Author Archives: Melissa

Apr 17 2012
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Cooking, Main Dishes, Recipes

Soy Curl-dereta

I decided to add a new item to my Veganized Filipino Dishes collection: Caldereta. I think of caldereta as a Filipino pot roast or beef stew of sorts. The traditional dish is made with goat meat, however, beef is usually used. In general, the meat is cooked in a tomato sauce with potatoes, carrots, bell pepper, peas, and green olives. A lot of people add liver or liver paste, or raisins; my family doesn’t. (Side note: raisins in my food? *gag*)

I was originally going to make the caldereta the usual way but with no meat, but then I remembered that I had a bag of soy curls. This is my first time making anything with (or eating) soy curls, so there was a bit of an unknown here. I’ll admit that I worried that the soy curls would ruin the whole thing, but I decided to take the risk.

Soy Curl Caldereta

1 cup soy curls
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, cut into chunks (or 1 cup whole baby carrots)
1 cup potatoes cut into chunks
1/2 to 1 bell pepper, sliced
1/2 cup peas
handful green olives (add as little or as many as you’d like)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 packet Mama Sita’s Caldereta Spice Mix (yeah, yeah… I’m lazy)

First, I prepped all my veggies. Then I threw some olive oil into a medium pot, browned the garlic, and then added the water over medium heat. When the water started to boil, I added the potatoes, carrots, and the seasoning and covered until it started to simmer.

I uncovered the pot and added the tomato sauce. I mixed it around a bit and then lowered the heat and covered the pot. While that was simmering, I took my cup of soy curls and rehydrated them in a bowl of water.

By the time the dish was simmering nicely, the soy curls were ready. I don’t know what I was expecting when it came to the soy curls. I knew they would be soft, but I wasn’t prepared for the smell. It was as if I had been instantly transported to a grocery store in Argyle.

After the soy curls were heated, I topped off the pot with the rest of the ingredients, covered the pot, and let it sit over low heat for about 5 minutes. You can leave over the heat for longer; I like wanted my peppers to retain some of their crunch.

Serve the dish over rice. Some things to note:

  • The Mama Sita mix contains garlic powder, onion powder, and other spices; it’s vegan.
  • This turned out very sweet. I”m not sure if it’s because of the tomato sauce, the amount of carrots I used, or what. It’s sweet.
  • Red peppers are usually used. I happened to have green in the fridge.
  • Because the traditional version uses meat, this tends to simmer for much longer with the meat, which I’m sure has a lot to do with the flavoring and the final texture of the dish. I might add some beef broth next time I make this.

This was a fun experiment! –Melissa

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Apr 12 2012
1 Comment
Cooking, Recipes

A Little Soy on Soy Action

I have made a soy sauce/tofu dish before, the delicious Tofustek! which is a veganized version of a Filipino comfort food. I considered making Tofustek! tonight but wanted something a little more interesting. I contemplated how I could season the tofu differently and came up with something surprisingly sexy. And by ‘sexy,’ I mean ‘pretty damn tasty.’

Melissa’s Sesame Tofu

1 block extra firm tofu, sliced into thin ‘steaks’
2 tablespoons soy sauce or your preferred alternative
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
red pepper flakes (optional)
sesame seeds
green onion, chopped

First, I sliced the tofu and set the slices up to dry. While they were drying, I took my empty and rinsed out tofu container, threw in the soy sauce, ginger, lemon juice and red pepper flakes, and mixed them all together. I fired up a frying pan and started heating some safflower oil, just enough to coat the pan. While it was warming up, I sprinkled some sesame seeds onto a plate. I dipped my tofu steaks in the sauce and then dipped them in the sesame seed plate. I only wanted a light sprinkling of sesame seeds, but you can crust it on there if you want (you may then also want to dip your tofu in some flour so the sesame seeds stick better).

As I finished coating each steak, I placed them in the pan. I fried the steaks for awhile — I wanted the tofu to have a sturdy texture. I flipped them every few minutes. When they looked nearly done, I tossed some green onion into the pan and flipped the tofu a couple more times.

I took some leftover rice and fried it up in the pan. It soaked up whatever sauce was still lingering. I still had some sauce and ginger bits left so I threw that in the rice along with some more green onion. I had a side of raw carrots which really complimented the dish. My dessert of fresh papaya made this a dinner to remember.

So easy. So few ingredients. Very flavorful and filling.

Stay sexy, friends! –Melissa

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Apr 09 2012
2 Comments
Lazy Vegan

The Lazy Vegan: Veggie Burgers!

