Brussels Sprouts with Vegan Bacon and Shallots

 

Save Print

Shallots and vegan bacon are caramelized with a bit of brown sugar to add just a touch of sweetness to the earthiness of the Brussels sprouts in this recipe.

Author: Leinana Two Moons

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 6 large shallots, sliced paper thin
• 5 to 6 slices of your favorite vegan bacon, chopped
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1½ pounds Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed, halved (quartered if large)
• ⅓ cup dry white wine

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and bacon and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the shallots are translucent. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and continue cooking until the shallots are browned and caramelized. Set aside.
2. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan in a single layer, cut-side down. Leave undisturbed 2 to 3 minutes before stirring, to help them brown and caramelize. Continue to cook and stir occasionally until the Brussels sprouts turn bright green. Add the white wine to the Brussels sprouts, cover immediately, and steam for 2 minutes. Uncover and cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the Brussels sprouts are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the shallot-bacon mixture and serve hot.

Notes

From Baconish © 2016 by Leinana Two Moons. Used with permission from Vegan Heritage Press.

3.5.3226

SaveSave

The post Brussels Sprouts with Vegan Bacon and Shallots appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Ever since Cadry made air fried chickpeas, I’ve been wanting to roast cashews in the air fryer, and my Bacon Cashews recipe felt like the perfect place to start. You can make Air Fried Bacon Cashews in half the time it takes to make them in the oven. It’s so easy y’all!

Bacon Cashews in the Air Fryer

 

Save Print

Author: Becky Striepe

Ingredients

• 3 cups raw cashews (I recommend whole cashews for this recipe, but you can use halves and pieces. Just reduce the baking time by a few minutes.)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons liquid smoke
• 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, toss together all of the ingredients, making sure to coat the cashews really well (and really evenly!).
2. Pour the cashews into your air fryer basket, and cook at 350F for 8-10 minutes, shaking every 2 minutes to make sure they cook evenly and to check for doneness*. During the last 2 minutes, you should shake/check every minute to avoid burning. The line between done and burnt can be thin with this recipe.
3. Let them cool to room temperature – about 10-15 minutes – then transfer to an airtight storage container**.

Notes

*The variance in cooking time depends on a lot of things. Whole cashews will need more time, halves and pieces will need less (maybe even less than 8, so keep a close eye!). Humidity in your kitchen will also impact cooking time. Your bacon cashews are ready when the pan is on the dry side, the cashews have darkened a bit, and the house smells amazing. If you taste one while it’s cooking, don’t worry if it’s a little bit chewy – like coconut bacon, these bacon cashews will get crunchier once they’re cooled. Trust me: I burnt my first batch, because I was waiting for them to get crunchy. Don’t be like me!

**Your bacon cashews will keep for up to 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. And, I’ll be honest, I kept mine for a full week and lived to tell the tale. But officially, I am saying 2-3 days.

3.5.3226

The post Bacon Cashews in the Air Fryer appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Vegan Bacon

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 russet potatoes (2 pounds), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch dice
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups plain unsweetened almond or soy milk
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

For serving

• Vegan sour cream
• Fresh chives, chopped
• Vegan shredded cheddar cheese
• Cooked chopped vegan bacon or Baconish Bits (recipe follows)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the potatoes, broth, almond or soy milk, and rosemary. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to the desired consistency. It doesn’t have to be completely smooth; personally, I like to leave a few chunks of potato for texture. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can ladle about half of the soup into a regular blender to puree, then transfer it back to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, divide the soup evenly into four bowls. Add a dollop of vegan sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh chives, vegan cheddar, and bacon to each serving.

Baconish Bits

Makes about 1 cup

It’s fairly easy to find accidentally vegan bacon bits at the grocery store, but they may contain preservatives and other questionable ingredients. These bits are easy to make yourself, healthier, and taste so much better than the store-bought kind.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 1 teaspoon ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 cup texturized vegetable protein (TVP)
• 2 tablespoons safflower or other neutral-tasting vegetable oil

Preparation

In a medium bowl, whisk together the boiling water, tamari, maple syrup, liquid smoke, ketchup, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix in the TVP and stir until it is evenly coated.

Heat the oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron). Add the TVP and cook until it is dry, dark brown, and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the TVP to cool. Store Baconish Bits in an airtight container about 1 week.

 
Recipes from Baconish © 2016 by Leinana Two Moons. Used with permission from Vegan Heritage Press.)

The post Loaded Baked Potato Soup with Vegan Bacon appeared first on Chic Vegan.

