Summer, means fresh homegrown tomatoes and fresh tomatoes mean that it's time for a BLT! It never ceases to amaze me that there are so many alternative options on the vegan market! I've really been having a craving for BLT's lately and I blame it on my good lookin' tomatoes in my garden that have been staring back at me! I came across several recipes to make "bacon" at home but I just haven't tried it out yet. I will put that task on my "To Do" list! However, this past weekend while my husband and I were shopping at Outpost something had caught my eye. I was picking out some tempeh for our spicy sushi rolls that we were going to make that night and I spotted this lovely package...
Pure excitement came over me because that was the first time that I've spotted a bacon alternative in the grocery store! I looked to my husband and said, "Look its bacon!!!! We have to try it!!! Can we get it?!?!" Of course my husband couldn't say "no" to my pure joy! I couldn't wait to try it out!
So last night we decided to have the BLT's for dinner and it was a complete success! I had fallen in-love with my vegan BLT. I actually finished my sandwich before my husband finished his! To prepare the bacon all you do is fry it in a pan with a touch of oil until the edges are crispy. This bacon is a tad sweet and a little smoky. We both really enjoyed the flavor. I wish that it could have been just a bit more smoky and peppery. You could easily make it more peppery by dipping the edges in some ground black pepper and then fry it up in the pan! It's just a personal preference of mine but I do love my pepper! Overall, I think I would buy this product again if I don't have the time to prepare my own homemade "bacon"! I think this bacon is a perfect option! It's certified vegan and USDA organic. For more product information and to find it in a store near you, please check out this link. We kept our BLT's simple and just used veganaise, romaine lettuce, the tempeh bacon, tomatoes from our garden, and a couple of avocado slices. It was perfect! I served the sandwiches with fresh cucumber slices with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper on top. Delish!
Lately, I have really been wanting sushi and I wanted to create something that would ease my craving! So, my husband and I decided to do Sunday night sushi...homemade vegan style of course! Overall, it was a success! It's been awhile since we've done homemade sushi and I was surprised that our rolls came out as good as they did because doing the "inside out" rolls can be tricky! After watching several YouTube videos my husband nailed the technique! We ended up making a veggie roll, a spicy roll, a shiitake mushroom roll, and then what we call a "kick your a**" roll (a combo of a little bit of everything). All rolls were good but the shiitake mushroom roll was the star of them all! The "kick your a**" roll was just too much to chew on. The spicy roll was so AWESOME!!! The veggie roll just really hit the spot!
The thing that I love about sushi is how you can be so creative! I had been craving one of those creamy and spicy rolls, and after much thought I decided to go with tempeh! Ugh, I would've never thought that this would have turned out so awesome! At first, I was thinking of using tofu for the filling but I figured that it would be too mushy. I'm really glad that I went for the tempeh! I've had tempeh before and I didn't care for it but I could it all day in the form of a spicy sushi roll! For the shiitake mushrooms, I ended up marinating them in some hoisin sauce, dry sherry, and some low-sodium soy sauce. Then I dumped the mixture in frying pan and cooked it up until all of the juices evaporated. It was DIVINE!!!!
So if you're looking for some new and interesting vegan sushi rolls then check out my recipes below!
Ingredients:
Nori sheets
Sushi Rice:
1 & 1/2 cup uncooked sushi rice
2 cups water
1 & 1/2 tbs. rice vinegar
1 & 1/2 tbs. vegan sugar (I used Florida Crystals)
1/2 tsp. salt
Shiitake Mushroom Roll:
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms (stems removed)
2 tbs. hoison sauce
1 tbs. dry sherry
1tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
Spicy Roll:
1 package tempeh
veganaise
sriracha sauce
Veggie Roll:
avocado slices
cucumber slices
matchstick carrots
green onion
How To:
Sushi Rice:
Prepare the sushi rice by placing the rice in a mesh colander and rinse until the water comes out clear. Add the rice to a medium saucepan and add 2 cups of water. Turn heat on high and let rice come to a gentle boil. Cover and turn heat to low (I used the lowest setting), cooking for 15 minutes OR until all liquid is dissolved. Make sure not to remove the lid or stir the rice when it is covered! Remove the rice from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes then transfer the rice to a bowl when finished. In a small microwave safe bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt with a whisk and microwave for 45 seconds. Whisk once more until blended and then pour over the rice. Mix thoroughly until well blended. Allow the rice to cool to room temperature (I cheated a bit and I ended up placing it in the fridge after a while to help it cool because we were getting too hungry!).
Shiitake Mushroom Roll: (Pictured above)
Add the shiitake mushrooms to a shallow bowl or Ziploc bag and add the hoisin sauce, dry sherry, and soy sauce. Stir or shake until the mushrooms are coated evenly. If using a bowl, place a cover on top and place the mixture in the fridge. If using a Ziploc bag, just simply seal it and place it in the fridge. Allow the mushrooms to marinate for at least 30 minutes. I marinated my mushrooms for 1 hour because I wasn't in a rush.
Place mushrooms in a small frying pan over low-medium heat and cook until the juices evaporate (about 5 minutes).
