french dip

 

Overview

Time: 20 minutes
Dishes: medium pot 

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

I offer you another meatless, vegetarian and vegan family favorite - and very fast to prepare, too! The only catch is that you need to have the seitan ready. I highly recommend making the Easy Simple Seitan since it is very simple to make and fast. A loaf can be done in 45 to 60 minutes and costs a fraction of commercially available setian.

Good news on the seitan, besides that it is easy and fast, is that it freezes very well, so make it and freeze it for later use. 

The au jus here is just perfect for this sandwich. I recommend making your own Worcestershire sauce because it is easy, fast and much cheaper. It also tastes better, which dominoes into making the dip taste better, too. However, use bottled if you don't have the time or desire.

NOTE: It is important to the toast the roll well, otherwise the dip will become too soggy.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Put the broth on to bring to boil first. Reduce to simmer.
• Add the seasoning as you get them ready; no need to wait to bring to boil first.
• Slice the seitan as thin as you can while the broth simmers. 
• Toast the bread while the seitan simmers in the au jus. 

French Dip Sandwich

Makes 4 servings 

easy

 

1. Au Jus: Combine the broth, thyme, oregano and vegan butter in a medium or large pot. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 5 minutes.

3 cups vegetable broth (or 3 cups water and 1 Tablespoon mix)

3 tablespoons vegan worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons vegan butter

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon oregano

2. Seitan: Add the seitan to the Au Jus, return to simmer and cook for 5 minutes:

1 (16-ounce) loaf Easy Simple Seitan, sliced as thin as possible 

3. Serve: Split 4 rolls, toast and fill with equal portions of Seitan from the Au Jus. Serve with the Au Jus on the side: 

4 hard rolls or Aquafaba rolls

Sliced Seitan 

Au jus

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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curried chicken-free salad sandwich

 

Overview

Time: 35 minutes
Dishes: bowl, air-fryer

Heads Up! mango chutney and curry powder

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

This sandwich filling is a regular meal at our house. In fact, I find that I make this meatless, vegetarian and vegan dish it at least every three weeks, and that is saying something since I don't remake many things, always looking for something new. 

This reminds me of the Whole Foods curried tofu they used to sell, and since we liked that a lot, I decided to remake it at home. 

It is sweet and tangy and crunchy. It has almonds and raisins and mango chutney. The mango chutney can be very sweet, so use the amount that suits your taste. If the dressing is too thick, thin it with some plant milk. This will depend on how thick the chutney is.

You have your choice of Air-fried Soy Curls, Savory Tofu or Sauteed Gardein scallopini. I haven't tried it with chickpeas, but they should be sauteed, too, if you use that.  

Fresh, homemade curry powder does wonders (and smells amazing) so I do recommend you make a batch of Curry Powder (make Zsu's Curry Powder HERE), instead of the stale jar hanging in the back of the spice rack. 

Throw this between bread, inside lettuce leaves, on top of crackers, or roll in a tortilla. Either way, chances are good you, too, will make it again.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• Make the protein first.
• Make the curry powder, too, if you can.
• Make the dressing while the protein cooks.

 

Curried Chicken-Free Salad Sandwich

Makes 4 servings 

moderate (Preparation time for the protein kicks it to moderate) 

 

1. Protein: Prepare one of the proteins of your choice:

4 cups chopped air-fried soy curls or

4 cups cubed, air-fried Savory Tofu, or

4 cups chopped Gardein slices, sautéed

2. Dressing: Combine in a medium bowl:

3/4 cup vegan mayo

1/4 to 1/2 cup mango chutney

2 tablespoons vegan milk (optional, to thin dressing)

1 tablespoon mild curry powder, Zsu's Curry Powder or store-bought

1/2 teaspoon salt

3. Add the Protein to the Dressing. Also add:

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup minced scallions

1/2 cup toasted almond slices

 

4. Serve: Stir very well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Chill if not eating right away. Serve in pita, in tortilla, in lettuce leaves, on bread or on crackers.

