Vegan Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole

If you are in the United States, you cannot travel by car without seeing signs for the Cracker Barrel Restaurant off most major highways. In our many travels, we have passed too many to count and yet each time we pass one we are amazed that they are always packed. For our family, all Cracker Barrel restaurants, like most other breakfast places, are places we don’t even dare to go in to. The prospect of bringing a severely allergic person, like our teen, into a restaurant that serves mostly egg and egg containing items is enough to give me nightmares.

That doesn't mean we cannot enjoy one of their dishes in our own home! One of the recipes they are famous for is their Hash Brown Casserole. There are a lot of recipes for this dish on the internet but I adapted mine from CDKitchen which has over 2300 copycat recipes on its website. This one does not contain sugar or condensed soup (a dairy allergy no-no) that most other recipes have. I first made this casserole two years ago to rave reviews and have made it for our Easter brunches ever since.

Vegan-style Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole

26 Oz Bag of Frozen Country-style Hash Browns

2 C Shredded non-Dairy Cheddar Cheese (or Colby if no dairy allergy)

¼ C Minced Onions

1 C Non-Dairy Milk (soy, rice)

½ C Beef Stock or Canned Broth

2 T non-Dairy Butter, Melted

¼ tsp. Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the hash browns, vegan cheese and onion in a large bowl. Next, combine the milk, beef stock, half the melted butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper in another bowl. Once your wet mixture is well blended, pour over the hash browns and mix well. Place the remaining 1T butter in a large, ovenproof skillet and melt over high heat.

Once the skillet is hot, spoon in the hash brown mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cheese has melted (around 7 minutes). Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and slightly crispy.

You can make this the night before by cooking it most of the way, let it cool, cover and place in the refrigerator. The next day, take it out and let it come to room temperature before putting back in the oven. Reheat to warm it and then broil to finish it up.

This is a great casserole for Christmas or Easter brunch.

My EpiPen Junkyard

This is what I found when I went looking through all our medicine cabinets. Not 1 but 13 expired EpiPen cylinders. Since they come in packages of two, I’m not sure what happened to my No. 14 but maybe it’s now in medicine cabinet limbo. I have been searching of some Sudafed for my teen. She has been sick with the flu which has now turned into a very bad sinus infection. We are on currently on day 9 of being home and just feeling plain, yucky!

Just like old cars in a junkyard, my teen’s expired EpiPens have landed in my medicine cabinet waiting be turned into scrap, but where to dispose of them? Our local Walgreen Pharmacy used to collect all expired auto-injectors which I loved because all I had to do was ease into the drive up window and drop them off. It was just that easy and so convenient since there is always a Walgreen's just around the corner.

Apparently this change came around 2010, which would be the date on the oldest EpiPen in my junkyard stash. I have since made a call to our local Police Department which has a drop-off for expired medicine disposal, but they no longer accept any meds with needles in them. So, my only option is to drop them off at our County Health Department. Sigh! I’m not sure when I’ll get there!

Does anyone else have a medicine cabinet that looks like this?

Diary Free Easter Chocolate

I had good intentions of getting this out earlier but I just realized that Easter is next Sunday. I associate Easter with spring flowers and since I have yet to see any daffodils or tulips in my yard, I thought Easter was along way off. Thank goodness a good friend just asked me for dairy-free Easter candy recommendations or I would only have the usual jelly beans and Starburst candy. No fun chocolate Easter bunny for my teens' basket. How sad!

It is not too late to order but you will need to be quick. Last year, I bought four Vegan chocolate bunnies from Divvies bakery. Three of them made it in the baskets, one in my dog's stomach! Whoever said large amounts of chocolate can be harmful doesn't know my dog. Not only did she love the 4 oz. solid chocolate bunny but she has now become a chocoholic! Please do not take this as a recommendation to feed your dog chocolate because it is supposed to be VERY BAD for them; my dog hasn't figured this out yet.



While we loved the flavor of the Divvies product, the solid chocolate was just too much chocolate for us so I decided to check out other Vegan sources this year. Go Dairy Free is a great site for products and this is their 7th year of putting together a list of 12 different chocolatiers from the U.S. and several from the U.K. that produce dairy free products for Easter and Passover. The selection is quite extensive. You'll find eggs, chicks, ducks, and plenty of bunnies. the prices range considerably; however, there are a few items that are not too expensive. If you are concerned about nuts, I would contact the chocolatier directly before placing your order since some of them also produce items with nuts or peanut butter.

This year I decided to order from Premium Chocolatiers because their manufacturing facility is tree nut, peanut, and milk-free and they have the cutest Easter lollipops. Just the right amount of chocolate for us! Alisa Fleming from the Go Dairy Free website also raves about the wonderful milk and dark chocolate taste that has "won my taste buds over." I cannot wait to taste the white chocolate bunny lollipops!

 

Friends And Allergies

Webster's Dictionary defines a friend as:

noun \ˈfrend\

: a person who you like and enjoy being with

: a person who helps or supports someone or something (such as a cause or charity)

For a teen with food allergies, the second part of this definition is especially important. A true friend knows that you are allergic to peanut butter so they bring jelly sandwiches to school so they can sit next to you. A true friend asks if they can order a pizza without cheese for you. A true friend is interested in trying out your latest "non-dairy, nut and egg-free" recipe.

My teens' friends are true friends. Not only do they love to sample her many versions of cookies, brownies and cupcakes but they also love to come over and help her cook. Sometimes their experiments don't always turn out the way the want but they always have a fun time trying. In fact, I ran out of flour, sugar and baking powder over Christmas because they were baking on a daily basis.

