Rhymes With Vegan

creamy vegan triple BLT

thanks to my kick-ass mother, this vegan BLT is sure to please (even the meat eaters in your life!)

warm, creamy, flavorful and so very easy to make.

 

creamy vegan triple  BLT

wheat bread

head of iceberg lettuce

3 medium tomatoes - sliced

2 cups veganaise

1 cup baco chips

drop of liquid smoke

salt and cracked black pepper

pickle spears

green olives

salty chips

re-hydrate your baco chips in hot water for 10 minutes, until they have softened.

in a medium mixing bowl combine veganaise, re-hydrated baco chips and the liquid smoke. let sit for 30 minutes or longer (if possible).

build in this order (it’s as simple as a-h):

a)   toasted bread

b)   slather of “bacony” mayo

c)   lettuce

d)   salt and peppered tomato

e)   toasted bread with “bacony” mayo on both sides

f)    lettuce

g)   salt and peppered tomato

h)   toasted bread with final slather of “bacony” mayo

garnish with a green olive, pickle spear and salty chips.

serve with a dark beer.

enjoy!

 

bella Steaks w/ bearnaise and baby reds tossed with caramelized onions and red pepper flakes

OK, I know that I disappeared for a very long time (i will explain my absence very soon) but I am back and ready for some more cooking.  This meal has been one of my favorites i whipped up one summer evening.

I love the richly flavored marinated bella steaks, and really? vegan bearnaise sauce?  HEAVEN.

Of course the baby reds simply boiled and tossed with a glaze of olive oil, caramelized onions and red pepper flakes makes a kick-ass side for this meal.

You can serve it as a sandwich, or on a bed of lightly sauteed spinach.

D-lish.

bella Steaks w/ bearnaise and baby reds tossed with caramelized onions and red pepper flakes

for the marinade:

2 tbsp mushroom flavored soy sauce

2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup red wine

2 cloves garlic – minced

¼ cup yellow onion – chopped

½ tsp cracked black pepper

4 large portabella mushrooms (stemmed and cleaned)

 

in a large pan or bag combine all ingredients and put cleaned mushrooms in and let sit for 1 hour.

 

for potatoes:

8 medium sized baby reds

2 tbsp olive oil

1 whole yellow onion (chopped and caramelized)

1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

*2 tbsp daiya vegan cheese (mozz style)

 

bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  toss in your cleaned baby reds and let cook for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.  remove immediately and toss with olie oil, red pepper flakes, caramelized onions, vegan cheese and salt and pepper.

 

for sautéed greens:

1 lb spinach – cleaned

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper

 

in a sauté pan, bring oil to temp, toss in spinach and olive oil and cook until tender.  salt and pepper to taste.

 

for béarnaise sauce:

½ cup vegan butter

¼ nutritional yeast

¼ tsp turmeric

3 tbsp soy cream

¼ cup chopped fresh tarragon

2 tbsp dry sherry (mat need more, depending upon your liking)

salt and pepper

 

in a small saucepan, heat butter on low till melted, then add your nutritional yeast, soy cream and dry sherry.  whisk together until it forms a smooth cream sauce.  feel free to add more soy cream if needed, should it become too thick.  toss in the tarragon, turmeric, salt and pepper and whisk again.  remove from heat and serve right away.

 

serve with a deep red wine.

enjoy!

 

 

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!

vegan gyros w/ a creamy tzatziki sauce & cous cous, garbanzo bean and mint salad

ah, the love of greek food.
it's easy.
it's delicious.

this little ditty is really self-explanatory.

vegan gyros w/ a creamy tzatziki sauce & cous cous, garbanzo bean and mint salad

1 15oz. can of roasted mock duck (or seitan)

4 pitas

4 romaine lettuce leafs

1 1/2 red onion – 1 sliced, ½ chopped

1 heirloom tomato – sliced

4 tbsp hummus/tahini

1 package instant cous cous (I prefer the pine nut flavor)

3 tbsp fresh mint – chopped

2 15oz. cans garbanzo beans

2 lemons

3 sprigs of marjoram

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp cajun seasoning

1 cup dairy-free yogurt

1 tbsp dairy-free cream

1 tbsp dill – chopped

1 large cucumber

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

 

 

in a medium sized mixing bowl combine your yogurt, creamer, squeeze of ½ lemon, 1 tbsp mint and dill.  whisk together very well, or use a small blender if you have one.  slice your cucumber in ½ and with a spoon “gut” the insides.  add this to your yogurt mixture and blend for another 15 seconds. 

set in fridge to let cool before serving.

 

in a medium pan, cook your cous cous per the packaging directions.  in a colander, drain and rinse your garbanzo beans.  once the cous cous has cooled to room temp, add your garbanzo beans, 2 tbsp fresh chopped mint, 1/2 chopped red onion. squeeze of ½ lemon and 1 tbsp olive oil. 

fold together very well. 

add salt and pepper per your tasters. 

