char siu tofu bánh mì

The Food Network is currently airing their fourth season of the Great Food Truck Race. Ever since the first season, when the Nom Nom Truck was a contender, I have been dying to make a bánh mì sandwich, one that is just as great as the Nom Nom Truck's. Difficult to tell though, since I can't taste the show's sandwich.

Last week the Food Network aired a rerun of the first season and all those desires came flooding back: I needed to finally make a bánh mì.

 In recent years, bánh mì, a Vietnamese baguette sandwich, has taken the U.S. by storm. The sandwich, or some variation there of, has shown up in a multitude of places, including the vegan world.  

There is a killer bánh mì sandwich in Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day! by Tamasin Noyes and Celine Steen and Robin Robertson has her own spin on this popular sandwich in One-Dish Vegan called 

the Bánh Mìzza.:

Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day!

One-Dish Vegan

Both of the above culinary masterpieces are amazing, so grab the books and start cooking. Naturally, these are not recipes I can share with you, but I can share the version I made.

I chose to make a Char Siu Bánh Mì. 

First things first:  we need to define just exactly what a "bánh mì" is. It is a Vietnamese baguette  sandwich with a (meat) filling, pickled vegetables, jalapenos, cucumbers and cilantro.

The pickled vegetables are a local replacement for the French cornichon pickles, which was an expensive ingredient for the local folks. The French influence, also responsible for the bread itself, is because of French colonization of the local region in the 1800's.

Char Siu is Asian barbecue pork. It is sweet, sticky, and bright red. Most Asian countries have adopted this Cantonese staple and have adapted it to suit their own needs and tastes. I am falling in line and adapting it to my tastes and needs. I used pressed tofu as the base. After marinating the tofu in the BBQ sauce, I baked it and then broiled it to achieve that  "burnt" or "siu" componenet that this dish is known for. 

I pickled daikon and carrots in a simple brine for about three days before making the sandwich. My bánh mì is served with the char siu, daikon pickles, cilantro, jalapenos, sauteed shiitake and onions, and my Cilantro-Sriracha Sauce. 

It is a little involved to make this sandwich: pickling the veggies, pressing and baking the tofu and all that slicing and dicing.  

 The hype alone that surrounds this sandwich is a good enough reason to spend a few hours in the kitchen. Decide for yourself - tasty enough for all that effort? In the end, we thought it was well worth it.

Char Sui Tofu + Daikon and Carrot Pickles + Cilanto-Sriracha Sauce 

Char Siu Tofu Printer-Friendly Recipe

Daikon and Carrot Pickles Printer-Friendly Recipe

Char Siu Bánh Mì Printer-Friendly Recipe

"grills gone vegan" + black bean and carrot soup

Greetings from the new website!

Weekly Vegan Menu has moved to Zsu's Vegan Pantry and I am excited to introduce the new website. Please bookmark this new site: www.zsusveganpantry.com. 

Not only has the blog's address and site have changed, but so has my family's location. We are now in San Diego, California, hoping to get out of our cramped apartment and into a more spacious house in the near future.

Right now I am cooking in a small kitchen, where I can reach from the fridge to the stove to the sink in a single step and where our teenage girls are sharing a room. Eek! NO teenager should ever have to share a room with another teenager  -- even though I remember doing the very same thing in my teens years; somehow it seems harder now. Generation gap.

Now that our family is semi-settled from our cross-country move, it is time to thank Tami from Vegan Appetite and author of Grills Gone Vegan, to extend a gratitude for announcing my photo of  her Corn-on-the-Cob recipe from the Grills Gone Vegan cookbook as her second place winner. My prize was a gift certificate to her very, very favorite online spice store, Penzeys Spices. I haven't had the chance to use the prize funds, yet, but I have taken a gander through their catalog and I have some great ideas!
Check them out!

Since grilling season is still in full swing, I made a couple of more recipes from GGV: The Red-Eye Tofu Steaks (page 82) with Creamy Harissa Sauce (page 172) and Lemon-Kissed Coucous (page 104).

It was amazing. Tami always knows just how to coax flavors. The tofu was smoky because of the marinade and the sauce was perfectly spicy without over-kill. That couscous really is lemon-kissed; even my husband who doesn't care for lemon in anything savory really loved this couscous. The couscous recipe is actually part of another recipe on that same page, Tunisian Skewers -- another one I highly recommend.

