Veganopolis (The Sequel To Insanity) Part 1

Vegan Croque Madam Panini

I haven't been able to cook much lately, so here's a little tasty piece to snack on. The vegan croque madame, a delicious mix of an Italian cooking technique and French (and technically Japanese)flavors.

(Vegan Croque Madame Ingredients)

• 2 slices of Whole Wheat Whole Grain Bread
• 4 pieces of Vegan Ham
• 1 slice of Soy Mozzarella (you may need to rub water on it)
• Turmeric, Salt, Pepper, Cracked Red Pepper for color and taste.
• 2 tbl Good-Quality Olive Oil per piece of bread

(Directions)

• Cook your tofu with all of the seasonings.
• Spread a tablespoon of olive oil on one side of both slices of bread.
• Assemble sandwich with all of the fillings with oiled side on the outside.
• Heat your press( you can cook in pan, then press down if you don't have one).
• Cook until bread is golden brown and crisp.
• Enjoy!

Veganopolis - Second Half

Meant for fun only. Direct links to the site are fine, just don't claim this as yours as I've worked hard on it. Enjoy!

Line 1: Gas demon!

"The Cakemobile"

Line 1: Quick! Put this beard on while I cry and try to get to Cana...da!

Line 1: Wait up!
Line 2: I have gas

To be continued.

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Veganopolis

I decided to do something a little off the range of food that I've created - and so I've created Veganopolis! You may link to this post but you aren't allowed to post it anywhere else or state it as your own. All of these pages were written and illustrated by me but are meant for fun - nothing political. Enjoy!

Line 1: I want Superior!
Line 2: Gah! She took it!

Line 1: Eat the beans!
Line 2: Not organic!

Line 1: Stay organic.
Line 2: Ohohoho! Stupid face is right! GMO's are bad!

Line 1: *Fart Noise*
Line 2: Organ...ic?

Vegan Tea-Smoked Duck

Lovely and not nearly as expensive as duck, plus you don't have to worry about any of the extra fat! It practically melts in your mouth, and for an added twist I added it on top of some mashed plantains and poured on the mole sauce. Talk some about delicious culinary confusion.

(Tea-Smoked "Duck" Ingredients)

• 1 Package of Vital Wheat Gluten (I used Arrowhead Mills)
• 1/2 tsp Iodized Salt
• 1 Cup of Cold Shiitake Broth
• 1 Package (Green or Black) Tea
• Whole Five Spice Mix (Ex; Whole Cloves, Whole Anise, etc.)
• 1 tbl Sugar

(Directions)

• Mix the first three ingredients together as delicately as possible, making sure that the broth coats all of the vital wheat gluten but that you don't mix it too much.
• Steam that for about 15 minutes while you stuff your tea bag with the whole five spice mix and sugar.
• Dampen the tea bag and place it into a pan on low heat with a clear top.
• Once the fifteen minutes are up for the seitan, add it to the tea-smoker with about 1/4 cup of water and place the top back on. Once the water has evaporated, add some non-flavored oil and let that cook until one side of the tea bag is fried and the seitan is crispy.
• Remove the tea bag and flip the seitan. Once the seitan is fully crisped, feel free to spread a little bit of coconut oil on top and serve as you will.
• Enjoy!

I simply mashed some fried plantains with salt, garlic and chiles and made a quick mole sauce. The next day I had it in a delicious salad, and preferred it much better (hence no recipe)

Shin's Vegan Ramen

This isn't any of that unhealthy deep-fried stuff you can get for a quarter at the store - this is true ramen. When I say that I don't mean that this is necessarily traditional ramen as it contains that nutty sweet corn - it's the noodles that count. Normally ramen is made with eggs, but there's no reason as to why you can't make them a bit healthier with some flax seed right? Besides, the spiciness and chewiness of the tofu compared with freshly made and wonderfully concocted broth will make you float to a noodley-heaven.

