The Vegan Slow Cooker

Casseroles are a staple at my house. I love a good one-dish meal that I can whip up in a few minutes. Some of these recipes work for an away-from-home day, and others cook in about 2 hours and fit better in a weekend lunch or dinner menu.

When the weather gets cooler and daylight saving time makes me miss my evening sunshine, I need all the comfort I can get. Although I was never much of a fan of meatloaf growing up, my twenty-seven years of living meatless has given me a love of veggie loaves. They’re a good excuse to make mashed potatoes, and the leftovers are great in sandwiches. You can make a loaf right in the slow cooker crock, or you can use a loaf pan that fits into your slow cooker. It will take a little longer in the loaf pan because the end product will be thicker. I have lids for mine though, so it makes it easy to store the leftovers.

Stews that are topped with biscuits or include dumplings are perfect workday dinners because they start their lives as stews and you add the quick-cooking parts right before you are ready to eat.

1. Chick’n and Dumplings

2. From-the-Pantry Pot Pie

3. Chili Relleno Casserole

4. Chorizo and Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole

5. Chick’n Mushroom Casserole

6. Italian Eggplant Casserole with Cashew-Tofu Ricotta

7. Better-than-the-Classic Shepherd’s Pie

8. Atomic Tofu Pecan Loaf

9. Corn-tastic Tex-Mex Loaf

10. Holiday Tempeh and Sage Loaf

4 cups (940 ml) vegan chicken broth or 4 cups (940 ml) water mixed with 2 tablespoons (12 g) vegan chicken-flavored bouillon or 4 tablespoons (24 g) Chickeny Bouillon (page 19)

To make the stew: Store the prepared seitan and cut-up carrots and celery in an airtight container in the fridge.

Oil the crock of your slow cooker. Combine all the stew ingredients in the slow cooker. Add more water if you will cook it longer than 8 hours, or if your slow cooker runs a little hot. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Remove the bay leaf and thyme and rosemary sprigs. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

To make the dumplings: About 40 minutes before serving, combine all the dumpling ingredients in a bowl and work until it comes together into a dough. Turn the mixture out onto a floured cutting board and roll to the thickness of a thick pie crust. Cut into rectangles and place in the slow cooker. Stir to incorporate the dumplings, turn up the slow cooker to high, and cook for 30 minutes more. The dough will thicken up as it cooks. Add more broth if needed.

1 pound (454 g) frozen mixed green beans, corn, carrots, and peas (you can use fresh or leftovers instead)

2 tablespoons (12 g) vegan chicken-flavored bouillon or 4 tablespoons (24 g) Chickeny Bouillon (page 19)

To make the stew: Place the cut-up onion, garlic, celery, and seitan in a large airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

Oil the crock of your slow cooker. Combine all of the ingredients except the flour in the slow cooker. Add 1 to 2 cups (235 to 470 ml) extra water if you will cook it longer than 8 hours, or if your slow cooker runs a little hot. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, add more water if the mixture is too thick, or add the flour if the stew needs to thicken up a bit. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

To make the biscuits: Combine all the biscuit ingredients in a bowl and work until it comes together into a dough. Turn the mixture out onto a floured cutting board, roll out about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) thick, and cut into circles with the rim of a glass. Place in the slow cooker on top of the filling. Turn up the slow cooker to high. Prop open the lid with the handle of a wooden spoon, or place a clean dishtowel under the lid to prevent condensation from dripping onto your biscuits. Cook an additional 30 minutes.

RECIPE IDEAS & VARIATIONS

Make biscuits days ahead and freeze. It will take about 15 more minutes for them to cook, but you won’t have to bother with making them when you get home. Plus, it never hurts to have ready-to-bake biscuits in the freezer for a last-minute treat.

Oil the crock of your slow cooker and pour one-fourth of the sauce over the bottom. Cover the sauce with a single layer of tortillas and top with one-third of the chorizo, one-third of the sweet potatoes, and one-third of the black beans. Top with another one-fourth of the sauce. Repeat the layering (starting with the tortillas) two more times, cover with a final layer of corn tortillas, and spread the remanining sauce on top. Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or on high for 2 to 3 hours. If your slow cooker runs hot, pour on a little extra sauce to keep it from drying out.

