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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Post: By Susmitha Subbaraju

Susmitha is perhaps one of the friendliest people that I have encountered online and has accepted me into the group "Vegan Temptivists" on Facebook, which is truly an honor - especially since she is my first guest blogger! She is an extremely talented artist in practically all of the mediums and makes amazingly mouth-watering recipes. Her blog, http://blog.veganosaurus.com/ is full of delicious, stunning and unique recipes - she isn't afraid to veganize and is most definitely outgoing when it comes to the things that she loves. Check her out because you won't regret it! ^^

---

Before I became vegan, 9 years ago, I was never interested in baking and barely interested in cooking. But turning vegan opened up a whole new world of ingredients and possibilities to me and I couldn't help but be inspired to get creative in my kitchen. That's when the baking bug bit me and ever since then there's been no looking back.
Since I'm vegan for ethical reasons, for the longest time I had the attitude that I'd rather use a few less than healthy ingredients in my baking (all purpose flour, processed oils etc...) than compromise on the taste and texture of the finished goodie. My main focus was to have people taste my cakes and pastries and be blown away by the deliciousness of vegan desserts.

When my more health inclined vegan friends spoke of using date syrup or whole wheat flour in their cakes, I used to turn up my nose and say, "those healthy cakes won't impress non-vegans into turning vegan so what's the point?" I even tasted a few of those healthy cakes and cookies with an open mind but was left unimpressed which further strengthened my belief that good cakes had to be made of all purpose flour and contain a generous amount of oil.

Then a few months ago, my friend Arun kicked that attitude right out of me by bringing this amaaaazing chocolate cake to our monthly Vegan Bengaluru potluck. I thoroughly enjoyed it. He told me that it contained absolutely no oil, was made of whole wheat flour and was made without an oven! My jaw would've dropped hearing that last bit except that I was busy gobbling up the cake.

Since I associate Bou Shin's blog with healthy eating as much as the cute bentos, I figured a healthy cake recipe would be perfect for my guest post here. :)

I made a bunch of changes to Arun's original recipe based on the ingredients I had at home.

(Here's my version of the Healthy Chocolate Cake recipe)

• 1 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 C Jaggery Powder (can use Sugar if you can't find jaggery but it's less healthier that way)
• 1/3 C Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 Small Mashed Bananas + 2 tsp Flax Seed Powder+ 1/4 C Water (whipped together for a few minutes)
• 3 tsp Lime Juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 C Water
• 1/2 C Walnuts - broken into little pieces
• 2 Small Mashed Bananas + 2 tsp Flax Seed Powder+ 1/4 C Water (whipped together for a few minutes)

(Directions)

• Bring 3 to 4 C of water to boil in a large pan/pot/steamer (the baking dish should easily fit inside).
• Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and lightly grease with a few drops of olive oil.
• Mix dry ingredients (except sweetener and walnuts) and sieve a few times to make the flour airy.
• Mix jaggery/sugar with wet ingredients and whip for a few minutes to create air bubbles.
• Mix wet and dry ingredients quickly until there are no large lumps (do not over mix).
• Stir in the walnuts and transfer to baking dish.
• Place an upside down the plate or bowl inside the steamer pot (to add height) and place the baking dish inside it.
• Cover the pot and steam on medium-high heat for 30 minutes.
• Uncover and continue steaming for another 15 minutes.
• Remove the baking dish from the pot and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
• Gently lift the cake along with the foil out of the dish and place on a cooling rack.
• After the cake has cooled completely, peel off the foil.
• Slice and serve plain or with melted chocolate poured over it.
• Enjoy!

Thanks Bou Shin for having me over on your blog.

Paranorman Pizza

It came from the graaave! Are you as excited for the new movie "Paranorman" from the makers of "Coraline"? We all know how much I love Coraline, and so when I found out about the new movie almost a year ago I became very ecstatic and waited for the right time to come. I didn't want to make a bento but I also didn't want it to be complicated - so a dark beet pizza sauce with a unique flatbread crust was the way to go! Its full of veggies so that everyone can get their nutrition and their "spooks" in.

