Rabbit and Wolves

entrees

Vegan Sweet and Spicy Korean Meatballs

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Korean food is some of my favorite food! I used to kill some bibimbap when I lived in New York City.  These vegan sweet and spicy Korean meatballs remind me of those flavors. There was an amazing fast Korean food restaurant right next to where my Brother-in-law worked at the time. Unfortunately, it is closed now, however they made some killer vegan bibimbap, as well as a bunch of other insanely delicious dishes.

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I have been thinking a lot about making a dish like this, to highlight the flavors I love, so I started to research what flavors were absolutely necessary to have in my meatballs. I discovered that black bean paste is used frequently, and decided that black beans and tofu combined would have great flavor and that the actual “meat” part of the balls would be a nod to that tradition. I also am pretty sure these meatballs have a great deal of protein in them with an entire can of black beans and an entire block of tofu. Then I just needed to figure out how much of each spice would work best, and ta da. These are super addictive and so delicious!

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I served them with fried rice, I was thinking that there are so many possibilities though. Kimchi, noodles, and I found many other great Korean side dishes! This is a really easy recipe, you just need to throw everything in a food processor and bake. Then the glaze is just whisked together and brush on. Pretty easy! I hope you enjoy these as much as my family did (even the meat eaters).

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Ingredients:

Meat ball:

1 Block extra firm tofu

1 Can black beans (drained and rinsed)

3 tsp. Ginger (ground)

4 Green onions

3 Cloves of garlic

1 C. Panko bread crumbs

2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Black pepper

Glaze:

1 C. Apricot jam

3 Tbsp. Tamari or Soy sauce

4 Tbsp. Red chili paste

4 Tbsp. water

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450.
  2. Put all meatball ingredients into a food processor, and process until everything is combined and starts to form a ball and is a pretty fine texture. The tofu and black beans will look a bit mushy. It will take a few minutes depending on your machine.
  3. Using a small ice cream or cookie scoop, form balls. You can make them more spherical by rolling them in your hand.
  4. Place in baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
  5. While they are in the oven, make the glaze. Combine all glaze ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
  6. When the balls are firm, pull them out and brush pretty heavily with glaze(reserve about half, you will brush again)
  7. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
  8. Pull out and brush again. They are ready to eat!! You can pour some more sauce on top if you want (it is pretty delicious)
  9. Top with green onion and enjoy!

Tools I used:
Hamilton Beach 70730 Bowl Scraper Food Processor
OXO Good Grips Small Cookie Scoop
Zicome Set of 4 Silicone Pastry Basting Grill Barbecue Brush – Solid Core and Hygienic Solid Coating – 4 Bright Colored Red, Blue, Orange, Green – 8-3/4 Inch Long

Vegan Cheddar and Chive Biscuits

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One of my favorite flavor combinations happens to be cheddar and chive. So when I sit down and think about what I miss eating and what I think others would really have a craving for, I think about a cheddar and onion type flavor. A big thing for me is proving that anyone can be vegan, I think if I hone in on all the reasons people come up with for why they CAN’T be vegan, and create alternatives, no one will have an excuse. I hear a lot of, “I need more protein”, “I love cheese too much!”, “What about baked goods and butter?” I have got you covered.

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Working with this theory, I also thought a lot about when I was a kid and my dad would take us for a “fancy” dinner at The Red Lobster. I don’t remember what I ate there, except for their biscuits. From what I remember, these biscuits taste very similar! That is the only thing I can think of that I miss about eating at chain seafood restaurants. These biscuits are super flaky and buttery, and they were eaten in my house in a matter of minutes. I can not think of a regular non vegan biscuit I have eaten anywhere that I liked better than these.

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I put quite a bit of vegan cheddar and chives into my biscuit mixture, and I think it was the perfect amount. There is a bit of cheese and chives dotted in every part of the biscuit. I ate one warm with a bit of vegan butter, my husband made a breakfast sandwich( that looked insane), so many options. I think a biscuits and gravy situation would be fantastic!

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These biscuits are also one of the easiest recipes I have made. I am pretty confident, that even if you have very little cooking or baking experience, you could manage to make them. You are literally throwing everything in a bowl, mixing, kneading a bit, cutting and baking. They are pretty fool proof. I know many people say they can’t cook or bake and that is why they can’t be vegan. Yes, when you are vegan you have to make a lot of your own food, but it’s popularity is on such a rise, that I can find pretty much everything I need at any grocery store! However, for the things that are not mass produced at this point, I’ve got you covered! Please enjoy! 

