I told you how life changing buying a waffle iron was, but if you have yet to throw mashed potatoes in there you’re in for a sweet surprise. In fact you might never eat mashed potatoes the same way again! They taste a thousand times better when they crisp up and have little pockets to store pools of sauce or gravy. Not to mention, they’re such an impeccable topping to modernize an old-fashioned cottage pie.

MAKES 4 servings

PREP TIME 45 minutesCOOK TIME 70 minutes

PREP AHEAD

The Gravy (this page), optional

MASHED POTATOES

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

⅛ teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

FILLING

1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 onion)

½ cup finely chopped carrot (about ½ carrot)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

½ teaspoon ground sage

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

5 cups coarsely chopped cremini mushrooms (about 10 ounces)

2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

2 cups cooked lentils, or 1 (19 oz/539 g) can lentils, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock, or ½ vegan beef-flavored bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water

TOPPING

The Gravy, warmed

To make the mashed potatoes, bring a large pot of cold water with the potatoes to a boil. Cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the potatoes and mash in the pot with the salt, pepper, and paprika. Fold in the chives. If you’re not making waffles, you can use the mashed potatoes on individual servings or on top of a larger baking dish, but I would add some nondairy milk and/or vegan butter or vegetable oil to make the mash smoother. However, it needs to be dry like this for crispy potato waffles.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. For individual servings use four 8-ounce ramekins or an 8-inch square baking dish for a single pie.

To make the filling, sauté the onion and carrot in a skillet with the vegetable oil over medium heat for 3 minutes until just softened. Add the garlic, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper and continue to cook for 2 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until just over halfway cooked.

Add the Worcestershire, tomato paste, corn, peas, and lentils and stir to coat well. Cook for about 3 minutes until the corn and peas are cooked through, but the peas are still bright green.

Mix the cornstarch with the water to make a slurry and add it along with the stock to the pan, stirring until well combined. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until the filling is thickened and only a small amount of excess liquid remains in the pan.

If using ramekins, place them on a baking sheet and portion the filling among the ramekins. If you’re not making waffles, place the filling in the baking dish, the mashed potatoes on top, and bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

To cook the waffles, heat up your waffle iron and spray it with a light coating of oil. Use a heaping ¾ cup potatoes per waffle and cook for 7 to 8 minutes until golden brown and crispy. This amount will not fill the entire waffle iron but make a size reasonable to fit on top of the 4 to 4½-inch wide ramekins. The time may vary, depending on the make of your waffle iron. Place the crispy potato waffles on a wire rack until all are done. Set a waffle on each ramekin and bake for 10 minutes. Serve immediately with warm gravy on top, if desired!

 These homemade seitan sausages that I Frankensteined have slightly different seasonings and texture than the Saved By Seitan ( this page) sandwich meat. They are basically identical to my favorite brand of vegan sausages…nah, they’re better! Of course, I can’t tell you what brand that is because #notsponsored. However, making these yourself is highly rewarding. You’ll just need to let them sit overnight in the fridge so plan accordingly. We’ve added them on top of the Stuffed Crust Pizza (this page), but you can make different sizes for hot dogs or breakfast sausages. Shape them longer and skinnier for hot dogs and grill or panfry them in BBQ sauce. For breakfast sausages, make small patties or smaller sausage links and panfry them in a light coating of maple syrup. It’s a real sausage party here! 

MAKES 4 servings; 8 sausages

PREP TIME 40 minutes, plus curing bangers overnight

COOK TIME 1 hour

PREP AHEAD

The Gravy (this page)

VEGAN BANGERS

1 cup sliced onion (about 1 onion)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups vital wheat gluten

1 cup crumbled firm tofu

¼ cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground mustard

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce

1 tablespoon tomato paste

½ teaspoon liquid smoke

MASHED POTATOES

3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed

¼ cup vegan butter

½ cup unsweetened nondairy milk

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

SERVE WITH

The Gravy

1 ½ cups frozen peas

To make the bangers, preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion, garlic, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes in 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil for 4 to 5 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Lower the heat as necessary to prevent the garlic from burning.

Add the onion mixture to a food processor along with the 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 cup of the vital wheat gluten, and the remaining ingredients. Process until mostly combined. Add the remaining 1 cup vital wheat gluten and process until the dough forms a ball and is mostly combined. Place the dough on a work surface and knead 10 to 15 times until well combined.

Cut 8 pieces of aluminum foil approximately 10 by 12 inches. Place a portion of the sausage dough in the center of each piece of foil and form into a log shape approximately 1½ inches wide and 4½ inches long. Wrap tightly, twisting the ends in opposite directions to seal the foil firmly around the dough and shape it into a sausage.

