Paella

So, I got the idea of making a vegan paella one day and just sort of ran with it. This is what I came up with. I used short-grain brown rice instead of white rice for a more healthy option.

Paella

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 cups short-grain brown rice
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small Spanish onion, sliced 
• 1 box (7 oz.) of chick'n strips*
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red pepper, sliced
• 1 package (12 oz.) vegan chorizo*
• 1 package (12 oz.) vegan shrimp*
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1/4 cup dried lobster mushrooms, rehydrated, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried oyster mushrooms, rehydrated, chopped
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 small lemon, zested
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme
• 1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning*
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe:

1. In a medium pot, combine vegetable stock, rice, bay leaf, saffron. Cook until rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
2. While the rice is cooking, in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent. 
3. Once onions are cooked, add the chick'n strips, garlic, red pepper, chorizo, shrimps, peas, and mushrooms. Cook for another 10 minutes or so until everything looks nicely browned or tender.
4. In a blender, combine the remaining ingredients. Add to the pot and stir well. Cook for another 5 minutes.
5. When rice is done, remove bay leaf and add to the pot with paella mixture. Stir well to combine. Serve with lemon wedge if desired.

* Note: For chick'n strips, I used Gardein brand. One could also use Morningstar Farms. For vegan chorizo, I used Frieda's brand Soyrizo. The vegan shrimp I used was VegeUSA brand. Lastly, Old Bay Seasoning is a seafood seasoning that is often use. You can find it at any grocery store in the spice section. It is great for faux crab cakes. Don't worry - it's vegan! 

As a side note, you could also opt to add celery into this dish or use regular white short-grain rice. The lobster and oysters mushrooms were added to give a more seafood-y taste (plus, I love fungi). You could opt to leave them out if you like or use a fresh variety of both.

Vegan Chicago: Restaurant Review of Urban Vegan Chicago

Before I being my review of Urban Vegan Chicago, I'd like to let you all know that they have a benefit going on throughout the entire month of December. If you order take-out or dine-in and mention Mercy For Animals, 20% of the proceeds go to MFA. This is a great opportunity for vegans (and non-vegans a like) to try out this newer restaurant in Chicago! It also helps with MFA's life-saving work in farm animal protection. Plus, it is nom.

I've heard many great things about this Thai vegan restaurant since it opened. I've been to and seen a few mock meat Asian restaurants before like ChuChai in Montreal (which I blogged about here), Golden Lotus in Oakland (there are a number of Asian restaurants in the Bay Area that specialize in faux meats), and Red Bamboo in NYC. Based off my previous dining experiences, I figured the place would be either fancier (like ChuChai and Red Bamboo) or sort of just a hole in the wall. It's the latter. That doesn't mean it is bad, it just means it is a small establishment and more reasonably priced! I would recommend making reservations because from how I counted, there are only 8 tables in the whole restaurant. It is also BYOB.

As far as having an Asian restaurant with an extensive mock meat menu, I'm glad Chicago now has one! It is definitely an interesting dining experience. If I wanted to get a veggie cashew stir-fry, I would just go to any Thai restaurant and tell them to hold the fish/oyster sauce and add in some tofu. I think the primary reason to go to Urban Vegan (or any of the other places I mentioned, really) is to eat the faux meat with vegan pride. It just isn't worth it to go for Buddha's Delight (other than to support a vegan restaurant). That being said, I'm curious as to what vegan meat company they use. There is always the ever popular May Wah based out of NYC. I'm pretty sure this is what Red Bamboo uses. The "fish" in the Tom Yum I had at Urban Vegan tasted a lot like the fillets they sell on May Wah. If anyone knows where Urban Vegan gets their mock meat, I'd love to know. I'm curious!

Grilled Veggie Dumplings

This isn't the best starting line for a review, but the food was cold which was really disheartening. I was looking forward to this dining adventure. I will go again to see if I receive a better experience as when I went, it was on a Sunday night and every table in the restaurant was taken. I'm assuming this had something to do with it.


The menu is very extensive. They have all the usual Thai foods gone vegan as well as veggie sushi, wrap, burgers, and smoothies. There is also a lunch and dinner combination menu. They include steamed brown rice, a spring roll, salad, and a choice of an entree with either tofu, soy chicken, seitan, pepper steak, or soy fish ($9.95/lunch and $11.95/dinner). Addition of bacon, shrimp, or chicken nuggets is extra ($11.95/lunch and $13.95/dinner). For those of you with gluten allergies, there is a wheat-free menu available.

