Has anyone tried this recipe?
Posted by Wendie on Oct 17, 2007 · Member since Sep 2002 · 150 posts
I am trying to think of something to serve my meat-eating family for Sunday dinner. I was thinking of trying this recipe and wondered if anyone has tried it out. Sorry, I'm not sure how to post a link properly.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=17782.0
I've made something similar, a "tuna" salad on pasta. It went over just fine for my omni (veggie-friendly) friends who are athletes and have big appetites. I made two side dishes too though. Are you planning on serving anything in addition?
Wendie,
I have not tried this recipe. But I just wanted to say that if you have not served your family dairy-free, creamy type recipes before, you might want to try something else. Maybe I'm wrong--this could be the recipe that is spot on--but I've tried a lot of mock tuna casseroles over the years ranging from tasty to digusting. But even the tasty ones were not spot on substitutions, which is what the visual appearance might lead you to expect, and I've always been a little bit disappointed. However, I'm sure if you made this recipe they would still eat it and enjoy it.
Good luck and report back!
Jennifer
I would make them Robin Robertson's Shepherd's Pie. There is a recipe in her meat & potatoes cookbook and also in vegan planet. Here is a link to the recipe in vegan planet if you are interested:
http://www.robinrobertson.com/Vegan_Recipes.htm
I agree with jkl, I usually like to serve a tried and true recipe to omni-guests.
If you do go with the "Tuna" recipe, be SURE to sure UNsweetened (not just plain, but unsweetened) soymilk. Otherwise your creamy sauce will have a sweet aftertaste to it.
I agree with the others about what to serve your omni guests. I never serve "imitation" stuff to them. Only things that have NO relativity to meat or dairy. I don't want them comparing my yummy food to non-vegan "originals." I also don't serve things that aren't "tried and true." Not the time to experiment!
I would, for example, serve to omnis that I want to impress:
Pasta with Fresh Basil and Sundried tomatoes, with caramelized garlic & shallots
Herbed Garlic Bread
Arugula salad with pears, caramelized pecans and raspberry vinaigrette
Asparagus phyllo wraps (my recipe under asparagus on vegweb)
Some amazing dessert that knocks their socks off!
OR, if they can swing ethnic, I may serve them something like:
Thai Green Curry Noodles
Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Baby Spinach Bites with toasted coconut & fresh lime
Another amazing dessert.
These are sample menus that give you the idea. Which is ...that no one would even care if the food was vegan, because of how delicious and beautiful it was.
Works for me every time! ;)
I have made that recipe. It is GREAT! I even gave some to my omni friends and they devoured it. I used French Fried onions as toping but I really enjoy that flavor. Use a big casserole pan too, because mine never seem to fit in an 8x8 pan. haha! Could be I rarely measure mushrooms or garbanzos. ;) I also put peas & diced carrots in mine, like the photos.
You could add a bit of dulse powder for a more 'sea' type taste. Just be sure you are using a plain, unsweetened soy milk so that it doesn't end up oddly sweet not savory. The advice to make an awesome dessert is also spot on! Wow them with cookies, pie or cake thats awesomely vegan!
I've made this recipe and it was yummy. I also used a 9x13 pan, used a whole can of beans (and it maybe could use a bit more), and added peas. My omni boyfriend and I loved it, though it's not incredibly "tuna-ey", so maybe don't call it that. Just say it's a casserole ;)
If you do go with the "Tuna" recipe, be SURE to sure UNsweetened (not just plain, but unsweetened) soymilk. Otherwise your creamy sauce will have a sweet aftertaste to it.
Blech! No kidding! :-X I made this mistake when I made the green bean casserole recipe from this site... I've never had a problem in any other recipe with using plain soymilk, but I think in casseroles (maybe because there's more of it being used??), it was yuck! (I also think the sweet taste had something to do with using carrots, but that's another topic entirely... :P)
And I agree with using a recipe that is "tried & true." Personally, I don't think I'd like to experiment with a new dish when I'm trying to impress omnis... But then again, that "tuna" casserole recipe has great reviews! And it looks delicious. Let us know what you decide!
Thanks for all your help. I'm not sure what I'll end up serving. I have my family over every third week and agonize over what to serve every time. I even used to give in and buy them a meat lasagna or other things bit then I decided I was compromising my own values for them. It really bugged me so I've decided they're going to eat vegetarian at my house whether they like it or not! (I'm willing to serve them vegetarian - doesn't have to be vegan but that's as far as I'll go).