Place all the wrapped sausages on a baking sheet spaced an inch apart and bake for 30 minutes until they feel very firm to touch. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature. They might still be warm, but then refrigerate them at least overnight. Refrigeration is absolutely necessary; otherwise the gluten will not activate and the sausage texture will not be right!

Prepare the mashed potatoes just before serving. Bring a large pot of cold water with the potatoes to a boil. Cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and mash in the pot with the remaining ingredients.

Just before serving, heat up the gravy in a saucepan and thin out with water or vegetable stock if necessary.

To cook the bangers, heat a skillet over medium heat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and panfry the sausages for 5 to 6 minutes until browned on all sides. Add about ¼ cup of the gravy to coat the sausages and cook for 1 more minute. You can add the peas at the end to cook through or steam them separately.

Plate the dish with a heaping mound of potatoes, 2 sausages, peas, and more gravy on top. Serve immediately!

 If you’re saucy like me, you’ll adore these bean and cheese enchiladas! They’re stuffed to the max and drenched in a spicy, creamy, fresh green sauce. Since dairy is no longer my deal, I’m always ready to party with cashews, and I’m obsessed with this sauce! Combining the silkiness of cashews with salsa verde puts these lil’ rolls over the top!

MAKES 4 servings

PREP TIME 50 minutes

COOK TIME 25 minutes

VERDE SAUCE

½ cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes

1½ cups salsa verde

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

ENCHILADAS

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

½ cup finely chopped onion (about ½ onion)

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon chipotle chile powder

½ teaspoon chile powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

1 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained

4 cups spinach

1 cup cooked navy beans or 1 can (15 oz/425 g) navy beans, rinsed and drained

1½ cups vegan mozzarella shreds

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 jalapeño chile, thinly sliced and seeded

TOPPINGS

1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced

1 green onion, white and green parts, finely chopped

Handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped, for garnish

Salsa verde, for serving

Lime wedges, for serving

To make the verde sauce, drain and rinse the cashews. Add to a high-powered blender along with the salsa verde, lime juice, and cilantro. Blend on high until very smooth. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a rectangular baking dish about 12 by 8 inches with 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil.

To prepare the enchiladas, heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and sauté the onion and garlic for 2 minutes until just softened. Stir in the chipotle chile powder, salt, and pepper and cook for another minute. Add the corn and spinach and cook for about 2 minutes until the corn is cooked and the spinach is soft and wilted but still bright green. Stir in the beans and 1 cup mozzarella shreds and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the filling from the pan to a dish and set aside.

Wipe out the pan and set over medium-low heat. Coat the pan with another tablespoon vegetable oil and heat the tortillas in small batches for 1 to 2 minutes, flipping as needed. Add the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil if necessary for the next batches to get the tortillas softened and lightly coated in oil.

Pour a small amount of the verde sauce into the bottom of the oiled baking dish, spreading it out to coat the bottom.

Place about a scant ¼ cup filling on each tortilla, roll tightly, and arrange seam side down in the dish. Make 2 rows of filled tortillas.

Pour the remaining verde sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining ½ cup of the mozzarella shreds and the jalapeño slices. Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the edges of the tortillas are just turning golden brown.

Top with the diced avocado, green onion, and cilantro. Serve immediately with salsa verde and lime wedges!

 When those Chinese food cravings come rolling in, turn to this page and stare at the photo before logging on to order takeout. Within seconds you’ll realize that putting in the bit of effort it takes to make this simple crispy orange tofu and quick fried rice is completely worth it. It’s mega tasty and fresh and a great way to fry up extra veggies you have lying around too.

MAKES 4 to 6 servings

PREP TIME 50 minutes

COOK TIME 45 minutes

FRIED RICE

1½ cups long-grain white rice

2½ cups water

¾ teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced diagonally

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup finely chopped carrot (about ½ carrot)

2 cups finely chopped broccoli florets (about 1 crown)

½ cup frozen peas

½ cup frozen corn

1 vegan chicken-flavored bouillon cube dissolved in 3 tablespoons hot water, or 3 tablespoons low-sodium vegetable stock

1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari or soy sauce

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

ORANGE SAUCE

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

2 green onions, white parts only, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

¼ cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce

¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar

½ cup sugar

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

FRIED TOFU

2 bricks (16 oz/450 g each) medium-firm tofu

4 to 6 cups vegetable oil, for frying

1 cup brown rice flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

1 cup cold club soda

To cook the rice, combine the rice, water, and ½ teaspoon of the salt, cover, and bring to a boil. Stir, cover again, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Adjust the water and cooking times to your particular brand of rice! You need 4 to 5 cups cooked rice.

