Pumpkin Risotto (Soy-Free)

When it comes to things for myself I'm really, really cheap. I've almost always been this way - its both a combination of greed for the few funds I do have and a way to make sure that my other family members have enough money and food. So, as I've mentioned once or twice before, I go on a fiscal fast once in a while to use up everything in the fridge and to ensure that I don't spend anything. Yesterday's meal was using up some fresh brussels sprouts and a huge can of pumpkin puree that I had used for a failed recipe.

About two months ago in one of my cooking classes/internships, a chef from a school in Chicago came and showed us all how to make pumpkin risotto without using butter or cream. He demonstrated nice knife skills of course, and he showed the others how to properly cut onions and even corrected me on a separate task. When it came to finishing the risotto after letting the orzo pasta strands being coated in extra-virgin olive oil, he added in a huge load of chicken stock and then covered the whole thing in parmesan cheese. While I obviously avoided that dish, I couldn't deny that it was visually creamy and it smelled so good.

A week later I had made it and shared it with my mother whom took it for lunch the next day. Today I'm sharing the "recipe" with you, as its really all about feel and what you like. You can even put a little chef's hat on and pretend not to be poor (Okay, maybe that's just me)!

(Pumpkin Risotto Ingredients)

• Boiling Water or Stock
• 1/4-1/2 cup Canned Pumpkin
• 1 Medium Onion, diced
• 2 Cloves of Garlic, finely minced
• Olive Oil for sauteing
• 2 cups Orzo Pasta
• Pinch of Salt Pepper
• Basil, Italian Seasonings and Thyme
• Nutritional Yeast (optional)

(Directions)

• Start by sauteing your onions with the olive oil until softened. Then add in your minced garlic and continually stir.
• Add in more olive oil if necessary, then add in your orzo and coat in the oil for about 1-2 minutes.
• Add in about a cup of boiling liquid and continually stir. Add in your pumpkin and allow it to bubble. Add more liquid as needed and cook until the pasta is tender or al dente.
• Serve immediately and enjoy.

Vegan Italian Beef W/ Homemade Hot Giardineria (Fat-Free Option)

This has got to be the best "slow-cooked" seitan that I have ever had - its so tender and juicy from the broth I made, with little to no chew so it literally melts in your mouth. The juiciness helps reactivate more of the creaminess and meltiness from the flavored cream cheese (chive and garlic)  that I spread upon the buns before toasting them to an utmost crispness. The light spice from the peppers and the kick from the salt and vinegar make this an extremely addicting sandwich that anyone could love.

(Italian Beef Ingredients)

• 1 cup of Vital Wheat Gluten(Bob's Red Mill)
• 1/2 tsp of Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp of Basil
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 3 tsp Italian Seasonings
• 1 tsp Olive Oil or Chilled Chickpea Broth

(Broth Mix Ingredients)

• 5 cloves Crushed Garlic
• Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Salt and Italian Seasonings
• Molasses to darken the broth
• 1 gallon of Cold Water

(Italian Beef Directions)

• Mix your dry and your oil together and slowly add in your cold water. Knead lightly about 30-35 times and keep whatever liquid comes out in the bowl with the seitan.
• Combine your broth ingredients together in a large pot and bring to a boil. Then add in the seitan and leftover liquid. .
• Place a pot top on the seitan and turn the heat on low, then check about 20 minutes in to see if it has expanded, if it has you can spoon a little broth on top and make sure that nothing has over boiled. Let this cook for about five more minutes until well-browned and it looks cuter.
• Remove the pot lid, then turn the heat to the highest degree and cook for exactly one minute.
• Return the pot top and cut off the heat, letting it sit from two hours to the whole night
• When you are ready, place your large piece of seitan on a plate and squeeze the water out of it - but do not drain your broth at all.
• Take a fork and a knife and cut the seitan in half, then scrape the "skin" and "meat" off from each other, away from you. If a piece gets bigger than your thumb, chop it up.
• Place into a nice pasta drainer or fryer net and allow for your seitan to warm up in the broth as you turn the heat on medium. Once it has warmed, you can get some of the extra liquid out by cooking it in a dry, non-stick skillet.
• When the seitan has come to your liking, place atop two well-toasted buns that have been schmeared with cream cheese or vegan margarine and then delicately lay on your giardineria.

