chili potato taco

The first meal in the Prep Ahead Week 4 plan is Chili Potato Tacos. I love these tacos because they are full of vegetables and flavor: cauliflower, pepitas, potatoes and refried black beans. They are served with guacamole and salsa. If you want to kick up the heat, add some Fresh Pickled Jalapenos.

This recipe is amazingly easy on the Prep Ahead menu because everything is prepared ahead of time, including the vegetables for the guacamole, so it really all comes together in a matter of minutes, but you can certainly do it as a stand alone recipe.

Use whatever taco vessel you like: tortillas, chips or hard tacos. I had a little vegan cheese hanging around, so I finely shredded on some, but that is just icing on the cake and the tacos are terrific without it.

I served the hard tacos for the kids and enjoyed these on whole wheat tortillas myself.

Chili Potato Tacos
Serves 4 to 6 

Refried Black Beans
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (15-ounce) can black beans (2 cups cooked), rinsed and drained
1/2 cup water or bean cooking water

Filling
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 pound potatoes, cut into 1/4 -inch dice
3/4 cup vegetable broth, divided
1 pound cauliflower, minced fine
1/4 cup almonds or pepitas (chop the almonds)
1 tablespoon chili powder

Guacamole (recipe below)
Salsa
Taco shells or tortillas
Lettuce, shredded
Shredded vegan cheese (optional)
Fresh Pickled Jalapenos (recipe below) (optional)

1. For the Beans: Add the onion to a medium pot over medium heat. Cover and cook. Add the garlic to the pot and cook. Cook until onion is golden. Add a splash of broth if the onion is burning. Add the cumin and the oregano. Cook 30 seconds. Add the beans and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Use a potato masher to mash the beans. Cook for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. 
2. For the Filling: Add the onion to a large skillet over medium heat. Cover and cook. Add a splash of broth if the onion is burning. Add the garlic. Add the potato to the skillet. Add 1/4 cup broth. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add the the cauliflower and 1/4 cup broth at a time, as needed, until vegetables are tender. 
3. Add the almonds or pepitas and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the chili powder. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Warm the taco shells or tortillas and serve. 



Guacamole
5 medium ripe Hass avocado, mashed 
3/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 to 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and black pepper

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl using a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper and lime juice.

Pickled Jalapenos
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced cilantro
2 medium jalapeno or Fresno peppers, sliced very thin using a mandoline
1 garlic clove, minced

1. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, oregano and black pepper in a medium bowl. Stir well to melt the sugar and salt. Add the cilantro, peppers and garlic. Set aside to pickle for at least 20 minutes. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.


© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

prep ahead week 4

Prep Ahead Week 4 features 5 dishes and all the recipes can be prepared mostly in advance on one day. This week I am including an easy seitan recipe to mix things up, along with 4 legume recipes.

The meals here are mostly whole foods, all contain greens, protein and a whole grain. We really enjoyed these meals and finishing them on the day of serving was easy and quick.

Meal 1 is Chili Potato Tacos. The potato tacos have potatoes, pepitas and cauliflower. The roasted vegetables are served with refried black beans, guacamole and salsa. Serve these with lots of shredded green lettuce.

Meal 2 is Moroccan Chickpea Salad made of chickpeas, dried apricots and garam masala. The salad is served with steamed rapini on a bed of lettuce. Seasoned Pita Wedges complete this delicious exotic meal.

Meal 3 is a quick baked pasta dish, Baked Broccoli and Seitan Pasta. The sauce is a sun-dried tomato bechamel that is creamy and cheesy. The pasta is baked with broccoli and seitan that was prepared on Prep Day.

Meal 4 is a warming and comforting Black Bean Chili full of whole grain barley and black beans. This is a slow cooker recipe that is ready in 6 hours on low, thanks to soaking the hull-less barley the night before.

Meal 5 is Firecracker Chickpeas and Vegetables. Traditionally this dish is fiery-spicy, but you can control the spice by leaving out the seeds of the jalapenos and using the garlic chili sauce judiciously. The dish is served with brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Preparing all the meals took about 2 hours and finishing them on the day of serving took less than 30 minutes.

