That Was Vegan?

Korean Style Tacos wtih Sriracha Pineapples

I really wish I had gotten better pictures of these, because that shot does not do this dish justice. I blame the orange-ness of the sriracha pineapples. Or, you know, my photography skillz.

Anyhoozle, I found the inspiration for these while googling around for some new Korean dishes to veganize, and stumbled on some tacos made with a Kogi BBQ sauce. They were intended to be topped with spicy cucumbers. The problem with that is that I’m going through a Sriracha Phase, and Sriracha Cucumbers sounded weird to me. No offense to the cucumbers, of course.

Pineapples, on the other hand, sounded like a divine sriracha accompaniment for my tacos! It took a few tries to get them right though. The first round had so much sriracha on them they were just red! I was afraid to try them, so I made Jason eat one. He said “Should I be able to taste the pineapple?”

Point taken.

So I rinsed them off, and started over, and my second try was much more edible.

Korean Style Tacos with Sriracha Pineapples (Makes 4-5 tacos)

Dish inspired by (and sauce adapted from) non-vegan/vegetarian recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of homemade seitan
• 1-2 T Korean hot pepper paste (Gochujang)
• 3 T brown sugar
• 2-3 T soy sauce or Bragg’s liquid aminos
• 1 t rice wine vinegar
• 1 T hot chili oil
• 2 cups pineapple chunks
• Sriracha sauce
• Sesame oil for cooking seitan
• 4-5 soft taco flour tortillas
• 3-4 scallions, chopped

Directions:

1. Slice seitan into bite-sized chunks or slivers, as desired.
2. Mix together pepper paste, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and chili oil, then marinate seitan for 2 or more hours.
3. In a tupperware, combine the pineapple chunks with a couple SMALL squeezes of the sriracha. Cover, shake until combined, then taste test. Add more sriracha and repeat if desired. If you find them too hot at some point, you can run them under cold water and rinse off some of the sauce. Cover again and leave in the fridge until you’re ready for them.
4. Heat sesame oil in frying pan over medium heat, then fry the seitan. Leave it in the pan for about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add in the extra marinade for more flavor, but it will caramelize and make the pieces a little “chewy”- nothing wrong with that!
5. To build tacos, add the seitan first, then top with the pineapples and scallions.

Enjoy!

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Spicy Pasta Salad

This was another one of the dishes I prepared for the BBQ-turned-dinner-party last weekend. A (seemingly) pretty basic pasta salad recipe with vegenaise, tomatoes and sweet basil, the “secret” ingredient here is Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce! That spicy, smoky flavor added by the peppers and the sauce takes this dish from “just another side” to “THE side”.

The original (non-vegan) recipe called for just the sauce, but I wanted to make mine a little hotter so I added 2 big peppers, chopped up, to the bowl. You can see one hanging out in the bowl, right by his friend the tomato:

As you can see, I left mine a bit chunky, which adds to the heat level. You can mince yours more finely, or just stick to the sauce itself if you don’t want too much heat.

I’ll be making this again this summer, mark my words!

Spicy Pasta Salad (Makes 8 servings)

Adapted from a non-vegan recipe

Ingredients:

• 12 oz pasta (I used one of those “trio” mixes, but any salad-type pasta would work)
• 3/4 cup Vegenaise
• 1/8 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)
• 4 T apple cider vinegar
• 2 t Adobo sauce from can, PLUS 2-3 chopped peppers (if you like heat)
• 1 t sea salt
• black pepper (if desired)
• 10 oz grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 15-20 sweet basil leaves, chiffonade

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions, then rinse with cold water.
2. Mix Vegenaise, coconut milk, vinegar, salt, pepper and adobo together, and taste. Add more heat, salt, etc.
3. In a large bowl mix everything together, including the dressing. Refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

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Pssst! I announced the winner in the So Delicious giveaway… check and see if it was you!

Strawberry "Brownies"

We had a group of friends over for dinner on Saturday night. It was supposed to be the first BBQ of the season, but Mother Nature decided not to go along with my plans. So instead of the 75 degree, sunny, summer-ish weather we’ve been having for the last month or so, we got cloudy, cold and snow. SNOW! So we moved the party indoors, which worked out just fine. Everyone brought something to share, and we had tons of amazing vegan food: Chipotle guacamole, jalapeno poppers, “bloomin’ onion” bread, agave-sriracha tofu, grilled-balsamic carrots, pasta salad and rice. And margaritas. And beer.

