Rhymes With Vegan

spicy pulled "pork" sliders w/ honeycrisp slaw

honeycrisp apples only come around for a short time, and when they do you just gotta snatch them up.  so of course, a sweet honeycrisp apple slaw calls for a spicy bbq sandwich to pile it onto...i tried out the infamous jackfruit for this recipe.  so for those who want to avoid the soy and the gluten, this one's for you.

pulled "pork" sliders w/ honeycrisp apple slaw

 

  makes 10-12 sliders

 

for the slaw

½ small head red cabbage – chopped

½ red onion – chopped

2 honeycrisp apples – julienned

1 ½ cup vegenaise

1 tbsp celery seed

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp garlic powder salt and pepper

 

for the bbq pulled “pork”

½ Vidalia onion – chopped

2 cloves garlic – minced

1 jalapeno – chopped

1 cup ketchup

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 ½ tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp vegan worcestershire

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

¾ can of beer

1 – 2 drops of liquid smoke

1 can of jackfruit (in brine, NOT syrup)

1 package of small slider buns

 

in a small mixing bowl, combine the vegenaise, celery seed, red wine vinegar and garlic powder. mix together well and set aside.

 

in a medium bowl add your chopped cabbage, apples and onions.  fold in your dressing, add salt and pepper to taste and let cool for a few hours.

 

(if you don’t have time, feel free to use your favorite store bought bbq sauce)

 

in a medium skillet combine your onion, garlic, jalapeno, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, worcestershire and red pepper flakes.  simmer for 10-12 minutes.  you can now add your beer and liquid smoke.  simmer for another 10 minutes.

 

in a medium sized crock-pot transfer your bbq sauce over and add your drained jackfruit on medium-high, for 2-4 hours.  as it cooks the jackfruit will start to fall apart.

 

after 2 or so hours you should be able to pull the jackfruit apart with a fork.  make sure to keep folding it in with the bbq sauce.   pile each bun with bbq jackfruit first, then the honeycrisp slaw.

serve with a cold beer.

enjoy!

corn fritters for a fall day

just a quick little something to welcome in fall (my favorite season)

had some extra corn laying around from the farmers market, so i threw these together with some spices and a good beer batter.  serve these up with a spicy cajun sour cream....mmm, mmm, good!

  beer battered corn fritters w/ spicy cajun sour cream  

beer batter recipe, click here

1 cup of corn meal (for thickening)

2 cups corn

1 red bell pepper - chopped

½ yellow onion – chopped

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

2 tsp hot sauce 

1 cup dairy-free sour cream

2 tbsp cajun spice (garlic and onion powder, crushed red pepper, paprika, salt and pepper)

in a medium sized skillet heat your oil.  add your onions, peppers, corn and 1 tsp hot sauce.  cook until al dente. remove from heat and let stand until cool.

in a small bowl combine your dairy-free sour cream, 1 tsp hot sauce and the cajun spice.  set in refrigerator until ready to serve.   

in a large mixing bowl, throw together your beer batter and add your veg mixture as well as the crushed red pepper and salt and pepper.  fold together well.  if it is too runny, begin to add a little corn meal, 1 tbsp at a time. you want it to be pretty thick so as to almost “stand” on it’s own.  

in your deep fryer, heat your oil to 375 degrees.  with a large spoon, drop medium dumpling sized fritters into the hot oil (no more than 3 at a time, so as to keep the oil hot) cook for approximately 5-7 minutes, or until golden brown.   remove and drain on a towel. sprinkle each fritter with a little more salt. 

serve immediately with the cajun sour cream and an ice cold beer.

enjoy!

accidental entrepreneur - vote for RWV!!

hello all...The Huffington Post is doing a story about what they call "accidental entrepreneurs" and Rhymes With Vegan is one of the 31 posted.  Let's show the world that vegan entrepreneurs have what it takes to build a great business and a better world!

Please follow this LINK, take a look and give us a vote...we promise to keep cranking out good recipes and giving out great vegan food.

Thanks in advance!!

^{Rhymes with Vegan - delivering plant based, organic, local foods to friends and aquaintences in Minneapolis, MN.}

beer battered buffalo tofu skewers w/ creamy cucumber sauce

some good friends of mine sent me a text late in the evening to ask a last minute favor of me.  they were headed to a vegan dinner the following day and were to bring an appetizer to share...enough for 7 adults, and wondered if i could whip something up for them.

well, i love the excitement and since they already had an idea of what they wanted to bring (another friend had suggested it) i said bring it on.

i cranked out a deep brown beer batter, rolled it in some panko, fried 'em up and, well, there you have it.  served with a delicious vegan buffalo sauce on the side and a creamy cucumber sauce (straight from the garden) makes for one delicious appetizer tray.

