Vegan, Paleo Casserole

[rainbowmama]

A friend of mine recently had a death in the family. I want to bring a casserole, but she's vegan and paleo. Her restrictive diet intimidates me. Anyone have a recipe that's both vegan and paleo that would be good to bring?

[J-rap]

Hmmm...  That's an interesting combination, because generally, paleo means heavy on the meat!  My ds is paleo and I often make a variation of Shepherd's Pie, except with a mashed cauliflower topping instead of mashed potatoes.  I suppose if your friend is vegan, you wouldn't put in the typical ground beef mixed with vegetables, but just the vegetables.  What kind of protein does your friend eat?  You can add legumes instead of meat to the veggie mix.  But, some paleos limit their legume intake.  So, I guess I'd find out what protein your friend is okay with eating.  Also, some paleo's also are very careful about what veggies they eat as well.  (So they might stay away from potatoes, carrots, and other types of veggies.)  

 

Once you have have a list of what proteins they can eat (generally, are there any legumes they would eat?  Lentils?  Black beans?) and what veggies they do not eat, you can make a variation of a Shepherd's Pie which I think is always yummy!

[J-rap]

Hmmm...  That's an interesting combination, because generally, paleo means heavy on the meat!  My ds is paleo and I often make a variation of Shepherd's Pie, except with a mashed cauliflower topping instead of mashed potatoes.  I suppose if your friend is vegan, you wouldn't put in the typical ground beef mixed with vegetables, but just the vegetables.  What kind of protein does your friend eat?  You can add legumes instead of meat to the veggie mix.  But, some paleos limit their legume intake.  So, I guess I'd find out what protein your friend is okay with eating.  Also, some paleo's also are very careful about what veggies they eat as well.  (So they might stay away from potatoes, carrots, and other types of veggies.)  

 

Once you have have a list of what proteins they can eat (generally, are there any legumes they would eat?  Lentils?  Black beans?) and what veggies they do not eat, you can make a variation of a Shepherd's Pie which I think is always yummy!

 

ETA:  On the other hand, if you don't want to bug your friend, you could still make a Shepherd's pie:  make a mashed cauliflower topping instead of mashed potatoes, don't put grated cheese on top, and make the inside with a range of vegetables such as carrots, peas, mushrooms, onions, even chopped broccoli, zucchini, and kale, and some lentils too.  (You can even pick up a can of vegetarian lentil soup, drain most of the liquid, and use that for the lentils.)  I'd stay away from corn, and definitely no potatoes.  The sauce is what makes it good!  Make an all-natural sauce.  Here's one recipe:

 

• 1 cup, full sodium vegetable broth (or more as needed)
• 1/4 cup red wine (or more broth)
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt, to taste + black pepper
• 3 tbsp gluten free flour

[Bluegoat]

Well, it might sound odd, but my sister made a vegetarian haggis recently which was really good.  It used some lentils I think but mostly nuts.  There are lots of versions online.

 

The next day she used the leftovers as the base for a pie with mashed sweet potato on top.

 

But - I might avoid food in this case and just take something like whiskey.

 

 

[AnnE-girl]

What about a hearty vegetable soup? Or a cheese-less vegetable lasagna with layers of eggplant, zucchini, and mushrooms with tomato sauce?

[SparklyUnicorn]

maybe some steamed broccoli

 

 

[Zinnia]

You could do a burrito bowl.  It's my go-to because everyone in my family likes it.  A bed of cooked kale (or salad greens if it's hot), beans, sauteed onions and peppers, cilantro, onions, and some sort of salsa.  Throw in an avocado and perfect meal.  

[AmandaVT]

Do they eat tofu? You can make tofu "ricotta" which is quite yummy and make a veggie lasagna. Paleo people don't do pasta I think? You could replace thinly sliced zucchini and/or eggplant for the noodles and chop up lots of veggies and cook with sauce. Layer with the tofu ricotta. 

 

Something like this: http://www.healthyrecipeecstasy.com/paleo-and-vegan-zucchini-lasagna-with-basil-cashew-cheese-sauce/

 

[HollyDay]

stuffed sweet potatoes?

zoodles (zucchini spiralized) with chopped and sauteed veggies

various soups

salads