[Vegetarian]

I wanted my next recipe to be dairy free, but Devon and I decided to treat ourselves to pierogi last weekend and figured we would share the recipe!

The first time we made pieorgi we made a more traditional filling with potato, onions, mushrooms, and herbs. However, we found that we were craving an extra savory element and ending up eating them as much with soy sauce as sour cream. That craving was the inspiration for these pierogi that really bump up that umami flavor while still remaining vegetarian!

Though this recipe is a huge time investment, it really pays off. You only need to eat 3 of them if you're quite hungry, the recipe makes 26, and they freeze perfectly! We hope you enjoy!

Note #1: It's possible that you could make a vegan version of this recipe, subbing the butter for vegan butter/olive oil and the sour cream for vegan sour cream. However, I am unsure how the dough would react to the vegan sour cream, which is why I would not recommend it. If you do try it though, please let me know how it goes!!

Note #2: When I cooked this for the pictures, I actually used double the amount of ingredients to make the filling. I cut the amount in half because of the sheer amount of leftover filling I had but, as such, all the filling pictures will look like a lot more food than yours will!

Serving Size: 26 Pierogi
Cook Time: Your whole afternoon.

Originally Based on the Following Recipes:

• https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/basic-pierogi/
  
• https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/84706/grandmas-polish-perogies/?src=VD_Summary
  
• https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/caramelized-onions
  

Ingredients 

Dough (directly "Grandma's Polish Perogies" dough)

• 4 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Butter, melted
  
• 2 cups Sour Cream
• 2 Eggs
  
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

 
Filling

• 1 lb of Potatoes (we used Red and Yukon Gold)
• 1 Yellow Onion
• 4oz Mushrooms (we used Brown Beech and Hen of the Woods)
  • The recipe would probably work great with 8oz of Mushrooms too!
• 3 cloves of Garlic
• 1 tsp Fresh Thyme + 2 tsp Parsley
  • If you are going to use dried herbs, use about half as much.
  • I encourage you to choose whatever herbs you know you would like! If I were making this just for myself I'd probably just have the thyme but Devon is a fan of the parsley.
    
• 2 1/2 tbsp Butter
• 1/2 cup Milk (your choice which, we used Oat Milk)
  
• 1 pinch of salt
  
• 2 tsp Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
  

On the Side

• Sour Cream
• Chives

I've split the recipe into different parts based on what you are making, however you'll probably want both your onions and your potatoes cooking at the save time to reduce the cook time.

2. Heat 1 Tbsp of butter over medium heat in a saucepan or pot with high sides. The goal is for  your onions to steam in their juices, not for the water to quickly evaporate.

4. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stirring every few minutes. You're aiming to get them to a golden brown. This should take 25-40 minutes. During this process it is likely all the water will have been cooked off and the onion might start to burn to the bottom a bit. Add water in tablespoon increments to prevent this and just scrape up the burned bits. It'll add to the flavor!

3. Once the water is boiling, cook the potatoes until soft when pierced with a fork. This should take 25 - 45 minutes.

4. Strain them then add them back into the pot.

5. Use 1/2 tbsp of Butter and 1/2 cup of Milk and mash them into a pillow-y texture. Taste and salt as necessary then add pepper to your own personal preference. Remember, if its not tasting great, you probably need a bit more salt! Your goal here is to make delicious mashed potatoes, which are going to be the base your filling.

1. Roughly chop your mushroom and garlic.

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and drop the pierogi in one at a time (frozen or thawed it doesn't matter!). Once they float to the top, they are done.

2. If you'd like to brown them a bit, transfer them directly to a pan with a little butter or oil.  Once they are in the pan heat them over medium-low heat until slightly golden brown.

3. Serve with sour cream and chives for dipping! (We didn't have chives so our picture has parsley in the sour cream instead)

Enjoying the recipes? You could always buy me...

[Vegetarian]

This had to be the next recipe I wrote up, because its one of Devon's favorite things I make. If you're going vegetarian, or just trying to cut down on meat, this will help to fill that meatloaf shaped hole in your heart.

However, there is a reason I call it a Veggie Loaf not a "Meat"loaf. The flavor is very reminiscent of a normal meatloaf (thanks ketchup) but you still get that fresh veggie taste from the ingredients. It's also not trying to recreate the texture of a traditional meatloaf, so temper your expectations accordingly.

Just like a normal meatloaf, this works great as the "meat" on the dinner plate and is fantastic when used to make sandwiches.

Originally Based on the Following Recipes:

• https://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/04/mini-garden-turkey-loaves/
• http://www.geniuskitchen.com/how-to/make-meatloaf-41
  
• http://www.kitchme.com/recipes/really-good-vegetarian-meatloaf-really
  

Ingredients 

Loaf

• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil (at least)
• 1 Onion (preferably small)
• 2 - 4 Cloves of Garlic (2 if your cloves are big, 4 if they are small)
• 2 Carrots
• 1 Zucchini
• 8 oz mushrooms (I used Brown Beech, Button are also good)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• Pepper (amount is up to you)
• 1 Tbsp Vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce (Try Annie's!)
  
• 1/4 cup Ketchup
• 3/4 cup Breadcrumbs
• 1 cup Lentils
• 1 cup Quick Cooking Oats (normal oats work as well!)
• 1/2 cup grated Mozzarella Cheese

 
Sauce

• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 2 tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 2 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

2. While your lentils are cooking, you can start to prep your veggies. Dice the onion and garlic. Peel your carrots and chop the ends off your zucchini. Last put not least, roughly chop your mushrooms.

3. Sauté the onion in a large skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat until soft and transparent.

6. Transfer the veggies into a mixing bowl. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes and preheat the oven to 350.

10. Bake the meatloaf in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 40 - 50 minutes. You're looking for the sauce on top to be kind of leather-y (for lack of a better term) and less liquid-y. Let the loaf rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing, this will help it firm up and not fall apart when cut.

Pro Tip: Throw some veggies tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper into oven when the loaf still has 25 minutes to go for a quick and easy side! I used broccoli when cooking for this recipe.

Did you particularly enjoy this recipe? You could always buy me...