{Recipe} Vegan Tater Tot Hot Dish

Have you ever had Tater Tot Hot Dish? I think it's Midwestern in origin and I discovered a tofu version of it a few years ago when I made Vegan Stoner's Tater Hot Dish.  The traditional recipe is made with ground beef and cream of mushroom soup so I set out to veganize it and make it a bit healthier. 

Ingredients:

1 package beefless crumbles (I like Trader Joe's or Gardein brands)

1/2  onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2  cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 head of  cauliflower,  chopped & steamed (I used cauliflower rice for this)

1/4 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup  nutritional yeast

1  cup vegetable broth

1 package Tater Tots (you won't use them all)

salt/pepper to taste

To make:

• Preheat oven to 425ºF.
• Sauté onion in some water (or oil)over  medium heat until translucent.
• Add beefless crumbles and break up in pan, heating through. Add minced garlic and continue cooking for a  few more minutes until fragrant adding more water (or oil) to keep from sticking.

• Add mixed vegetables and heat through until  warm.

• Combine steamed cauliflower, cashews,  nutritional yeast and broth in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding salt/pepper as needed.

• Spread "meat" mixture into a casserole dish.
• Add creamy sauce and spread over the mixture.

• Arrange tater tots over the cream sauce. You can add as many or few as you like.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes or until tater tots are golden brown.

• Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Enjoy!!

Please follow me!

Instagram @heather_ourlife 

Twitter @ourlifeinaclick 

Facebook @ourlifeinclick

Linking up:

Good Random Fun

Pin It

Some Festive Trader Joe's Finds

The Trader Joe's seasonal items seem to be flying off of the shelves so if I happen to see one that I want, I grab it.

This is a huge bottle of sparkling wine. I thought it would be fun for Christmas.

I'm not sure if this would still be in stock at your TJ's but if it is and you  like curry--it's a good one!
 

I was excited to try the Almond Beverage Chocolate Bar.  It was good but I'm more of a dark chocolate fan.   If you're missing milk chocolate and don't eat dairy, this  is for you!

I wasn't sure about the Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups at first but they've grown on me.   They are free of six major allergens so they'd be great for anyone who  needs to watch out for them.

Now that we have a grand kitty, I had to get him his own Advent  calendar.  We'll see if he likes the treats next month.

We're not having green bean casserole for Thanksgiving but I've still found lots of ways to use these crispy Gourmet Fried Onion Pieces.  I've been tossing them onto salad, pasta, roasted veggies and potatoes.  So good!

We loved the grapefruit version of this prosecco last Christmas, so I'm hoping the cranberry will be just as  tasty for Thanksgiving.

Mr. Click picked up this cute little guy for his throat when he had a gig recently.
Have you found any fun seasonal items at TJ's lately?

Please follow me!

Instagram @heather_ourlife 

Twitter @ourlifeinaclick 

Facebook @ourlifeinclick

Linking up:

Good Random Fun

Pin It

Little Holiday+ Ikea Haul

I made a quick Ikea trip at the end of October.  I like to check out their holiday items and I needed a few organizational things.

They didn't have too much -and I really didn't "need" anything so I only picked up   a placemat, a candle, some  wrapping paper and baker's twine.

I also got the gingerbread heart cookies.

They've become a tradition to decorate my kitchen  sink window.

I got this wooden crate and  I'm in the process of staining and waxing it for future photo shoots.

I snagged some of the new veggie balls that are more meat-like than the traditional veggie ball.  They are pretty good but I think I like the traditional style better.

We needed some new storage solutions for  the pantry so I picked up the large grey pails and some  clear bins.  

I still need to recover the shelves with new paper.  It's feeling very clean and organized again.

We hadn't done much with the pantry since this makeover in 2016.

And let's not forget this pantry makeover classic from 2010.

Please follow me!

Instagram @heather_ourlife 

Twitter @ourlifeinaclick 

Facebook @ourlifeinclick

Linking up:

Little Things Thursday

Pin It

Grocery Outlet Vegan Haul

We recently rediscovered Grocery Outlet Bargain Market on our Weekend of Vegan  Food & Fun. It wasn't planned but we were in the area and stopped in.

I was floored by the selection of  vegan products and their prices were amazing  on them!  Grocery Outlet is a discount super market chain with stores in California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Idaho and Pennsylvania.    I don't  know how PA got  on the list but I'm happy about it!

They had a great Gardein selection and I even picked  up my holiday  roast  for Thanksgiving.

Violife is my favorite vegan  cheese and they had a lot of varieties. I put some in the freezer because there's so much of it!

These brands  were new to me.  Pizza Oggi has Beyond Meat 'sausage' and it is on a cauliflower crust. Bring it! The Mustache  Munchies were so cute and had a nice kick and crunch.

I don't love vegan yogurt but I always try new ones.  This Siggi's one was very smooth and had the perfect sweetness.  The ice cream was yummy!

This is the only product that  I haven't tried  yet.  I wasn't familiar with this brand either so I'm looking forward to  trying it in some  recipes.

Please follow me!

Instagram @heather_ourlife 

Twitter @ourlifeinaclick 

Facebook @ourlifeinclick

Linking  up:

Little Things Thursday

Pin It

{Recipe} Vegan Potato Leek Corn Chowder (& Dinner Roll Practice)

 Here's a hearty, delicious soup that is super easy to make.

Ingredients:
1 1/2  TBS vegan butter

3/4 cup leeks, chopped

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

1 large carrot, peeled finely diced

1 1/2 cups plant milk of choice

2 TBS all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn

2 cups peeled golden potatoes, cubed

1/2 tsp salt

1/2  tsp pepper

fresh rosemary (optional)

To make:

• Heat vegan butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat.
• Add chopped leeks, celery and carrots.  Sauté for about 4 minutes until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently.
• Combine plant milk and flour in a small bowl, whisking to combine.
• Slowly add milk mixture to to pan, stirring constantly. Add broth, corn, potatoes, salt & pepper.
• Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. 
• Cover and simmer for about  20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Taste for seasoning and add additional salt/pepper if needed.
• Garnish with fresh rosemary (optional)

Enjoy!

We served ours with some Homemade Vegan Dinner Rolls. We were practicing our dinner roll game for Thanksgiving. 

They weren't as hard as we thought they would be to make and we were very happy with the results.   

Please follow me!

Instagram @heather_ourlife 

Twitter @ourlifeinaclick 

Facebook @ourlifeinclick

Linking  up:

Good Random Fun

Pin It

A Weekend of Vegan Food & Fun

We had a lovely weekend of delicious vegan food and I thought I'd take you along.

We started out on a Friday afternoon in beautiful Peddler's Village.

We walked around the scarecrow festival and stopped at the winery for a little refreshment (I did not eat that pumpkin!).

On Saturday we had reservations at one of our  favorite  spots in Philly for amazing vegan Latin food (Bar Bombón).   We were thrilled  they had added lots of outdoor dining.  We started with the homemade chips and queso dip.

It was a little chilly outside so I was happy to try one of their newer warm up cocktails. I had the Atol De Elote and it was served with its own little thermos. 

The drink came with a blanket that I got to keep (and kept me cozy at the table).

We also shared some Philly Steak Empanadas.

Our favorite dish is the fantastic Spanish 'meat'balls served with grilled garlic bread.   We also shared some traditional tacos but  I forgot to get a pic!

After feeling stuffed from brunch, we walked around town and it was nice to see it looking busy and bustling again. 

We walked through Rittenhouse Square where there was a farmer's market, yoga  classes, picnics and lots of cute doggies.

I love walking around some of the pretty neighborhoods.

It was such a beautiful fall day.

We did a little shopping too (stopping in at Urban Outfitters).

The next day I got a 'Sausage Egg and Cheese' sandwich from Luhv Bistro. This was the first time I  had it and it was a winner!

We went to a farmer's market that morning and picked up the ingredients for some Potato Leek Corn Chowder.  Recipe coming soon!  We also went to a Grocery Outlet and found some great buys.

That night we tried our hand at these dinner rolls (practicing for Thanksgiving) and they turned out pretty well! I'm getting hungry just writing this post!

Please follow me!

Instagram @heather_ourlife 

Twitter @ourlifeinaclick 

Facebook @ourlifeinclick

Linking up:

Little Things Thursday

Pin It