>Vegan MoFo Day Ten: Caramels, Vegan With a Vengeance, and Tater-tot Casserole

>Monday, I made my first Vegan with a Vengeance recipe. Maple Mustard Glazed Potatoes and Sting Beans. Except I didn’t have any baby potatoes, and I didn’t have any string beans. I cut a few regular potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Instead of string beans, I used Brussels sprouts. It turned out great.

Tonight for dinner, I made “White Trash Tater Tot Casserole with Daiya” from  Snarky Vegan. Confession: this is the first time I have ever had tater-tot casserole. Ever. My mom hates casseroles, so, its only recently that I’m discovering the glory that is the casserole.

This was awesome. I cut it in half, and used a 14oz bag of mixed veggies (corn, asparagus, and carrots), and added a few handfuls of Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chick’n Strips. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you, Snarky Vegan!

I made caramels today. It took ages, but, they taste so amazing. This is my gramma’s favourite holiday treat.

Aunt Nicci’s Caramels 

2C Earth Balance

2C light corn syrup

2 pounds dark brown sugar (4.5 cups)

dash of salt

2 cans coconut milk

2tsp vanilla

lightly grease a jellyroll pan. set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt EB on low heat. Add corn syrup. Mix well. Add brown sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Add coconut milk. Stir over medium heat until heat reaches 245 degrees. (For my aunt, who lives at sea level, it takes about 15 minutes. For me, at about 4,000ft above sea level, it ended up taking close to an hour and a half). Stir constantly.

Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Pour into jelly-roll pan. Let cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares. For me, this made about 130 caramels.