Wrap a bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. Place nori on the sushi mat. Wet your hands with water and form some sushi rice in a large ball. Spread the sushi rice on the nori leaving at least 1/2'' of uncovered nori at one end. Make sure that the rice is 1/4'' thick (you should still be able to see through to some of the nori). Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Flip the nori sheet over using your hands. Add the desired amount of mushroom mixture to the middle of the nori (just a bit closer to the end of the nori without the rice). Place several slices of avocado and some green onions on the mushroom mixture. Now, using the bamboo mat, take the side of the nori without the rice on the end and roll over the filling completely. Tug the bamboo mat back gently to ensure that it's tight and everything is secure. Continue to roll until the end and then gently squeeze the roll with the bamboo mat still in place. Slice with a very sharp knife and serve!
This is the video we watched but we used full sheets of nori because ours were too small to cut in half. Start at 1:55 to see how to roll it. Spicy Roll: (pictured above)
Place the tempeh in frying pan with about 1/4'' of water. Turn heat to medium/high and bring to boil. Cover, turn heat to low and steam for 10 minutes. Place tempeh in a bowl (without the water) and mash with a fork or potato masher until somewhat chunky and smooth. Add the veganaise until your desired consistency but make sure it isn't too mushy (I believe that I used about 4-5 tbs. of veganaise). Stir in the sriracha sauce to taste. I added about 2 tbs. because we like ours spicy! Cover, and let cool in the fridge until chilled (about 1 hour) or stick it in the freezer for 30 minutes if you can't wait!
Use the exact same concept stated above in the shiitake roll recipe on how to roll this roll except fill this roll with the tempeh mixture, several avocado slices, and some green onions.
Veggie Roll: (pictured above)
This one is easy! Use the same concept for the rolling but fill this one with cucumber, carrots, avocado, and green onion!
Who doesn't love a loaded baked potato? I was skeptical as to how this would turn out because I was fearful that a vegan baked potato wouldn't be quite the same as the traditional kind from my childhood. I remember as a young child, waiting in long lines for countless years at the Wisconsin State Fair for a loaded baked potato! They were my favorite as a child but of course they were topped off with real butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon. Sadly, I didn't know any better back then. However, I have the rest of my life to make up for it!
This vegan baked potato is just as good and is bound to leave your craving satisfied! I usually make these for dinner when it's been a long night and we don't have much time. Whenever I have physical therapy I don't get home until 7:15 pm and my husband and I don't have time to eat beforehand. So, I serve up this loaded baked potato alongside a large portion of steamed broccoli! This is a perfect meal for a dinner in a hurry! You could even use smaller baked potatoes and make this a side dish! This recipe serves two.
Ingredients:
2 baking potatoes
Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread
vegan shredded cheese (I like the Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Shreds in cheddar)
vegan sour cream (I usually use the Tofutti brand)
vegan bacon bits
2 green onions
freshly ground pepper
How To:
Scrub the baking potatoes under cold water until clean. Pierce the potatoes with a fork on all sides. Place both of the potatoes on one microwave safe plate. Cooking times will vary per size of the potato. I usually use the potato setting on my microwave. I place them in the microwave and hit the potato button. When it's done I flip the potatoes, and hit the potato button one last time. If you don't have a potato setting, I would start with about 5 minutes and turn the potatoes halfway through. Cook the potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork all the way through.
When potatoes are done, place the potatoes on separate plates. Slice the potatoes lengthwise making sure to not cut all the way through and only halfway down the sides. Make several cuts the opposite way just on the top of the potato and then gently break apart the top of the potato with a fork working down to the bottom and sides of the potato to loosen everything up.
Top off with your desired amount of Earth Balance butter and sprinkle with the vegan cheese. I like to microwave my potato for an additional 45 seconds at this point. Top it off with your vegan sour cream and slice one green onion with a kitchen scissors over the top of each potato. Sprinkle with bacon bits and add some freshly ground pepper if you'd like! Serve with a side of steamed broccoli and you've got yourself a meal in less than 10 minutes!
If you're looking for a quick and easy lunch or lighter dinner that's loaded with veggies, high in protein, and packed full of flavor then this recipe is for you! This wrap could easily be served up with some soup or perhaps a side of hummus and fresh-cut veggies! Either way you serve it, this wrap is great! This recipe makes 2 servings.
Ingredients:
Sauce:
3 tbs. Veganaise
1 tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tbs. Maple syrup
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tbs. fresh parsley, minced *optional
1 tsp. fresh thyme, minced *optional
(If you have the fresh herbs listed above that's great but if you don't this sauce still tastes awesome! I chose to use the herbs because I had them in my garden.)
For The Wraps:
2 tortilla wraps (I chose spinach)
2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 of a plum tomato, diced
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped (I did 1/4" thick slices and then quartered them)
1/2 of an avocado, sliced
1/2 cup shelled edamame, cooked (See Note at Bottom)
1 dill pickle, diced *optional
1/3 cup matchstick carrots
2 tsp. sesame seeds
How TO:
In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the sauce and whisk by hand until completely blended.
Place the wrap on a flat surface and add half of all of the veggies to each wrap in the order listed above making sure to place the veggies more towards one side of the wrap.
Drizzle the veggies with the Maple Dijon Sauce and sprinkle each wrap with 1 tsp. sesame seeds.
Tuck in the ends of the wrap and tightly fold over the veggie filled part of the wrap, give it a gentle tug to tighten the roll, and then roll to the end of the wrap. It's important to wrap it as tightly as you can so that it doesn't fall apart when you eat it! You can cut it in half if you'd like.
Yummy! Enjoy!
* I had some frozen shelled edamame in my freezer. I just threw some in a pot, covered it with water, brought it to a boil (uncovered), and boiled it for 3 minutes. Then I strained it, rinsed it with cold water, and drained well.
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