 

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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nacho burritos

Overview

Time: 45 minutes
Dishes: rice cooker, medium pot, blender, measuring cup

Heads Up! canned tomatoes with chiles and jarred roasted red pepper

Hello, hello Dear Readers!

Quite shockingly, this is a very easy meatless, vegetarian, and vegan meal to prepare, but that rice takes a long time to cook! You can even cook the rice the night before and heat in the microwave to make this meal take about 20 minutes to prepare the day of. 

This meal is like having a nacho tucked inside a burrito, to save yourself the mess and the time it takes to prepare nachos, which can take forever even though they are considered appertizer food. 

A note about the jarred roasted red pepper: they can mold fast and this recipe only uses a few tablespoons. I portion the remainder of the peppers, drained, into ice cube trays. About 2 or 3 tablespoons per slot. Freeze it and once frozen add the cubes to a container to stash in the freezer. To thaw, soak in a 1/2 cup of water for a few minutes. 

Long story short, these are delicious! The cheese sauce was the hardest part of this recipe to devise because I wanted to make it fast and easy to prepare, without a lot of added fat. I did add some vegan cheese to the sauce, but if you are a great fan of the flavor of nutritional yeast, you can get away with adding 1/2 teaspoon of mild vinegar in lieu of the vegan cheese. I liked it with the cheese, truth be told, so I do recommend it that way. It doesn't take a lot, but the flavor goes a long way.

Enjoy!

Speedy Cooking Tips:

• The rice will absolutely take the longest. Start there.
• Prepare the sauce in the blender and add to the pot. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients, but wait to cook.
• Chop the toppings.
• Cook the sauce when the rice is done (to allow rice to steam) or (if you're in a hurry), cook the sauce when the rice is 5 minutes out from being ready.

 

Nacho Burritos

Makes 4 servings 

moderate 

1. Rice: Cook the rice in a rice cooker, or as desired, with the spices.

1 cup brown rice

1 1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash or adobo, or etc.

1/2 teaspoon salt (if using salt-free seasoning)

2. Cheese Sauce: Combine the ingredients in a blender. Blend until very smooth.

1 cup mashed tofu, regular or silken

3/4 cups unsweetened dairy-free milk

2 tablespoons jarred roasted red pepper

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

3. Add the Cheese Sauce to a medium pot. Stir in the beans, tomatoes and cheese. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the cheese melts and sauce thickens. Keep warm.

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes with chiles (like Rotel), drained

2 slices or 1/2 cup shredded yellow vegan cheese

4. Assemble: Warm a tortilla over a burner. Add Rice, top with layer of tortilla chips, add lots of Cheese Sauce, add toppings as desired and roll:

4 burrito-sized tortillas

tortilla chips

lettuce, shredded

green onions, minced

fresh or pickled jalapenos

tomatoes, diced

olives, sliced

avocado, chopped

© 2020 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

blta grilled cheese

Since we love grilled cheese in this house, we decided to add "grilled cheese" to the bi-weekly menu rotation. This also means that we will be coming up with unique grilled cheeses in the future since there is no way we could stand making grilled cheese every other week and be happy with the lack of variety.

As you may know, three of the five people in the family are back to college now (the fourth is heading to USC in the spring) and that means fast, easy and tasty meals are on the menu - and that also means everyone helps out with the cooking (at least one person, once a week - besides me).

This past week we had BLTA Grilled Cheese sandwiches. Bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado - all on a grilled cheese sandwich. Really, this can only be good.

I used my bacon recipe from Everyday Vegan Eats (AMAZON) because it is STILL my most favorite bacon recipe hands down and it freezes really well so I make a huge batch and pull out what I need when I need it. Toss it in the air-fryer and have crisp, crunchy, amazing vegan bacon.

