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.

Southwestern Skillet

I've never actually had a traditional Southwestern skillet before, vegan or otherwise. I'm not a huge fan of spicy foods, Tex-Mex-style food, and I never ate eggs prior to being vegan. My friends wanted to try and make this for a brunch, so behold the Southwestern Skillet.

Southwestern Skillet

* Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes
* Ingredients (for potatoes):

• 5-6 red potatoes, cleaned and cubed
• 1/2 medium red pepper, diced
• 1/2 medium green pepper, diced
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp parley
• salt & pepper, to taste
• olive oil, to coat entire bottom of skillet

* Ingredients (for scramble):

• 1 package (16 oz.) firm tofu, water pressed out
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp tumeric
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup vegan cheddar cheese, shredded*
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 medium tomato, diced

* Ingredients (for sausage):

• 1 box (8 oz.) vegan sausage crumbles*
• 1 tbsp olive oil

* Recipe (for potatoes):

1. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add onion, garlic, and peppers, and sautee for 1 minute.
2. Add potatoes and seasonings. Cook until brown and tender.

* Recipe (for scramble):

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Sautee onions until soft.
2. Add garlic, crumble tofu into skillet, and add spices.
3. Slightly brown tofu and add diced tomatoes. Sautree for 3-5 minutes or until tomatoes are cooked.
4. Top with cheese and cover with lid to melt.

* Recipe (for sausage):

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the sausage crumbles with olive oil and cook until brown.

* Recipe (for assembly):

1. Assemble by layering potatoes on the bottom of a plate then the sausage and "scrambled egg" and cheese.
2. Top with salsa and chili peppers if you like spice. Serve with a side of toast. Perfect for brunch for two or as hangover food!

* Note: For cheese, I used Daiya cheddar shreds. One could shred other brands by hand. The sausage crumbles were Upton's Natural's brand that I chopped up fine. One could use Boca crumbles, Yves, or Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage in replacement. Lastly, feel free to add some veggie bacon to this too such as Yves Canadian Bacon or Lightlife Smart Bacon.  

Product Review: Rawtella Stuffed French Toast

A vegan coffee shop here in Chicago sells rawtella in their cafe. I've heard about this product before so I thought I would try it out. I don't have much to compare it too, though, because I've never had Nutella before (shocking, I know)! Of course, one could always makes their own vegan Nutella. There are several recipes floating around out there that I hear are pretty delicious.

The flavor I tried out was the original chocolate hazelnut. I completely understand why people put this on toast now or with bananas. It's good! I imagine rawtella is similar to Nutella and making it would be pretty fun. If you're feeling lazy, though, this is a neat product to have in your cupboard.


Speaking of things I have never tried... I've never had a meal of "real" french toast either! I was never fond of the prominent taste of egg and french toast was always too egg-y for me. The Chicago Diner has vegan french toast which I've had there. With this rawtella, I decided to make a vegan stuffed french toast. It was really tasty! It definitely is missing a certain taste of that egg wash feel, but it's a pretty good replacement.

Rawtella Stuffed French Toast

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

• 2 tbsp vegan butter*
• 4 tbsp corn starch
• 1 cup non-dairy milk*
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp sugar*
• 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
• pinch salt
• 2 slices vegan challah bread, cut in 1-1.5 in. slices*
• 2-3 tbsp rawtella or vegan nutella
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• powdered sugar, to taste
• maple syrup, to taste
• vegan whipped cream, to taste*

* Recipe:

1. Heat the vegan butter in a medium sized skillet over low-medium heat.
2. In a bowl, combine the cornstarch and non-dairy milk well until all clumps are gone. Add the vanilla extract, sugar, flour, and salt. Combine until a smooth batter is formed.
3. Spread rawtella on one side of each piece of bread. Press together to form a sandwich with the rawtella on the inside.
4. Coat one side of the sandwich with the batter. Fry in the skillet until golden brown.
5. Pour batter over the other side of the sandwich and flip over. Allow to fry until golden brown.
6. Dust with powdered sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Serve with maple syrup and vegan whipped cream.

* Note: I used Earth Balance for vegan butter. For non-dairy milk, I used hemp milk as that's what I had. Feel free to use whatever you like. Make sure your sugar is vegan! I found vegan challah bread at the store (which really surprised me). Use any sort of thick, fluffy bread you can find. You want it to be similar to brioche (sans all the eggs in the bread). Soyatoo makes a canned vegan whipped cream that's pretty awesome. They carry it at the Whole Foods near me, but you can order it online too.

Vegan Chicago: Review of Victory's Banner Restaurant

Brunch is my favorite meal. Two of my friends and I regularly do Sunday brunch. It's good fun! We usually go to the same places (such as Revolution Brewing, Handlebar, the Chicago Diner, & Kitsch'n), but I've been meaning to try Victory's Banner for a really long time. So, I took the opportunity to try it.

Tofu Scramble

Victory's Banner is a small restaurant in the heart of Roscoe Village. With quaint stores and other neighborhood restaurants and bars along Roscoe Ave., Victory's Banner fits right in. During the summer in Chicago, you must sit outside to eat even if it is a hundred degrees outside. We spend far too long indoors during the winter/spring/fall to not do so. For brunch, we sat outside and the owner was very friendly, talking to us about the restaurant, menu, and asking about ourselves. 

The restaurant is entirely vegetarian with many vegan options. The people that work there also are practitioners of meditation and followers of an Indian spiritual master. Don't be surprised to see the wait staff in sari's!

Soy sausage & side vegetables

I had the tofu scramble. The tofu was seasoned very well. You have a choice of adding two types of vegetables to it. I opted for a side of mixed grilled vegetables in order to add more than just two. I also got a side of soy sausage (the soy bacon had egg in it). To top it all off, it came with some very hardy bread and soy butter and homestyle potatoes. To wash it down, I had some apple juice. 

Victory's Banner is definitely a place to go to as a vegetarian or vegan on the prowl for a yummy brunch in Chicago! Highly recommend and I'll be going back sometime soon.

Mini chocolate cupcake

On the way home, I stopped at Delicious Cafe near Victory's Banner. It is an all vegan cafe with sandwiches and baked goods. The only non-vegan item is dairy milk for coffee. I had a mini chocolate cupcake for dessert. Delicious is a great place to get a sandwich, cup of coffee, and sit on your computer. 

Also to note, in my last post about vegan-friendly restaurants in Chicago, I didn't know there were two Mexican restaurant's now serving vegan food. One is Quesadilla Mexican Vegetarian Cuisine which is Chicago's only all vegetarian and vegan Mexican restaurant. Check out a picture of their menu here. It looks awesome with vegan tacos, tortas, and of course, quesadillas. The other Mexican place is La Cocina which is serving Upton's Naturals seitan in their tacos. 
Support local vegan-friendly restaurants!