PDFs below are the Overview of the meals (basically what will happen throughout the week), Shopping List (all the ingredients are listed so check over it and cross out what you already have), Prep Day Instructions (follow in the order given for speed and efficiency), Prep Day Recipes (these are the recipes that are called for in the Instructions) and Day-of Recipes (cut these in half and staple them together in the order you plan to serve the meals).


Overview

Shopping List

Prep Day Instructions

Prep Day Recipes

Day-of Recipes

curried chickpea soup

The final meal of Prep Ahead Week 3 menu plan is Curried Chickpea Soup with Seasoned Pita. This soup is packed with nutrition and flavor, but it doesn't require a ton of exotic ingredients. A curry powder (preferably homemade), a cinnamon stick, fresh ginger and garlic supply all the interesting flavors needed.

The heft of the soup is made up of brown rice, chickpeas, spinach and carrots. Because the rice is cooked in the soup, it takes a shorter time to cook than regular brown rice is typically cooked. (See my Fast and Easy Brown Rice for cooking brown rice as an accompaniment.)

The pita bread is simply brushed with vegetable broth, seasoned with salt and pepper and toasted or broiled until crisp. The soup is perfect for a cold night and is ready fast.

Curried Chickpea Soup
Serves 4 to 6 

2 celery ribs, cut thin
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch knob ginger, finely grated
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder, Zsu's Curry Powder or store-bought
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup brown rice
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (2 cups cooked), rinsed and drained
8 cups water

1 bunch spinach, chopped

4 pita breads
1 tablespoon vegetable broth

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add  the celery, onions and carrots. Cover the pot and cook until golden. Stir often and add a splash of water, if needed. Add the garlic, ginger, jalapeno, curry powder, cinnamon stick and the rice. Toast, stirring, until the rice is aromatic.
2. Add the chickpeas and water. Cover, bring to boil and reduce to a strong simmer. Cook uncovered until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Add the spinach. Cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove the cinnamon stick. Taste and add salt and pepper.
3. Brush the pita with vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper.  Toast until crisp. Serve the pita with the soup.


© 2017 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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char siu pizza

Meal 4 of the Prep Ahead, Week 3 menu was a unique pizza: Char Siu Pizza.

The pizza dough is homemade, but can certainly be store-bought. My Fridge Dough is made using aquafaba and is wonderfully crisp and tender. I have a video on making the dough, which is incredibly versatile and is ready when needed: HERE.

The toppings are what make this pizza unique. Char Siu is Cantonese barbecue that is a little sweet and a little tangy. My Char Siu is made using hoisin sauce, tomato paste, ginger and Chinese 5-spice.

Cannellini beans, shiitake mushrooms and bell peppers are quick marinated and the pizza is topped with steamed chard and shredded vegan cheese.

We loved this pizza! It is just unique enough to put some pizzazz into pizza night.

Char Siu Pizza

Makes two (12-inch) pizzas 

Refrigerator Dough

Marinade:

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon sweetener

1 tablespoon tahini

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 bell pepper, sliced

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans (2 cups cooked beans)

Sauce:

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon tahini

1-inch knob ginger, grated

1 bunch chard

1 cup shredded vegan cheese

1. Remove the dough from the fridge to warm while the oven preheats. Preheat oven to 450-degrees F. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Place a piece on a parchment paper and push it out into a circle; the size depends on whether you like thin crust or thick crust. 

2. Marinade: Combine the hoisin, vinegar, sweetener, tahini, garlic and 5-spice in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the sliced mushrooms, bell pepper strips and beans. Mix gently and set aside.

3. Sauce: Combine the hoisin sauce, tomato paste, tahini and ginger in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.