(Homemade Giardineria Ingredients)

• 2 stalks of Diced Celery
• 1 small Diced Carrot
• 1/2 Diced Green Bell
• 1 (half) De-Seeded Jalapeno Pepper
• 2 cloves Diced Garlic
• 1/4 Diced White Onion
• Diced Green Olives and Cauliflower
• Oregano, Black Pepper and Salt
• 1 cup of White Vinegar
• 1/2 cup of Olive Oil (add none if you want fat-free)

(Homemade Giardineria Directions)

• Pour boiling water on your vegetables, dip them in cool water then combine all of the ingredients in a jar.
• Let it sit in the fridge, untouched, for 2-6 days or until you believe it is ready. Serve atop your Italian beef and enjoy!

Meatball Sub (Low-Knead, Whole Wheat Bread w/ Seitan Meatballs)

This is a super yummy and super easy recipe - the plus side is that it is much healthier than your usual meatball sub AND (for me) it is my favorite food. The bread has been steamed and then baked at a high temperature to create a moist and soft inside with a crispy, crunchy outside. A light sprinkle of sea salt mixed with garlic and olive oil runs through the cavity and then eventually sandwiches the garlicky, tomato-filled sauce and slightly chewy and fennel infused seitan meatballs.

(Low-Knead Bread Ingredients)

• 1 and 1/2 cups of Warm Water
• 1 tsp of Raw Sugar (or other Sweetener)
• 1/2 tsp of Salt
• 1 and 1/4 tsp of Active-Rise Yeast
• 3 cups of Whole White Wheat
• 1 tbl of Olive Oil

(Low-Knead Bread Directions)

• Bloom your water, sugar, oil, and yeast together for about ten minutes, then fold in your flour and salt.
• Mix until it is no longer liquidy but don't let it become a ball of dough just yet.
• Place into a well-greased bowl with a moist tea towel and let rise for thirty minutes, then let it rise in the fridge for 1-2 hours, knead for about three minutes and then let rest for 5 more minutes.
• Cut and roll into your preferred shapes, make three quick slits on the top and steam on the stove for 15 minutes each or until it has changed color and has cooked a bit.
• Bake at 450 degrees (you can brush with your preferred oil if you wish) on a sheet dusted with cornmeal for about 15 more minutes or until it has cooked to your liking.
• Let cool to the touch, split open and place in your meatballs.

(Seitan Meatballs Ingredients)

• 1 cup of Vital Wheat Gluten (I used Bob's Red Mill's)
• 1/2 tsp of Salt
• 1 tbl of Mrs. Dash's Garlic & Herb Blend
• 1/4 tsp of Crushed Fennel
• 1/4 cup of TVP/Veggie Crumbles
• 1 tbl of Olive Oil
• Enough Cold Water to mix
• Lightly Cooked Red Onion, Mushrooms and Orange Pepper

(Seitan Meatballs Directions)

• Cook off your vegetables in a dry pan first, let them cool slightly.
• Add everything except for the water together.
• Lightly toss together, add water slowly until it all comes together mostly. Knead for a moment.
• Then steam for about 45 minutes.
• Lightly fry your new seitan loaf on both sides with olive oil, then pour your favorite jar of marinara sauce onto it with a bit of water. Let it stew for five minutes and cut into chunks
• Place onto your fresh sandwich bread and enjoy!

This is a super yummy and super easy recipe - the plus side is that it is much healthier than your usual meatball sub AND (for me) it is my favorite food. The bread has been steamed and then baked at a high temperature to create a moist and soft inside with a crispy, crunchy outside. A light sprinkle of sea salt mixed with garlic and olive oil runs through the cavity and then eventually sandwiches the garlicky, tomato-filled sauce and slightly chewy and fennel infused seitan meatballs.

Itchy Witchy Pesto Pasta

Naan bread with a seared garlic eye and baked garlic nails atop brocolli pesto and nutritional yeast makes the creepiest and tastiest food. Or maybe it really is a witch?

