I am a rare breed of foodie. I have a weakness for traditional comfort food, I am a vegetarian, and I am allergic to caffeine (I only have a reaction in large doses), so I don’t drink coffee. I know everyone makes fun of it, but one of my favorite cookbooks of all time is still my classic Betty Crocker Cookbook, circa 1969. It is one of the few cookbooks with meat in it that I still own. I’ve decided to cook my way through it, attempting to convert the meat recipes to vegetarian ones when it is possible to do so. This one was pretty delicious, and I seriously recommend it. The original recipe is “Savory Beef Pie” and appears in the Beef Leftovers section on page 14. One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it is great when you need to go grocery shopping, as most of the ingredients can be frozen or are stock pantry items. I made it the first day home from vacation when we had nothing fresh in the house. One note: I am NOT a vegan. I don’t pretend to be a vegan. I’m also not shy about using frozen or canned ingredients (although I usually opt for frozen over canned), making it difficult for me to make a recipe vegan without reading a LOT of labels. This recipe uses Gardein Beefless Tips as a substitute for the beef in the recipe, as it is the best beef substitute I have found to date for stews and similar recipes to this one, but you could use TVP or another beef substitute if you prefer. I think it would even be pretty good with portobello mushroom chunks in it. Worth a try.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped onion (I used frozen)
2 Tbsp. chopped green pepper (I used frozen)
2 Tbsp. margarine
1 package Gardein Beefless Tips
10 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
1 can Campbell’s Mushroom Gravy (1 cup of homemade gravy would be even better)
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1. Melt margarine in a 10 inch skillet. If using fresh onion and green pepper, add to skillet and cook until tender. Add Beefless Tips, mixed vegetables, onion and green pepper (if using frozen), gravy, and water. Cook until hot, about five minutes.
2. Pour hot mixture into ungreased 8×12 baking dish.
3. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk until a soft dough forms. The dough will be super sticky.
4. Drop dough by the spoonful on top of hot mixture in the baking dish. Sprinkle dough with sesame seeds.
5. Bake at 450° for 15-20 minutes, until the biscuit topping is light brown.
Happiness is Now 