VWAV and some other stuffsssss

I have a deep love for easy teriyaki peasy tofu stirfys... To coat or not to coat my tofu with cornstarch is always the question... Coat is usually, pretty much always the winner! I have been making my own teriyaki sauce lately, basically just a mixture of garlic, ginger, Bragg's (or soy sauce), brown sugar, pepper, and maybe some sesame oil. I have also been adding crushed red pepper flakes to give the dish some spice. And I found this jar of garlic ginger paste at the Persian market that makes things so much easier to throw together.

My first teriyaki tofu stirfry was coated tofu with some carrots, collard greens, broccoli, asparagus, and onions for the veggies... Fail proof as usual.

 The second teriyaki tofu stirfry was coated as well and as always, delicious! For the veggies I used the carrots, onions, edamame, and asparagus.

 I made my weekly batch of fat free refried beans, this was my little dipping setup served with tortilla chips :)

I made a super delicious cherry banana smoothie, made with 1 non frozen banana, 2 big handfuls of frozen cherries and a cup of vanilla soy milk... Fantastical!

I made a double batch of VWAV's Chickpea Cutlets cause of all the hype they come with, along with VWAV's Mushroom Gravy and some of my homemade mashed potatoes that I seasoned with garlic and dried parsley... The Cutlets were a total fail for me, I baked them and they seemed undercooked so I left them in the oven for longer, forgot about them and they turned out hard as a brick so I threw them away... This pick shows the underdone Cutlet. The Gravy was awesome though!

Lastly, I made VWAV's tried and true Stuffed Peppers which I have pretty much mastered. I always use 5 peppers instead of 4 and when I'm selling them to coworkers, I cut them in half for easier tupperware packing. I mix in the cilantro now and probably double the amount instead of using it as a garnish. Legit as always.

Peace, Love, and Veganess <3

Stuffed Peppers (Again... Yes I know!)

Yes my friends, I made stuffed peppers again! This time I used my own recipe since I had some leftovers that needed to be used up. The leftovers were a "Mexican" mushroom stirfry concoction that I made last weekend which consisted of thinly sliced crimini mushrooms, onions, corn, olives, black beans, and a tomato. I added this mixture to some leftover quinoa and used that to stuff the peppers. I boil the peppers first for 5 minutes, then drain, stuff, and bake them at 350F for 20 minutes. Then I topped them with minced cilantro. I thought they were a little bland but good with some salsa and vegan sour cream on top. I think they would have been better if I added some salsa or tomato sauce to the stuffing mixture.

Sorry I haven't been posting as much I just have so many leftovers that I still need to eat... Ethiopian Seitan, Jerk Seitan, 'Cheezy' Potatoes, Tofu Scramble, and now 3 leftover Stuffed Peppers are added to the list!

VWAV's Scrambled Tofu and VegWeb's 'Cheezy' Roasted Potatoes

This weekend I tried VWAV's recipe for Scrambled Tofu and thought it was pretty good, but I've had better. I think tofu scrambles are in the same category as garbanzo bean salad sandwiches though to us vegans in that everyone has their own personal way of making it. I thought the scramble was a little too heavy on the nutritional yeast and needed some bell peppers in it for sure but I followed the recipe exactly as written. I served mine up with some salsa and sliced avocado... Yum!

I also made VegWeb's 'Cheezy' Roasted Potatoes. I used multicolor fingerling potatoes and they seriously melted in your mouth! I didn't notice these being at all 'cheezy' tasting but they were still both beautiful and delicious, give 'em a try!

VWAV's Jerk Seitan and More Stuffed Peppers!

VWAV's seitan recipes are more of an acquired taste for people not used to eating seitan. My bro loved all the seitan recipes from Viva Vegan but VWAV, not so much, so I have lots of leftovers in the fridge right now. Oh well, more for me! Jerk Seitan is flavored with onions, ginger, lime, soy sauce (I used Braggs), olive oil (I left it out), maple syrup, thyme, allspice, cinnamon, cayenne, and nutmeg... It tasted pretty darn amazing! I didn't marinate the seitan because I forgot to read the directions before I started, dang it. I also didn't follow her cooking directions as I browned the seitan first, then added half the sauce along with the bell peppers and onions (I don't like mine overly cooked), then dumped the rest of the sauce in about 5 minutes later.

