So Sloppy, Sloppy Joe!

Holy mackerel it's been a long time since I've blogged! So much has happened! I swear I'm not just slacking, I swear! 

I had a bakesale for the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, which was AWESOME! R&R Cafe was super super amazing and let me take over for a day and between the cafe sales and home sales I was able to donate $900 to Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary. ❤️️👍

Then it was time to gear up for Niagara Veg Fest! I baked my little heart out and made about 350 Macaroons! Good grief!! Once they were all stuffed into a bin they looked so sad and cramped! Poor BB's. Eventually most were eaten, which is a strangely better fate. 

Now, let's get to the sloppy joes! You'll have to forgive me and use some of your own judgement because I'm not 100% sure how these happened but hot darn they were good! 

So Sloppy, Sloppy Joes!

Ingredients:

Onions, diced

Peppers, diced

Fire roasted tomatoes

Green lentils, rinsed, boiled and "ready"

Garlic salt

Smoked paprika 

Powdered Habanero (aka THE FOOD OF THE GODS!!! I add it into everything!)

Vegetable oil 

BBQ sauce (I used a no name plain)

Black Strap molasses 

Sauté the onions and peppers in the olive oil and add the spices. Use as much as you like. I used Swedish chef amounts. (Mutter "horgy porgy" and toss in indiscriminately until you feel you've added enough) Reserve the habanero!

Then add in the fire roasted tomato and lentils and stir well. Douce with BBQ sauce and molasses. I did a ratio of about 4:1, respectively. 

Shake the habanero on top and let cook down on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. The sauce will thicken, but if it doesn't you can always add a tablespoon of tomato paste. 

I had previously made the cole slaw. It was in a basic vinaigrette which was a mix of:

Apple cider vinegar

Raw cane sugar

Bold mustard

Vegetable oil

Garlic powder... And I think that's it. Haha

The final product? Once the Joe mix was spooned over a whole wheat toasted bun... TA DA!!

Cinn-Aparts Heaven

I saw a post by #planetvegan linked to "Vegan Monkey Bread" and HAD to try it.

I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out pretty delicious. I would, however make a few small tweaks. I would use the following ingredients:

THE DOUGH:
1 c almond milk
1/3 c warm water
2 T vegan margarine, melted (I used Earth Balance)
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 T yeast
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour, plus extra for surface work
2 t salt

THE GOO:
1 c brown sugar, packed
2 t cinnamon
1/2 c vegan margarine, melted

THE GLAZE:
3/4 c powdered sugar
2 T almond milk

I'd suggest going to the website (linked above) for full instructions, as she has laid it all out beautifully with photo steps along the way. In addition to the small tweak on the recipe for the goo, I would also suggest baking them for 30-35 minutes if you don't like them quite as soft and doughy, like me. Although to be fair, there was not a single complaint that it was too soft or doughy as I fed the masses today. (Shout-out to Soo-Jin AGAIN just because it makes her happy!)

Banana Churros

Ok, so I don't really know what to call these things. They taste like banana funnel cakes laced with crack. Ok, you can't taste any crack, but they're hella addictive and delicious. Make sure to share, because these bad boys are deep fried which means you may as well stuff them in your pants- cause that's where they're going! Haha You'll need:

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups water

Oil for frying

Preheat your oil while you prepare your dough. I used a medium high heat. Mash all ingredients together in a bowl until a thick and sticky dough is formed. 

Using two spoons, spoon the dough into the hot oil. Because the dough is so sticky I use the second spoon to scrape the dough off of the first spoon. The batter only needs to cook for about 20-30 seconds (turn if you need to) until golden brown.

When they're looking nice and done scoop them out with a mesh/slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to cool. 

Once you eat one of these bite size pieces of heaven you'll be hooked! I find they're sweet enough as they are but for presentation you could dust with icing sugar, or cinnamon sugar. 

 

Banh Mi Chay!

I apologize if the spelling is off on the title of this delicious comfort food, but I am relying on Google :)

I'm sure at this point you all think that I love most of what I make. This is totally untrue. Only about 1/4 of what I make ends up on the blog. I'm a touch neurotic and sometimes if I can't get a good picture, or if it's too much of a hassle I don't bother. I want to post easy and delicious meals. Not stuff that will make your left eye twitch. 

So, having said that... SANDWICHES, am I right?? There is something about a stuffed to the brim, slopping everywhere, practically a meal left on your plate at the end sandwich that is just awesome. 

That is exactly what Banh Mi Chay is. A vegan version of a Vietnamese sandwich. (They typically come with pork from what I gather...) 

