Review: Trader Joe’s Japanese Style Fried Rice

20 Monday Apr 2015

Tags

animal free, arsenic, cruelty free, dairy free, edamame, fried rice, frozen meals, hijiki seaweed, japan, japanese, quick meals, review, seaweed, tofu, trader joe's, vegan, vegan review, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

So…

It has been a few (four) months since my last post. Oooooops! My blog should be taken away from me due to neglect. I plan on getting back in the swing of things as soon as possible, but until then, enjoy this product review of one of my favorite quick meals.

Trader Joe’s is abundantly vegan friendly, if you know where to look. They are in the process of marking all of their explicitly vegan products with a large V, but if you look carefully, there are quite a few products that are inherently vegan and unmarked.

From the tiny island called the “Land of the Rising Sun,” this frozen frenzy of flavors is an expedient way to get a whole lot of nourishment.

Seriously, this product tastes like you are in a petite Japanese market with the briny breeze of the ocean wafting through the wooden slats. As you peruse the fresh seafood, you catch glimpses of fishermen dumping their plump nets into a rusty bucket. Fish flapping about, seagulls sailing overhead, waves washing up.

I have never been to Japan, but I have had numerous traditional Japanese meals, courtesy of my local Japanese club (don’t judge). The flourishing flavors of this dish are very impressive. One look at the ingredients and I could tell it was almost authentic. If you are looking for flavors from around the world, definitely check this dish out!

Ease of preparation is surprising.

Step 1: Heat some oil in a pan

Step 2: Stir fry the dish until warmed through

DONEZO!

Nutritionally, this meal is sufficient; the only drawback is the amount of sodium, so just offset that by drinking a lot of water with your meal.

My favorite part of this dish is the tofu; the texture and qualities of the stringy tofu are reminiscent of the egg that is traditionally in stir fry. I ate SO MUCH Chinese Take Out growing up that I am exceedingly familiar with this type of fried rice. I can’t help but to love this taste and texture. You know, that off-yellow scrambled mess that you see in your rice? IT IS DELICIOUS.

Oh, and the product actually resembles what is pictured on the front of the bag! It does say the typical “Serving Suggestion” and “Enlarged to show texture” but it is abundantly plentiful with the distribution of the edamame and carrots. Good on ya, Trader Joe’s.

The only drawbacks are: 1. It tends to get oily quickly, but if you do not use enough oil it definitely sticks to the pan. 2. The rice isn’t brown rice (I am a bourgeois, white, smoothie drinker, I know). 3. I do not have five more bags in my freezer right now.

The Verdict:

Taste: 9/10

Texture: 8/10

Preparation: 9/10

Value: 8/10

Nutrition: 7/10

Quality: 9/10

Score: 85% B

Did you know?

Hijiki seaweed is a brown-colored seaweed grown on the rocky coasts of Japan, China, and Korea. It is harvested at low tide and used in common Japanese cuisine. It has potential health benefits due to the high levels of dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Japanese folklore lends to the belief that daily consumption of this long, stringy, brown seaweed aids health and beauty; supposedly, the key to long, lustrous, black hair is eating hijiki.

Some health concerns have arisen regarding some inorganic arsenic appearing in hijiki. Health agencies have proposed removing hijiki consumption from a daily diet. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan has responded by acknowledging the fact that ingesting 4.7 g of hijiki is potentially dangerous, but the average daily consumption of Japanese citizens is only 0.9 g. Normal servings of hijiki would never reach the high level required for possible arsenic poisoning.

So yes, ingesting hijiki does place inorganic arsenic into your body. HOWEVER, arsenic levels also appear in fish, rice, and wine. So I am totally ingesting away! (I want long, lustrous, black hair!)

Savory Spanish Rice & Beans Gratin

03 Tuesday Jun 2014

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au gratin, Casserole, gratin, rice and beans, rice and beans casserole, spanish rice, vegan, vegan casserole, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

My mother would always make us Rice-A-Roni Spanish Rice or Chicken with our dinners growing up. Actually, she started with that “San Francisco Treat” but eventually started to make her own, superior versions of our favorite side dish. She would just add a can of diced tomatoes to the rice and it would give it just that little kick to bring the Spanish flavor! She basically inspired me to get creative when trying to imitate my favorite foods and thus, I created a casserole from one of my childhood side dishes.

