The weather has turned cold enough that I now want my meals to warm me up as well as satisfy my palate. Wednesday I made this pot of veggies and dumplings from Vegan Diner, and it did both those things.

I was nervous while cooking this, to be honest. Despite growing up in the south and enjoying most traditional southern foods, I don’t think I’d ever had dumplings before. So when I spooned wet batter onto the simmering soup, I just knew that the whole thing was going to be disgusting. Who wants soggy biscuits? Gross.

Thankfully though, I was wrong. It was delicious, and the batter turned into… well, soggy biscuits. But not in a bad way, if you can believe that.

I did the variation provided in the cookbook and added the smoky seitan, and I can’t imagine this dish without it. It was the main thing I enjoyed about the soup, and it added so much flavor and made it more filling. Definitely add seitan if you make this.

 

These are the garlic-roasted brussels sprouts from Vegan Diner. It’s a very simple side dish, and a delicious one.

One last thing – the veggies and dumplings do not reheat/store very nicely. If you do make this, be sure to finish it off right then or no later than the next day. I took some to lunch the day after making this, and reheated it gently (microwaved celery is vile), and it was ok, but definitely worst than fresh. I tried to eat some today (day 3) but it was almost inedible. It had turned into a soggy mess.