Use commercial cheese or make your own, but if using commercial block cheeses, use a mix of different brands to get a melty, gooey vegan cheese that isn't over-powering in flavor.

Have at it - make grille cheese a regular addition to your menu and you can customize it and have lunch on the table in record time.

BLTA Grilled Cheese
Makes 4 sandwiches

8 slices bread
Vegan butter
Vegan mayonnaise or 1 small mashed avocado
4 slices vegan swiss cheese or other vegan cheese
12 slices vegan bacon
Lettuce
Tomato

1. Butter one side of each bread slice. Spread mayo or avocado on the top slice of each sandwich.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat, add the slices of buttered bread, top with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and add the top slice of mayo-ed (or avocado-ed) bread (butter side up). Cover with a lid and cook until the bottom slice of bread is golden, about 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Flip the sandwich and cook, uncovered, until golden brown. Reduce heat if the bread is cooking too fast.
4. If the cheese is not melted, add a tablespoon of water to the skillet, tip the skillet to avoid making the bread soggy, cover with a lid and cook until the cheese is melted. Serve.



© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

cordon bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu is a popular dish of ham and swiss cheese wrapped inside a chicken breast, which is then breaded and fried. We can do better than that, though, so here is an easier (and kinder) Cordon Bleu.

This sandwich is presented on a homemade bun with a slice of seitan that has been seared. The seitan is topped with smoky seitan that is thinly sliced and then is topped with vegan Swiss cheese. The final addition is a maple-mustard sauce that is as delicious as it is easy to make.

While this sandwich comes together in as little as 15 minutes, including the sauce, there is no denying that most of the work is done beforehand: seitan, bread and cheese, if making it homemade. However, once you have all the components, it is a snap.

This is one of those sandwiches whose total is so much better than the parts. In fact, as you are making your various kinds of seitan, keep this sandwich in mind to use up any leftovers.

Cordon Bleu Sandwich

Makes 4 sandwiches

Sauce:

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil or vegan mayonnaise

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Sea salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

12 thin slices vegan ham

4 vegan scallopini or seitan slices (about 1/2-inch thick)

4 slices vegan swiss cheese or other vegan cheese

4 kaiser rolls or burger buns, split and toasted 

1. Sauce: Combine the mustard, oil, vinegar, maple, lemon juice and salt and pepper, to taste, in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ham slices and cook until golden brown. Set aside. Add the vegan scallopini and season with salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown and flip. Add the reserved slices of ham, three to a scallopini and a slice of cheese. Add a teaspoon of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook until the cheese melts. 

3. Spread some sauce on the bottom of the buns. Add a cordon bleu stack and top with more sauce. Add the top of the roll and serve immediately. 

© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

vegan meatball sub

I've always had a soft spot for a terrific meatball hoagie. Native Foods has a great vegan meatball sub that at least one family member gets whenever we go, but I only get to snag a bite of. I decided it is time to make one at home.

We have at least one sandwich for lunch during the week and since sandwiches are supposed to be on the faster side, I just used store-bought vegan meatballs, but you can, of course, make your own. I've been making so many different components of meals that I just wanted a bit of a break.

As it is, I made the rolls at home and you can, too, if you have a Fridge Dough.

This sandwich has two sauces, but you can pick one or the other to do if you don't feel like making two different ones. If you make the red pepper sauce only, double or triple it for 4 sandwiches.

I added oven-roasted tomatoes to this sandwich and I have to tell you, I was eating them right off the baking tray; they are good! If yours cools by the time the sandwich assembly comes, heat them a bit in the oven or make sure your sauce is pipping hot - it will warm the tomatoes, too.

I'm getting the family ready for the fall, since I am going back to school, too, so I've streamlined the menu and we now have two week rotations of lunch and dinner ideas that can be customized so we don't get bored.