Ingredients:

2 servings rice ($0.75)
1 can petite diced tomatoes ($0.62)
½ green pepper, diced ($0.35)
½ red pepper, diced ($0.99)
1 can mixed vegetables ($0.65)
1 can black beans ($0.99)
½ jar fried onions ($0.42)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. I use a wonderful rice cooker from Japan by the brand Zojirushi that cooks wonderful fluffy rice. I just added a can of diced tomatoes to the cooker and made sure the liquid measurements were correct and it cooked beautifully! If you are using a pan and the stove, just cook the rice as per usual and stir in a can of diced tomatoes after it has finished. Layer the rice in the bottom of a casserole dish. Drain a can of mixed vegetables and pour over the rice. Dice the peppers and toss on top of the rice as well. Drain and rinse the black beans and again, add on top. Finally, top with fried onions and throw it in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until browned and crispy! Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing and plating.

Cooking rice with diced tomatoes adds a richness and tangy depth

This dish is very colorful and vitamin packed!

Avocado is my most FAVORITE food ever. I will seriously add
it to any food ever. Ever. So naturally, I added avocado here
AND IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!

There you have it, folks. A European twist on the casserole that will be sure to satisfy. Let me know what you guys think in the comments! I hope to hear from some of you.

Oven Roasted Chili-Crusted Cauliflower

29 Thursday May 2014

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baked cauliflower, cauliflower, healthy lifestyle, healthy living, healthy meals, oven roasted cauliflower, vegan, vegan meals, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

Impoverished Vegan is not dead. I promise. I had a really crazy past few months and had to take a little break from cooking and writing. I had to take a school trip to Washington DC at the end of the semester with finals falling as soon as I got back; I was also in the middle of a huge job change. Things have finally settled down. Enough with the personal details. Let’s cook some cauliflower!!

Ingredients:

1 whole cauliflower ($0.99)

1 tbsp vegetable oil –

1½ cups vegan sour cream ($0.75)

1 lemon, zested and juiced ($0.10)

2 tbsp chili powder ($0.20)

1 tbsp cumin ($0.05)

1 tbsp garlic powder ($0.03)

1 tsp curry powder –

2 tsp sea salt –

1 tsp black pepper –

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the olive oil evenly over a baking sheet. Peel the green leafy stems from the base of the cauliflower. Cut the base level and flush with the florets so the cauliflower will sit evenly on a flat surface. Stir together the sour cream, lemon zest and juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, sea salt, and black pepper until fully combined. Dunk the cauliflower into the marinade and spread it across all the florets. Make sure the whole head is covered except the bottom. Place it on the baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes or until browned and slightly crispy. The marinade will create a dry crust across the cauliflower. Let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing it into wedges. Enjoy!

You can use vegan yogurt instead but make sure it is plain

I added extra cumin and garlic powder for an extra KICK!

Do not be afraid to get your hands dirty to spread the marinade!

Yeah… the marinade looks goopy and gross before it is baked

I use a sheet of aluminum foil to keep the baking tray clean

Baking for a little bit extra will make a very crispy crust!

Feel free to experiment with your spices! Use dill and parsley!

For an Indian twist, use more curry powder!

You can cut it into fourths to share with others…

…or just eat the whole thing yourself! (I did.)

Spaghetti? How about Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino

12 Wednesday Feb 2014

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light meal, light snack, light spaghetti, pasta, spaghetti, traditional spaghetti, vegan, vegan spaghetti, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

I get a lot of my love for cooking from my mother. She was always creating tasty and exciting ways to get me to eat vegetables; she would sneak shredded zucchini and squash into spaghetti sauce. Almost every Friday she would cook up here spaghetti in a huge batch and it would last the whole week! It was usually served with carrot sticks with ranch dip and garlic toast. We would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Her spaghetti is one of my absolute favorite meals even to this day! I had always associated tomato sauce with spaghetti and spaghetti with tomato sauce. That is how it was. That was spaghetti. I recently was referred to a recipe that claimed to be the traditional way spaghetti was prepared, except it did not use a tomato base for the sauce! Furthermore, there was not even really a sauce on it! It turned out to be extremely satisfying and light! If you need to avoid tomatoes or have frequent heart burn, try this type of spaghetti!