I think this recipe is great, I thought it tasted like tuna, but I bet omnis wouldnt, I would just tell them that its a chickpea and mushroom casserole, and the "creamy" part of it is super creamy to us. mmmm. but to cheese eating folk, it dont think it would even be considered a cheese replacement, its like, soup that was blended, that kind of creamy. I also vote yay! for this recipe!
I have a tendency to think of the easiest dishes I know and ones that are familiar to omnis--spaghetti with olive, mushroom, and or other veggie sauce with a salad and garlic toast; bean burritos with fixin's, maybe a marguerita or two if you're so inclined, and fruit salad; any kind of bean or veggie soup with cornbread and grilled pineapple rings; any kind of bean salad on lettuce leaves (just for show), crackers or pita chips, and fruit smoothies. Plain vegetables (steamed or grilled asparagus, broccoli florets, crudites, etc.) could be served as side dishes.
If they feel like they haven't had spaghetti or burritos if they don't have cheese on them, you can ask one of them to bring grated cheese, or, in the case of the spaghetti, use a vegan parmesan.
I haven't tried the "Tuna" Mushroom Casserole recipe, but I agree with what others have said about not trying to imitate a popular recipe when wanting to impress omnis, particularly when you're making a bean taste like fish! I say this because my very open-veggie-minded omni husband took a bite of my chickpea "tuna" salad sandwich a couple weeks ago and got really weirded out and said "why does that taste like tuna???" I loved it, but for him it was just a little too odd, even though he really enjoys dishes I make with FYH cheeses, soy sausages, beef crumbles, chicken strips, etc.
My dad was a meat-and-potatoes type of guy, but he loved my simple dish of spaghetti with Trader Joe's meatless meatballs and a jar of Clasico pasta sauce. I've served that to just about every omni friend of mine, and they all end up buying the meatless meaballs for their own families.
Though it's another "imitation" dish, I really want to try making this easy Cheeseburger Pie (veganized): http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeId=35487. I'll have to test it out on my husband and let you know how it goes over. Mmm... comfort food. :)
I haven't tried the "Tuna" Mushroom Casserole recipe, but I agree with what others have said about not trying to imitate a popular recipe when wanting to impress omnis, particularly when you're making a bean taste like fish! I say this because my very open-veggie-minded omni husband took a bite of my chickpea "tuna" salad sandwich a couple weeks ago and got really weirded out and said "why does that taste like tuna???" I loved it, but for him it was just a little too odd, even though he really enjoys dishes I make with FYH cheeses, soy sausages, beef crumbles, chicken strips, etc.
My dad was a meat-and-potatoes type of guy, but he loved my simple dish of spaghetti with Trader Joe's meatless meatballs and a jar of Clasico pasta sauce. I've served that to just about every omni friend of mine, and they all end up buying the meatless meaballs for their own families.
Though it's another "imitation" dish, I really want to try making this easy Cheeseburger Pie (veganized): http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeId=35487. I'll have to test it out on my husband and let you know how it goes over. Mmm... comfort food. :)
that cheeseburger pie looks so good!!! and easy to convert. mmm. i'm pretty sure bisquick is vegan right?
I haven't tried the "Tuna" Mushroom Casserole recipe, but I agree with what others have said about not trying to imitate a popular recipe when wanting to impress omnis, particularly when you're making a bean taste like fish! I say this because my very open-veggie-minded omni husband took a bite of my chickpea "tuna" salad sandwich a couple weeks ago and got really weirded out and said "why does that taste like tuna???" I loved it, but for him it was just a little too odd, even though he really enjoys dishes I make with FYH cheeses, soy sausages, beef crumbles, chicken strips, etc.
My dad was a meat-and-potatoes type of guy, but he loved my simple dish of spaghetti with Trader Joe's meatless meatballs and a jar of Clasico pasta sauce. I've served that to just about every omni friend of mine, and they all end up buying the meatless meaballs for their own families.
Though it's another "imitation" dish, I really want to try making this easy Cheeseburger Pie (veganized): http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeId=35487. I'll have to test it out on my husband and let you know how it goes over. Mmm... comfort food. :)
that cheeseburger pie looks so good!!! and easy to convert. mmm. i'm pretty sure bisquick is vegan right?
Yup! It's even on PETA's Accidentally Vegan list (under Baking): http://www.peta2.com/STUFF/s-accvegan.asp. First one to make the vegan version of that recipe needs to post about it... not sure when I'll get to trying it out! :)