Easy Peasy Island Teriyaki Stir Fry

 Trader Joe's has some awesome sauces to choose from! This trip to TJ's I bought some Hawaiian flavored teryaki sauce called Island Soyaki. If you don't have a TJ's near you try to find Soy Vay Island Teryaki Sauce, it tastes exactly the same and I can find it at almost any grocery store around here.

Also, if you eat a lot of tofu please buy yourself a Tofu Press already!!! These things are so awesome! No more wasting paper towels, waiting for your tofu to press, finding heavy objects to press your tofu with, ect. I just put a block of tofu in my tofu press in the morning and left it in the fridge. This makes dinner making much faster when I get home from a long day of work.

Anyways on to the "Recipe"...

Ingredients:

- 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into cubes
- 6 handfuls cauliflower, cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1/2 a white onion, sliced to your liking, I prefer thicker slices
- 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Island Teryaki Sauce
- A few tablespoons of oil for frying

Directions:

- Fry up tofu in a tablespoon or so of oil until golden
- Add cauliflower chunks and another tablespoon of oil if needed, cook for a few minutes just to begin the cooking process.
- Add sauce and cook until the cauliflower starts to look closer to being done. Add sliced white onions.
- When your cauliflower is done cooking and the sauce has been pretty much absorbed, turn off the heat and add the green onions. Stir to coat everything evenly.

Decadent Strawberry Banana Shake

Decadent because this is a "milk" shake and vegan creamer makes it oh so delicious, and kind of fattening. But seriously peoples... If you're vegan and eat pretty decent you aren't gonna be a lard-ass, I promise!

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup Vegan Creamer, I use Silk Brand Original or Vanilla
- 1/2 cup Vanilla Non-Dairy Milk of choice (I use Vanilla Almond Breeze)
- 1 big handful, Frozen Strawberries (About a cup)
- 1/2 a Frozen Banana

Directions:

- Blend until smooth.

VegWeb's "Chicken" Taquitos

 These "Chicken" Taquitos were DA BOMB! LOL... But seriously, so easy! And dipped with my Chipotle Vegan Mayo I think I died and went to heaven.

Here is my VegWeb review for the recipe (With pictures added):

"These were both easy and delicious! I added a packet of fajita seasoning to the pan and a little bit of water with it. I didn't even need the salsa for blending, it blended just fine (It may have been a tasty addition though).

I made some amazing chipotle mayo for dipping these babies: 1/2 cup vegan mayo, 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, and a little bit of plain non-dairy milk to get it to blend.

I baked mine and they turned out perfect. I microwaved the leftovers and they were perfect too! Really easy recipe!"

Mandarin Orange & Banana Smoothie + Grilled Tofurkey Sandwiches

I made a delicious Mandarin Orange & Banana Smoothie this morning and I want to share it with you!

Ingredients:

- 1 huge frozen banana or 1 and 1/2 medium-sized frozen bananas
- 1 11 oz can of peeled mandarin orange slices, drained (I love to drink the juice the slices sit in!)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup vanilla non-dairy milk of preference

Directions:

- Start off with 1/2 cup of "milk" and blend all ingredients in a blender.
- Add additional "milk" if needed.

I also have to share my new favorite sandwich: Grilled Hickory Smoked Tofurkey Sandwiches!

Ingredients:

- 2 slices of your favorite vegan bread (Mine is Oroweat Potato Bread)
- 4 slices of Hickory Smoked Tofurkey Deli Slices 
- About a tablespoon of both Vegan Mayo and Tofutti Vegan Cream Cheese
- About a tablespoon of thinly sliced green onions (Optional)
- Vegan Buttery Spread for frying

Directions:

- Slather vegan cream cheese on one slice of bread, vegan mayo on the other.
- Sprinkle green onions on top of one slathered side of bread, deli slices on the other.
- Put the two loaded sides of bread together.
- Heat up some vegan butter in the fry pan, add the sandwich. Fry one side until lightly charred. Scoop the sandwich up, add more vegan butter to the pan and fry the other side of the sandwich the same way.
- Cut your sandwich in half and enjoy! You can dip the sandwich in ketchup if you feel the need but I thought it was amazing as is!

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!

VegWeb's Scrumptious Corn Chowder

VegWeb's Scrumptious Corn Chowder is to die for! It is really rich and creamy. I used a russet potato this time and I always substitute Creole Seasoning for the "2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash, Spike, or herb blend"  and leave out the added salt. This chowder is super easy to make so give it a try!

Portobello & Poblano Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

These are fantastic tacos, the creamy chiptole sauce is a must so don't skip it.