I was unable to find the pickled daikon and carrots so I made my own. (Salt and sugar the matchstick veg, rinse, and brine with a mix of vinegar and sugar)

For the sandwich, the other ingredients:

1 large crusty baguette

Cucumber, thinly sliced

Tofu 

Starch (I used potato)

Cilantro

Vegan mayo 

Lime juice

Green onion 

Oil

First mix the vegan mayo with cilantro and a dash of lime juice. Then spread on both sides of the baguette, which has been sliced in half and rationed into sandwich size. 

Then heat a flat bottom pan with oil. Take your tofu and slice any way you'd like. You can to strips, or flat rectangles. Coat evenly in starch and dry until golden brown; about 2 minutes per side. Then set aside on a paper towel. I threw in some green onion for fun.

With your sandwich sauced on both sides, start assembling! (This sandwich gets awfully full, a helpful hint is to hollow the bread out of the middle and just use the crust!) 

I layered as follows (bottom to top):

Bread /sauce/ tofu/ green onions/

pickled carrots and daikon/ 

cucumber/ sauce/ bread

Hold on tight and enjoy! 

Baked Mac 'n Cheese!

Sometimes, we just want carbs. Cheesy starchy carbs. And on those days, make this dish. Baked Mac 'n Cheese. 

Ingredients:

-2 tbsp vegan butter

-1/8 cup flour

-1 cup non dairy milk (warmed)

-1 cup shredded cheese (I used soy mozzarella. It melts and strings and bakes well)

-1/2 tbsp mustard (I used hot mustard)

-1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

Topping:

-1 cup panko

-1 cup shredded cheese

-1 tbsp oil

-1/4 tbsp nutritional yeast

-salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375. Boil elbow macaroni for 7-8 minutes until it's al dente. 

In a heavy bottom saucepan melt the butter on medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Slowly add the milk a little at a time mixing well. It will be splashy! Look out! Eventually it should be smooth and lovely. Then while it's at a low bubble add in the mustard and yeast, mix well and then add the shredded cheese. 

Now. Add your pasta and coat well. If you just want plain Mac and cheese once coated you can now transfer to a baking dish and make the topping. I like spice and flavour so I added in a 1/2 cup of hot salsa, some garlic and chili spice. 

For the topping, in a bowl mix the panko, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast. Then mix in the shredded cheese. Hand mix and add in the oil to coat well. Then spread on top and bake for 20 minutes. 

I have to score this a solid 9/10. It was amazing!! 

Vegan 'Egg' Nog

I have never been a big fan of egg nog. Rum, yes. Nutmeg, yes. Festive drinks, Heck yes. The egg part of the nog has always creeped me out. 

I stumbled across a vegan egg nog recipe online (Linked below). It is super easy and tasty, provided that you like rum and nutmeg.

Ingredients:

- 1 Frozen Banana

- 1/2 cup of non dairy milk (I used almond)

- Rum, to taste. (I used half a bottle ;))

Blend all ingredients in a blender, add ice if the banana isn't frozen enough or all that rum thinned it out. Ha! 

The picture isn't necessarily an accurate representation of the colour- it's in a caramel brown coloured glass and topped with nutmeg. But dang it's good!

http://www.girlmakesfood.com/vegan-eggnog/#sthash.xunjawlP.dpuf

Falafel!

Falafel can rarely go wrong in my books. Last night I wanted one after the gym so I made some garlic hummus, spread it generously on a whole grain wrap, topped it with baby kale and cukes, smashed on a few baked falafels, drizzled some tahini and hot sauce and OM NOM NOM!!! 

Sometimes, it ain't pretty but it hits the spot!

Cheers!

Vegan "Caramel" Apples...

Ok, so tonight I had zero motivation to cook anything. Like, nada. Zip. Zilch.

So the best thing to do? Make something that takes less than 30 minutes, is one dish or less and is not a pain in the ass.

That's why I chose to make the caramel apples. The caramel is actually a mix of:

- Dates (1/4 cup)

- Coconut Oil (2 tbsp)

- Cinnamon (a splash)

- Raw Agave (a squirt)

- Water

Throw it in a blender and voila. Dippable, pourable, crack. 

The recipe calls to roll it in crushed nuts but seeing as these are for a friend whose daughter can't eat nuts (and I have apparently run out of crushed toffee like I promised! Gah) I used chocolate sprinkles. Which may or may not be vegan. I didn't look because I'm not eating them. Ha! 

It also calls for drizzled chocolate on top, but you can skip back to the beginning for that. I'm tired and I didn't want to. :)

They will look better once they've hardened, and I will definitely try again with nuts and drizzled chocolate- but for tonight, this lazy Thursday- here you go! 

Cheers all ya'll!