Curry "Chicken" Sandwich – But Make It Vegan
for Environment911.org
July 2021

I've made a similar type dish with chickpeas before, which are much quicker if you want something stat, but if you want to try a new texture, give soy curls a try. 
 
It was my first foray into them as a chicken substitute and honestly, I was quite impressed. They really hold the flavor well, and it was even better the second day – so I’d recommend making it the day before you’re going to eat it. 
 
Many health food and vegan shops will have the soy curls, but you can also purchase bags from the internet. 

Serves 2-3  
(Can be doubled) 
 
INGREDIENTS: 

- ¾ cup soy curls  
- 1 1/4 veg broth or a vegan chicken-style broth  
- ½ cup finely diced celery 
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion 
- 1/3 cup vegan mayo, more if needed 
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder  
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder  
- 2 tsp of curry powder (more to taste) 
- salt and pepper, to taste 

- bun or lettuce cups for serving 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Bring the broth to a low boil (or use a cup of water and add a vegan Boullion cube and dissolve) and then remove from heat. 

Place the dried soy curls in the broth and gently stir around until they are fully covered with it. 
 
Chop the onion and celery into finely diced pieces. In a small bowl, place the vegan mayo, and the rest of the spice and mix until evenly distributed. 
 
After the curls have soaked for 8-10 mins, drain them and place them on a tea towel to dry. 
 
You can chop them up at this stage and use them as is, but you can also toast them lightly in a very lightly oiled frying pan until they get slightly browned. 
 
Once ready, combine everything into a bowl, adding more mayo if needed. Taste for seasoning, esp. the curry powder. And either serve straight away or let cool in the fridge. 

Lentil Bolognese
for “But Make It Vegan” - Environment911.org
June 2021

I was craving something hearty, and considered making a vegan chili, but I thought a good vegan Bolognese might do the trick.  

I made enough to freeze some for future cravings, and have eaten it both with whole wheat spaghetti and zoodles. Next up will be with homemade pasta. 

Sauces like Bolognese are a great way to sneak in healthy foods like nutritional yeast, or hemp hearts. You won't notice them in the sauce, but your body will take note! 

Serves 4  
(Can be doubled) 
 
INGREDIENTS: 

- 1 tbsp of olive oil 
- 1 onion, finely minced 
- 2 cloves garlic, minced 
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrots 
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery 
- 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms (your choice, I used shiitake) 
- 1/2 cup dry brown or red lentils 
- salt & pepper 
- 1/2 tsp dried basil 
- 2 tbsp tomato paste 
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, if you like heat you can add more) 
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 
- 2 bay leaves 
- 1/4 cup of white wine 
- 2 cup vegetable stock (or water) 
- 2 tsp chopped parsley to top 
- vegan parmesan 
- pasta to serve 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and mushrooms. I did these in a food processor to get it super fine, but you can also do it by hand. 
 
In a frying pan with high sides, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and then add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery and mushrooms mix. Cook until soft (approx. 15mins). 

Add in the tomato paste and cook for another minute until it begins to caramelize. 
Pour in the white wine and deglaze the pan, getting any browned bits loose and letting the wine evaporate. 

Then add the lentils, vegetable stock, basil, optional red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast, bay leaves and some salt and pepper. 

Stir to combine, cover and then cook over medium heat until lentils are cooked through - this will take about 30 mins to an hour. You may want to add more water if the lentils need more cooking time. Test them to see how soft they are and go from there – you don’t want it to be watery. 

When done, remove from the heat and check the spices, adding anything more that might be needed. 
 
Cook the pasta you’re using until just al dente, and then reserve some of the pasta water and drain. 
In the warm pasta pot, add the pasta back and scoop some of the Bolognese into it, adding some of the pasta water to finish cooking the pasta and making the Bolognese creamier. You can add vegan parmesan here as well. 
 
Plate the noodles, then top with a small extra scoop of the Bolognese, and sprinkle on some chopped parsley and more vegan parm! 

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Miso Ramen – But Make It Vegan 
for Environment911.org

It doesn’t have to be soup season to enjoy a good bowl of ramen. I love having this for lunch, so I will make a LOT of the broth so I always have some in the freezer.  

The best thing about it being vegan is that you are getting a tonne of greens with it too. Throw as many kinds in as you'd like! - it doesn’t just have to be baby bok choy. Try kale or spinach or if you have some cabbage on hand? Toss that in too! And if you don't have tofu handy, you can load up on the mushrooms and other veg. 

