Super Green Collard Wraps with Creamy Avocado Sauce

These wraps were so tasty I nearly ate them before I could take the picture!  With the kale and collard leaves, these little guys are also a double whammy for your greens quota. They are filling and delicious, and easily packed side by side for sharing with pals or taking as a super healthy meal on-the-fly.

You will need:

A bunch of whole collard green leaves, the bigger the better!

Sauce:

2 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp tamari

1 small organic avocado, ripe

1 small clove of garlic, minced

juice of half a lemon

salt and pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Filling:

cook 1 cup of brown shortgrain rice

3 green onions, chopped

3 big kale leaves, sliced thin

1/2 tomato

sprouts

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Method:

Combine all the sauce ingredients together and mash well with a fork (it looks like pond sludge, but trust me).  Add the green onions and kale to the hot cooked rice, and cover, steaming for a few minutes. When the kale is bright green, add the tomatoes, pumpkin seeds and sauce, and mix well.  The mixture should form a paste-like texture. Add another small dose of tamari if it seems more moisture is needed.

Scoop about 1/3 cup of filling onto the middle of flat, dry collard leaves, and add some sprouts.  Tuck the bottom in and fold the sides to make a nice tight little bundle of yumminess!

~The Vegan Project

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BLT w/ Creamy Mustard-Dill Sauce and Homemade Curly Fries

As far as the fake meat debate goes, I’m skeptical. The long list of suspicious ingredients in the super-processed wannabes makes me nervous.  So, you’re not going to find any ‘facon’ in this BLT!  It’s made with beets, which, when fried, take on a crispy/chewy balance that resembles bacon in a non-creepy fashion.

The curly fries, another superb product of the ‘Spirooli’ (the potato can be sliced if you don’t have a Spirooli), together with the BLT, make a casual and satisfying comfort meal that would rival your favourite café anyday!

Ingredients for two sandwiches:

1 large red beet

4 leaves of green leaf lettuce

4 slices of your favorite bread

1 large roma tomato, sliced

2 tbsp Vegenaise

4 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1-2 potatoes

fresh cracked salt and pepper

Method:

Using a potato peeler, peel slices of beet the length of bacon strips and fry them in oil at medium heat with salt and pepper, turning often until slightly crispy on the outside.  In a separate small bowl, combine Veganaise, mustard and dill, and stir together.  Spread an ample amount of mustard sauce on both slices of bread (I warmed the bread first), and add the beet, lettuce and tomato.

Fry potatoes in oil for about 10-12 minutes at medium-high heat until desired crispiness is obtained.

Serve with sauce on the side for dipping, and your favorite vegan beer for that authentic comfort-food, warm belly feel.

~The Vegan Project

 

 

 

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Open-faced Creamy Bacon and Tomato Mushroom Melt over Toasted Ancient Grain Bread

This hearty open faced sandwich is perfect for brunch or even a light supper. The creamy, cheesy mushroom sauce is savoury and comforting, and is a perfect counterpoint to the bright and fresh tomatoes and smoky tempeh bacon. Putting the salt and pepper directly on the tomatoes brings out their lovely, rich flavour.

Ingredients:

1 firm ripe organic roma tomato

1 cup sliced mushrooms

6 slices Turtle Island Foods Smokey Bacon Tempeh

Two thick slices organic Ancient Grain (whole grain) bread

1 heaving tablespoon Asano Miso

1 tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Buttery sticks (vegan butter)

Handful of Daiya cheddar shreds

1 tbsp minced garlic

A splash or two of almond milk

Salt and Pepper

Method:

Melt earth balance in a pan on high heat. Add chopped mushrooms and brown til golden.

Turn pan to medium heat and add garlic. Sweat garlic and mushrooms for 2 minutes.

Mix in miso and Daiya shreds. Add a splash of almond milk to bring the sauce together. Turn down to low heat let sauce thicken, stirring occasionally.

Toast bread in toaster.

Brown tempeh in non-stick pan.

Slice tomato and place on toast. Salt and pepper the tomato slices to taste.

Place tempeh on tomato slices.

Smother entire sandwich with the creamy mushroom sauce.

Enjoy!

*Courtesy of Jenny Duffy

~The Vegan Project

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Western Wrap- Low Carb!

