Caramelized Kimchi Anyone..

Caramelized Kimchi Fries

The most amazing combination, happen when you pair these unlikely ingredients! 

This is my Veganized version of Chef Aaron Sanchez' famous late night snack

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2. Ingredients
3. 1/4 cup sugar
4. 1 oz.  distilled white vinegar ( 1/8 cup )
5. 1 tsp. olive oil
6. 1 large clove garlic, minced
7. 1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
8. 2 tablespoons Korean chile paste (gochujang)
9. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
10. 1 1/2 cup kimchi
11. 1/4 cup veganaise
12. 1 1/2 Tbsp. Sriracha
13. 3 potatoes, sliced into fries and baked with salt and pepper in the oven at 425 for 25 minutes, flipped and baked another 10 minutes.
14. Shredded vegan cheddar cheese,  chopped white onion, sliced scallions, cilantro, for serving 
15.  In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, vinegar, chile paste and soy sauce. Add the kimchi and toss to coat. Heat the skillet with the tsp. of oil and cook the ginger and  garlic for a minute or so. turn up the heat until very hot. Add the kimchi and cook over high heat until the liquid is thick and the kimchi is caramelized in spots, about 10 minutes. If there seems to be too much liquid, dump some out in order for the kimchi to caramelize.
16. In a small container whisk the veganaise with the sriracha.
17. Divide the fries into to plates, top with the Kimchi., sprinkle with the vegan cheese, both onions and cilantro. Top with some Sriracha mayo and additional Sriracha, if you want an extra kick!
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Bao Heaven

Black Pepper & Ginger Crusted Tofu BAO 

with pickled vegetables

Serves 4- Four buns each

16 Bao buns- recipe in previous post

Pickled Vegetable

1 cup water

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup agave

1/2 tsp salt.

2 cups daikon, julienned

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

1 carrot, julienned ( optional )

1 habanero, or 2 jalapeno's  minced

For the Tofu

4 green scallions,  julienned 

2 tsp. Very coarse black pepper

2 tablespoons tapioca starch

2 teaspoons  sea salt

1 (16-ounce) firm tofu, pressed overnight

Coconut oil for frying

2 teaspoons garlic, finely minced

1/4 tsp chili powder

1-inch fresh ginger, peeled, and finely sliced lengthwise into thin matchsticks 

2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped for garnish

In a small bowl or tray, mix the starch, salt, chili powder, and black pepper. Mix to combine.

Slice the block of tofu in half, then cut eat half into 8 pieces. Coat each piece in the pepper mixture and press into it, so it's coated well

In a large pan over high heat, heat the oil until hot. Start adding the coated tofu blocks. Turn down the heat to medium so they don't burn. Top with ginger and scallions. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until the tofu blocks are slightly browned, add the garlic and stir fry another minute or so.  Work in batches if necessary.

Fill buns with a piece of tofu, pickled vegetable, and top with cilantro.

Savory Rice Porridge

CONGEE

with sauteed mustard greens, caramelized onion relish, hot pickled red onions, and chili oil

Congee

2 cups leftover cooked brown rice

4-5 cups of water

salt to tasteBring 4 cups of water to boil, and add the brown rice, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until rice breaks apart and turns into a pap-like consistency can take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours.

Season with salt to taste

Serve with savory condiments ( pickled red onions, caramelized onion relish, and greens recipes are all listed on this blog )

Drizzle with hot chili oil and serve

Oodles of Noodles

Shiitake & Baby Bok Choy, Brown rice Noodle Bowl

4 cups, washed and thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms

8 baby  bok choy, divided in to 4 lengthwise pieces each

5  Tbsp soy sauce, divided

2 Tbsp water

1 small onion, diced

2-3 tsp agave or 1/4 cup of mirin

1 tsp earth balance

1 tsp olive oil

2  Tbsp minced fresh ginger

3 medium cloves of garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 tsp Sambal oelek 

Brown rice noodles for one, cooked according to package

Prepare mushrooms, sauce and bok choy.

