Whale of ATime Bento

The bento biz has actually been going on and off for a while with me, although I haven't been posting pictures as of late. I have been recording them but due to work, scholarships and school - I haven't had as much time to make, photograph and/or eat them. But here were are now withthis adorable sea-creature scene that was so simple and still so fun. We had ordered out for American-Chinese takeout and the rice was already shaped like this, all I needed to do was split the tail and add a chocolate chip. Below there's a strip of zucchini from a raw lasagna (yet to be prepared) and a red pepper crab with tofu eyes.

Whale of A Time Bento Ingredients:
White Rice
Basic Spicy Stirfry
Red Pepper
Chocolate Chip
Tofu
Broccoli
Green Bell Pepper
Baby Corn


Hope you enjoy this quick and simple bento!

Fat-Free Vegan Gravy

 

 

 

I have a thing for seitan but sometimes just a fried, steamed or boiled piece isn't enough for me. I need to stretch out and make sure that everyone who eats this also gets a great deal with veggies and that's why I think my fat-free gravy is best. It something that I loved to use on Boca Burgers with lots of jalapenos and steamed rice for Vegan Loco Mocos (I never liked it with tofu for some reason...). You can easily make chik'en seitan, boil some beans or have some tempeh for this or some other type of seitan and smothered in the gravy. I would say it even goes great with some biscuits and a tofu omelette in the morning!

!

(Fat-Free Vegan Ingredients)

• 1/4 C. All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2-1 C. Vegetable Broth
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Minced Garlic and Onions
• Sliced Mushrooms, Green and Jalapeno Peppers & Steamed Broccoli

(Directions)

• Cook your onions until translucent, then add in your garlic and stir.
• Add in your other vegetables except for the broccoli, sprinkle on your flour and cook until it has browned and the flour has cooked out.
• Slowly dribble in your broth and allow to thicken.
• Fold in your broccoli and serve it over anything you like

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Seitan (Vegan Mofo)

This sandwich is really good and super big - as you can see from the seitan to bread ratio. As with all of my seitans, this is very juicy and filled with spicy flavor. Surrounding the seitan is a crisp and crunchy tempura and panko crust that makes it so good in capturing the spices and seasonings.To top it off it is baked with Sabra Brand garlic hummus, onions, kale and a delicious onion bun. I would suggest baking the sauce completely onto the seitan in an oven like I did with my second slice as it can easily irritate the system. Alright, let's get started! ^^

(Buffalo Chicken Seitan Ingredients)

• 1 C. Vital Wheat Gluten (Bob's Red Mill)
• 1 tbl. Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Paprika
• 1. Tbl Veg. Oil
• 1 C. Cold Water
• 1/2 C. Hot Sauce
• 1/4 C. Sriracha

(Vegan Hamburger Helper Directions)

• Mix your dry ingredients together then knead in your wet ingredients, except for the sauces, for 35 turns.
• Boil for 25 minutes, 10 of which covered with a pot top and the rest uncovered.
• Split the seitan in half then coat in a vegan tempura batter such as this one.
• Coat in crumbs and fry in a pan for 30 seconds on each side, then dip into your mixed hot sauces and bake in the oven until crisp. Add your hummus or vegan cheese, onions, kale and bake for a few more moments before serving it upon a toasted bun.

Enjoy!

Vegan Hamburger Helper (Low-Fat)

 

 

 

I'll be honest, one of my favorite meals as a kid was Hamburger helper - it was quick, easy and cheap to buy. Now that I'm more all around health conscious I don't see the need to go back there again, but with a slightly more healthier (in some way) version I've got it all together. You've got the creamy low-fat cheeze, a bit of zing from mustard and the nice alternating textures between noodles and your preffered "beef". Its a great meal that you can make ahead, freeze and then just pop in an oven or microwave later.

(Vegan Hamburger Helper Ingredients)

• 1 C. of Soy or Rice Milk
• 1 tbl. Garlic Powder
• 1/4 C. Nutritional Yeast (half that if powdery)
• 2 tbl. Corn or Tapioca Starch
• Pinch of Salt, Mustard Powder and Paprika
• 1 tbl. Cold Water
• Veg. Ground Beef and Elbow Macaroni

(Vegan Hamburger Helper Directions)

• Heat your milk and add in your nutritional yeast and garlic powder, whisk together as you make a slurry of your starches and cold water.
• Add your salt and slurry into the boiling mixture and whisk. Turn off heat and then fold in your ground beef as you boil your noodles.
• Fold your noodles into the cheeze and veg. beef and serve warm.
• Enjoy!

