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!

Tofu Stir-Fry w/Spicy Garlic Sauce (Gluten-Free Option, Sugar-Free Option)

This was incredibly fun to make and I've only made it once before when I tried to figure out one of the sauces for my favorite "treat", stir-fried tofu in garlic sauce. Once a month or so, my family and I will get American-style Chinese takeout and this is my go-to dish aside from dumplings, desserts and steamed veggies. It is quite fattening so I won't eat it often, but it is especially addicting with the conflicting flavors and textures...and probably because I make it extra-spicy. You've probably had it before, and every restaurant has a slightly variating style - so I'm going to put my own little "Shin-Spin" on things. Whatever veggies you have on hand will do, so I'll list what I put in my stir-fry later.

(Spicy Garlic Sauce Ingredients)

• 1 & 1/2 tbl Rice Vinegar
• 2 & 1/2 tbl Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 tsp Raw Sugar or Stevia (optional)
• 1/4 tsp Good Sesame Oil (retains both taste and smell)
• 1 tbl Veggie Oil
• 2 tbl Good Soy Sauce or Tamari
• 1/2 tsp Sriracha
• 5 Crushed & Minced Garlic Cloves
• 1 pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tsp Cornstarch
• 2 tbl Water

(Directions)

• First, mix the water with the cornstarch.
• Saute your minced and crushed garlic in the veggie oil until softened and is lighter in color slightly.
• Add in your vinegars, soy sauce, and oil. Stir and let bubble
• Squirt in your sriracha and sugar, add a bit of pepper flakes and wait about 15 seconds.
• Mix in the slurry of cornstarch and water, then stir it in until it has thickened to your liking.
• Quickly coat your preferred veggies in this addictively spicy sauce and serve over a nice bed of rice.
• Enjoy!

My personal stir-fry contained mung bean sprouts, brocolli sprouts, carrots, baby corn, pan-fried tofu, steamed mushrooms, sweet peas, green bell pepper and broccoli. Since the garlic sauce is so flavorful and has a lot of sodium, I wouldn't suggest adding salt or anything else to the other ingredients so to keep it healthier.

Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

This dish is good throughout the year but is especially good when the weather is cooling down. The notes of a sweet and crunchy crust on top paired with soft lentils, pops of peas and a delicious spicy garlic sauce is what one needs to warm up.

(Crust Topping Ingredients)

• 1 Steamed and Mashed Sweet Potato (skin on)
• 1/4 Cup of Real Maple Syrup
• A pinch of Sea Salt

(Lentil Shepherd's Pie Filling Ingredients)

• 1 Head of Minced and Salted Garlic
• 1/2 Small Onion (minced)
• 3/4 Cup Vegetable Broth
• 3-5 tbl Sriracha
• 2 cups Cooked (but not mushy) Green Lentils
• 2 Medium-Sized Carrots
• 1/2 cup Peas
• A Dash of Cajun Seasoning
• Salt to taste

(Directions)

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
• Saute your garlic and onions in a pot until they become slightly translucent, then add the sriracha.
• After it has cooked for a few seconds and lightly sticks to the pan. Add about 1/4 of a cup of the broth. Stir and add in your carrots.
• After about five minutes, add your lentils and more broth as needed.
• Once the carrots have slightly softened and add the peas to the pot.
oil up your ramekins. Spoon some of the filling in leaving about 1/4 inch of space on top. Stack your sweet potato mash on top.
• Bake at 350 degrees for thirty minutes or until lightly crisp and fully browned.
• Serve and Enjoy!

Ice Cream For The Birthday Girl!

Tomorrow is my sister's birthday so I decided to put in some of her favorite things for lunch today. She loves strawberries and she especially loves peanut butter with sriracha. It seems odd but it does work in small amounts - but all that matters is what she likes. I used my egg mold and the same "egg" recipe as usual to make Hello Kitty and then I pasted on the crust of the sandwich onto it with tahini.