There are these wraps that I came across at IGA that are low carb (made for the Atkin’s Diet) and are high in fibre and only 130 calories per wrap.  Pretty good stats by my standards.  They are the Smart and Delicious line made by La Tortilla, based in Santa Rosa, California.  I like smart and delicious things. How could I go wrong?  This particular flavour does contain wheat and soy however they also make a gluten-free strain as well.

In the wrap:

Three slices of veggie deli slices cut into strips

1/2 green pepper cut into strips

1-2 mushrooms sliced into strips (fresh or marinated)

Vegenaise

Hot sauce

Lettuce

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Between Two Slices – Veggie Ham Baguette & The Fake Meat Debate

While eating fake ‘meat’ is not something I like to do often because it is highly processed and full of sodium, once in a while it provides a really convenient dose of protein and tastes dang good.

There’s also the ongoing debate as to whether a person that doesn’t eat meat should be eating or condoning mock versions.  I, Bridget, don’t have a problem with it at all.  In fact, I’m not even really against eating meat.  My vegan stance is more of a rebellion against my society’s means of food production, a quest for optimum health and trying to minimize my carbon footprint.  I realize that I may have opened the floodgates on this one and to that I say…yippee! I really want you guys to let us know how you feel about the great ‘meat’ debate.  And if you’re for it, try this sandwich.

Veggie Ham Baguette:

1 demi baguette of your choice

3 slices of veggie ham cut into strips

Half an avocado

A generous smear of Vegenaise

Dijon mustard

A few shakes of Trader Joe’s 21 Salute spice mix

Enjoy!

~The Vegan Project

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Super Seaweed

Because of the inflammatory properties of wheat and their link to muscle soreness and back pain, I was searching out alternatives a couple years ago and discovered the revolutionary Nori Wrap.  If you’ve ever eaten sushi, you’ve likely already sampled Nori, a yummy seaweed sheet commonly wrapped around the rice and goodies to form your roll.

Nori is inexpensive, nutritious, and available at most supermarkets.  Aside from its obvious use in sushi, you can also use nori in place of tortillas for flavorful veggie wraps.  I like to prep all the fillings and leave them in the fridge so I can pack a quick wrap at my leisure.

The benefits of seaweed, or more poetically, sea vegetables, have been explored and celebrated by various cultures for thousands of years.  Residents of Greece, China, Japan, and Hawaii (to name a few) collected algae, and even created farms to produce different, nutritious sea veggies used in an array of cuisines and medicines.

Seaweeds are considered a super food.  They provide essential human minerals, including calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium and iron, especially imperative for active individuals who sweat regularly.  A well-rounded profile of vitamins can also be found in sufficient amounts, including B1, B2, B6, niacin, folic acid and Vitamin A, in the form of beta-carotene.  Among many benefits, sea vegetables provide excellent detoxification, promote healthy hair and skin, and also boost immunity.

Now that you know how great plants from the sea can be, here’s a simple and delicious Nori Wrap recipe:

You will need…

Nori sheets

1 Bunch of collard greens, steamed

Cooked brown rice

Avocado

Sprouts

Amy’s Green Goddess Dressing (or dressing of your choice)

And of course any other veggies you feel like throwing in!

Place a sheet of nori on a dry surface and add a warm, steamed collard green leaf.  On top of the leaf, add brown rice, avocado and sprouts, and top with Amy’s Goddess Dressing and a dash of salt and pepper.  Roll into a cone and enjoy as a quick and energetic lunch or snack.

~The Vegan Project

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Between Two Slices: Vegan Mischief’s Tofu ‘Chicken’ Salad

The lovely and talented ladies at Vegan Mischief contacted us the other day to share this delicious looking sandwich with us.  The founders, Kaylie and Malloreigh, are a wealth of vegan knowledge, creative food ideas and they go on the road!  They offer recipe development, personal chef, and in-home dinner party services.  We are looking forward to having them cook a meal for us in the near future…wanna come?

And now without further adieu, another masterpiece between two slices…

TOFU “CHICKEN” SALAD

1/2 block firm tofu, pressed, and cut into li’l cubes

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp mustard (go for the dijon)

1 tbsp total chicken spices – try marjoram, sage, rosemary – I like dill

Salt & Pepper

Toss your tofu cubes in the rest of the ingredients listed. Now that the tofu is marinating, preheat your oven to 250 F.

Spread your tofu out on a baking pan (make sure nothing’s piled up or touching) and bake 10 minutes. Take it out, toss it, put it back in for another 7 minutes. Repeat this process once more. You’re trying to get a golden finish on most edges of the tofu.

