Vegan Teese Brand Cheese Sticks

Vegan Teese Brand Cheese Sticks

* Prep Time: 2 hours
* Cook Time: 20 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 mozarella Teese, ends cut and then cut into 1/4" wide sticks (some will be funny shaped since the Teese is a roll)*
• 1 cup of egg re-placer mixed to liquid as directed (more maybe depending on use)*
• 1 can organic Italian herb breadcrumbs*
• Italian seasoning
• "Parmesan" cheese*
• Sea salt
• Olive oil

* Recipe:

1.  Combine breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, and salt salt on a plate.
2. One by one, dip each stick in egg re-placer then dredge in seasoned breadcrumbs and gently press any loose crumbs. Place aside. 
3. Once all of the sticks have been dredged, repeat the process by placing the first dredged stick in the egg re-placer and dredge a second time. 
4. Place on a cookie sheet or other container so the cheese sticks are not touching each other and place in the freezer until frozen, at least an 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours.
5. In a skillet, place enough olive oil to cover half of the stick while laying down. Fry until golden brown, gently flipping to fry the top side. 
6. Gently remove from oil and place on a wire rack to allow oil to drain and cool.

* Note: If the cheese sticks are too hot, they will just fall apart when you bite into them. Wait a bit for them to cool. One may try baking them too, but I did not. For these cheese sticks, I used Chicago Soydairy's Teese cheese. For egg re-placer, I used Bob's Red Mill Vegetarian Egg Replacer. For bread crumbs, I used Edward & Sons Organic Italian Herb Breadcrumbs. Lastly, for Parmesan cheese, I used Galaxy Vegan Topping.

Vegan Montreal

This weekend, I went to Montreal for a few days. Montreal is lovely; a bit of old Europe in North America. They have a several vegan restaurants and vegan/vegetarian-friendly restaurants. I only got the chance to go to one of them because the others were lunch spots or closed. I tried going to Bonnys Vegetarian and Organic Cuisine, but the owner was sick so it was closed. The other restaurants I heard were good but did not try Aux Vivres, Le Commensal, and Lola Rosa Cafe. We plan on going back to Montreal since it is only a 2 hour plane ride from Chicago, so I'm excited to try these restaurants.


We went to a great Lebanese restaurant on Rue Sherbrooke, but I didn't write down the name of it. Located across the street from the hotel, it was a tasty jaunt over. We had fattoush, tabbouleh, homemade hummus and baba ghanoush, and a chickpea soup type dish with olive oil, onion, radish, tomato, and spices - all with pita.

For the two nights I was there, I went to ChuChai, a Thai vegetarian restaurant. This restaurant is a bit pricey, but worth it! They have a whole line of mock meats including shrimp, fish, beef, chicken, and duck. They also have only vegetable dishes and vegetable dishes with tofu. The menu is truly extensive. Since it is Thai, most of the dishes are influenced by the cuisine. For example, they have several varieties of Tom Yum soup with various types of meat and/or coconut milk, several types of dumplings and spring rolls, and each section of mock meat has their own specialty entrees.


Above is a picture of the peanut sauce chicken with crispy spinach.

 Vegan wonton soup.

Tom Yum soup with vegan shrimp.

Crispy, deep-fried seaweed with tangy sauce.

Vegan duck with spinach in a soy sauce dressing.

My favorite dishes were the wonton soup and the vegan duck. The duck surprisingly tasted a lot like real duck... which was odd, but interesting. Other dishes we tried were bok choy with shiitake mushrooms, Chinese chicken salad, pan fried dumplings, and lychee for dessert. Overall, I am excited to go back to Montreal and try new restaurants!

Bento Box: Take Ichi

I've never made a homemade bento box before. This was my first take at it and it went alright. It isn't as amazing as I wanted it to be, but it will do. I have these neat Hello Kitty presses and other shaped presses. I also didn't have enough room to use the adzuki rice I made for onigiri.


