Thanksgiving (take one)

So excited to start trying out some Thanksgiving recipes! Julie ad I are hosting a little Thanksgiving-Friendsgiving shindig and we need our recipes to be perfection! Last night I tried out a vegan green bean casserole recipe that I found on Fat Free Vegan Kitchen (love this blog)!

I’m stubborn in life and also stubborn with cooking so I am never a great follower of recipes… but I will try to re-write the recipe the best I can!!

Homestyle Green Bean Casserole

Prepare the Beans:

2 quarts water 
(enough to fully cover the beans)

1 tablespoon table salt

1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, rinsed, trimmed and snapped in half

Bring the water to boil in a large pot. While it’s heating, snap the beans. Add the salt and beans to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 6 minutes (No more, no less for the perfect al dente crunch).

Drain beans in a colander, and then submerge under cold water for a minute to stop the cooking. Let them drain in the colander, shaking every now and then to get off all the water. Set aside.

For the Mushroom Cream Sauce:

10 ounces mushrooms (I bought an 8 oz. precut package of shitake and the same for white; I used all of the shitake and about half of the white)

5 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch cayenne pepper (I wasn’t sure what to expect with this being added, but it was definitely a delightful surprise… don’t add if you don’t like heat!)

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon dry sherry

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Chop the mushrooms into tiny cubes. Drizzle in about 2 tsp. of olive oil in to a large stainless steel sauté pan; heat over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are slightly soft and darker in color.

In a separate, small mixing bowl, whisk the flour into the vegetable broth until completely dissolved; add to the mushrooms along with the sherry.

Simmer, stirring, until mixture thickens. Add the unsweetened almond milk and simmer until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and stir in the beans.

For the Onion Topping:

2 slices whole grain bread

1 tablespoon Earth Balance

Sprinkle of salt and pepper

1 4-oz. container of crispy onions (I used an all-natural brand from Whole Foods that may be on the expensive side, but you definitely get what you pay for: Lars Own; Imported Crispy Onions)

Put the bread, Earth Balance, salt, and pepper into a food processor and pulse until crumbly.

Now put it all together:

Put the green beans into a casserole dish (any shape or size as long as it fits) and top with the bread mixture and the crispy onions, making sure to spread them out evenly so there will be no fighting over the topping!!

Bake, covered with a piece of tin foil, at 425 F for about 8 minutes, uncover and continue cooking for 7 minutes more, or until the top is a darker shade of brown and the entire dish is bubbling like mad!

Now, let sit for a few minutes to thicken… I know this is hard with that terrific smell and all… but trust me it will make it worth your while to wait a tad bit longer… Now ENJOY!!!

(Note from Fatfreekitchen.com: “If you are not serving this right away, refrigerate the topping separately; bring to room temperature before sprinkling the topping on the casserole and baking for about 20 minutes or until hot throughout.”)

I do declare… this VEGAN green bean casserole was a hit with the fam! Meat Eaters and Veg’s UNITE!!! Thanksgiving is almost here!!!!! ❤

 

AHmazing fall time side note: Treat Cupcake Bar in Needham, MA (yes, that’s right… I said cupcakeBAR!) has an incredible seasonal cupcake right now…

Pumpkin Spice (vegan and gluten free) everyone must try!!