Seafood Tom Yum Soup

For starters, my friend and I had the grilled veggie dumplings, the house salad, and seafood tom yum soup. The portions are big! The dumplings were about what we expected - your everyday vegan frozen dumpling that was grilled. I think next time, I'd like to try the crispy chicken or chicken satay instead. They sound interesting! The house salad was filled with lots of veggies and I went with peanut sauce for the dressing. There is also tahini and Italian dressing. I've never had a Larb salad before since they aren't vegan, but that's the next salad I'm going to try here. The tom yum soup with seafood was interesting, to say the least. I've had vegan fish fillets before and vegan shrimp... but never the fish in a broth. Personally, the best preparation I've ever seen of vegan fish was in a light sauce and the fillet slightly seared. The seaweed wrapped around it to be the "skin" gives it that fishy taste quality. Vegan shrimp, for me, isn't really worth it. It's chewy and doesn't add much to the mix.

Garlic Pepper Steak

Our dinner entree's were the garlic pepper entree with pepper steak and the pad won zen with soy chicken. The pepper steak was pretty good and it came with rice, though I would have appreciated a few more veggies tossed in there. I liked the pad won zen very much (it has more veggies), but it was cold which kind of ruined the appeal (was looking forward to hot noodles!). Next time, I think I'd like to try the P.E.T. (pumpkin, eggplant, tofu) and the wonton noodle soup (I've missed wonton soup since being vegan - it was my staple at Chinese restaurants since I was a wee one). 

Pad Won Zen (w/ Soy Chicken)

Overall, I think Urban Vegan is a nice change from the normal Thai vegan dining experience (no fish sauce! no oyster sauce! no egg! tofu!). I'm definitely going to come back and try it again. It seems to be doing great thus far and the Chicago vegan community loves it.

If you want to pick up mock meat in Chicago and make your own food, there are a couple of grocery stores in the city. I personally like the Uptown neighborhood stores to get this stuff. Broadway Supermarket is my favorite. If you go to the very back corner near the produce, you'll find all the veggie meats in the freezer. Golden Pacific Market has faux meats too. Lastly, Tai Nam Food Market seems to carry a lot of products as well, though I've never been (and now I must!).

Urban Vegan Chicago's Facebook Page here. 

Shrimp Scampi & Balsamic Sage Butter Tortellini

I subscribe to the Food Network Magazine monthly and despite it is 95% not vegan, I still enjoy it because I learn new techniques for various things (such as pasta's or mixology). Usually, there are ways to veganize many of their dishes and their side dishes are generally vegan. This month's issue was pasta. After reading it, I was inspired to make a vegan tortellini (which I've never had before). Vegan shrimp scampi has been running through my head for a while now as an idea, so I made it with the tortellini.

 

Shrimp Scampi

* Prep Time: 5 minutes

* Cook Time: 10 minutes

* Ingredients:  

• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/4th small white onion, sliced fine
• 2 stalks green onion, sliced fine
• 3 tbsp soy butter*
• 1/2 jar (7.5 oz.) artichoke hearts, medium slice
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup white wine*
• 3/4 package (5 oz.) vegan shrimp*
• 1/8 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• vegan Parmesan, to taste, top (optional)*

* Recipe:  

1. Heat a medium sized pan with 2 tbsp of the soy butter. Add in the onion and when it starts to become translucent, add the garlic and green onion.
2. Next, add the lemon juice, white wine, artichoke hearts, and vegan shrimp. Cook for a few minutes until the shrimp become tender.
3. Add the lemon zest, fresh parsley, the remaining 1 tbsp of soy butter, salt, and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes until the butter melts and the shrimp are completely cooked.
4. Top the dish with vegan Parmesan, if desired.

* Note: For soy butter, I used Bestlife brand. I found it at my local Jewel Osco (Albertson's, Lucky's, Cub Foods, County Market, Shop 'n Save, Save-a-Lot to some - same company). Make sure your wine is vegan on Barnivore. I found the vegan shrimp at a local Thai/Chinese grocery store. The brand I used was Verisoy which coincidentally is owned by Vegetarian Plus. So use either brand! Vegan Parmesan brand I use is Galaxy topping.

Balsamic Sage Butter Tortellini

The sauce in this recipe was modified from the "Sage-Walnut Butter" tortellini sauce in the Food Network Magazine March 2011 edition. I veganized it and halved the recipe. The tortellini and dough are my recipes, though.


* Prep Time: 30 minutes
* Cook Time: 20 minutes
* Ingredients (for tortellini filling):

• 1/2 package (4 oz.) vegan cream cheese*
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp basil
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dried parsley
• 2-3 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp vegan Parmesan*
• 1/2 cup Teese vegan mozzarella cheese*
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste 

* Ingredients (for dough):

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup semolina flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup water (plus extra water to fold tortellini)
• pinch of salt, for boiling water
• 1 tsp olive oil, for boiling water

* Ingredients (for balsamic sage butter sauce): 

• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp agave nectar*
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp soy butter*
• 1/4 cup sage leaves*
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water
• salt, to taste
• vegan Parmesan, to top  

* Recipe (for tortellini filling):

1. Combine the cream cheese with the oregano, basil, garlic powder, parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix well.
2. Mashed the Parmesan and the mozzarella cheese.
3. Combine the cream cheese mixture with the cheese mixture. Mix well. 

