Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Tasty Trays from Old-Time Days

Happy TV Dinner Day!
As a kid I loved TV but I hated TV dinners...they were worse than my grade school cafeteria lunches, which I'm sure were created by evilmean child-hating trolls. Stroganoff Surprise? I don't think so.   :P

So I laughed when I saw this article on old-time TV dinners...how did a generation of people survive these freakish frozen foods and whacked out attitudes?
Although I must admit I always wanted a big straw farmer hat.  ;)

If you're feeling retro or planning a TV-watching dinner party, get ready to serve up some superfun trays of yumfully veganized TV dinner classics!

Top 10 Old School Frozen TV Dinners...Veganized!

10. Dining In - Frozen Sliced Beef Dinner with Beef Gravy, Buttered Peas & Corn, Whole Potatoes
Seitan with Peppers and Gravy
from The Vegan Kitchen
Summertime Succotash
from The Kind Diet via Vocal Vegan
Rockin’ Roasted Potatoes With Racy Rosemary and Mustard
from John Schlimm

9. Banquet - Turkey Pie
Rustic Greenmarket Veggie Tofu Pot Pie
from Kathy at Healthy. Happy. Life.

8. Swanson - German Style Dinner with Beef & Sauerbraten Gravy, German Style Whipped Potatoes, Bavarian Red Cabbage, Applesauce Cake
Slow-Cooker Seitan Pot Roast
from Robin Robertson
Whipped Potatoes
from Rebecca at Yummy Plants
Sautéed Red Cabbage with Apples and Walnuts
from spookychicken at VegWeb
Applesauce Mini Bundt Cakes
from Lori and Michelle at pure2raw

7. Morton - Ham Dinner with Raisin Sauce, Sliced Apples, Buttered Seasoned Peas, Sweet Potatoes
Seitan "Ham" With Pineapple
from Josh at My Vegan Cookbook
Brown Rice Salad with Apples, Peas, Walnuts and Cherries
from Leela Cyd via The Kitchn
Molasses Miso Glazed Beets & Sweet Potatoes
from Crissy at BeginWithin Nutrition

6. Banquet - Macaroni & Cheese Dinner with Glazed Carrots & Peas
Vegan Macaroni & Cheese made with Homemade Cashew Milk
from Stephanie at Hamburger Eats Me!
Maple Glazed Multi-colored Carrots
from Michelle at Healthier Steps

5. Swanson - English Style Fish'n'Chips
Tempeh “Fish” N'Chips with Tartar Sauce
from Rhea at The "V" Word

4. Swanson - Fried Chicken TV Dinner with Whipped Potatoes and Mixed Vegetables
Vegan Chicken Fingers
from Dan & Annie at Meet The Shannons
Mashed, Whipped Potatoes
from Vaishali at Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes
Edamame Corn Salad
from Miriam at Sometimes I "Veg"

3. Swanson - Meat Loaf Dinner with Tomato Sauce, Seasoned Green Beans, Hashed Brown Potato Nuggets, Chocolate Nut Brownie
Vegan Meatloaf
from Namely Marly via {never} homemaker
Faux Browned Butter Green Beans with Pecans
from Angelique and Joyce at New Age Soul Food
Cheesy Lentil Tots
from Tia Tofu
Dark Chocolate Ginger Brownies
from Éva at unCooking 101

2. Banquet - Salisbury Steak Dinner with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots & Peas
Salisbury Steak
from hbuckman at VegWeb
Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
from Isa Chandra at Post Punk Kitchen
Red Cabbage and Peas with Cumin and Mustard Seeds
from Susan at FatFree Vegan Kitchen

1. Banquet - Veal Parmagian Dinner with Breaded Veal/Beef Patty, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Tofu Parmesan
from Mike at What The Hell Does A Vegan Eat Anyway?
Creamy Garlic Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
from Amber at Fettle Vegan
Green Beans with Toasted Almond Gremolata
from R Starr LeMaitre at Everyday Vegan

If you're not feelin' retro, just hit up the Frozen Foods section for a modern-day heat and eat vegan dinner!

Okay, pretend there's a Vegan TV Dinner Truck in your neighborhood...you text in your order and they deliver it all steamy hot right to your door. What would you order? And what would be playing on your TV screen?  :)

2 comments:

  1. Admittedly, your versions are vast improvements over the originals, and can't even be considered in the same genre. Great choices! You've laid out some fab meal plans. On the other hand, I'm embarrassed to admit that I considered TV dinners to be a real treat when I was 10. I'm not sure it was the food, though. I think I liked that they came on cute aluminum trays. :D

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    Replies
    1. You're right, the magic was all in the trays. They made me feel like an astronaut eating a Star Trekkie kind of dinner. ;)

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