A Vegan Roll Date Night

Growing up in the Midwest, I couldn't get any farther from an ocean if I tried. Because of my landlocked upbringing, my exposure to seafood was somewhat limited. I discovered sushi rolls by accident one night in college. A group of friends and I went to a Japanese restaurant with the sole purpose of consuming half-priced sake bombs (you know - sake, sake, sake BOMB!). This chance encounter was the beginning of a very sweet love affair with these delectable rolls. Since then, I have tried every type of roll under the sun - eel, squid, octopus, salmon roe, sea urchin, you name it.

You know what I find really irritating? If you order a veggie sushi roll at a restaurant, it costs just as much as one with seafood in it. That really irks me. So, Jason and I decided to make our own at home - what a fun date night!

Can you tell which ones Jason rolled? :)

Sushi Sticky Rice

Step 1: Pour 2 cups of brown basmati rice into a rice cooker with 2 cups of water.

Step 2: Microwave 2 tbsp rice vinegar + 1 tbsp sugar + 1 tsp salt for 30 seconds.

Step 3: Pour vinegar mixture over warm cooked rice.

Step 4: Let rice cool.

Assemble Your Rolls

Nori (seaweed). Rice. Toasted sesame seeds. Avocado. Tofu. Cucumber. Carrots. Bean spouts. Soy sauce. Wasabi. Pickled ginger.

Turned out better than any restaurant version of veggie sushi I've had.

Restaurant Review (Vegan Perspective): Blue Koi

Blue Koi. 10581 Mission Road. Leawood. KS. 

I wish that every restaurant had a tablet device attached to the table that allowed you to place your order and send the instructions straight back to the chef. I know I’m weird, but I absolutely hate giving waiters special instructions for my meal. I just get awkward. It’s like I don’t want to inconvenience the waiter or the chef. If I could simply type my order and text it back to the kitchen without any human interaction, I’d be in heaven.

In the IT world, I see jobs become obsolete everyday due to technology. It's only a matter of time before we completely eliminate the need for wait staff. I, for one, am totally fine and in complete support of my food being delivered via conveyor belt. 

Becoming vegan has made my interactions with waiters much more frequent, much longer in duration, and much more awkward. I usually spend a good couple of minutes discussing items on the menu before I even place my order. What has dairy in it, what is cooked in butter, can you remove the cheese from that dish or is it already mixed in, is there egg in the batter? And so on.

Hands down, the best restaurant experience I have had on this journey was this week at Blue Koi. Jason and I went with my brother and sister-in-law, professional Blue Koi diners and avid meat eaters. Blue Koi is NOT a vegetarian or a vegan restaurant, it simply caters to all guests no matter their dietary preferences. Many of the items on the menu are vegan (bubble tea is made with non-dairy milk), but my waiter assured me that EVERYTHING on the menu could be easily tweaked to fit my needs.

taro and coconut bubble tea

My sister-in-law and I had never had bubble tea and were anxious to try it. Our waiter recommended a combination of taro and coconut (this was not on the menu) since I told him I wanted something that was not too sweet. It was the perfect combination. I'm still unsure as to how you're supposed to really consume the bubble part - chew them or swallow them whole? I did a little of both, again, slightly awkward, but it was a fun experience.

We ordered the spicy chili pepper wontons as an appetizer per Bro and SIL's request. They typically order the wontons with a meat filling, but were very pleased with the vegan version. Tons of flavor, some heat, and a delicious sauce that we found out you can also buy on its own (I'm not sure if the restaurant officially sells it, or if our waiter was just willing to hook us up under the table).

spicy chili pepper wontons (boiled & vegetarian)

Although I ordered the Ants on a Tree, I ended up eating the tofu with black bean sauce entree. I sampled the Ants on a Tree, which was delicious, but was not in the mood for so many noodles. Confession: When I can't decide which entree I want, I convince Jason to order the other. Then, when both entrees come out, I determine which one looks most appealing and take that one. Jason obviously earns extra gentleman points for putting up with this behavior. Thank goodness he is so easygoing. 

tofu with black bean sauce & rice

Ants on a Tree

No feta needed

I'll admit it, I have a problem. I go from having extreme interest in something to having zero interest at all, without any warning. I’m sure there’s a clinical diagnosis, but at this point I will accept the fact that I’m strange and move on.

Much to Mom’s chagrin, she was all too familiar with this trend when I was growing up. I used to beg her for the latest and greatest arts and crafts kits. I pleaded and assured her I was seriously dedicated this time around. I had a long list of craft kits which included a jewelry bead maker, pot holder maker, and intricate ocean scene cross-stich kit. Each time, I committed myself to the craft and worked tirelessly – staying up late every night for about a week. Then, I was done. Never to see the craft completed to fruition.