I fried some tofu slices a bit of sesame oil and mirin until brown. For the "scrambled egg" that's in the center of this picture and inside the onigiri, I fried up some smashed tofu, variety of mushrooms (oyster, button, shiitake), frozen peas, minced green onion, chopped ginger, sea salt, black sesame seeds, several splashes of soy sauce, splash of mirin, splash of sake.


 I steamed some carrots to make the shapes, steamed the broccoli and the lotus root. The snap peas are fresh and cut, same with the enoki mushrooms.

  
For the shumai, I fried up some chopped tofu, 2 pieces of minced garlic, tablespoon of minced ginger, tablespoon of chopped green onion, a bunch of chopped mushrooms (oyster, button, shiitake), soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and salt. 


The purple potato Hello Kitty face was steamed in mirin and soy sauce to make it soft.

SASHA Farm Sanctuary & Vegan Feed-In on Magnificent Mile

In late May, Mercy For Animals volunteers went to SASHA Farm Sanctuary in Manchester, MI. Below are some pictures from our trip:

 Petting a turkey's head.

Happy pig!

 Pretty baby cows.

Me saying, "Hi!", to a cow.

And this is my rescue, one-eyed, blind cat named, "Popeye". He is my main man!

In early June, I organized a vegan feed-in for Mercy For Animals on the Magnificent Mile. Read about it here: Vegan Feed-In a Huge Hit with Crowds on the Magnificent Mile.

 Passing out bbq seitan.

Alexis' Purple Potato Gratin & Joe's Stuffed Bacon & Cheese Vegan Veggie Burgers

Alexis' Purple Potato Gratin & Joe's Stuffed Bacon & Cheese Vegan Veggie Burgers

 

* Prep Time: 1 hours
* Cook Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour
* Ingredients (for purple potato gratin)

• 6-8 purple potatoes (roughly 2 lbs)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 leek, diced
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp all-purpose flour or wheat flour
• 1 cup almond milk
• 3-4 slices cooked faux bacon, diced*
• 2 Cups cheddar cheese, Daiya brand*
• 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese*
• Salt & pepper, to taste

* Ingredients (for stuffed bacon & cheese vegan veggie burgers)

• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 - 1 1/2 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein), rehydrated with water or vegetable stock as directed by the package
• 4 large button or crimini mushrooms, diced to small bits
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (plus extra to dredge)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp arrow root
• 1 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
• 1-2 tbsp catchup or tomato paste (to give moisture)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup Daiya cheddar cheese
• 3-4 slices vegan bacon
• Olive oil (to cook burger in frying pan)

* Recipe (for purple potato gratin):  

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
2. Peel potatoes and cut away any bad spots and rinse of any peels or dirt from peeling.  Slice potatoes into a disc shape no more than 1/4" thick.
3. Dice the onion and leek and sautee in a skillet with the olive oil.
4. While this sautee's, toss potatoes with the flour, vegan parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to coat. Mix in the onion and leek and then cook the bacon.
5. Once the bacon is cooked, chop, add to the potato mixture and then add to a casserole dish.
6. Pour the almond milk in to the casserole dish containing the mixture.
7. Cover the potatoes in the Daiya and spread evenly.
8. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. 
9. Remove and let cool til it is warm enough to eat.

* Recipe (for stuffed bacon & cheese vegan veggie burgers):   

