Need some old fashioned comfort food? Well, this pot pie will fill that bill!! Even though it is vegan, it is eerily close to the kind most of us grew up eating as a kid from the freezer. So put on some Gilligan's Island & Brady Bunch reruns and dig in!

1 3/4 c. non-dairy, unsweeted milk, such as soymilk, separated

2 c. vegan "chik'n" broth, or vegetable broth

1 clove garlic, crushed

4 med. organic potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 in. cubes

1 t. dried marjoram

1 t. dried thyme

1 T. nutritional yeast (optional)

3 heaping T. cornstarch

1 lb. bag organic mixed veggies

1 (10 oz) package of Gardein Scallopini Chik'n, thawed and diced into 1/2 in. cubes

1 sheet of  frozen puff pastry, thawed on counter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a casserole or baking dish(I used a 10 x 13 glass dish) with cooking spray. Bring one cup of the non-dairy milk, garlic and the broth to a boil. While you are waiting for it to come to a boil, mix with a whisk or fork, in a measuring cup, 1/4 c. of the non-dairy milk, thyme, marjoram and the nutritional yeast if using. Add the potatoes to the milk and broth and cook until just starting to get a tiny bit tender, as they will continue to cook when you bake the pie. Be sure to continue to stir.  Next add the veggies & chik'n.Pour into a casserole/baking dish, and spread the thawed puff pastry over the top. Baste the top with the remaining 1/4 c. of non-dairy milk. Bake in 375 degree oven (on a baking sheet to catch drips if your pan is really full) until browned and bubbly on the top, about 20-25 mins. Take out the oven and let sit for 5 mins. Warning, if you try to sneak a bite, be sure to let it cool thoroughly first, and I say this from experience....Serve your pot pie with a side salad, and you are good to go!

Yield: 6-8 servings

Some variations would be to use diced cubes of extra firm tofu instead of the Gardein Chik'n. You could also saute some shittake mushrooms and a bit of minced onion, to add in with the veggies (my kids would never touch it then, but I would love them!). You could also use premade vegan pie crust to top it instead of the puff pastry.I just used what I had on hand.  Or try baking it in individual crocks if you want to get really fancy. Another variation is to not bake the pot pie, and serve the veggie/chik'n/gravy over already prepared biscuits. The Reduced Fat Bisquick is actually vegan if you mix it with a non-dairy milk. This makes great leftovers if you need to bring a lunch to heat up at work.

Yes, I know, another artichoke recipe...but I so loooovvve them. I saw a recipe in Vegetarian Times that inspired this recipe, with a few quick changes, presto, chango, and we have a creamy, tangy & luscious, pasta dish.As always, try to use organic products when possible and practical.

8-10 oz. semolina linguine

2 T. Earth Balance Margarine

1 clove garlic, crushed or minced

Juice of one lemon

1 package of vegan cream cheese (Tofutti has a great brand)

1 can artichoke hearts

zest of one lemon

1/4 c. minced parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Cook linguine according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 c. of pasta cooking water. Quarter the artichoke hearts and place in large bowl. Meanwhile, right before pasta is al dente, melt margarine in small saucepan. Add crushed garlic, saute for 2 minutes. Whisk in juice of one lemon, cream cheese and cooking water.

Drain pasta, and toss with artichoke hearts. Drizzle cream cheese mixture over the pasta and toss to combine gently. Sprinkle lemon zest and parsley over the top.

I dare you not to eat it all!!

Yield: 3-4 servings

P.S. pix to follow soon!

Every year, some friends of ours keep taking turns hosting a work dinner party. Every year, our one friend, Kim brings this unbelievably yummy recipe. This year, she told me the secret, it is a winning recipe from the bake-off. So of course, I had to look it up, and tweak it to make it vegan! Thanks Kim!

1 loaf of crusty, French baguette, sliced into rounds about 1/4 in. thick

canola cooking spray

2 tablespoons granulated organic sugar

1 package (8 oz) Tofutti cream cheese, softened

1 to 2 teaspoons almond extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 bag (10 oz) Cascadian Farm® Organic frozen blackberries, thawed, well drained

1/3c.  sliced almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons powdered organic sugar

Heat oven to 350°F.