I also made VWAV's Black Bean, Mushroom, and Quinoa- Stuffed Peppers again so I could give it to a friend as a bday gift (I got to save 4 for myself, score!) and they were amazing as usual. I will definitely be making this recipe again and again!

Creole Roasted Carrots

I love carrots, especially roasted and if you didn't know already, my favorite seasoning in the whole wide world is Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning!

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 375F
- Get as many handfuls of baby carrots that you feel like eating and put them into a glass baking dish
- Spray the carrots with a bunch of cooking spray and season the carrots generously with creole and shake everything around a bit
- Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, turning the carrots halfway.

VWAV's Black Bean, Mushroom, and Quinoa- Stuffed Peppers

OMFG Vegan with a Vengeance's (VWAV's) Black Bean, Mushroom, and Quinoa- Stuffed Peppers were so good and simple! I made 5 stuffed bell peppers because I could only find medium sized ones (The recipe said 4 large). The bells are filled with onions, garlic, tomato sauce, quinoa, and black beans along with a few seasonings and a cilantro garnish. To die for my friends!

Viva Vegan's Costa Rican Refried Rice and Beans (Gallo Pinto)

Wow I love Viva Vegan's Costa Rican Refried Rice and Beans (Gallo Pinto)! I doubled it this time since I have a very hungry brother around keeping me company through this difficult time. This recipe is just leftover rice, beans, garlic, onion, red bell pepper (I used orange this time), vegan worchestire, liquid smoke, cilantro and some Latin spices. Amazing!

I'm Back Bitches! Viva Vegan's Costa Rican Refried Rice and Beans (Gallo Pinto) and more Peruvian Seitan Skewers

Have I mentioned how much I love this cookbook!?! Viva Vegan's Costa Rican Refried Rice and Beans (Gallo Pinto) is amazing. The liquid smoke and vegan worcestershire really make this rice and bean dish shine.

I have made the Peruvian Seitan Skewers three times now as they are so easy and so good! This time I left out the potato and just did the Red Seitan with bell peppers and onions. Yum :)

Viva Vegan's Zesty Orange Mojo Baked Tofu and Cilantro-Lime Rice

 Viva Vegan's "Zesty Orange Mojo Baked Tofu" and "Cilantro-Lime Rice" are 2 more yummy recipes out of this amazing cookbook! Here is the recipe for the tofu on another blog!

 I thought the "Zesty Orange Mojo Baked Tofu" could have gone a little easier on the orange peel (I googled it and 1 orange zest equals about 2 tablespoons, I think only 1 tablespoon would have been better) but other than that it was delicious. I also grated the garlic because to me, it is much easier than mincing it or chopping it small.

 This is the second time now than I made the "Cilantro-Lime Rice" and this is a recipe I will be making often. I think 20 minutes cooking time is far too long. 15 would be better as my rice was a bit dry. I still needed the added salt, even though I used veggie broth, maybe the broth cubes I have aren't that salty compared to other brands, I dunno. I also doubled the amount of green onions and cilantro and added about a teaspoon of garlic powder to the recipe.

Latin Inspired Quinoa

 Ingredients:

- 2 cups Red Seitan*, cut into chunks
- 1/2 a White Onion, sliced
- 1 huge Jalapeno (Mine amounted to 1/3 cup), de-seeded and minced
- 1 Tomato (Seedy mucous removed, about 1/2 cup total), cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup Black Olives, sliced
- 1/2 cup Beans, I used white beans
- 2-1/2 cups cold leftover Quinoa**
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon or more Cayenne, optional if you want more heat
- 1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
- Juice of 1 Lime, about a tablespoon
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, minced
- Oil for frying

Directions:

- Pan fry seitan chunks in a little oil (Add more whenever needed throughout this recipe) until they are browned a bit, not burnt.
- Add onion and jalapeno and cook until onion begins to turn translucent.
- Add tomato, black olives, beans, quinoa, lime and spices, cook until hot.
- Once everything is hot, add cilantro and mix everything a few times and serve.
- Feel free to add any veggies you think would be good in this. I liked this dish topped with avocado slices and some vegan sour cream on the side!

