrad. Please contact me by next Sunday to claim the book!

Congratulations!

(my email is veganaide@yahoo.com)   

The second place winners are encouraged to purchase their very own copy!