Vegan MoFo Day 18!

Sorry for the few day delay friends!! We were both swamped this weekend: Alex with her 2nd City Internship & sound editing for MacBeth where she is trying her hat at Stage Managing (?!) and Joe with grading math homework for 3 courses! It was a busy and not very restful weekend! But on to the recipe...

For Day 18 we are cooking and eating up some of our favorite blogger The Vegan Dad's recipe for Vegan Gyros! We have made this recipe many times, and we have included our changes/tips. The original idea is from the Vegan Dad, of course. We are so obsessed with this blog & in particular a few of his recipes (like this one)!

RECIPE:
tempeh gyro:
1, 8.5oz block of tempeh
1 onion
1tsp garlic powder
1tbsp marjoram
1tsp ground rosemary
1/2tsp basil
1/2tsp thyme
1/2tsp sage
1/4tsp salt
2tbsp finely chopped parsley
2tbsp soy sauce
freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup flour
oil

vegan tzatziki sauce:
1 container Tofutti Sour Cream
juice from 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic minced
2tbsp canola oil
1tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
2-3 tbsp fresh dill (Joe: we always use fresh dill, since Alex being Polish has a dill obsession & it's always in our fridge. Alex: Um, you're welcome.)
pinch cayenne
1 cup peeled grated cucumber (I think a whole, normal sized cucumber)
1/2 cup peeled and diced cucumber (half a cucumber)
2tbsp chopped fresh parsley


Make the tzatzki sauce first. Grate the cumcumber into small pieces and place in a piece of cheese cloth, or a clean kitchen towel (I have tried paper towels, but it does not work very well). Add salt to the cucumbers an let sit over a colander for at least an hour.
This is to remove most of the water in the cucumbers. Combine the rest of the ingredients, EXCEPT the diced cucumber, in a bowl and mix well. After the hour, squeeze the grated cucumbers to remove as much water as possible. (Alex: I like to use the juice to make Cucumber Cocktails!). Add both types of prepared cucumber. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. The sauce should taste tangy, refreshing and with a distinct flavor of dill. I also added some Vegenaise (like 2 tbsp) to help with the sauce some.

In a food processor (or a box grater), grate the onion and tempeh.

Add spices, including parsley, and soy sauce and mix well with your hands. Add flour and knead together for a minute. Wrap into a log using plastic wrap, about 2 inches in diameter.
Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, or until ready to use. This will help keep the "meat" together when you cook it.

Unwrap the "meat", slice into 10-12 pieces and shape and flatten to resemble gyro meat. The slices should be no more that 1/4" thick and 2 by 5 inch rectangular shapes.

Fry the slices in batches (We can usually fit 4 a time with a 10" skillet) in a skillet with a small layer of oil heated over medium-high heat. Fry for 2 minutes per side, flipping once or until golden brown on both sides.

Serve with tzatziki, red onions, lettuce and tomatoes in a warm piece of pita (or better yet, TJ's Middle Eastern Flatbread!)!



REVIEW:

Joe: Best thing since sliced bread! I actually used the Vital Wheat Gluten flour as the original recipe calls for this time, and I didn't like it as much! I found the regular (AP) flour helped things stay together better.

Alex: I think this recipe is fantastic. I used to work in a Greek fast food joint in college and would eat gyros until I would explode and after going vegan really found myself craving that taste of spices & tzatziki so when I stumbled upon this recipe I did a jig of joy! This flavor combo just hits the spot for me and curbs my college tummy cravings! :D

Vegan MoFo Day 17!

Ahh, breakfast for dinner. What a noble invention! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all, so why not have it for dinner! This recipe comes from "Vegan Family Meals" by Ann Gentry (RFD lady!) It is for some awesome french toast! Hope you enjoy!

RECIPE:
8 oz soft tofu, drained and crumbled
4 tsp arrowroot
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground flax seeds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
1 cup plain unsweetened soy milk
1/3 cup high-heat sunflower oil, plus more for coating the pan
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
12 1/2" thick slices crust country-style white sourdough bread



Blend the tofu, arrowroot, baking powder, ground flaxseeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and turmeric in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Combine soy milk, 1/3 cup oil, maple syrup and vanilla in a measuring cup. With the food processor running, slowly add the liquid mixture into the tofu mixture. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Pour the batter onto a large rimmed baking sheet and arrange the slices in a single layer. Turn each piece to coat. Set aside, turning the bread occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the bread absorbs most of the batter.


Heat a large, heavy flat griddle pan over medium heat. Working in batches, brush a little oil over the griddle and grill the soaked bread until it is heated through and golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.



Transfer the French toast to plates and enjoy!


REVIEWS:
Alex: What a delicious surprise! Joey knew I had a busy day and surprised me with my favorite breakfast dinner! This sweet treat hit the spot. I heaped on extra syrup and it was magic :)

Joe: Pretty good, although I think the bread should be sliced thicker. Maybe 3/4" to 1" thick, so you only get 6-8 pieces of toast. I had a little bit of trouble with the bread absorbing all of the batter, perhaps it was too thick since I only had firm tofu, or the bread wasn't stale enough (a very good thing for French Toast!). A very good vegan version of a great breakfast item! One more thing, don't be skimpy on the oil. The batter was prone to almost cement the bread to the pan. A large flipper is also crucial to be able to unstick and flip the bread without destroying it!

Vegan MoFo Day 16!

