Punch your taste buds in the face with Buffalo Falafel Balls!

Do taste buds have faces? No. However, they will be dancing with joy from the flavor and heat of this radical dish! I found this recipe on a website called http://thugkitchen.com/. A friend of mine, and fellow vegan, directed me to this absolutely hilarious site. The recipes all look fantastic, but it's the commentary that gets me every time. (SIDE NOTE: If you are easily offended by "harsh" language, I suggest you find another recipe site.) As for me, I can't help but laugh when a recipe calls for me to, "mash that s#*t up."

This was a CRAZY easy recipe to make and the results were fantastic. There was so much flavor going on and it kept me full for the rest of the evening. I wanted a little something on the side so I decided to heat up some edamame with a sprinkle of salt on top. I also served the falafel on a slice of bread with some lettuce and carrots. I know not everyone likes hot stuff, but what's nice about this recipe is that you can use whatever kind of hot sauce you want to for your base. If you want something more mild, go for it. If you're like me and you want your lips and tongue tingling for an hour after eating, do it! Without further ado, I give you Buffalo Falafel Balls courtesy of the Thug Kitchen.

FALAFEL:
1/3 pound of cauliflower
1 15oz. can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) - rinsed
1/4 cup of diced onion (I used yellow)
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1 tsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp of all seasoning blend
2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs

Cover a baking pan with aluminium foil, spray with Pam, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Take your cauliflower, dice it up into smaller pieces, and then put it in your food processor. Pulse the cauliflower until it looks like rice.

Drain and rinse your can of chickpeas, pour them in a medium mixing bowl, and mash them up into a paste. I used a potato masher and that seemed to work really well and fast. (I considered just putting them into the food processor with the other ingredients but I was afraid I would have made it too thin, so I just went along with the Thug Kitchen way.)

Dice your onion and garlic into small pieces. (I used the minced garlic in a jar so I skipped that step.) Add the onion, garlic, olive oil, seasoning, breadcrumbs, and cauliflower to the chickpea paste and mix it all together.

Once everything is mixed, you can begin making them into balls. (If your mixture is still a little dry, just add some water. I didn't have any issues though.) You want to make them a little bigger than a ping pong ball. By doing so, you should end up with 12 or 13.

Put them on the baking pan and put them in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, making sure to flip them over half way through.

While those are baking, you can start making the sauce.

SAUCE:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of flour (I used whole wheat)
1 cup of your favorite hot sauce (I used Frank's - not my all time favorite but in my top 5)
1/4 cup of water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Take a sauce pan and set it on medium low heat. Pour in your 2 tablespoons of olive oil and flour. Mix this together until the flour turns a light brown color and starts to smell like it's toasted. (You'll want to see a few bubbles forming to know when it's hot.)

Add half of the hot sauce and stir it up until it's mixed. Then add your water, vinegar, and the remaining hot sauce. Stir until heated throughout and then remove from heat.

When the falafel are done baking and are to your liking, push them all to the center and pour 3/4 of the sauce over the falafel balls. Put them back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes so they absorb the sauce. When they're done, take them out and pour the remaining sauce over them.

Voila! You have a phenomenal dish that will kick your taste buds in the booty! I hope you all dig this as much as I did!

Be kind and enjoy the day, friends!

-Bearded Vegan

You say, "Jerk Seitan Sloppy Joes." I say, "Hail Seitan!"

As the October days get colder, I find myself wanting comfort food; the kind that keeps me warm and puts a smile on my face. Sloppy Joes just happen to be one of those foods for me (alongside tomato soup, grilled cheese [working on a vegan version of this], and chili). While browsing the Post Punk Kitchen website, I came across this wonderful  Sloppy Joe recipe. The meat substitute in this dish is called seitan (pronounced "say-tan"). It's sometimes called "wheat meat" because it is made from wheat gluten. It's made by washing wheat flour dough with water. This eliminates the starches, resulting in a dense gluten product. From here, you can cut it up, bake it, fry it, whatever you want! I had never had seitan before, so I was very eager to try it out. Having experienced it now, I can honestly say that it is absolutely delicious and one of my favorite "meat" substitutes, as you can see by the picture. (This is my new vegan hoodie I purchased from an online store.)

