Tag Archives: vegan

Tempeh Fajita Wraps

So we’re still on a wrap kick and so Brent decided to marinate some tempeh in some tamari, garlic and flake red pepper.
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I sauteed up with some purple onion, jalapeño, poblano pepper and a bit of corn oil.I like poblanos because they’re lightly spicy and don’t get bitter when cooked like bell peppers do.

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As the onion and pepper began to soften I added in the tempeh and stirred it all up until it was steamy and hot. I added the rest of the marinade too: it helped season the onion and pepper as well as providing some liquid to steam the veggies and keep them from scorching.

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Brent was busy making some saffron rice while I was doing this. We used a store bought baggie of Vigo saffron rice that cost us $1.89. It’s delicious all by itself.

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We chopped up some cilantro, red bell pepper and avocado to decorate our delicious fajitas with and ended up with a highly nutritious meal that was packed with flavor.

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Brent added some Daiya to his and I included some flake red pepper.

This is Brent and Christie, signing off!

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Italian Wraps!

We had some awesome looking sausage from Pure Market Express and we decided to make something simple with it so we could really appreciate the flavor.
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This was crazy easy, all we did was pile up some Muir Glen fire-roasted tomato, black olives, and sausage on a lightly greased foil-lined baking sheet and topped it with some oregano and some Follow Your Heart mozzarella. I toasted it under our broiler until the cheese was melty and bubbly and then we scooped it onto a spinach lined wrap. I added some extra oregano and some flake red pepper. Brent added some vegan parmesan.

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It was as tasty as it looks. The sausage was a little sweet but I think I can balance it in the future with some garlic salt. This might make a better sub sandwich if you’re not sensitive to gluten or have easy access to gluten-free rolls but we’re using wraps since it’s what we’ve got.

This is Christie, signing off!

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Vegan Beer : Crispin Bare Naked Hard Cider

Here’s your lesson on yeast and fermentation as a bonus to this week’s cider review. Nice cider, Crispin!

Hope you enjoy it, and enjoy yourselves! Peace out, my vegans.

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Plane Food!

I just got to Europe, you guys! It will be an adventure in many ways, including in terms of what I eat. I packed a bunch of vegan snacks just in case I go hungry. I also requested a special meal for the long plane ride.

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I had almost forgotten that I requested a special meal until it was plopped down in front of me well before they started distributing meals to everyone else. Once everyone else got their meals, two differences were obvious: the dessert (everyone else had what could best be described as Cool Whip with chocolate shavings on top) and the salad dressing:

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How freaking cute is this little bottle of vinaigrette?! It was also pretty tasty. Now, well… I could have sworn that I took a photo of the main entree, but maybe I didn’t because I was a bit disappointed. It was white rice with steamed green beans, carrots, and peas with maybe a teaspoon of tomato sauce smeared on top of it. I was happy it was vegan, but then I overheard that the regular dinner choices were a chicken and potato dish or a vegetarian rice plate with lentils and tofu. Um, HELLO?! I wish they had offered me that choice.

Other than that, I had little to complain about. Everything was pretty fresh and I didn’t starve.

Looking forward to telling you more about the ups and downs of being vegan while on a controlled tour of Europe! –Melissa

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Cajun Blackened Tempeh

We found some easy prep red beans and rice and decided to make a Cajun meal (or our version of it) using that, some steamed green beans that we topped with BacUn from Pure Market Express and some spiced tempeh that we coated in our home-made rub and blackened under our broiler.
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
2 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp cracked black pepper (feel free to grind the whole peppercorns with the mortar and pestle)
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt

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After mixing these spices in a bowl I rolled each piece of tempeh (I recommend marinating it in some veggie bouillon or your favorite marinade for 1-2 hours, some tempeh can be dry) in the mixture. I placed the tempeh in a dish and covered it lightly with a paper towel. I then microwaved the tempeh for 2 minutes total for 30 seconds at a time, turning it over between sessions.

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Then I put it on tin foil and placed it near our broiler on each side for 2-3 minutes or until it started to toast.

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The result… happy Brent and happy Christie.

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Adventures in Fruit: FUYU!

This sounds like an insult but it’s actually a delicious fruit. Sometimes called ‘persimmon’ this particular variety should be available in most specialty markets when in season.
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Fuyu (when still yellow) has the texture of a not-quite-ripe nectarine with the flavor of honeyed pear with a dash of vanilla; I prefer it at this stage because it’s sweet but not overwhelming. When completely ripe it tastes like a mouthful of clover honey. If you see it, don’t hesitate… try it!

This is Christie, signing off!

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Vegan Beer : Julian Hard Cider – Black and Blue

TV is back with a brand new addition. Something that’s been holding us tightly, just kidding it’s another cider review you can view nightly. This time it’s Julian Hard Cider’s Black and Blue. It’s delicious.

Happy VD Day, as my father would say. And as always… Peace out, my vegans.

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Sunday Bunday!

Our little mini rex/Havana mix bunny knows she’s being naughty and doesn’t care.

Sometimes I drink almond milk out of the carton.

This is Christie, signing off!

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Perfectly Easy Tempeh Bacon

I’ve been working really hard lately and haven’t had time to really cook or even enjoy my meals. My family and my co-workers have been taking good care of me, cooking some meals for me or bringing in vegan sandwiches for lunch. I’m lucky and grateful! But today, before I continue working some more, I wanted to make myself a satisfying breakfast.

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Tempeh and I haven’t always been good friends. I eat it but I’m often underwhelmed by it. Today, I tried out something different and super easy. I cooked the tempeh with a mixture of 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp of maple syrup, and a dash of liquid smoke.

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It looks and smells pretty as it cooks. For you Filipinos out there, I think this is a great (though less garlicky) alternative to longanisa that doesn’t take a lot of effort or require hours of marinating time. This would have been great with some garlicky fried rice, but I’ve had a lot of rice lately. So I roasted some potato straws instead, sprinkling them with garlic salt. I completed the meal by making a tomato salad, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Really easy. Really satisfying. Now feeling really energized to get started on all the work I need to get done today! –Melissa

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TV – New Grist Sorghum and Rice Beer

What’s new, gang? We’re awesome, thanks for asking! And we’re even more awesome than usual because we tried a new vegan, gluten-free beer. This particular brew comes from Lakefront Brewery and it is their New Grist sorghum and rice beer. It was pretty tasty. Behold our videotaped reaction (some may be NSFW).

Thanks for checking out this vlog installment, and let us know if you want a Tempeh Strips shirt of your own!

From Brent and Christie… Peace out, my vegans.

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