VMF 6-18: Convenience

Prepackaged food items are not as common on my grocery list as they once were. While I still stock my pantry with canned beans and shelf-stable cartons of almond milk, things like bread and faux meats just are not staples in my kitchen. I prefer to eat homemade food whenever possible, particularly meals with whole grains, fruits, and veggies. On rare occasions do I dine out, although I'm not entirely opposed to it, either. Nor am I some beacon of clean eating; I've been known to munch on white rice, bread made with refined flour, and a piece (or two or three) of dark chocolate now and then.

That said, I do still have some convenience foods scattered about the stores of food in the kitchen, back from my days of eating a good amount of them. My aversion to wasting food compels me to occasionally delve into the hodge-podge of prepared or semi-prepared goods, usually integrating one or two of those items into a dish at any given time. The last attempt was probably one of the most convenience food-laden dishes I've made in awhile. I don't even know what to call it. I must say, though, that it was pretty good--not good for me, but good to my taste buds.

Let's go ahead and call the dish "cheesy" sausage millet and hashbrowns. I'm apparently enjoying the vegan sausage and potato combination. As one might guess, this mash-up contains vegan seitan sausages (beer brats, specifically), hulled millet (mistakenly purchased instead of whole grain millet), and hashbrowns. Sauteed onion and garlic went into the mix, with salt and pepper to season. Leftover hubbard squash puree ended up in the mix, too, leading to something of a thick mashed potato effect. A little bit of nutritional yeast gave it a nutty, cheesy flavor. It was definitely a rib-sticking dish--one that goes nicely with a cold beer and nap.