Tempeh Crab Cakes

For a brunch party with some friends, I made these tempeh crab cakes. I've had tofu ones before at restaurants and made them from The Conscious Cook as well. I wanted to kind of change it up with tempeh. I admit, I don't often cook with tempeh. It's definitely something that has grown on me with time. If you have any great recipes with tempeh, send them over my way as I'd love to explore more recipes. My friend Emily blogged about our brunch over at her blog, Running On Vegan. Check it out!

Tempeh Crab Cakes

* Prep Time: 20-25 minutes
* Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 package (8 oz.) tempeh, finely chopped*
• 1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped 
• 1/2 cup yellow and red bell peppers, finely chopped
• 1 green onion, finely chopped 
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 small celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup lobster and oyster mushrooms, finely chopped*
• 5 tbsp vegan mayonnaise*
• 1/2 medium lemon, juiced
• 1/4 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce*
• 1 "egg" replacer, follow box instructions*
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning*
• 1/2 tsp dried mustard
• dash of cayenne, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 sheet nori, toasted, crumbled*
• 1/3 cup round crackers (like Ritz), crushed
• all-purpose flour, to dust
• peanut oil, to fry

* Recipe:

1. In a very large bowl, mix the tempeh with all the vegetables. Add in the condiments and spices. Mix well.
2. Over a burner, toast a sheet of nori on each side. Crumble into the bowl. Add the crackers. Mix contents well.
3. Heat a large skillet with peanut oil over medium heat.
4. On the counter, dust with flour. Form the crab cake mixture into medium sized balls. Flatten a bit and coat the entire crab cake in flour.
5. Fry on each side until completely golden.
6. Serve with vegan tartar sauce or horseradish sauce and coleslaw.

* Note: For tempeh, I used Lightlife Organic Garden Veggie Tempeh. I used dehydrated lobster and oyster mushrooms for this (rehydrated them for the recipe), but if you could find fresh ones, that would be best. For vegan mayonnaise, I used Earth Balance Olive Oil Mayo. Auntie's Naturals Organic Vegan Worcestershire Sauce is what I used in this recipe. I used Ener-G for my egg replacement. Old Bay seasoning is a seafood spice mix that is sometimes used in things like crab cakes. You can find it in your regular grocery store with the spices. Lastly, nori is the seaweed used to make sushi rolls. You can find it with Asian and Japanese products at your grocery store. 


For vegan tartar sauce or horseradish sauce, Follow Your Heart just came out with jars of both. If you can find them, I recommend the horseradish one. I really enjoy it! I also have a lemon dill tartar sauce recipe here on Vegan Miss.The coleslaw is a recipe of mine from when I made California Reuben Sandwiches a little bit ago.

Miss Lexy's Top 15 Vegan Miss Recipes (To Date)

I've been blogging Vegan Miss since 2009 and while I wish I posted more frequently with recipes (real life interferes, blast!), I do have some of my favorite gems. Here is a list of recipes that I think back to fondly (in no particular order):