You could probably also fry it if you wanted to save time but I bake it.

In a small bowl, combine:

1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise (I prefer Vegenaise – in a pinch, use silken tofu)

1 stick celery, chopped

1 – 2 dill pickles, diced

1 – 2 tbsp capers (optional)

1 tbsp dill pickle juice or caper juice from the jar

1 – 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

Salt & pepper

Add the tofu to this mixture and toss it together. Let it sit, covered, in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

Thanks Vegan Mischief!

~The Vegan Project

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Between Two Slices: Smoked Tofu & Avocado

We here at The Vegan Project believe in sandwiches.  We love the individuality that can be expressed through this seemingly simple medium.  To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I’ve ever made a bad sandwich. Nope.  Here is my latest creation and first addition to our sandwich series, ‘Between Two Slices’.

2 slices of Silver Hills sprouted grain bread

1 fat slice of smoked tofu

1/2 an avocado

veganaise

dijon mustard

5 smashed black olives

lettuce

Frank’s Red Hot

black pepper

Pan fry the smoked tofu on both sides till crispy, but still soft in the centre.  Spread veganaise on one side and place smashed olives on top.  Spread the avocado on the other side and some dijon mustard.  Lettuce on top of mustard, tofu on top of lettuce, shake on that Frank’s and sprinkle with pepper.  Smack the two sides together for a dose of magic, ‘Between two Slices’.

Share a sandwich with us.  Email your latest creation to meetus@theveganproject.ca along with a photo and we’ll pay homage to its greatness.

~The Vegan Project

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Five Spice Lettuce Wraps

I’ve been wanting to make some lettuce wraps ever since Janine shared her recipe with us from her vegan week.  Then last weekend I attended an event where there were lettuce wraps served (which were OK), and that sealed the deal that I must create my own version. The five spice really makes these lettuce wraps make you go mmm! Use conservatively as it is pretty potent.

The ‘Meat’:

1 package of Yves Veggie Ground (chicken flavour)

1 tablespoon safflower oil

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chinese five spice powder (star anise, cinnamon, cloves, szechuan pepper and fennel)

1 teaspoon tamari

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

Black pepper to taste

Sautee onions and garlic in oil on medium heat first till they get a bit a colour.  Then add the Yves, five spice, tamari and pepper.  Add the minced ginger towards the end to keep its fresh flavour.

Condiments:

Diced cucumber

Shredded carrot

Sliced green onions

Head of lettuce

Combined with the tropical flavours of Pineapple-Sage Salsa , topped with fresh condiments and rolled in a crisp lettuce leaf makes this meat-free alternative a deliciously light summer meal.  I’m personally not a fan of hoisin sauce, but i’m sure it would compliment these nicely.

~The Vegan Project

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LASAGNA SANDWICH!!!

So, the other day I was busy puttering around the house, blogging, stuff like that.  It was time for lunch and my cupboards seemed bare. After rummaging around using leftover, maybe stale goods from the back of my pantry I created something out of nothing.  And that something wand dang good!  I will describe the following steps loosely as the end result was so magnificent that it may debut on the Vancouver street scene soon enough…so…i wanna keep it a secret for now

Dried parsley on Noodle Bake, 8 x 4 x 2 1/2 in, 2010

It started with a weird little noodle bake/lasagna thing I made (this is the part that is top secret) But, you get the idea…sauce, noodles, vegan cheese (Daiya is my fave).  You may or may not want to add a lame parsley design on top…?

Take any two pieces of bread (This recipe for Rosemary focaccia made it extra special)

Smear a piece of lasagna on one side.  Add a few pieces of lettuce*.  Thank you to SOLEfood for the extra awesome green leaf!

*Adding the lettuce makes it feel like it’s not just noodles in bread and gives a crunch and freshness.  Because let’s face it, that’s exactly what it is but it’s sooo good!

The Pièce de Résistance!

This is a fun and exciting snack that is super flavourful and filling!  Wrapped in tinfoil, they travel well too!  I have been making variations of this treat since I was young.  My favourite was Chef Boyardee ravioli squished between two pieces of Wonderbread with butter on it, sans lettuce. Oh how things have changed!

We here at The Vegan Project are wondering what you think about this latest creation.  Give it a try, or maybe you already have?  Is the Lasagna Sandwich something you would like to have access to on a regular basis? Let us know!

~The Vegan Project

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