Dishes Men Like: Mystery Cheese Ball Spread, Imperial Salad, & "Beef" and Mushroom Casserole

Ah, Dishes Men Like. I decided to give another few recipes a whirl out of this book. Honestly, I am floored with how good they turn out despite a) 1950's food in general was never deemed all that good and b) it's veganized 1950's food! This salad dressing was very tasty, the cheese ball actually tasted like bleu cheese, and the casserole was a huge hit.


Mystery Cheese Ball Spread

* Prep Time: 1 hour - 24 hours
* Cook Time:  5 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 6 oz. package soy bleu cheese*
• 4 oz. vegan cream cheese*
• 1 tsp white onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce*
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped

* Recipe:

1. Combine the bleu cheese, cream cheese, onion, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least one hour, up to 24 hours.
2. Form the mixture into a large ball. Roll around in mixed up parsley and walnuts. Serve with crackers.

* Note:  For soy bleu cheese, I used Sunergia Soyfoods. You can order it online. For cream cheese, I used Tofutti. For Worcestershire sauce, I used The Wizard's organic brand.




Imperial Salad

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 15 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegan sugar*
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp prepared mustard
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• water
• 3 strips veggie bacon*
• 4 tbsp salad oil
• 1 large head of lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, diced

* Recipe:

1. Combine the first seven ingredients in a measuring cup; add water to fill up to 1 cup mark.
2. In a small skillet, fry up the bacon in the salad oil until tender.
3. Chop the lettuce and place in large bowl. Add onion.
4. Tear the bacon into small bits.
5. Stir contents of the cup; combine with fried bacon and oil.
6. In a small sauce pan, heat the mixture and simmer. Do not bring to boil.
7. Pour over the lettuce and onion. Serve immediately.

* Note: For vegan sugar, I used Florida Crystals. For veggie bacon, I used Lightlight. 




 "Beef" and Mushroom Casserole with Sour Cream

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 40 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 bags of Gardein Beefless Tips*
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup vegan sour cream*
• 4 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 8 oz. cooked fusilli noodles or cooked rice

* Recipe:

1. In a large skillet, add the olive oil and heat. Add the beefless tips and brown for a few minutes. Remove the meat and add the garlic and onions. Cook until the onions are translucent.
2. Blend in flour, add sour cream, and cook, stirring constantly until thickened.
3. Return meat to pan, add remaining ingredients, mix well.
4. Turn into greased casserole dish, bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
5. Serve over noodles or rice.

* Note: Gardein is a great brand you can find just about anywhere now. This recipe called for steak so this is what I used instead. It turned out amazing. For vegan sour cream I used Tofutti.

Dishes Men Like: Caesar Salad & Chick'n Divan

More recipes inspired by "Dishes Men Like". It is made by Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce and every single recipe contains their sauce! Clearly, men love these dishes. This is the rest of the dinner I made which composed of the previous blog entry (shrimp canapes and crab bisque), Caesar salad, and Chick'n Divan.
 

Caesar Salad
 

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 5 minutes
* Ingredients (for salad):  

• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 bunch endive (preferably curly), chopped
• handful of cherry tomatoes, split down the middle
• handful croutons

* Ingredients (for dressing):

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp vegan Parmesan cheese*
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise*

* Recipe: 

1. Combine the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper, and Parmesan in a medium bowl. Once mixed, add the mayonnaise until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mixed together the lettuce, endive and tomatoes.
3. Place the lettuce mixture in a serving bowl, top with croutons, then add the dressing. Sprinkle with more vegan Parmesan!

* Note: I used Galaxy brand vegan Parmesan cheese topping. For vegan mayonnaise, I used Vegenaise. 
 

Chick'n Divan with Buttered Rice 

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes

* Ingredients (for chick'n divan):  

• 1 bunch of asparagus, ends chopped off
• 1 can (16 oz.) cream of mushroom soup*
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup vegan Parmesan cheese
• 1 package vegan chicken, defrosted and sliced*
• 1/2 cup heavy soy cream, whipped*
• 3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise*

* Ingredients (for buttered rice):

• 2 cups white rice, cooked
• 1 tbsp soy butter*
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe (for chick'n divan): 

1. Cook asparagus in boiling salt water until tender, then drain. Place the asparagus in a large baking dish.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Combine soup, nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce, and pour 1/2 mixture over asparagus.
4. Top the asparagus with 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.
5. Defrost the vegan chicken and slice into 1/2 in. pieces.
6. Top the asparagus with the chicken and pour remaining soup mixture on top. Sprinkle with another 1/3 cup of cheese.
7. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes.
8. While baking, combine the whipped cream with mayonnaise.
9. When chicken is done baking, spread the mayonnaise mixture over the chicken and sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup cheese.
10. Broil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

* Recipe (for buttered rice):

1. Cook the rice according to box instructions.
2. While still hot, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

* Note: The cream of mushroom soup I used was Imagine brand. The vegan chicken was Vegetarian Plus brand. For the soy whipping cream, Soyatoo was used. Vegan mayonnaise brand was Vegenaise. Earth Balance was the soy butter used.

The recipes above were fantastic! I hope you all enjoy them. I'm looking forward to modifying and creating more vegan versions of these retro dishes in the future.

Dishes Men Like: Shrimp Canapes & Crab Bisque

I am a huge fan of vintage cookbooks. This website does not help extinguish my love. When I found out that the Shannons were doing the Betty Crocker vegan version, you should have seen my face! I have this ridiculous old cookbook called, "Dishes Men Like". It is made by Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce and every single recipe contains their sauce! Clearly, men love these dishes. Of course, I had to attempt to veganize some of them. So far, I have tried shrimp canapes, crab bisque, Caesar salad, and chicken divan. I attempted to follow the recipes as closely as possible.


Shrimp Canapes

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

* Ingredients:  

• 2 tbsp soy butter, melted*
• 1/2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 package of small toasts (around 6-10)
• 1/2 package vegan shrimp (around 6-10 shrimp)*

* Recipe: 

1. In a medium frying pan, fry the shrimp according to package instructions - about 5-10 minutes.
2. Combine soy butter and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl.
3. Top the toasts with the mixture, followed by the shrimps.

* Note: I used Earth Balance for the soy butter. For vegan shrimp, I used Vegetarian Plus brand.


Crab Bisque

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

* Ingredients:  

• 1 cup vegan crab meat, crumbled*
• 1 tbsp soy butter*
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 can of condensed pea soup*
• 1 can soup water
• 1 cup chopped lobster and oyster mushrooms, dehydrated
• 1 cup mushroom water
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe: 

1. In a medium pot, boil the lobster and oyster mushrooms. Allow them to dehydrate completely.
2. While the mushrooms are on the stove, put the pea soup and soup water on in another medium pot. Stir well.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan, add the butter and allow it to melt. Next, put in the crab meat, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper. Combine well.
4. When you are done dehydrating the mushrooms, chop them into small pieces. Add them to the crab mixture and combine well.
5. Next, add the crab mushroom mixture to the pea soup, followed by a cup of the mushroom water. Let cook for another 5 minutes. Serve.

* Note: I used Earth Balance for the soy butter. For vegan crab meat, I used Match Meats. Lastly, for pea soup, I used Fig Food, Co.

These are the first few pages of the book. So great! Also to note, I used the lobster and oyster mushrooms in the crab bisque because of their seafoody taste. I wanted to add a little more ommph to the recipe. The original recipe did not call for the mushrooms or the cayenne, otherwise it is the same. As for the shrimp canapes, I choose to fry the vegan shrimp rather than to boil them to give them a little more taste. The original recipe called for just cooked shrimp.