1. Homemade Grilled Potato, Onion, & Cheeze Pierogies: These babies are well, bad ass. I have yet to find frozen vegan pierogies for sale in store. If you make a huge batch of this, it'll freeze and keep nicely for later use. Pair with some Polish braised red cabbage and sour cream for a very tasty Polish delight.
2. Balsamic Sage Butter Tortellini: I have yet to find vegan tortellini's anywhere as well. Someone should really just make tortellini's and pierogies in the frozen vegan variety. And cheese sticks. They would be a huge hit, I think! If you are feeling adventurous, these little guys will definitely rock your world. As with the pierogies, you can make a big batch and freeze them for later use. I would serve this with raw kale salad for a perfect meal!
3. Pumpkin Curry Soup: This soup is magnificent. Perfect fall weather soup. Even my mother who declared she hated pumpkin before trying this was converted. She had me make another batch just for her and my dad and again at Thanksgiving dinner. Serve with fresh brown bread.
4. Tiramisu: One of the desserts I crave still is tiramisu. I made a regular version for Valentine's Day 2011 and then a raspberry version for this past Valentine's Day. It's kind of like crack. Really delicious crack. Warning: you may want to eat way more than one serving.
5. Balsamic Baked Tofu Caprese Sandwich: One of my first recipes for Vegan Miss. The trick to this is to let the tofu marinate for preferably 24 hours. It'll really take in that flavor (tofu being like a sponge and all).
6. Deep Dish Pizza: Ah, vegan deep dish pizza. Living in Chicago for almost 7 years now, I've never had the traditional deep dish. This is my solution. It's an awesome, awesome solution. It was even my competition dish for the Chicago Vegan Chef Showdown. nom nom nom!
7. Italian "Beef" Sandwiches: Once again, in all my years in Chicago, I have never eaten an Italian beef sandwich. And trust me, they are mighty popular, originating here and all. This would be my vegan version which has been a hit with vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores a like. Don't forget the giardiniera!
8. Ginger, Carrot, Beet, & Sweet Potato Soup: This is the best winter soup. If you don't like beets, you will now. It is just the right combination of different root vegetables to have only a hint of that earthy beet taste. Don't blame me if you go back for seconds!
9. Vegan Horseshoe Sandwich: Most people don't know what a horseshoe is, so basically it is Texas toast with whatever meat you want on top and then cheese fries on top of that. Not healthy. The cheese sauce I came up with for this is still my go-to cheese sauce when I need to make nachos or anything cheezy like that. Even my omni, cheese loving friends liked it.
10.Chick'n Divan: Ah, 1950s food. This is recreated from the book, Dishes Men Like. I've been told this tastes a lot like the real thing sans all that gross meat and dairy. Serve with Caesar salad.
11. Chick'n Scallopini with Wild Mushroom Risotto: This one of my favorite romantic dinner recipes on my blog. It would be perfect for Valentine's Day or an anniversary. Gardein is such an amazing mock meat product that is ever expanding on the markets. I keep a package of their chick'n scallopini's in my freezer at all times! Serve with a bowl of French onion soup.
12. Chick'n Katsu: Did I not tell you that I keep those Gardein scallopini's in my freezer at all times or what?! I really adore Japanese culture and cuisine. I did my undergraduate minor in Japanese and studied in Japan as well. ♥ One of the nation's favorite dishes is katsu. Serve with some veggie miso soup.
13. Spinach & Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo: Several of my followers have remade this dish and all have fallen in love with it like I have. This is another one of those romantic dishes I enjoy. Serve with a heaping bowl of Italian wedding soup!
14. Vegan Fried Rice: This is an oldie recipe, but a goodie. It has something like 12,000 hits on VegWeb. It is a great recipe to whip up during the week and have plenty of leftovers.
15. Southern Food Gone Vegan: Country fried seitan steaks? Check. Mashed potatoes? Check. Southern greens? Check. Biscuits and gravy? Check! If you want a simple gravy, you can dumb down what I have to a black pepper gravy. This is one of Vegan Miss' most popular entries over the course of the last three years. Another southern favorite is my chick'n & buckwheat waffles with preserves recipe. No one ever said southern food was healthy for you! ;]

Well, there you have it. My original intent was to have 5-10 recipes, but I just couldn't stop at 10! If you ever decide to recreate any Vegan Miss recipes, please email the pictures at veganmiss@gmail.com or post pictures on VM's Facebook and post a review of the recipe on VegWeb for me! 

Vegan Chicago: Restaurant Review of The Bleeding Heart Bakery & Cafe

Popeye Cake

A few months ago, local punk rock baking heroes, Bleeding Heart Bakery, opened their new bakery and cafe in West Town. Prior to this, the company had only been a bakery. I've always been a big supporter of this place because: 1. it's local and they get a lot of exposure on the Food Network competing in challenges, 2. because a lot of their stuff is vegan, & 3. it's the only punk rock bakery I know of! The past two birthdays I have gotten my cake from Bleeding Heart. One was a vintage poodle design and the other was of my oldest cat, Popeye, who has only one eye. Both were completely delicious and filled with raspberry jam and yummy icing. They stood 3 layers tall and man, that was a lot of cake I ended up freezing! While it may be a bit pricey to order one of their cakes, it is most definitely worth it as they are genius bakers and designers. One day I was having coffee with a friend at their old location and someone came to pick up their cake. It was a gigantic life-like heart that bled raspberry jam. Amazing.

If you can't tell, I really like Bleeding Heart so I was excited to try out the new cafe that has a number of vegan options on their menu. I mean, a vegan s'mores pancake?! Yes! It exists here. The inside of the cafe is rather big and has a 1950's diner feel to it along with their signature artwork of "punk rock" themed things like skulls and slogans like, "Shut Up And Bake!", in the typical tattoo font (if you have seen the owners, you will understand the theme - they are literally quite the colorful bunch!). Oh, and if you are wondering why Bleeding Heart decided to branch out to savory food, it is because one of the owners, Chef Michelle, has a background in savory cooking despite being a baker and wanted to broaden her career horizons (she was on Food Network's Chopped twice in the last year). The service was kind of slow and we waited for 20 minutes or more for our food, but the atmosphere and quality of the food did not disappoint. 

