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Mix together the vegetable broth and the flour until pretty much dissolved (a few lumps is okay). Add to the tempeh, along with the parsley, and stir. Let thicken for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. It will thicken more as it bakes.

Prepare the potatoes:

Place the potatoes in a soup pot and cover with water (the water should be about 1 inch above the potatoes). Cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for 20 minutes, or until they easily cut with a fork. Drain and return to the pot. Use a potato masher to mash them up a bit, then add the soy milk, oil salt, and pepper. Mash very well, until creamy. Cover to keep warm until ready to use.

Assemble the pie:

Place the tempeh filling in a 9 × 13-inch casserole dish. Spoon the potatoes over the filling (although, truth be told, we use our hands for this because it’s just easier).

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes; the potatoes should be slightly browned on top. If they are not, place under a broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven, garnish with chopped parsley, use a spatula to cut into eight squares, and serve.

ONE-POT MEALS AND STOVE-TOP SPECIALTIES

THIS CHAPTER IS very much a two-part biopic—“a tale of two recipes,” one might say—but even better because you won’t be tested on any of the material. It centers on the secret lives of food that’s cooked on top of the stove. Some meals use but one pot, some use a few more. Both make the tummy feel full of joy and, well, fullness.

Part I. We like the sound of “One-Pot Meals.” It makes us feel like we’re hanging out in a Little House on the Prairie remake, chopping wood, building barns, sewing quilts, and at the end of the day getting ready for a big dinner scooped out of a big, cast-iron pot.

“And what do those city girls know about cast-iron pots?” you ask? Enough that somehow stews and casseroles just taste better cooked in them. Good one-pots also include enameled cookware and stoneware, which are pricey but worth trading a few blankets for. We’ll often recommend starting a recipe on top of the stove, then moving it to the oven to finish cooking. We’re not being fickle, it’s just the best way to give dumpling biscuits the perfect toasted top or to ensure that a steaming vat of jambalaya rice cooks up tender instead of burned. But if you haven’t traveled down to the general store yet for a stove-to-table pot, fear not. You can just as easily transfer the recipe from a pot on the stove and into an oven-safe dish to complete the cooking process.

Part II. Let us turn to our attention for a moment to “Stove-Top Specialties,” shall we? This is just a catch-all name for meals that require you to use those pots (and pans) you thought might never see some action (we’re looking at you, Mister or Miss Ramen-Noodle). If you’re scared you’ll have to pull out all the stops like some kind of TV chef, be assured we’ll keep your budding career in check—these recipes simply require just an extra sauté pan or small saucepan. As you’ll see, stove-top meals include flavorful and thrilling sautés of vegetables, seitan, and tofu. Normal people (read: not the authors of the Veganomicon) would probably call these dishes “entrées.”

SEITANIC RED AND WHITE BEAN JAMBALAYA

SERVES 6

TIME: 1 HOUR 25 TO 35 MINUTES, DEPENDING ON THE RICE

Warning: Just a taste of this luscious, tomato-laced concoction of rice, vegetables, and seitan, and you just might feel like shouting at the devil. But please, don’t do it with huge, teased metal-band hair or while wearing skin-tight black pleather pants, lest you scare the kids. Perfectly sinful for hardcore meat-eaters and vegans alike, seitanic jambalaya is a favorite at parties, potlucks, or wherever a hungry, Cajun-spice lovin’ crowd may be. Serve with French bread rolls, Sautéed Collards (page 106), and your favorite Louisiana-style hot sauce.

➣If using fresh thyme, just poke the sprigs into the rice before baking. The leaves will fall off the stems while it’s cooking. Just remove the stems before serving.

➣Have a favorite Cajun-style