Sushi Buddha Bowl with Sesame Dressing (Vegan)

 

Recipe from www.yeungmancooking.com
Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Makes 2 generous servings

This was absolutely delicious and compelled me to say "mmm" after each and every bite!!

Buddha Bowl:

1/2 cup sushi rice
1/2 cup water

1/2 cup carrot (cut into matchsticks)

1/2 cup cucumber (cut into matchsticks)

1 radish, thinly sliced

1/4 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 scallion, thinly sliced

1/4 lb. extra firm tofu, drained and pressed

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Sea salt or Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar (unseasoned)

1 Tablespoon white sesame seeds

1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds

1/2 cup green leaf lettuce or greens, chopped

2 Tablespoons edamame

Few slices of pickled ginger

1/2 avocado, peeled

Dressing:

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon cane sugar

1/4 cup tahini

1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds

Directions:

Place the sushi rice into a small saucepan.  Rinse and drain enough times to get rid of the excess starch.  (The water should run clear.) Then, add 1/2 cup water and heat the rice up on medium high heat. 

When the water just starts to bubble, give the rice a good stir to release any rice that is grabbing the bottom of the pan.  Then, cover and cook on medium low for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice steam further for another 10 minutes.

Slice the tofu into strips.  Heat a non-stick to medium heat (I used a well seasoned iron skillet and heated it until it was smoking.)  Add the olive oil and sear the tofu for 1-2 minutes on each side.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Add a pinch of salt, the rice vinegar, 1 Tablespoon white sesame seeds and 1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds to the rice.  Give it a mix. Plate the rice and let it cook for 5-10 minutes.

Add the lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, red bell pepper, tofu, radishes, scallion and edamame.  Thinly slice the pickled ginger and add it to the bowl or plate.  

Carefully sliced the avocado width-wise using the tip of the knife.  Shape the avocado into a rose and add it to the bowl or plate.

Place the dressing ingredients into a small mason jar with a lid.  Shake the jar until the ingredients are emulsified.  Pour the dressing over the Buddha bowl and serve.

Curried Tofu/Tempeh Banh Mi

Recipe from Vegan Richa

Husband-Tested (and adapted) in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 3

While on vacation in Barcelona, my husband and I found a newly opened deli called Ferment9.  It was a beautiful, locally-owned shop full of fermented foods.  We visited the shop more than once and each time I ordered their Banh Mi with Tempeh.  It was just the best sandwich ever.  Now, this recipe, while not exactly like Ferment9 sandwich, comes pretty close.  The original recipe from Vegan Richa (one of my favorite websites/YouTube channels) calls for tofu, but I had tempeh in the fridge, so I used that.  By the way, as much as I love bread, next time I make this, I’ll use a bread that’s not so thick because it can overwhelm the flavors of the sandwich.

Pickled Veggies

½ cup brown rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup hot water

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon maple syrup

2/3 cup thinly sliced or shredded carrot

½ cup sliced cucumber

½ cup shredded or thinly sliced daikon radish or regular radishes, shredded

1 jalapeño, thinly sliced* (You can omit this OR use jarred pickled jalapeño in the sandwich when you assemble it.)

Sauce

¾ cup full fat coconut milk

½ teaspoon flour (whole-wheat or rice flour)

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon sugar

Tofu/Tempeh

Oil, for searing

14 oz. firm or extra firm tofu (pressed for at least 20 minutes) OR 1 package tempeh (steam for 10 minutes, then pat dry with clean towel)

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 ½ teaspoon soy sauce or tamari

1 teaspoon maple syrup

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

3 Tablespoon coconut cream (scoop from a can of full fat coconut milk)

2 teaspoons minced lemon grass (optional)

For Serving

Fresh cilantro or mint or both

Lettuce or crunchy baby greens

Sriracha or Sambel Oelek (optional)

Bread or baguettes (You could even use a lightly steamed collard leaf as a wrap for this sandwich instead of bread.)

Pickle the vegetables.  Combine the vinegar, water, salt, and maple syrup in a shallow container with a lid.  Mix well.  Add the veggies and press down to submerge them.  Close the lid and chill for at least an hour or overnight.