A couple months ago, I had an awesome veggie burger at a Josh’s, a fast food restaurant near where I work. It tasted great and fresh, but what I loved most about it was that it was, well… different. It wasn’t a completely bean- or soy-based veggie patty. Furthermore, I was able to identify chunks of actual vegetables in it. So I was pretty excited when I saw Don Lee Farms Veggie Patties at good old Costco.

Unfortunately, Don Lee Farms is a wholesale seller, so these patties aren’t available in your neighborhood grocery store. Even more unfortunate is that the company isn’t vegetarian and sells meat products as well. All that aside, this is one tasty veggie patty. It has a nice texture and the vegetables in the burger can easily be identified and tasted.

It was seasoned nicely with a perfect little kick to it. It’s mostly a softer texture, but it contains whole sunflower seeds that are both tasty and give it a nice crunch. It’s also pretty filling.

One patty is surprisingly only 160 calories. I wish it had more protein. The sodium content is fine; it helps that it’s tasty enough that no other spice is really needed. Zero cholesterol! Click the photo for a closer look at the nutrition facts and ingredients.

Homemade is best, but it’s great when I discover good pre-made or pre-packaged products. What are your favorites? Let us know! –Melissa

 

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Apr 07 2012
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Thoughts

Baaaaa.

I am celebrating Easter with my family tomorrow. I’m not terribly religious, but Easter would be a BFD if I was. I loved Easter as a kid and I still kind of do. It symbolizes springtime, white and bright colors, and bunnies (of the chocolate variety). Growing up, it meant that I got to wear one of my fancy dresses to church. My Mom usually prepared a lamb. It’s a big deal because we don’t often have lamb. In addition, as a family, we usually don’t eat any meat for at least a week leading up to Easter.

Easter, 1982. When else will I get away with wearing that fabulous head accessory?

I won’t be eating lamb this year, obvs. But… the little Catholic girl in me is all like, “Hello? Jesus? Are you there? DUDE, what am I supposed to eat to celebrate your rising from the dead?” There’s this expectation that I’ll get to eat something special on Easter. Well, I won’t be eating anything special — I’m not about to use Easter as an excuse to eat poor little lambs, no matter how delicious I remember lamb to be, but it’s hard for me to get excited about a tofu entree when everyone else will be eating pork chops and lamb. All that said, I CAN get excited about all the vegan appetizers and sides we’re preparing:

White bean hummus with freshly toasted pita bread and tortilla chips
Cucumber and tomato salad, with red onion and feta on the side
Cauliflower and carrots, cooked in this style — I’m also making a dairy version since my sister is allergic to soy
Roasted fingerling potatoes with garlic and rosemary
Grilled asparagus
Steamed broccoli
Lots of fresh fruit for dessert, and I’ll probably whip up ‘mousse’ for myself using silken tofu and cacao powder; the non-vegans are having a chocolate mousse cake
Vegan chocolate bunnies (I got them for my nieces but they better share)

The fact that I’m excited about the veggie smorgasbord proves how much my eating philosophy has changed in the past several months. It also poses an interesting challenge that I wasn’t prepared to meet this holiday: Start new holiday food traditions that are vegan. Will I cook something that’s especially difficult or time-consuming? Will I choose more exotic ingredients? These traditions are mine only, for now anyway, so I’m in complete control. To make the challenge more, uh, challenging, I want to avoid having my own plate of vegan food that doesn’t mesh with everything else on the table.

What vegan holiday traditions have you started? Share, share, share! And whether or not you celebrate Easter, I hope you have a wonderful day eating vegan chocolate bunnies and vegan marshmallow chicks. –Melissa

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Apr 04 2012
5 Comments
Cooking, Recipes

Fantastic Falafel

I talk to myself when I’m driving. Here’s what I said to myself on my drive home from work: What will I have for dinner? Hmm. There’s eggplant in the fridge. And there’s tahini. I can make baba ghanouj. But then I have to pick up pita bread. Oooh! Falafel! I’ll make falafel!

And so I did.

I tried making falafel once before, and I was also recently very intrigued by Christie and Brent’s Pakora. I really wanted something simple and fried — been craving fried stuff lately — so I decided to try improving on the recipe I used before, which was straight from the good folks at Bob’s Red Mill.

Melissa’s Fantastic Falafel (that’s not too braggy, right?)