(Vegan Hokkaido Ramen Noodles Ingredients)

• 3/4 a cup of All-Purpose Flour
• 3 tbl Hot Water
• 1 tbl Ground Flax Meal
• 3/4 tsp of Iodized Salt
• Extra Cold Water for moisture

(Ramen Broth Ingredients)

• 1 tsp Hoisin Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Parsley Leaves
• 1 Dry Bay Leaf
• 1/2 of a Medium-Sized Onion
• 1 Small Garlic Clove (snapped in half)
• 1/2 a cup of Cold Water

(Ramen Tofu Ingredients)

• 1/4 a package of Tofu (frozen for 48 hours and defrosted)
• 1/2 tsp Hoisin Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Mirin
• 1/4 tsp Rice Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Small Sliced Carrot
• 1 Chopped Green Onion
• 3 tbl Vegetable Oil

(Directions)

• For the Vegan Hokkaido Ramen Noodles: Mix the flour and salt in a food processor for about thirty seconds.
• Combine the hot water with the flax meal.
• Once the flax meal has started to come together, you can add it around the food processor to touch all of the places where the flour is. Run the food processor until the flax egg is fully incorporated then slowly add in a few trickles of the water (no more than one tablespoon).
• Once it has come together like refrigerated cookie dough, knead it a few times to make sure it comes together and put it under a damp towel for about an hour.(You can work on your tofu while this rests.)
• Once the dough has relaxed enough and softened a bit you can roll it out onto a plastic-lined and flour coated cutting board. Cover a large and very sharp knife with flour, as well as your rolling pin.
• Roll it out as you would a pie crust as thin as you can, and when cutting them - try to cut as thinly as possible. Make sure to have a pot of boiling and heavily salted water on the stove before you finish cutting the noodles.
• Once the pot of water is boiling, coat your noodles in flour and slowly spread them through the water. Boil them for about 3-4 minutes or until the noodles are fully cooked but still chewy.


• For the Ramen Broth: Combine the ingredients into a small saucepot and place it onto a stove over medium heat. Cook until fully heated and once you've decided that it is to your liking. While working on the broth you can make your tofu.


• For the Ramen Tofu: Wring out your tofu then marinate it in the seasonings and hoisin sauce for about an hour (once you've finished the dough for the noodles).
• Once the hour is up, place all of the ingredients into a small pan over medium-heat until the vegetables are softened and the tofu is crispy.
• Serve over the noodles and add in about 1/4 a cup of yellow corn onto the side. If you like you can add 1/2 a teaspoon of coconut oil to simulate butter that often accompanies Hokkaido-style ramen.
• Enjoy!

Gotta Eat Them All!

Is that a Snorlax and a Metapod? I think so! They're in their natural curry habitat and surrounded by delicious sticky rice. They've just evolved but I don't think that they've gained enough experience points to defend themselves against a nice pair of chopsticks. Whether you're making this meal for yourself or for a child it is going to be a hit - who else can say that they've eaten a Pokemon before?

Snorlax and Metapod Sushi:
2 large Triangular Pieces of Extra-Firm Tofu
Enough Japanese Sticky Rice to fill the inazarizushi (boxed is fine)
Nori (for the eyes and mouth)
Vegan Ham (for the cheeks)
4 cups of Boiling Water
Salt, Pepper and Sesame Oil to taste
Enough Flavorless Oil to fry with


Press your tofu by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel and placing it between two plates, then place a heavy weight on the top plate and wait for one to two hours. After that is done, cut it into large triangles and prepare your pan with the oil. Once the oil is hot and ready - add one piece of tofu and brown it slightly on all sides (to the point that it gets a light crisp), repeat with the next one and let both cool completely before putting them back into the pan of oil for their final crispness. While you cook the tofu (separately), put on a pot of boiling water and set up a colander under the faucet. Once the tofu has come out of the pan, place it in the colander and run it under hot water from the sink and about two cups of boiling water from the pot. Repeat with the next one and dry them both with a towel, then cut a slit into the middle and spoon out some of the tofu, then stuff in the Japanese sticky rice and decorate as you like. For the eyes and mouths I just made a few small cuts into a nori sheet and stuck them onto the rice, took them off, then placed them back on so that they would most definitely stick. Then - for the snorlax I simply added two pieces of vegan ham cut with scissors (you can use a straw as well) to his face for a sleeping snorlax. I added the rest of the rice to the side and worked on my curry.

Japanese-Indian Style Curry:
2 Washed Russet Potatoes
3 Medium-Sized Chopped Carrots
1/4 cup of Whole Wheat Flour
1 Large Onion (sliced thinly)
3 tbl of Olive Oil
1/4 a tsp of Fresh Ginger
Garam Masala (recipe will follow)
4 Cups of Cold Water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Garam Masala Recipe:
1 tsp Whole Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Whole Cloves
3/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg

Separate the ground spices and place them in a separate bowl, then toast your seeds in an unoiled pan until you can smell them. Once they become more aromatic - place them into a spice grinder or small food processor and grind into a powder (shake it to grind it all). Mix it together with the pre-ground spices and use in your curry.