Also, see if you can make this without humming the Chixdiggit song "Miso Ramen". 
 
Makes 2 Bowls 
(Freeze broth if only making one bowl, and double if you are feeding more people!) 

INGREDIENTS: 

BROTH: 
- 1 head of garlic, top cut off 
- 2 onions, slice in quarters 
- 1 thumb size piece of ginger, quartered 
- 2 or 3 green onions 
- a few mushrooms 
- olive oil 
- 4 cups water or mushroom stock 
- 1 strip kombu 
- 2 tbsp miso paste 
- 2 tbsp Braggs, or low sodium soy (tamari also works) 

RAMEN: 
- package of ramen noodles (make sure they are vegan) 
- tofu (extra firm) 6-8 square slices per bowl 
- sweet chilli sauce (or chilli oil) 
- handful of mushrooms, whatever is in season, cleaned and sliced to bite-size 
- greens - baby bok choy, etc. 
- green onion, sliced 
- any other vegetables you desire 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

BROTH: 

Preheat oven to 450. 

On a baking sheet (line with parchment paper) place onions, garlic, ginger, dried mushrooms, green onions, and then drizzle lightly with olive oil. 

Bake for 10 minutes, then turn oven to broil and bake for 3 or 4 more minutes and then remove from the oven. 

In a large pot, place vegetables, kombu piece and 4 cups of water (or mushroom broth if you have on hand/frozen). 

Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 45minutes to an hour (or more if you have time, and especially if you're going to freeze some). 
 
 
When the broth has finished, scoop or drain out the vegetables, setting the garlic aside, and pouring some of the broth into a blender, and the rest remaining in the stockpot. 

When you can hold the garlic, squeeze out as much as you can into the blender, and then add the miso and Braggs - blending until smooth and creamy. 

And finally pour that back into the rest of the broth and stir to combine. 

The broth is done and can be frozen once cooled at this stage! 

RAMEN: 

While the broth is cooking, brown the tofu. You can either in a fry the slices in a pan with the oil, or you can bake for 20minutes, after rubbing them with the sweet chilli sauce - and set aside. (Chilli sauce is optional, but adds even more flavor). 

When you're ready to eat, boil the ramen noodles in a pot according to the directions, and place the greens and vegetables in with the noodles at the end to cook them. 

Place the noodles into a bowl, and the vegetables on top, then ladle on the broth and top with chopped green onions. 

Jackfruit Carnitas
for Environment 911
April 09, 2021

I’ve been trying out putting jackfruit in tacos for a while now, and have been slowly tweaking the recipes. For this one, I wanted to go more of a crispy carnitas style, instead of the ‘pulled-pork’ type style I usually make, and kick up the spice. 
 
I find that jackfruit holds spice and marinade so well, and while real carnitas take a lot longer to sit and cook, jackfruit you can toss in sprinkle with spice and you’re good!  
 
Top these in tacos however you’d like - I used coleslaw and vegan lime crema. But you don’t even need to make them into tacos. The next time I do it, I’m going to throw them in a salad, and maybe make a breakfast burrito! 
 

Makes Approx. 2 Cups 
 
INGREDIENTS: 
 
- approx. 400g of jackfruit (in water) - drained and pressed 
- 2 tbsp olive oil 
- 4 large cloves of garlic, minced 
- 1 large shallot or small red onion – finely chopped 
- 1 tablespoon chipotle powder  
- 2 teaspoons cumin  
- 1 teaspoon pepper  
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 
- 1 teaspoon chili powder  
- 1 tsp oregano 
- 1 tbsp of Braggs liquid amino (or low sodium soy sauce) 
- ½ tsp brown sugar 
 
 
INSTRUCTIONS: 
 
Cut and breakdown the jackfruit as much as possible. There are a few tough parts that usually need to be chopped. Depending on the brand, some jackfruit may be wetter than others, so you can press it the way you would with tofu. 
 
Mix the brown sugar, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, chilli powder and oregano in a small bowl together. 
 
In a cast iron pan (or other large skillet), heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat. 
 
Sauté the onion or shallot for 2 minutes, before adding the minced garlic, until onions are soft and garlic is fragrant.  
 
Add the jackfruit and the Braggs/soy, and stir to mix with the onion and garlic. Continue to cook for a few minutes to make sure any extra water is evaporating, and then add the 2nd tbsp of olive oil, and sprinkle with the spice/sugar mix, stirring until well coated. 
 
After a minute or two of cooking, and when it seems to be crisping up, taste for seasoning and add more as necessary. 
 
