Vegetarian Sheperds Pie

Even after all these years of being a vegetarian, Barking Dog Barger really misses having red meat in his diet. This Sheperds Pie is in the tradition of the Irish method of layering foods in a casserole with the meat at the bottom. We use Gimme Lean (a wheat gluten based artifical beef flavor product) to replace the meat. Cut into chunks and browned on all sides in vegetable oil, it is seasoned with celery seed, black pepper and salt before being placed on the bottom of the casserole bowl.

Place each of the following in the casserole bowl as the additional layers of your sheperds pie. 

1 onion chopped and briefly cooked in the skillet after the gimme lean

4-5 stalks of celery briefly cooked

1/2 head of cabbage lightly wilted in skillet

a healthy spritz of Bragg's Liquid Aminos 

1 can Campbells Cream of Celery Soup spread across the cabbage layer

1 to 2 cups Mashed potatoes spread across the top

Salt and Pepper to taste

Baked the covered casserole at 350f for 30-50 minutes.   Uncover and broil the top for 10 minutes till mashed potatoes peaks are slightly browned.  I consider this comfort food! 

Jasper settling in just fine

The weary travelers settling into the Eastern Time Zone.

Daisy, Barking Dog Barger (Curt) and Jasper taking a post morning coffee break on the couch.

Vegan Miso Mushroom Soup

I made Miso Mushroom Soup for my sick husband. What makes this soup special is the Kombu (seaweed) which is high in nutrient value, the marinated mushrooms and the crunchy tofu.

2-3 Onions diced

2 Quarts water

2 tsps vegetable oil

3 Portobello Mushrooms marinated in olive oil, red wine vinegar and fresh thyme and then grilled briefly under the broiler, cut into small pieces

1 lb firm tofu, cubed and browned on all sides and tossed with 1Tbs of Soy Sauce 

6-8 Tbls Miso (I like using South River Brand as it seems to keep well and comes in a variety of flavors)  For this soup I used a combination of ChickPea miso and Brown Rice Miso.

Garnish of fresh greens such as spinach, Kombu, baby chard, scallions.

I like to use a deep cast iron pot for preparing soups.  Start by browning the onion in the oil.  When the onion is beginning to carmelize turn the heat to low, cover and simmer stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.  Add the water, mushrooms, kombu, miso and tofu and bring to a boil.   

The broiled portobellos bring a nice meaty richness to this vegan soup.

Here is the Kombu after having been soaked briefly in water and torn it into small pieces.
Left over steamed baby kale from the night before is a nice addition as is the chopped scallions.  Add these immediately before serving the soup.
The finished soup.  

Day 3 and 4

Day 3 took us through Texas and Oklahoma.  Below is the view at a rest stop in Texas.  While it looks somewhat desolate - in person it is very beautiful.

The driving route we took was Interstate Route 40.  The highway largely follows the famous Route 66 geography.  This is a beautifully preserved filling station in Shamrock Texas that we passed.
Gigantic energy collecting windmill farms are along the highway in both Texas and Oklahoma.  Some of them placed right in the middle of rice fields.
On day 4 we drove through Arkansas and most of Tennessee. This was the first drive-through Starbucks that I'd ever seen. It was a fine morning driving through Arkansas with a Soy Vanilla Latte to sip along the way.  Who would have thought Arkansas to be so civilized?
We found that the rest stops along the highway were really beautiful and well maintained.  Traveling with a dog I got to see many of them.  This is a particularly lovely stand of trees in Tennessee.
Well it had to happen.  Smokey pulled me over in Tennessee just outside of Memphis.  The state trooper had no cause other then I was driving a car with California plates.  After 30 questions, checking out my I.D. and car papers and evaluating my story about dog rescue he sent me on my way with a "you be careful" farewell.
How could the goofy dog story not be true?