Ingredients:

1 serving pasta ($0.45)
1 tbsp. minced garlic ($0.15)
2 tbsp. olive oil ($0.15)
2 tbsp. chopped parsley ($0.07)
½ tbsp. red pepper flakes ($0.09)
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice ($0.04)

Preparation:

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain and set aside. Heat the oil on medium heat and throw in the garlic once it has warmed. Sauté for one minute and throw in the pasta. Keep sautéing, stirring constantly and add the chopped parsley, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice. After 2 minutes remove from heat. You are done. That is it. Simple, savory spaghetti in less than 15 minutes! I cooked some mushrooms and asparagus in some garlic and oil for a side dish. For the salad, I used spinach, black olives, red onions, and balsamic vinaigrette. Any pasta dish can be cheezed up with Go Veggie! vegan grated parmesan cheese! Enjoy!

Shu Mai done VEGAN! Happy Chinese New Year!

01 Saturday Feb 2014

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chicken and prawn dumplings, chinese new year, dumplings, shu mai, siu mai, vegan chicken and prawn dumplings, vegan chinese new year, vegan dumplings, vegan new year, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

FAIR WARNING! This recipe is not necessarily for the Impoverished Vegan, as it is relatively expensive. As of late, and in an attempt to recreate the traditional meals of a specific culture, I hereby submit a recipe that would not normally be vegan. This is a blog post attempting to recreate a meat-filled dish without the meat. It will be 100% vegan. As a traditional Chinese dumpling, I had never consumed Shu Mai or Siu Mai, even as an omnivore. These pork, chicken, or seafood dumplings are served for the Chinese New Year on January 31. Yes, I have had Crab Rangoon or Crab Wontons, as has every civilised human in the modern world. When I joined the exclusive community known as foodies+ on Google+, I had NO idea they were definitely a force to be reckoned with. They are a super active community that supports and encourages new recipes and ideas! JUST MY NICHE! Be sure to check out the page and plus one them! I fit in very well there and am very proud to announce my first commissioned piece as a member of foodies+! Introducing, VEGAN ShuMai Chicken and Prawn Dumplings!

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken (meatless grill strips) ($3.99)
1 cup shiitake mushrooms ($1.99)
2 tbsp. shrimp seasoning ($0.21)
2 cups no-chicken broth ($0.35)
2 tbsp. woodear mushrooms ($1.00)
½ tbsp. fresh shredded ginger ($0.17)
1 tbsp. scallion root (white part) ($0.12)
1 carrot, finely peeled ($0.10)
⅛ tbsp. sesame oil ($0.01)
3 dashes white pepper ($0.01)
½ tbsp. corn starch ($0.02)
2 dashes salt ($0.01)
peas for garnish ($0.05)
vegan wonton wrappers ($3.50)
hoisin garlic sauce ($1.50)

Preparation:

At first, I tried to make my own wonton wrap because it was difficult to find a vegan version without egg. It failed. It was exceedingly dry and fell apart extremely easily. I eventually stumbled upon a wrap that just so happen to not contain egg! It was slightly smaller than a wonton wrap but that was fine with me.

For the shrimp, I used shiitake mushrooms marinated in no-chicken broth and shrimp seasoning; the chewiness of the mushrooms imitates actual shrimp. For the mushrooms, I had to rehydrate dried woodear mushrooms by soaking them in no-chicken broth and I added some shrimp seasoning to these mushrooms as well. Simple Truth makes a wonderful frozen chicken breast imitation. Strain the mushrooms after about an hour. Thaw the frozen chicken breast strips. Place them in a food processor with the mushrooms, ¼ cup no-chicken broth, ginger, scallion root, carrots, sesame oil, white pepper, corn starch, and salt. Puree until finely chopped or desired consistency. Heat the leftover marinate from the mushrooms in a pan on medium until it starts to bubble. Place 1 tablespoon of the mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper and wrap up tightly. Make a few and place them in the pot a few at a time. Steam for at least 5 minutes. Garnish with the peas, a few sliced carrots, and hoisin garlic sauce!

