The Vegan Kat

I haven’t made baked potatoes in ages. It seems like most of the usual toppings are dairy or meat based, but there are a lot of vegan options as well. Broccoli and cheddar is a classic flavor combo for baked potato toppings. This is a really yummy and simple vegan version of that classic. Besides baking the potatoes for an hour, this recipe does not take long to make and requires very little prep time.

Ingredients:
2 baking potatoes
2 cups of broccoli florets
1/2 cup soy milk
1 cup Daiya Pepperjack Style Shreds
pinch of salt
pinch of garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of nutritional yeast
pinch of cornstarch (optional)
Vegan Litelife Smart Bacon

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 375°. Wash and scrub the potatoes. Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork, so the steam is released as it bakes. You can wrap the potato in aluminum foil, or place it directly in the oven. The potatoes will need to cook for about an hour. You can check them with a fork and pull them out when the middle feels soft enough.
• While the potato is baking, rinse and chop the broccoli into bite sized florets. Steam them for a couple minutes until just tender.
• In a sauce pot, combine the soy milk and Daiya cheese over medium heat. Stir until the Daiya melts and combines with the soy milk.
• Add the salt, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast to the soy milk and Daiya mixture. If you’d like the sauce to be thicker, add a pinch of cornstarch and mix well. Add the broccoli to the sauce and stir.
• Pan fry the vegan bacon in a little olive oil until the strips are a little crispy.
• Cut the potatoes almost in half lengthwise, leaving the two halves still attached. Pour the broccoli cheese sauce over the potatoes. Crumble the vegan bacon strips and sprinkle on top.