Trim ends of bread loaf off. Cut loaf crosswise into slices about 1/2 in. thick. Arrange slices on ungreased cookie sheet. Spray each slice with cooking spray until lightly coated. Sprinkle slices with granulated sugar. Return to oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until lightly toasted.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat cream cheese, almond extract and 1/4 cup powdered sugar with electric mixer on low speed until well combined.

Spread cheese mixture evenly onto toasted bread slices. Top each with 3 or 4 blackberries; sprinkle with almonds. With small strainer, sprinkle 3 tablespoons powdered sugar over bruschetta.

Serve on a fancy platter.

Yield: Depending on size of bread loaf, this will yield 24-30 servings.

Note-You can always use fresh blackberries, depending on availabilty. I always prefer fresh & organic of course!! Chopped Hazelnuts would also work very well as a substitute for the almonds as well!

I was so excited the my son won the 6th Grade Spelling Bee, that I had to bake up something special to celebrate the occasion. So I quickly whipped up some of these little beauties!

4 1/2 t. Ener-G Egg Replacer

6 T. filtered water

1/2 c. or 1 stick, Earth Balance Margarine

1/2 c. Spectrum Organic All Vegetable Shortening

3/4 c. organic granulated sugar

3/4 c. organic firmly packed brown sugar

2 t. vanilla extract

2 1/4 c. organic all purpose flour

1/2 c. rolled oats, not quick-cooking

1 t. baking soda

1 t. iodized sea salt, such as Hain

1 c. mini semi-sweet  vegan chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with unbleached parchment paper or use Silpat mats.

In a blender or mini-chopper, whip the egg replacer and water until it is frothy, thick & creamy. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter & shortening together until completely blended. Add in the sugars and thoroughly combine until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and whipped egg replacer. Mix until fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Stir them gently with a whisk. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Once it begins to form a dough, you may add it the chocolate chips and throroughly combine. Do not overmix as this will toughen the cookies.

Bake on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Let stand for 3-4 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: Around a dozen cookies

These are SO good, you truly could fool non-vegan eaters. My husband kept asking me, "so you are sure there is no dairy in here at all????"

8-10 medium sized Russet potatoes (not the large restaurant size)

1 medium onion, minced finely

1 1/2 containers of Tofutti Non-Hydrogenated Cream Cheese

1/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes

2 T. dried or fresh chives, minced

1 t. onion powder

1-2 T. soy or other non-dairy milk

1 package Daiya Cheddar Flavor Cheese

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and scrub potatoes, then dry them. Pierce 3-4 times with a fork. Place the potatoes directly onto oven rack and back for approximately one hour, or until they pierce easily with a fork. Meanwhile, mince onion, and place in a large bowl. After potatoes are done, slice them in half lengthwise. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Add the cream cheese to the bowl with the onion. Using a spoon, scoop out both halves of the hot potato, leaving the skin intact, and place on top of the cream cheese/onion mixture in the bowl. Continue this with the rest of the potatoes. With a potato masher, break up the potatoes into smaller pieces, but do not mash all the way. Using a mixer, blend the potatoes until the larger chunks have blended in. Do not overmix, as they will get gummy otherwise. Add in the yeast flakes, chives, onion powder, salt & pepper. Just mix until the ingredients are blended in, adding the non-dairy milk if necessary to thin out a bit. You want the consistency to be even thicker than mashed potatoes.

Scoop about 1/3 to 1/2 c. of the potato mixture into the potato skin halves with a spoon. Place the filled potato skins in a baking dish, packing them in fairly tightly. You will probably have some left over potato skins. As liberally as desired, sprinkle the Daiya cheese over the tops of the potatoes. Place the baking dish into the oven. Bake on 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

If desired, you may sprinkle some vegan bacon flavored bits (such as Bacos)  on top.

Dig in! I dare you to stop at just one!!!

Yield: 6-8 servings