Vegan Shiitake Bacon Bits

Here's a nice easy one that sure is useful. Who would have thought that shiitake mushrooms could be so useful? When prepared in this way, the taste is so similar to bacon its scary. These pieces are good in soups, or as a topping on hamburgers, baked potatoes, breakfast meals, or wherever  'bacon' or 'bacon bits' are desired.

Ingredients:
- 2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom (if using dried, soak in boiling water for 15 minutes)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 tbs soy sauce
- oil of your choice for frying
- additional sesame oil for frying

Method:

Mix together your sesame oil, paprika, black pepper, and soy sauce in a large bowl. Next add your shiitake in the bowl and mix well.

Allow to marinate for 30 mins or longer. The longer you leave it, the more the flavour develops.

 

Heat a fry pan with a small amount of frying oil and add a couple of drops of sesame oil. Once hot, add in the shiitake, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. It may have to be done in a few batches. Fry on a medium heat for about 10 minutes before mixing and turning them over. Once they are browned, transfer the shiitake from the pan to some absorbent paper to drain. 

 

 

You will notice that the pieces will turn crispy upon standing. Hopefully these tasty bits make it as far as whatever you planned to use them for as they're addictive to eat, even on their own! I advise you make extra :)

xoxo cody

The Best Vegan Tofu Gyoza!

I love gyoza, I really do. Although they can be time consuming to prepare, the hard work all pays off when you feel the appreciation and enjoyment from sharing these cute little homemade morsels with family and loved ones, considering each piece is delicately crafted by hand.  I'm always trying to think up new combinations for fillings, and I currently have two favourite go-to fillings that I opt for when the mood strikes. They are quite similar, the only difference is swapping the tofu in this recipe with mashed sweet potato and chives, which makes for an interesting and unique variation.  I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone by noting that here. I find the most difficult part can be the cooking, so having a good quality non stick pan with a lid really comes in handy here and is important to prevent them from sticking and falling apart. Heavy duty cast iron pans work a treat too.

 Having one side steamed and one side fried serves to be the quintessence of gyoza, setting them apart from other forms of dumplings. If it's easier or more suiting for you; you can however fry or steam the entire thing. Only the result won't be as satisfying. Gyoza can be enjoyed with a number of accompaniments that I will list below! 

They are best when served immediately and eaten on the day they are cooked. Any left over gyoza should be left raw and can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before cooking. They can also be frozen, but be sure to allow them to defrost properly when you are ready to use them. Makes approx. 60 gyoza pieces.

Ingredients :

- oil of your choice, for frying
-  2 packets of Gyoza skins (1 pack = 30 skins)
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 packet of firm tofu, crumbled
- 1 red chilli, chopped
- 2 thumbs of ginger, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 handful of coriander, chopped
- 3 shallots, sliced
- 1/2 cup sauerkraut
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- sesame oil, to drizzle

Dipping sauces :

option 1 : 2 parts soy sauce to one part orange juice
option 2 : 2 parts soy sauce to one part rice vinegar, dash of sesame oil
option 3 : good old Sriracha!

 
 Method :

Once all of your ingredients are prepped, heat about 1 tsp of oil in any ordinary fry pan. Once going, add garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds and fry until fragrant. Next add chilli, sauerkraut, shallots, shiitake mushroom, and crumbled tofu. Drizzle with a little sesame oil and pour in the soy sauce. Continue to fry until the mixture is well combined and forms a thick consistency.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool, for about 15 minutes to half an hour. Now comes the assembly.  It may be a bit tricky and fiddly at first but once you get the hang of it, its quite easy. Prepare a bowl of water to dip your fingers to aid in sealing the gyoza skin together.
  

Spoon roughly a teaspoon of mixture onto a skin and dampen the top half of the wrapper, in a semi circle. Pick up the skin with both hands and hold both ends up, sort of to form a taco shape.

Now dampen the outside part of the front lip, facing you. Now you want to start pleating the front skin and pinching it against the back part of the skin as you go. It sounds much more complicated than it is!

Now begin to heat your non stick frying pan with a little sesame oil in it, and get a cup of water ready.

Once it has reached high heat, arrange the gyoza in the pan leaving sufficient space between them.