To make the orange sauce, in a saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat and sauté the garlic, ginger, green onions, and red pepper flakes for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the orange zest and juice, tamari, vinegar, sugar, and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water into a slurry and whisk into the sauce until thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the fried tofu, drain the tofu and cut into bite-size cubes. Allow the cubes to sit on a tea towel or paper towels to get rid of the excess water.

Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer to a temperature of 365°F to 375°F on a deep-frying thermometer. You’ll need about 2 inches of oil; the amount of oil may vary if using a deep fryer.

In a bowl, combine the rice flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Do not add the club soda until the oil is ready. When you’re ready to fry, fold the soda into the flour mixture but do not overmix.

Using your hands, coat batches of the tofu cubes in the batter and delicately drop each one into the hot oil. Fry for 2 to 2½ minutes. If some stick together, gently separate them with a slotted frying spoon. Remove the crispy tofu from the oil with the slotted spoon to paper towels to absorb excess oil. Continue this process to fry the remaining tofu cubes.

To finish the fried rice, heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat with the vegetable oil and sauté the green onions (reserving some for a garnish), garlic, carrot, broccoli, peas, and corn for 5 minutes until softened and slightly browned. Adjust the heat to avoid burning the garlic. Add the cooked rice, stock, tamari, pepper, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Continue cooking for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice has some crispy parts and the vegetables are cooked but still bright in color. You can cook the rice longer if you prefer.

Just before the rice is finished, heat the orange sauce to a simmer if it has cooled down. Remove it from the heat and pour into a bowl. Toss batches of the crispy tofu in the sauce, coating them evenly.

Garnish the tofu with the reserved green onions and serve over the fried rice.

 This dish started out as a whole avocado stuffed and then deep-fried, which worked, but it really wasn’t much to look at and was difficult to eat. But frying the halves of an avo and stuffing them with this delectable meaty jackfruit worked out much better. I have no idea what this is, except a fun dinner party or potluck idea to show off and gloat about how much of a kitchen wizard you are. The real skill is in timing the execution of this recipe so the ripeness of the avocados is perfect…not too hard and not too soft. If the avocados are too ripe and mushy, it won’t work!

MAKES 6 servings, 12 pieces

PREP TIME 40 minutes

COOK TIME 45 minutes

PREP AHEAD

The Classic Ranch (this page)

BEER-BRAISED JACKFRUIT

2 cans young jackfruit in water or brine (not syrup)

1 cup thinly sliced onion (about 1 onion)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper (about ½ pepper)

1 cup finely chopped pineapple

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Grated zest and juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire

1 cup vegan-friendly lager or ale or 1 cup vegetable stock

FRIED AVOCADOS

4 to 6 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk

1½ cups bread crumbs

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder or chile powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

6 ripe but firm avocados

SERVE WITH

The Classic Ranch

1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)

To make the beer-braised jackfruit, drain the jackfruit and rinse well. Squeeze out the excess liquid from the fruit through a sieve if the fruit seems excessively watery. Pat dry with paper towels.

Heat a cast-iron skillet or pan over medium heat and sauté the onion in the vegetable oil for 3 minutes until just softened. Add the bell pepper, pineapple, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 6 minutes.

Add the jackfruit and sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes until lightly browned.

Add the lime zest and juice, Worcestershire, and lager. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Once the mixture is bubbling, adjust the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once most of the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat but leave covered to stay warm.

To fry the avocados, heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or deep fryer to a temperature of 365°F to 375°F on a deep-frying thermometer.

Place the all-purpose flour in a bowl and the nondairy milk in another bowl. In a third bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, chipotle chile powder, salt, and cumin.

Cut each avocado in half. Remove the pit. Gently peel the skin from the halves. Carefully scoop a small amount of avocado from the center of each half to create more of a bowl, leaving the sides intact.

Coat each avocado half in the all-purpose flour, shaking off any excess, then immerse in the nondairy milk. Toss in the bread crumb mixture. Use your hands to gently press and pack on the crumb mixture so the entire half is well coated.

To avoid overcrowding the pot, fry 2 halves at a time for 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a slotted frying spoon or tongs, allowing any excess oil to drip off before placing the halves on a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels.

To serve, scoop a generous portion of the jackfruit on top of each avocado half. Top with the ranch dressing. Add cilantro and a drizzle of extra lime juice, if desired.

 Just Google “gnocchi,” and you’ll find many many methods and rules for how it should be made and handled. When I decided to test it for this cookbook, it was so much easier than chefy types have led me to believe. The pros are onto something, though, with using a ricer or food mill, but you can get away with mashing your potatoes by hand. I’d say you better be in touch with your spirit guides for this one kids, ’cause you’re going to be relying on some cosmic intuition to know when the dough has been handled just enough, has the perfect amount of flour, and is ready to be made into soft pillowy morsels for your mouth. So it’s a good thing I took pictures for you! It’s honestly not as hard as you might think.