We were also supposed to have Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake, but for some reason I was entrusted with this task… and we all know what usually happens when I try to bake… Something went very, very wrong. Except, as it turns out, not that wrong, because what we ended up with was still very yummy!

Namely Marly created this recipe, and when you look at her pictures they’re decidedly more cake-y than what I ended up with. Mine is really more of a brownie-like dessert. I followed her recipe, except that when it was time to transfer the mixture to the baking pan it was still not anything like dough AT ALL, so I added about 1/8 cup of water. I also baked it for the full 35 minutes. I don’t know if it was because of my altitude (6,700 ft) or my attitude (decidedly poor), but the cake didn’t turn out as Marly had intended. I was a little nervous about serving it at all, but I did (along with some neopolitan coconut milk ice cream and extra chocolate sauce) and I’d say it was a hit. Perhaps not as big a hit as it would’ve been if I were better at baking, but I’ll take what I can get 🙂

Besides, by that time everyone was drunk happy and stuffed, and we had a great time. Did I mention it was also a celebration? Our friends Lauren and Jeremy just got engaged, yay!

I’m just hopeful that my next “BBQ” will actually be outdoors!

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BBQ Seitan Wrap

I luurrve me some BBQ seitan! I made sliders with creamy coleslaw a while back, but I was making lunch a few weekends ago and wanted to try something a little bit different. Something more sandwich-y, if that makes sense. Aww heck, maybe I just wanted some vegenaise, lettuce, onions and tomatoes?!

Regardless of my intentions, what I ended up with was a perfect weekend lunch for Jason and I. Quick and easy with very little clean up (I make seitan every other weekend anyway, so I already had a loaf in the fridge), yet still healthy and delicious. I cut the seitan that morning and mixed with the sauce to let it marinate for a few hours. The sweet n’ tangy bbq sauce combined with the rich vegenaise and the crispy veggies perfectly. You could serve this on bread or in a small roll… either way would be equally YUM!

BBQ Seitan Wraps (Makes 4-5 wraps)

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of Homemade Seitan
• 1/2 cup+ of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 4-5 soft taco-sized tortillas
• A couple Tablespoons of vegenaise
• Chopped onions, tomatoes and lettuce

Directions:

1. Slice up the seitan until it’s in thin little bits. I slice mine in half (through the middle) lengthwise, then make very thin slices.
2. Mix with BBQ sauce and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let it marinate (I left mine in for about 4 hours, or you could do overnight).
3. Schmear a little vegenaise on the tortilla then layer lettuce, seitan and veggies. Roll up and stuff in your face.

Enjoy!

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What’s this? A bonus Thursday post? Hooray 🙂  Just a quick reminder to enter the So Delicious giveaway, and I wanted to share with you the salad I had for dinner last night: Massaged Kale with Avocado and Carrots… so good!

Massaged Kale Salad with Avocado and Carrots

Delicious, easy and HEALTHY! It took about 5 minutes to prep, then I just let it sit for 30 minutes while I did other stuff, to give the kale time to soften. The recipe came from Whole Foods, check it out here.

You also need to check THIS out… Cooper doing his impersonation of a squished frog:

That’s how he likes to spread out on the kitchen floor while I’m cooking- ain’t he the silliest?? Have a great Thursday and I’ll be back tomorrow with a lunch recipe that’s sure to please!

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Don’t forget to sign up for the So Delicious giveaway!

Spicy Szechuan Kale with Sweet Potato Noodles

This is a follow up to last week’s Szechuan Green Beans recipe, which I hope you all enjoyed! This time around, the star of the show is Kale- and the Szechuan has gotten a little bit hotter… The idea for this came to me last week when I saw that Kale was on sale (rhyme!). I knew I’d want to take advantage and buy as much as possible, but what was I going to do with it all? Well… THIS!

I made this on Saturday and it was a big hit at my house. As I mentioned, quite a bit spicier than the green bean dishes you usually get in restaurants, which paired nicely with the sweet, chewy noodles. If these noodles look or sound familiar to you, it’s because I talked about them a while back when I posted my recipe for Vegan Japchae. Of course, the noodles are totally optional. You can just make the Kale and serve as a side dish. Of course, if you keep the noodles it’s official Asian Fusion (which makes you fancy), and, I have to say, it’s really delicious!