As healthy as I try to eat, I still love fried food! I had an urge to throw these dumplings in some hot oil and fry them up! It was a success! I turned the traditional dumpling into an Americanized treat! Eastern tradition meets Western gluttony with these fried Shu Mai. I actually went a step further and topped them with my vegan cheese sauce too. Enjoy!

See? They even somewhat look like prawns… haha

This broth has a wonderful, deep flavor, without the meat!
The woodear mushrooms have a captivating suble taste.

Soak for about one hour and they will absorb the liquid and rehydrate

Soak these for one hour as well and they absorb that shrimpy sea flavor

My ginger was a little old so the skin was tough to peel off but
there is nothing like fresh ginger to kick start any recipe

Beautiful, natural vegetables

Pulse, pulse, scrape down the sides, pulse, pulse

Looks like chicken, tastes like chicken, does not contain chicken!

Be careful not to overfill the dumplings or they will fall apart

Soft dumplings

FRIED DUMPLINGS!

WITH VEGAN CHEESE!

Happy Year of the Horse! May it be filled with good fortune and good eats. Cruelty free eats that will reduce your cholesterol to zero, I may add. Even if you still consume meat and dairy, try this recipe out and you will fall in love with vegan food!

Stuffed Mac & Cheese Casserole!

27 Monday Jan 2014

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Casserole, mac and cheese, mac and cheese casserole, stuffing, stuffing casserole, vegan, vegan casserole, vegan cheese, vegan mac and cheese, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarian casserole, vegetarianism

I was waiting to write this recipe until I had posted the Mac & Cheeze blog because it uses the same cheese sauce. This is seriously one of the best casseroles I have ever consumed! And I made up the crazy recipe on accident! After Thanksgiving, I had a bunch of stuffing leftover and did not want it to spoil. I also happen to have leftover Mac & Cheeze. It was a divine intervention! I thought, “Why not combine two of my most favorite things into a casserole!” And perfection was born. I do not want to know how many calories are in it; being vegan, it does not really matter! Make this cheesy casserole the next time you need to warm up!

Ingredients:

1 unit Mac & Cheeze – recipe here ($4.03)

1 box vegan stuffing ($0.99)

1 jar french fried onions ($0.75)

Preparation:

Make the Mac & Cheeze according to the recipe. Prepare the stuffing according to the directions on the package. Place a layer of the stuffing on the bottom of a casserole dish. Put a layer of Mac & Cheeze on the stuffing. Add another layer of stuffing and the last of the Mac & Cheeze. Top with the fried onions and bake for 20 minutes on 350°F. Crunch and munch and then relish the deliciousness of cheesy stuffing casserole!

For the stuffing, I melted vegan butter in some water

Once boiling, I removed it from heat and covered for 5 minutes

The stuffing is made!

Herbes de Provence makes for a delightfully tasty stuffing

Cheesy goodness! The excess sauce drips down
and saturates the stuffing in cheeeeeeese!

For added texture, add a layer of fried onions in between
each layer of stuffing and cheese

ALL THE CARBS but it is so delicious and so vegan
that you do not have to feel any guilt at all!

