Sequestration Meal #61

I've made these vegan hamburger steaks from the Thrifty Living blog many times before, though this time, necessity dictated some substitutions. I'm happy to note that ketchup is a fine substitute for tomato paste in this recipe! I wrapped them a bit ineptly this time, though, and they ended up slightly dented in the middle. It didn't matter; they were still great. I made the full recipe (four steaks) and had them three different ways: First, as you see above, with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

The next time, I made a vegan version of buttered egg noodles with Earth Balance and macaroni dumplings, roasted Brussels sprouts, and sauteed mushrooms to go with it. This is not the most colorful meal, but it's really good!

I had the leftover roasted Brussels sprouts and the last two steaks with my own toasted pastina pilaf. I seriously love that recipe and I was so glad I had bought some pastina on that last trip to the actual grocery store. It's so quick to whip up and so good. I'd nearly forgotten about it but I was reminded in an exchange with the Bento Buff about things that go well in bentos that aren't rice (if you're missing out on my packed lunches, you can see what vegan goodies she's whipping up as an essential worker still packing lunch).