Spicy Szechuan Kale and Sweet Potato Noodles (Serves 5-6)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce (recipe)
• 2-3 T soy sauce
• 2 t garlic powder
• A couple dashes of powdered ginger
• 1 t brown sugar
• 1 t sesame oil
• 1 T peppercorn chili oil
• 8 oz Dangmyeon (sweet potato noodles)
• 2 bunches of Kale, cleaned, de-stemmed and chopped
• Pinch of sea salt
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (at least 2-3 t)
• sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Prepare the hoisin, and mix with soy, garlic, ginger, sugar, oils, and pepper flakes then set aside.
2. Boil the sweet potato noodles, as directed on package, then rinse with cold water.
3. While noodles are cooking, water saute the kale for 4-5 minutes in a large pan. When it’s almost done, drain out the remaining water than put back over an “off”-but-still-warm burner to dry out a little.
4. Pour about half of the sauce into the kale, mixing well. Then add the noodles and remaining sauce. Heat over low/med until everything is warmed through, top with sesame seeds and serve.

Enjoy!

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This giveaway is now closed, and the randomly-chosen winner is… Cindy B! She loves cookie dough ice cream made with coconut milk, and I have to agree with her cuz I love that stuff too!

Here it is, my long-overdue review of the new line of Almond Milk products from So Delicious… and to celebrate Betty’s remarkable recovery, A GIVEAWAY! That’s right; one lucky reader will receive TWO free product coupons so they can enjoy So Delicious too!

But first, the review… and sorry for the cell phone pic- I panicked when I unpacked the products, I didn’t want to take the time find my dSLR and set up a proper shot. No one wants their ice cream to melt 🙂

I’ve never made a secret of my love of SD’s Coconut Milk. It’s my go-to milk and has been featured in many of my recipes. I love the coconutty taste and, honestly, I love that it’s white. Maybe it’s because I’ve been vegan for less than 2 years, but I really do prefer my milk to be white.

Anyway, when they contacted me about their new line of Almond Milk and Almond Milk ice cream products and asked if I’d like to try them, I couldn’t hit the reply button fast enough.

First up, the ice creams. I really enjoyed the mild background flavor that almond milk provides. It allowed the individual flavors of that ice cream to really pop. My favorite, hands down, was the Butter Pecan. I recommend you buy some right now and eat the entire thing. I also recommend that you leave it sitting on the counter for a few minutes so that it starts to get a little soft, then sprinkle some sea salt on it. Then proceed to stuff your face.

I used the chocolate and vanilla ice creams to make milkshakes (using the SD Vanilla-Flavored Almond Milk), and they turned out fabulous. I probably hadn’t had a milkshake in almost a year, so I was due!

The ice cream bars were also delicious- and the fact that they were hand held made them all that much more fun. The other thing that makes them fun? Ice cream dipped in a thin chocolate shell! Yum! These were Jason’s favorite. In fact, he ate nearly all of them… I think I had one? The vanilla was my favorite of these. The only flavor I wasn’t too terribly wild about, for both the ice cream bars and the pints themselves, was the Mocha Almond Fudge, but I’m not a big fan of mocha or coffee, so this is more a reflection of my personal tastes than the product itself.

Overall, I was really pleased with the ice cream products. I don’t buy ice cream very often, but when I do I’d be happy to buy these!

That leaves the milk. As I said, I’m generally a fan of coconut milks, but I really did enjoy the flavor of these- particular the Original. In order to be able to review it, I drank two glasses of it- and I’ve never, ever been one to drink a glass of milk. Ever! I don’t even drink coconut milk by the glass, but I honestly enjoyed this! The flavor was mild and smooth- I could taste the almond for sure, but it wasn’t overpowering. The Vanilla was the same, but with that extra sweetness- it was wonderful in my spinach-apple smoothies. Honestly, I’ll probably still buy their coconut version,  but if another container of the Almond milk ended up in my fridge I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Now, for the GIVEAWAY!

So Delicious was awesome enough to give me two VIP coupons good for FREE So Delicious products- any product! The winner can try out a couple of their new Almond treats, or stick with their old Coconut flavors- or mix it up!

To enter, leave a comment below telling us what your favorite flavor of ice cream is. For bonus entries, you can do any or all of the following, leaving separate comments for each that you complete (otherwise they wont all count!) Contest closes Sunday, 4/15 at midnight (mountain time). Unfortunately the coupons are only good in the US.

