The Spicy Spatula

Those of you who’ve been here for a while know that I run high on nostalgia. Whether it’s my never ending love for Dawson’s Creek or Grunge music, my love of black concert t-shirts or my lifelong obsession with Chuck Taylor All-Stars, I’m a girl who loves what she loves.

I still own a Nirvana t-shirt, still listen to Foo Fighters & Green Day, and I will always sing any Mariah Carey song at the top of my lungs as if I can sing as good as her.

So, what’s the point, right?

The point is that even though I love food from around the world from Mexico to France to Italy to Amsterdam I LOVE food. But I also have fond memories tied to recipes from my youth. I have veganized Mac & Cheese a dozen times over. Vegan meatloaf? Done it. Southern style greens? Done’em even more.

But you know one meal that never ever goes out of style? Any protein paired with mashed potatoes!!! That is a hill I’m willing to die on. Take any protein and serve it with mashed potatoes and you’ll find yourself wearing a big ol’ cheesy grin while you eat it.

It’s a great lazy vegan recipe and it’s always good to try something different with your favorite vegan mashed potatoes recipe.

Today’s veganized throwback recipe is a simple chicken & mash, updated and veganized.

Vegan Chicken

Depending on what vegan chicken alternative you use, you can grill it, roast it, sauté it, fry it or air fry it. That part depends on what’s easiest for you and what your belly feels like.

I used a water-broth blend to rehydrate the TVP for extra flavor and when I whipped up a homemade sort of Teriyaki sauce with: brown sugar, soy & mushroom sauce, dark soy sauce, hot sauce, harissa paste, garlic, cumin & agave syrup. Add it to a skillet and bring to a boil before reduce to a simmer until thick.

Toss your vegan chicken pieces into this sauce and serve.

Mashed Potatoes

There’s just so much you can do with mashed potatoes that it could very likely end up being a 3-part blog post. But let’s keep it simple because I have a romance book to promote!

Salt the water or broth and boil potatoes. Check.

Drain the liquid. Check.

Now…do you put the potatoes back onto the hot stove or do you do the next bit on a cooling pad? My answer is it depends. If I’m using vegan butter and vegan milk, then I put it back on the stove to warm them up before adding them to the potatoes.

And then I mash or whip those bad boys until smooth.

My top seasonings for mashed potatoes are; smoky paprika, garlic, salt & black pepper. I’ll add turmeric for health & color reasons. But if I’m making Italian or Mediterranean style mains, I might add rosemary or oregano, sage if I can find it.

Now tell me, if I put peas on the side of your mashed potatoes, would you mix’em in or eat them separately?

I LOVE to mix peas & mash and now I’m kind of annoyed that I didn’t make peas to go with this dish.

Oh well, what’s your favorite mashed potato vegan meal?

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Amazon
• WordPress
• TikTok
• Goodreads