Vegan Irish Soda Bread I may not be Irish or eat meat, but I can still celebrate, eat satisfying comfort food, and celebrate St. Patrick's Day!
As a small challenge, I wanted to experiment and make some traditional Irish comfort foods, but veganize them. I made Shepherd's Pie, red cabbage and "beef" and Irish soda bread. All of the dishes were delicious, easy, packed with protein, and hearty They are dishes that can be served anytime, not just St. Patrick's Day.
Vegan Irish Soda Bread:
This recipe was adapted from Allrecipe's "Amazingly Easy Irish Soda Bread." The prep was quick, just 15 minutes, and it took under 1 hour to bake. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup margarine, so I used Melt's vegan butter. It also calls for 1 cup of buttermilk. I had no idea what I could use as a vegan replacement for buttermilk but thanks to Live Strong, found out that 1/2 cup of Tofutti sour cream mixed with 1/2 cup water does the trick.
Vegan Shepherd's Pie:
This dish will take about 1 hour, but the prep is easy and straight forward.
Ingredients
3 pounds, peeled and chopped Yukon gold potatoes
3- 4 tablespoons Vegan Butter (Earth Balance or Melt work great)
2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (optional)
1 tablespoon Vegan sour cream (optional)
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 package Gardein meatless ground beef crumble or other meatless crumble
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon dried Basil
1 can fresh kernel corn
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease (Coconut oil or Olive Oil sprays work great) a round 2-quart baking dish or one similar in size.
2. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add salt to the water if desired. Place chopped potatoes in the boiling water for about 15 minutes or until they crumble when poked with a fork.
3. Drain potatoes. Returned drained potatoes to pot and begin to mash with a fork or potato masher. Add Vegan butter and unsweetened almond milk to the pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Whip potatoes until fluffy. Set aside.
4. In a large deep frying pan, over medium heat add the olive oil, garlic, and onion. Saute until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Mix in the carrots, meatless ground beef crumble, and mushrooms. Sprinkle in Oregano, Thyme, Basil, and salt and pepper. (Adjust seasoning to taste) Saute for another 10 - 15 minutes, constantly stirring. Set aside.
5. Transfer meatless ground beef and vegetable mixture into the baking dish, making sure it is evenly spread out along the bottom. Add corn on top of the mixture, careful to evenly spread it over. Finally, top your third layer with the mashed potatoes.
6. Optional. Brush potatoes with 1 tablespoon melted Vegan Butter and mix with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 tablespoon water to help brown the top of the potatoes.
7. Place dish in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Allow it to cool before serving. Enjoy!
Red Cabbage & "Beef"
This dish will take about 10 minutes of prep and no longer than 30 minutes of cooking time. And it should cost less than $10.
Ingredients:
1/2 head red cabbage, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, diced
4 cups vegetable stock
1 package WestSoy cubed Seitan
1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil or Vegan Butter
2- 4 tablespoons flour
1-2 teaspoons corn starch
Instructions
1. In a large, deep frying pan over medium heat saute onion in Olive Oil or Vegan butter until golden brown.
2. Add vegetable stock. Toss in carrots, cabbage, celery, and Seitan. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove lid and add flour and cornstarch to thicken the sauce to desired consistency. You may need to add more flour or cornstarch depending on how thick you prefer your dish. Enjoy!
As a small challenge, I wanted to experiment and make some traditional Irish comfort foods, but veganize them. I made Shepherd's Pie, red cabbage and "beef" and Irish soda bread. All of the dishes were delicious, easy, packed with protein, and hearty They are dishes that can be served anytime, not just St. Patrick's Day.
Vegan Irish Soda Bread:
This recipe was adapted from Allrecipe's "Amazingly Easy Irish Soda Bread." The prep was quick, just 15 minutes, and it took under 1 hour to bake. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup margarine, so I used Melt's vegan butter. It also calls for 1 cup of buttermilk. I had no idea what I could use as a vegan replacement for buttermilk but thanks to Live Strong, found out that 1/2 cup of Tofutti sour cream mixed with 1/2 cup water does the trick.
Vegan Shepherd's Pie:
This dish will take about 1 hour, but the prep is easy and straight forward.
Ingredients
3 pounds, peeled and chopped Yukon gold potatoes
3- 4 tablespoons Vegan Butter (Earth Balance or Melt work great)
2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (optional)
1 tablespoon Vegan sour cream (optional)
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 package Gardein meatless ground beef crumble or other meatless crumble
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon dried Basil
1 can fresh kernel corn
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease (Coconut oil or Olive Oil sprays work great) a round 2-quart baking dish or one similar in size.
2. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add salt to the water if desired. Place chopped potatoes in the boiling water for about 15 minutes or until they crumble when poked with a fork.
3. Drain potatoes. Returned drained potatoes to pot and begin to mash with a fork or potato masher. Add Vegan butter and unsweetened almond milk to the pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Whip potatoes until fluffy. Set aside.
4. In a large deep frying pan, over medium heat add the olive oil, garlic, and onion. Saute until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Mix in the carrots, meatless ground beef crumble, and mushrooms. Sprinkle in Oregano, Thyme, Basil, and salt and pepper. (Adjust seasoning to taste) Saute for another 10 - 15 minutes, constantly stirring. Set aside.
5. Transfer meatless ground beef and vegetable mixture into the baking dish, making sure it is evenly spread out along the bottom. Add corn on top of the mixture, careful to evenly spread it over. Finally, top your third layer with the mashed potatoes.
6. Optional. Brush potatoes with 1 tablespoon melted Vegan Butter and mix with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 tablespoon water to help brown the top of the potatoes.
7. Place dish in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Allow it to cool before serving. Enjoy!
Red Cabbage & "Beef"
This dish will take about 10 minutes of prep and no longer than 30 minutes of cooking time. And it should cost less than $10.
Ingredients:
1/2 head red cabbage, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, diced
4 cups vegetable stock
1 package WestSoy cubed Seitan
1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil or Vegan Butter
2- 4 tablespoons flour
1-2 teaspoons corn starch
Instructions
1. In a large, deep frying pan over medium heat saute onion in Olive Oil or Vegan butter until golden brown.
2. Add vegetable stock. Toss in carrots, cabbage, celery, and Seitan. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove lid and add flour and cornstarch to thicken the sauce to desired consistency. You may need to add more flour or cornstarch depending on how thick you prefer your dish. Enjoy!
 Vegan Shepherd's Pie |  Vegan red cabbage & "Beef" |