The Farmers Skillet

For brunch, I had the farmers skillet and my friend had the housemade vegan biscuits and gravy. We split an order of roasted potatoes too. The farmers skillet had mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, carrots, and twice-baked tofu, all topped with wild mushroom gravy (which I added) and homemade fresh toast. I really enjoyed this skillet. It was reminiscent of a tofu scramble sans the scramble-y part. The bread was really delicious. I'm a sucker for homemade fresh bread. The carrots were a little underdone, but otherwise I would order this again. The roasted potatoes I believe were supposed to come with it, but didn't, so I ordered them on the side. These were really tasty. They were roasted with herbs and had just the right crunchy consistency on the outside.

Housemade Vegan Biscuits & Gravy

My friend's housemade vegan biscuits and gravy were super yummy too. The wild mushroom gravy has a lot of depth to it and is not just a simple black pepper gravy. The biscuits were fluffy and combined nicely with the gravy. Since it was made vegan, my friend got a big pile of twice-baked tofu which tasted great, but it was just way too much tofu. If they take away half the tofu from this dish and add roasted potatoes to it, it would be a winning brunch in my opinion. I left them a comment card which says just that!


If you check out their drink menu, you'll notice all the specialty coffee drinks have titles referring to A Clockwork Orange which I thought was cute. My friend and I both got the Agent Orange Mimosa (it's spiked with vodka as well as Prosseco and fresh O.J. and has muddled oranges) and they were really good (although probably not worth $10, but hey, it was a splurge brunch). 

Not vegan but cute!

As far as other vegan options on the brunch menu go, there are a couple skillets one can get with tofu including the seasonal squash and the roots (root veggies). As I mentioned, there are s'more pancakes as well as "plain jane" vanilla bean pancakes and seasonal fruit pancakes. Sides include apple slaw, roasted potatoes, and caramelized grapefruit. There are, of course, baked goods up at the bakery counter one can get. They always have a variety of vegan cupcakes, cake balls, donuts, fruit bars, and brownies. Bleeding Heart also carries fresh bread that they sell at this location.

So, everyone in Chicago, go check out Bleeding Heart Bakery & Cafe in West Town and have a really awesome punk rock brunch. Eat or die! xo

Monte Cristo Sandwich

I've never had a "real" Monte Cristo Sandwich but I've had them many times at the Chicago Diner. This is my ode to the sandwich! Also, the vegan turkey meat recipe is the same I posted recently for the California Reuben Sandwich.

Monte Cristo Sandwich

* Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

* Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours

* Ingredients (for vegan turkey meat):

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 cup vegetarian "chicken" broth*
• 1/2 (14 oz.) firm tofu package
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp agave nectar*
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp mesquite liquid smoke*

*  Ingredients (for sandwich):

• 2 tbsp vegan butter*
• 4 tbsp corn starch
• 1 cup non-dairy milk*
• 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
• pinch salt
• 4 pieces sourdough bread
• 1 tbsp olive oil, optional
• 1/2 package (5.5 oz.) vegan ham slices*
• 2 slices vegan muenster cheese, per sandwich*
• several slices vegan turkey meat, per sandwich 
  
• Dijon mustard, to taste
• vegan mayonnaise, to taste*
• powdered sugar, to top, to taste

* Recipe (for vegan turkey meat):

1. In a large bowl, add the vital wheat gluten.
2. In a food processor, add all the wet ingredients and nutritional yeast including the tofu and spices.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the wheat gluten. Mix well with a spoon then kneed with hands. 
4. Roll into a log that is 2.5 - 3 in. wide. Loosely roll foil around the seitan log and twist both ends like a tootsie roll.
5. Place in a pot with several inches of water. Have something holding it from the bottom so it is not touching the water (ex: a deep cookie cutter).
6. Steam for 1 hour.
7. When done steaming, take out of pot, allow to cool. When cool, slice thinly like deli meat.

* Recipe (for sandwich):

1. Melt butter in a large skillet. In a bowl, combine the corn starch, milk, flour, and salt. Mix until lumps are gone.
2. In a small baking pan, pour the french toast batter. Coat each side of the toast and fry in the pan until golden on each side. Once one side is fried, flip and fry the other side with the muenster cheese on top. Cover with lid to melt.
3. Fry the ham slices and several slices of turkey meat until slightly crispy. Add olive oil to the pan if the butter from the french toast runs out.
4. In a small bowl, combine equal parts mustard and mayonnaise.
5. Spread over one piece of french toast, pile on the ham and turkey, and top with the cheesy french toast. Cut in half. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve with hash browns or breakfast potatoes.