Roasted Red Pepper Mac & Cheese

20 Monday Jan 2014

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cashew cream, cheese, healthy lifestyle, healthy living, mac and cheese, vegan, vegan cheese, vegan mac and cheese, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

Mmm*Mac & Cheese! Everybody loves it. It seems everyone I talk to says, “Yeah, I could not be a vegan because I would miss cheese too much!” Let me be the first to say I thought the same thing! I loved eating cheese. I had cheese with every meal. Cheese was a meal. Mac & Cheese was my favorite meal to eat when it was cold outside. My mother would always make me homemade cheese sauce over spaghetti noodles. I would request it every morning and it was my absolute favorite breakfast. Vegan cheese recipes can be super simple simulations of ooey-gooey cheese.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raw cashews (soaked) ($0.95)
2 tsp. olive oil ($0.01)
1 onion, diced ($0.18)
2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.38)
2 cups vegetable broth ($0.65)
1 1/2 tbsp. corn starch ($0.05)
1 1/2 tbsp. nutritional yeast ($0.18)
1 roasted red pepper ($0.45)
1 tbsp. tomato paste ($0.12)
1 tsp. salt ($0.01)
1 tsp. ground mustard ($0.03)
1/2 tsp. turmeric ($0.03)
1 box of pasta ($0.99)

Preparation:

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Sauté the onions in olive oil until they become translucent. It should not take more than 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds. You do not want to overcook the garlic and lose the flavor. Add this mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the drained cashews, vegetable broth, corn starch, nutritional yeast, red pepper, tomato paste, salt, ground mustard, and turmeric. Blend until smooth. Smoothness is important. If you have read my previous blogs involving cashews, you will understand that it is very important to have a smooth sauce. The texture is gritty, rough, and crunchy. Transfer the sauce to the pan used to sauté the onions. Heat on medium-low for 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Once thick, add the pasta until the whole mixture is warmed through. SERVE and MUNCH!

Sautéing the garlic for only 30 seconds will keep the flavor
of the garlic at the optimal level

At first it was weird to add hot onions and garlic to a blender
but the flavors of these are key to creating a cheesy flavor!

The sauce will slowly thicken. KEEP STIRRING!
The first time I made this, I slightly burned the bottom
of the cheese sauce; it burns very easily so keep stirring

I used Lumaconi pasta instead of shell pasta or macaroni
because they look way cooler and they were
significantly less expensive at Aldi

There you have it. Delicious mac and cheese!

Since it has been so long since I have had actual dairy cheese, the vegan mind will almost forget what actual cheese tastes like and this faux cheese will totally satisfy all of your cheese cravings! I will challenge any cheese-eater to try this cheese sauce and tell me that it does not imitate mac and cheese extremely closely. I am still working on a few more cheese blogs so get hype! I hope to publish them very soon! For now, enjoy this delightful take on the American staple using cashews instead of dairy!

This is a modification of Isa Chandra’s Pizza Mac & Cheese recipe from Post Punk Kitchen. I love her work and she is the most exceptional vegan chef! Check out her blog at the Post Punk Kitchen!

Black Eyed Pea Hummus, Happy New Year!

03 Friday Jan 2014

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Black-eyed pea, black-eyed pea hummus, Garlic, happy new year, hummus, New Year Day, new year's, Tahini, vegan, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

Happy New Year! As is tradition, black-eyed peas are served to bring good fortune, prosperity, and all those nice things we like say we are going to resolve to do but never make it through the whole year. Pork products are usually used to garnish or marinate, but seeing as this is a vegan blog, I thought it best to refrain from the meat and meat substitutes. Try this awesome hummus made from black eyed peas instead of chick peas!

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked black-eyed peas ($0.46)
4 tsp. minced garlic ($0.32)
6 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice ($0.12)
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
4 tbsp. tahini ($0.95)

Preparation:

Soak the black-eyed peas for at least 6 hours, or overnight. Drain and place them in a large sauce pot filled with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 90 minutes. Drain them thoroughly. Add them to a blender or food processor. Add the garlic, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and tahini and blend until very smooth. Once it is smooth, blend it again until it is very, very smooth. The hummus should be very smooth. Place in a serving bowl and garnish paprika and a drizzle of olive oil. You can use canned black-eyed peas for quicker preparation. I made a salad to go with the hummus. Baby spinach leaves, diced yellow peppers, and chunks of Daiya havarti cheese with an aged balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Save the water from draining the beans
It can be used as a broth or a base for a soup or stew!
It contains some leftover nutrition from boiling the beans

I got new adjustable measuring spoons for christmas!
They are a great, space saving tool for my tiny 500 sq-ft apartment

An easy way to prevent lemon seeds from getting into your food
is to slice a lemon and hold it up to the light
You can use a knife to poke the seeds out

Tahini is the heart behind hummus
It gives it the creamy texture and smooth flavor
It also combines nicely with other flavors like garlic

Blend all ingredients until very smooth
THE HUMMUS SHOULD BE SMOOTH

The olive oil will keep the top from getting too dry and crusty

The sweetness of the yellow peppers contrasts nicely
with the tartness of the vinaigrette and sharpness of the havarti cheese

I hope the New Year is filled with joy and success and plenty of great vegan meals!