• Like TWV? on Facebook
• Mention this giveaway in your Status
• Follow TWV? on Twitter
• Tweet this contest to your followers (tagging TWV?)

Good luck, and the winner will be announced next Monday!

Disclosure: So Delicious Dairy Free did provide me free products, but the opinions in this review are 100% mine.

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Szechuan Green Beans with Slivered Almonds

Szechuan green beans are one of my favorite things to order when we get Chinese (right behind sesame tofu and veggie lo mein!). I looked at a couple of recipes online (here and here) but nothing really grabbed my fancy…. The basic ingredients are no secret, and I knew I wanted almonds, so I just threw some stuff together. The yummiest part was making my own hoisin sauce (link below)… yum!

Szechuan Green Beans (Serves 5-6 as a side)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce (recipe)
• 1 lb fresh green beans
• 1 T Bragg’s liquid aminos
• 1 t garlic powder
• A couple dashes of powdered ginger
• 1 t brown sugar
• 2 t sesame oil
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds (or more, if you want a lot!)
• sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Prepare the hoisin, set aside.
2. Trim ends off the green beans, then water saute in a large pan until they have just the tiniest little bit of crisp left to them, then remove from heat.
3. In a medium sized bowl mix together the hoisin, Braggs, garlic, ginger, sugar, oil and salt. When the beans are done cooking, pour the mixture over them, stirring until everything is coated and heated through. Add the almonds shortly before serving, stirring in.
4. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

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Seitan Bulgogi

This is (so far at least) my favorite Korean dish! The seitan just soaked up the sweet n’ soy flavor from the marinade, then got all crunchy and chewy when I fried it. I even poured some of the marinade over it while it was frying which helped it get even more chewy and flavorful. I kept grabbing chunks out of the frying pan, burning both my fingers and my tongue, but I couldn’t stop myself- I just wanted more! I also spent the next couple of days snacking on it cold, straight out of the fridge, asking myself why I hadn’t made this sooner!

I’m not kidding, this stuff is crazy good!

In case you’re keeping track (or just interested in yummy vegan Korean food), so far I’ve made:

• Japchae
• Scallion Pancakes
• Fried Rice

And lest you think My Great Korean Food Adventure is only about freshly prepared meals, I’ve also been exploring junk food and alcohol 😉

Look how cute Cooper is, peeking up at me, wondering what I’m doing. He’s all fuzzy right now, but he’s getting his “summer ‘do” on Friday! Anyway, this is was a bottle of Soju, a distilled beverage from South Korea. Wikipedia tells me its taste is similar to vodka, and is often consumed neat, or as a shot. I just used it in place of vodka, and it was good. It didn’t have much flavor, which I guess can be dangerous if you don’t have Cooper keeping an eye on you…

I also found these at a local Asian Market.

The sweet potato chips in the pink bag were the best- sweet, but not overly so, and super crunchy. If you see them in your local Asian market, I highly recommend them. Here’s a close-up of the ingredients list:

So yah… they do have palm oil, but so does Earth Balance and some of the other products most vegans use. I’m actually looking for good EB alternatives for that very reason, but that’s a whole other post.

But back to the Bulgogi! I recommend serving it over Korean Fried Rice (sooo good!). Honestly, I also recommend just stuffing your face with it, hot or cold. It’s that good!

The recipe came from my friend Shawna, the friend who initially started me on this adventure. I made a few small changes, but most of the credit goes to her. Thanks, Shawna!

Seitan Bulgogi (Makes 4 Servings, served over rice)

Ingredients:

• 2 loaves of homemade seitan
• 3 T soy sauce
• 2 T Braggs liquid aminos
• 1 T sesame oil
• 3 T sugar
• 2 T water
• 1 T rice wine vinegar
• 1 t minced garlic
• 1/2 t onion powder
• Oil for frying
• 1 batch Korean Fried Rice
• Sesame seeds (for sprinkling)
• 1-2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Slice the seitan into small, thin strips.
2. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients except frying oil, rice, sesame seeds and scallions, then add the seitan strips. Stir and let marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Periodically stir, to make sure the marinade gets all over the strips.
3. Heat oil in frying pan over medium high heat, then fry seitan. As you turn it in the pan, you can pour some of the marinade over it- this makes it even chewier. Depending on how crispy you want it, you can just heat it through (2-3 minutes) or longer (I went for around 10 minutes). Just keep turning it so the consistency is the same all over.
4. Serve over rice, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced scallions.

Enjoy!

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