–  In a large non stick pan heat earth balance and olive oil and cook onion for about 3-4 minutes. Add the   4 tablespoons soy sauce and add mushrooms.  Give a quick stir to coat and then cook on high heat for 6 minutes then give them another stir and cook an additional two minutes.  The should be brown, slightly crispy and a little caramelized, remove from pan and set aside

In the same pan, add the  agave or mirin, garlic, ginger, water, sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and sambal oelek, cook until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the noodles,  bok choy and mushrooms.  Cook over medium high heat until bok choy is wilted.  Serve immediately.

Dimsum Heaven!

Daikon & Shiitake Bao

Bao Ingredients

2 packages or 4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups slightly warmed water

4 1/4 cups bread flour

6 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 rounded 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup Earth balance

Makes about 40

Combine the yeast and water in the bowl and mix well until dissolved.

Add the flour, sugar,  salt, baking powder, and earth balance and combine with your hands. Knead the dough ( about 10 minutes ) until it's a smooth ball. Lightly oil a large bowl, put the dough in it, and cover the bowl with a dry kitchen towel. Set aside in a arm placed until the dough doubles, about and hour and 15.

While the dough is rising, cut out two parchment squares for each bao.  ( I only use about 12 at a time, the rest I freeze for a later date. I'll explain when to do this later in the recipe)

Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a clean work surface. Fivide the dough in half, then divide each half into 5 equal pieces. Roll the pieces into logs, then cut each log into pieces.  I weighed out each ball at about 30 grams. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for 30 minutes.

 Flatten one ball with the palm of your hand, then use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 4-inch-long oval.  Fold the oval in half, placing a piece of parchment in between the fold, to keep it from sticking together, them place in on a piece of parchment and place it back under the plastic 

At this point, I do 12 buns, and freeze the remaining balls for later use. 

 Let the 12 buns, rise for another 45 minutes.

Then place the buns in a steamer. Don't overlap or crowd them. Work in batches if necessary. Steam the buns on the parchment squares for 10 minutes. Let them cool, then stuff and eat!

Ingredients for Filling

• 1 piece of daikon  about 2-inches wide, and 6 inches long, peeled
• 1/2 cup white wine or sake
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons agave
• 1/2 cup water,
• 1 small piece kombu
• 12 fresh shiitake mushroom caps
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Cut daikon into twelve 1/2-inch slices. Combine wine, mirin, soy, agave,water, and kombu  in a medium saucepan. Add daikon slices and shiitake. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a bare simmer. Cover and cook, turning and rotating daikon occasionally until daikon is completely tender and colored all the way through, about 30 minutes. Transfer daikon and mushrooms to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Return remaining liquid to a gently boil over medium heat and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes. . 
• Fill the buns with filling and any other condiments you may enjoy. I used pickled daikon & cucumbers, scallions, cilantro and a vegan sriracha aoli.

Filling Recipe adapted from Serious eats

Onions galore !

Caramelized Onion Relish

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 large onion, sliced thin

2 tsp agave

6 Tbsp raspberry vinegar

2 Tbsp water

1/4 tsp sea salt

In a medium pan, over low heat, combine the oil, and salt and cook, stirring often until nicely brown and caramelized. ( The smell is intoxicating )  Stir in the agave, vinegar and water. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Then lower the heat and simmer until the liquid thickens. Adjust salt to taste.

Recipe adapted from The Inspired Vegan

Amazing Condiments

Hot Pickled Red Onions

I came across this little recipe, and being the lover of condiments, that I am,  I figured I'd give it a try, with a few twists of my own...and It's delicious!

2 cups Diced red onions

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 Tbsp agave

1 small habanero, diced fine

pinch of sea salt

1-2  tsp or coarse ground pepper

In a medium sized pan, over low heat, combine the vinegars, agave, salt and pepper, and hot pepper.