* Recipe (for tortellini dough):

1. Mix the all-purpose flour, the semolina flour, and salt well in a medium bowl.
2. On a clean counter space, create a mound with the flour mixture. In the center, create a well.
3. In this well, put in the olive oil and water. 
4. Slowly start to mix and then knead dough until smooth.
5. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough until slightly thin.
6. With either a small round cookie cutter or the opening of a glass, create circles in your dough.
7. Place 1 tsp of the tortellini mixture in the center of each of the circles.
8. Fold over and seal with water. Take the stuffed side of the tortellini and place it against the back of your finger. Push down to create a ring around your finger to get that distinct tortellini shape.
9. In a medium pot of boiling water, add the salt and olive oil, then cook the tortellini until the float (only a few minutes). Let cook for one minute after they start to float. Do not overcrowd the pot with tortellini or else they will stick together.

* Recipe (for balsamic sage butter sauce):

1. In a medium pan, combine the balsamic vinegar, agave nectar, and the bay leaf. Cook until syrupy.
2. Melt the soy butter in a medium pan and add the sage leaves and walnuts. Cook for 3 minutes.
3. Add 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and let cook until reduced by half.
4. Toss in the tortellini and add the salt. Mix well.

* Recipe (for building tortellini dish):

1. Place the tortellini and the reduced water mixture in a bowl followed by the balsamic glaze.
2. Top with vegan Parmesan.

* Note:  For vegan cream cheese, I used Tofutti brand. Again, with this recipe I used Galaxy topping for vegan Parmesan. The mozzarella cheese I used is a local Chicago vegan cheese company, Chicago Soydairy. Feel free to use another vegan mozarella brand (such as Soy Kaas or Follow Your Heart). I used this brand because it is easy to mash. Agave nectar is a natural sweetener often used to replace honey (which it did for this recipe). You can find it in the health/green food section of your grocer near the honey. For soy butter, again I used Bestlife. Lastly, I did not have fresh sage leaves, so I used dried rugged sage instead.




Melissa, owner of ecolissa.com, has offered Vegan Miss readers 20% off! Ecolissa.com is a vegan, eco-friendly clothing and accessory website. Please use "vegan20" as the coupon code. No expiration on the coupon. Happy buying!

Dishes Men Like: Shrimp Canapes & Crab Bisque

I am a huge fan of vintage cookbooks. This website does not help extinguish my love. When I found out that the Shannons were doing the Betty Crocker vegan version, you should have seen my face! I have this ridiculous old cookbook called, "Dishes Men Like". It is made by Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce and every single recipe contains their sauce! Clearly, men love these dishes. Of course, I had to attempt to veganize some of them. So far, I have tried shrimp canapes, crab bisque, Caesar salad, and chicken divan. I attempted to follow the recipes as closely as possible.


Shrimp Canapes

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

* Ingredients:  

• 2 tbsp soy butter, melted*
• 1/2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 package of small toasts (around 6-10)
• 1/2 package vegan shrimp (around 6-10 shrimp)*

* Recipe: 

1. In a medium frying pan, fry the shrimp according to package instructions - about 5-10 minutes.
2. Combine soy butter and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl.
3. Top the toasts with the mixture, followed by the shrimps.

* Note: I used Earth Balance for the soy butter. For vegan shrimp, I used Vegetarian Plus brand.


Crab Bisque

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

* Ingredients:  

• 1 cup vegan crab meat, crumbled*
• 1 tbsp soy butter*
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 can of condensed pea soup*
• 1 can soup water
• 1 cup chopped lobster and oyster mushrooms, dehydrated
• 1 cup mushroom water
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe: 

1. In a medium pot, boil the lobster and oyster mushrooms. Allow them to dehydrate completely.
2. While the mushrooms are on the stove, put the pea soup and soup water on in another medium pot. Stir well.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan, add the butter and allow it to melt. Next, put in the crab meat, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper. Combine well.
4. When you are done dehydrating the mushrooms, chop them into small pieces. Add them to the crab mixture and combine well.
5. Next, add the crab mushroom mixture to the pea soup, followed by a cup of the mushroom water. Let cook for another 5 minutes. Serve.

* Note: I used Earth Balance for the soy butter. For vegan crab meat, I used Match Meats. Lastly, for pea soup, I used Fig Food, Co.

These are the first few pages of the book. So great! Also to note, I used the lobster and oyster mushrooms in the crab bisque because of their seafoody taste. I wanted to add a little more ommph to the recipe. The original recipe did not call for the mushrooms or the cayenne, otherwise it is the same. As for the shrimp canapes, I choose to fry the vegan shrimp rather than to boil them to give them a little more taste. The original recipe called for just cooked shrimp.