*You don't have to use Viva Vegan's Red Seitan, you could use another seitan recipe or even store bought seitan. The Red Seitan I use is seasoned with Braggs, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, and oregano. So, if you are using plain seitan just flavor it up a bit with, at least, cumin and oregano and you will be fine. You could even add some minced garlic as your frying up the onion and jalapeno.*

**I cooked my quinoa in veggie broth so it was already a bit seasoned**

A Quick Dinner & Strawberry "Ice Cream"

Last night, I ate mainly leftovers... Seitan and Broccoli paired with some leftover fried rice.

I also had half a bag of cabbage and carrot coleslaw mix (About 5 cups) and a big zucchini (Cut into small pieces) that needed to be used up. I decided to make a quick Asian-style veggie stirfry by adding:

- 1 T Sesame oil
- 1 T Red Chili Flakes
- 1 T jarred Garlic
- 2 T Braggs
- 2 T Mirin
- 4 T Green Onions

Dinner was cooked up (And nuked up) in about 5 minutes!

For dessert I had some Strawberry Ice Cream and it was sooooooo good! The recipe I got off VegWeb always seemed sketchy to me because of the oil but it turned out excellent! The recipe is for Vanilla Ice Cream but I wanted Strawberry.

I doubled the recipe, added 2 handfuls of frozen strawberries, used canola oil (For the Slald Oil), raw sugar (For the fructose), 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (Didn't specify), and used vanilla almond milk (Instead of plain soy milk). It took about 20 minutes in my ice cream maker. Don't forget, I doubled the recipe!

Barbecue Tofu, Califlower Poppers, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Tonight I felt like mashed potatoes and barbecue tofu. I had a head of cauliflower that needed to be used up as well so I made Cauliflower Poppers.

I used THIS RECIPE I posted on VegWeb awhile ago for the mashed potatoes.

I used THIS GRAVY RECIPE from My Veggie Kitchen. I made my gravy on the stove though instead of using the microwave.

I used my typical technique for the Barbecue Tofu. I pressed the tofu (With my new Tofu Press!), cut the tofu into cubes, put the tofu in gallon-sized ziploc with about 1/4 cup of cornstarch, fried the tofu in some oil until golden, turned off the heat and added about a cup of barbecue sauce and stirred to coat.

***** If you have leftover mashed potatoes that are no longer creamy enough, mix in some vegan mayo and the creaminess shall return!*****

Barbecue Tofu and Lots of Veggies!

Tomorrow I am off to Vegas for my birthday for 3 days, so I will make sure to take lots of vegan foodie pics while I am there and give some restaurant recommendations and reviews!

Tonight, I had some veggies and tofu to use up so I made Barbecue Tofu, Roasted-Garlic-Creole-Flavored-Zucchini, and Pan-Fried-Creole-Seasoned-Broccoli! These are really not even recipes just quick and easy meal ideas.

For creole seasoning THIS BRAND is the most fantastic seasoning on the planet... Great in soups and on any type of veggie! Buy this brand seriously, I have tried others.

The Barbecue Tofu was way easy:

- Press the tofu for about 20 minutes and cut it into cubes.
- Place the cubes into a gallon sized ziploc, add about 1/4 cup of cornstarch and shake the bag for 30 seconds.
- Fry up the tofu in a tablespoon-ish of oil until golden on all sides, turn off the heat, and add 1 cup* of barbecue sauce. Mix the tofu around in the pan until the tofu is evenly coated.

*I used only 1/2 cup in the picture and ended up putting the tofu back in the pan and adding another 1/2 cup... The saucier the better!

For the Roasted Creole Flavored Zucchini: 

- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Cut up the zucchini (As many as you want to use) width wise in thumb sized slices, then half those slices width wise. Place slices in a large glass casserole dish.
- Press 4 cloves of garlic (Optional) and add that to the dish as well.
- Spray zucchini with cooking spray and sprinkle generously with creole. Shake the pan around for a minute so everything gets coated.
- Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle more creole if needed.

