Vegan Orange Chicken (Gluten-free option, Chinese-American)

 

You know what I really miss? Seitan. Do you know what I really, really used to dislike? Orange chicken! Let's see how much my opinion will change when we combine them.

But this orange chicken was spicy, sweet, tangy and so simple! It was so complex and so smooth, it bared a slight resemblance to the bright orange sauce you would order at any quick Chinese restaurant, but once you get this awesome sauce in your mouth - there's no going back. It's medium-thick, so you can taste the crispy, nuggety goodness of the seitan without it being over-powered by an overly-saccharine thick sauce.

I didn't have time to actually MAKE the seitan, though...so that's where good Ol' Gardein* comes in. I just ignored the fact that they have a sauce to go with it, because that's how I do.

 *You can use tofu, for a sure-fire GF option!

 

Orange Sauce Ingredients:

1 tsp Minced Garlic

1/2 tsp Ginger

2 Cups Orange Juice

1 tsp Soy Sauce

2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar

3 tbl (Apple) Honey or Agave Nectar

2 tbl Sriracha

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

2 tsp Cornstarch + 1-2 tsp cold water (mix)
Sprinkle of Red Pepper Flake
Cracked Black Pepper
The best part of this sauce is that you can start it at any time - even the day before and then you can just warm it up or "bake" it onto the vegan chicken!

Mix all the ingredients except for the cornstarch slurry, and make sure to do a taste test before adding all the hot and sweet stuff!

Whisk it all together, and let it bubble a bit...keep stirring! Faster and faster, and then you can drizzle in the corn starch. Keep stirring until fully incorporated, and then a little bit after. Let it boil and cook down a bit and RESIST adding more!

Let the cool down while you follow the instructions on cooking Gardein's Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n. The plot thickens...

Or at least the sauce does! Pour it over your chick'n, slam it on top of rice and you're good to go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PB & J Brownies with(out) Crackle Crust

I'm trying something a little different with my photographs - you like? This brownie recipe came to me when I got tired of just peanut butter sandwiches (I'm not really a big fan of PB & J anymore) and I had a huge bag of chocolate that just needed to be used. Add in my love for all things that are a little crazy, I also tried a somewhat successful crackle bread crust on top that broke enough to hold onto piece of jelly, but I think it needs to be adjusted before I post it. These brownies are moist, fudgey and super fun to make!

 

 



 

 

(PB & J Brownie Ingredients)

• 1 & 1/2 C. Cake Flour
• 3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
• 3/4 C. Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 C. Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 C. Melted Chocolate
• 1 C. Raw Sugar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1 C. of Non-Dairy Milk
• Peanut butter, powdered sugar and Jelly of your choice

(Directions)

• Combine your liquids and sift your dry ingredients (except the ones at the bottom and the melted chocolate) together.
• Fold them all together, then fold in your melted chocolate.
• Combine the powdered sugar and peanut butter together, then place them on top of the whole thing.
• Swirl in as much jelly as you think is necessary and bake for about 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

19 Days of Shinmas Event (Sign-Up Now!)

 

 

 

 

 

This entire event is leading up to my golden birthday on November 18th! Each day I will be posting a selection of blogs, groups, Facebook pages, musicians, artwork and recipes made by vegans for vegans. If you want to join in on the fun feel free to email me whatever you want that's vegan-related and all-around friendly at aikovenus [at] gmail [dot] com, contact me on the "Contact Me" page or post it to my page's Facebook Wall!

All you have to do is follow me here on Blogger and Facebook to join in on the fun.


Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shins-Vegan-Lovin/125788897505053 

Below are the themes of each day for posting recipes and everything else. Join in on the fun to be further promoted!

Day 1: On the first day of Shinmas my true love gave to me - a pear that's been candied!

 

Day 2: On the second day of Shinmas my true love gave to me two foods to shove (in my face)

 

Day 3: On the third day of Shinmas my true love gave to me three types of pies.

 

Day 4: On the fourth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me four strips of seitan.

 

Day 5: On the fifth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me a sackful of seeds!

 

Day 6: On the sixth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me six beautiful garnishes.

 

Day 7: On the seventh day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me seven roasted vegetables

 

Day 8: On the eighth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me eight original recipes.

 

Day 9: On the ninth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me a nine-ingredient food.

 

Day 10: On the tenth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me 10 creative tips.

 

Day 11: On the eleventh day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me 11 different posts from their blog tree.

 

Day 12: On the twelfth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me a surprise!

 

Day 13: On the thirteenth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me a spicy food for three.

 

Day 14: On the fourteenth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me Asian Sensation.

 

Day 15: On the fifteenth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me something crunchy.

 

Day 16: On the sixteenth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me Cinnamon spice.

 

Day 17: On the seventeenth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me some spaghetti (any pasta). 

 

Day 18: On the eighteenth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me an amazing birthday "party".

 

Day 19: On the nineteenth day of Shinmas my lovely fans gave to me a bunch of delicious yummies!

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!