Stir well and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Add the onions and raise the heat, bringing to a boil. Once you reach the boil, remove it from the heat and cool  before transferring the contents to a pint sized jar. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Adapted from The Inspired Vegan

Amazing Grilled Corn

Sriracha, Lime, and Sweet Chili Grilled Corn with Cilantro

1 Tbsp Black soy sauce

1-2 Tbsp. Sriracha depending on how you like it

2 limes squeezed or 1 large lemon

1-2 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce depending on how sweet you like it

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

 Combine all ingredients and coat corn in it.

Grill & Enjoy!

Potato Verde

Sometimes you just stumble on a ridiculously simple, and  delicious dish, such as this one.
I was in the mood for some salsa Verde...and while whipping up a batch, I realized  I had nothing to eat it with... so I threw on  some boiled potatoes and whoa-la ... Potato Verde is what you get!

2-3 organic butter potatoes per person
1/4 avocado per person

1 pound tomatillos
2 habaneros peppers
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 an onion, quartered
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup water
juice of 1 lime
kosher or sea salt, to taste
1-2 tsp agave, optional

Boil the potatoes in salt water and cook until tender but not soft

Make Salsa
Roast tomatillos over an open flame ( I did mine on my gas stove) with a pair of tongs, and roast the skin until blistered and somewhat charred.
Place a flat top on the stove and heat to med-high heat. Mist with spritz of olive oil, then wipe off.
Roast garlic, onions and hot peppers until somewhat charred.

Let veggies cool off silghty, then place all of them into the blender except for two of the tomatillos and 1/2 of the onion, which you need to dice fine ( if you like it chunky)
Add the cilantro, lime juice, water, salt and agave if using and blend until the smoothness of your liking. Add the diced tomatillos and onion and add to the salsa and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Spoon the salsa verde over the warm potatoes and serve with sliced avocados!

Summer Spring Rolls

Summer Spring Rolls with  a Citrus & Cilantro dipping Sauce

Ingredients

Rice paper wrappers

Sliced fresh veggies... I used

yellow peppers, scallions, red cabbage- shredded, sprouts, basil leaves, sliced avocados, and fresh spinach leaves.

Cilantro Citrus Dipping Sauce

2 Tbsp cilantro, minced

2 lemons or 3 limes squeezed, seeds removed

3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1-2 tsp of agave

dash of salt and pepper

1/8 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp. minced jalapenos

Soak each wrapper in water for 20 seconds or so, until it's  soft and pliable. Remove from water and place on a dry kitchen towel. Place your sliced veggies in the center, and wrap paper around the veggies, fold in the sides, and continue rolling until you have a tight cylinder.

Combine all dipping Sauce ingredients and mix well, and get busy dipping!

Simply Amazing Salsa

Salsa

1 Large fresh tomato

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro 

4 lemons- juiced 

1/2 cup red onion- fine dice

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. sea salt 

1 tsp. coarse ground pepper

2-3 Tbsp minced jalapenos

Place canned tomatoes in a blender and pulse once or twice.

add all the remaining ingredients and adjust seasonings ( cilantro, jalapenos, salt and pepper to your taste)

let sit in fridge a minimum or 3 hours, or longer for better flavor!

Spicy Kimchi Noodles

SPICY VEGAN KIMCHI NOODLES

1 cup homemade ( or store bought )Vegan  kimchi

½ cup vegan kimchi juice

3 cloves garlic minced

2 teaspoon agave

1 tablespoon gochujang

1 1/2tablespoon soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tsp chili powder-more or less to taste

1 package brown rice noodles

Homemade or store bought pickled cucumber and beets for side condiments

In a large bowl add kimchi, kimchi juice, minced garlic, agave, gochujang, chili powder, sesame oil,

  and vinegar Mix until all combines. Set aside.

Cook noodles according to instructions and drain well, rinsing with cold water well.

In a large pot, add sauce mix and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the noodles in the sauce until noodles are evenly coated with sauce.