(Itchy Witchy Pesto Ingredients)

• 1 Medium-Sized Head of Broccolli(Par-boiled and shocked)
• 1 Cup of Broccoli Water
• 1/4 Cup of Firm Tofu
• 3 tbl Cornstarch
• Salt, and Pepper to taste
• Olive Oil (optional)
• Al-dente Whole Wheat Spaghetti

(Directions)

• Mix all of the ingredients together in a sauce pot and cook until it becomes a thick sauce.
• Pour over your spaghetti, place into your serving dish, and sprinkle with nutritional yeast.
• Decorate with colored garlic naan and enjoy!

Cheap Cheezy Chickpea Pasta

I haven't updated in a while since I've been so busy improving on crafts, voice acting and the like. So here's a simple and cheap chickpea-sauce for pasta that you will absolutely love!

(Remaining Ingredients)

• Whole Wheat Mostaccioli pasta (cook according to box directions)
• Minced Oven-dried (or Sun-dried) tomatoes
• Fresh baby spinach

(Directions)

• Blend all of your first group of Chickpea Sauce ingredients together.Add the water slowly until it starts to loosen up a little.
• Then you can slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it is saucy to your liking.
• Cook pasta al dente according to box directions. Then, rinse in cold water to stop cooking.
• Heat the Chickpea Sauce. Toss the pasta in the sauce.
• Add minced dried tomatoes.
• Then you can chiffonade some nice fresh baby spinach and fold it all into your sauce and pasta when ready.
• Sprinkle on some vegan parmesan and enjoy!

Susuwatari Meatballs

Sorry that I didn't post this yesterday but happy late 4th of July for those who celebrate it! Last night's dish was another straight from Hayao Miyazaki's cookbook (okay, I made that up). Ever see spaghetti that had dark marks on it? Yeah, that's the soot sprites. I told them to try to clean up their mess this time though since it was a holiday and all.

(Ingredients)

• Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage Style
• Pepper, Cracked Red Pepper, Garlic Powder, Rosemary, Oregano and Basil to taste
• Organic Red and Orange Peppers
• Olive Oil (to cook the meatballs)
• Soy Cheese
• Nori
• Spaghetti  + Sauce

(Directions)

• Fold the spices into about half of the package of veggie sausage
• Shape into balls. If it gets sticky you can use some water on your hands to prevent it.
• Fry them in olive oil to your liking and drain them on a paper towel while you cut out your cheese eyes, nori, and peppers in the shape of stars. .
• Cook your spaghetti and sauce.
• Arrange them as you like once finished.
• Enjoy!

Vegan Chicken Parmesan

This was absolutely delicious and full of flavor - the best part is that it's quick to prepare and can be finished within an hour! Most of the items are premade as I didn't have time to do it myself, but it would probably be even tastier if everything was homemade.

(Chicken Seitan Ingredients)

• 1 Package of Vital Wheat Gluten
• 1 tbl Original Mrs. Dash
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder, Rosemary and Oregano
• 1/2 can of Sodium-Free Swanson Vegetable Broth
• 1/2 tsp of Iodized Salt
• 3 tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil (per piece)

(Additional Ingredients)

• Vegan Cheese
• Marinara Sauce
• Oregano
• Nutritional yeast

(Directions)

• Combine the dry ingredients and carefully add the broth until it forms a loose but well-formed piece of seitan.
• Split it up into different pieces and boil them in the rest of the vegetable broth, more Mrs. Dash and a bit of water. Let them cook for about thirty minutes, drain them and then press them dry.
• Cook each piece in some extra virgin olive oil until the side has cooked and crisped to your liking.
• Place in a pan, slather it in your marinara sauce, and place on a small slice of vegan cheese.
• Place in the toaster oven(or regular oven) until sauce is heated and cheese has melted. Sprinkle the pieces with oregano and then some nutritional yeast.
• Enjoy!

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!

That's Cat-tastic!

Don't worry, I'm not baking anything for an animal other than a human - besides, my cat is way too snotty (or smart) to enjoy even the sophisticated tastes of these crackers. I sure hope you aren't though, because these are way too delicious to not be eaten, and way too good for you to maintain a sophisticated character when eating them. You can use any type of cutter that you like, but all I have are three types of cutters and the cat was the smallest one that I could find.