4. Steam the chard until tender. Cool enough to handle and squeeze out the liquid. Chop the chard and set aside.

5. Spread 1/2 of the pizza sauce on one of the pizza doughs. Add 1/2 cup of cheese on the pizza and 1/2 of the vegetables and beans. Bake for 6 minutes. Remove the paper and continue to bake until crisp about 8 to 10 more minutes.  Add 1/2 the chard. Repeat with the other portion of dough and toppings. Serve.

© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

pickled vegetables salad

Salad is probably the last thing you truly want to have in the middle of the winter, but this Pickled Vegetables Salad features roasted home-pickled cauliflower, so there is a warming element to the meal.

I originally served this with Smoky Seitan, but when I cut the Prep Ahead Week 3 menu from 7 to 5 days, I also cut the seitan. I think the salad is just great with or without it, so I am including it here, just in case you'd like to make it with seitan, too.

The salad doesn't just have roasted pickled cauliflower, it also features quinoa, greens and a bean salad filled with celery, olives, roasted bell peppers, and cannellini beans. The dressing for the bean salad can be made with yogurt or with oil.

Serve this salad as is, or toast some slices of French bread and rub them with a large clove of garlic. If nothing else, this is a very unique salad to enjoy in the middle of winter.

Pickled Vegetables Salad

Makes 4 servings

Cauliflower Ingredients:

1/2 cup vinegar, white wine or other

3 cups water

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs fresh oregano

2 teaspoons salt

2 pounds cauliflower

1 cup chopped seitan (optional)

Bean Salad Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sliced celery

1 (16-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and sliced

1 cup green olives, chopped

1/4 cups olive oil or unsweetened plain nondairy yogurt

2 cups or 1 (15-ounce) can cooked cannellini beans 

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

2 heads Romaine lettuce, chopped

1. For the cauliflower: Combine the vinegar, water, bay leaf, sprigs of oregano, and salt  in a medium pot. Bring to boil. Break the cauliflower into florets. Add to the pot. Cook, covered, low  

until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup of brine to cool and set aside. Drain the cauliflower. Add the cauliflower to a baking sheet. Add the chopped saiten. Broil until golden, about 10 minutes. Spray with oil, if desired. Remove and discard the bay leaf and oregano stalks.

2. For the bean salad: Add the celery to a medium bowl. Add the red peppers, the olives, the olive oil or yogurt, the reserved brine and the beans. Mix and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. For the quinoa: Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, cover, reduce to simmer and cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside (still covered) for 10 minutes. 

4. Serve the salad: place romaine lettuce in a bowl, top with quinoa, top with bean salad and finally with the roasted cauliflower.

© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

sriracha artichoke rolls

Seafood rolls are very popular on the Northeastern coast of the US and I want folks to have some great alternatives for the sandwich that lots of people see as quintessentially coastal.

And if we throw in some sriracha, then it can only be better!

This sandwich is featured on my Prep Ahead Week 3 menu: HERE.

This sandwich features roasted artichokes, chickpeas and vegetables. The dressing can be either vegan mayo or vegan yogurt. I opted for the yogurt since it is just as creamy as mayo and the tang is welcome.

The sandwich is laced with cilantro and shredded carrots and perfect served in whole wheat hot dog rolls.

As the easy green accompaniment, I served it with a simple vinaigrette on a green salad. Easy and satisfying.

Sriracha Artichoke Rolls
Makes 4 servings

1 teaspoon olive oil or oil spray
1 (14-ounce) can artichokes, squeezed of excess water and chopped
2 cups cooked or 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 
3 garlic cloves, minced 

3 celery ribs, sliced thin
2 medium carrots, shredded
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened plain nondairy yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
1 tablespoon sriracha

4 to 6 hot dog buns

1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the artichokes and chickpeas. Cook until golden, without stirring much. Add the garlic and cook until golden. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool while you chop the vegetables.
2. Add the celery, carrots, cilantro, yogurt, lime juice and sriracha to a large bowl. Add the roasted beans and artichoke. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Toast the buns. Serve the salad in the buns. Serve with a green salad. 



© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

chimichurri potatoes and tofu

As promised, I am taking the recipes from Prep Ahead Week 3 and posting them individually for the folks who would rather not make the entire menu.

