Thursday, November 3, 2011

Vegan Potato Casserole (Potluck Favorite)

Last weekend we had an amazing worship service with the folks at Clark's Chapel Baptist Church.  This included many of the wonderful women I met on the Women of Worship Beach Retreat.  It was such a treat to see them again so soon!

After church we had a giant potluck and a celebration for our pastor who has been preaching for 25 years!  It was a great time and many people got up to "roast" Doug.  I didn't realize the speakers were supposed to be teasing him and couldn't figure out why everyone was cracking jokes instead of telling nice and wonderful stories about Doug.  Finally Forbes clued me in and it all made sense.  I'm slow.

For the potluck I wanted to bring a dish that would please the masses...not just us veganerds at church.  When I was growing up I can remember one dish at every single church potluck.  It is the quintessential potluck favorite complete with a full container of sour cream, a can of cream of mushroom soup and whole bag of shredded cheddar.  Yup, more dairy than anyone should ever eat in one setting.  So obviously I decided to make that!

Let me forewarn you...despite being vegan, this probably isn't the healthiest option.  But do we go to potlucks for our own health?  While this is a dairy-free version of the original, it still comes laden with processed foods.  Eat at your own risk!

To recreate the potato casserole you will first need to make your own Cream Soup.  This replaces a can of Cream of Mushroom soup in the dish.  You can use this recipe to make many favorite casseroles including the traditional Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole.

Vegan Cream Soup
makes 1 1/2 cups

Mix together this recipe for all your favorite casseroles.  Add to the traditional Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole or to a pot pie.  Freeze batches to keep on hand for those church potlucks and family dinners.  You can saute 1/4 cup mushrooms and blend into soup to create Cream of Mushroom Soup.

prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes





Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons Earth Balance spread
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup + 3 tablespoons almond milk (or other non-dairy substitute)
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
  1. In sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.  
  2. Stir in one cup vegetable broth and one cup almond milk and heat to boiling.  
  3. In small bowl whisk cornstarch and 3 tablespoons milk together.  Add mixture to the pan and continue to boil a few minutes more.  
  4. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 15 minutes more, whisking constantly.  Soup will begin to thicken.  
  5. Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Soup will thicken to the consistency of the canned version upon cooling. 
Cheesy Potato Cornflake Casserole
12 servings

This recipe is reminiscent of my sister Diana's favorite potluck dish.  It is recreated here to be allergy-friendly but still packs wonderful flavor and texture!  The creamy potatoes and crunchy cornflakes are just what I crave at any potluck!  Now I can have it without all the dairy!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes





Ingredients:
  • 1 (32 oz) package frozen diced potatoes, slightly thawed
  • 1 recipe Vegan Cream Soup
  • 1 cup vegan sour cream
  • 1 cup vegan shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Earth Balance spread
  • 2 cups cornflakes (crushed if desired)

Directions:
  1. In large bowl mix potatoes with soup, sour cream and cheddar cheese.  Stir in salt and pepper to taste.  Spread in bottom of 9x13 casserole dish.
  2. In bowl melt Earth Balance.  Stir cornflakes in melted butter and spread over the casserole. 
  3. Bake in 350* oven for 45 minutes.

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