These are made with three different types of flavors - Italian rosemary and Vegan Parmesan, Spinach and finally a mixture of the two.

Plain Cat-Tastic Crackers Recipe:
1 and 1/2 cups of All-Purpose Flour
1 and 1/2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
2 tbl of Nutritional Yeast (try to get the ones that look the flakiest)
1 tsp of Garlic Powder
3/4 a tsp of Iodized Salt
1 tsp of Baking Soda
1 cup of Ice water 1 tbl of Apple Cider Vinegar (with Mother is best)
A little less than 1/2 a cup of Pure Coconut Oil (not Virgin)
Turmeric and Paprika for color

Italian Cat-Tastic Crackers Recipe:
1-2 tablespoons of Crushed Sesame Seeds
1 tbl of Apple Cider Vinegar (with Mother is best)
1/2 a tsp of Rosemary
1 and 1/2 cups of All-Purpose Flour
1 and 1/2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
2 tbl of Nutritional Yeast (try to get the ones that look the flakiest)
1 tsp of Garlic Powder
3/4 a tsp of Iodized Salt
1 tsp of Baking Soda
1 cup of Ice water 1 tbl of Apple Cider Vinegar (with Mother is best)
A little less than 1/2 a cup of Pure Coconut Oil (not Virgin)
Turmeric and Paprika for color


Spinach Cat-Tastic Cracker Recipe:
1/4 cup of Spinach Juice or Chlorophyll and 1/4 cup Ice Water
1 and 1/2 cups of All-Purpose Flour
1 and 1/2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
2 tbl of Nutritional Yeast (try to get the ones that look the flakiest)
1 tsp of Garlic Powder
3/4 a tsp of Iodized Salt
1 tsp of Baking Soda
1 cup of Ice water 1 tbl of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother
A little less than 1/2 a cup of Pure Coconut Oil (not Virgin)


If you want to you can just use the first recipe and mix it together as you like, considering that there are only a few recipe changes in each. But after your decision, make sure that your coconut oil is well melted when you measure it out, then pop the measuring cup into the fridge for 5-10 minutes, then break it into pieces and let it chill for 15 more minutes. While the coconut oil has begun to solidify, add your dry ingredients together, then add the baking soda to your water mixture and wait about 2-5 minutes after stirring it. Once that is done, make sure that your flour color has a slightly darker tinge to it after adding the turmeric if you want them to be orange. Then make a well in the middle of your dry ingredients and alternate between the water and the coconut oil. If it is still quite wet - add more all-purpose flour and knead it to a doughy consistency. Afterwards, wrap it in plastic and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Prep your rolling and cutting area, making sure to keep the cutter and your table covered in all-purpose flour at all times. If your table is not marble, try to do this on a pan or some other non-absorbing surface.

Once the 30 minutes are up, take them it out, roll it to about 1/8 of an inch, then cut them into your preferred shapes with the cookie cutter (or your knife), rolling and rerolling until you run out of dough. Place the crackers on a well oiled sheet (use olive oil making Italian) and bake them in the oven for about 5 minutes or until they've puffed up to about twice their original size.     

Continue with the rest of the batch and enjoy!          



                                                                                                                                                   Signed,
                                                                                                                                        <3 Bou Shin<3

Buns, Buns, Be My Buns

             *New picture will be added soon*

When I tell you that this bread recipe is delicious - it is positively delicious! The recipe doesn't take too long, is easy to make your own, and produces the fluffiest and most flavor-filled bread you will ever eat. You can use rosemary, thyme, oregano or any other herb mixes you like. The key ingredient here is a little bit of garlic powder - which hits off the parade of flavors that hit your tongue. After the wonderful shock of garlic powder being a delicious component in my bread-making (I normally use fresh), I could taste the fresh bursts of rosemary and Italian oregano that I used. There's already extra virgin olive oil in the mix, but  I decided to coat each of my breadsticks with a mixture of salt, garlic powder and more olive oil.

