vegan mofo: fourth meal

i love my man v. food. it's horribly hedonistic and terribly unhealthy, but still, i love the glee adam has for each new foodie encounter.   

status: foodgasmic!

why i'm including it: i reserve wednesday nights for fourth meal - typically made right after watching man v. food. this was some sort of concoction involving a sammie of french fries, vegan queso, chili beans, tomatoes, tapatio sauce, and jalapenos.   it was drunk food, but it tasted sooo good.

would i make it again:  not the healthiest or calorie-friendly, but i probably would for a rare indulgence.

 

ps - once i remake this, i'll post a recipe for all my non-calorie-countin' vegan friends.

pulled pork sandwich

i live in kansas city, and there is no shortage of good barbecue sauces here.  and man, do i love a good bbq sauce - especially grilled up on some veggies. since it's winter and too cold to grill, lately i've been enjoying it on pulled pork sammies.  there are a variety of ways to make vegan pulled pork - my personal favourite would have to be using young green jackfruit, as it has a nice shredded texture and absorbs the bbq flavour well. i get it at my local asian grocer. you can find a handful of pulled pork recipes using jackfruit online - it's not a new concept - but here is the recipe i've created and always use. 

• 1 can young green jackfruit
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon bragg liquid aminos
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/3 cup water
• 2/3 veggie broth
• 1/2 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 1/2 cup hickory bbq sauce
• 1½ tablespoon heinz 57 sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

drain the quartered jackfruit from the brine or water it's in (be sure to use young or green jackfruit).  rinse all the pieces thoroughly and squeeze each piece to remove as much water as possible. while draining and squeezing, shred each piece (it's very tender) before putting into a 2 quart saucepan.  after all the jackfruit pieces are in the pan, add in the water, garlic, onion and mustard powder, bragg's and ground pepper.  turn the heat on medium high and cook for approximately 12 minutes or until the water has completely evaporated.  since the water content is so low, be sure and stir often - almost sautéeing.  if it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan but hasn't started to darken up a bit, add in a couple tablespoons of water...  but be sure to cook that off again.

after the water is gone, the jackfruit should be a little darker in colour, almost like a very light brown or dirty white.  at this point, turn the heat to low and stir in the rest of the ingredients. cover and simmer on low heat for about an hour and a half, removing the lid half way through.  the sauce should reduce an thicken up considerably.  after it's done cooking,  let it sit for about another hour to really allow the jackfruit to marinate.  finally,  toss it back on low heat for about another 15-20 minutes and then serve.  with pickles.

italian pesto panini

my brother, who i dubbed 'produce boy' after he brought me 28 pounds of asparagus last year, came through in a big way for xmas this year. he gifted me with one bushel of zucchini and one of yellow squash. what a foodie's delight! i've diced and frozen several pounds for future meals, and have been busy eating my weight in zucchini before it goes bad. it's a good thing it's one of my absolute favourite vegetables. this is one of my go-to panini recipes, with a yummy pesto made from garden fresh basil.

• 1/2 medium zucchini
• 1 red bell pepper, roasted
• 1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts
• 1/2 medium tomato, sliced
• 1 handful baby bella mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, roasted
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 1 medium boule loaf
• few tablespoons vegan butter
• vegan mozzarella (optional)

the way i make this panini varies a little each time, and the basic recipe can easily be modified. a lot of the things can be store bought or made from scratch... that's up to you.

bread: if working from scratch, you'll need to make your boule loaf. i use the basic recipe from artisan bread in 5 minutes a day, with half whole wheat and half unbleached white flour. the recipe can be found here for those that don't have the book.

roasted red peppers: while the bread is cooling, slice the bell pepper into quarters and roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes. i usually throw a little olive oil on them, and place on a piece of foil at 400°f for 10 minutes, then turn the broiler on for 5 more minutes. they should be tender, but not completely black. again, you could also just buy a jar of these if pressed for time.

pesto: you might be able to find pre-made pesto, just be sure and check that it doesn't contain parmesean. to make 1/4 cup pesto, you'll need about 1 cup fresh basil leaves. in a food processor, add basil, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and about 1/8 cup pine nuts. pulse until smooth and creamy, adding a splash more olive oil or lemon juice if needed.

ok, so now you are ready! use a mandolin or a steady hand to make several zucchini slices, approximately 1/8-1/4 inch thick. the slices should be fairly thin - bending if you hold them up by one end. place the slices on a plate with the balsamic vinegar and let marinate for 30+ minutes. when the zucchini are almost done marinating, slice the boule loaf horizantally into 4 thick slices. divide the rest of ingredients in half, and start building the sandwiches. spread the pesto on one slice of bread, and then layer the zucchini, red peppers, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and tomato. add the vegan mozzarella if desired. finally, on the other slice a bread, spread a garlic clove and press on top of your sandwich.

