Went to a World Famous Burger Joint and Left with the Ingredients for Vegan Hash

 

I have become a connoisseur of French fries.  Like many vegetarians who date a meat-eater,  French fries are my go-to meal in case I can't find anything on a menu I can eat.  For about 9 months now, my boyfriend has talked about Five Guys, a hamburger chain down the street from us which has, I am told, the world's greatest burgers.  We checked it out on our last date night and judging from all the posted signs in the joint, they DO have the best burgers on earth.  They also have amazing fries, and we left with a take out bag filled with my boyfriend's bacon cheeseburger and my Cajun fries.  My small order of fries filled the bag, and in spite of stuffing my face for a solid 20 minutes once we got home, I was still left with a big ol' pile of fried taters.  I put them in the fridge and went to sleep dreaming of how I could use them in a hash for breakfast the next morning. 

 

 

My leftover Cajun fries from Five Guys, diced and ready to go . . .

 

 

 

This hash was born from leftovers and vegetables that I needed to use before they turned ugly on me.  It was delicious (and vegan) as I prepared it, but if you'd like, add some shredded cheese and top the bowl of hash with an over-easy egg.

 

 

 

 

 

1 1/2 cups leftover seasoned fries, cubed (I used Cajun fries from Five Guys)

1/2 cup diced shallots (or onions)

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup chopped Brussels sprouts

2 fistfuls of fresh spinach, chopped

1 kumato, diced (or tomato)

1 tablespoon diced garlic

1 teaspoon diced hot peppers (optional)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste



 

 

 

 

 

1.  Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and add shallots, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and garlic.  Cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to get fragrant and shallots are cooked down.

2.  Add kumato (or tomato) and nutritional yeast and cook down until most of the liquid has evaporated.

3.  Add spinach and cook down for about 10 minutes more or until most liquid has evaporated. 

4.  Remove vegetables from the pan and add about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Fry the leftover potatoes until they are hot and start to crisp up a bit.

5.  Return vegetable mixture to pan, mix well, and heat through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Pumpkin Cranberry Bread (because I still have a pantry full of Thanksgiving stuff!)

Please tell me I'm not the only one who over-buys canned pumpkin for the Thanksgiving cooking frenzy.  This year I made pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecakes, pumpkin rolls AND this bread for Thanksgiving, and even with all that mad baking, I STILL found another can of pumpkin in my cupboard this morning.  I found a cup of Craisins left from Thanksgiving, too.  So there you are . . . another sweet bread for the blog and my house smells like pie spice (I'm waiting for this kids to come up from their X-Box boy-cave and ask where the Tofurkey is . . . ). 

This version is vegan thanks to the flax meal substitution for eggs.  You can use two eggs in place of the flax meal if you'd prefer, but the flax honestly makes this cake very moist and yummy.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons golden flax meal mixed with 6 tablespoons warm water

2 cups Florida Crystals Natural Sugar

1 3/4 cups (15 ounce can) pure pumpkin

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup Craisins

1 cup chopped pecans (optional) 

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Combine flour, spices, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flax mixture, sugar, pumpkin, and oil; beat until just blended.

3. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir until just moistened. Fold in cranberries. Fold in pecans if using.

4. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 9” x 5” loaf pans.  Pans will be about half full.

5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (check at 50 minutes so you don't overbake). Cool in pans for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely. 2 loaves.

 

 

 

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