    

 

beer battered buffalo tofu skewers w/ creamy cucumber sauce

serves 6-8

 

for the buffalo sauce

4 tbsp earth balance

¼ cup franks hot sauce

 

for the creamy cucumber sauce

1 small cucumber – peeled, ½ chopped, ½ blended

1 cup vegenaise

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp garlic powder

½ tbsp celery seed

¼ cup fresh chopped chives

salt and pepper

 

for the beer batter

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup brown beer - enough to get the flour to a medium consistency, not too runny

1 tbsp old bay seasoning

1 tbsp paprika

½ tbsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

 

for the tofu skewers

1 large package of super firm tofu – excess water drained

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

2 cups rice flour

16 skewers

2 celery ribs, for garnish

 

in a small sauce pan, heat your earth balance on low to medium.  once melted, add your hot sauce and emulsify until combined.  set aside

 

in a medium mixing bowl, combine your creamy cucumber ingredients, doesn’t matter what order, and whisk gently together.  put in fridge to cool.

 

heat your deep fryer to 375 degrees.

 

in a large mixing bowl combine your batter ingredients. whisk together until blended well.

 

slice your tofu into 2 in x ½ in fingerlings.  roll each skewer into the flour, to the batter to the panko.  add 2 or 3 into the deep fryer and fry for 4-6 minutes, or until golden brown.  remove, drain and let cool.  do this until you have approximately 14-16 fingerlings.  once they are cooled, you can slide the skewer into them.

 

serve with buffalo sauce on the side as well as the creamy cucumber sauce, celery sticks and of course a cold beer.

enjoy!

 

Eating Green Fest 2009

Ok, Minneapolis/St.Paul residents, mark your calendars for a fun afternoon sponsored by the Animal Rights Coalition (ARC) and the Best Tea on Earth to celebrate healthy eating. 

The Eating Green Fest, taking place Saturday 9/12 from 1-5pm.

Live Irish music by Barra, a potluck, and info tables will be set up to provide information on why a vegan diet is the best choice for your health, for the environment, and for millions of animals! 

All taking place in Mounds Park overlooking the bluffs of St. Paul, MN.

I will be one of the food judges at this years event, so please bring a vegan dish to share, bring your friends, and let's party!

oh, and another thing, it's FREE!

cauliflower and walnut cream soup w/ grilled multi grain bread and chive butter

there are two things that i absolutely look forward to each year: fall and creamy soups.  i know that many of you love summer and hate to see it go, and hate the idea of cold around the corner, but i must admit that i am a sweater, boot and hat gal. anyone who knows me knows that i am anxiously awaiting fall leaves, cool mornings, hot baths and a new season of cooking.

you see, growing up in western minnesota, i endured many a cold winter, but made the best of it by jumping on the three wheeler to plow through the fields or off to the hills to do some sledding.  afterward, it was time to strip away the layers and settle in with a warm bowl of soup.

so, in honor of my love for soup i used one of my very favorite, and oh so delicious fall vegetables, cauliflower.  combine that with toasted walnuts and a cream made by cashews and you have one hearty, satisfying soup.

so, to the season that is (shhhhh) just around the corner, this ones for you.

 

 

cauliflower and walnut cream soup w/ grilled multi grain bread and chive butter

serves 6  

1 medium cauliflower – trimmed and separated

½ vidalia onion – chopped

2 cloves garlic - minced

2-3 cups no-chicken stock (reserve 1 cup to thin the soup out a bit)

2 cups cashew cream (you can use a non-dairy cream too)

½ cup white wine

½ cup walnuts – chopped and toasted

3 tbsp earth balance

2 tbsp chives – chopped

¼ tsp garlic powder

salt and ground pepper

2 tbsp fresh parsley

1 loaf multi grain baguette

paprika, and extra walnuts for garnish  

in a small mixing bowl, combine 2 Tbsp. earth balance, chives, garlic powder and salt.  set in fridge to cool while the soup cooks.  

in a large stockpot add remaining earth balance, onions and garlic.  cook until they sweat and then add your cauliflower and stock.  bring to boil, cover and then let simmer for 15 minutes.   add the cream, wine and toasted walnuts.  let simmer for another 6-8 minutes.  