Beet Marinara Sauce Recipe:
1 Beet Quartered and Roasted
1 Roasted Tomato
3 Roasted Carrots
5 Cloves of Roasted Garlic
1/2 tub of Vegan Cream Cheese
2 Minced Green Onions
Italian Seasonings
A touch of Vinegar
A heavy pinch of Salt


Blend your ingredients together, and place onto your preferred (pre-baked) pizza crust. Assemble with cheese and bake once more to melt the cheese. Top with vegan egg sheets, extra veggies or masa sheets and everyone will enjoy!

Coraline Bento http://shinsveganloving.blogspot.com/2012/03/coraline-bento.html

The Other Mother Bento

http://shinsveganloving.blogspot.com/2012/03/coraline-other-mother-soboro-bento.html

Mr Bobinsky Bento http://shinsveganloving.blogspot.com/2012/04/mr-bobinsky-bento-coraline-bento.html

Ms. Spink & Ms. Forcible Bento

 http://shinsveganloving.blogspot.com/2012/04/miss-spink-and-miss-forcible-bento.html

 The Other Father Bento

http://shinsveganloving.blogspot.com/2012/05/other-father-bento-coraline-bento.html 

American Stir-Fry (Low-Fat, Fun, Simple)

American stir-fry actually originated in Thailand somewhere around the 1960's for American soldiers. Normally it contains hot sauce, hot dogs, fried chicken, rice and possibly macaroni - but they all vary and just about anything can be considered that style of stir-fry nowadays. Its meant to provide a lot of dense, nutritional value that is easy to eat and it was used to provide a 'homey' feeling for the soldiers. It is still served in some restaurants, but its popularity varies.

Here is my version of a "breakfast" American stir-fry

American Stir-Fry Recipe:
1 Handful of Cooked Veggie Sausage
1 large Collard Green
1/4 package of Tofu
Cooked Brown Rice
Turmeric
Bell Peppers, Onions and Garlic
Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder

*Nutritional facts will be configurated later

If you wish, you can season it with soy sauce and a yummy, spicy garlic sauce instead or do as I did and pour a mix of the two and Louisiana hot sauce on it.

Mr Bobinsky Bento (Coraline Bento)

Sergei Alexander Bobinski (aka Mr. Bobisnky) happens to be my favorite character from the book and movie "Coraline". How couldn't you love him? He's strong and athletic, handsome, blue and quite kind to Coraline - plus he loves vegetables (namely beets)! So, instead of me telling you what went into making this super fun I decided to call up Mr. Bobinsky himself! Take it away Bobo!

How do you feel about Mr. Bobinsky?

Bobinsky: Oh hello, Ms. Shine! What is it that I am to be taking away? This "benuto"?

Me: "Be-n-to" and yes, Mr. Bobinsky! Tell us how you really feel about it!

Bobinsky: Well let me first say that there are no beets in this bento. How can you have a strong Bobinsky bento without beets? They make you strong and able to aerodynamic! *lifts up small car and throws it* Do you see what I mean Ms. Shine? Otherwise this bento is fantastic and looks like Mr. Bobo himself! Those little mice are made of Russian Miysniy Bitki, yes? So inventive with the brown and white rice covering, cranberries (red, like beets), noree eyes, almond ears and soba noodle tails! The kale that surrounds it all added with the red grapes, cherry tomatoes, masa sheet, red and orange bell peppers and blue onigiri me are amazing! The tortilla you used for my shirt is eeehh, how I would say in my Mother tongue, vyglyadit krasivo. More tortilla for the eyes, some nori and boom! You've got a Bobinsky - eh? Ey, where's my badge from Chernobyl - I was there for the cleanup after the-

Me: Oh, lookie here we're out of time so soon! Thanks for visiting Mr. Bobinsky, I think that its time for you to go back to the Pink Palace!

Bobinsky: But I haven't even told you about my wonderful Mouse Circus improvements yet! Come with me - you must see how they go "Oompa peep" now! Halfway there I must say! *grabs Ms. Shin's hands*

Me: Maybe some other time - woah! See you next time and I hope that you enjoyed this segment of Coraline Bentos, everybody! If you need the list its at the bottooooooom - The tutorial for the mice is coming soon!

Mr. Bobinsky Bento Ingredients:

Kale

Cherry Tomatoes

Red Grapes

Red and Yellow Bell Peppers

White and Brown Rice Onigiri

Miysniy Bitki Meatballs

Almonds

Dark Blue Masa Sheet

Nori

Cranberries

Corn Tortilla

Enjoy everyone!

