Herbed Mashed Potatoes with Teriyaki Gardein Beefless Tips

So I wasn’t going to post this one, but I figured, “What the heck? Why not?” This recipe isn’t involved, it isn’t fancy — basically, it isn’t time consuming. But it’s damn good. I have to admit, I didn’t measure anything out when I was making this so, bear with me. Also, I’ve been trying to stay away from using processed foods like grain meats and cheeses because they can be expensive, hard to find, and generally not as healthy as omitting them from your diet. But hey, for you beginner vegans, sometimes, this is the kind of stuff you want to eat, right? So, here’s something I cooked up one night when I was feeling super hungry and not entirely creative. It’s meat and potatoes, literally. All I need now is a beefcake vegan husband. God help me…

Vegan American Chop Suey

I’ve recently been told that my food is “fancy.” I’m not sure if I’m to take this as a compliment or as a comment on having “complicated” or “involved” recipes. Or maybe the people who say this just eat veggie dogs and Amy’s frozen dinners, I don’t know. I’ve certainly never thought that the recipes I’ve posted are at all fancy or involved, otherwise I probably wouldn’t be making them. I just don’t have that kind of time…or know-how! I just like to cook. And I like to take pictures that aptly depict the wonderful taste of the food. Sometimes that involves a wine glass in the background, I guess.

In any case, here’s a very un-fancy dish. I promised myself I wouldn’t post “basic” recipes because I feel like most people who want this kind of food can easily find it elsewhere by doing an internet search. I also want to try to avoid using prepackaged vegan meat substitutes because some people can’t find them easily and they’re not exactly typical of a healthy vegan diet and can be misleading to non-vegans. Nonetheless, here’s a satisfying quickie for all you busy moms, hungry students, and just plain ol’ lazy bones like me: American Chop Suey.