1 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin (I added a hefty 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp fresh cilantro, minced
2  garlic cloves, minced
1/3 to 1/2 cup hot water
oil for frying

I put all my dry and fresh ingredients into a bowl.

I added the water, mixed it all together, and this lovely ball of dough formed. After my traumatizing baking experience over the weekend, I was cautious with adding the water, and found that 1/3 cup was the perfect amount I needed (probably due to how I measured the flour).

I wanted the dough to sit for awhile so the flavors could meld together, so while it was chillin’ like a villain, I made my baba ghanouj.

Melissa’s Baba Ghanouj for People Who Live Alone

1 eggplant, roasted and skinned, but keep the skins on if you want
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp tahini
1tsp lemon juice
fresh parsely leaves from 3 sprigs or so

Stick all that stuff in a food processor. Tip – you might want to mince the garlic. I didn’t. You may also want to cut down on the garlic. Let me just say that I have kickass breath right now. Hhhaaahhhhh. See?! That, along with the fact that this only serves one, is why I named the recipe the way I did.

Going back to my falafel dough, I formed some falafel balls, rolled them in some sesame seeds, and then fried them until they were golden brown — about 2 -3 minutes on each side turning 3 times for luck. These look fine but were kind of a fail: my intention was to make falafel ‘bites’ so I should have formed smaller balls. *pause for laughter* Tip: You can bake instead of fry if you wish.

Oh hi! It’s my face! If you had been here after I took this first bite, you would have heard me exclaim a bunch of “OH MY GOD”s. Finally: falafel that I can be proud of! It is 300% better than my last attempt. If my favorite falafel place ever closes, I won’t cry because I know I can make some that are just as tasty.

Happy happy happy! –Melissa

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Apr 02 2012
6 Comments
Cooking, Desserts, Thoughts

Hopia Experiment #1: Hope-less-ia

Hopia is a Filipino dessert that is typically made with mung bean, but is also made with ube (purple yam) or baboy (pork, which I found nasty even in my pre-vegan days). Hopia is very possibly my favorite Filipino dessert. The only thing that makes traditional hopia non-vegan is the egg wash that is brushed on the pastry before it is baked. I bought some yellow mung beans and decided to try making my own hopia. I’m very much not thrilled with how it turned out so I won’t go into specifics on ingredients, but I’m posting this because I like seeing how my cooking skills improve (or not) and want to learn from my mistakes. Someday, in the next 40 years or so, I will get over the trauma of this experience and try making it again.

First, I got my mung beans and soaked them for about 4 hours. Three hours in, I started working on my dough. I despise flour and dough and proportions and mixing.

Two doughs are required for hopia. Pictured above is Dough #1. It’s flour and oil, proportioned and mixed into loose crumbs. I honestly don’t know if this is how Dough #1 was supposed to turn out. Dough #2 was more traditional. By this time, I was so tired and annoyed (it took two tries to get both doughs right) that I didn’t bother to take photos. Basically, you’re supposed to flatten Dough #2, sprinkle it with Dough #1, and then roll it into a log. Uh, yeah. That didn’t happen. I just ended up mixing the two doughs together.

Four hours passed. I drained and rinsed the mung beans (yes, the water turns yellow).

Then, I put the mung beans in a pot, added enough water to cover it, and brought it to a boil, mixing until the beans got soft and it started to get pasty. Keep an eye on the beans!

I took the beans out, added salt, and then tried mooshing them into a paste. That did NOT work, so I put them in a food processor, which did the trick. I added the agave nectar and then microwaved the filling to dry it out. I dried it out until it was about the consistency of mashed potatoes. I thought I was a genius, but I had to keep in mind that I would still be baking this; my filling ended up being pretty dry. Note: I could have just eaten this with a spoon at this point.

I took an ice cream scooper and formed the filling into balls so that I would know how many piece to divide my dough into.

Now it was time to make the pastry. In theory, you’re supposed to flatten the dough into a very thin layer, place the filling on top, and then pick up the rest of the dough to cover it up in a ball and flatten it. I tried! They did turn out pretty, in my humble opinion. I brushed the tops of the hopia with almond milk and then put them in the oven.

Here are the finished hopia, done and baked. I added some almond slivers to a few of them, and put almond slivers on top to indicate so. The hopia were OK – the filling tasted sweet enough but could have used more agave nectar. I’m reluctant to try stevia and I even have some reservations about agave nectar, but I didn’t want to use regular sugar.