The other day, one of her friends dropped off some extra cupcakes they had made for a party the night before. They had used one of Katie's recipes for Chocolate Lover's Chocolate Cupcakes. They had some left over so they dropped them off for us to enjoy! Very thoughtful and very delicious!

Last weekend, it was another cold day and Katie and another friend were sick of the snow. With no desire to go outside or to go sledding, they asked me if they could make Rice Krispy Treats. Our pantry was stocked so off they went.

A little while later, I peeked into the kitchen to see how it was going and this is what they had been making; SpongeBob and Patrick Rice Krispy treats. This made my heart sing!

Snow Girl

This statue has been a part of our back yard for over 10 years. At one time, she was holding two darling butterflies as she was lifting them up to fly away. The butterflies are long gone but I still love the look of pure enjoyment and wonder on her face.

Every fall I put all our topiary away for the winter but for some reason this year we ran out of time and even my lawn furniture ended up covered in snow. So for the first time, our little "Butterfly Girl" looks like she is excited to have a chance to play in the snow.

That was until more snow came......and more....and more snow and soon our little "Butterfly Girl" was up to her chin in snow. This morning we work up to 5 more inches of snow. Now when I look out all I see is my little girl saying, "Why me?"

At least the dog likes it!

Vegan Chocolate Mousse in Chocolate Cups

We have been dying to make this recipe, Vegan Chocolate Mousse in Tempered Chocolate Cups, for a long time because it's a chocolate lovers dream! Serve it at your next party, sit back, smile and listen to everyone "oh" and "ah" over your delicious vegan dessert.  It is a bit complicated but it is worth all the effort. This recipe comes from Emily Mainquist from her delicious Sweet Vegan cookbook (132, 134). 

Tempered Chocolate Cups

4 C	Vegan Chocolate chips
5	Small round balloons
Small stovetop pot
Medium stainless-steel bowl
Foil or wax paper

Add 1 cup of water to the small pot and simmer at medium heat. Place 3 cups of the chocolate chips into the stainless-steel bowl and place on top of the simmering pot. Stir the chocolate on a continual basis until 80 percent melted. Remove bowl from the stove and keep stirring until the chocolate is completely melted.

Add the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips and stir until melted. The more you stir the better. Test the chocolate with your finger. To see if the chocolate is tempered, place a small amount on a piece of foil. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes, if it is hardened and shiny, then it is tempered. If it is not hardened, add more chocolate, one ounce at a time, Stir and repeat the process until it is hardened.

Blow up five small, round balloons and dip each into the tempered chocolate. Shake to remove excess chocolate and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Let dry for around 10 minutes, pop balloon and remove excess balloons.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

28 oz	Silken tofu, drained
2 C	Vegan chocolate chips (Enjoy Life)
8 oz	Tofutti cream cheese, at room temperature
½ C	Tofutti sour cream
1 C	Powdered sugar
¼ C	Xantham gum (optional)
5	Chocolate cups

Drain the silken tofu on a colander. Place the drained tofu in a food processor and blend. Occasionally scrape the sides until the tofu has a creamy texture. Melt the chocolate in a microwave bowl at 75% power until softened for 1 minute 30 seconds stirring at 30 sec. intervals. Time will vary depending on your microwave.

Pour melted chocolate into food processor at low speed. Mix for a few minutes, stopping and stirring along the way.

Beat the cream cheese in a mixer for about 1 minute until smooth . Scrape the sides and add the sour cream, powdered sugar and the optional, xanthum gum. Mix for a minute and add the chocolate tofu mixture to the bowl and mix on high for 1 minute.

Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before piping into the chocolate cups. Add a strawberry or raspberry as a garnish for an added "wow" factor. The mousse will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week. This is so rich that you may not be able to finish it in one sitting.

Vegan Double Chocolate Pudding Cake

This Valentine’s Day try this quick and easy recipe for Double Chocolate Pudding Cake. I found this recipe from an old Family Fun Magazine and I adapted it to make it with no dairy or eggs. Your special someone will love the rich chocolate taste and they will think you spent hours making it.

Double Chocolate Pudding Cake (no dairy, eggs or nuts)

1 C	All-purpose flour
2/3 C	Granulated Sugar
4 T	Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp	Baking powder
¼ tsp	Salt
2/3 C	Packed light brown sugar
1 ½ tsp	Egg Replacer + 2T warm water
½ C	Rice or soy milk
4 T	Dairy-free margarine, melted then cooled
1 ½ tsp	Vanilla extract
¾ C	Dairy free semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 ½ C	Boiling water

Instructions:

Grease a 9 inch square pan and preheat oven to 350°. Mix the Egg Replacer and warm water together and set aside for 7 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, 2T of the cocoa powder, baking powder and the salt. In another medium-sized bowl, combine the brown sugar with the remaining 2 T cocoa powder. Using your fingers, mix together making sure all the clumps are broken apart and all the ingredients are evenly combined. Set aside.

In the meantime, make a well in the flour mixture and add the egg, milk, melted margarine and vanilla. Mix them well to make sure all ingredients are combined.

 Pour batter into the pan and evenly spread the chocolate chips over this batter. Next, sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the top.

Heat the boiling water in the microwave and slowly pour the boiling water over the mixture in the pan. Make sure an adult is around to supervise this. The pan will be very full so have an adult carefully place the pan in oven and bake for 30 minutes.

 

You now have a delicious cake with a chocolate pudding as the bottom layer. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with fresh fruit or non-dairy ice cream. Serves 6 to 8.