Put into fridge to cool for ½ hour.             

 

heat your oven to 350 degrees.

in a colander, drain your roasted mock duck and rinse well.  set on a plate and pat dry.  with your knife, slice the mock duck very thing, approximately ¼ in.  lay your slices onto a cookie sheet.  squeeze ½ lemon and add your marjoram sprigs, ½ sliced red onion, garlic powder, cajun seasoning, salt and pepper.  coat everything with 1 tbsp olive oil to avoid sticking.  put into over for 15-20 minutes.

 

moisten a large towel and wrap your pitas inside.  heat in oven or microwave until the pitas are warm and soft.

 

build each gyro by spreading a bit of hummus first, then lettuce, tomato, mock duck and red onion.  drizzle your tzatziki sauce on top, wrap in foil to hold. 

 

serve with your cous cous salad and a crisp white wine.

 

enjoy!

pepper pressed mock duck sandwiches w/ rosemary potato chips

if you haven't noticed by now, i'm a big fan of sandwiches.  they are easy, inventive, and of course delicious with just about anything.  i came up with this idea after eating too much bland, veggie sandwiches.  i wanted something that had a little bit of a kick to it.

i mean, really...is it that hard to serve us fine vegans something kick-ass?

i think not.

pepper pressed mock duck sandwiches w/ rosemary potato chips

1 large baguette – gutted (remove the inner breading so it’s not too thick)
1 large can of roasted mock duck – or you can use seitan
½ red pepper – sliced
½ yellow pepper – sliced
½ orange pepper – sliced
½ Vidalia onion – sliced
1 cup cracked black pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
cashew cream sauce OR horseradish sour cream
4 large white potatoes
½ cup fresh rosemary – chopped
sea salt
canola oil

in a small bowl combine your black pepper, red pepper, paprika and garlic powder. 

In another small bowl combine your rosemary with 1 tbsp sea salt (you may need more, depending on how salty you like your chips).

remove your roasted mock duck, drain and pat very dry.  cut into larger bite size slices.

set your deep fryer to 375.  slice your potatoes very thin and let sit in water until you are ready to deep fry.  Once the fryer is ready, begin to drop in slcies, 3-4 at a time.  you will want to have two different plates as the best way to make chips is to double fry them.  so once each batch is finished frying, remove and let drain.  do this routine until you are ready to begin the entire batch again.  then once you remove the 2nd round of frying, sprinkle with the salt/rosemary mixture.  set aside.

in a large skillet heat your oil to almost smoking and begin to cook your peppered mock duck.  you want to try and sear it, as you want to make sure the pepper mixture stays in tack with the mock duck.  do this for approximately 4-6 minutes, depending upon your skillet’s heat level.

once you have gotten the mock duck darkened on each side you can add your peppers and onions.  cook until they are al dente.  feel free to add a little salt, if you’d like.

slice your baguette into 3-4 larger sections.  slice open and take out the excess bread.  brush the inside with a little olive oil, toss into a 400-degree oven to toast for 3-4 minutes. 

spread whichever cream sauce you choose (we highly recommend the horseradish sour cream). layer the mock duck, then peppers and onions.  add a little more creamy sauce on the top.

serve with your rosemary chips and an ice cold dark beer.

enjoy!

  

vegan mini burgers w/ curry mayo and caramelized onions

not to mention a side of tempura battered zucchini w/ green tomato chutney ketchup.
mouth watering yet?

this meal seems to be a HUGE hit with my friends...well, mainly the burgers.
they keep asking, what's the recipe??

and i say___________  _____________ ____________ ___________ _________!!

 

serve with an ice cold beer.

enjoy!

p.s.
interested in these recipes?

BITES

what do you think of that name for my vegan delivery service?
(i am planning on opening to the public sometime soon)

it cracks me up!...ahem, anyways...

today's menu was:

• beer battered tofu sliders w/ sun-dried tomato smoked "mozzarella" spread, red onions and garden lettuce.
• grilled corn on the cob with parsley and onion butter
• yellow plum and a green tea bag

 

sun-dried tomato/smoked "mozzarella" spread

1 container of dairy free cream cheese
6 sun-dried tomatoes - soaked
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1 tbsp soy cream
1-2 drops liquid smoke

in a small bowl add hot water to your sun-dried tomatoes to rehydrate them a bit, approximately 20-25 minutes.

in a small mixer put all your ingredients and blend until mostly smooth, leaving a few tomatoes in tact.

refrigerate for 1 hour.

serve on a sandwich or with crackers and a cold beer.

parsley and onion butter

1 handful fresh chopped italian parsley
2 tbsp vidalia onion
1 cup dairy-free butter
pinch of salt and pepper

allow the butter to sit out to soften.  once it has hit room temperature, combine all ingredients in a small mixer.

refrigerate for 1 hour.

serve on rustic bread or your favorite vegetable with a glass of white wine.

blackened "steak" sandwich, lotus root and parsley salad w/ red onions, walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette

can you tell i couldn't think of a fancy name for this meal?
(phew)

anyways, this was one of those recipes that came about on a whim. a few of us couldn't figure out what we were hungry for, but i was dead set on using some roasted mock duck....so blackened mock duck sandwiches it is, my friends!

oh, and the lotus root? another great find at united noodle (an awesome, asian grocer in minneapolis).