Since I can't give you those recipes, how about one of mine: Black Bean and Carrot Soup. No grilling-comparison, but it is a pretty good weeknight meal recipe.

Quick and easy soup using a few cans of black beans and four large carrots, this soup is blended a bit to get rich and thick while staying gluten free. I added spices and four to five large handfuls of fresh spinach at the end for added nutrition. Top it with crispy tortilla strips and fresh jalapenos and dinner is ready in around 30 minutes. Deep flavors without a lot of time.

Black Bean and Carrot Soup Print-Friendly Recipe

happy fourth + "grills gone vegan"

Harissa Seitan Burger

Roasted Corn with Chipotle Butter and Basil-Caper Butter

Happy Independence Day! 

Fourth of July in America, the celebration of the birth of the nation, is observed with fireworks, parties and cookouts. And cookouts mean grilling. If grilling season has escaped your attention thus far, the Fourth brings it into the foreground and prominently into your view. 

 For the past few years, I have reached for some lackluster vegetarian grilling cookbooks, ones laden with dairy and eggs. For years I suffered through replacing ingredients, changing up recipes and, I am sure, altering the flavors that the authors originally had in mind. A lose-lose situation.

 Luckily, I do not have to endure another blah grilling season since Tamasin Noyes has written the most amazing grilling cookbook, Grills Gone Vegan. I tested for this cookbook and have had a giveaway for the book, but now Tami is hosting a contest for a bunch of goodies and I couldn't resist participating. I am not entering the contest because I'd love for some lucky vegan to receive the bounty of her talents, but since I was cooking from the book anyway, I figured taking a few pics wasn't too taxing. 

Our first cookout in San Diego included my American Potato Salad and Tami's Harissa Seitan Burgers and her Roasted Corn on the Cob with Flavored Butters.  Those butters are amah-sing!! So easy to make, but adds so much flavor to the corn. 

That burger is packed with flavors, too. And if you can't find harissa, Tami has a recipe for that too. I made the harissa from her book and was quite impressed with the recipe. I would blend it in a blender in lieu of a food processor, but that was my only hang up. 

Since grilling season has just started, don't delay and get your own copy of Grills Gone Vegan. It will knock your socks off, I promise. And don't miss the recipes that Tami has posted on her blog from the cookbook.

"whole grain vegan baking" + winner

This will be a short post since we are in the middle of moving.

The winner of Celine Steen's and Tamasin Noyes' "Whole Grain Vegan Baking"

is Comment Number 11: Cabby.

Please contact me to claim your book at

veganaide (at) yahoo (dot) com

"whole grain vegan baking" blog tour + giveway

Let's Bake!

Welcome to the kick-off of "Whole Grain Vegan Baking" Blog Tour!

This newly released cookbook by Celine Steen, of Have Cake Will Travel, and Tamasin Noyes, of Vegan Appetite, is the end-all for vegan baking. Or should I say, the beginning of healthy, vegan baking.

The ladies have come on the heels of their previous cookbook "Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day!" and have written a glorious baking book utilizing only whole grains. There is not a speck of white flour or white sugar in the whole book and, what is really the best part, every recipe is delectable! 

Now you can enjoy desserts, snacks, breads, and breakfast treats, and know you are only fueling your body with wholesome ingredients. 

There are 100 kick-butt recipes of goodness in the book. I tested for this book last year and was floored by what they came up with. 

Take a look: 

Souper Bread Bowls

Bagard

Strawberry Sweet Biscuits

Breakfast Pie Pastries

Chipotle and Corn Spelt Muffins

Whole Grain Wonder Crackers

Kicked-Up Chocolate Cookies

Pesto Knots

There are so many wonderful recipes in this book, but this last one was my family's favorite, and believe me, it is hard to pick a "best" one! The Pesto Knots were savory, basil-y, garlicky packages of delight. In fact, Fair Winds Press has granted permission to post this recipe for you, which makes me happy!

Before I do that, I'd like to cover the quality of the book. If you have VSSD!, then you know Fair Winds Press produces a well-made, quality book. I like that. And I love the pictures of the baked goods in there! Celine has done it again with breath-taking photos. 

To wrap things up, it really is not hard to decide: if you want healthy, delicious, vegan baked goods which utilize wholesome, whole grains, your search stops right here. 

Since you've taken the time to read all the above and drool all over your computer, how about entering the contest to win your very own copy of "Whole Grain Vegan Baking?" 

It's really simple; leave a comment and check back May 25th to see if you are the winner. In addition, check out the other blogs in the tour for more recipes and chances to win.