If you really want a bit of extra crisp, and you’re using a cast iron pan, you can broil the mix for a minute or two (or place it on a baking sheet and do the same). 
 
Serve on tacos, or in whatever vessel you like!

Vegan Stroganoff
for Environment911.org
March 12, 2021

Traditional Beef Stroganoff gets a vegan twist with this all-mushroom version of the classic dish

There was a restaurant in my neighborhood that made a Chicken Stroganoff years ago, and I think that was the last time I had Stroganoff. I don’t enjoy beef, and tend to eat vegetarian, but the other day I saw a photo of Stroganoff and thought: I bet I can veganize this.

The results were even better than I imagined. Not only was it quick and super easy, but it was also hearty and filling—and I used a mix of mushrooms that I really enjoyed (I can’t wait to try it with seasonal ones like morels and chanterelles).

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups mushrooms, cleaned, chopped, variety of your choice
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup vegetable stock
- 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp flour
- Fresh thyme (or dried)
- 1/4 cup plain vegan yogurt or sour cream
- Salt and pepper
- 4 oz pasta, your choice, but a wide noodle is best (and make sure it doesn’t contain eggs if you're doing strictly vegan)
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the vegan butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté for a few minutes, then add the garlic, thyme and the mushrooms.
Continue cooking until the mushrooms have softened (5 minutess or more, depending on the type of mushrooms used).

Add the white wine and deglaze the pan, then simmer.
In a bowl, whisk the flour with the stock and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Then add to the skillet gradually, whisking as you go until incorporated, and the sauce begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and let stand for a minute, and then add in the vegan yogurt or sour cream, salt and pepper, cooked pasta and stir together.

Season to taste (add more thyme or salt and pepper if needed), then plate and top with chopped parsley.

Makes 2 servings

Vegan Scallops
for Environment911.org
February 19, 2021

I’ve been wanting to make vegan scallops for a long time, and these turned out excellent. I combined a few recipes that I found online, using different tips and strategies from all of them.
If you’re a big seafood person and eat scallops, these are obviously not going to be exactly like the real deal, but you can enjoy them for what they are—delicious mushroom morsels!

These "scallops" would also be great in a variety of pasta dishes, so research some recipes online and see what you can create for your next Meat Free Monday!

Makes approximately 10 "Scallops"

"SCALLOP" INGREDIENTS

• 3 large king oyster mushrooms

• 3 tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)

• 1 tbsp miso paste

• 1/2 sheet nori

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 1/4 cup dry white wine

• 1 cup vegetable broth

• 2 tbsp vegan butter

• Thyme

PURPLE POTATO PURÉE INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup purple potatoes, peeled and diced into one-inch cubes

• Salt

• Non-dairy milk

• Olive oil or vegan butter

INSTRUCTIONS

For the marinade, heat up the vegetable broth in a shallow pan until hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and add in the soy sauce, nori, olive oil, white wine and miso paste. Stir until the miso is fully dissolved.

Clean off the king oyster mushrooms (I use a mushroom brush), and slice into approximately one-inch thick rounds. You should be able to get 3 to 4 "scallops" out of each mushroom. Discard the caps, or save them to slice up for a mushroom risotto or maybe a breakfast burrito with tofu.

Give the mushrooms a shallow cross-hatch with a sharp knife on each side—this will help them absorb the marinade better.

Put the mushrooms in a wide, container, spacing them evenly, and then pour the marinade over them. Leave them for an hour or two (or longer if you prefer), flipping them over occasionally making sure they’re getting evenly coated.

Heat a pot with slightly salted water and when it comes to a boil, place the cubed potatoes in. Watch while they boil, checking after 5 minutes to see if they can be pierced with a fork easily. It could take up to approximately 8 minutes, depending on the size of the cubes.

Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Add a sprinkle of salt and a splash of non-dairy milk, then begin to mash with a potato masher. Add in some vegan butter or a bit of olive oil and keep mashing.
(You can decide the consistency of the potatoes. I like them lump-free and thicker so they are easier to spread on the plate and the scallops stick to them.)
Salt to taste. Cover, and set aside while making the scallops.

Once your "scallops" are marinated, take a frying pan (I use my cast iron) and place on medium heat. Then add the vegan butter until melted and sizzling, and place the scallops into the pan.
Fry for a few minutes on each side until they are golden.

Prepare plates with a spoonful of potatoes, swirled in an arch (this obviously isn’t necessary, but the presentation points are worth it!).
Place the "scallops" 3 or 4 to a plate and garnish with fresh thyme.