Bento Ingredients:

Tahini

Frozen Strawberries

Vegan Hello Kitty Egg

White Chocolate Peanut Butter (from Peanut Butter & Co)

Sriracha

Spinach

Nori

Whole Wheat Whole Grain Bread

Happy birthday sis and enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Here Doggy Doggy!

This isn't a bento but it can be easily modified to be placed into a cupcake tin for a bento. It's a vegan egg from this recipe with sriracha and plenty of veggies on the bottom. The trick is to fill about 3/4 of the holder with vegetables and just to allow enough brown rice to cover a bit of the bottom of the "egg". I used the cheap (clean) egg used for pantyhose to make this so that I didn't have to cut anything in half. Then I added some sticky rice mixed with soy sauce around the edge to make it softer and more of a mound shape. Then I added some sliced spinach and spring onion. It looks kind of like something from the Yum-Yum Bento Box by Crystal Watanabe and Maki Ogawa doesn't it?
Obviously not as cute - but it's a first and unique try.
Dog Bento Ingredients:
Soy Sauce
Vegan Egg + Yolk
Nori
Sriracha
Spinach
Spring Onion
Brown Rice
Sticky Rice
Your choice of vegetables

Construct as you like and enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Sushi Time

Okay, I've been going a little crazy with tofu lately - I know. But there are so many things that you can do with it especially with the fatfree vegan recipe that I just used in my breakfast bento. I found that when you start the tofu omelette off in a cold pan and keep the lid on until the top solidifies - it's very similar to egg sheets used for kyaraben. They didn't turn out as smooth as normal egg sheets but I think that was because I didn't use silken tofu.

Finn's Face:
1/2 block of Tofu (of your choice)
1/2 tbl Tahini
1 tbl Cornstarch
1 tbl Beet Juice
1/4-1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Iodized Salt

Jake's Face:
1/2 block of Tofu (of your choice)
1 tbl Cornstarch
1 tbl Water
1/4 cup of Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp Turmeric (I didn't have this)
1/2 tsp Iodized Salt

For Jake's face I had actually only used a fourth of a package of tofu, so if you follow the recipe exactly you may need to split it up into two batches. After you oil your medium-sized non-stick pan, spread in your tofu mixture and make it as round as possible and as smooth and even on top as possible. Turn on the heat and quickly put on a (hopefully clear) lid on top. Check it every so often and once the top solidifies, turn off the heat and remove the lid and use a rubber spatula to carefully scrape around the sides. Turn it upside down on a plate until it cools then pat it down once corrected.

Cut out and place on top of sushi rice and decorate with nori, soy cheese, carrots and sriracha as you like.

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

A Day In The Garden Kyaraben

This was a simple bento full of fresh fruit that I ate for breakfast but it's perfect at any time! I used more lightlife sausage in this one and combined it with some cracked red pepper and agave nectar. I covered the cheeks with some sriracha and cut out some nori for the facial features. To top it off I made a sweet potato pancake hat and some chocolate potato hair. Tasty, right?

Pancake Recipe:
"It's Pancake Time" recipe + Mashed Sweet Potato (for the hat)
Pancake Recipe + Cocoa Powder


Prepare them the same way but make sure that they're like regular pancakes, flatten them a bit more if you can, cut in half and make one with an edge for the brim of the hat. Attach them to some a sausage ball of your choice (that had been coated with panko) with some raw soba or rice noodles. Cut out the nori and cheese and dot on the sauce.

Next, make your omelette (I used beet juice instead of soymilk) per the directions of the fatfree vegan recipe (not mine) located here.

Line the bottom of the box with some spinach and put in your favorite fruits and vegetables. If you like, you can attach a small strawberry or a slice of a banana to the pancake hat to make a cute little flower.

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

A Bento For Mom

This is just one of the bentos that I made for my mom, cute isn't it? I'm so glad that I'm getting better and just wanted to show off my skills (and my love). Why not do the same or show your love with something a little different like Bento4Japan?

Ingredient List:

Brocolli

Radish

Spinach

Tofu + Beet Juice (for words)

Sticky Rice

Soy Cheese + Soy Sauce

Nori

Sriracha

Kale, Avocado and Sweet Pepper Salad

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3