For example, for lunch on week 1 we have:

Sunday- Tofu Scramble
Monday- Cup of soup and simple sandwich
Tuesday- Salad
Wednesday- Sandwich
Thursday- Mom's pick
Friday- Leftovers
Saturday- Veggie Dogs

As you can see, for example, the tofu scramble can be further customized into Migas, Hungarian Scramble, Benedict, Frittata, etc. The Veggie Dogs can be California Dogs, Chicago Dogs, Potato Dogs, etc. You get the idea.

Next order of business is to announce the winner of The China Study Family Cookbook giveaway! The winner is: RunLonger45! Congratulations! Contact me so I can get you a copy of the book!!

Vegan Meatball Sub
Makes 4 subs

Tomatoes:
2 large tomatoes
1 tablespoon garlic oil*
1 teaspoon dried basil
Sea salt

Red Pepper Sauce:
3 large roasted red peppers (jarred is fine, but freshly roasted is better)
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Sea salt
1 tablespoon garlic oil*

Tomato Sauce:
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon garlic oil*
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
Sea salt and black pepper

Other: 
4 (5-inch) crusty rolls, split and toasted
20 vegan meatballs, semi-thawed, if frozen
1 tablespoon garlic oil*
1 cup shredded vegan cheese 

1. Tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F (or air-fryer to 335-degrees F). Cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch wedges and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with the basil and sea salt and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the sheet pan and set aside. Add the meatballs and another tablespoon of garlic oil and bake the meatballs until golden on one side. Flip the meatballs, add the cheese, cover the meatballs with a cake pan and bake until the cheese melts. Add the bread to the baking sheet to toast while the cheese melts, about 8 to 10 minutes. Do not burn the bread.
2. Red Pepper Sauce: Add the peppers, broth, herbs, salt (to taste) and oil to a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce until smooth. Continue to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. If you don’t have an immersion blender, blend the sauce ingredients in a standard blender before heating.
3. Tomato Sauce: Add the tomato sauce, oil, herbs, sugar and salt and black pepper (to taste) to a small saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook until the flavors meld, about 15 minutes. Season to taste. 
4. Assemble the sandwich: add the meatballs to the split rolls (with the melted cheese), top with the tomato sauce, add a few slices of roasted tomatoes and add a few tablespoons of the red pepper sauce. Serve immediately. 

* If you don’t have garlic oil, use 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 garlic clove, minced, for each tablespoon of garlic oil. 

© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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new orleans vegan shrimp bbq

I've always wanted to try a New Orleans BBQ shrimp dish, but because the ingredients to one is so basic - shrimp, butter, spices and lemon - I was leery of giving it a go.

Then I got The Gentle Sea Cookbook by Skye Michael Conroy (the Gentle Chef) and had my excuse to drown homemade sea food in vegan butter.

This is not a review of the book, but I do have to say that I am loving the recipes from it, so far. I made the Whitefysh Filets for a visiting friend from Norway (who loves seafood) and he liked it! I was very thrilled because he is my daughter's friend (and therefore young) and therefore is quite opinionated about food, especially vegan food. Which means that he was exactly like my kids: a bit picky and not in love with vegetables.

As a quick overview of the book, Skye offers 7 sea foods (shrimp, lobster, whitefish, tuna, scallops, calamari, and clams). He also has a few recipes for caviar, lox and the like. In addition, the book has plenty of recipes for cooking with the sea food you create.

The recipes need a few odd ingredients, but they are available on Amazon, at the least: agar, glucomannan powder, pickling lime powder, kombu and wakame.

For my sandwich, I sauteed my shrymp in garlic oil and added white wine, broth, paprika and lemons. Once you have the shrimp, this is a super easy sandwich to make.

The bread is homemade 100% sourdough rolls (my son has IBS and Jo Stepaniak recommends this in her book Low-Fodmap and Vegan.), but if you don't have homemade rolls (no reason why not if you use my Fridge Dough recipe) get rolls that are crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.