Ingredients:

- 3 Poblano Peppers (The large, mild ones)
- 6 oz package of medium-sized Portobello Mushrooms
- 1 huge White Onion, or 1 & 1/2 medium-sized
- .57 oz package of Taco or Fajita Seasoning
- 3/4 cup of Water
- A few tablespoons of Oil, as needed
- Corn or Flour Tortillas
- A few cups of Romaine Lettuce, shredded
- 1 big Tomato, cut into chunks (Optional)

Creamy Chiptole Sauce:

- 1/2 cup Vegan Mayo
- 1 Chipotle Chili, dripping in Adobo Sauce 
- 1/2 tablespoon of Non-Dairy Milk

Directions:

- Cut up your veggies, into fajita-sized chunks.
- Make your creamy chipotle sauce by blending together the mayo, chipotle in adobo, and non-dairy milk. Add more non-dairy milk if needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Fry up the sliced poblanos and onions in a bit of oil, preferably in a cast iron skillet for a grilled effect. Stir regularly to ensure you don't burn anything, once the onions and poblanos are getting soft, add the portobellos, water, and taco/fajita seasoning.
- Stir constantly until everything is evenly coated, liquid is absorbed, and portobellos are cooked (not mushy).

Pictured is only a half a batch, my cast iron skillet isn't that big.

- Quickly prepare your corn or flour tortillas, then add the veggie mixture, lettuce, tomatoes, and creamy chipotle sauce. Do not skip the creamy chipotle sauce or you will be sorry!

So good as a burrito too!

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!*****

Family Dinner at Loving Hut Vegan Restaurant

Loving Hut is a new restaurant to my area. There focus is mainly Asian food and they have the meaty texture thing mastered. It is located in Ladera Ranch, but they have many other locations as well. The enviornment was awesome just like their food. I took pictures mainly of what me and my BF ate. Here it goes!

For an appetizer we had the Glory Sushi, yum!

For an Entree I had the Spicy Cha Cha, which is vegan shrimp with cajun style spices. It was really delicious.

My BF had the Asian BBQ Chick'n, which I liked even better than my dish. I stole a few pieces from him.

For dessert I had the Strawberry Cheesecake, it was really good, texture and flavor were spot on.

My sister had this Banana Chocolate Cake. It was alright, the cheesecake was way better.

Vegan Sausage Mc Muffins with "Egg"

This recipe totally satisfied my craving for a good breakfast sandwich. My BF loved them too!

Ingredients:

- 1 log of Lightlife Gimme Lean Vegan Sausage, optional
- 8 vegan English Muffins
- Vegenaise & Ketchup, optional
- 1 14 oz block Extra Firm Tofu (Drained only, not pressed, not previously frozen and thawed)
- Oil for frying

Rub Mix:

- 4 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
- 1 teaspoon Black Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric

Directions:

- Shape the vegan sausage into 8 patties.
- Fry the vegan sausage in some oil until lightly browned on both sides, set aside on a plate covered with a few paper towels.
- While your vegan sausage is cooking, cut tofu width-wise into 8 slices.
- Place all rub mix ingredients in a shallow pie pan or tupperware and mix around.
- Coat the tofu by placing 1 slab at a time into the container of rub mix and shaking it around, turning over if needed. Place the coated tofu on a plate. You will probably have a bit of rub mix leftover, discard it.
- When your sausage is done cooking, add some more oil to the pan and fry up your coated tofu. Fry your coated tofu slabs until they are a bit crispy and golden on both sides.
- Place cooked tofu eggs on a plate with paper towels.
- Time to assemble your sandwich! Toast english muffins in the toaster, slather the toasted english muffins with some Vegenaise, then top with the vegan sausage and tofu egg. Dip in ketchup.

VegWeb's Vanilla Cupcakes

I love this recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes off VegWeb! I have made it a few times now and it never disappoints. I never change a thing, except for baking the cupcakes a bit longer due to my crappy oven.

I frosted my cupcakes with store-bought Duncan Hines Classic Vanilla Creamy Home-Style Frosting which is vegan according to PETA.

Dinner at Dad's 6/23/10

 So yes, it's not my typical dinner night at my Dad's, but he wanted me and my Sister over to celebrate our birthdays (Her's was the 22nd). My Step Mom cooked up some amazing vegan grub as usual and made a vegan birthday cake for me and my Sis (Vegan as well).

 She made some amazing Flautas (Taquitos made with flour tortillas) stuffed with goodies like Soyrizo, baked potato, vegan meatballs, and peppers. Served with salsa and guacamole.

I also had a salad with romaine, carrots, olives, and baby corn topped with my favorite salad dressing: Private Selection (Kroger/ Ralphs store-brand) Poppy Seed!