Ingredients:

1 C. Almond milk

1 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar

1/2 C. Chives(chopped)

1 C. Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds

2 C. All purpose flour + more for kneading

1 Tbsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

5 Tbsp.  Cold vegan butter ( I use Earth Balance)

Directions:

  1. Make vegan buttermilk by mixing the milk and apple cider vinegar together and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 450.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir just to combine.
  4. In a small mixing bowl, mix Daiya cheddar and chives with 1 Tbsp. of flour. Toss to coat.
  5. Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the vegan butter into the dry mixture. Make sure your vegan butter is very cold. Cut in until the butter is small pea size.
  6. Add the cheddar and chive mixture into the dough and stir.
  7. Pour the vegan buttermilk into the flour mixture and stir to combine. It will still be a little sticky.
  8. Turn dough out onto floured surface, and add a little more flour, kneading and adding until it is no longer sticky.
  9. Pat dough down in a large circle until it is about an inch thick. Using a large circle cutter or a cup, cut out your biscuits.
  10. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake at 450 for about 15-20 minutes. I topped with a little more vegan butter half way through baking to help them brown.
  11. Eat them all!

Tools I used:

Winco 5 Blade Pastry Blender, Stainless Steel
ChefLand Mixing Bowls Standard Weight Stainless Steel, Mirror Finish, 3/4, 11/2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 Qt. (Set of 6)
Wilton Recipe Right 3 Piece Cookie Pan Set
Baker’s Secret 1067738 3-Piece Biscuit Cutter Set

Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Bombs

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My dad is a connoisseur of soups. He used to make us really great soup when I was a kid, and when he was feeling lazy he would throw down some Ramen like nobody’s business, adding extra ingredients to make them extra delicious, and a little less of the flavor packet, because, I remember him saying “the sodium is off the charts”. One of my favorite soups was broccoli cheddar! So warm and comforting, it made me feel safe and loved. In thinking about bringing those feelings to my daughter now, I was thinking of making my version of broccoli and cheddar soup( and I probably still will) but I wanted to be a little more innovative.

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So, I decided to take my super simple basic pizza dough and stuff small dough balls with slightly steamed broccoli and vegan cheddar cheese. Let me tell you, you will not be disappointed. This comfort food is everything but ordinary. I feel so many feels while biting into one of these bad boys. They make a great appetizer, entree, or after school snack!

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You can also use a prepared dough if you can find a vegan one, that would make this super quick as well as easy. A vegan pizza dough or biscuit dough would work great! Just press out, stuff and bake, you would be all set. Making the dough is a little more time consuming, but almost fool proof. My basic pizza dough is just that, basic and very simple. Whatever you choose, I promise, you will make these again!

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Ingredients:

16 oz. Pizza dough, vegan  

1 1/2 C. Broccoli (chopped and slightly steamed)

1/2 C. Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds

4 Tbsp. Vegan butter( I use Earth Balance)

2 tsp. Garlic powder

1 tsp. Salt

1/4 C. Vegan Parmesan  (optional)

Directions:

  1. Make pizza dough according to directions, or if you are using a store bought dough, preheat oven to 375.
  2. Divide dough into 8 equal balls and roll until smooth.
  3. Flatten out each ball and fill with a Tbsp. of broccoli and sprinkle with Daiya cheese, about a 2 tsps. each.
  4. Fold dough around filling and pinch together to seal. Place sealed side down in cast iron pan that has been brushed with vegan butter.
  5. Repeat and place each ball next to the other in a circle, and one in the center.
  6. Let proof for about 10 minutes.
  7. Brush with vegan butter and top with garlic powder, salt and vegan parm.
  8. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes or until brown. I like to brush a little more vegan butter on top during baking to help brown.
  9. Eat one or two or eight!

Vegan Parmesan 

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This is a super simple vegan Parmesan recipe I wanted to share really quick. I use this all the time, in recipes and as a topping for pasta, popcorn and a lot of other great things! I will link back to this recipe often, so this will just be easier and more helpful for everyone to follow along. This makes quite a bit, so you can put it in an air proof container and keep it for all your vegan Parmesan needs!

I highly recommend keeping nutritional yeast on hand. It can be used for so many things, not just this vegan Parmesan. It is perfect for all your vegan cheesy needs!