Now, when I say meat substitute, I simply mean something that can replace the meat aspect in a dish or
give a dish a more "full" appearance or feeling. I don't want to give the impression that I was craving meat or needed a dish to replicate that feeling of eating meat. Suzanne and I have been incredibly content and happy since giving up meat and other animal based products. It's just fun seeing how we can re-vamp traditional meat based dishes into a creative vegan dish.

Now, back to those tasty sloppy joes. These things were crazy good, and Suzanne even made homemade wheat buns to go along with them. The original recipe called for coconut creamed spinach but Suzanne and I decided to forego that part of the dish. We like Spinach and coconut, but we just weren't in the mood for it. You can find the recipe at the link below. (I would type it out, but I'm pressed for time and I have some catching up to do on the blog!)

http://www.theppk.com/2012/04/jerk-sloppy-joes-with-coconut-creamed-spinach/

So, Suzanne and I have been vegans for a little over three weeks now, and we're absolutely loving it. To be honest, if you would have asked me several years ago about going vegan, I would have said, "Pfffft, man, I just don't think I could do it." The reasons behind that response would include laziness and the ridiculous idea that my body "needs" meat in order to sustain itself. This experience has been very enlightening for me. It has opened my mind to alternative methods of nourishment and sustenance while maintaining a healthy approach. Not only has my health improved, but this dietary change has also brought my wife and I closer together. Since we can't have "lazy" nights that include ordering pizza and wings, we end up spending time together in the kitchen; cooking and laughing, and then being rewarded with a beautiful supper. It's just nice knowing that the food we make and eat is nourishing our bodies and the experience of making it is nourishing our souls. In one of my earlier blogs I mentioned that Suzanne and I would be doing this for the month of October. Now, things are starting to look a little more permanent. I can't say that I know we'll eat vegan forever, but as of right now, this has been a special change for us and I don't see us changing it anytime soon.

While eating vegan has brought forth a plethora of positive changes in our life, there has been one change that could be seen as negative. If you HATE doing dishes, you might struggle with all the required cooking :P

To some, this may look like a mess or a chore. To me, I see a night well spent and a fridge full of wicked good food. Have a great day everyone!

-Bearded Vegan

Mango Fried Rice For Everyone!

So, I've discovered that I really enjoy cooking Asian dishes. I'm not entirely sure what it is about making them that I enjoy so much (it might have something to do with the flavors), but my experiences and yielded results thus far have been excellent.

I decided to try my hand at this Mango Fried Rice recipe I found on the Post Punk Kitchen website. It was considerably easy to make, however, I was unaware of just HOW MUCH this recipe made. When I say "Mango Fried Rice For Everyone," I mean it. This recipe made about 6 to 8 servings, so you'll have plenty to go around if you decided to take this one on.

The dish was absolutely delicious. What Suzanne and I found so incredible about it was that we could honestly taste every single ingredient in the dish. It was sweet, savory, filling, and full of flavor. Another highly recommended dish for those of you who want a wicked awesome Asian dish.

THE RICE:
(RECIPE NOTE: To make this work really well, you need to cook the rice, cool it, and then add it into the pot with the other ingredients. By using cold rice, it prevents it from getting mushy and sticking together when heating it again later.)

• The Recipe calls for 6 cups of Jasmine rice.
• Boil 9 cups of water in a large pot. Once it begins boiling, add in your rice, lower the heat a little, and stir the rice occasionally.
• Once the rice is done, I covered a baking pan in parchment paper, dumped the rice on the pan, and set it in the freezer while I prepared everything else.

PREPPING THE OTHER INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Tablespoons of oil (divided)
• 3/4 cup of roasted cashews
• 6 oz of green beans (I used organic frozen green beans)
• 1 medium red onion
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon of minced ginger
• 2 teaspoons of crushed coriander seed (I used a rolling pin)
• 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
• 3 Tablespoons of Tamari Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon of Sriracha hot sauce
• 1 tomato cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 mangos (I used a can of diced mangos however, I want to try using frozen mangos next time [more flavor] or substituting pineapple for the mango.)
• Basil leaves
• 2 Tablespoons of lime juice

(RECIPE NOTE: You will want to use a LARGE wok or pot for this recipe.)