First, caramelize your onions in a pan with some salt, 1/2 a tsp of garam masala, ginger and the olive oil. Once the onions are fully cooked, add the carrots and let them cook for about one to two minutes. Then add in about a cup or two of water and let those simmer. Once they start to simmer you can start to chop the potatoes as small as you want (I was eating this for dinner so I did 1/2 inch chunks) depending on how much time you have. After about three more minutes you can add the potatoes, some more water and work on your roux.

For the roux, whisk the whole wheat flour with about three teaspoons of garam masala. After that has been mixed together, add three tablespoons of olive oil into a pan over medium heat and begin to whisk the olive oil slowly (once it is fully heated). Once you begin to whisk it, slowly add the flour mixture into it and continue to stir as much as possible so that the flour can be fully cooked. After about two minutes or so, add the water that came from the curry (once the vegetables are soft enough) and add it to the roux. You can add it back to the pan once it has been fully incorporated, salt and pepper to your liking and serve it right up. For a little more decoration I added some broccoli to act as trees, but you can do anything you like with it.

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Beignet Done That

My mother may be from the south but I doubt she's had anything as good as these. They're relatively-healthy beignets as they contain coconut oil and wheat flour as well as the other good stuff. They shouldn't be eaten on their own as they don't have any large amount of sugar in them, and although granulated sugar covers the top - when it's dunked in this delicious strawberry syrup, you won't care what anyone calls it.

(Beignet Ingredients)

• 1 and 1/2 a cup of All-Purpose Flour
• 1 and 1/2 a cup of Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 and a 1/2 tbl of Cold Coconut Oil (not Virgin)
• 3/4 a cup of Regular Soy Milk + 1 tbl Apple Cider Vinegar (with Mother)
• 1/2 a tsp of Iodized Salt
• 3 tbl Hot Water + 1 tbl Ground Flax Seed
• 1/2 a package of Rapid-Rise Yeast
• 1/8 a cup of Warm Water
• 1/8 a cup of White Sugar
• 3/4 tbl of Baking Powder
• 1/4 a tsp of Baking Soda

(Strawberry Syrup Ingredients)

• 1 Pint of Strawberries (washed, de-leaved, and cut into equal pieces)
• 1/4 a Cup of Cold Water
• 1/4 a Cup of Granulated Sugar
• A Squirt of Agave Nectar
• A Pinch of Iodized Salt
• Juice from an Orange Slice (about the size of the one on the photo.)

(Optional in case it doesn't thicken)

• A Small Slurry of Cornstarch and Cold Water

(Directions)

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• For the Beignets: Mix all of the dry ingredients together except for the sugar and prep your egg batter (the flax + water. Let that sit for a while.
• Measure your coconut oil while it is still in liquid form. Pop that in the freezer for a moment after everything has been put in order and then mix it with your fingers into the dry mixture.
• Prepare the soy milk with the apple cider vinegar, then mix together the yeast, the warm water, and the sugar. Let the yeast mixture stand for 5 minutes after one stir then create a hole in the middle of your flour mixture and mix it. Mix it with a hand mixture (or a stand mixture) for about 5 minutes until it has all come together.
• Take the ball of dough and knead it with some all-purpose flour until it has become elastic. Split it up into equal pieces (I got ten) and let them rest in a warm place for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile get started on that delectable strawberry syrup.


• For the Strawberry Syrup: Mix all of the ingredients together except for the orange juice and the slurry. Cook that on medium heat for about 5-10 minutes in a heavy=bottomed pot, then lower the heat to the lowest setting and add the orange juice.


• Cook that for about 5 more minutes and then add the slurry if it hasn't thickened and seems still slightly watery. Be sure to constantly stir in the area that you are placing the slurry into, and to make sure there weren't any lumps in it before hand.
• Once the thickness is to your liking, cut off the heat and strain it. It made about half a cup of syrup but you can always double up on the recipe.
• Grease a sheet pan with the oil of your choice and brush the tops of the beignets with it as well, and sprinkle some sugar on top.
• Bake for about ten minutes or so. To see if they're done, stick a knife in the middle-most one and if it comes out clean they are ready!
• Place more oil on top and dust them with the sugar of your choice (powdered or granulated).
• Dip into the strawberry sauce and Enjoy!