In case you aren't ready to dive into making your own shrimp (it's actually very easy) then use seitan or cubed tofu. Baked tofu would be the best way to go, but I'm not picky - unlike young adult.

And then, you don't even have to make it into a po' boy - just use the bread to soak up the sauce as you dive into all the goodness.

New Orleans Vegan Shrimp BBQ
Serves 4 

2 tablespoons garlic oil (or olive oil)
16 to 20 (1-inch) vegan shrimp (I made my own using The Gentle Chef’s recipe)
1 teaspoon paprika
4 garlic cloves, minced (if not using garlic oil)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup vegetable broth or seaweed broth
1/4 cup vegan Worcestershire sauce (preferably homemade)
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1 lemon, sliced
Fresh ground coarse black pepper
2 to 4 tablespoons vegan butter

Other:
4 crusty rolls, toasted first then split
Vegan mayonnaise
Scallions
Tabasco sauce

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegan shrimp and cook until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes. Add the paprika and garlic, if using, and cook another minute. Add the wine and cook until evaporated. Add the broth, worcestershire sauce, scallions, oregano and lemon. Add plenty of black pepper and season with salt. Add the butter. 
2. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Toast the bread, split it almost through, add mayo, shrimp with some sauce and scallions. Pass the tabasco at the table. 


© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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vegan fish cake num pang

There's banh mi and then there's Cambodia's version of the perfect sandwich: num pang.

They both have a lot in common, but there are a few subtle differences, as the owner of New York's Num Pang describes in his interview HERE, including the subtle differences in bread, ingredients (fresh vs. leftover) and toppings.

I wanted to try making it for myself and I chose to make a vegan fish cake for the bulk of this sandwich.

I was inspired by the Jazzy Vegetarian's (Laura Theodore) Not So Crabby Cakes recipe, which I took for a test run last year and simply adored!

For this version of fish cakes I used tofu, bread slices, hearts of palm and dulse.

The toppings are homemade chili mayo, pickled carrots, cilantro and cucumber slices.

If I could have made homemade bread using my Refrigerator Dough aquafaba recipe, this sandwich would have been even better, but as it was, it was pretty fantastic.

You can air fry these babies or pan-fry them, as you wish, but don't skip on the toppings - they really do make this sandwich authentic and amazing.

And now for the winner of the Vegan Air Fryer cookbook, by JL Fields: it is the comment made by....

Natalie Cartledge! Congratulations! Contact me at zsu at zsusveganpantry dot com.

Vegan Fish Cakes Num Pang
Makes 4 sandwiches

Pickled Carrots:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup grated carrot

Fish Cakes:
3 slices bread
3/4 container of firm tofu, pressed 10 minutes
1 (14-ounce) can hearts of palm
1/2 cup parsley
2 scallions
2 teaspoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon dulse
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Zest of 1 lime
Panko crumbs, as needed

Chili May:
1/2 cup firm tofu
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce (or sambal oelek)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Other:
4 crusty burger buns, toasted
Sliced cucumbers
Cilantro

1. Carrots: Combine the sugar, vinegars, water and salt in a mason jar. Mix well until the sugar dissolves. Add the carrot and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
2. Cakes: Add the bread to a food processor. Pulse until ground. Remove and set aside in a large bowl. Add the tofu, hearts of palm, parsley, scallion, ginger, oil, coriander, dulse, cornstarch and zest to the food processor. Pulse into a coarse grind. Add to the bowl with the bread and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside to firm up for 20 minutes. 
3. Sauce: Combine the tofu, water, garlic chili sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a small blender. Blend until very smooth, adding a little water if needed. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat or preheat the air-fryer. Divide the fish cakes mixture into 4 portions and press into a patty. Dredge the cake in panko crumbs and fry in oil or air-fry until crisp.  
3. Assemble the burgers: bottom bun, sauce, cilantro, cucumber, cake, carrot and top bun. Serve immediately. 


© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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