New England "Clam" Chowder

29 Sunday Dec 2013

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Atlantic Ocean, Clam, Clam chowder, cooking, New England, new england clam chowder, post punk kitchen, vegan, vegan clam chowder, vegan cooking, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarian clam chowder, vegetarianism

This blog post has been a long time coming. I made this for the first time back in October and am just now posting it. Why? Procrastination. It’s a bitch. Anyway, I am here to present to you…Vegan Clam Chowder! Another incredible recipe from the Post Punk Kitchen, Isa nails it! She calls hers the New England Glam Chowder, which is super fitting for her post punk theme. The first time I made it, I let it simmer for too long and it turned out super thick but still delicious. The second time, it was the proper consistency and tasted EXACTLY like clam chowder. Like, for real. The salt and brine of the Atlantic Ocean was in every spoonful. YET NO ANIMAL CRUELTY!!

Ingredients:

1 cup cashews (soaked min. 2 hours) $2.12
2 cups vegetable broth $0.24
4 tsp. corn starch $0.05
1 tbsp. olive oil –
1 large yellow onion, diced $0.19
3 carrots, peeled and chopped $0.12
3 stalks of celery, chopped $.012
4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced $0.99
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced $0.99
2 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped $0.32
1 tsp. salt –
2 nori sheets, finely chopped $0.75
3 cups vegetable broth $0.36
2 tbsp. tomato paste $0.24
2 tbsp. lemon juice $0.12

Preparation:

Saute the carrots and onions in a large soup pot in olive oil until tender. Add the mushrooms and celery. Cook until tender, but do not overcook; the mushrooms take the place of the clam parts so it is best if they are still a bit chewy. Add the potatoes, nori, salt, and 3 cups vegetable broth and cover. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the cashews and add to a blender. Add 2 cups of vegetable broth and corn starch. Blend until smooth. This may take a little time; the sauce must be very smooth or the soup will have tiny little cashew pieces and taste gritty. Slowly add the cashew cream sauce and gently simmer for about 7 minutes; it should start to thicken. When it has reached desired consistency, add the tomato paste and lemon juice. It is now ready to swerve! I mean, serve. Garnish with crumbled saltine crackers for a nice little crunch!

There is a lot of chopping going on in this recipe
A food processor will ease your wrist and the prep time

Soaked cashews are the secret ingredient
When soaked and blended, they add a creaminess to any recipe

You can use this base recipe for cashew cream
in the place of dairy for soups, sauces, and more!

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS. I only took the lid off
and took a picture because I wanted to reiterate
how important it is for the cream to be SMOOTH
The extra time in the blender will yield a nice, creamy sauce

Using a large soup pot to sauté things will save you extra dishes to wash

The celery adds a nice, earthy flavor to the chowder and the
mushrooms imitate the clamminess of actual clams

This blend of sautéed veggies will make your kitchen smell great
I like to add extra salt at this point so it soaks into the veggies

Chop the potatoes into ¼” cubes so they soften
easily without turning into mush
Too large and they will be crunchy; too small and mush

The nori will add the taste of the sea!
If you are prone to a more mild flavor, leave the nori out or
only add half of a sheet

This is also a great vegetable soup recipe. Stop here and leave out
the cashew cream and this soup still tastes incredible!

The tomato paste will bind all of the flavors together and
adds a deep, richness to the broth

This time I simmered for too long and everything got overcooked
It still turned out great; it was more like a thick stew
The potatoes were mush and the mushrooms lost their chewiness

This time was perfect! An incredible recipe for all occasions!