If you are as busy as I am and life sometimes serves up plain beans and rice or a simple sandwich, when you'd rather be enjoying a delicious and unique meal, then I highly recommend you give the Prep Ahead menu a try.

The first recipe in the rotation on Week 3 is Chimichurri Potatoes and Tofu.

Typical chimichurri sauce is made with tons of oil and loads of fresh herbs, but I wanted to come up with a recipe that used no oil, but still tasted great.

Instead of the oil, this sauce recipe uses yogurt and tahini. The yogurt offers the body and the tahini offers the richness that would usually be supplied with olive oil. You can still make the sauce using oil, if you'd rather, and Becky Striepe has a terrific recipe over at Glue and Glitter, so I'd head there for a more traditional version.

I used both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes when I made my dish, but you can use one or the other. Press the tofu overnight using a flour sack (just wrap the tofu tightly and set in the fridge) or press it for an hour using a machine.

I air-fried my potatoes and tofu, but you can broil them instead.

Since the tofu and potatoes need a vegetable, I went to my go-to, easy way of cooking up greens, kinpira. This is a very old and traditional way of quick braising vegetables in any flavored broth. I chose a spicy kinpira for this dish to help elevate the chimichurri even more. The veggies are ready in about 5 minutes with minimal fuss.

Serve these with warmed tortillas; use the tortillas as tacos or just use them to scoop up all the goodies.

Chimichurri Potatoes and Tofu
Makes 4 servings

2 (14-ounce) packages firm tofu, rinsed and pressed 1 hour

Chimichurri Sauce:
1/2 cup packed parsley (1/2 bunch)
1/2 cup packed cilantro (1/2 bunch)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoon unsweetened plain vegan yogurt or olive oil
1 tablespoon tahini
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

2 pounds potatoes, any kind

Kinpira:
1 pound bok choy
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 tablespoons vegetable broth

4 tortillas, warmed

1. Make sure to press the tofu first. Preheat the air-fryer at 450-degrees F. If not using air-fryer, preheat the broiler if needed.
2. For the sauce, combine the parsley, cilantro, garlic, water, vinegar, yogurt, tahini and chili flakes in a food processor. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch wedges. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch slices. Cut the slices of tofu into 1-inch pieces. Toss 3/4 of the sauce with the potatoes and tofu. Add them to a baking sheet or air-fryer basket and cook until crisp and tender, about 15 to 25 minutes. 
4. For the kinpira: Chop the bok choy. Add it to a large pot. Add the minced garlic and chili flakes. Add 2 tablespoons broth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until tender and the broth has reduced. 
5. Serve the potatoes, tofu, vegetables and warmed tortillas with the rest of the sauce.


© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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prep ahead week 3

Last week I shared my idea of preparing a week of meals on one day and then finishing them on the day that you actually eat the meal. This has been working really well for my family of four and I find that even when I am really tired I can have dinner on the table within a half hour with minimal work.

Last week the menu consisted of 7 meals. This week I am reconsidering the 7 as too many meals for the average family. A day or two a week might be devoted to a special meal that you would like to put more time into or it could be a family favorite meal or leftovers or going out to eat.

This week's meal prep ahead consists of 5 meals. Since I cut two meals I am also alternating seitan and tofu instead of including them on each rotation.

Again, the meals are mostly whole foods, little or no oil (you decide) and are complete with grain, protein and green vegetable. They are also complete in the sense that there is a shopping list which includes the recommended accompaniments to the meals, such as bread or crackers.

In addition, I am also breaking out the recipes in the week ahead. Meaning that I will feature each of these recipes as their own separate recipe (apart from the Prep Ahead recipe) so you can make just a single recipe instead of the whole week, if you choose.

Meal 1 is Chimichurri Potatoes and Tofu. Becky Striepe of Glue and Glitter posted a chimichurri recipe a few weeks ago and I have one in my book Vegan Bowls [AMAZON] and I love it! But chimichurri uses a lot of oil and I wanted to come up with a recipe that was equally good without all the oil.