Ingredients:

1/2 C. Raw cashews

3 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast

Directions:

1. Put the cashews and nutritional yeast in a blender or food processor, and pulse until it is a powder. You want it to look like Parmesan, so don’t over process, or it will turn into a paste.

2. Sprinkle on sh#!t.

Vegan Copy Cat Hawaiian Rolls

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Much of my childhood was spent sneaking the King’s Hawaiian Rolls my parents would buy for special occasions. I knew when they came home from the store with a package, we were having people over for some reason or another. The package would slowly disappear every time  they turned their backs. I may have been slipping a tiny hand into the bag and pulling off a roll or two. The thought of these sweet rolls always makes my heart happy, still. Unfortunately, I realized they were not vegan when I got older and wanted to spread this love to my daughter. My daughter is a vegetarian and eats dairy and eggs, but I wanted something we could have together.

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My husband bought some King’s Hawaiian Rolls a while back to make sliders out of, and then I got the idea to just make my own. How hard could it be? I mean really, I have a bit of knowledge about yeast bread making and what generally goes into these rolls, so as I always say, “I can totally make that vegan.” I found a few reference, Girl meets kitchen , and Food.com . These were a great help to get me started.

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So here is the veganized version I came up with. They are so delicious, they take me right back to the happier times I had as a child. Food was always involved in my the memories I have that I am actually fond of. The point I am trying to make every day is to make healthier versions of the food that comforted me, and make healthier versions of the memories I had for my daughter, so that we may have a healthier life, physically and mentally. Please enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 C. All purpose flour

1/2 tsp. Ginger

1 1/2 Flax eggs( so that ends up being 3 Tbsp. Flax meal + 4 1/2 Tbsp. Water)

1 C. Pineapple Juice

1/3 C. White sugar

1/2 Tsp. Vanilla

2 1/4 tsp. Dry active yeast

1/4 C. Vegan butter( I use Earth Balance)

Directions:

  1. Mix together flax eggs, pineapple juice, sugar and vanilla in a small mixing bowl.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, add half the flour and the ginger, make a well in the center.
  3. Add warm melted vegan butter to the wet mixture, and pour into the center of the dry mixture.
  4. Sprinkle the yeast on to the wet center and begin to mix together with a wooden spoon.
  5. Add the remaining flour and mix until fully combined.
  6. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for a few minutes with as much extra flour as you need to make smooth and not sticky.
  7. Place dough into greased bowl and let rise for an hour in a warm dry place.
  8. Once doubled in size, turn back onto floured surface, cut in half, and then cut each half into 8 pieces. You should get 16 pieces total. Roll each section into a ball and put up against each other in a greased pan.
  9. Let rise for another 30 minutes.
  10. Preheat oven to 350. Brush the tops of each roll with vegan butter, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Half way through, I brushed the rolls with more vegan butter.
  11. Put whateva you want on them, they are amazing!
  12. P.S I put more Earth Balance on them!

Vegan Calamari 

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A few weeks ago, my husband Chris asked me if I thought he would be able to make vegan calamari out of King oyster mushrooms, and how he could make them actually look and taste like calamari so no one would know the difference. He decided to cut them in thin slices and punch a circle out of the center, so they looked like the rings every one knows and loves.

We also discussed putting kelp powder into the dry mixture that the mushrooms get coated in. So that they taste of the sea!

They were everything we dreamed of and more! They are easy to make, just a bit time consuming cutting all the mushrooms, but it is well worth it!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. King oyster mushrooms 

1/4 C. All purpose flour 

1/4 C.  Self rising corn meal

1/4 C. Corn starch 

1 tsp. Salt 

2 tsp. Pepper

2 Tbsp. Garlic powder 

1/2 tsp. Kelp powder( this can be found at Whole Foods)

1 can Coconut cream ( I use Trader Joes)

1 tsp. Apple cider vinegar 

Directions:

1. Slice mushrooms 1/4 of an inch thick, then punch out center with small circle cutter, we used a large piping tip. 

2. Mix coconut cream and apple cider vinegar and set aside to curdle, this will give you vegan buttermilk.

3. Mix all the other ingredients together to make your dry batter.

4. Dredge mushrooms into dry mixture, into wet mixture and back into dry mixture.

5. Heat vegetable oil to 350 or so, and drop in the oil in small batches. Fry until golden brown.

6. Serve with marinara or whatever dipping sauce you want!

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