Vegan Soul Food!

Hi Dames and Dolls! Today, I have my take on the staple southern soul food meal: Greens, cornbread muffins, and yams/sweet potatoes. The best part is its VEGAN but stays true to the classic southern flavor.

Don’t forget to clean your greens thoroughly. They usually have some sort of residue (the soil they are grown in) that adheres to the leaves. This can be done by filling a sink with cold water and submerging the leaves. Do this several times, until the residue is gone (usually about 3-4 cycles of fill and submerging).

In my “pre-vegan” days this meal was always a “true southern soul food” dinner my mom prepared. However, the original recipe she prepared contained animal products galore! Since becoming a vegan I have had loads of fun “veganizing” non-vegan meals and when I get an amazing result, it’s like hitting a homerun.  This meal is no different and definitely goes to bat! (ok, enough with the puns…)

I look forward to sharing and trying many more recipes, so be sure to check back and subscribe for notifications!

RECIPE BELOW: 

Printable Recipe Here

Vegan Greens with Cornbread and Yams

For the Greens: 3 bunches of greens (you can choose any of your favorite. I used collards), washed and chopped 1 stick vegan butter ¼ cup frozen seasoning (onion, bell pepper, & garlic mix) 1 jalapeno, sliced 1/8 cup dry Cajun seasoning blend 4 cups vegetable stock or broth ¼ cup imitation bac’n bits (be sure to check the label) For the Yams/Sweet Potatoes: 1 stick vegan butter Fresh or frozen sweet potatoes, cut as desired (I love the patties) 1 ½ cup sugar ¼ tsp nutmeg ¼ tsp lemon zest 2 TBSP cinnamon 2 TBSP light brown sugar 1 cup vegan creamer 2 tsp vanilla extract For the Cornbread: 1 pkg. “Jiffy” cornbread mix 1 flax egg (3 TBSP hot water + 1tsp ground flax) 2/3 cups almond milk Greens: Melt the vegan butter in a stock pot on medium high heat. Add seasoning blend and stir. Cook until almost tender and add the jalapeno slices (remove the seeds for less intensity, if desired). Add the washed greens to the pot, stir then immediately add the Cajun dried seasoning. Stir until everything is well blended and add the veggie stock/broth. Let simmer for at least 20-25 minutes, while stirring frequently. Make sure you have enough broth to keep liquid in the bottom of the pot. After the greens have simmered and began to tender, add the imitation bac’n bits. Continue to cook while covered until greens reach the desired tenderness while occasionally stirring. Once done, serve it up! Yams/Sweet Potatoes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter in a sauce pan on medium heat. Add all the dry spices, sugar and lemon zest and stir together. Add the almond milk creamer and stir until well blended. Allow this to simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Stir then remove from heat or turn off burner. Add the vanilla to the sauce and stir once more. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a dish and pour the sauce over. Make sure the potatoes are mostly covered. Bake covered with foil for 12-15 minutes on 325 degrees. Remove from oven, turn over carefully and return to oven for 7-10 mins or until the sauce bubbles and becomes slightly crystallized. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 mins before serving. (That sauce can be extremely hot!) Cornbread: This recipe follows the instructions on the box mostly. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add the almond milk (you can substitute with soy, coconut, etc) and the flax egg to the dry mix. (The flax ‘egg’ is simple hot water and ground flax that is stirred together then allowed to sit for 5 minutes.) Pour into prepared muffin tins (either sprayed with can veggie spray or lined with muffin cups) and bake for 20-25 mins or until golden and set. Allow to cool and then remove from tins. Serve with the greens and yams!