Chimichurri Potatoes and Tofu with Spicy Bok Choy Kinpira

Meal 2 is Pickled Vegetables Salad. This is my riff on Giardiniera but using homemade pickled cauliflower. It is also like a bean salad, but, again, using oil is optional. After pickling the cauliflower and assembling the bean salad, you can stash it until ready to eat. Then roast the cauliflower before adding it to the salad - it is a treat. [I cut the seitan from this dish, but it is in the pic.]

Pickled Vegetables and Beans on a bed of greens.

Meal 3 is Sriracha Artichoke Rolls. These are like the seafood rolls, but instead of mayo, the dressing is made of yogurt. If you like mayo better, sub it. The filling is chickpeas and artichokes. It is served on regular whole grain buns with a side of fresh green salad.

Sriracha Artichoke Rolls with chickpeas and a fresh green salad with homemade vinaigrette. 

Meal 4 is Char Siu Pizza. Mushrooms, bell pepper strips and cannellini beans are tossed with homemade char siu sauce. The pizza sauce itself isn't just regular tomato sauce, but instead has a wonderful kick. Certainly not your ordinary pizza night, but still easy and quick on the day of. This dough is homemade and uses all-purpose flour, but I am working on a whole grain version. In the meantime, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's both have whole grain pizza dough available.

Char Sui Pizza with shiitake, beans, green peppers and steamed chard.  

Meal 5 is Curried Chickpea Soup with rice and spinach. Curried flavors infuse this warm and delicious soup. Rice offers a wonderful body and richness and it is warm and filling on a cold winter night. This is served with Seasoned Pita Wedges.

Curried Chickpea Soup with toasted rice, spinach and served with Seasoned Pita Wedges.

It takes about 2 hours to prepare these meals on a single day and they are ready in about 30 minutes on the day that you are serving them.

PDFs below are the Overview of the meals (basically what will happen throughout the week), Shopping List (all the ingredients are listed so check over it and cross out what you already have), Prep Day Instructions (follow in the order given for speed and efficiency), Prep Day Recipes (these are the recipes that are called for in the Instructions) and Day-of Recipes (cut these in half and staple them together in the order you plan to serve the meals).

Overview

Shopping List

Prep Day Instructions

Prep Day Recipes

Day-of Recipes

prep ahead + winners of "the essential vegan travel guide"

Greetings all! Hope everyone is enjoying the ending of another year. I am so into learning about the patters of history and what brings us to where we are now, that I highly recommend The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe [AMAZON]; it turns out that we are on the cusp of a recurring Crisis. Very interesting!

I'm not into apocalypse theories so this one is really up my alley. Crisis doesn't mean the end of the world; it means a huge change that is measurable, especially in hindsight.

With that in mind - get your travel on while you can! The winners of the giveaway for The Essential Vegan Travel Guide [AMAZON] are....

US winner (of the paperback): Comment number one. Kellyanne, please contact me by December 28 with your mailing address.

International winner (of the Kindle edition): Comment number two, a bunch of random numbers and letters. Again, please contact me by December 28.

Congratulations to you both! zsu [at] zsusveganpantry [dot] com

It's been hard to miss that I've been cracking my head over how to make dinner faster, to the point that I've tried Dump Dinners (very limited in terms of possibilities) and I've tried Pantry+ recipes, but my pantry is not your pantry and let's face it, I doubt anyone actually follows pantry recommendations.

I do want to make meals faster, but I also want to make them healthy and use whole foods as much as possible. To that end, I created a few weeks of menus (testing things out before springing it on you) and I've come up with Prep Ahead.

Take one day, mine is Wednesday because CSA gets delivered on Tuesday, but if you work outside the house, that might mean Sunday, and use it as the Prep Day. Of course, pick whatever day works best for you.

Use the Prep Day to prepare whatever is possible to prepare up to 6 days in advance. A few recipes have night before prep required, but you can do that while you are finishing the daily meal.

