Hummus & Veggie Melts

Quick post today, still recovering from the weekend, ha ha! It was full of old friends, margaritas, the most delicious drink ever called a Shanghai Mule, late-night bike rides, beer and hiking. As soon as I download my pics, I promise to share, but for now you’ll just have to make due with these Hummus and Veggie Melts.

They’re so quick and easy, perfect for dinner (or lunch!) when you have no idea what to make and much healthier than take out. They’re simply english muffins, hummus, veggies and a dab of vegan cheese.

Toast your english muffins, then slather them with your favorite hummus. While they’re toasting, water saute a handful of vegetables with a sprinkle of powdered garlic (I used kale and orange bell peppers). You don’t need to cook them all the way, just soften them up. Add them to your muffins and top with some vegan cheese and stick under the broiler until the cheese melts. That’s it!

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Easy Korean BBQ Tofu and Kimchi Fried Rice

I found the original tofu recipe on Pinterest, but of course had to change it up a little bit. Perhaps you remember my Korean BBQ tacos? Or the Korean BBQ pizza? They both included Sriracha pineapples (as mentioned in the LA Weekly a while back), and I knew that my version of the Korean BBQ Tofu would have to include some of those as well. And as expected, they combined perfectly! This was my first time making Korean BBQ with tofu (I’ve always used seitan in the past), but it wont be my last. By using the extra firm and pressing it for an extra long time, you ensure the tofu will have a nice firm texture. The BBQ sauce is just a little sweet (and you’ll definitely want to use Korean, not American, BBQ sauce!) which adds a wonderful balance to the spiciness of the Sriracha pineapples.

I also finally got around to buying a bottle of vegan kimchi. I had looked for it last spring when I first got on my ‘Korean Cooking Kick’ (TY, Shawna!), but all the brands I found had some sort of fishy nastiness going on.

Not sure why it never occurred to me to check Whole Foods. I’m a bit slow sometimes.

Anyhoozle, I finally did and I got me a bottle of Zuke kimchi which is some of the best kimchi I’ve ever had. First on my list of things to make with it was Kimchi Fried Rice. Shawna is always talking about how yummy it is, so I had to try it.

And she was right. The rice had so much flavor! I know that not everyone loves the taste of kimchi, but it wasn’t overly strong in this dish.

If you’ve never tried kimchi, it’s fermented pickled vegetables. The veggies are crunchy and the flavor is a combination of sour and spicy. It also has a very pungent odor. It’s delicious, but for many is an acquired taste.

And now, the recipes!

Korean BBQ Tofu with Sriracha Pineapples (serves 2 hungry vegans)

Adapted from averie cooks

Ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu, pressed for at least 3 hours
1/2 cup chopped pineapple
1+ Tablespoons Sriracha
1 cup Korean BBQ sauce (I always seem to use Bibigo, or make my own)
Aluminum foil and non-stick spray

Directions:

In a small tupperware, combine the pineapple and Sriracha. Cover and shake until all the pineapple is covered with sauce. Taste, and add more Sriracha as needed. If you added too much, you can rinse the pinapple and start over again! Set in the fridge until you’re ready to add it.
Slice the tofu into 8 strips, then place in a bowl with the BBQ sauce, stirring until coated. Let marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, although the longer the better.
Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray with the non-stick, then lay out the slices of tofu. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then flip and put back in for another 15. Sprinkle your Sriracha pineapples over the tofu and place under the broiler for just a couple minutes, and then you’re done!

Easy Kimchi Fried Rice (serves 2 as a side dish)

If you have some, you should definitely use leftover rice that is a day or two old. If you don’t (I didn’t), just whip up a batch of brown rice, it’ll still work!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup diced sweet onion
Sprinkle garlic powder
1 cup kimchi, chopped
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups brown rice
Handful of chopped green onions

Directions:

Water sautee the onion (with garlic powder) 2-3 minutes, then add the kimchi. Stir well and let sit over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add the soy sauce and rice and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Ideally you want the rice to get a little crispy, but if it’s fresh it probably wont.
Top with green onions and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

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Taco Quesadillas

I’m not entirely sure if “Taco Quesadilla” is really a thing, but it was delicious and that’s really all that matters, right? They’re full of everything you’d put into a taco: crispy lettuce, diced tomatoes, salsa and your favorite vegan mock meat. The bonus is that you get to use A LOT MORE CHEESE than you would in a taco. I used a whole wheat tortilla though, so the calories don’t count.