Make the sauce.  In a medium saucepan, mix together the coconut milk, flour, sea salt, garlic powder and sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer 2-3 minutes to thicken, then take off the heat.  Set aside while you sear the tofu/tempeh.

Sear the tofu/tempeh. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Place the tofu pieces or tempeh pieces in the skillet and allow the pieces to sear (brown) on one side and then flip the pieces over to sear the other side.  Meanwhile, measure out the curry powder, soy sauce, maple syrup, sea salt, garlic powder, coconut cream and lemon grass (if using) in a small bowl. When the tofu/tempeh is browned on both sides, add the curry powder mixture. Using a spatula, flip the tofu/tempeh over so that each piece is coated in the curry powder mixture.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Assemble the sandwich: Drain the pickled veggies.  Toast or grill the bread, if desired. Place some greens/lettuce on one slice of the bread.  Place the tofu/tempeh on top of the greens. Drizzle with the sauce.  Add some pickled veggies, then cilantro/mint and jalapeno, if using.  Add some sriracha or sambal oelek for additional heat (optional).  Serve.

Nutritional Information: (for 1 sandwich, includes tofu with whole grain mini baguette) 369 calories; 44 g carbohydrates; 17 g protein; 13 g fat (5 g sat. fat); 642 mg sodium; 221 mg potassium; 3 g fiber; 5 g sugars; 223 mg calcium; 3.2 mg iron; 4750IU vitamin A; 2.4 mg Vitamin C

Vegan Okonomiyaki Vegetable Pancake with Pickled Ginger Salad

Recipe from Good Eatings

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Serves 2-4 people

This is a vegan version of the popular Japanese vegetable pancake called Okonomiyaki. Being a pancake, it is traditionally made with eggs.  But with chickpea flour, a little rice flour and some raising ingredients (baking powder/baking soda), this pancake words quite well.  Using chickpea flour adds protein to this dish.  Adding vegetables to the pancakes makes them even more nutritious and the onion, ginger, garlic and cilantro boosts the flavor for sure. (If you don’t care for cilantro, you can omit it.) You can change up the vegetables if you wish, but the cabbage is a great base and so I would recommend leaving that in.  The Pickled Ginger Salad is scrumptious on its own, but creates a nice kick to the pancakes.  To save yourself time in the end, make the salad in advance.  You can also measure out the dry pancake ingredients and keep them in a glass jar in the fridge until you are ready to make the pancakes.

For the salad:

¾ of a large cucumber (seeded, if using a large cucumber) or 2-3 small ones, cut into small cubes

12 radishes, cut into small cubes

¼ cup pickled ginger, finely chopped

A big handful of cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

1 large lime, juice only

1 teaspoon sriracha sauce

2-3 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Sea salt, to taste

For the pancakes:

1 cup cabbage, finely sliced

½ large carrot, julienned or shredded using the bigger holes of a grater

1-2 spring onions, cut into strips roughly 2 inches long or 1 thick slice red onion, diced

¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1½ cups chickpea flour

½ cup rice flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1½ cup water

1 Tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

Oil for pan frying the pancake, about 1 Tablespoon

Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Serve with: vegan creme fraiche or sour cream (optional)

Prepare your salad by mixing all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and giving them a good toss to combine. Set aside while you make your pancake.  For the pancake, prepare the vegetables and then set them aside as you make the batter. Mix all the dry ingredients for the pancake in a large mixing bowl and then add the minced garlic and ginger to it. Then pour in the water and soy sauce as you whisk to combine it with the dry ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Fold in the vegetables as well as cilantro. Heat up a non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot add oil. Pour one quarter of the batter trying to distribute the vegetables even in terms of what ends up in the pan and what stays in the bowl. Then even the mixture out in the pan and cover with a lid. Lower your heat to medium and then let it fry under the lid for about 5 minutes. (Bubbles will appear on top of the batter.  At that point, carefully lift one side of the pancake to see if it’s browned.  If so, flip the pancake over.) Then fry on the second side for about 3 minutes or until slightly browned. Repeat with the rest of the pancake batter making 4 pancakes in total. You could keep the pancakes on low heat in the oven as you finish the rest of the pancakes. Serve with a dollop of vegan creme fraiche or sour cream onto each piece and/or the pickled ginger salad.