Making A Better Bento #2 - Don't Follow The Fads

I've noticed that a lot of bentos use highly-processed ingredients such as kamaboko, cheese, pre-cooked food items and other similar things. While there is nothing wrong with this - too much is a bad thing in this case and depending on salty and fatty options for your loved one's lunches isn't the best way to go. But let's say that you come by this amazing bento tutorial that you know just everyone would love but its filled with over-processed, high-fat, high-sodium and low nutrition foods. Well don't worry - you can still make amazing bentos without making you (or the bento-eater) as fluffy and big as the onigiri that you're making! ^^

When I first started, I was a bit in the middle with the foods I was making my bento with. For example, in this little darling I had about two servings of plain white rice with chickpeas and barely any vegetables. While it did not have much salt in it - the salted white rice gave it a lot of sugar and isn't healthy at all. Oddly, I had rarely ever eaten white rice when I became vegan (before making bentos) unless it was accompanying delicious Chinese food and even then that wasn't very common. A lot of bento makers happen to live in Japan and/or have attachments to it or another Asian country that eats large amounts of rice which means that it tends to be asserted within their cooking and lunch, especially if the bento box itself is small - meaning that you have to include a lot of filling (read; carbs) within the lunchbox. While I was raised with a pretty substantial amount of rice in my diet I came to realize that just eating rice with a few sprigs of chives was not healthy even if it was filling. The best way to get filled with rice without having to worry about the rise in blood sugar is to eat the whole and beautiful brown rice (or millet, barley or other ancient grains). If you're ever worried about not being able to shape your onigiri properly without having them be mushy with the brown rice you can either use California Grain brown rice or use a small mixture of white and brown rice for texture and health. Honestly, you shouldn't ever be dependant on rice or just one thing unless you really like it - bentos are about variety. Have pizza, pasta or sandwiches one day with a nice salad and some fresh fruit and maybe the next bento you will want to have some beet or tofu poke with brown rice onigiri. Think fresh and buy fresh!


Hey look - chopsticks! And cake...and white rice...and bread nuggets with few fresh veggies.

As in the first installation of "Making A Better Bento" you need to know about balance. If you're ever worried about not getting enough food then the first step is to check a national nutritional guide and build your bento off of that until you're confident. To fill yourself or others up then you can include an additional bento or tiny box filled with fruits, vegetables or extra beans and if it is a special treat for the day then you can splurge a bit and add some sort of sweet other than fruits...just make sure that the whole bento isn't made of cakes and candy!

Getting back to the processed foods - while you will often see me adding soy or rice cheese to my bentos I've found that it doesn't always taste the best and most of the time I simply need to get to my culinary vegan roots and make my own "cheese". If you don't feel confident enough in making your food it, then you can easily find alternatives to the cheese such as radishes, parsnips, bread, tofu, or even just plain nori! Want some vegan SPAM? Make your own with beans, tofu or whatever your heart desires - just know that when it comes to bentos you need to think OUT of the box but still work with what makes you happy.



A brown rice bento with radish eyes and lots of fresh veggies - no cheese!

You don't even have to use the boxed dyes - you can easily make your own or buy organic, plant-based dyes that are easy to process and that you don't have to worry about. For example, a little research on the wonders of fruits, dark greens, turmeric, annato, beets and red cabbage will provide you with a surplus of things to dye your bento with.


 Your "Homework": 

Vegan Kyaraben Color Chart by Disposable-Aardvarks

Delicious Brown Rice Onigiri by one hundred eggs

Natural Ways to Make Your Bento Colorful by Just Bento

Healthy Hello Kitty Kyaraben (With White Rice and veggies)

Vegan Spam

*If you have anything that you want me to add to the list or have a new topic to discuss for the next MABB then feel free to comment!

Panda Bread Bento

I'm sorry I haven't been posting as much lately - but I've been working on a cooking class (surprise, I'm running it!) as well as making meals for $0 and cooking for my mum for the past two weeks. It sounds stressful but its mostly what I want to do when I have the money and enough time under by belt, but speaking of my mom - she's lost 10 pounds within the past two weeks on the "diet" she had to go on and the nutritionist said how wonderful it was that I was fixing vegan meals for her! In this bento I simply had some of my homemade chia bread, some super-simple vegan pate, jalapenos, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, strawberries and zucchini. 