On an entirely unrelated note, I seem to be reliving my childhood through my cooking. By that I mean I keep making dishes that seem like something your child might respond with when asked what she wants for dinner. Beanie Weenies! Breakfast Pizza! Taco Quesadillas!

I’m not saying I see a problem with this, but I do realize that I’ll need to come up with something a bit more elegant before my next dinner party, ha ha.

(I might still stick with a Mexican food theme though, so that I can keep using these glasses!)

True story: I bought those in Tijuana in 1999(!!) on a little jaunt with my roomies-at-the-time, Randy and Theron. In the past 14 years they’ve survived many moves:

From San Diego to LA apt #1
From LA apt #1 to LA apt #2
From LA back to San Diego apt #1
From San Diego apt #1 to San Diego apt #2
From San Diego apt #2 to San Diego condo
From San Diego to Colorado Springs house #1
From Colorado Springs house #1 to house #2
From Colorado Springs house #2 to Denver storage unit
From storage unit to current Denver abode
(coming soon… from current abode to TBD abode!)

That’s a lot crazier than it looks. Well, maybe it’s just as crazy as it looks. I moved to SD from NH to try something new, then to LA because it seemed like more fun. Then back to SD for grad school. The building manager at my first apartment was a stalker (honestly! she stalked me! she went into my apartment when I wasn’t home and then would make creepy comments to me about things inside that she couldn’t have seen otherwise!) so I moved in with my friend Tawnia, then into a condo my mom had bought for my little brother to live in (I was a squatter, haha!). I guess the rest is pretty unremarkable (other than the fact that a college educated woman who always votes ‘D’ chose to move to Colorado Springs!?), and no, I don’t know about my next move yet. I just know it’ll be this summer.

My point was (I think), isn’t it amazing those glasses have survived all those moves? One is chipped on the bottom, but that’s it. Impressive packing skills, amirite?

And that salsa? Deelish! The next person I get paired up with in the vegan food swap is getting some Pueblo Chile Salsa I think!

Taco Quesadillas (makes 2 quesadillas)

I used Lightlife smart ground “mexican” in these, but you can use any sort of crumbled vegan meat alternative, or even just slightly mashed beans!

Ingredients:

4 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup of your favorite vegan crumbled meat substitute
1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
Vegan mozzarella shreds (I used Daiya in these)
1/2 cup chopped lettuce
1 tomato, diced
1/2 onion, diced
Salsa

Directions:

Heat your crumbles or beans in a pan with the taco seasoning and a little bit of water, until it’s heated and seasoned through. Set aside.
Place two tortillas in the pan (over medium) and top with half the cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, crumbles and a bit of salsa, then the rest of the cheese.
Cover the pan and reduce heat to low and let sit until the cheese starts to melt. Top with the remaining tortillas and flip. Leave in for another 2-3 minutes or until your tortillas start to crisp and the cheese is melted. Serve immediately with sour cream or guacamole!

Enjoy!

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Cheater Vegetable Pot Pie

No, this pot pie wasn’t discovered in some no-tell motel, that’s not why I call it a cheater I call it my Cheater Vegetable Pot Pie because you use puff pastry for the crust, which makes it feel so easy you’ll feel like you’re cheating!

It’s also healthier than a lot of pot pies out there because there’s only crust on the top. You’d be surprised how much fat and calories that’ll save ya. It’s also full of all my favorite veggies including: kale, carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, mushrooms and bell peppers.

Yes, you read that right. I put kale in a pot pie!