First, preheat a pan to medium high heat. Once the pan is heated, drizzle one Tablespoon of oil into the pan and drop in your green beans. (I heated my green beans first but if you use fresh green beans you can skip that step :P) You want to sear the green beans, so shuffle them around for about 3 to 5 minutes. Once they are done, you can throw them in a bowl and set them aside.

Add another Tablespoon of oil into your pan and put in your diced onions with a dash of salt. Shuffle them around until they are lightly browned but still firm (about 3 minutes). Then add in your 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 Tablespoon of minced ginger, 2 teaspoons of crushed coriander, and 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes. Toss this all together for about 30 seconds.

Take your rice out of your freezer. Add 1 Tablespoon of oil to the pot with the onions and spices and then add in half of your rice. Stir this around until the rice is covered. Add the remaining rice (I also added one more tablespoon of oil) and stir until the rice is covered. Let this cook for about 3 minutes.

Add your Tamari sauce, Sriracha, and tomato and toss until the sauces and tomato are worked in. Cook for another 3 minutes.

Lastly, add the green beans, cashews, mango slices, basil, and lime juice. Cook until everything is heated through. You can taste and add the desired amount of salt.

Boom dizzle...you have some tasty Mango Fried Rice!

SIDE NOTE: As you may already know, I like spicy food. So, I had the bottle of Sriracha sitting next to my bowl for added heat and flavor. I highly recommend it!

Hope all is well friends! Take care and stay warm!

-Bearded Vegan

Eggless Egg Salad, Hoppin' Habanero Vegan Chili, & Everyday Pad Thai part II!

Hello friends! Sorry for the absence of posts over the last few days. My students just turned in their latest paper assignment and I've been busy grading. Despite the heap of papers that have been keeping me busy, I have still been able to eat some incredibly delicious dishes! (As you can see in the picture.)

This is me enjoying an Eggless Egg salad sandwich! I remember the first time I ever had Eggless Egg Salad. I was living in Grand Forks, North Dakota and working on my Masters of English at UND. I had just finished a movie at the East Grand Forks theater and was riding my bike back home when my stomach started grumbling like mad crazy. I stopped at Amazing Grains, the local co-op, walked to the back of the shop and saw a nicely wrapped Eggless Egg Salad sandwich. I was very curious and very hungry, so I bought it. I made myself comfortable outside and took my first bite. It was absolutely delicious and I had no idea that tofu could taste so good! Eventually, I met Suzanne and I introduced her to the sandwich. She loved it, and being the amazing chef that she is, she tried her hand at the recipe. What she has developed is a drool inducing recipe. I unfortunately do not have it, but you can find it on her blog, http://whereitvegan.blogspot.com/.

Suzanne also made two batches of chili this past week. I have been blessed with an incredible wife who not only loves me, but also knows how to get my taste buds going crazy. I like spicy dishes and Suzanne made me my very own pot of Habanero Vegan Chili. This stuff blew me away. It packed some major heat, major flavor, and kept me warm during the chilly fall days.

The side dish is a little cup of eggplant hummus; another Suzanne Pastrano original, to go with the pita chips on my plate.

Again, I can't stress how fortunate I am to have married such an amazing woman. Suzanne has been such a great team mate during this new change in our lives. She's encouraging, inspiring, and so supportive. This whole experience has been incredible and I wouldn't want any other person by my side.

Wednesday was kind of a rough day. The work day was long and I was just beat. Typically, I wouldn't have wanted to cook a meal, however, this new dietary change has shifted my perspective. Cooking has become more of a cathartic experience rather than a chore. Although it's work, I see it as an enjoyable form of work in which I can channel my concentration and release my stresses of the day.

Suzanne had requested the Everyday Pad Thai again because it's just that good. I got all of the ingredients ready and she helped me prepare the dish. This was our Take 2 of Everyday Pad Thai. Everything was the same for the most part. The only new addition was the sliced jalapeño for some added heat.

This dish was just as good the second time around and I'm sure it will become a staple in our household.
You can find the recipe for this dish on my post titled "Everyday Pad Thai."




When I got home Friday evening, I decided to kick off my weekend with a nice walk in the brisk fall weather. I packed my tobacco pipe, put on my favorite hoodie, threw on a stocking cap, and hit the sidewalks. I came across this during my walk and decided to snap a photo.

Feeling blessed to live and breath during these beautiful fall days. Hope all is well, friends!

-Bearded Vegan

Spaghetti with Lentil "Meat Balls!"