Coincidentally, my Dad showed up with real hopia, so here’s a comparison. It’s a little hard to tell, but the real hopia has a flakier pastry and yellower filling.

Anyone have any advice for my next try? I am completely baking-challenged! Thankfully, I know an awesome lady who makes wonderful hopia, so I will happily eat hers for the time being (removing the top later to avoid the egg wash).

I hopia have a great day! –Melissa

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Mar 31 2012
3 Comments
Cooking, Main Dishes

The Enigmatic Butter Bean

Butter beans are new to me. I was desperate for something ‘meaty’ to eat this past week: I realized that I was eating a lot in the way of cauliflower, asparagus, tomatoes, cucumbers, and cabbage, but not much in the way of beans or legumes or soy protein. I explored my parents’ pantry and found a can of butter beans. Hmm… what can I do with this?

At the risk of sounding like a complete bonehead, I was shocked when I saw the butter beans out of the can. I mean, there’s a picture of the beans ON the can… but I still wasn’t prepared for what looked like mutant, non-green lima beans.

I sauteed the beans – they heated up really quickly and also got mushy pretty quickly. But they are meaty and have a nice texture – a little crunchy on the outside and quick to pick up the flavor of the garlic I cooked with it. I added some tomato paste and ate it with some garlicky fried rice and fresh grape tomatoes and cucumber:

I had leftovers, but I was already bored. So, the next day, I made myself a butter bean burger. I added a little flax meal, nutritional yeast, fresh chopped parsley, and herbs de provence, mixed in a little water, and then mashed it into a burger patty and pan-fried it in safflower oil. I had a ripe avocado, so I mashed it into a spread with some cilantro, and topped my burger with it:

I still had a chunk of beans leftover, so for my next dinner, I cooked some whole wheat pasta in a tomato pesto sauce that I made. I topped it with the beans and some Parma and capers:

One can of butter beans. Three hearty and satisfying meals. I like this bean and I look forward to cooking it in many other ways… including making a butter bean cookie! Nah, I had the worst baking experience today (will blog about that later) so I don’t think I will be making cookies anytime soon. But, just so ya know, butter bean cookies are a thing!

Hope you’re having a great weekend! –Melissa

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Mar 28 2012
3 Comments
Recipes, Snacks

The Lazy Vegan: Frozen Pizza and Ranch Dip

Confession: I eat pizza about once a week. Regular, dairy cheese pizza. I know, I know. That’s not very vegan of me. But it’s one of the few non-vegan eats that I will allow myself to enjoy, guilt-free.

I had seen Tofurky brand pizza in the frozen section of WFM. I stared at it during several visits before I finally decided to try it out. What really sold me on it was that they use Daiya ‘cheese’ in their products. When I first tried it, I was floored. I can’t help but associate Tofurky with, well, Tofurky, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Tofurky pizza is delicious! Yes, it’s easy to make your own pizza and we encourage it. But sometimes, you just need something you can take out of a box, pop into the oven, and then devour 15 minutes later. Tofurky pizzas come in three varieties: cheese, pepperoni, and Italian sausage with fire roasted veggies (above). I have tried all but the pepperoni, and that’s next on my list. I don’t know what the secret is to Tofurky pizzas (other than the genius use of Daiya ‘cheese’), but they are tasty and satisfying and need no other spice or sauce to be edible. Unfortunately, they’re not gluten-free. Sadface. In addition, the cost is a little absurd, but still very sensible in the grand scheme of things. Also, ZERO CHOLESTEROL. I love being able to brag about that.

Switching gears, I have recently had a serious craving for ranch dressing/dip. There are a lot of fabulous freshly tossed salads in our work cafe, but I can’t enjoy them because the dressing is ranch or ranch-based. I finally opened up my brain and decided to make my own dip. I have two versions. They’re both really easy to whip into shape, and I have no shame in admitting that I am guessing the proportions in the recipes below — the post is titled The Lazy Vegan, after all. Screwing these up is near impossible.

Vegan Ranch Dip #1, pictured above

1 c Tofutti Sour Supreme
1 tbsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsbp dill

Vegan Ranch Dip #2

1 c vegan mayo – I use Earth Balance
1 tbsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsbp dill
soy or almond milk, as needed for creaminess – I used about a tsp

Enjoy with veggies or chips! Oh, delicious. I’m going to go make myself some dip right now! –Melissa

 

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Mar 24 2012
3 Comments
Cooking, Recipes

Roasted Cauliflower

If you’re a fan of Top Chef and/or live in Chicago, chances are high that you know who Stephanie Izard is. I had the pleasure of dining at her very much non-vegan restaurant Girl and the Goat several months ago. All the dishes, meaty or otherwise, were very delicious and satisfying, but it was the Roasted Cauliflower that I loved the most. Fortunately, the recipe is actually posted online. Unfortunately, it is vegan un-friendly. So, I turned it veganese, using ingredients I had on hand.