This might seem like another seasonally-odd menu choice, but I made it last week during that silly snow storm we had here along the Front Range (and we’re having more winter weather this week, sheesh!). Plus you can totally enjoy pot pies all summer long- just fill ‘er up with your favorite summer veggies instead of the heavier root vegetables they’re usually made with.

“Cheater” Vegetable Pot Pie (makes 7-8 servings)

Ingredients:

1 small sweet onion, roughly chopped
1/2 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped
2 large carrots, thinly sliced (peeled or unpeeled is up to you)
1 Tablespoon vegan butter
2 red potatoes, chopped (peeled or unpeeled is up to you)
1 bell pepper, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
6-7 crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1.5 cups vegetable broth
Half cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
2/3 cup frozen sweet peas
S&P
1 sheet puff pastry crust, thawed and rolled out (Pepperidge Farm is accidentally vegan and available at most stores, or you can make your own!)

Directions:

Water saute the onion, kale and carrots for 2-3 minutes.
Add the butter, potatoes, bell pepper, celery and mushrooms and cover with the heat on medium/low for 5 minutes.
Stir the flour into the veggie mix, mixing until it’s all combined, 1-2 minutes.
Pour in the veggie broth and the almond milk. Keep stirring until there are no flour lumps, then bring to a simmer. It’ll start to thicken up in about 4-5 minutes. Add the frozen peas then remove from heat.
Add a bit of sea salt and freshly ground pepper, then stir. Spray your 8×8 baking dish with some non-stick spray, then pour in your delicious veggie mixture. Cover with your puff pastry and cut slits in the top to vent. Bake at 375 until the crust is golden brown, 15-20 minutes (or maybe more depending on your oven). Let cool for a few minutes then serve.

Enjoy!

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“Broccoli Cheese Soup” Grilled Cheese

When Go Veggie! (formerly known as Galaxy Nutritional Foods) sent me some of their new vegan shredded cheese and asked if I wanted to participate in National Grilled Cheese month, it was really a no-brainer. Not that I knew it was National Grilled Cheese month until they told me… but once I found out, I was totally in! And so I present to you (drum roll please)… the Vegan “Broccoli Cheese Soup” Grilled Cheese Sandwich!

It’s got steamed broccoli, sweet onions sauteed with garlic, and a delicious mix of Go Veggies! new vegan Mozzarella and Mexican shreds combined with just a little bit of vegan butter. It’s rich, but it also has a ton of broccoli so we’re going to call it a health food, k? What is absolutely healthy is that delicious massaged kale salad in the background – they went perfectly together!

As you can see from the pictures, the shreds melted perfectly. I still have lots of the mozzarella left, so I’m thinking another crazy pizza creation is in my near future, ha ha. I’ll keep you posted of course!

Look at all that green on my plate!

“Broccoli Cheese Soup” Grilled Cheese Sandwich (makes 2 sandwiches)

Ingredients:

4 slices hearty bread (I used a homemade multi-grain ‘cause I’m fancy)
Vegan butter
1 heaping cup broccoli florets (it helps if they’re sliced thin)
1+ teaspoon garlic powder
Sea salt
2 1/4 inch slices of sweet onion, each sliced in half so you get the long pieces of onion
2 handfuls Go Veggie! vegan cheese shreds (Either flavor would work, I used a mix of both… ’cause I’m fancy!)

Directions:

Schmear butter on one side of each slice and set aside.
Steam the broccoli (I use a colander in a pot of boiling water because maybe I’m not so fancy after all?) until it turns bright green, 5-6 minutes. About halfway through, sprinkle it with the garlic and sea salt and give it a stir.
Water saute the onions just until soft, 4-5 minutes. Give them a sprinkle of garlic too!
In a frying pan over medium heat, lay down your first two slices of bread, buttered side down. Top each with about 2/3 of the cheese, then add the broccoli and onion. Cover the pan and turn the heat down to low, just for a couple minutes. We want that cheese to get reeaaal melty!
Turn the heat back to medium and remove the cover. Add the rest of your cheese and the remaining slices of bread, buttered side up. Now, if you want your sandwich to be a little bit extra decadent, add a little butter to the side of the bread that’s facing the cheese. It’s not required, but it sure is good!
When the bottom slice is browned, flip and continue to cook until the color is the way you like it! Serve immediately!