Once they begin to sizzle profusely, pour in a 1/3 cup of water and immediately cover the pan with a lid. Once the steam dissipates and the water has evaporated from the pan, remove the lid. This may take some practice to get the gyoza to steam efficiently. Pick up the pan and shuffle/shake it forward to loosen any immobile gyoza. Allow them to continue frying until the underside is a nice golden brown, then remove from the pan, setting them upright to prevent the fried side from going soggy. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce/s of your choice!

 

So that's how I make gyoza :) hope you enjoyed reading.

xoxo cody

Vegan Spicy Mexi Bean Pie

Hello!

Please excuse the simplicity of my page as I have only just begun and hope to get it together when I learn how!  I look forward to interacting with you all. For my first entry I decided to compile a low fuss recipe that I know you will enjoy if you decide to recreate it. This one is sure to please vegans and non-vegans alike.

 

 

This combination works really well and any left over chili can be saved to use as a topping for nachos or a filling for tacos or burritos. The beauty of this recipe is that it can be loosely followed and be easily manipulated, with ingredients being added or subtracted to suit you. I used a store bought vegan puff pastry to save time, but feel free to make your own if you prefer. 

 

 

Ingredients :

 

Chili spice mix:

-3 tsp cumin powder

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1 tsp onion powder

-2 tsp paprika

-2 tsp cayenne pepper

-2 tsp oregano

-1 tsp raw sugar

-salt to taste

*as an alternative you can find pre-prepared chili spice mixes in the Mexican section of supermarkets

 

-  1 tbs oil, to fry

- 1 tbs tomato paste

- 2 cups sliced mushrooms

- 1 large onion, diced

- 1 garlic clove, sliced

- 1 half red capsicum, diced

- 1 green chilli, sliced,

- 1 cup roughly chopped coriander

- 1 can kidney beans (approx. 400g)

- 1 can black beans (approx. 400g)

- 1 can corn kernels (approx. 400g)

- 1 can diced tomatoes (approx. 400g)

- 1 cup vegetable stock

- 1 packet of vegan puff pastry (I used Borg's vegan puff pastry)

 

Pie topping:

-  melted nuttelex and soy milk for brushing

-  4 sliced mini roma tomatoes

- 1 mashed potato (optional)

- 1/2 cup cheezly nacho cheese

 

Garnishes:

- Avocado (guacamole)

- chopped coriander

- Tofutti cream cheese

 

Method:

 

First and foremost, if you are using store bought pastry, take it out of the freezer and allow it to defrost.

 

 

In a large fry pan, heat your oil over a low heat. Once it's going, put your garlic slices in and be very attentive as garlic cooks very quickly and burnt garlic will soil the taste.

 

 

Once they are lightly browned, add your spice mix and lightly toast it until fragrant. Next add the tomato paste and fry it off for 2 minutes or so.

 

 

Add your mushrooms, onion, capsicum, chilli, and coriander to the pan and stir fry for about 10 minutes, until everything is coated in spice and starts to soften. 

Add your beans, corn, and canned tomatoes and bring it to the boil. Next add your cup of vegetable stock and bring to a simmer and allow it to reduce. Takes about 20 minutes. Now would also be the time to preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

While the pan is simmering away, grease your pie tin, and then line it with pastry, leaving the outsides to overhang. As you can see, I add an additional layer to the bottom because I just find that it keeps it sturdier and helps the pie hold its shape better.

It's up to you whether you choose to allow the mixture to cool a little because putting it in the tin. It may make handling easier and prevent the pastry from wilting so much. When you are ready, spoon it in and then gently pick up the tin and lightly tap it on a hard surface to even it out.

 

Put the pastry top on your pie, pinch the edges, and roll up the overhanging edges like shown in the photo.  Next grab a sharp knife and cut and 'X' in the middle of the pastry.

 

 

Top with your sliced mini roma tomatoes and pipe with mashed potato (optional)

 

 

Brush with melted nuttelex and soy milk so then it turns a nice golden brown when baking.

 

 

Top with cheezly nacho cheese, or a vegan cheese of your choice, and then put it in the oven for 30 - 45 mins, depending on the force of your oven. Simply keep watch and take it out once it is golden brown. 

 

 

Prepare to be dazzled. Once the pie has been taken out of the oven, allow it to stand for 10 minutes.

 Cut into desired portions and serve with guacamole, chopped coriander and cream cheese. There you have it! 

 

 

Thanks for reading, I'd love to know if you try it!

 

xoxo cody