I like to make big batches and store them for through out the week
If your blender is big enough, you can make both batches of
the cashew cream at once; if not, make two separate batches
I learned the hard way and had an overflowing stream of
cashew cream mess to clean up

There you have it. Vegan Clam Chowder. I have a sneaking suspicion that if this were to be served to an omnivore, they would not be able to tell it was vegan! It is that convincing. Make it for your friends and try to deceive them!!

Buffalo Tempeh Burger

19 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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Tags

buffalo, buffalo burger, buffalo chicken, healthy living, tempeh, tempeh burger, vegan, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarianism

Sooo….tempeh? What even is tempeh? I had absolutely no idea what tempeh was 6 months ago. In the vegan community, tempeh is like a gift sent from above! Basically, it is a soy product that is very similar to a “burger” patty. True.

organic 3 grain tempeh trader joe's buffalo chicken

It’s organic too!

Marinated in buffalo sauce, this tempeh burger imitates buffalo chicken so closely it is may actually contain traces of animal protein. Except, not. Tempeh is 100% vegan. Here’s what you do:

Ingredients for 1 burger:

½ package tempeh ($0.99)
1 slice havarti “cheese” ($0.99)
1 slice of a tomato ($0.12)
¼ of an avocado ($0.25)
¼ cup buffalo sauce ($0.23)
1 small burger bun ($0.37)
1 slice dill pickle ($0.16)

Preparation:

Slice the tempeh in half lengthwise. Slice these halves in half again perpendicularly so you have 4 slices, about 3″ X 3″ square. Marinate the slices of tempeh in buffalo sauce for about 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes; turn the tempeh over halfway through cooking and add the slice of cheeses so it will melt. Toast the bun until lightly brown. Spread the extra sauce from the marinade over both sides of the bun. Layer the tomato, avocado, and tempeh slices and the burger is complete! Dill pickles go extremely well with the flavor of buffalo sauce; add a spear to your plate for a tangy treat.

The pineapple took away from the sharp bite of the buffalo.
Discretion is advised.

daiya havarti style dairy free cheese jalapeño garlic

Daiya is the best brand! This jalapeño garlic variety is
perfect for the spiciness of the buffalo sauce!

Delicious colors! The tomatoes calm the spices and the avocados
add a creaminess to balance the spices.

marinade marinate buffalo sauce havarti cheese

Look at that melty cheese! It is almost sinful how amazing
vegan cheese can taste.

buffalo tempeh burger chicken avocado tomato havarti cheese

The burger was a little tall; try flattening the burger
a tiny bit so it fits in your mouth better.

buffalo tempeh burger chicken avocado tomato havarti cheese dill pickle

This burger seriously competes with any and all buffalo chicken
burger I have ever had. The texture of the tempeh is so meaty.

I had originally made this recipe with sliced pineapple, but it turned out to hinder the already complicated flavors of tempeh, buffalo, tomato, and avocado. I left it out of the recipe, but for a twangy twist on this recipe, add cubed pineapple to the marinade and garnish the burger with a cube on top.

Did you know?

Another one of those weird asian products you always see but never know what they are, tempeh is originally from Indonesia. Naturally fermented with controlled cultures, this soybean “cake” is firm and grainy. The whole bean is fermented, providing additional nutrition; it has a higher protein, dietary fiber, and vitamin content. Soaked first, the beans and grains are partially cooked while a mild acid is added, usually vinegar. This lowers the pH and created a perfect environment for fermentation. Spores are added and the process is almost complete. After sitting for 24 to 36 hours, the tempeh is considered “ripe”.

This tempeh is wrapped in banana leaves, ready to sell
in a market in Jakarta

Preparation of tempeh ranges from deep frying to baking. Tempe bosok is even rotten tempeh, used in small amounts as a flavoring!

Tempeh used as the bread bun for a burger! Looks like I may be
concocting a new recipe soon!

And now you know. You don’t have to be scared of that whitish-gray, lumpy, bean curd any longer! Feel free to comment with suggestions and any cooking tips you might have!

sources: * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh