Reuben Sandwich with a capital S

I bought Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day a couple months ago. It's awesome, and the pictures make my mouth water, but I hadn't made anything from it yet. Until today, of course. On an impulse last week, I bought sauerkraut and pumpernickel bread from the grocery store thinking of the One World Reubens from the cookbook. Something about toothy seitan and sour-crunchy sauerkraut got my tastebuds in a tizzy. But today when I started making them I realized I didn't have all the ingredients. So I made the seitan with a couple cheats, substitutions and flavour tricks. The sauce too--it was supposed to include a half or dozen or things I didn't have, so I fudged it with mayo and hot sauce, giving my version an almost neon pink hue. Then of course I forgot to add the sauce before I grilled the sandwich, so the slice next to the sauerkraut got soggy. However, I managed to hold off eating this gorgeous veGANwich until I took a picture and then was able to dig in. It was everything I dreamed it would be. The reuben is one of those sandwiches that definitely lets you know you're eating an entire meal. It's not a sandwich, it's a Sandwich. Even if you make a mockery of the original recipe ingredients, respect the reuben--and then eat the hell out of it. 

Caeser, you creamy vegan minx

I had another inspiration today: vegan Caesar salad. I know it's not really original--that vegan cookbook default, Veganomicon, has a recipe, if I do recall--but I haven't tried it yet. Last night when I sprinkled store-bought vegan parm on my lettuce I thought, sweet Isa, why haven't I made vegan Caesar yet?
So tonight I did. I didn't even go to the grocery store first, or plan it out, which is so unlike me it makes me wonder if I'm coming down with something.
I just came home tonight and started cutting tofu into teeny tiny pieces for smokey-bacon-style tofu bits. This was also when I discovered that there are a billion vegan Caesar dressing online. Which is good, because I had no idea what to put in mine. In the end I used garlic, rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and vegan mayo. It was yummy, but a wee bit too garlicky--I recommend something less than a full grated clove of raw garlic for one portion, FYI. I should also have skipped the balsamic since it made the dressing brown and not that lovely creamy colour that photographs well. However the salad did give me a chance to use up some old bread for croutons--just toss bread cubes (smaller than you think they should be) in a little oil and toast in the oven. Then toss together with your fake'n bits and parm, and if you really want to replicate the full deal, slice some faux chicken and lay photogenically on top. Caesar, you must have been a delicious man.

Magic pb & j

I do like my gadgets, especially my panini press. It makes things delicious, and for some reason I feel less guilty about grilling in the press than in a frying pan. Maybe because I grill veggies in there a lot too? Whatever, I shouldn't feel guilty about delicious things. Especially because sometimes I get amazing ideas like grilling a peanut butter and jam sandwich. It's like magic! It made the nut nuttier and I think the jam oozed out a little bit and caramelized in the press. You can use whole grain bread, like I do, to add some nutrition to a childhood favourite. If you don't have a panini press, do it in a frying pan, and don't feel guilty about it.

Dumplings redux

I made edamame dumplings a few weeks ago, and was overjoyed to discover that it didn't have to be the three-hour affair that I remembered. So I when I was at the grocery store last week, I picked up more dumpling wrappers and mushrooms for another easy-peasy version. While the edamame dumplings were delightful, I think the mushroom dumplings were even better. ...Mostly because mushrooms are one of my favouritest foods. Just saute the mushrooms and whir in a food processor or with a stick blender until small enough to stuff in a wrapper. If you love mushrooms and dumplings as I do, it'll be doubly delicious for you. I recommend going to the store right now. You can have delicious dumplings made and cooked before you're even hungry.

#fuckyeahveganpizza

Don't put this pizza on a folding table--it's so full of toppings the table may collapse. #youvebeenwarned

My friend's stuffed peppers (not a euphemism)

My friend made stuffed yellow peppers for lunch last week. Don't they look delicious??

Satisying a craving: chipotle breakfast burrito

I was reading Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day last night when a breakfast burrito craving hit me. BAM! It was their Scrambled Burrito recipe that inspired me, but it calls for tempeh, which I can't find without making a major effort--and on a dreary, rainy October day, I didn't feel like straying too far. So I went on a major grocery mission to the store about a 5-minute walk away, and came back with, among other things (many other things), onion and red pepper to supplement the ingredients I already had.

One of the first breakfast burritos I had was in New York, at 'Snice, a veg cafe near my hotel both times I've been to NYC. It had turmeric (making the tofu yellow) and black beans and favoured crumbled tofu. I prefer to cube it (I find it easier than crumbling) and my flavour palate tends toward Mexican-style spices most days. So while I was cooking, I found myself myself reaching for cumin, chili powder and chipotles, knowing I could top it off with some salsa when assembling the the deliciousness. So here's what I made, with the addition of kale to help me get my veggies* for the day. Enjoy!

Chipotle breakfast burrito
Makes 2 to 3 burritos,  depending on how large your shells are and how much stuffing you cram in

a dollop cooking oil 1/2 red pepper
1/2 a medium onion, diced
1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed or crumbled, as you like
1/2 teaspoon dried chipotle peppers, or 1/2 chipotle in adobo sauce
cumin, paprika, and chili powder and black pepper, to taste
a few dashes liquid smoke

1/2 cup cooked kale (about 1.5 to 2 cups chopped raw kale)
dash salt
salsa, to taste
2-3 large tortilla shells

Heat pan, add oil and saute red peppers and onions until translucent. Add spices and stir to combine and heat thoroughly. Add tofu and a few dashes liquid smoke and stir to combine and heat thoruhoughly. Watch out, the tofu is prone to sticking! But I didn't want to add more oil so I kept stirring until the tofu was warm and then turned off the heat. I took a tortilla shell out from the package and laid it over the mixture and the spatula in the pan to steam it--I use sprouted grain tortilla shells so they can be a bit stiff right out of the fridge.You could also microwave them for 30 seconds or heat them in the oven (be careful not to burn them!! I ALWAYS toast my tortillas when I try to heat them in the oven. Just sayin'--learn from my stupid-ass mistakes). I spread the tofu mixture and the kale on a shell, added some salsa, folded it up and toasted in my panini press. If you want a toasty exterior but don't have a press, you could dry-fry it in a pan, again being very careful not to burn it. I thought I would use about half the mixture in today's burrito, but there are a good 2 tortilla's worth left. Like most burritos, you end up with a fair amount of filling on your plate by the time you're done eating, but that's half the fun.

*Does anyone actually eat 7 servings of veggies a day? Tell me if you do, I'll pick your brain for tips.