MAKES 6 to 8 servings

PREP TIME 70 minutes

COOK TIME 50 minutes

PREP AHEAD

The Parm (this page)

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds peeled, cubed sweet potatoes (2 to 3 potatoes)

2 teaspoons sea salt

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1½ to 2 cups all-purpose flour

6 to 8 tablespoons olive oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage

4 cups stemmed, finely chopped Lacinato kale

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Ground pepper

The Parm

To make the dough, bring a pot of cold water with the cubed sweet potatoes and 1 teaspoon of the salt to a boil. Cook until a fork easily pierces the sweet potatoes, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes well and let cool.

Pass the potatoes through a food mill or ricer onto a work surface. Or mash with a potato masher, being sure there are no big chunks of potato. You will need about 2½ cups mashed potatoes.

Sprinkle the potatoes with the nutmeg, cinnamon, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup of the flour. Using your hands and the help of a dough cutter or spatula, fold the mixture in overlapping layers a few times until most of the flour is mixed in.

Add ½ to 1 cup of the remaining flour to the dough while folding but do not overmix or add too much flour. You should still see flour as you fold the dough the last couple of times. The dough should still feel fairly soft and resemble potato but be able to hold its shape. Shape the dough into a loaf and let it rest on a floured surface for 10 to 15 minutes.

Flour another area of your work surface for cutting and shaping the gnocchi. Flour 2 baking sheets to hold the gnocchi.

Make sure your hands are generously floured. Flatten the dough into a ½-inch-thick rectangle approximately 6 inches by 9 inches. Flour a sharp knife or a dough cutter and cut the rectangle lengthwise into nine 1-inch-thick rows. Cut each row in half into strips. Roll out each strip into a rope about ¾ inch in diameter. Cut crosswise into small pieces just slightly wider than ½ inch. You will have 140 to 160 pieces.

Place the pieces on the floured baking sheets and cover with tea towels. You should boil the gnocchi soon after making them, or you can freeze the uncooked gnocchi between layers of parchment paper in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Cook the frozen gnocchi, without thawing, as directed in the following step when ready to serve.

To cook the gnocchi, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Place batches of the gnocchi in the boiling water. They will take 2 to 3 minutes to cook and will float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a large platter or place the batches directly in a hot skillet to continue cooking.

While the gnocchi are boiling, heat a cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté 1 or 2 cloves of the minced garlic, 2 teaspoons of the sage, and a small handful of the kale for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is soft and fragrant and the kale has just started to wilt. Add a batch of the gnocchi and about 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice. Brown the gnocchi 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove to serving dishes, season with salt and pepper, and top with The Parm to taste.

Cook the gnocchi in batches of 1 or 2 servings depending on the size of your pan, but don’t overcrowd it. Add more olive oil to the pan to cook the next batches in the same fashion.

 Pizza with cheese-stuffed crust changed the world in the ’90s, so why should now be any different? I honestly don’t care what you put on this pizza or what you stuff inside the crust—just know that pizza crust always deserves your attention and that this one is begging to be stuffed. When I see people dispose of their pizza crust, I want to scream! That’s the best part. So I figure stuffing it might entice you to see your slice through to the end, because it means you get a bonus surprise: more succulent bread and cheese. Oh, and if you’re real sassy, you could always throw some Tofu Bacon Crumbles (this page) in there too!

MAKES 8 to 10 slices

PREP TIME 30 minutes, plus up to 1 hour for proofing

COOK TIME 35 minutes

PREP AHEAD

That Dough (this page)

Vegan Bangers (this page)

INGREDIENTS

That Dough

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups vegan mozzarella shreds

3 Vegan Bangers, premade vegan sausage, or vegan pepperoni, sliced

½ cup pizza sauce

½ red onion, sliced

1 cup broccoli florets, finely chopped (about ½ crown)

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 475°F.

For this recipe, you let the dough rise to double in size. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface to an 18-inch circle. Transfer to a 16-inch aerated pizza pan coated with some of the olive oil. The crust should hang off the edge of the pan. You can also place the dough on a pizza paddle if you’re transferring it to a pizza stone in your oven.

Place 2 cups of the mozzarella shreds around the edge of the dough and fold the dough over the cheese, lightly pressing it into the bottom of the pan to seal.

If you’re using the bangers, brown the slices in a skillet over medium heat with a bit of the olive oil for 4 to 5 minutes.

Top the pizza with the sauce, brushing some onto the folded edge. Then top with 1 cup of the cheese shreds and half of the onion, broccoli, and bangers. Top with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella shreds and the remaining onion, broccoli, and bangers. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Brush the crust with a light coating of the remaining olive oil.

Bake for 20 minutes until the crust and bottom of the pizza are golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes, then slice with a pizza cutter and serve.