Tag Archives: cooking

April 18, 2013

Grilled Buffalo Tempeh Mozzarella Sandwich

Let me start off by saying that I miss the “real” world! I’ve been out here in Indio for two weeks and am so insanely busy. I have more and more posts saved up for you, but no time to get them up! And, cooking is out of the question, so I have almost 2 more weeks until I’m back in my kitchen at home and cooking up awesome dishes.

For those of you that didn’t hear, I’m on the inventory team in the merch tent for Coachella/Stagecoach, so I’m pretty much stuck in the desert for an entire month. What IS a relief is that I have some really great vegan options when it comes to show-day eats. Right now, there’s a Brazilian vegan booth with some great combo plates (including plantains!), a vegan Indian booth with lentil dahl, savory chutney and saffron rice, plus a RAW VEGAN booth! Pretty incredible to see veganism grow to change your typical food court booths, and even better to see it being a popular choice; even with Ruth’s Chris’ booth only a couple of stops over.

You may have heard that National Grilled Cheese day was this past Friday, and this here sandwich is my contribution to all of the great posts from that day. I tried out a new, vegan cheese substitute with this one and loved how it turned out. Plus, I absolutely adore buffalo anything, as long as it’s vegan; so this ended up being a magical combination. To make it slightly healthier I added some kale to the sautéed tempeh, which also adds great color and texture contrast. Don’t you love it when food looks as good as it tastes?

This recipe really comes together in almost no time at all, save for the sauteing of the tempeh. It’s pretty flexible as well; you can switch out the kale for almost any other green, and adding some diced red onion may just take this sandwich to another level! Maybe you prefer sourdough over seedy wheat breads, which sounds so good, or adding some tomato and avocado. Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my keyboard.

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April 5, 2013

Mini Chocolate Chip Banana Cheesecake & EatPastry Review

You know those times, when you were a kid/teenager/depressed adult when you loved to eat raw cookie dough? I mean, it’s seriously hard to beat pre-made sweets that are just as good, if not better, before baking as they are afterward. As far as a vegan option went, there was nothing like this that wasn’t homemade for so long! That is, until the amazing people over at EatPastry came up with their line of vegan cookie doughs.

They can be found in the cutest tubs at some Wholefoods, Mother’s Markets and depending on your area, a big-ass tub from Costco! Can you imagine? Seriously, I need that in my life.  Well, maybe my tummy does, but my gluteus maximus certainly doesn’t. ;)

When I first tried this cookie dough, it was in its baked form at Expo West last year. Tiny morsels of chewy cookies of a few different flavors, plus taster spoons with a bite of raw cookie dough on them. To put it bluntly, I was enamored. The texture of the cookies is terrific, even the gluten-free ones! They are as good, and I have a hard time being convinced by most GF pastries. I will say, that you probably shouldn’t eat the GF cookie dough raw because it has a slightly bean-y after taste.

The time came to do a review on a few tubs out of their line and it was a totally success. I also wanted to incorporate a recipe in here for you guys that is INSANE; like, so good. And if you want a bunch more ideas for your cookie dough, check out EatPastry’s Facebook page; Jessie (one of the co-founders) posts the most amazing things; they will probably make you jealous.

First off, I have to admit, I ate the tub of the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin dough before I could even do anything with it. Oopsies. It’s one of my favorites now! Then I used the GF snickerdoodle cookies to make a sandwich that had a vegan cream cheese layer, mmm… The GF Chocolate Chip dough I enjoyed baked as a regular ol’ cookie and it was perfect. It’s everything you want from a cookie; slightly chewy, great color and texture, with a couple of chocolate chips in each bite. 

With the “regular” Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough I made something incredible though, Mini Banana Cheesecakes with Cookie tops & bottoms. The best part is that there really isn’t much too it, and that they are suitable for all ages and preferences. Unless you don’t like cookies or bananas, then we probably can’t be cordial. I highly suggest that you try these out for yourself, and top it with a warm chocolate drizzle, or a peanut butter chocolate drizzle, that also sounds fantastic.