The menu is varied, includes soy and seitan, each once a week. One pasta, a few bean recipes, a salad, a soup and a sandwich. All the meals are balanced, with grain, greens and protein.

Prep Ahead Week 2 consists of Italian Mushroom Ragu served over pasta (or rice, if you like). This is a slow cooker meal and I recommend serving it on Prep Day. It makes dinner ready when you are.

Meal 2 is Curried Chickpea Sandwich served with Bok Choy and Carrot Kinpira. Kinpira is an easy and flavorful way to cook vegetables fast. The vegetables are braised in a flavorful liquid and are ready in about 5 minutes.

Meal 3 is Chili Corn Chowder. This is another slow cooker recipe. Chowder and Chili meet forces to create a warm and hearty meal. Serve it with tortillas, tortilla chips or crackers. 

Meal 4 is Steak Salad. Cook up the prepared seitan you made on Prep Day and serve it warm over a bed of greens. It is served with Garlic Yogurt dressing and crostini - which is fancy talk for toasted bread. 

Meal 5 is Mexican Lasagna. Tortillas are baked with a vegetable and bean loaded filling. Serve with vegan sour cream or salsa and loads of radishes and jalapenos (if you like heat.)

Meal 6 is Brussels Sprouts and Balsamic Pasta. This pasta dish is brimming with roasted Brussels sprouts that are finished cooking in balsamic vinegar and served with black beans and walnuts. 

And Meal 7 is Souvlaki of tofu and zucchini served with Rice Pilaf and Spinach. Yogurt-marinated tofu and zucchini sit on top of a bed of deliciously toasty rice pilaf. This interpretation of the Greek dish is highly addictive. 

If you are game to try this Prep Ahead Menu, I have prepared a shopping list, what to do on the Prep Day, what to do on the Day-of serving and all the recipes to make this go as fast and smooth as possible. All the documents are in PDF. 

I recommend you print out the Day-of Recipes and cut the pages in half. Staple them together in the order you are planning to serve them.

Overview [comprehensive look at what is going on].

Shopping List

Prep Day Instructions

Prep Day Recipes

Day-of Recipes

southwestern strata

Been busy little bees these past few weeks. My son has just completed applying to graduate school in an area that accepts woefully few applicants. He is an amazing film director, so he does have an excellent shot at it, but it's all a craps shoot.

I am posting his latest film at the bottom of this post. It's really good and I'd love your opinion about it, if you're game.

For the post this day, I am sharing a Southwestern Strata recipe. It is a perfect brunch recipe!

Strata is an interesting dish. It is supposed to be layers of white bread alternated with layers of cheese, then soaked in a milk mixture and baked. This is the very original version of strata.

Since then the milk mixture has been augmented with eggs to give it a custard-like texture and the the layers now are not so much layers, per say, as additions mixed in.

Mix-ins now can include, vegetables, meats and various types of cheeses. This being a southwestern version, it uses cornbread as the bread (I used the Cornbread Muffin recipe in Everyday Vegan Eats. Delicious!), and a homemade queso fresco (recipe coming this month).

It also includes sauteed peppers, onions and cilantro. I added spiced chorizo chickpeas since there is aquafaba in the batter anyway.

The batter is where it gets interesting. Because I fell in love with the bread pudding recipe in my cookbook Aquafaba [AMAZON], I wanted to make a savory version and this is the result. The aquafaba mixed with psyllium husk (cannot be omitted) and starch, results in a custard.

Mix, let the batter soak into the bread and bake. Serve it with some inspired tomato sauce and dig in.

As promised, here is Mikel's WE-System short film:

 

In case you missed it, I am hosting a giveaway for The Essential Vegan Travel Guide. My girls used it this summer when traveling in Europe and it is amazing! Go enter the contest or, better yet, pick up a copy! Contest ends December 19.