Enjoy!

*Go Veggie! provided me with free product to review, but the opinions are 100% mine!

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Sesame Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

There are plenty of ways to enjoy asparagus, especially now that warm weather is arriving, but I need to strongly recommend that you give Sesame Parmesan Roasted Asparagus a try.

Or, as I like to call it, Sesaparms ‘spargus. Go on say it. It’s fun!

I made this the same night I gorged on Somer’s Vegan Orange Sesame Seitan and they went together perfectly. I feel like asparagus is the quintessential spring/summer vegetable and would go perfectly with anything, really. Grill it, roast it, steam it, boil it… you can’t go wrong!

Sesame Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

One bunch fresh asparagus
Olive oil for drizzling
S&P
Sesame seeds
Nutritional yeast

Directions:

Wash your asparagus, then chop off the woody ends at the natural breaking point (you know, where it snaps when you bend it)
Arrange on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil and drizzle with just a bit of olive oil
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, then place under the broiler (on low) for 6-8 minutes, turning once. Keep an eye on it! Don’t let it burn!
Plate the ‘gus and sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds and nutritional yeast, and serve while still warm.

Enjoy!

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Orange Sesame Seitan

Vegan Orange Sesame Seitan

I love Chinese food but it’s one of those things I don’t often make at home… until a few weeks ago when Somer posted her Vegan Orange Sesame Seitan as an answer to any “meaty cravings” vegans may be having.

You must go make it. Seriously. Tonight. I don’t care what you were planning to have, make this instead! Here’s her recipe.

The only changes I made were to serve it over brown rice, and I used chia seeds instead of flax because I couldn’t find my darn flax seeds! It worked, but I don’t feel like I got the complete coverage she did. It was still yummy though! (Obvs, since I’m still gushing over it after all this time, right?)

As for that delicious looking asparagus, check back in on Friday for that recipe!

Now go make it, k?

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Chik’n Salad with Cranberries and Pistachios

Oh man, do I love sandwiches. Love ‘em! And quite possibly, the one I love most of all is this Vegan Chicken Salad Sandwich, complete with chewy cranberries and crunchy pistachios!

Back when I was an omnivore, chicken salad was always a favorite of mine, but thankfully those days are long behind me.

Long side story: I still remember the last time I ate chicken, it was chicken schnitzel in Heidelberg, Germany right before climbing the hill to tour Schloss Heidelberg (in flip-flops no less… I don’t recommend it). Such a beautiful city, and an amazing castle. Everything I saw of Germany was wonderful, actually. I would absolutely go back again (any German readers that want me to come visit? I’ll cook for you! )

It’s funny I remember that, isn’t it? I was still transitioning to vegetarianism (this was mid 2008), and had managed to eat veg my whole trip up till that point. Thankfully I was traveling with a co-worker who spoke a lot of German and had a wife who was vegetarian, so he was able to help me out with ordering. I don’t know why I had chicken that day, certainly I could’ve chosen a salad. I suppose this is why I’m so supportive of people who are transitioning slowly – my own journey absolutely had its starts, stops, detours and cliffs!

I also remember the last time I ate pork. We had gone out for bbq, and I hadn’t eaten meat in a couple of months. Let’s just say it didn’t agree with me, and from that day forward I was pescatarian, which lasted for about a month. I live in Colorado for crying out loud, so the only fish in my life was from McDonald’s and that seemed a pitiful reason for hanging on to eating any flesh at all. In fact, the last fish I ate was from McDonald’s. We had ordered a pizza which never showed up at the house and I was a starving, grumpy mess. And still used to relying on fast food. I know, I know, excuses… but like I said, detours and cliffs! Anyway, that was the last little fishy (or parts thereof) that I’ve knowingly consumed.