Serve slightly warm or even better at room temperature

 top with condiments

Sate Sauce

Spicy Lime & Chili Peanut Sauce ( a.k.a Sate Sauce)

My vegan friendly version of my favorite snack.. Sate potato

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1/4 cup agave

1/4 soy sauce

1/2 cup peanut butter (4.3 oz)

1 Tbsp. freshly minced ginger

3 cloves garlice, minced

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

Place first 6 ingredients in a small blender and blend til smooth, place in a small pot and cook on medium heat and stir continuously until the mixture thickens and become smooth and creamy. Remove from heat, add the last two ingredients, stir well.

Serve over roasted potatoes, topped with chives, or over

Asian rice noodles . Yum

Super Nutritious & Delicious

Ultimate Vegan Mac & Cheese

1 cup sweet potatoes, chopped

1/3 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup carrots, chopped

For the cashew cream:

1 cup raw cashews (soaked** for 8 hours prior )

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

2/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk 

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Other ingredients:

1 pound whole wheat pasta, your choice of shape

1 head of broccoli, de-stemmed and chopped

2 cups of spinach

Cut up the potatoes, carrots, and onion. 

Place in a skillet with a tablespoon of water and cover and cook for 15 minutes, check occasional to see if you need to add more water to 

prevent burning.

Cook the pasta, rinse with cold water and set aside.

Drain cashews and Place the raw cashews in a  food processor with a couple tablespoons of water until nearly smooth.

Add the rest of the ingredients for the cashew cream and the contents of the skillet and blend till creamy and smooth, ( using a high powered blender makes a big difference in texture) adding more

coconut milk if needed to thin out.

Add this mixture to the cooked noodles and then add the broccoli and spinach and stir till well combined.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes

Just so darnn delicious!

Coconut & Mango Chia Seed Pudding Parfait Cups

Ingredients:

1 14-oz. can coconut milk

6 tbsp chia seeds

5 tbsp shredded coconut

5-6 tbsp Agave

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

fresh mango,  chilled

In a bowl, combine the coconut milk, chia seeds, shredded coconut, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.

Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes at room temperature.

Mix once more, cover, and refrigerate for a couple of hours, if you can stand it!

Remove the bowl with the pudding from the fridge about 15 minutes prior to serving.

Layer some pudding into the bottom each of 2 or 3 serving glasses. Layer some diced fresh mango on top of the pudding layer. Alternate layers of chia pudding and freshly diced mango until glasses are filled to the top, ending with freshly diced mango.

Top with some shredded coconut and serve immediately or keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Inspired by Vegetarian gastronomy

Vegan Mozzarella

Vegan Mozzarella Cheese

This is an amazingly simple but sooo good! It makes the most amazing Vegan grill cheese sandwiches!  The best this about it, it'a not that processed, expensive vegan cheese made with oil and other stuff you can't pronounce, just natural ingredients and it's OIL-FREE!

INGREDIENTS

¼ Cup Raw Cashews

1 Cup Hot Water

2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Tapioca Starch 

1 Tablespoon of Nutritional Yeast

1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

½ teaspoon Salt

¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak the cashews for four hours or overnight. Or  just boil them for 10 minutes until soft. Drain before using.

Add the cashews the hot water, and all the remaining ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth. It will be very watery.

Pour into a small sauce pan and heat over medium high heat, while stirring.

As you stir it will start forming clumps, and then all of a sudden it will become a cheesy gooey mass, all in about 5 minutes or so

 Continue to cook and stir for an additional 2 minutes to make sure it has firmed up completely.

Inspired by itdoesnttastelikechicken

Beans...Glorious Beans!

Creamy Polenta with Spicy Red Beans & Greens and Chipotle Cashew Cream

 INGREDIENTS

Chipotle Cashew Cream

½ cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours
¼ cup water
½ tbsp. lemon juice
1- 1 1/2 chipotle from can or chipolte powder to taste
dash salt

Spicy Red Beans

1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1¾ cups or 1 can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground coriander
3-4  canned chipoltes, chopped  or Chipolte powder to taste
½ cup vegetable broth
1 Bay leaf
1-2 tsp agave or to taste- Optional
4-5 collard greens, rinsed and chopped
1/4 - 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Creamy Polenta

3 cups water
1 tsp. salt
1 cup polenta
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
up to 1 cup unflavored, unsweetened coconut milk or your choice of vegan milk

INSTRUCTIONS
Make the Cashew Cream
Place cashews and water in high power blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Add in lemon juice, salt and chipotle , and blend again until completely mixed and smooth.