 (Blog Tour dates and sites are posted on both Tami's and Celine's blogs.)

And now for the sneak-peek recipe:

Pesto Knots

1/4 cup (60 ml) lukewarm wate

1 teaspoon pure maple syrup

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

105 g (3/4 cup) whole spelt flour, divided

33 g (packed 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) fresh basil leaves, divided

1/3 cup (80 ml) unsweetened plain vegan milk, more as needed

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil, divided

9 g (1 tablespoon) pine nuts

8 g (1 tablespoon) nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon (15 ml) ume plum vinegar

5 cloves garlic, minced, divided

1 teaspoon white miso paste

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Pinch of ground black pepper

120 g (1 cup) white whole wheat flour, more as needed

Nonstick cooking spray

Stir together the water, maple syrup, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate. Mix in 35 g (1/4 cup) of the spelt flour. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Combine 30 g (3/4 cup) of the basil, milk, 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the oil, pine nuts, nutritional yeast, vinegar, 3 cloves of the garlic, miso, salt, and pepper in a small blender. Process until completely smooth. Pour into the yeast mixture and add the remaining 70 g (1/2 cup) whole spelt flour and the whole wheat flour. Knead for 5 minutes to form a smooth and cohesive dough. Add an extra 1 tablespoon (15 ml) milk or (8 g) white whole wheat flour if needed to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. It should not be sticky. Alternatively, the dough may be kneaded by hand on a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a ball.

Lightly coat a medium-size bowl with cooking spray and put the dough in the bowl, turning it over so the oiled side is facing up. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 hours.

Combine the remaining 2 cloves garlic and remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil in a small bowl.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Deflate the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-inch (30 cm) rope. Tie a knot close to the center of the dough, tuck under the ends, and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6).

Remove the kitchen towel and bake the dough for 13 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms sound hollow when tapped with your knuckles.

Use a spoon to drizzle the garlic oil on the knots. Mince the remaining 3 g (1 tablespoon) basil and sprinkle over the rolls.

Yield: 8 knots

stuffed cabbage + "grills gone vegan" winner

RECIPE UPDATE: this dish has been tested and revised and will be featured in the upcoming cookbook "Everyday Vegan Eats," by Zsu Dever.

I am so excited about this recipe! 

My dad used to cook this dish almost every single day for over twenty years at the restaurant. Although I had seen it being prepared many times, unfortunately, I paid little attention to the nuances of the recipe. It took many years and many trials to finally be able to replicate this dish to fit my remembrance. 

Stuffed Cabbage can be made two different ways. First is Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage using sauerkraut and the other is the Jewish way, with sweet tomato sauce. The latter is what I clearly remembered. The filling in stuffed cabbage is typically of ground beef and rice. Replacing the ground beef with a ground vegetarian protein is relatively a simple matter, however, it is too easy to create a dry, pale version of the original. 

To combat the dry filling of ground vegetable protein and rice, I decided to use arborio rice in lieu of the regular white rice. The arborio rice, once cooked risotto-style, becomes creamy, adding much needed moisture and a binding quality to the filling. This worked beautifully! We loved it! The tomato sauce is a very easy three-ingredient mixture. My dad, I am sure, would be proud.

The Stuffed Cabbage needs to cook for quite a while to ensure that the leaves are tender. A slow cooker comes in handy for this purpose, otherwise simmering it on the stove until tender is good enough.

Now, for the contest winner:

"Grills Gone Vegan," by Tamasin Noyes goes to...

Comment Number 3...Nichole.

 Please contact me in the next few days to claim your prize. 

veganaide (at) yahoo (dot) com

Congratulations!

Return for another cookbook giveaway in a few days as I kick-off

 "Whole Grain Vegan Baking" Blog Tour. 

This was another cookbook I tested for and Tami Noyes and Celine Steen want me to give away a copy. I will also give you a sneak peak at a recipe from the book. 

Come back on the 14th for your chance to win!

"grills gone vegan" + giveaway

Are you ready for grilling season? I am! I just received Tamasin Noyes' new cookbook -

Grills Gone Vegan. 

 And you guessed it, .. . it is time to give it away! Cookbook contest!