Roasted Cauliflower
4 cups sliced cauliflower
olive oil
2 tbsp water
1 tsp crunch ‘butter’ (I used a hell of a lot more than 1 tsp… oops)
2 tbsp Parma Vegan Cheese, original
1 tsp capers, drained (optional)

Crunch ‘Butter’
4 oz softened vegan butter
1 garlic clove, grated or minced
2 tbsp Parma Vegan Cheese, original
2 tbsp bread crumbs

I heated up the oil in a pan and then added the cauliflower. I sauteed the cauliflower on all sides and then added some salt. Then, I added the water and let the cauliflower continue to cook.

When the cauliflower was cooked, I added a generous amount of the crunch butter. I didn’t do this on purpose. I just didn’t read the recipe very well. I don’t feel as gross as I would if I had used regular instead of vegan butter, but I still feel kind of barfy. Only use a teaspoon!

Stephanie’s recipe calls for pickled peppers. I didn’t have any, so I substituted with some capers. Then, I turned off the heat and mixed in some Parma.

This dish was delicious! I went way overboard with the butter, but I can easily mix in more vegetables for a better balance. I’m really glad that I was easily able to veganize this dish. Be sure to read Stephanie’s recipe first; you might have different ideas for veganizing the dish. She also adds pine nuts and mint to hers, which I would have done if I had them!

Here’s to cauliflower aka ‘little white trees!’  —Melissa

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Mar 18 2012
7 Comments
Cooking, Main Dishes, Recipes

Vegan Longanisa

You’re either thinking, “Say what?! Vegan longanisa?!” or “WTF is longanisa?” after seeing the title of this post. Longanisa is a garlicky Filipino sausage made traditionally with pork. Some people liken it to chorizo. It’s eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or midnight snack and usually served with sinangag (garlicky fried rice) and fried eggs. For me, longanisa is kind of like an equivalent of frozen pizza. We usually had some in the freezer and could cook them up when we wanted something easy and delicious to eat. A lot of Filipino restaurants offer longanisa for breakfast. Uncle Mike’s in Chicago is one of them:

Photo from LTH Forum

Longanisa is one of the things I knew I would miss after going vegan. It’s not just the taste of it. It’s like this connection to my culture, something I can mention to any Filipino person that will instantly bond us. We didn’t have it often growing up which is a good thing when you consider how fatty it is. Longanisa is like the frozen Ramen noodle for Filipino-American kids when they move out of the house and want something that reminds them of home. So, yes. I miss longanisa, and I had accepted the fact that I would probably never eat it again. But then, I decided to try and veganize it.

Ingredients:
14 oz Gimme Lean Beef Style Veggie Protein
1/2 head minced garlic — came out to about 1/3 cup
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp sea salt
4 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
safflower or olive oil, for frying
The following are optional:
2 tbsp flax meal
1-2 tsp annatto powder (to give the sausages a red color; I did not add this)

First, I minced the garlic and then tossed it in with the ‘meat.’ I set it aside and then mixed together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. I added it to the ‘meat’ mixture along with the vinegar. Then I mooshed it all together.

I formed the ‘meat’ into small sausages (about the length of your average breakfast link but with more girth… heeeheh… girth). I ended up with 16 sausages. I put them in the fridge to chill. I won’t comment on how they kind of look like poo. Oh, oops. I just did. Hmm… maybe the whole purpose of adding annatto powder is to make it look less like poo.

Traditional longanisa recipes call for the meat to sit in the fridge for at least one hour, preferably for over 24 hours. I couldn’t wait so I took some out after about 2.5 hours and fried them up in safflower oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes.

I made some sinangag and a salad of tomato, onion, and cilantro to accompany my longanisa. I have always felt like being Filipino and loving Filipino food would make going vegan an impossible challenge. I’m glad to have proven myself wrong yet again. Is the recipe exactly like traditional longanisa? No. But it’s a great substitute that I know I’ll improve on with every try. As a bonus, it has ZERO cholesterol. Who wants all that pork fat anyway? Gross!

Kain tayo! That means “let’s eat!” …. Melissa

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