Korean BBQ & Kimchi Pizza

Remember my Kimchi Fried Rice? Well I had leftover kimchi and leftover Korean BBQ sauce, so I pulled some seitan out of the freezer and made bulgogi, then combined those with a little vegan mozzarella and green onions and voila! Kimchi Pizza!

I used the same BBQ sauce as pizza sauce, so there were literally only 6 ingredients (pizza crust, cheese, seitan, bbq sauce, kimchi, green onions). Easy as (Korean pizza) pie!

Korean BBQ and Kimchi Pizza (makes one 14″ pizza)

Ingredients:

Pizza dough of your choice, rolled out
I batch seitan bulgogi, chopped (alternatively you could just marinate seitan in Korean BBQ sauce, if you want to cheat a little. I wont tell anyone!)
3/4 cup Korean BBQ sauce
3/4 cup (or more!) kimchi
Vegan mozzarella (I used Daiya)
Green onions for sprinkling

Directions:

Spread the BBQ sauce evenly over your pizza dough, then top evenly with the bulgogi and the kimchi. Cover with as much mozzarella as you’d normally put on your pizza then bake for 12-14 minutes at 425 (on a pizza stone!). When done, sprinkle with green onions.

Enjoy!

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Vegan Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

These Vegan Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas are my idea of the perfect snack for watching a movie or sharing a cold beer with a friend… and they’re so easy! You already know that that buffalo sauce goes wonderfully with all sorts of vegan proteins (tofu, seitan, soy curls). I decided to stick with soy curls this time, just cuz I love them so much.

These are delicious, spicy and really easy to make!

Vegan Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas (makes 2 quesadillas)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry soy curls
1 small carrot, sliced into thin circles (you could also add celery if you want)
1/3 cup Franks buffalo wing sauce
4 large tortillas
1 cup shredded vegan cheese
vegan ranch, sour cream or whatever you like for dipping!

Directions:

Place your soy curls into warm water for 10 minutes to hydrate.
Water saute your carrots just for a couple minutes, then set aside.
Squeeze all the water out of the soy curls, then add the wing sauce. Stir in the carrots and make sure everything is coated.
Lay 2 tortillas out over medium heat and layer in the cheese and soy curl mixture. Cook until the tortillas brown and the cheese is melted, flipping once.

Enjoy!

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Enchilada Pasta Casserole

It’s no secret how I feel about casseroles – I love ‘em! Here are just a few of my favorites…

And to add to that list, I now present my Enchilada Pasta Casserole with sweet potatoes and black beans!

It’s a little spicy and a little sweet, and very filling! This would be perfect to put together on a Sunday afternoon when you have a little time, then throw it into the oven to heat up one night after work (when you don’t have a little time, ha ha).

Enchilada Pasta Casserole (makes 6 servings)

Adapted from non-vegan/vegetarian recipe

Ingredients:

13oz box whole wheat shells
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into small bite-sized pieces
4 oz cream cheese
10 oz red enchilada sauce
1/3 cup vegan sour cream
1/2 cup shredded vegan cheddar (I used Daiya)
1/8 cup shredded vegan mozzarella (Daiya again!)
4 oz chopped green chilies
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup fire roasted tomatoes
1 can black beans
More cheese for sprinkling
Crushed red pepper flakes
Diced green onions

Directions:

Place the pasta shells in boiling water, cooking for about 3/4 the recommended time. When there’s 2 minutes left, add the chopped sweet potatoes. Drain when finished, reserving a half cup of the water. With the pasta and potatoes still in the warm pan, stir in the cream cheese until melted.
In a bowl combine the enchilada sauce, sour cream, both cheeses, green chilies, corn, tomatoes and beans. Add the pasta mix. If it needs more moisture, add some of the cooking water.
Transfer to baking dish, and top with additional cheese and bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes. Broil for 1-2 minutes until all the cheese is melted, then top with the crushed red pepper and green onions.

Enjoy!

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Happy Herbivore Abroad (Review and Giveaway!)

This contest is now closed and the lucky winner is… Shannon, who is already vegan and has started cutting out processed foods and making her own granola… way to go! ~~Nancy! She recently switched from vegetarian to vegan (yay!) and saw a huge difference. Way to go Nancy!~~ FYI- the original winner never responded to my email, so I ran the random number generator a second time.