 The above wrap is Smoky Buffalo Tofu Wrap, complete with cashew-based buffalo sauce and home-smoked tofu (recipe is in the book). During testing I tried my hand at indoor-smoking using a pot and lid. Although it was a bit of a mess because of clean-up, lining the bottom of the pot with foil and covering it well with foil to prevent smoke-escape would have been my follow-up way to do it, but instead, I splurged and got a stove-top smoker. Of course, I have to cover this one tightly with foil as well, but it works great. 

Grills Gone Vegan was the first cookbook I tested for, and although it has taken next to forever to release, it is here and beautiful. It is packed with grilling advice, recipes for salads, appetizers, main meals, sauces, desserts, bread, pizza, paella... let me show you. Here's the visual...

Black Bean Burger

Blushin' Russian Tempeh Panini

Broccoli and Cheeze Calzone

Charred-Leek and Dill Spread

Porcini and Sausage Paella

Quinoa-Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Teriyaki Portobello 

Tomato-Arugula Flatbread

Cinnamon Swirl

Fantastic looking dishes, right? And all of them were prepared on a grill!

I have to tell you, I was a bit of an over-achiever with my first testing experience and tested over 100 recipes for this book; it was quite a challenge to pick and choose which pictures to post here!

So, how to win your very own Grills Gone Vegan just in time for summer? Post a grilling-related comment and check back May 10th to see if you are the winner as chosen by Random.org. Sorry, US residents only.

After this book is given away, I will be following it with another contest to give away Whole Grain Vegan Baking by Tamasin Noyes and Celine Steen - another book I tested for and therefore am passing on the tester-awarded copy of the cookbook. 

On a personal note, my family is packing up our belonging, minus a bunch of junk and furniture, and heading out to Southern California - San Diego - on June 1st. Exciting! We love Chicagoland, but the weather (cold) and the long winter (no sun) are getting to us. Besides all of that, my son, Mikel, won the Steve Mendelson Memorial Award and College of Lake County's Purchase Award for his conte crayon drawing "Destruction Past." He is interested in attending University of Southern California, so it makes sense to move out there for multiple reasons. 

Mikel and "Destruction Past"

Anyway, leave your comment and get ready for grilling season. This book is a MUST have for anyone who likes grilling, likes grilled food or is just plain hungry. 

Go get a copy!  

frito chili pie with authentic vegetarian texas chili

Authentic Vegetarian Texas Chili Recipe

FRITO CHILI PIE PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Have you become tired of hearing that "authentic" chili has no beans in it, only beef? I certainly have had it! It might be true that back in the "good ol' days," while our forefathers were rustling cattle, there were no beans to be found on the range, only the animals who were being herded to be in the stockpot in the first place. But does that really mean that we should stop the progression and evolution of the chili? I think not. As times, tastes and even the human species evolves, it is time to redefine what "authentic chili" means. After all, we don't have live birds flying out of pies in the civilized world anymore either. Authentic, maybe; desirable, not.

Not only are legumes a welcome culinary and nutritional addition to chili, they are darn tasty to boot. 

So what makes my chili "authentic?"  In a thought, it isn't the animal products that make an authentic chili "authentic," but the spices, the chilies and, heck, I'll even agree to excluding tomatoes that have come to muddy down the chili flavors. But beef? Doesn't make the chili.

This chili has 7 different dried chilies, black beans, coffee and Tex-Mex spices such as cinnamon, allspice and cumin. Not a single muted chili powder in sight. That is what makes a Texan Chili authentic - not the cruelty.

And all this to make Frito Chili Pie, as requested by hubby. Frito chips are vegan and interestingly only contain around three ingredients. Healthy, maybe not, but really good. You can melt vegan cheese over the casserole or use my Cheese Sauce, which is the option we went with. Toss some jalapenos, lettuce, tomatoes and other taco ingredients on top and have a Tex-Mex feast.

colcannon with corned sausage

Colcannon with Corned Sausage Recipe

I believe we all have some Irish in us and it is just a matter of tapping into our elusive ancestors. St. Patrick's Day is a reminder of this, for whether we are religious or not, most of us will wear green, drink beer, or eat Irish food in celebration of the holiday. "Party" is the term I believe most accurately describes how we Americans like to remember this day, whether with food or spirits.

There are numerous Irish dishes, such as Corned Cabbage, which we love at our house, made with cabbage, potatoes, carrots, onions and smothered with horseradish sauce, or the famous Sheppard's Pie, easily made vegetarian or vegan and spinning off various adaptations itself.