Panda Bread Bento Ingredients:

Radishes

Carrots

Cucumber

Zucchini

Strawberries

Peppers

Jalapeno Pepper

Tomatoes

Parsnips 

Easy Salt-Free Vegan Pate Recipe:
1/2 a cup of Roasted Baby Bella Mushrooms
1/4 a cup of toasted Walnuts
A small clove of garlic
A small handful of Edamame, Green Beans or Snap Peas

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it is to your liking, add some water if you wish to smooth it out, refrigerate and then serve on top of vegetables, rice or bread.

Raw Vegan Pie Pops

I actually first heard of pie pops as a part of a trend from Hannah Kaminsky's "Bittersweet Blog" but kind of thought of it beforehand. It wasn't until I ended up in a department store surrounded by cake pop makers, waffles on sticks and mini pies on a stick makers. I felt that the machines would be a great waste for a once in a while treat (but great for those that make a lot of them!) so I decided to just buy the sticks since I was there. That's when I decided to make these delicious mini-strawberry pie pops - I love how one serving is only one to two bites!

(Raw Vegan Pie Pops Crust Ingredients)

• 1/2 cup of Coconut Flour
• 1/4 cup of Gluten-Free Oat Flour
• 1/2 cup of Nut Flour (your choice)
• A pinch of Sea Salt
• 4 tbl of Melted Coconut Oil
• A pinch of Turmeric

(Pie Filling Ingredients)

• Sliced Strawberries
• 2 tbl of Stevia
• 5 tbl of Fresh Citrus Juice
• 1 tbl of Chia Seeds

(Directions)

• Mix filling ingredients together, then set aside.
• Combine your flours and oils.
• Lay your pie crust down and place one to two small strawberries on top, then indent a place for the lollipop stick and then rest it in that area.
• Place the top crust onto it and then seal it with a fork. You may want to add more on the bottom of the pie around the stick.
• If you wish, you can sprinkle some raw sugar or stevia on top, then freeze for about 20 minutes.
• Unstick from your plate and then continue to freeze until five minutes before you're ready to serve.

Wasn't that easy? I hope that you enjoyed it! ^^

Baked Mini Apple Donuts (Low-Fat and Sugar-Free)

Do....uh...do I eat it? I mean, they're so adorable! They smell delicious though, and I'm a bit hungry. If you want to make your own little yummy donuts that make you question your hunger - you've come to the right place! These donuts were actually a happy accident as I was attempting to make healthy smores donuts, and I poured about two tablesoons of ACV into the mix. In an attempt for retribution I looked for apples to add and found that someone had made a delicious apple pie. ^^; So here we are!

(Mini Apple Donuts Ingredients)

• 1/2 Cup of Bulgur Flour (just grind some bulgur wheat)
• 1/2 cup of Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 cup of All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Annato Powder
• 5-8 tbl Stevia (or other dry sweetener)
• 2 tsp of Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
• 1-2 cups of Water (go slowly)
• 4 tbl of Oil (sub Applesauce or Chickpea Puree)
• 2 tbl of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tsp of Vanilla Extract

(Directions)

• Whisk all of your dry ingredients together. In seperate bowl,combine the oil to the water, extract, and vinegar. Then, then fold in dry ingredients with a spatula.
• Pour a small amount into your silicone donut pan (you have one, right?) and then bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until you feel that they're browned and ready.(Be sure not to let them be too thin or overspread themselves on top of the pan as that results in dryness.)
• Let them rest for about 15 minutes from the oven and then place the mini donuts on a wire cooling rack until they have cooled to the touch.
• Eat as many as you want (you may want to avoid the giraffe, however) and enjoy! ^^

Breakfast Bento

My first (and simplest) non-kyaraben bento, normally I don't photograph these types - but this was too adorable!

Breakfast Bento Ingredients:
1 Lightlife Sausage
Scrambled Tofu
Oatmeal Yogurt
Steamed Kale
Blackberry and Dark Chocolate Pancakes (Whole-Wheat)

It was a great and filling breakfast that only took thirty minutes to prepare - I hope that you enjoyed my first non-character bento!

Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal

Delicious, crunchy and extremely easy to make - these are a healthier alternative than the boxed cereal and can be made at any time. This is a soy-free dish with lots of oat milk, seeds, raw sugar, cinnamon and low fat oils that the whole family will most definitely love.  Just add a squeeze of agave nectar (if you want it really sweet), some more flax seeds, your favorite fruit and you're ready to enjoy a nice homemade breakfast. This meal also has a raw vegan and gluten-free alternative.

(Regular CTC Cereal Recipe)

• 3/4 cup of White Whole Wheat
• 1/4 or 1/2 cup of Raw Sugar
• 1/8 tsp Turmeric
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tbl Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 2 tbl Chia Seeds with cold water
• 3 squeezes Agave Nectar
• 1 tsp of Canola Oil
• Enough (gluten-free) Oat Milk to mix

(Regular CTC Cereal Directions)

• Mix all of the dry ingredients together with a spoon first,then mix in the wet ingredients.
• Knead about 40 times. Let the dough rest for about ten minutes.
• Roll the dough out as thinly as you like. The more thickness it has, the less crispness and the less time it will last on the shelves.
• Cut your squares, slather with oat milk and sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until fully browned and crisped.
• Fix your bowl of cereal and Enjoy!

(Raw Vegan Cereal Version)

• 1/2 cup of Ground Flax Seeds
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 tbl of Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tbl Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 5 tbl of Raw Agave Nectar
• 1/4 cup of Raw Sugar
• 3 tbl of Gluten-free Oats
• 2 tbl of Coconut Oil

(Raw Vegan Cereal Version Directions)

• Grind your dry ingredients together, mix in the wet, and cut into thin squares.
• Dehydrate or "bake" at 150 degrees for a few hours until fully dry.
• Add to your favorite fruit bowl mix or serve with non-daiy milk.
• Enjoy!

I hope that you like these two different recipes!

It's Pancake Time!

Inspired by Pendleton Ward's Adventure Time - but edible! None of the images that I took inspiration from are owned from me, they are owned by the people that I mention.  The pancakes are two different flavors, and one is sweet while the other has a savory taste.

(Basic Pancake Mix Ingredients)

• 2 and 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 and 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 tsp Iodized Salt
• 1/4 cup Agave Nectar
• 1 tbl Ground Flax Seeds
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• Vegetable Oil (a few tbl per pancake)
• Water or Soy milk (to mix)

(Jake's Face Ingredients)

• Basic Pancake Mix
• Turmeric + Pineapple Juice
• Chocolate Sauce

(Finn's Face Ingredients)

• Basic Pancake Mix + Turmeric + Pineapple Juice
• Fresh Strawberry Juice + Water + 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice (face)
• Chocolate Sauce

(Directions)

• Mix the ingredients together
• Start off your pan onto the lowest heat with a little bit of oil and spoon (or squeeze with a bottle) the pancake mix in.
• If making Finn's face: make sure to keep it as oval as possible and do the strawberry pancake mix first. Add the hat after then use your spatula to shape everything).
• Once it has started to bubble up well, firmly shove your spatula under and carefully flip it.
• For Jake's face: you can just make the shape of his face
• Once done, let them rest on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil.
• Decorate with chocolate sauce.
• Enjoy!

If you want to make the Lumpy Space Princess, use blueberry + blackberry juice for the pancake mix, and for Princess Bubblegum you can just do the same thing as you did with Finn, except reversed.

Garden In A Bowl

It would have been better if I had used Romaine Lettuce, but I had none on hand. It was still extremely delicious and healthy though - it's great for light lunch! It doesn't require a recipe as it is very simple and quick to make. It consists of blueberries on the right side (to viewers), pistachios to the left and a piece of pan-fried tofu atop juicy tomatoes, crunchy onions and crisp lettuce. I added more to the meal later as I added thinly slice radish pieces, chunks of avocado and lots of tasty cucumbers. The tofu was coated in cumin, chili powder and a little bit of salt and pepper, seared on both sides and then crisped up even more in the oven. Add a dressing if you like, but it's definitely not necessary with this tasty meal.

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

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!

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!

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!