Hi friends,
As shared earlier this week, I recently got around to updating my mushroom bourguignon recipe. I developed it during the initial Covid lockdown and it’s become a reader favorite in the past almost 4 years.
If you’re newer to this community (hello, welcome!), you may not know that I’m a diehard francophile. (Well, I guess “The New Baguette” does give it away.) Like a lot of people in this boat, I started romanticizing French culture in high school/college. Netflix was still mailing DVD’s at that time and the only films in my queue were either by Godard, or starred Audrey Tautou or Marion Cotillard.
I subsequently learned the language and when I was 19, did a summer semester in Paris with my best friend. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about that city and I hope to get to live there one day.
Anyone else here in the francophile club?
So continuing on with the French theme - and with Valentine’s Day a few days away - I rounded up some of my veganized French-inspired recipes…
1. Chickpea Crepes with Creamy Mushrooms and Spinach
If you’re team savory crepe like me, you have to try these lacy-edged crepes made with chickpea flour. The creamy filling is a nod to the cheesy mushroom street crepes in Paris.
2. Potatoes au Gratin
Instead of cream and cheese, my vegan gratin is made with a creamy cashew béchamel sauce spiked with miso and nutritional yeast. (It goes great with the bourguignon, btw!)
3. Tofu Niçoise Salad
Craving a taste of summer? This southern French classic is packed with bright flavors and juicy textures.
4. “Cheesy” Mushroom Tartines
Loosely inspired by the croque monsieur sandwich, this tartine has the most incredible savory “cheese” sauce.
5. Hachis Parmentier (that’s French for shepherd’s pie, lol)
The tempeh-mushroom filling here is Frenchified with red wine.
Planning to make one of these? Tell me how it goes in the comments section or tag me with your creation on Instagram.