Which (somehow?) brings us back around to the Vegan Chik’n Salad Sandwich pictured here:

It’s truly delicious and, in my humble opinion, good enough to make an omnivore ask “That was vegan?”. Soy curls are so chicken-esque it’s a little scary, and as I’ve said before, there are some great vegan mayos out there!. And oh my lordy, those chewy sweet cranberries, crisp apples and crunchy pistachios are the star of the show anyway! This truly is a chik’n salad sandwich, all grown up!

Chik’n Salad with Cranberries and Pistachios (makes 4-5 hearty sandwiches)

Ingredients:

1.5 cups dry soy curls
1 small granny smith apples diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 scant dashes of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
5-6 Tablespoons vegan mayo (more or less, depending on how creamy you want the salad to be)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (such as Craisens)
1 teaspoon sea salt
a pinch of thyme

Directions:

Soak the soy curls in very warm water for 10 minutes. Squeeze all excess water out of them, then roughly chop the larger pieces and set aside.
While the soy curls are soaking, mix the diced apple and vinegar, draining out any excess.
In a mixing bowl, combine the apples with all other ingredients, stirring well. Check for seasoning, then chill for at least 30 minutes, covered. Serve as desired (sandwich, on crackers, etc)

Enjoy!

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Red Skin Potato Pie

Last year when my mom and I went to Asheville on ~~an eating-binge~~ vacation I popped into the Mellow Mushroom on my last day, right before heading to the airport. At the time I didn’t realize it was a chain, and I’m glad I didn’t because if I had I would’ve skipped it… and I would’ve missed out. The funny part is there’s a Mellow Mushroom here in Denver and I never realized it. In fact, it’s just a free shuttle ride down the 16th street mall from my office, so I could’ve been eating lunch there all the time! Sheesh!

I still haven’t been to the Denver location, but I have looked at their menu about a billion times, and there was this one (non-vegan) pizza that really stood out- called (obvs) the Red Skin Potato Pie. Their menu describes it as:

“Olive oil and garlic base with sliced roasted red potatoes, applewood smoked bacon, caramelized onions, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Garnished with chives then drizzled with sour cream and spicy ranch dressing.”

Sounds intriguing, right? And you guys know I’m always down for a pizza that stretches (ha ha, get it?) the boundaries of “what a pizza should be” (as evidenced here, here, here, and here.) So, I veganized it, and here’s a close up shot.

Vegan Red Skin Potato Pie

It’s got all the toppings: roasted red potatoes, tempeh bacon (cooked in applewood smoked sea salt), and olive oil and garlic base, caramelized onions, mozzarella… and I even topped it with a spicy sour cream and ranch mix!

It’s an unusual flavor profile, but it’s really delicious. The smoky, salty tempeh bacon and the sweet onions play very nicely together, and you can make the sour cream/ranch mix as spicy as you like, which adds a little oomph.

Mmmm, you know what this would be good for? Stuffing your face while you watch the season premiere of G.O.T this Sunday! I cannot wait to see the dragons now that they’re bigger, and even though I’m already having nightmares about the White Walkers, I’m looking forward to them as well.

Is anyone else as excited as I am? What will you be eating while you watch??

Red Skin Potato Pie (makes one 14″ pizza)

Adapted from Mellow Mushroom menu

Keep in mind that you’ll have to start caramelizing the onions well ahead of time!