1. In a skillet, prepare the bacon and set aside to cool. Once cool, chop to small pieces.  
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the black beans and give it a light mash to open up the beans.  Add the TVP, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, and catchup and mix well.
3. Stir in the flour, cornstarch, and arrowroot and mix as even as possible. (You wont be able to get every little piece, but just do your best.)
4. Take a large tablespoon and scoop out enough to patty flat. 
5. Add 1 tbsp or so of the Daiya and bacon.
6. Take another scoop of the burger mixture (about half as much as previously) and add to the top.
7. Patty down to enclose the "cheese" mixture.
8. Once you have finished pattying out your burger, lightly dredge in flour and add to a shallow skillet or griddle that has been lightly oil.
9. Cook until both sides are browned.   
10. If you would like to grill these burger, preheat oven to 225°F and prepare as above. Bake patties until they are firm and have lightly brown.  This will hold them together so they wont break a part and fall into the grill. Add to the grill and cook until brown to your liking.
11. Topping Suggestions: Add some slices of vegan bacon, vegan cheese, and mushrooms and onions sauteed in a little vegan butter. Top with a little mustard on a toasted Bun. Top with standard burger toppings such as lettuce, onion, pickle, vegan mayo, catchup, and mustard.
    

*Notes: For the faux bacon, I used Lightlife Smart Bacon. Daiya is a great vegan cheese brand that uses tapioca instead of soy or rice. I used Galaxy brand vegan parmesan cheese. 

This food was for a vegan BBQ at my place. I also made a pineapple upside cake and curry chikin salad on mini toasts. Those recipes came from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's Vegan Table cookbook.

• Pineapple Upside Down Cake: 5/5 (so delish!) 
• Curry Chikin Salad: 4/5 (some people loved it, others weren't so keen on it)
  

Haluski

Never posted this recipe. It is a popular Polish recipe and big in Pittsburgh. 
Haluski

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 45 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 head cabbage
• 2 cups noodles (of choice)*
• 1 1/2 cups onions
• 4 tbsp soy butter
• 4 tbsp virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp paprika (or more to taste)
• salt, to taste
• fresh coarse ground black pepper, to taste

* Recipe:

1. Cook the noodles according to package instructions and drain.
2. Cut the cabbage up any way you like, slices or shredded. Do the same with the
   onions. I prefer sliced onions & shredded cabbage.
3. Heat a large pan on medium-high heat.
4. When the pan is hot, add butter/oil combo.
5. When the butter & olive oil are hot, add cabbage and onions and saute for a few
   (about 5-10 minutes), then add garlic.
6. Turn down the heat to medium and cover the pan.
7. Let this cook until the cabbage is soft, about 5 more minutes.
8. Add the butter/oil combination as you need it.
9. Add the cooked noodles.
10. Mix together with salt, pepper, and paprika.

*Notes: I use vegetable spirals.

Vegan Retro Salmon Mousse Mold

Alright, so this recipe is sort of a freaky vegan cooking experiment. I found a ridiculous fish mold on Etsy... and decided to make the ever odd salmon mousse mold gone not so fishy. Hilarity ensued by this creation. From what I hear, it tasted the way a "normal" salmon mousse mold tastes like. I guess it is a culinary win?

Vegan Retro Salmon Mousse Mold

* Prep Time: 30 minutes
* Cook Time: several hours
* Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp agar flakes
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp white onion, minced
• 1 tbsp paprika
• Tabasco sauce, dash or two
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, minced
• 1 frozen vegan fish, thawed and seaweed skin removed
• 1 cup heavy soy whipping cream
• crackers

* Recipe:

1. Mix cold water and agar flakes. Add hot water and combine well.
2. Add in mayo, lemon juice, white onion, paprika, Tabasco, salt, and dill. Place in the fridge until other steps are complete.
3. In a bowl, electric mix the heavy soy whipping cream until fluffy.
4. In a blender, blend the vegan fish. If too dry, add some whipping cream and then blend.
5. Take out mixture bowl from the fridge. Fold the whipping cream and vegan fish mixture into the other mixture with rest of ingredient. Combine well.
6. In an oiled fish mold pan, pour the mixture in.
7. Refrigerate until firm.
8. Once on a plate, decorate with crackers or cucumbers, olives, etc.

*Notes: For vegan fish, I used some brand from an Asian grocery. May Wah makes several varieties. Soyatoo! makes a heavy whipping cream.