Pan-Fried Creole Seasoned Broccoli:

- Grab as many broccoli florets as you feel like eating.
- Fry them up in some olive oil or cooking spray.
- Once you broccoli is to the crunchiness of your liking, add a generous amount of creole.
- Mix the broccoli around a bit more in the pan to coat the broccoli evenly.
- Broccoli is better on the crisper side versus mushy... Yuck.

Pan Fried Potatoes and Coleslaw

I was in a lazy mood tonight, which seems to be the norm lately. I have tons of veggies on hand and some leftovers from a variation of my Sweet & Spicy Fried Rice. 

So, I made some Coleslaw using THIS recipe I posted awhile ago on VegWeb. I made 1/2 of the recipe and sliced a huge chunk out of my thumb in the process :( Don't bother making leftovers of the coleslaw, it tastes good for a few hours after making it, but not the next day.

I also made some Pan Fried Potatoes... I have been making these for as long as I can remember and I always make lots since I love having leftovers!

Ingredients:

6 small/medium Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
1/2 Onion, sliced
Oil for frying
Creole Seasoning, to taste

Directions:
- Microwave your potato chunks for 10 minutes on a microwave-safe plate
- Add some oil to a hot large pan or wok, add potatoes
- Fry up potatoes until they turn golden on all (well most) sides (flipping around occasionally)
- Add onions and bell pepper. Cook until onion begins to turn translucent.
- Season with a GENEROUS amount of Creole Seasoning.
- Serve with ketchup and maybe some Tofutti "Sour Cream"

Elotes (Corn+Mayo+Chili)

 

My Mexican Lover introduced me to this simple and amazing concept: Corn on the cob + Mayo + Chili. I thought it sounded bizarre at first but one bite made me fall in love <3

Now as a vegan, I can still make Elotes. I just substitute mayo for Vegenaise!

I don't have a barbecue for roasting my corn but I found out you can make corn on the cob in both the oven and microwave! I have tried both methods with the same great results.

Ingredients:
- 1 piece of corn in it's husk
- Vegan mayo
- Pico de Gallo seasoning

Directions:
For the oven:
- Preheat oven to 375 F
- Once oven is heated, place corn husk right on the rack and roast for 30 minutes, flip over after 15 minutes

For the microwave:
- Place corn in it's husk on a microwave safe plate
- Microwave for 4 minutes flip over after 2 minutes

The following steps are the same for wither cooking method:
- Peel husk off the corn with baking mitts
- Slice the end of the corn off
- Stick a corn holder into the base of the corn
- Slather on some vegan mayo and sprinkle with Pico de Gallo seasoning
- Eat!

Or if your like me, I hate having corn stuck in my teeth, so I just cut the corn off the cob with a knife and enjoy it that way.

I ate 2 of these for lunch today... Yummy!

Spicy Korean Kimchi Rice

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups white calrose rice
2 cups water
1.5 cups prepared kimchi
1 to 2 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce, to taste
4 tablespoons vegan buttery spread
1 small white onion, sliced
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup frozen veggies of choice (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Put 1.5 cups calrose rice and 2 cups water in a rice cooker and cook for about 25 minutes. If you don't have a rice cooker follow the directions on the rice package. Once the rice is done let it cool completely.

2) Put white onions, frozen veggies, and kimchi (no liquid) into a fry pan with a couple of tablespoons water (you can add a couple of tablespoons of the kimchi liquid to the veggies as well if you wish). Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

3) Add the cooled rice and 4 tablespoons of "butter" to the fry pan. Mix in your green onions, sriracha, and sweet chili sauce. Keep moving the rice around in the pan until the rice doesn't look too saucy, about 10 minutes.

I love to eat any kind of fried rice with cut up seasoned and roasted dried seaweed sheets (not nori that you use to roll sushi), cut into bite-size pieces.

Pictured is the brand I always get, it's my favorite!

You can also use this rice as a filling in spring rolls! Just let it cool down to room temperature and add avocado, shredded carrots, and red cabbage to the mix and whatever else tickles your fancy. I dipped my spring rolls in a dip composed of blended sriracha and "mayo"... Yum!