(a good suggestion for this meal was to put this in a wrap instead of using a baguette...feel free to experiment!)

lotus root and parsley salad w/ red onion, walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette

2 cups lotus root (you can use cucumber if you cannot find this)
1 red onion - sliced thin
1 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 cup toasted walnuts - chopped
1 cup fresh raspberries
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp white wine
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp raw sugar
1 tbsp olive oil

soak the lotus root in cold water for 30 minutes; drain.

in a small blender, combine the raspberries, vinegar, white wine, salt and sugar.  blend until smooth.  slowly add the olive oil; blend again.  in a medium bowl combine the lotus root, toasted walnuts, red onions and parsley.  toss together with your vinaigrette just before serving (the lotus root absorbs the dressing pretty quickly, so you might want to have some extra on hand).

 

blackened "steak" sandwich

1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp dried parsley
2 cups roasted mock duck (or 4 fillets)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 green pepper - sliced
1 vidalia onion - sliced
4 large romaine lettuce leafs
creamy cashew sauce (see recipe here...minus the basil, of course)

heat a skillet to 350 degrees; add your olive oil

in a small mixing bowl, combine the paprika, pepper, garlic salt, onion powder and dried parsley.

in your skillet, fry up your peppers and onions until al dente.  remove and set aside.

coat each mock duck fillet with the dried mix and sear in the heated olive oil.  cook until each fillet is blackened and crispy to the touch.

in a heated oven or grill, take a large baguette, slice into 4 large sandwich loaves.  drizzle a bit of olive oil on each.  heat in the oven/grill until slightly toasted.

build your sandwich as follows:
romaine
creamy cashew sauce
blackened mock duck
peppers
onions
more creamy cashew sauce

finish each one off with a slight drizzle of olive oil.

serve with a good pinot noir.
enjoy!

out of pocket

i'm heading to a cabin with my good friends for the next 5 days so i'll be unable to do any posts (we will be completely isolated...no cell phones, no nothing).  so, until we meet again (on monday) here's a little peek into what we'll be eating while we're relaxing with a nice cold one.

have a great week!

 

 

emparedados cubanos

80 degrees and sunny.
vegan cuban sandwiches on the grill with a side of sweet potato chips.
makes sense to me.

any questions?

                        

grilled cuban sandwiches with sweet potato chips

1 loaf of cuban or french bread - cut in 1/2 (or 4 petit pain compleat)
1 large package of super firm tofu
2 large portabella mushrooms
3 cloves garlic - minced
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/2 cup red wine
2 tbsp braggs (or tamari)
1 large sweet potato
1/2 cup cashews
2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp barley flour
1 tsp dijon mustard
mustard
dill pickles
earth balance
olive oil
pure maple syrup
salt and pepper
1 brick
aluminum foil

the easiest way to follow this recipe is for me to break it down into sections.  first we'll start with the creamy cashew sauce since this is something that will need to be made in advance.

in a medium sized bowl add your cashews and 1 cup of warm water.  let it sit for a few hours.  once they have sat for some time, use an immersion blender and cream them thoroughly.  add your garlic salt, onion powder, flour and dijon; blend together well.  set aside in fridge until use.

in a large bowl combine your braggs,  red wine, garlic, onion, salt and pepper and your mushroom caps (after you have cleaned them, of course).  let marinate for 20 minutes.

slice your tofu blocks into 1/2 in thick long cutlets.  season with a little oil and salt and pepper.  add to a 400 degree grill and sear each side until golden brown.  remove and once cooled thinly slice each cutlet into "deli" style slices.

add your mushrooms to the grill as well.
cook until tender.
slice into "deli" style cuts as well.

now its time to build and grill the sandwiches.
start with earth balance on each side, inside and out.  add mustard, pickles, mushrooms, tofu, LOTS of creamy cashew sauce, more mustard and pickles.

lay your sandwich on a hot grill pan.  it should begin to sizzle immediately.  wrap your brick with 1 sheet of aluminum foil and lay it on top of your sandwich.  it should crush the sandwich flat.  let it sit for approximately 2-4 minutes, then flip and repeat. 

slice your sweet potato into thin chips, cover with olive oil and add to the grill.  should take 7-8 minutes to cook.  add some salt and pepper, toss with a little pure maple syrup and serve immediately.

with a nice cold beer, this will surely be a new staple sandwich.

enjoy!