RECIPE IDEAS & VARIATIONS

Make a gluten-free version by using crumbled tofu in place of the chorizo. Use beans instead to make it a soy-free dish.

1 1/2 cups (340 g) cubed chicken-flavored seitan, store-bought or homemade (page 21)

To make the cashew sour cream: In a food processor or blender combine the cashews, water, and lemon juice and process until smooth and creamy.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms reduce in size and are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Store the sautéed vegetables and the prepared sour cream in separate airtight containers in the fridge.

About 1 1/2 hours before serving: Oil the crock of your slow cooker. Combine the sautéed veggies, cashew sour cream, bouillon, milk, seitan, pasta, thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper in the slow cooker. Mix thoroughly and cook on high for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the pasta is al dente.

If the pasta is ready but the sauce is not thick enough, add the flour and stir to combine. This should thicken up the mix. Top each serving with the bread crumbs.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Get nostalgic and top with your family’s favorite casserole topping from your youth. Topping ideas include crushed potato chips or Ritz crackers, canned french fried onions, or just about anything crunchy, as long as it’s vegan, of course!

To make the ricotta: In a food processor or blender, combine all the ricotta ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy. Store the ricotta and the sliced eggplant in separate containers in the fridge.

Oil the crock of your slow cooker and pour in one-third of the marinara sauce. Top with half of the eggplant, half of the ricotta, and another one-third of the sauce. Repeat the layers once more, then top with the remaining sauce. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve over the pasta.

If your slow cooker does not run hot and the final product is too watery, prop up the lid on the handle of a wooden spoon and turn the slow cooker to high. In 30 minutes to 1 hour most of the water will evaporate.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Meatless Sausage and Mushroom Ragu (page 103) and Make-Your-Own Marinara Sauce (page 101) are both great sauces to use with this dish.

1 tablespoon (6 g) vegan chicken-flavored bouillon or 2 tablespoons (12 g) Chickeny Bouillon (page 19)

Steam the tempeh in a steamer basket for 10 minutes. This takes out some of the bitterness. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer. Add the steamed temeph and break into crumbles with a spatula. If you are using a sausage that needs to be precooked (that’s not already in crumbles), add it now and cook until done, 10 to 12 minutes. Cut up parsnips, potatoes, and celery root. Store the tempeh mixture and the cut-up parsnips, celery root, and potatoes in a large airtight container in the refrigerator.

Oil the crock of your slow cooker. Combine the tempeh mixture, sausage, bouillon, 1 cup (235 ml) water, Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper in the slow cooker. (If your slow cooker runs hot or you will be gone longer than 8 hours, add the extra 1/2 cup [120 ml] water.) Top with a piece of parchment paper or aluminium foil and place parsnips, celery root, and potatoes on top of it, so that they are separated from the stew. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, carefully remove the parsnips, celery root, and potatoes using tongs, and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter to taste and 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk, and mash or purée. Add the remaining 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk if the mixture is too dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir the stew in the slow cooker, then top with the mashed potatoes. Turn up the slow cooker to high and cook until the potato mixture is piping hot, 20 to 40 minutes.

Grind the corn tortillas in a food processor, then put the contents in a large bowl, add the chorizo and cornmeal, and stir to combine. Combine the nutirional yeast, flax-seed mixture, tofu, lime juice, hot sauce, garlic powder, chili powder, and salt in a blender or food processor and purée. Add the tofu mixture to the chorizo mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Oil the crock of your slow cooker. Pat the loaf mixture into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Prop open the lid with a wooden spoon handle or put a clean dish towel underneath the lid to prevent the condensation from dripping onto the loaf during cooking.

RECIPE IDEAS & VARIATIONS

You can use more or fewer corn tortillas depending on what you have an hand. Just adjust the cornmeal accordingly.

Steam the tempeh in a steamer basket for 10 minutes. This takes out some of the bitterness. While the temeph is cooking, use a food processor to mince the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and mushrooms. Pulse until you have tiny pieces of veggies, but not so much that it liquefies. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the veggies until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Crumble the cooked tempeh into a large bowl, then add the sautéed veggies, bread crumbs, flaxseed mixture, bouillon, thyme, sage, oregano, rosemary, and salt. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

CHAPTER 5

CASSEROLES (AND LOAVES) YOU WISH YOUR MOTHER HAD MADE