The Famous Coconut BLT

Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 8 slices sandwich bread
• Vegan mayonnaise
• 2 cups Coconut Bacon (recipe follows)
• 1 large ripe tomato, sliced
• Lettuce leaves, washed and patted dry

Preparation 

Spread each slice of bread with a generous amount of mayonnaise. Top the mayonnaise with about 1/2 cup of the Coconut Bacon per sandwich, followed by slices of tomato and lettuce leaves. Top each sandwich with the remaining bread slices. Cut each sandwich with a serrated bread knife and serve immediately.

Coconut Bacon

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons tamari
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 3 cups unsweetened large-flake coconut

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the tamari, liquid smoke, water, and maple syrup together in a large bowl. Stir in the coconut and mix well to ensure that the flakes are evenly coated.

Spread the coconut in an even layer on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 10 minutes, then stir. Bake another 8 minutes, keeping a very close eye on the coconut in the last few minutes. The coconut will go from almost done to completely burned very quickly. Remove from the oven when the coconut flakes on the outer edges of the pan are becoming a deep, dark brown, but not black.

Place the baking sheet on a cooling rack. The coconut will continue to crisp as it cools. Coconut bacon will keep 1 to 2 weeks in an airtight plastic container, but will become less crisp the longer you store it.

Recipes from Baconish © 2016 by Leinana Two Moons. Used with permission from Vegan Heritage Press.)

The post The Famous Coconut BLT appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Chic Vegan: What motivated you to become vegan? Was it an overnight switch or more gradual shift?
Leinana Two Moons: For me, it was definitely a gradual transition. I married a vegan guy, and we ate vegan at home, mostly for convenience so that I wouldn’t have to cook different meals. If we went out to eat, I would still order seafood, eggs, and dairy for a couple of years after we were married, but I found that I was always more interested in whatever my husband ordered. Gradually, and without really planning to, I cut more and more animal products out of my diet, and at some point I noticed how much better I was feeling. Health issues I’d had my whole entire life were disappearing. And then one night, after watching the movie Earthlings, I gave up all animal products and declared myself vegan from that point on.

CV: When people learn that you are vegan, what is the #1 question they ask and what is your response?
LTM: Surprisingly, it’s not, “Where do you get your protein?” The question I probably get the most is, “Isn’t it hard?” Well, I have to admit, living in NYC, we’re very spoiled with a wealth of vegan restaurants to choose from, and vegan ingredients are widely available even in local grocery stores, and so it’s actually pretty easy to be vegan here. I have traveled to other parts of the country were it was certainly a lot more challenging to find places to eat. But non-vegan people really tend to over-think how complicated vegan food needs to be. I mean, we’ve all eaten an apple! That’s a vegan snack! We’ve all had pasta with marinara sauce, also vegan! I think people think it’s all weird stuff that they don’t know how to pronounce, like seitan and quinoa.

CV: Your children are vegan. What are the challenges you’ve come across in raising vegan kids?
LTM: I’ll be honest, it does take more planning and work raising vegan kids. You have to communicate with their school to make sure the teachers and staff know not to give them any food with animal products. I pack my son’s lunch every day, and it would certainly be easier to just send him off to school and let him eat whatever they are serving, for free, at lunchtime. And then there are the birthday parties. We are lucky enough to have a wide circle of vegan friends with children close to the same age as ours, and it is amazing when you can go to a birthday party and not have to worry about any of the snacks or the birthday cake. And we’ve also been lucky to have some very thoughtful non-vegan friends, who have provided a vegan cupcake or other treat as an alternative to the main birthday cake. But of course there are other parties where you have to plan ahead and bring your own snacks and treats so they will have something to eat, or you bring a dish to share with everyone.

CV: Tell me a little bit about your new book Baconish and what inspired you to write it.
LTM: Baconish has recipes for several different types of vegan bacon, using ingredients like tofu, tempeh, seitan, mushrooms, coconut, eggplant, carrots, and even chickpeas. And then it also includes a lot of recipes in which to use those vegan bacons, everything from BBQ Bacon Cheeseburgers to Bacon-Topped Veggie Loaf to even Elvis Cupcakes (Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting) topped with Coconut Bacon.

Several years ago on a trip to Montreal, my husband and I ate at an amazing vegan place called Aux Vivres. It was there that I first tried coconut bacon and I immediately became obsessed with it. I posted a recipe on my blog, and everyone went crazy over it. I started seeing all kinds of vegan bacon popping up on blogs, everything from the usual tempeh bacons to the more unusual ones, like carrot bacon. I started thinking how fun it would be to have one book that compiled all these different vegan bacon recipes, but then I also started thinking about this larger bacon mania all around us, and how often I’ve heard people say, “I could never go vegan because of bacon.” I started thinking about how a book like this could show people that you can still enjoy all those delicious smoky, savory, baconish flavors, without destroying your health and without any harm to pigs or other animals.