(The bread recipe belongs to Enjolinfam on http//www.food.com/, and is titled "Healthy Italian Breadsticks or Pizza Crust)

After I pulled those babies out from the oven, the aroma hit me with wave upon wave of flavor. I knew it smelled positively delectable - but did it taste and feel just as delicious? Normally I would have waited for them to cool down but that smell was much too tantalizing to me. I picked up one of the smaller buns for a taste test, and after one big bite I knew I was in trouble. Soon I doused it with more of the olive oil-garlic mixture that I used for the coating and had eaten a little over half of the bread on the plate (there were quite a few more before the picture was taken). I made sure to save a bit of the dough and the already baked bread for a meal for the next day, but this time I decided to kick it up a notch. I had a can of chickpeas that hadn't been used in any Middle Eastern dishes yet and I always keep some form of seaweed in the house. I felt that it was time to introduce these two ingredients in the "Not-Tuna style".

I could never stand the taste or smell of mayonnaise before becoming a vegan, meaning that even the alternative "Vegenaise" was out of the question. I decided instead to just wash, drain and mash the chickpeas, strip up about a quarter of some nori, and add in some salt, rosemary, olive oil and finely diced red onions. I tasted it - and it was most definitely to my non-fishy liking. It wasn't too strong and it would go perfectly as a protein filling for this tasty bread. I wrapped up my "Not-Tuna Salad" and stashed it in the refrigerator overnight. I let the buns cool down some more and they followed the same route.

The next morning I heated my oven to about 250 degrees and put my buns on a baking sheet to warm them up. While the oven was being preheated I took out my "Not-Tuna Salad", mixed it up with some more olive oil to keep it from being dried out and tasted it once more. I found out that it tasted even better after it had been refrigerated for a few hours, and after the rolls had been toasted I slit them in the middle and stuffed it with the cool salad. I then proceeded to stuff my face with the delicious sandwich. Perhaps it would have been even better with some cucumber slices. Alas, I didn't have any and could not see for myself, but I was most definitely pleased with what I had then.

Enjoy!

             Signed, 

<3 Bou Shin <3

Bagel Italiano

*Picture will be re-taken soon*

Isn't that the most beautiful Italian flag you've ever seen? There's the bright splash of red coming from the oven-roasted tomatoes underneath the freshly-made sesame seed bagel. The inside is stuffed with delicious mashed white beans and dotted with little bits of fresh rosemary and spinach. To finish this menagerie of flavor I topped it off with some good-quality olive oil leftover from the oven-dried tomatoes. I sandwiched it in between the fresh bagel and enjoyed with a side of grapefruit and wavy potato chips. This bagel/sandwich is extremely filling and extremely easy to make. Its kid friendly and you don't have to just stop with the toppings that I used. You can try chocolate, fresh fruit, or just your basic schmear of (vegan) cream cheese to make the flavor pop. If you're on the go or just don't like feeling like you're masking the pure deliciousness of your bagel, you can always just eat it plain. It's full of fiber, protein and low fat!

Bagel Recipe:

1 cup of Lukewarm Water

3/4 A teaspoon of Rapid-Rising Yeast

3/4 a cup Bread Flour

1 and 3/4 a cup Wheat Flour

3/4 A teaspoon of Iodized Salt

1-2 Tablespoons of Blackstrap molasses (or any sweetener of your choice)

Add half of the cup of water into a large bowl and add your yeast, then prep your oven to 500 degrees and mix your dry ingredients together. After that, stir the yeast and prepare a baking pan with greased parchment paper, a pot with about 3-4 inches of water in it and something to scoop out your bagels with.  Create a well in your dry mixture and slowly add the yeast-water mixture. After it is loosely formed together, add more water until it is a good and only slightly doughy mixture. Knead it until it comes together and is elastic and transfer it into a small bowl covered with a towel. Let that mixture rest for about an hour and work on whatever toppings or fillings you want for your bagel. Let your imagination run wild, and after about 55 minutes of waiting have elapsed - put enough water into your pot with the molasses (make sure to grease your measure spoon prior to working with the molasses) and place it on the lowest setting. Then, uncover your dough ball and split it into equal pieces. Work with each piece slowly and make sure that it comes together, then take both of your palms and slowly work from the middle, to the left, to the right of the dough piece until it forms a long skinny piece of dough. Then you can hold it slightly in the middle until it stretches out a bit more and finally you can connect the two ends of the dough together to form an the shape of the bagel. Place it onto the greased baking pan/parchment paper and repeat with the other pieces of dough. After you have all formed them, cover them with a towel and wait for about 10 minutes for them to proof once more. Make sure to stir your pot to make sure that everything has come together and hasn't burned. 

