Holy Macaroni!

"So. What do you miss most, being a Vegan?".. Oh. nothing at all really...

Yeah! Sure!  Cheese. Cheese. Cheese. Cheese. I miss it. I don't need it. I don't want it. But I miss that flavor. And I love mac and cheese and I don't care how unsophisticated that makes me. It is seriously special comfort food and you cannot tell me otherwise. Well, you can, but I ain't listening! On the net you will find a plethora of 'quick and easy!' 'Super amazing!' 'You can't tell the difference!' Vegan macaroni and cheese recipes. But who are we kidding, you can tell the difference, and I've tried a lot of those recipes and I always found they were too rich, too complex or too chunky. So what do you do when you have no answer? You make one up! So I made up a recipe which I love the most and I promise it really is 'Super amazing quick and easy Mac and cheese'! Also it contains no soy! Wow!

Holy Macaroni Recipe:
2 cups of gluten free macaroni or pasta (or normal pasta if you are so inclined!)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 massel vegetable stock cube or a tsp of the powder stock
1 Tbsp Coconut oil
1/3 - 1/2 cup of rice milk (or equivalent soy milk if you like)
Salt or Tamari to taste if needed

Method:
Cook pasta as per instructions. If it is gluten free, remember to rinse, as sometimes it can be coated in weird 'glut-free' gunch. Drain and place back in saucepan. Add all the ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon over low heat until it is nice and creamy. You may want to add more or less Nutritional yeast, depending on your taste. I don't like it too tangy so I use a little less. Also, depending on how creamy/liquidy, feel free to add more or less 'milk' also.

And that's it. Takes about 3 minutes after the pasta is cooked and now you can put it in your Belly!

Okonomiyaki is your friend!

I love okonomiyaki. I would live on it if I could be bothered making it and didn't mind living on a fried food diet. But the thing about the little Japanese pancakes is that you really can experiment with the ingredients! The one above had a subtle Indian feel, thanks to the 1/2 tsp of curry powder that I shook in. So don't be conservative with this recipe! Go buck wild!

Okonomiyaki Recipe:
4 small purple Sweet Potatoes (Or 1 large sweet potato or Yam.)
1 large Carrot
4 inches of a large Daikon
1/8 Cabbage
1/2 cup of peas(I used minted. It's all I had.....)
1 cup plain flour (I used Gluten free)
1/2 tsp Baking soda
3/4 - 1 cup water
1/2 to 1 Tbsp Tamari (soy sauce)
2 tsp Mirin
Coconut oil for cooking
Condiments: Mayonnaise(Praise 97% fat free creamy is vegan!) and Terriyaki sauce

Method:
Using a food processor with grating attachment (I got one for Christmas. Thanks Mum!), Grate sweet potato, carrot, daikon and cabbage. Transfer to a large bowl and add peas, flour, baking soda, tamari and mirin. Slowly add water until it is all nice and juicy but not too watery. Heat up a large saucepan on medium with a little coconut oil. Dump a large amount of the mixture onto the saucepan, flatten until about 1/2 inch thick with a diameter of your hand. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until crispy around the edges and like a normal pancake, you see small bubbles in the mixture, Flip. Cook for another 5-7 minutes. Serve with Mayonnaise and terriyaki sauce. In restaurants they smother the pancakes with the stuff, but I like to have 'sauce choice' so I put the sauce on the side.

Eat up my friends!

Deathrow meal request.... INARI!

I was thinking of doing a post on making sushi, but it is so darn easy, why waste the keystrokes? But something I don't think people believe is so easy, is the construction of INARI! Oooooh yes! I can eat this stuff until I am bursting at the seams with sweet rice. Imagine me, as a scarecrow, leaking rice and sesame seeds... Yep, that's me.....

First thing, Inari pouches seem to be a 'B' to make from scratch (listen, I haven't tried because the instructions scare me) so, just go to the Great eastern food centre on Russell Street, Melbourne (or your local Japanese grocer) and buy some pre-made! They are pre-juiced with sweetly goodness and ready to stuff! I picked up a 16 pack of Inari tofu pouches for $5.40! I've also seen them online, you can get a 40 pack for about ten bucks, but before purchasing this lot, remember, you have to eat them. I think like most tofu you should eat it within a few days of opening.

Inari recipe:

5 - 10 premade inari pouches (or 40 if you are really hungry. Quadruple rice recipe.)
1 cup of rice
1.5 cup water
Sushi rice vinegar
Salt
Roasted sesame seeds

Method:
To make Sushi rice:
Rinse rice. Combine 1 cup of rice with 1.5 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Leave to cook for 20 minutes without removing the cover. Once cooked, mix in 3 Tbsp of Sushi seasoning (or 2 Tbsp of sushi vinegar and 1 tbsp of rice malt or sugar. I buy the seasoning as it is premixed and amazing!)  Mix through with a wooden rice paddle. Leave to cool down to room temperature.

(Nb. or if you use a rice cooker, follow instructions as per your machine.)

To make Inari:
Gently open tofu pouch. Stuff full of rice. Sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds. And then......

GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE

(KFC) Kindtucky fried Cauliflower!

Yes. It's Vegan. And yes. It's So delicious. And yes. You can make this in no time at all! It is kinda heavy, but you gotta get in some fried treats now and then. Am I right, or am I right?

They're so stupidly easy to make! Kinda like a pakora or thick tempura. You can also substitute the cauliflower for any other vegetable, think broccoli, eggplant, yam(Yam!), zucchini. Amazing.....