heat the panini maker, and spread a small amount of vegan butter on the outside of each bread slice. place the sandwiches in the press, and let them cook for approximately 10 minutes. over the course of the 10 minutes, press down on the sandwiches occasionally so they really smush together. like any good panini, they should come out crunchy brown on the outside with a warm gooey center, and should be pressed enough that they don't fall apart.

makes 2 large paninis.

double decker B-L-FGT

i've always loved the BLT, but with the cooler weather all summer, my garden tomatoes didn't ripen like i'd hoped. when life gives you lemons, make lemon drop martinis! i used the fried green tomato recipe from vegan yum yum, the shiitake bacon that bianca blogged about, and made a big fat double-decker bacon, lettuce, and fried green tomato (B-L-FGT) masterpiece.

• 1 medium green tomato
• 6-8 shiitake bacon strips
• 3 large leaves of lettuce
• coarse ground mustard
• nasoya mayonaise
• 3 slices whole wheat bread

first make your shiitake bacon. in addition to this great recipe, i like to grind up vegan bacon bits into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. i add about a teaspoon of that to the wet soaking mixture for the mushrooms, it lends just a smidgen more of a bacon flavor.

while the mushrooms are cooling, go ahead and start making your fried green tomatoes. you'll want four tomato slices, which is about one green tomato. once they are fried and draining, pop your whole wheat bread in the toaster. for a double decker, a thick multi-grain is necessary to handle the size of this sandwich. on two of the toast pieces, coat one side with nasoya nayonaise and coarse ground brown mustard.

next, assemble your sandwich: lay one toast slice with mayo/mustard up, half the bacon, two fried green tomatoes, and half the lettuce. place a second slice of toast with mayo/mustard up, remaining bacon slices, two fried green tomatoes and remaining lettuce. top with your final slice of toast.

word.

spicy hummus sprout wrap

today is earth day! a veggie diet is one of the top ways to green up your life and reduce your carbon footprint. one person can make a difference! on earthsave.org, you can read:

+10 people could be fed with the grain used to feed 1 cow
+for every pound of beef you do not eat, you save 2,500-5,000 gallons of water
+over 280 gallons of oil are used to feed a cow before slaughter
+animal agriculture is the number one cause of methane and nitrous gas emissions


white bean hummus:

• 1 15oz. can white beans (drained & rinsed)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• sriracha (optional)

wrap:

• 2 whole wheat wraps
• 2 cups sprouts
• 5 baby spinach leaves
  
• 1 avocado
• 5-6 roasted red pepper slices

to make the spicy hummus, put all the hummus ingredients in food processor or magic bullet and blend away. i prefer to add the sriracha last, adding until it meets my spice preference.

spread the hummus on wrap. this hummus recipe makes enough for about 4 wraps, so you can keep the extra refrigerated for a few days. you can buy sprouts, or make your own just as easily - read here for miss v's easy sprouting instructions. place sprouts (here with garbanzo, black-eyed peas and green lentils), avocado slices, spinach and roasted red pepper slices on each wrap. roll up and devour with an earth-friendly conscious. :)

tony soprano sandwich

i was craving an old-school italian meatball sandwich. but, i really didn't feel like making meatballs, so i made a sloppy 'meat' sandwich instead. it might look like a modified sloppy joe, but it tastes way more tony soprano-like to me.

• 1 hoagie bun
• 1 cup cooked tvp (about 1/2 cup dry tvp)
*or 1 cup boca crumbles
• 1 8oz can of tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 clove fresh garlic, minced
• 1 small green pepper, chopped

cook the textured vegetable protein with half the water according to package (about 1/4 cup). add the tomato sauce, water, spices, and peppers to the tvp. heat the mixture for about 2 minutes on med. temperature. toast hoagie if desired, and stuff with tvp mixture.

and if you are a kraut nut like me, i think it complements this dish nicely.

easy turkey sammy

i have been craving sandwiches all summer... we finally went shopping this past weekend and snatched up some smart deli turkey slices (in most produce sections). the very next day we made up some great tasting faux turkey sandwiches that hit the spot.

• 1 hoagie, toasted
  
• nayonaise or vegenaise
  
• stoneground mustard
• 2 slices smart deli turkey
• 1/2 tomato
• 1/4 avocado
• 1 piece tofutti vegan american cheese slice

i prefer nasoya nayonaise and westbrae natural stoneground mustard. seriously, the mustard makes the sandwich. stack the rest of the ingredients and chow down. :)