Brown Rice, Rice Baby

That's right, another vegan milk recipe that goes out there for those of you who are allergic to soy or want to use it for other reasons. The process is quick and simple - take a cup of brown rice and soak it in two cups of cold water for about 30 minutes and once time has elapsed, drain and wash the rice, then follow the instructions for cooking the rice on the package and do just that. Make sure that the rice is still firm and feel free to add a tray of ice cubes into it, otherwise you might have a hot mess of rice coming out of your blender and that's a very painful no-no.

Add half of the rice to a nice glass blender with 3 cups of cold water. Liquefy it and shake it a bit to make sure that the rice has been thoroughly crushed. Now you can either take out the rice and leave the milk, or vice versa. Add the secondbatch of rice and do the same, but keep some of the rice in some time with just a tiny bit of the milk. Shake it around and liquefy it to make it creamier. After that is done, strain it thoroughly and heat it on the pot for about 5-10 minutes, then strain it again and let it cool. If you are drinking it you can add 1/2-1 crushed tablet of a vitamin B12 tablet and 1/2 a calcium tablet to the milk and shake it in its container constantly. If you want it to have flavor add a tablespoon of sugar or vegan sweetener and 1/2 a tsp of almond extract or vanilla extract.

(Brown Rice Milk Recipe)

• 1 cup of Cooked Brown Rice
• 2 cups of Cold Water (for cooking)
• 2 cups of Cold Water (for soaking)
• 6 cups of cold water (for blending)

(Optional Add-Ins)

• 1 tbl Vegan Sugar (or other sweetener)
• 1/2 a tsp of Vanilla or Almond Extract
• 1/2 a tsp of Iodized Salt
• Crushed vitamin B12 and/or Calcium tablet

I don't personally drink rice milk unless it's something like horchata, but I do use it in baked goods or to cover oatmeal. When used in baked goods it makes the pastry (or whatever you're making) much lighter than soy milk would be. However, like soy milk - this should be used quickly and efficiently, as well as the leftovers, meaning the pulverized rice mix.

I would suggest making a sweet rice porridge known as Okayu, although I'm not sure how it would work out with pulverized rice (haven't had it in a long time). If you make it and don't have too much of a sweet tooth - don't add too much Azuki bean paste to it either.

When It's Chilly Eat Some Chili!

Simple and basic chili meant to warm you up and still entertain your taste buds. Normally when I make chili I don't measure anything as it depends on everyone's tastes if it will be good or not, but I'll try for you.

Chili Recipe:
1 cup of Texturized Vegetable Protein (boiled for ten minutes, washed and drained)
1 can of Diced Tomatoes
1 handful of Fresh Tomatoes
1 Fresh Jalapeno Pepper (half de-seeded if you want a bit spicy)
1/2 tbl of Cinnamon
1/2 a tsp of Chili Powder
2 cloves of Minced Garlic
1/2 of a Minced Large Onion
1/2 of a Small Green Bell Pepper
A dash of Paprika
Olive oil (or preferred olive oil)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Sauté the fresh ingredients together in a pot with olive oil until they are tender, then add all of the spices and seasonings except for the cinnamon. Once the smells of the seasonings mixed with the vegetables have begun to permeate through the air, add the canned tomatoes and the texturized vegetable protein (plus a bit more Paprika). Let that stew together for about 5 minutes, adding liquid as you want - then add the cinnamon in increments, tasting (with a different spoon) as you go. Once it is heated up and has come together, serve it in a bowl with those delicious and cheesy crackers, and eat until your heart's content. If you want to add a brighter and much fresher flavor, definitely add some sliced green onions on top - don't use chives.

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Sloppy Joe Is Sooo Sloppy

He's so sloppy that you need two hands to eat all of the tasty and spicy "meat" between two Okara buns. He doesn't need anything else to sop up his delicious paprika and garlic spiced flavor, just those two fluffy wheat buns - and you. You can change him though, and make sure that Joe becomes a clean man on your plate! One little nibble and you'll want more, although you find that you're full after one burger, you will also find a system to try to eat as many as possible.