using an immersion blender, puree approximately 70% of the soup, leaving a handful of “bites” in the soup. add a little more stock if you find the soup to be too thick.   add salt and pepper to taste and bring back to a mild boil. (again, if it is too thick for your liking, add a little more stock).

season to your liking and garnish with walnuts, parsley and paprika.  

slice your bread approximately 1 inch in thickness.  toss onto a medium/high grill, just until slightly browned, then remove.  slather each piece with your chive butter.  

serve with a sweet white wine.

enjoy!

crispy portobellos w/ creamy cajun sauce

boy, there are a lot of C's in that title isn't there?

anyways...

many years ago a group of my friends and i went up north to a a place in minnesota called grand marais.  it's really beautiful up there, especially if you take the north shore scenic drive right along lake superior.  while we were visiting we stumbled upon this little restaurant/bar called "my sisters place"

we absolutely fell in love with this place for all of it's unique decor and it's wonderful theme of "sisters".  much to our surprise the menu offered quite a good amount of meatless dishes (unfortunately they list fish as meatless....hmmm, not so much) and great bar appetizers.  the one that stuck with us all was the deep fried portobellos served with a horseradish dipping sauce.  cold beer in one hand, portobellos in the other, we were very happy travelers.

i don't think they serve these delicious deep fried goodies anymore, so in honor of them i have taken it upon myself to keep 'em going here in minnesota with my own little rwv twist.

try these things...you'll love 'em.

crispy portobellos w/ creamy cajun sauce

serves 4

 

2 large Portobello caps – sliced  ½ in thick

2 cups tempura batter – (prepared per the instructions on the box)

2 cups panko breadcrumbs (kikkoman has a vegan panko)

2 tbsp cajun seasoning (garlic powder, onion salt, smoked paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper)

1/2 cup vegenaise

1 tbsp dairy free sour cream

1 tbsp fresh parsley - chopped

deep fryer

canola oil

salt and pepper

in a medium bowl combine your vegenaise, sour cream and 1 tbsp of the Cajun seasoning.  Set in fridge to keep cool.

heat your deep fryer (if you don’t have one heat a pan with enough canola oil to cover the bottom about ¼ in high) to 375 degrees.

 in another bowl combine your panko with the 1 tbsp of Cajun seasoning.

after slicing your portobellos, roll each one in the tempura batter first, then into the cajun/panko mix.  drop into the oil immediately for approximately 3-5 minutes or until a golden brown.   (fry no more than 3 at a time to keep the oil at the desired temp).

remove, drain excess oil and sprinkle with salt. 

once you have deep fried all of them, garnish with the parsley and serve with the creamy cajun sauce.

 serve with a cold beer.

enjoy!

vegan sea cakes w/ creamy tartar sauce

ok, i have to admit that there was a time when i REALLY loved crab...and i mean really.  however, i was never much of a fan of crab cakes.

well, i am now (minus the crab, of course).

these little suckers are so damn good, you'll have everyone fooled and worshiping the cooking ground you walk on.

vegan sea cakes w/ tartar sauce

2 1/2 cups vegenaise

4 tbsp lemon juice - fresh squeezed

1 tbsp hot sauce - your favorite will do

1 tbsp fresh mint - chopped

1 tbsp fresh dill - chopped

2 tbsp sea weed - finely crushed

1 12oz. package extra firm tofu - drained VERY WELL (I prefer to use a package that i have frozen for a few days and then thawed.  it tends to get drier which really helps with this particular recipe)

1 cup saltines - finely crushed

3 scallions - chopped

1 red pepper - chopped

2 tbsp pickled relish

1 tsp crushed red pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

in a small bowl combine 1 cup vegenaise, 2 tbsp lemon juice, pickled relish and salt and pepper to taste.  set in the fridge to keep cool until ready to serve.

after draining your tofu, crumble the whole package into tiny bite size pieces.  set aside.

in a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups vegenaise, 2 tbsp lemon juice, hot sauce, sea weed, mint and dill.  set aside.

in a medium skillet bring 1 tbsp of olive oil to medium.  toss your red pepper in and cook until al dente. 

you can now fold your tofu, crushed red pepper, 2 chopped scallions, cooked red pepper and crushed crackers into the vegenaise mixture.

you will want to form small 2 inch patties.  set onto parchment or freezer paper so they don't stick to your plate.

adding the remaining olive oil, bring your skillet back to a medium high heat level.  it should just begin to smoke.  cook you patties on each side until nicely browned, approximately 3-5 minutes per side. 

remove from heat and garnish with remaining scallions and creamy tartar sauce.

serve with a cold glass of pinot grigio.

enjoy!