Vegan Bread Stuffing Casserole

Delicious Thanksgiving (or other time) stuffing! Easy and if you omit the dried fruit, darn close to that storied Stovetop taste!

Serves: 6

4 cups whole grain bread cubes
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/8 teaspoon ground rosemary,
or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup dried cherries, dried cranberries, seedless raisins,
or chopped dried fruit (such as apricots, apples, or prunes)
1/2 cup boiling vegetable broth or water
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a two-quart casserole dish (that has a tight-fitting lid) or mist it with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the bread cubes in a very large bowl. Combine the parsley, nutritional yeast flakes, salt, marjoram, sage, thyme, rosemary, and pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Sprinkle over the bread cubes and toss with a fork or wooden spoon until evenly distributed. Add the walnuts, onions, mushrooms, celery, and dried cherries. Toss again gently but thoroughly.

Stir the soy sauce and olive oil into the boiling broth and pour over the bread cube mixture to moisten it. Again, toss gently but thoroughly. Add a little additional broth or water if the mixture appears too dry. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, cover, and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer.

Found via the internet, but reprinted from Vegan Vittles: Down Home Cooking for Everyone.

Dandelion Greens

This is my new favorite dish. I have it usually twice a week because the bunches of greens I buy are big enough for me to split into two and still have generous portions. It's really delicious as a side dish or mixed in with some penne or spiral shaped pasta for a whole meal. Also it takes about 10 minutes to cook and you can cook the pasta at the same time for a super quick dinner. Depending on the size of the leaves it can be a little bitter, which I love, but I'm sure the recipe would work with other types of greens. Try it and lemme know what you think!

You'll Need:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
5-6 cloves of thinly sliced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes - optional or to taste - (I use a little ground cayenne instead which also works)
1 pound dandelion greens with stems, well washed and roughly chopped
1 cup stock (the flavor of the stock doesn't really matter, water works too)

In a large deep skillet or sauce pan with a lid heat the oil over med-high and add the garlic, salt and pepper, and pepper flakes or cayenne if using. Cook for about 1 minute.

Add the greens and stock. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until the greens are wilted but just tender but still a little firm.

Uncover the pan and cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring a bit, until the greens are pretty tender and the liquid has almost evaporated completely. During the last minute of cooking add the minced ginger.

If they look a little too oily you can drain them a bit before serving. If I'm mixing it with pasta I usually leave the extra oil and sometimes shred some fresh Parmesan on top. Also, if you don't have ginger you can also add another teaspoon of minced garlic at the end.

Skillet Cherry Tomatoes

This is one of my favorite recipes for two reasons, one of which should be pretty obvious, but also because it's super quick and tasty. I cook this in my good ol' cast iron pan, but a 10 inch skillet works too. Also, the recipe calls for butter, but I use olive oil instead. You'll need:

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  
• Salt
  
• Finely Chopped Garlic (as much as you want to eat)
  
• Chopped Fresh Parsley
  
• 1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes
  

In pan, heat oil over med-high heat and add garlic to saute once oil is warm. Just before garlic is done, add tomatoes and salt. Cook, shaking pan frequently just until the tomatoes are heated through and the skins begin to split. (About 2 minutes). Sprinkle with parsley and serve.