(Sloppy Joe "Meat" Ingredients)

• Texturized Vegetable Protein (that has been covered in boiled water for 10 minutes, then washed and drained)
• 2 cloves of Minced Garlic
• 1/2 of a Small Minced Onion
• 1/2 a tsp of Crushed Red Pepper
• 1/4 a tsp of Black Pepper
• 1/4 a tsp of Greek Oregano
• A dash of Paprika
• Salt and Garlic Powder to taste
• 1/2 a Cup of Chunky Spaghetti Sauce (your favorite)

(Okara Buns Ingredients)

• 1 cup of Raw Okara (cooked is fine as well)
• 1 packet of Rapid-Rise Yeast
• 1 Cup of Warm Water
• 1 tbl of Brown Sugar
• 3 tbl of Unflavored Oil (for coating the pan)
• 1 tsp of Iodized Salt
• 1 and 1/2 cups of All-Purpose Flour
• 1 and 1/2 cups of High Protein Wheat Flour

(Directions)

• For the "Meat": Normally I would have precooked and seasoned the garlic and onions, but instead I decided to keep them as is. With the TVP to give more texture and flavor.
• After the TVP has been washed and drained, add the vegetables and the pre-measured spices and mixed them together. Then coat a pan in olive oil and set it on medium-heat and add the meat.
• Once it begins to cook add the salt and pepper and the spaghetti sauce, only allowing a few chunks of tomato into the recipe as I went.
• Let the dish cook for about 5 minutes and then served it on top of Okara buns.


• For the Buns:Mix all of the dry ingredients except for the brown sugar together in a large bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients (except the oil) to a smaller dish, mix them together and allow the yeast to eat the sugar for about 3-5 minutes.
• After the yeast has grown, create a hole in the middle of the flour mixture as you would for biscuits and slowly mix in the yeast. After it is all thoroughly mixed together it should be quite wet, in that case move it to a warm area and preheat the oven to about 320 degrees.
• After 30-40 minutes are up, take the bread dough out of its warm area and punch it down, knead it with some flour until it is elastic, split into equal pieces and shape them into buns then let them sit on an oil covered pan for 15-20 minutes to allow them to proof once more.
• Once time has elapsed, cross the buns with a knife to make sure that everything is together and then place them into the oven for 15-30 minutes. To be sure that they're done, peek every few times and once they start to change color, move them around to see if they stick and look lighter, and if you're still not sure - place a knife into the center-most bun as you would do a cake.


• Serve them together and enjoy!

Mama Pita Here I Go Again

How can you resist this? Thinly sliced and lightly crisped seitan filled with the aroma of Greek oregano, rosemary, cumin and garlic topped with a healthy dollop of a creamy and cool tzatziki sauce with onions and tomatoes all supported by a fresh and fluffy piece of pita bread. The flavors all balance so well together and the sauce is practically to die for! You could eat a gallon of it or put it on your favorite salads for that Middle Eastern feel. The best part of the meal besides the amazing flavor is that it's low in fat and good for you. You get your protein, your carbs, your vegetables all on one little piece of bread.

(Vegan Gyro Meat Ingredients)

• 1 and 1/4 a cup of Vital Wheat Gluten
• 1/2 a cup of washed and mashed Pink Beans
• 3/4 - 1 cup of cold Shiitake Broth (soak Shiitake Mushrooms in hot water for a few minutes)
• 1/2 a teaspoon of Iodized Salt
• 1/2 a teaspoon of Cumin
• 1/2 a teaspoon of Oregano
• Desired amount of Rosemary and Thyme
• A few dashes of Black Pepper

Served with:

Vegan Dad's Tzatziki Sauce (not mine. I left out the dill and canola oil.)

http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2008/02/tempo-gyro-with-vegan-tzatziki.html

Pita Bread Recipe from Novel Eats (not mine):

http://www.noveleats.com/bread/how-to-make-pita-bread/

(Directions)

• Combine the ingredients together and add the cold Shiitake Broth after all of the other ingredients have been mixed together. Make sure to only mix the seitan enough to form it so as to not toughen it up.
• Prepare your steamer. You can use more shiitake broth or use plain water for this, maybe even add in a few fresh herbs for extra flavor if you like.
• Steam the seitan whole for about one hour or so, then let it cool. Pat it dry and slice it to your liking.
• Fry it up in some olive oil.
• Serve with Tzatziki and Sauce Pita Bread along with your favorite veggies.
• Enjoy!

This is an extremely filling meal but you can serve plenty of vegetables to dip into your sauce such as carrots, broccoli or cucumbers, but if you're in the mood for a few extra calories you can bake off some french fries in the oven with some garlic, olive oil and rosemary and serve them right up too!