This Patty's Day, I chose to make Colcannon. Regardless of what you have heard that this dish is all about the potato or cabbage, it isn't. It is all about the butter. Authentically, around three pounds of potatoes and a head of cabbage would call for two sticks, or one cup, of butter. It's as if Paula Dean had a direct channel to the Irish. 

Traditional Colcannon contains potatoes, cabbage or kale, ham, green onions and butter. I decided to stick with tradition as much as possible, therefore, be warned, this is not a low-calorie recipe and if you choose to minimize the vegan butter, you do so at your discretion. This dish is amazing with all the called for butter, and while half would still be pretty good, indulging once a year is not going to hurt. Too badly.

I decided not to ignore the ham. I have read that it adds a lot of subtle flavor. I made Corned Sausage to replace it. I used Tofurkey Kielbasa as the sausage and cooked it in a corned sauce for a few minutes. Did the trick! You know something is done pretty well when your teenagers return for seconds of a dish full of kale. 

Or maybe, just maybe, it was the butter.

Cost Breakdown

potatoes: $3

cabbage, kale: $5

green onions: $1

sausage: $4

spices, butter, milk: $2

Total to make 6 servings

$15.00

king ranch casserole + "nut butter universe" winner

King Ranch Casserole Recipe

The above is a King Ranch Casserole, a Tex-Mex favorite, typically made of well-seasoned chicken, layers of cheese, and tortillas all in a creamy sauce. 

I used black beans instead of a chicken substitute because I thought it would work well -- and it does. It has layers of cheese, beans, tortillas, onions, chilies and sauce. Then to finish it off, it is topped with tortilla chips and baked until it is hot and bubbly. 

Really good, partner.  Overall, this is a very flavorful, quick and easy casserole to assemble. 

Cost Breakdown

beans: $4
tortillas: $2
cheese, tomatoes, onions, milk: $4
seasonings: $.25

Total to make 6 servings:
$10.25

As for other business...

As some of you know, today is the day Random.org chooses the winner of Robin Robertson's brand new cookbook, "Nut Butter Universe," published by Vegan Heritage Press. You have got to love a publishing company that is vegan run! 

Here are a few more pictures from "Nut Butter Universe," 

in addition to the pics on the last post:

Power Ball Energy Bites

Peanut Butter Biscotti

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Pasta with Cauliflower-Cashew Alfredo

West African Peanut Soup

Mouthwatering, right?!?

If you are not the winner, please check back in case the first winner doesn't respond. 

Also, FYI, this book is available on Kindle as well! Neat!

I have to say that vegans have got to be the most creative commentators around! It must be all the BS we have to put up with daily defending the animals. You guys rocked with your nutty comments; I was literally laughing my head off. Well done!

Without further delay, the winner out of 45 comments is...

Comment Number 33 - Sambycat!

"A peanut sat on a railroad track,
His heart was all a-flutter.
The five-fifteen came rushing by--
Toot toot! Peanut butter!"

Please email me by March 3rd at veganaide at yahoo dot com.

Congratulations!

Robin Robertson is also hosting a Nut Butter Universe Blog Tour! Head over to this link and be sure to check out other ways to win a copy of the book or get more inside info!

"nut butter universe" + giveaway

Robin Robertson's new cookbook, Nut Butter Universe, is now available!

I tested for this book last year and am excited that it is finally out. Robin has sent me a copy and now it is time that I pass it on to some lucky person. I always like to support our vegan cookbook authors by getting my own copy of the books I test for, so this is up for grabs. Simply leave your nuttiest comment and check back on the first day of March to see if you are the winner. You will have until March 3rd to respond with your mailing address otherwise I'll have to move on to the second winner.

Only US residents, please.

Here are some of the delectable recipes I enjoyed during testing:

Peanut Butter Cups

Robin makes the popular cups vegan and even better than the original. 

Handcrafted Granola Bars

These granola bars were a huge hit during our camping trips. They are incredibly good!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Who doesn't like cheesecake? This one has two delightful layers of flavors.

Spinach Walnut Crostini

We loved this crostini! Creamy spinach on crispy bread. Mmm.

Walnut Butter Waldorf Wrap

This sandwich shames the original waldorf salad. I never thought anything that had components of the dated salad could ever be this wonderful.

Linguine with Thai Pesto

This is amazing! Pesto is a natural using nuts, and twisting the traditional pesto into a Thai pesto is nothing short of sheer genius.

These are just the tip of the iceberg. Be sure to enter the contest and check back if you are the winner on March 1st as determined by Random.org.