Suzanne and I were invited to a friend's birthday party this past weekend and we saw it as an opportunity to 1. create a new dish and 2. put some vegan stereotypes to rest. My friend's father had planned an Italian themed dinner, and since most Italian dishes are laden with meat, Suzanne and I offered to bring a dish for ourselves and to share if anyone was interested. What we ended up bringing to the party was Spaghetti with Lentil "Meat Balls."

Before I talk about the recipe, I wanted to talk a little about stereotypes. I feel like our society has developed some unfair stereotypes of veganism. I can't help but notice that whenever I mention the word vegan or say that a dish is vegan, people grimace, as if the food I eat has absolutely no flavor; which is absolutely contrary. I also hear the question, "How do you live without eating meat?" The answer is simple. I live quite well.

Making this dietary transition has opened my eyes to some unfair treatment and preconceived notions about only eating fruits, vegetables, and other organic foods. Now, I'm not trying to turn this into a pity party or anything, I'm only suggesting that we, as a society, try to open our minds to diverse dietary habits. Rather than saying, "Ughhh, what the heck?" when someone says they are vegan, why not say, "Interesting. What is that like for you?" It seems as if corporate organizations and certain societal fads have somehow trained us to think that any food associated with words like "health" or "Vegan" or even "vegetarian" are gross, bland, or too much work to make. What I propose is this: try living life by the famous phrase, "Don't knock it 'til you try it." Not only will it open you up to a multitude of new experiences, which will elicit growth, but it will also develop a deeper state of understanding and acceptance of diversity. With that being said, I give you Spaghetti with Lentil "Meat Balls."

NOODLES:
Super simple. Grab whatever noodles you want (we used gluten free wheat noodles) and boil them in a pot.

PASTA SAUCE:
1 large can of diced tomotoes
1 TBL spoon tomato paste
1/2 tsp of garlic
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of basil
3 TBL spoons of sugar

Put these ingredients in a pot and let it simmer, stirring occasionally.

LENTIL "MEAT BALLS":
1 clove of garlic
1 red onion (about the size of a tangerine)
1 and a half cups of cooked green lentils
3 TBL spoons of nutritional yeast
2 TBL spoons vital wheat gluten flour
2 TBL spoons of soy sauce
1 TBL spoon of tomato paste
1 tsp olive oil
2 TBL spoons of water
1/2 cup of bread crumbs

Dice the onion and garlic. Put them in a food processor, making sure that they are minced (you don't want any big pieces because then your "meat balls" won't stay together very well).

Once they are minced, use a spoon or spatula and transfer the onion and garlic to a bowl. Next, put the remaining ingredients into the processor, EXCEPT FOR THE BREAD CRUMBS, and pulse them until they are a smooth texture, almost like a paste.

Combine this mixture with the onion/garlic mixture and then add in your breadcrumbs. Mix these all together with your hands for about 2 minutes or until everything is mixed really well.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grab a frying pan. toss in some oil and set the heat to medium. Begin rolling the past into your "meat balls" (this recipe made about 30 or so). I would suggest cooking about 7 or 8 at a time to help reduce crowding in the pan. Place your "meat balls" into the pan once it's heated and brown them for about 5 minutes. Once they are done, transfer them from the pan onto a covered baking sheet. Place them in the oven and let them back for about 20 minutes. Be sure to toss them around periodically to make sure that all sides get browned and baked.

That's pretty much it! Once everything is done, just combine your ingredients and enjoy!

I hope all is well out there!

-Bearded Vegan

Vegan Pizza with Jalapeño Barbecue Tempeh!

Since it's October and I absolutely love Halloween and all things related to horror, I decided that I wanted to experiment and create my own Frankenstein vegan dish. What resulted was a delicious vegan pizza that filled our bellies.

You may be asking yourself, "What the heck is tempeh?" Tempeh is a food product that originated in Indonesia. It is a soy product that is made through a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans together. It is often times used as a meat substitute for vegetarian and vegan dishes, giving whatever dish it is added to that "filling" feeling.

The pizza was actually pretty easy to make. Suzanne was in charge of the pizza sauce and dough (she found a nice recipe online that called for wheat flour and other vegan ingredients).