Kindtucky fried Cauliflower Recipe:
Approximately 2 cups of haphazardly chopped cauliflower(or other yum vegetable)
Oil for frying
Batter:
1/2 cup all plain flower (I used Gluten free)
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup water

(optional: Add some spice during the cooking process. A shake of cajun, tumeric or some perhaps some 5 spice gives them a little tang! Just beware of MSG and salt content.)

Method:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, curry powder, salt, baking powder, and water to make a smooth, thick batter. It should not be runny. If necessary, add more water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time. Mix well.

Warm 1/5 inch(or so) of oil in a large fry pan or skillet on medium heat. The oil is ready for frying when a drop of batter quickly crisps. Coat the cauliflower slices in the batter, and carefully place them in the pan to avoid splashing the hot oil. Don't crowd the pan. Cook until golden on both sides, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. Serve as soon as possible.

You can serve the little incredible bites with a nice chutney, or as I did, make a dip from some leftover dahl! Eat em up soldiers!

Recipe originally found here: Gluten-free/soy-free vegan

Left Overs?? Beans!

 

Left over’s. I used to think pfft to you.... Now my dear friends, you make my day exciting and unpredictable! One thing about beans is you can eat them in so many different and fun ways! After reading The Kind Diet (which I cannot stop recommending!) I was reintroduced to the magic that is Beans; Protein, vitamins, wholesome, scrumptious and CHEAP! I try to eat them as much as I can.* Sometimes you find the fridge full of half full containers. In my house this equals 'Bean mish-mosh extravaganza!' As you may see, you can pretty much use ANY leftover beans or grains in the mish-mosh, all taste amazing! Be creative! Or if you can't be creative, don't be wasteful! Chuck 'em all in!

* Beans are easy to cook! Soak a cup of beans overnight, cook up the next day. I usually make two cups/two different types at each soaking. Will last about 3-4 days in the fridge. If they get smelly, toss ‘em.)

Bean Mish-Mosh recipe:
(Measurements are approximate, no need to be strict on this one)
1 cup Boong Beans
1 cup black eyed beans
1 cup Quinoa
4 finely chopped mushrooms
1/2 finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped daikon
 A good shake sesame seeds
Sesame oil for cooking
Tamari
1/4 tsp powdered Veggie stock or a little chunk of a cube

Method:
 Mix everything in a bowl, mash a little with a potato masher. Over medium heat place a little sesame oil in a fry pan or a wok and chuck in the mash. Splash in a little Tamari and stock. Toss. Cook until mushrooms are invisible and beans start to crisp. Done! I cooked up some steamed sides of Brocollini, zucchini and kale, which gave this meal its essential greenability. A meal like this and you'll be asking yourself 'Mc-who?'

Gingerly Riced!

 

Fried rice is a vegan's go to comfort food. Easy comfort food. And not only is it easy and comforty, it is also versatile like nothing else! I don't know if I've ever made one fried rice that has duplicated another and I plan to keep it that way! Variety is the 'spice' of life! Ha!

Gingerly Riced Recipe:
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 block of firm tofu
4 big chopped mushrooms
1/2 head of broccoli - chopped
1/2 chopped carrot
1/4 chopped cabbage
1/2 chopped Zucchini
2 stalks Bok Choy (you guessed it, chopped!)
1/2 inch thinly sliced ginger
1 healthy shake turmeric
1 kind splash of Tamari
1 dribble chilli oil (If you have some, if not, a pinch of chilli flakes)
Olive oil to cook (about 2 Tbsp)
1/3 cup of water (if needed)

Method:
Heat oil in wok at a medium heat. When hot add tofu, mushrooms and some drops of Tamari. Fry until mushrooms are soft and tofu is browning. Add broccoli, zucchini, carrot and ginger as well as a shake of turmeric, a dribble of chilli oil and more Tamari if needed. At this point you may want to add about a 1/3 cup of water as the oil may be drying up things a little. Fry and toss happily (couple minutes) until the colour of the veggies brighten! Finally add Bok Choy and rice. Toss, toss and toss some more until the Bok Choy is well and truly done and the rice almost crispy. Admire your wok full of love for a moment, dish it up and scoff! It's yellow, has a tang and will no doubt push you into having seconds. You only live once!

Pretty Perfect Pesto..

Mmmmmm, Fresh Pesto! And it's Vegan! And it's just tooooo delicious! The other day I noticed the basil in my garden getting kinda lofty, that's when I knew it was time. Pesto Time! Perfect as a pasta sauce, slather up a pizza base or serve with bread or crackers. This recipe is easy, quick and raw!

Pesto Recipe:
1 1/2 cup of Basil
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup savoury yeast flakes*
5 average sized cloves of garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

*Savoury yeast flakes are the easiest cheesy substitute that a vegan will find. You can get a bag from your local health food store or if that fails, online. It can be used to make loads of fine cheesy sauces, un-missable Mac and cheese (recipe coming soon), on toast, sprinkled on top of vegan bolognese instead of parmesan or even by the spoonful. Its non-active yeast and chock full of Vitamin B! Do make friends with Savoury yeast!

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor until the nuts are ground. Try not to over process; you still want it somewhat chunky. That’s it! You are good to use as you like!

I used my Pesto with gluten free buckwheat pasta and some quick fried mushrooms and brocollini (add a little pesto to fast track that flavour!). Combine veggies with cooked pasta over a very low heat until well mixed. This I served up with some fresh toasted garlic baguette slices. Dinner is SERVED!