CV: Do you have any favorite recipes in the book?
LTM: So many! I can’t help but love the Coconut Bacon BLT, as that was really the recipe that started this whole book. I also especially love the Quiche Lorraine, Smoky Split Pea Soup, Tofu Bacon Carbonara, and the Pineapple-Glazed Seitan Ham. That last one’s not bacon, but it’s one of a few bonus pig-friendly recipes that I included.

CV: What inspires you to create a new recipe?
LTM: Hunger! A lot of my inspiration is based on memory, from travels, from family recipes, from something I ate somewhere that was memorable, and I will want to “veganize” and recreate that. I’m also completely addicted to food magazines, cookbooks, and food shows on TV, they all give me many ideas for dishes to veganize and make on my own.

CV: What advice would you give to aspiring cookbook authors?
LTM: My advice would be to be extremely organized, to make a production schedule for yourself and stick to it, and to make sure that you are really committed to seeing the project through, because cookbooks are very much a labor of love. And to have hungry family, friends, and neighbors who will help you eat all the leftovers you will have from all your test recipes! And, as much as I loved writing Baconish, I would probably advise against writing a cookbook focused on one main ingredient. By the end, you will be very, very tired of that ingredient!

CV: What is your favorite vegan indulgence?
LTM: It would have to be doughnuts from Dunwell Doughnuts. I have no will power when faced with their Peanut Butter and Jelly doughnut. And soy chai lattes.

CV: What vegan product could you not live without?
LTM: Unsweetened vanilla almond milk. My kids drink so much of it, we should have it on tap.

CV: In your wildest dreams what will your life look like in 5 years?
LTM: In my wildest dreams, I will be hosting a vegan food show on TV, and it will require traveling to lots of great places just to eat all their delicious vegan food. Oh, and my kids will LOVE eating ALL of their vegetables.

The post Interview Series: Leinana Two Moons appeared first on Chic Vegan.

BLT Mac & Cheeze

BLT Mac & Cheeze! Do I have your attention? If it’s summer and you have a garden, or a CSA, or just want to use some in-season produce from the grocery, maybe you can relate to the challenge of Too Many Tomatoes (though, really, can you have too many?). After moving to Omaha, I began growing tomatoes and looked for any reason to put them in everything. And so BLT Mac was born. I made the “B” out of eggplant (remember: vegans will make bacon out of anything). For the “L,” arugula is always prolific in the garden, plus I love its muskiness, which goes perfectly with the bright and smoky flavors of the other ingredients.

Serves 4

For the cheeze:

• 1 cup cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours or overnight
• 1 cup vegan vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the BLT mac:

• 8 ounces small shell pasta or macaroni (gluten-free, whole wheat, or any type)
• 4 cups baby arugula
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (or chopped regular tomatoes)
• 1 recipe Eggplant Bacon  (see below)

To make the cheeze:

Drain the cashews and place with all the sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend away until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides with a spatula to make sure you get everything. Depending on the strength of your blender, this could take from 1 to 5 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper, keeping in mind that you want it just a little saltier than you think because it’s going to be poured over all of the other ingredients.

To make the BLT mac:

Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. When the pasta is tender, drain it in a colander. Immediately place it back in the pot you boiled it in and stir in the sauce. Place the pot on low heat and stir for 3 minutes or so, until the sauce is thickened a bit and everything is deliciously creamy. Taste for salt again.

Now toss in the arugula, tomatoes, and eggplant bacon, leaving a little extra aside to garnish, if you like.

EGGPLANT BACON

This recipe is so easy you’ll be making eggplant bacon in your sleep! The perfect slice has varying textures from crisp and browned in some spots, to tender and chewy in others. To that end, hand slice these babies instead of using a mandoline and aim for 1/8-inch slices, but don’t worry about perfection. The varying degrees of thickness will work to your advantage here. Just don’t cut it too thick, the eggplant needs to crisp up, and slices that are much thicker will just get soggy.

Ingredients

• 1 pound eggplant
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Prep the eggplant while the oven is preheating. Eggplants vary in size, so if using baby eggplant that is 2 inches wide at its widest, just slice into 1/8-inch-thick circles. If using large eggplants, first cut in half lengthwise, then slice the halves into 1⁄8-inch-thick half-moons. Now, what we’re going to do is bake it at a high temperature with just a bit of cooking spray, then let it cool, then give it smoky salty flavor and reheat.