Make the Beans
Heat pan over med-high heat.  Add onion and saute until soft, about five minutes. ( add water as needed to prevent sticking )
Add garlic and saute another minute.
Add beans, greens, tomato, spices and vegetable broth and bay leaf.
Bring to a simmer and cook until tomatoes and greens are tender and most of broth has evaporated, about ten minutes.
If you want it a little creamier, add some coconut milk and cook another 5 minutes or so

Make the Polenta

Place water and salt in medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil and add polenta.
Lower heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for about five minutes.
Stir in cilantro, nutritional yeast, and as much milk as needed to get a creamy consistency.
Allow to sit for about two minutes before serving.


Divide polenta into bowls.
Top with bean mixture, then with chipotle cashew cream and fresh cilantro.

Avocado Love

Creamy Avocado Noodles

This is amazingly simple but soo incredibly delicious!

2 ripe Avocados

1/4 small onion diced

1 garlic clove minced

2 Tbsp Lemon juice

 1 small jalapeno diced (or less to taste)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 small box of brown rice noodles, cooked according to directions on box.

Add first 6 ingredients in a Magic bullet or small blender. Blend to smooth, adjusting consistency with lemon juice , this should be smooth and creamy. Let sit in fridge for 3 or more hours if you can, if not just use it now.

Add mixture to hot brown rice noodles and blend. Sprinkly with a little black pepper. That's it! It's amazing

White bean Heaven

Garlicky White Beans and Greens 









Soak 4 cups of white beans overnight in plenty of water (I used great northern beans)
10-12 cups of water
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil  *** OR USE Three CANS OF CANNED WHITE BEANS


4 cups of baby spinach or dark green of your choice
2 cups of sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp of olive oil
1 small onions, diced
6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 cup of tomato paste
Sea Salt and Pepper
2 Cups of veggie stock ( if your using canned beans)


Rinse and drain your beans, then add to a large pot. Add 10-12 cups of water, the smashed garlic cloves, bay leaves and olive oil.
Bring to a boil and turn down heat to a low simmer. Simmer until beans are soft and tender. How long this takes will depend on how old your beans are, and what type you are using, but it should generally take about 1 1/2 hours.


Saute onion and mushrooms in a little bit of oive oil for about 5 minutes, add garlic and cook another minute or so. 
Add tomato paste and oregano while continually stirring. Add beans to this mixture or if your using canned 
beans, then add the veggie stock, and cook for 10 minutes. Using a immersion blender,blend a small
portion of the beans to thicken soup. Add spinach, salt and pepper and cook another 5-10 minutes or so.

Amazing Pasta

Brown Rice Noodles with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

1 pound of brown rice noodles
1 cup reserved pasta cooking water

1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
4 cups chopped cremini or mixed mushrooms
1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons shoyu
salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp vegan butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, minced 

3 Tablespoons all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
4 Tablespoons white wine
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

2. Heat 1/2 Tbdsp of olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Saute the mushroom until they are nice and brown with a bit of a crisp (10 minutes).  Add the rosemary, thyme, red pepper flakes and saute 1 minute. Then mix in the shoyu and salt and pepper to taste. Cook 3 minutes. Remove from pan.

3. Place pan back over the flame and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil along with the margarine. When the margarine is melted add the garlic and onions and saute until the onions are fully cooked (5-7 minutes). Add the nutritional yeast and all purpose flour and mix to create a roux. Stir continuously for 2 minutes. If it’s too dry feel free to add another teaspoon or two of olive oil. Deglaze the pan with white wine while constantly stirring. Pour the almond milk into the pan. Stir until thick. Add the sauteed mushrooms back into the pan and thin out with the reserved pasta water. (You probably won’t use all the water). Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

4. Combine the mushroom sauce and pasta and serve!