Meanwhile, you can place your toppings (I used sesame, chia, and poppy seeds) in a small bowl as you wait. After the bagels have proofed for 10 minutes, place them individually into the water slowly, to ensure that none of them stick together. Wait for exactly 60 seconds for each one and flip them over at their 30-second mark (make sure to do this in the order that you put the bagels in) afterwards, place them onto the baking sheet and cover with your preferred toppings (or none if you prefer naked). Wipe away the excess seeds as they have a tendency to burn, but do not affect the flavor in any way, and place them into the oven for about 15 minutes or until they look to be a satisfactory color.

After they have cooled down for a few moments (10 to 15 minutes should be fine), slice them in half and  treat them as you will. Wasn't that fun?

(Recipe makes about four bagels)

Vegan Cream Cheese Recipe:
1 package of pressed Silken Tofu (your choice on the amount)
2 teaspoons of fresh Lemon Juice
2 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar (or more lemon juice)
1 tablespoon of Raw Sugar, Agave Nectar, or vegan White Sugar

Hope you enjoy!

                                                                                                                                    

All In Your Face

This is a huge and bold combination of Italian spices of seasonings. First, we have the homemade whole-wheat hot dog buns made just a few moments prior to the photo that are so soft and fresh its like eating a cloud made out of love and wheat. Next, we have some fresh rosemary and roasted garlic (Russet Potato) french fries covered in good quality olive oil, and to keep the balance between the two brown carbs I decided to add a nice spinach salad with mushrooms and tomatoes (dressing is optional). But the piece de resistance is the uber-texturized wheat meat, otherwise known as seitan.

Seitan is extremely easy to make, especially if you have some vital wheat gluten on hand (which you will also need for the buns). The brand I used is "Bob's Red Mill" and followed the recipe from this site - www.theppk.com/blog
(just type "Italian sausages" into their search bar if you're unsure of where you're going) and made sure to salt them to my liking (no matter what, seitan can be a bit plain tasting)

After that, I spread roasted garlic onto the still warm buns and placed some caramelized onions with fire-roasted red bell pepper (jarred) on top with a little sriracha. You can use any combination you like, but I always find roasted peppers with caramelized onions are a hard topper to beat for these sausages.

Hot Dog Buns Recipe:

1/8 a cup of Agave Nectar or molasses (I used black-strap molasses)

1/8 a cup of Vital Wheat Gluten

1/2 a tablespoon of Active Dry Yeast

Egg replacer equal to one egg (Ener-G, flax seeds, or chia seeds are fine)

1/2 a teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 a cup of lukewarm water (Too hot can kill the yeast, too cold it won't become active)

1 and 3/4 a cup of 100% Whole Wheat

Combine the water and yeast together and everything else except for the salt. Mix it together until it loosely forms, then add the salt to keep it from killing the yeast and deflating your bread.

After that, lay some flour down onto a wide surface (I used wheat, but All-Purpose should be fine) and place your dough on top of it. Make sure to cover your hands in flour and knead it for about ten minutes, or until it comes together and is slightly elastic. After that, slice the dough into equal proportions and roll them into the shape of hot dog buns. They don't have to be perfect as long as you can get the basic oblong shape. Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet (I used Olive Oil, but vegetable or canola oil should be fine) and let them proof (rise) covered for about an hour.

Meanwhile, heat your oven to 375 degrees and bake your buns for about 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven. You can also brush your buns with a bit of oil or vegan margarine and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top before baking them to give them a nice texture and shine. Take them out after they are browned enough and let them rest on a cool sheet pan or a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Test one to see if its still doughy on the inside and then you can slit them down the middle and stuff them whenever you're ready to enjoy them. Normally I would say that they're better on the first day since they contain no preservatives, but they're so good that they probably won't last a day!

(Recipe makes about six hot dog buns)

Enjoy!

 Signed, 

<3 Bou Shin <3