* Notes: For vegetarian "chicken" broth, I used Frontier brand I got at my local health food store in bulk. Agave nectar is a honey replacement. You can find it in the organic section of your grocery store usually or with the honey. Liquid smoke gives a "meaty" smoky flavor to foods. I use it often in southern greens recipes to replace a bacon feel. For vegan butter, I used Earth Balance. I used soy milk for non-dairy milk but feel free to use whatever you please. For ham, I like Lightlife Smart Deli Ham. Chicago has a great cashew cheese company called Ste Martaen that has a muenster cheese. If you can't find it, use some other kind of white cheese whether is be Daiya or Follow Your Heart. Lastly, for vegan mayonnaise I used Earth Balance with olive oil.

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

I'm known to make blueberry muffins with streusel topping for gift baskets that I decorate with cloth and ribbon. It's a nice housewarming or "thank you for having me over" gift. I've modified my recipe a bit, but it's still a big winner. Grandmothers have asked me for the recipe, so it must be good! ;]

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
* Ingredients (for batter):

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup turbinado sugar*
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup coconut oil*
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk*
• 1 "egg", made via box instructions*
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

* Ingredients (for streusel):

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1-2 tbsp vegan butter*

* Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the batter. In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients. 
3. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until clumps are gone. The batter should be less thick than cookie dough, but less runny than cupcake batter.
4. Add the blueberries and gently stir being careful not to destroy the blueberries.
5. In another small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients.
6. Line a cupcake tray with liners or spray with non-stick. Add about 3/4th of the way full with batter in each hole.
7. Top each muffin with streusel topping.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of a muffin.

* Note: I use turbinado sugar in this because I feel it is what makes it so tasty. I've made these with regular white sugar and it just doesn't taste as delicious. I used Sugar in the Raw. I used coconut oil because it works great in baking due to its neutral flavor. It's also really healthy for you (well, maybe not in a muffin, haha). One could replace this with vegetable oil instead. I used soy milk for non-dairy milk but use whatever is handy. For an egg, I used Ener-G. Lastly, for vegan butter I used Earth Balance butter.

California Reuben Sandwich

The California Reuben sandwich is similar to a traditional Reuben, but instead it usually uses turkey meat and coleslaw rather than corned beef and sauerkraut.

California Reuben Sandwich

* Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
* Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
* Ingredients (for vegan turkey meat):

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 cup vegetarian "chicken" broth*
• 1/2 (14 oz.) firm tofu package
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp agave nectar*
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp mesquite liquid smoke*

* Ingredients (for sandwich):

• 2 cups pre-made coleslaw bag (cabbage, carrots, etc.)
• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise*
• 1 tbsp vegan sour cream*
• 1 tbsp sugar*
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp dried mustard
• 1 tsp celery salt
• pepper, to taste
• Russian dressing, to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• several slices vegan turkey meat, per sandwich
• several slices vegan muenster cheese, per sandwich*
• several slices sourdough bread

* Recipe (for vegan turkey meat):

1. In a large bowl, add the vital wheat gluten.
2. In a food processor, add all the wet ingredients and nutritional yeast including the tofu and spices.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the wheat gluten. Mix well with a spoon then kneed with hands. 
4. Roll into a log that is 2.5 - 3 in. wide. Loosely roll foil around the seitan log and twist both ends like a tootsie roll.
5. Place in a pot with several inches of water. Have something holding it from the bottom so it is not touching the water (ex: a deep cookie cutter).
6. Steam for 1 hour.
7. When done steaming, take out of pot, allow to cool. When cool, slice thinly like deli meat.

* Recipe (for sandwich):

1. To make coleslaw, combine the coleslaw veggie bag, mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, white vinegar, dried mustard, celery salt, and pepper. Set aside.
2. Toast one side of the bread in skillet and then flip. Add the cheese and cover with lid to melt.
3. Slice vegan turkey and fry slightly in olive oil.
4. To build, spread the Russian dressing on one slice of toasted bread and top with coleslaw. Add fried turkey slices and the other piece of toasted bread with cheese. Cut in half. Serve with fries or chips.

* Note: For vegetarian "chicken" broth, I used Frontier brand I got at my local health food store in bulk. Agave nectar is a honey replacement. You can find it in the organic section of your grocery store usually or with the honey. Liquid smoke gives a "meaty" smoky flavor to foods. I use it often in southern greens recipes to replace a bacon feel. For vegan mayonnaise I used Earth Balance with olive oil. The sour cream brand I used was Tofutti. Make sure your sugar is vegan! Chicago has a great cashew cheese company called Ste Martaen that has a muenster cheese. If you can't find it, use some other kind of white cheese whether it be Daiya or Follow Your Heart.