Apple Brown Betty Crisps; Second Vegan MoFo Post

Yesterday it was peaches and now its apples, it seems to be a fruity start for my Vegan MoFo posts but this is just the beginning. I want to take something homey and comfortable and just transform them in terms of texture, shape or overall asthetics to make it different. For me, food is about comfort and a way of expression - and this super simple caramel sauce with cooked apples is superb. This requires absolutely no leaveners and just a few minutes of baking time depending on how you like it. Sweet, salty and buttery due to margarine served on both soft and crispy "crackers", I can really appreciate this and I know you will as well.

(Apple Brown Betty Crisps Dough Ingredients)

• 2 and 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Raw Sugar
• 1/2 stick Vegan Margarine
• A Generous Pinch of Cinnamon
• Enough Rice Milk to mix

(Directions)

• Cream your margarine and sugar together with a whisk.
• Sift in your salt and flour, then fold until it starts to become crumbly.
• Add enough rice milk to make it a nice, sticky dough and then fold in half of the chopped apples.
• Refrigerate as you work on your apples in caramel sauce.
• Bake for about 25 minutes after adding apple topping or until done. Serve warm.

(Apples in Caramel Sauce Ingredients)

• 1/2 Medium-Sized Chopped Apple
• 1/2 stick of Margarine, Cubed
• 1/2 cup Raw Sugar
• 3 tbl Soy or Rice Milk
• A Generous Pinch of Cinnamon and Salt

(Directions)

• Melt half of your margarine and then toss in your apples, sugar and a bit of salt, slowly add more margarine as you like.
• Wait until the sugar and fat have cooked together, bubbled and darkened to a nice caramel
• Add in your milk and cook for another minute or two, then allow to cool before topping onto your almost-frozen dough and bake.
• Enjoy!

Anytime Peach Cobbler Cake w/ Streusel Topping; First Vegan MOFO Post

Yeah! Its been an exciting week - my first giveaway has been finished and the order is in process while my second week of culinary class has started and my help with some Girl Scout Cookie sorting may work out soon. I feel like I deserve a snack, and one of my favorite things to snack on is a lightly boiled peach with a side of peach tea. There's something that is oh so marvelous about the soft, supple flesh and the bright color as you take a bite and juice lands everywhere.

Sometimes, though, I want that jubilant feeling in the morning and I just don't have the time to boil a peach and eat it for breakfast, no matter how big and how badly I want it. So, for something even quicker, bulkier and quite tasty I've decided to make Anytime Peach Cobbler! You can make this into tiny individual skillet cobblers or you can make a huge one and heat as you like. I've noticed that my single-serving and breakfast recipes can appear to be too microwave-dependant (they can be cooked in any fashion) so I wanted something a little more down home that I can reheat anywhere.

The best thing about this cake is that its so easy to make and it only takes a few tablespoons of oil and vegan sour cream to make it moist and shiny on top. In addition, the crispy streusel topping I've added makes it so great - and the fruits on top make this really gorgeous and taste just like a peach cobbler! I'm just a fan of cakes, so you can separate these or even make a type of pancake batter if you wish. So, here goes my first post for Vegan MoFo!

(Anytime Peach Cobbler Cake Ingredients)

• 3 & 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Buckwheat Flour
• 1/2 cup Raw Sugar
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• A Generous Pinch of Cinnamon
• Pinch of Salt
• Slivered Peaches
• 4 tbl. Vegan Sour Cream
• 1 tsp. ACV
• 1 cup of Rice Milk
• 2 tbl Veg. Oil

(Directions)

• "Cream" your sour cream and sugar together with a whisk
• Add your oil to the sugar mix then add the ACV to your rice milk.
• Sift your dry ingredients into the sugar and sour cream, then fold in your liquids. Top with your favorite streusel topping and peaches.
• Bake for about 45 minutes or until done. Allow to cool and serve.
• Enjoy!

Funbites Giveaway Winner Announced!

Congratulations, Katie Culpepper! You're the winner of SVL's first giveaway and you get to choose between these two lovely food cutters.

Email me at aikovenus@gmail.com with these things;

Name:
Address:
Email Address:
Which Food Cutter You Want (Hearts or Squares):

Please label it "Funbites Giveaway Winner".

Just as soon as I am sent those things you'll be on your way to having a great new lunch. :)



Original Giveaway Post:

http://shinsveganloving.blogspot.com/2012/09/funbites-review-back-to-school-event_20.html