I’m a huge fan of Happy Herbivore and all of Lindsay’s cookbooks, but I have to say this is my favorite by far. All of her recipes are simple, easy, delicious and HEALTHY! I’m not always a low-fat or oil-free vegan but I definitely try to eat like that sometimes, and her cookbooks are my go-to when I want a yummy-yet-healthy meal.

One of the cool things about this cookbook is how it’s separated into different regions of the world so you can always find something that appeals to you, no matter what kind of mood you’re in. A great example is her Gazpacho, recipe below:

Gazpacho, reprinted with permission

Here are a couple of my favorites:

No-meat “meatballs” over whole wheat spaghetti (page 181)

These little balls held together really well and were very flavorful. They’d also be wonderful in a “meatball” sub or on pizza! (Note to self: Make a “meatball” pizza…)

Lentil taco “meat” (page 43)

I’m quite in love with this lentil taco meat. It’s super quick and easy to make in the food processor and has so many potential uses. It’s the perfect (healthier) alternative to those “hamburger crumble” type mock meats.

I’ve tried a few other recipes that I didn’t photograph, including Thai noodle soup and Pineapple rice and loved them all. Bottom line, this recipe is full of recipes that will appeal to all types of eaters, both vegan and omnivore (and everyone in between!).

Here’s the recipe I promised, scroll down for the giveaway deets!

(reprinted with permission from Happy Herbivore Abroad)

Gazpacho

Gazpacho originates from Andalusia, my favorite part of Spain, and it’s traditionally vegan. The first time I ever had gazpacho was actually in Andalusia, back in 2007. Scott and I had just arrived in Seville (pronounced like “sa-vee-ya”) and dipped into the first cafe we saw hoping to find a quick bite to eat. It was fairly late in the afternoon, just after siesta, and the restaurant wasn’t yet serving its dinner menu (Spaniards eat dinner rather late at night by American standards — after 9:00 p.m.), but the waiter offered to bring us two bowls of gazpacho leftover from lunch.

The idea of a cold soup initially sounded strange to me, but I was so hungry and melting under the fierce Andalusian sun that I was willing to try anything that was cold and nourishing. After a few spoonfuls, I felt shameful for being so pessimistic—gazpacho is deliciously light and refreshing! Now I look forward to having a bowl every time I visit Spain, and it’s one of my favorite recipes to make in the summer when tomatoes are in season and overflowing in my garden.

Serves 2

1 slice stale or toasted bread
3 plum tomatoes
6” cucumber
1-2 garlic cloves
1 red bell pepper, seeded
2-3 green onions
hot sauce (optional)
red wine vinegar (optional)
water

Chef’s Note: For a cool and refreshing soup, store your veggies in the fridge before use. You can also add an ice cube to the mix, if necessary.

Chef’s Note: The heel of the bread is best in this recipe. Finally a use for the heel!

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulverize into a soup, adding ice cold water as necessary to achieve the right smoothness and soup consistency. If you do not have a strong blender, you may need to chop your vegetables up beforehand. Taste, adding hot sauce or red wine vinegar to taste, if desired. In Spain, gazpacho is topped with chunks of raw vegetables like Spanish onions, green bell peppers, and celery.

Per serving: Calories 118, Total Fat 1.2g, Carbohydrates 24.1g, Dietary Fiber 5.3g, Sugars 12.5g, Protein 5.7g

The Giveaway:

~~One lucky reader will receive a copy of Happy Herbivore Abroad!~~

The contest is open until Midnight (Mountain time), Monday 6/3. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced the following day. To Enter: All you gotta do is leave a comment below telling us what changes you’ve made to your diet to make it healthier. Did you give up oil? Cut back on nut butters? We want to hear!

Contest is limited to US and Canada only. Good luck!!

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

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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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That Was Vegan?

Recipes so delicious you'll never think twice!

Category Archives: Dinner

Korean BBQ & Kimchi Pizza

Vegan Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

Enchilada Pasta Casserole

Happy Herbivore Abroad (Review and Giveaway!)

The Giveaway:

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