Vegan Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole has been one of my favorite dishes for awhile. Obviously, it's a must have a holiday dinners. But I love taking it to cookouts, too, and I have been known to make a batch for me just to eat for several dinners.

Recently a friend gave me a whole slew of green beans from his garden, and I haven't been sure what to do with them. So when a friend invited me over for a cookout, I decided to try and make a vegan version of this favorite dish. I was pretty nervous about making something that I *knew* wouldn't measure up, but I was pleasantly surprised! While it's a bit different, it's so so very good. It definitely fulfills that savory role of regular GB casserole. There was not a scrape left after the cookout. Also, this recipe has about a 1/3 of the fat compared to the regular style (and no cholesterol). I used this recipe, and followed it almost exactly. The only thing I might do differently next time is cut out the French Fried Onion's and use onions in the mushroom sauce.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs of fresh green beans
10 ounces of mushrooms, I used about 8 regular white mushrooms
5 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 c vegetable broth
3/4 c full-fat unsweetened soymilk
1 Tbsp dry sherry
1.5 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
pepper
salt
cayanne pepper
2 Tbsp flour
those delicious French friend onions
3/4-1 cup plain bread crumbs (I didn't measure)


First, set a large pot of water on to boil for the green beans. While this water is heating up, trim the beans and cut them into bite-sized pieces (1.5 inches long). Add beans and 1 Tbsp of salt to water and boil covered for about 7 minutes, drain and let sit in a colander. I did not put any cold water on them to stop the cooking process.

Next, remove the stems from the mushrooms and cut the mushrooms into pieces -- not slices. Coat a non-stick pan with olive oil, and add the mushrooms, 3 cloves of minced garlic, some salt and pepper (you know how much you want... I am a fan of salt, so I was generous), and a large sprinkle of cayanne. Let this cook on medium until the mushrooms are soft and release their juices. You'll know it when you see it.

While the mushrooms are cooking, whisk the flour into the vegetable broth. Add the flour/broth mixture and sherry to the cooked mushrooms. Stir and simmer on low until mixture thickens. Then add in the soy milk. Let this cook for about 5-10 minutes until thick, taste, and adjust seasonings as necessary. I added more salt, shocker. Add the green beans and mix well.

About the time you add the soymilk, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and oil an 8x11 pan. Set the pan aside.

In a medium sized bowl, melt the margarine and add in the rest of the garlic, bread crumbs, salt and pepper and mix well. Then stir in the onions. This will be your topping.

Pour mushroom/green bean mixture into pan, sprinkle bread crumb/onions on top and bake for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!