I was responsible for cooking the tempeh and preparing the "cheese." For the tempeh, I steamed it for about 10 minutes by pouring some water in a pan, placing the sliced tempeh in the pan, and covering it.

(When you steam the tempeh you are making it easier for it to absorb the spices and other flavors that you cook it with.)

When the tempeh was done, I drained it, put it back into the pan, and poured in the jalapeño barbecue sauce I had purchased. I also added some sautéed red onions for additional flavor. I cooked this all together for about 10 minutes - until everything was heated throughout.

When the tempeh and onions were done, we covered the dough with Suzanne's rocking sauce, spread out the barbecued tempeh and onions, and then topped it off with our "cheese." For the cheese, we used a product called Teese, a soy based cheese product that resembles mozzarella. We placed the pizza in the oven for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. When the 15 minutes were up, we cranked up the heat to 450 degrees for 3 minutes (as recommend on the Teese packaging) to get the Teese to melt even more.

Overall, we thought the pizza was delicious. I thought that the tempeh had some great flavor but the texture was something to get used to for me. The more I ate, the more I enjoyed it. While the Teese tasted good on the pizza, one of its ingredients was coconut oil, which was very present in its flavor. Our final consensus was that we would probably omit the Teese the next time we make the pizza. Like I said, it still tasted good, but the coconut flavor just didn't really jive with us on that particular pizza.

All in all, the Frankenstein vegan pizza was a success!

-Bearded Vegan

Everyday Pad Thai!

I know Suzanne and I haven't even been doing this for a week, but this is my favorite recipe thus far. I now know why the recipe is called "Everyday Pad Thai." It's because I want to eat it EVERY FRICKIN DAY. This dish is absolutely amazing. If you want to take a crack at this, something I highly recommend, check out the recipe below.

First, you can prepare the sauce. It's easy to make and you won't need it until the end so it's easier if you make it at the beginning and set it aside.







SAUCE:
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 table spoons soy sauce
2 table spoons sriracha sauce
2 table spoons mellow white miso
6 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Mix these ingredients in a small bowl. Make sure that it takes on a smooth consistency. Once done, set it aside to add later.

NOODLES:
Begin to boil some water for your pad thai noodles. These noodles require a little extra attention. Once your water is at a boil, dump in your noodles, remove the pot from the heat source, and let them sit for 5 to 7 minutes or until soft. Once done, drain the noodles and immediately rinse them in cold water.

TOFU:
Take a pan (one big enough to eventually contain all of your ingredients) and set it to a high heat. Once at high heat, drizzle some olive oil into the pan. Take 14oz of tofu, diced into cubes, and throw them into the pan (they should sizzle immediately) and season with some salt. You want to brown the tofu, so get your best spatula and move it around in the pan making sure that it browns nicely (this should take about 5 minutes). Once done, put the tofu on a plate or in a bowl and cover with foil.

VEGETABLES:
Cut up 4 cups of broccoli florettes and some thinly sliced stems and place them in the pan (it should still be set at a high heat and you may need to add a little more oil). Cover the broccoli while it's cooking so it cooks faster and remove when you stir them around. This should take about 5 minutes. You want the broccoli to be lightly charred in some places. Once done, remove from the pan, place them in a bowl, and cover it with foil.

Next, turn the heat down to medium and put 4 cloves of minced garlic into the pan (again, you may need to add a little more oil depending on how much is left in your pan). Stir this around for about 15 seconds or until the garlic starts to brown. Next, toss in one cup of chopped cilantro. Stir this around until the greens start to wilt.

Pour in half of your sauce and stir it around, making sure that it is getting heated throughout.

Next, pour in your noodles and toss them around to coat.

Dump in your tofu, broccoli, 4oz of bean sprouts, and remaining sauce and stir until covered.

When done, serve with a lime wedge and roasted peanuts on top.

BOOM DIZZLE! You have some pad thai that you will want to eat every single day of the week!

While I was making the pad thai I was listening to an awesome local band called Amos Slade (check them out if you haven't already - https://www.facebook.com/Amosslade) and for dessert I had carob covered raisins. Delicious!

Today was an amazing day and I hope ya'll were diggin it as much as I was. Take care and have a great night!

-Bearded Vegan

*Special thanks to the folks at The Post Punk Kitchen. This recipe came from them and after tasting the results, we'll definitely be checking out more of their stuff. http://www.theppk.com/