Spray the lined baking sheets lightly with cooking spray. Arrange the eggplant pieces in a single layer and spray lightly once more. Place in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes, keeping a close eye. Rotate the pans about halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and flip the slices. They should be browning already, and if any are slightly burnt, don’t worry; just transfer them to a plate to cool.

Return the remaining strips to the oven for about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven. The eggplant should be dark brown to burnt in some places, and yellowish white and tender in some places. Transfer to a plate to prevent further baking.

Lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Mix the soy sauce and liquid smoke together in a large bowl. Dip the eggplant slices in mixture a few at a time and return to the baking sheet. Bake for about 3 more minutes, until heated through. Serve! Keeps well for a few more hours, but definitely use these the day of.

From Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Reprinted with permission from Da Capo Lifelong, © 2015

The post BLT Mac & Cheeze from Vegan with Vengeance 10th Anniversary Edition by Isa Chandra Moskowitz appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Down-Home Country Tofu Scramble

Ingredients

• 1 block (10 to 12 ounces, or 280 to 340 g) extra- or super-firm tofu, pressed and drained
• 1/4 cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon (11 g) Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons (28 ml) oil, optional, or vegetable broth
• 2 cups (220 g) shredded potatoes, rinsed in cool water to remove excess starch
• 1 medium yellow onion, julienne cut
• 1 tablespoon (10 g) minced garlic
• 1/2 recipe, “Sweet and Smoky Tempeh Strips” (recipe follows), cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 cup (30 g) baby spinach or any other green
• Pinch black salt, optional, plus more to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• In a small bowl, crumble tofu and toss with nutritional yeast, turmeric, and mustard to coat.

Preparation

In large skillet, heat oil or broth, if using, over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and onion. Saute about 5 minutes, tossing constantly. Add garlic and continue to cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant and onion is translucent.

Add tofu and chopped tempeh strips and toss to mix. Continue to cook an additional 5 minutes, or until tofu is heated through. Remove from heat and toss in spinach to wilt. Add black salt and toss. Add salt and pepper, to taste

Veggie Bite 

Tofu Scramble can also be made into an awesome breakfast or brunch casserole by tossing together all the ingredients and spreading in a 9 × 9-inch (23 × 23 cm) baking dish. Sprinkle the top with your favorite shredded nondairy cheese and bake at 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4), covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes, until top is slightly browned and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Sweet and Smoky Tempeh Strips

* Nut free Yield: 18 to 20 pieces

Ingredients

• 1 block (8 ounces, or 227 g) plain soy tempeh
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) liquid smoke
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) mildflavored vegetable oil, optional
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) tightly packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Preparation

Steam or simmer the tempeh for 20 minutes to reduce bitterness, if desired. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix remaining ingredients, including the oil, if using, together to make the marinade.

Slice tempeh into thin strips. Mix tempeh and marinade in a shallow dish or a resealable plastic bag and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or reusable silicon baking mat. Arrange tempeh strips in a single layer on the sheet. Pour any excess marinade over the strips.

Bake for 15 minutes, flip, and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the tempeh strips are a rich chocolate-brown color, dry but still flexible. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can eat the strips cold, or reheat in a toaster oven, microwave, or even pan fry them in a bit of oil to get ’em nice and crispy.

From Going Vegan by Joni Marie Newman and Gerrie Adams. Reprinted by permission from Fair Winds Press.

The post Recipe: Down-Home Country Tofu Scramble with Sweet & Smokey Tempeh Strips appeared first on Chic Vegan.

I will confess it: I am a vegan bacon fan. The problem with a lot of store-bought vegan bacon, though, is that it uses a lot of artificial ingredients. The recipes below are me trying to perfect a vegan bacon without the of the chemical additives. My initial plan was to use the Olives for Dinner recipe, which calls for liquid smoke. Dave even picked up a bottle of liquid smoke for me at the store. But when I read the ingredients, I decided that I couldn’t call this a whole food mushroom bacon recipe using something that included “natural smoke flavor.” I know that natural smoke flavor can actually be natural, but it’s hard to trust the word “natural” on food labels.

More vegan breakfast recipes: Vegan Southern-Style Grits, Tofu Scramble Breakfast Tostadas, Green Eyed Monster Smoothie

That Olives for Dinner bacon is great, but for this challenge I needed a totally natural smoky flavor. Chipotle chili powder felt like the right way to go, and the result was a smoky, salty, slightly spicy mushroom bacon that’s perfect on top of these simple, creamy “cheese” grits.

The post Vegan Mushroom Bacon and Grits appeared first on Chic Vegan.