Cheezy Rice and Broccoli Casserole

This is the cheezy rice and broccoli casserole from Joanne Stepaniak's The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. I tried to make this once before and, due to a momentary lapse in my critical reading skills, totally ruined the recipe. The recipe calls for either umeboshi paste or salt. You aren't supposed to use the same amount of salt as you would umeboshi paste. In fact, it rather clearly says "or salt, to taste." I missed that "to taste" instruction on that ill-fated attempt and had to throw out the incredibly salty mess I had made. This time I followed the directions much better. And the result was tasty. Cheezy enough for me, but I don't know if it would taste cheesy to a non-vegan.

Broccoli Almond Sweet and Sour Tofu

This is another test recipe for lolo at VeganYumYum, but this time it's a recipe that she already had up on her blog, so I can link you to it (here and here). I forgot to garnish it with sesame seeds, but it was good as is. I liked the sauce much better than the last time I made it (she updated the recipe at some point in between).

Chickpea Broccoli Casserole and White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup

Both of these recipes are from Vegan With a Vengeance. I really really really wanted to like this chickpea broccoli casserole. I love chickpeas, broccoli, and onions, so what's not to love? I don't know....this just didn't do it for me. It was too dry, but that part might have been my fault. I cooked up some dried chickpeas for this. Maybe using those rather than canned ones meant I should have added more broth to the recipe. I'm not sure. This recipe doesn't call for much of anything in the way of spices. The blurb above the recipe recommends trying it as is first to see if you like it, before doctoring it up. If I make it again, it definitely needs to be doctored up for me. I later put some cheesy sauce on top just to add a little something. I suppose it had to happen sometime that there would be a recipe in VWAV that didn't rock my world.

P.S. I still love you, Isa. No hard feelings.


White bean and roasted garlic soup is SO good...and easy, too! I love roasting my own garlic, as our apartment smells wonderful now. After I had my wisdom teeth removed about a year ago, I was really burned out on soup for awhile. I am glad I am past that now. Now the problem is that it's starting to get too warm here for soup. I chose to pretend that it wasn't 60 degrees out today, as I really wanted to try this soup.

Broccoli-Mushroom Casserole

As promised, this is the recipe I shared for the Recipe Exchange. It is actually my boyfriend's momma's recipe. She has made it for years in a non-vegan version. When we were visiting for the holidays, she veganized it for me. I liked it so much that she gave me the recipe for it. The casserole in the picture does not have any soy cheese on it, as I was all out. I liked it just as much without the soy cheese, though.

Broccoli-Mushroom Casserole

5 tbsp. Earth Balance, divided
1/3 cup diced onions
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms - sliced
White pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cooking sherry (optional)
1/4^th cup all purpose flour
2 cups plain soy milk
1 cup raw rice, cooked according to package directions
16 oz. fresh or frozen broccoli, cooked until tender
1 cup vegan soy cheese (mozzarella or cheddar style), optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle onions and mushrooms with garlic powder, white pepper and salt, then sauté in 3 tbsp. Earth Balance and 1 tbsp. cooking sherry until onions are tender.

In saucepan, melt 2 tbsp. of Earth Balance, remove from heat and add ¼ cup flour. Stir until blended, it may be lumpy. Add 2 cups soy milk a little at a time, stirring with whisk until smooth. Return to medium heat and stir until thickened. Add mushroom mixture to sauce and stir to combine.

In large bowl, combine rice, broccoli, 1 tsp. salt and sauce. Pour into large casserole dish and sprinkle with soy cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.