Southwestern Strata

Serves about 6

Chorizo Chickpeas:

1 cup chickpeas

2 tablespoons vegetable broth

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sea salt

Other:

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

6 cups stale cornbread (cut into 1-inch cubes)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup crumbled vegan cheese, optional (Kite Hill or Follow Your Heart block is good or use homemade)

Batter:

6 tablespoons aquafaba**

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups unsweetened plain nondairy milk

1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder

1. Preheat the oven to 450-degrees F. Combine the chickpeas, broth, vinegar, oil, chili powder, oregano, cumin, paprika and salt on a baking sheet. Mix well and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside.

2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and onion to the skillet. Cover and cook until the onion is browning, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Add a splash of broth if the onion is beginning to burn. Using a cover will prevent too much evaporation and help brown the vegetables without oil.

3. Add the aquafaba to a blender. With the blender running on medium speed, add the oil slowly. Add the milk in a steady stream (doesn’t have to be slowly) and the psyllium. Blend for 20 seconds. Add to a large bowl.

4. Add the cornbread, cilantro, cheese (if using) and reserved chickpeas. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes. Add to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish and bake in a 325-degree oven for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes to firm up. Serve.

** Although aquafaba is best if homemade using the recipe provided in the book, you can use aquafaba from canned chickpeas. Use the organic, low-sodium, canned chickpeas and strain off the liquid into a measuring cup using a fine mesh strainer. Note the amount of liquid you acquired, then add it to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the liquid reduces by 1/3. Cool the aquafaba completely before using.

© 2016 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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"the essential vegan travel guide" + giveaway

Happy Cyber Monday everyone!

I am so excited to share with you a book that is all about traveling as a vegan and surviving the whole vacation, well fed and happy.

The Essential Vegan Travel Guide [AMAZON]  is written by Caitlin Galer-Unti, the publisher of the popular site The Vegan Word. Caitlin has traveled extensively world-wide and I strongly recommend checking out her site for some amazing content.

My girls went to visit family in Hungary this summer and this book was a huge lifesaver for them. Even though the family knew what the girls would eat and wouldn't eat, something was lost in translation and they had to fend for themselves more than a few times.

And when they went off to Italy by themselves for a few days, the book, again, came in immeasurable service.

The travel guide is more than just a list of resources and instead delves into how to stay vegan while traveling. The guide walks you through the many ways to take food, find food, cook food in a hotel room and even goes into where you can stay and how to figure that out. Caitlin covers it all. She leaves no stone un-turned.

Of course, research is your best friend when making travel plans, and that is where Caitlin starts: she shows you how to do your research, where to research and what to research. She walks you through it all step by step.

After all the research is done, Caitlin shows you how to apply your new-found information to find the best places to stay and where to eat when you are there.

This is a full-length book (about 130 pages) packed with loads of information and insight. In addition, Caitlin has a wonderful sense of humor, making the reading of the book not just educational, but fun, too.

If you are planning on taking a trip, whether local or foreign, whether you are staying at a hostel, with family or couchsurf, Caitlin has you covered. Although this is the 2016 edition, I see no reason why you need to wait for a possible 2017 edition since all the information is relevant and useful for the next few years, possibly. In fact, the only amendments might be updates of website addresses or adding new ones.

Since this is the giving season, I want to remind you that Caitlin has published a post of 101+ Vegan Gift Ideas, a very extensive list of wonderful gifts that you can use yourself or pass to a loved one.

 I am not exempt from the gift-giving season and therefore I am giving away a print copy of this book to a US winner AND a Kindle copy to a winner outside the US. Please leave a comment about where you would like to travel and let me know if you are a US resident or an International one. Good luck! Contest ends December 19, my daughter's birthday.

IMPORTANT: If it isn't obvious how to contact you via your comment, send me an email with the name your comment is under, the content of your comment (what you said) and a way to contact you (the email itself will be fine).  zsu [at] zsusveganantry [dot] com

And I am not done with the gift giving! I am announcing the winner of Vegan Mexico [AMAZON] by Jason Wyrick. The winner is The Peace Patch! Congratulations!! Contact me at zsu [at] zsusveganpantry [dot] com.