Here is our amazing Vegan Red Velvet Cake with Vanilla/ Tofutti Cream Cheese Icing!

Easy Peasy Szechuan Seitan & Treader Joe's Vegan Ice Cream

So I got home from Vegas around 7 PM with nothing in the fridge except a few Seitan "Steaks", some onions, bell peppers, and a half used bottle of Lawry's Szechuan Marinade. I also had a few other random side dishes: Vegetarian Baked Beans topped with green onions and Easy Elotes (Canned corn that has been heated + vegan mayo + pico de gallo seasoning)

I made a stirfry of course!

  

Ingredients:

- 3 cups worth of Seitan, thinly sliced or cut into small chunks
- 1/2 cup Cornstarch
- A few tablespoons of Oil for frying
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 a White Onion, thinly sliced
- 1 8 oz can of Sliced Water Chestnuts, drained
- 1/4 cup Green Onions, thinly sliced
- 3/4 to 1 cup Lawry's Szechuan Marinade

Directions:

- Put seitan in a gallon-sized ziploc with the cornstarch and shake until the seitan is evenly coated.
- Fry seitan in a tablespoon of oil until golden (no cornstarch showing), then add the bell pepper, white onion, and water chestnuts. dd more oil if needed.
- Once the veggies start to turn translucent, add green onions and the Szechuan Marinade. Stir around until everything is evenly coated.

Trader Joe's Vegan Ice Cream, 2 more flavors: Chocolate and Chocolate Chip Cherry.

I bought these today at TJ's. The Chocolate was good but not as great as the other flavors. I tried the Chocolate Chip Cherry at my Dad's and it was just as yummy as I remembered!

Vegan in Vegas!

Wow, so my first time being vegan in Las Vegas was way easier than I others have led me to believe. I stayed at the Monte Carlo to celebrate my 26th birthday with my vegetarian boyfriend, Erik.

HERE is a really good link that helped me out tremendously! Yes, on occasion I settled for something less than spectacular but I really didn't feel like I missed out on anything. Here are a few ideas for your next trip (I obviously snacked as well but these were actual meals):

Thursday, June 17th:

-On the way to Vegas I stopped at Taco Bell and enjoyed a Bean & Cheese Burrito (Minus the Cheese of course) and grabbed a bag of Baked Lays to snack on.

- That night, I ordered the Rubio's Gourmet Grilled Portobello and Poblano Tacos from the food court at the Monte Carlo Hotel (Sans the Toasted Cheeses and Creamy Chipotle Picante Sauce). I also scooped up tons of their free Green Salsa to accommodate the pile of Tortilla Chips that came with my meal. I also used the Green Salsa as an additional topping for my amazing tacos. Rubio's gave me Pinto Beans on the side, which the claimed were vegetarian (Pinto's are always sketchy to me), but next time I will opt for a side of Black Beans minus the Cheese they pollute their beans with by sprinkling it on top... I picked the unnecessary Cheese off my Pinto Beans (Yes lame, but I was hungry and had already gone back to my room).

Friday, June 18th:

- Dinner was Papa John's. They deliver to Vegas hotels until 1 AM! I got a Large, Original Crust Pizza, loaded with Pineapples, Olives, and Jalapenos. We just about finished it!

  

Saturday, June 19th:

- Late lunch was at Komol Restaurant (Thai food). THIS RESTAURANT IS AMAZING!!! Huge vegan menu, awesome atmosphere, and sinfully delicious food that is actually spicy when you ask for it that way. I will go back for sure, especially since I will be fantasizing about the Sweet and Sour Gluten (Chinese Style) until then.

Sweet and Sour Gluten (Chinese Style)

Hot and Spicy Vegetables with Tofu

 

 Spicy Ground Gluten Noodle

- Late dinner was another trip to the Monet Carlo food court. I had a 6-inch Veggie Delight from Subway on Italian Bread (Vegan for sure), topped with Mustard, Sweet Onion Sauce, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Olives, Banana Peppers, and Green Bell Peppers.

- I also got side of Mixed Vegetables from Sbarro, that I generously seasoned with 2 small packets of both salt and pepper. The guy working there said the veggies were only seaoned with garlic and olive oil. I was hesitant, but after eating a bite I didn't taste anything odd, so I believe these veggies are vegan.

Sunday, June 20th:

We stopped by Ronald's Donuts which offer mainly vegan donuts! They were fantastic in so many ways (Though I must admit I haven't eaten a donut in probably 2 years). The Chocolate Bar filled with Vanilla Soy Cream was TO DIE FOR!

Chocolate Bar filled with Vanilla Soy Cream

 

Glazed