Overall, this is a high-quality product that is basically foolproof. I recommend this product to anyone that asks about it because it is delicious and the people who run the company are so genuine and nice, and just all around great people.

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March 9, 2013

Fiesta Lettuce Wraps

I thought that by making this dish the Wednesday before Expo West that I’d be able to post it in a timely manner and not leave you hanging for a week. Clearly, this is not the case. I’ve already been caught up in the Expo, along with finishing some Easter Brunch recipe for a VegNews web feature (!!!). I CANNOT wait to share both of those with you, as there are a lot of really awesome new, vegan products debuting at the Expo this year; and the brunch recipes that I’m making are SO good. (If I don’t say so myself ;) )

Basically, this all came together when the lovely Jill from Vegan Cuts came into town and stayed with me for a night, before heading off to Anaheim. She was starving, but wanted something healthy to eat, especially after indulging at the New York Veg Fest (I’m not jealous, oh wait, yes I am). I’ve been wanting to make some lettuce wraps, but wasn’t sure if I wanted to make them more Asian or Mexican-inspired. This problem was quickly solved after I spotted a can of black beans and my mind began racing.

These wraps are great because they’re totally plant-based, oil-free, and flavorful! Not to mention, a good amount of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. What more could you ask for? Maybe dessert. :D Here we have your black beans, your quinoa, some plantains, bell peppers, spinach and more. Plus, when you ditch the tortilla for lettuce, you drop the empty calories and extra carbs.

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January 25, 2013

Healthy & Delicious: Malaysian Kailan

In keeping up with the guest posts this month, today, I’m hosting a delicious-looking post from Stephanie of Trans-planted. I found Stephanie’s cute blog after she commented on a couple of posts here on Vegan Yack Attack. I checked it out and found tons of cookie recipes and bright photos, plus she’s as sweet as can be. You should definitely check out her blog after getting your eye-full of this healthy, Malaysian stir-fry!

Malaysian Kailan Stirfry

It is such an honor to take part in the awesomeness that is Vegan Yack Attack! You probably already know how amazing and delicious this blog is, which is why it’s one of my favorite places to get inspired to try new vegan foods. You can only imagine how incredibly thrilled I was when Jackie asked me to be a guest on her blog! I am so happy to be able to share with you all a little today.

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My husband and I moved to Malaysia almost a year ago. I was born and raised in Orange County, California, so you can imagine what a huge life change it has been living here. Before we made the big move, I became addicted to kale and it’s versatility. I was super disappointed when I couldn’t find any here. But, as the months passed, I became more familiar with Malaysian cuisine and I found a great substitute: kailan AKA: Chinese broccoli! Kailan (芥兰), pronounced kay-lan, comes from the Cantonese language and is the common Malaysian term for Chinese broccoli. If you’re looking for it in an Asian market, it is sometimes written as gai-lan and pronounced guy-lan.

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As you can see in the photos, kailan is a dark-green leafy vegetable. The leaves are thick and flat and resemble kale. The stems are like broccoli stems: short and thick. You might be thinking that kailan looks a lot like broccolini. Here’s a fun nerdy veggie fact: broccolini is actually a hybrid between kailan and regular ol’ broccoli!

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Like kale, kailan can be cooked in many different ways. The leaves are a tad bitter and are not usually eaten raw. You can either blanch, steam, boil, or stir-fry kailan and add it to your favorite dish. I have not tried making kailan chips yet, but that’s on my to-do list! Most kailan dishes here in Malaysia are not vegan-friendly. It is often served sautéed with oyster sauce or fish sauce. Thankfully my local friend, Sumalang, taught me her favorite vegan way of cooking kailan. I’ve tweaked things just a bit to make it healthier! Sumalang usually adds oil and garnishes the dish with fried garlic. With this recipe, I have left the oil out and replaced the fried garlic with sautéed garlic instead.

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The sweetness of the carrots, the slight bitterness of the greens, and the savory mushrooms combine to make a wonderful side dish that can be served alongside any Asian meal.  It’s incredibly simple and fast, perfect for when you’re in a rush and need something healthy. It is a staple dish in my kitchen and I hope you enjoy it!

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