More soups!!! Okay this is actually a stew but it tastes darn good when you're sick (or recovering from being sick): Scotch Broth from The Vegan Table y my gal Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

RECIPE:
3/4 cups pearl barley
3/4 cup green split peas (we used green lentils instead since that's what we had)
3/4 cup red lentils
1 large size leek, washed well & roughly chopped
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 or 3 yellow potatoes diced
3 carrots, peeled & grated or shredded
8-9 cups veggie stock
1 tsp salt (to taste)
freshly ground pepper (to taste) 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (for garnish-totally optional, we didn't use any)




Soak barley. split peas, & lentils for 1 hour in bowl with enough water to cover. After soaking, rinse & add to a large soup pot along with onion, leek, potatoes, carrots, stock, salt, & pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat & simmer until all is tender. Ladle into bowls & sprinkle with parsley if desired. Yields 10-12 servings.





Feel free to use other veggies in this as well. Colleen suggests turnips, cabbage, or even kale. We like to throw in whatever extra something is hanging around the fridge/pantry.





REVIEWS:

Alex: Again, soups are hitting the spot for me right now. I love the heartiness of this stew. It make me think of the cold tundra-esque winters in Michigan in my childhood. When it got so cold we couldn't go out for recess. I wish I had this soup then! So good and stick to your bonesy. Perfect for my throat & nose!

Joe: Pretty good stuff. I really hate split peas so I like to use the green lentils instead (plus it's what is in our pantry).

Vegan MoFo Day 15!

Hello friends! Hooray for our 15th post!!! We continue on with our adventures in soup this time trying (for the very first time) the Ginger Miso Soup recipe from Vegan Family Meals.

RECIPE:
1 cup hot water
3 dried shiitake mushrooms
4 cups Kombu Dashi (see recipe that follows)
1 3" piece daikon radish, peeled, quartered length-wise, cut into 1/4" slices
1 large carrot, peeled & cut into matchstick size strips
1/2 small onion, sliced thin
3 ounces firm tofu, drained & cut into 1/2" cubes
1 2" piece fresh ginger, peeled
1/2 cup mellow barley miso
2 scallions, sliced thin diagonally

Kombu Dashi
2 (4 by 1") pieces dried kombu
8 cups water
1 4" piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into coins
1/4 cup tamari
1/4 mirin, sake or dry sherry





Comine the hot water and dried mushrooms in a bowl and let it steep for 30 minutes.

To make the dashi, combine kombu and water in a large saucepan and set aside for 1 hour. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the water to a bare simmer. Reduce heat and add ginger and tamari. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove heat and add mirin. Stir and strain the stock into another pot or bowl. Remove half the kombu and slice into 1/8 thin strips. Add these back to the pot.

Remove the revived mushrooms to a surface. Remove any grit by running under cool water. Cut the mushrooms into matchstick sized strips (julienne). Julienne the carrots and daikon and thinly slice the onion. Add to the pot and pour over the dashi. Cover and simmer for 20 mintues, until the veggies are tender. Remove from heat and add tofu.





Grate the ginger using a Microplane into some cheesecloth over a bowl. This is to extract the juice from the pulp. Bundle the ginger up and squeeze over the soup.

Just before serving, press the miso paste through a fine mesh strainer into the soup. Stir in the green onions and enjoy!




REVIEW:

Joe: Very good. I don't think the extra effort of making the ginger juice was worth it. I would just add a few extra pieces of ginger & removed them later. We also used 3 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms instead of soaking dried ones which worked well. Overall and excellent miso soup. I really like this recipe!

Alex: This soup was earthy and delicious! It was almost a cross between miso soup and french onion soup. Definitely a win in my book. Good work Ann Gentry!

Vegan MoFo Day 14!

So I had a hankering and Joey & I decided to make it to satiate my vegan cravings. We made our very own recipe for BURRITO BOWLS!!! This recipe is a new favorite that I discovered when we ran out of tortillas from burritos the night before & I wanted to take some leftovers to work the next day. I then let Joe know about the epic-ness of the bowl and we have been hooked since. :)

RECIPE:
1.5 cups uncooked rice
handful fresh cilantro, minced
juice from 1-2 limes
1 12 oz package Soy-rizo
Shredded Daiya Mozzarella Cheese
Tofutti Sour Cream
Salsa
1/2 onion, diced
Guacamole








Cook the rice as usual. When the rice is done, add the cilantro and lime juice, folding to incorporate. Cook the Soy-rizo according to package directions. To assemble the bowls, add a layer of rice, Soy-rizo, onions, cheese and top with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. Serve with tortillas or tortilla chips!





REVIEWS:

Alex: Seriously delicious vegan Mexi-do dish (Shout out to my brother's girlfriend "Taco" with that joke)! This is warm and melty and loaded with guac. (I am obsessed with avocados) and salsa and sour cream. Cannot go wrong with this dish. Redhead guarantee!

Joe: I love this dish. It is the bee's knees.

Vegan MoFo Day 13!

Since I was sick Joey and I whipped up a favorite soup of ours from Appetite For Reduction. A little Arabian Lentil & Rice Soup!

RECIPE:
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion diced small
6 cloves garlic minced
several pinches black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander
1.5 cups small died carrots
1/2 cup brown basmati rice (we used white basmati rice cuz we had it)
1 tsp lemon zest
6 cups veggie broth
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice





Preheat 4qt pot over medium-high heat. Saute onions in oil until translucent. Add garlic, pepper, & salt-saute another minute. Add spices & stir continuously for about 15 seconds to toast slightly. Add carrots, lentils, rice, zest, and broth. Cover pot & bring to boil. Once boiling lower heat to simmer & cook for 40 minutes until lentils are creamy & rice is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent soup from burning at bottom (add water to thin soup if necessary). Add lemon juice. Taste seasoning add more as needed. Let soup sit 10 minutes for maximum flavor. Eat to your hearts content!




REVIEWS:

Joe: Very delicious. I really enjoy the lemon flavor in here, it gives the soup a nice touch.

Alex: Perfect! Just what this sicky ordered. Made me feel loads better and tastes so delicious! :)