Ingredients:

Pizza dough of your choice, rolled out
1 small vidalia onion, caramelized
2 red skin potatoes, cleaned and sliced 1/4″ to 1/3″ thin
Non-stick spray
8 strips Tofurky smoky maple tempeh bacon
Applewood smoked sea salt
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
Daiya mozzarella (I used a half cup, use more for a cheesier pizza. You can also add in some cheddar to make it more “authentic”)
4 Tablespoons vegan sour cream
2 Tablespoons vegan ranch dressing
1 teaspoon Sriracha (or more, to taste)
2 Tablespoons dried chives
S&P

Directions:

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick. Lay out your sliced potatoes, sprinkle with S&P and spray again. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then flip them. Add another sprinkle of S&P and a touch more spray, then bake for another 6-8 minutes.
In a medium skillet, cook the tempeh bacon according to directions, sprinkling with the applewood smoked sea salt (this is important, it really gives it that “bacony” flavor!). When it’s done, set aside on a paper towel, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
In a small bowl mix the oil and the garlic, then spread evenly across your dough. Top with the onions, potatoes, bacon and cheese. Bake at 425 (on a pizza stone) for 12-14 minutes or until the crust is done and the cheese is melted.
Whisk together the sour cream, ranch and sriracha (and maybe a pinch of salt!?), and when the pizza comes out of the oven drizzle over the top right before serving. Sprinkle with dried chives and a bit of ground pepper, and serve!

Enjoy!

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“Drunken” Beanie Weenies

Vegan Drunken Beenie Weanies

Yah, yah, yah, mock me if you must, but I just veganized the favorite meal of 5-year olds everywhere. Except I also made them fit for adults! So please, open your minds for a moment and check out these Vegan Beanie Weenies, complete with beer-marinated kielbasa!

My Gramma Josie used to make these for me when I was a little kid (it was a fave, in line behind mac n’ cheese with hotdogs and ketchup all mixed in, and vanilla ice cream microwaved until it was pretty much soup. (Don’t ask – I was a strange child))

They fell out of rotation as I became an adult, but back in 2007 while the kitchen in my last house was being renovated, I had to learn to put dinner on the table with only a microwave, a grill and a small hot plate. This was before I was vegan, and actually right before I went vegetarian, and I’ll admit there was a lot of pizza ordering going on, but hotdogs were my other go-to. They were cheap (hello, that kitchen was pricey!), they were easy, and most important of all, they left little to clean up (because who likes to wash dishes in the bathroom?)

So hotdogs were consumed in buns, wrapped in tortillas, cold with just a squirt of ketchup <blushes>, and most deliciously… in a bowl of baked beans. I’m not bragging (at all, I realize how this must sound), these were simply meals of convenience and necessity.

So now that I’m ready to act like a grownup again and have a functioning stove and all that jazz, I thought I’d revisit them. And, you know, add some beer.

I also switched out the ~~band-aids and broken glass~~ hot dogs for Tofurky Kielbasa, and made my own baked beans. It was easier than I thought it would be, and quite delicious! You could up the Sriracha and make this an even more grownup dish, if you like. Either way, I thought it was kind of a fun comfort food that I wanted to share.

What was your favorite weird food as a child?

“Drunken” Beanie Weenies (2 hearty servings, or 3 modest)

Ingredients:

2 links Tofurky Kielbasa
1 can or bottle of your favorite vegan beer (I used 90 Schilling cuz I love me some Colorado beer!)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 Tablespoons molasses
1/2 vidalia onion, well-chopped but not quite diced
pinch of applewood smoked sea salt
1/2 cup water (plus more if it’s still too thick)

Directions:

Poke holes in your kielbasa with a fork. Mix the beer and garlic in a tupperware large enough for the sausages, then add them. Let sit for at least 2 hours.
Mix the beans and all remaining ingredients in a pot over medium-high heat and bring to just barely a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Slice the kielbasa and add to the pot, then continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

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That Was Vegan?

Recipes so delicious you'll never think twice!

Category Archives: Dinner

Hummus & Veggie Melts

Easy Korean BBQ Tofu and Kimchi Fried Rice

Taco Quesadillas

Cheater Vegetable Pot Pie

“Broccoli Cheese Soup” Grilled Cheese

Sesame Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

Orange Sesame Seitan

Chik’n Salad with Cranberries and Pistachios

Red Skin Potato Pie

“Drunken” Beanie Weenies