This fluctuation in interests did not just occur with arts and crafts, it was anything. Books. One summer after fourth grade, I read 87 Babysitters Club books then stopped cold turkey. Television. I watched seven seasons of the show 24 and stopped three episodes short of the series finale. Food. I excessively consumed each one of these foods at a point in time: asparagus, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, rotisserie chicken, hummus, fried rice, quesadillas, and Panera’s Greek salad.

It had been a long time since my last Greek salad binge, and it was starting to sound good again. But how would I be able to eat a Greek salad without the best part – feta cheese? Lo and behold, I found a vegan-friendly substitute. One set of ingredients, two options – salad or wrap.

Combine: 1 package of firm tofu (cubed), the juice from 1 lemon, 1 tsp dried basil, and 1 tsp dried parsley in a bowl and set aside. 

Gather the rest of your ingredients: greens, chopped tomato, chopped onion, chopped cucumber, kalamata olives, quartered artichoke hearts (I use the ones that are not in oil), dressing of your choice (light Italian for me), hummus (if making a wrap). 

Assemble salad (G style).

Assemble wrap (J style).

How will you survive???

Since becoming vegan I have gotten a lot of questions like, "No meat?!? What do you eat???" The first week of the vegan journey, I really didn't have an answer. I had done plenty of research, but in reality I had no clue how I would keep myself alive, or what I would be consuming...3 meals a day...21 meals a week...bean burritos? It's funny now because that is what Jason ate for an entire week. What a disaster. I don't recommend living exclusively on bean burritos. #beanlife

As I have continued to learn on this journey, I still find that question hard to answer but for a different reason. There's an endless amount of things I can eat, and I have only begun to scratch the surface. Every time I go to the market I see a new food I have never tried, or a new spice combination to play with. I can eat most typical American dishes with minor substitutes or tweaks to the recipe. Another bonus I have found is that being vegan has sparked my creative side. Until now, I had not consider myself a creative person (thought my brothers got those genes).

This weekend I made my own version of a veggie lasagna. I...am at a loss for how good it was. It was unreal. I have not had a lot of experience cooking with or eating tofu, and honestly, it still creeps me out a little bit. But it was absolutely perfect in this recipe. It looks a little bit like ricotta cheese mixed in with the veggies, and I didn't even think about it when I was eating it. After scarfing down a monstrous piece, I was satisfied but not uncomfortably stuffed to oblivion. Even if you are not planning on becoming vegan, I highly recommend adding this plant based recipe to your rotation. 

Veggie Lasagna Medley

Adapted from Engine 2's Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Lasagna

2 cloves garlic, chopped
12 ounces mushrooms (baby bella), sliced
1 head broccoli, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 1/2 cup corn
1 1/2 cup peas
2 red peppers, chopped
12 ounces silken tofu
1 tsp dried basil (if using fresh, add more)
1 tsp dried rosemary (if using fresh, add more)
1 tsp dried oregano (if using fresh, add more)
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
3 medium sized sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
2 jars pasta sauce
1 package lasagna no-boil noodles
4 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup raw cashews, ground

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Saute mushrooms and garlic over medium heat until the mushrooms have reduced in size (about 7 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside in large bowl. 
Using the same pan, saute broccoli and carrots with 1/4 cup water. Cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and add to mushrooms.
Saute peppers, corn, and peas until heated through (about 3 minutes). Remove from pan and add to bowl with other veggies.
Drain the silken tofu with a paper towel and add to the bowl of veggies.
Add spices to the veggie bowl and combine.

Assemble the lasagna in a 9x13 pan. Here are the layers from bottom up:
Sauce
Noodles
Sauce
Veggie/tofu
Sauce
Noodles
Sauce
Sweet potatoes
Sauce
Noodles
Sauce
Sliced tomatoes

Now that's a lot of veggies!

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove foil and sprinkle ground cashews over the top. Bake for 15 more minutes uncovered.

Put under broiler for a few minutes until the cashews are toasted.

Enjoy!

The ground cashews toast up perfectly, you will not miss the Parmesan cheese.

Check out that sweet potato layer, oh yeah!

A Vegan Cook-Out

I love when the weather warms up - spending all evening outside, grilling, sitting on the screened-in porch feeling a warm breeze, listening to the radio, and sipping on a Blue Moon. A cook-out is not really about the meat on the grill (hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, etc.), it's about the experience. Now that Jason and I are vegans, we're having to adjust the food to maintain the experience. This weekend was our first chance to do so, and I think it was a great success. We made spicy portobello mushroom burgers with grilled peppers, onions, and corn. Next time we may add something like avocados to make the burger more substantial.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers (Adapted from here)

Remove the stems and gills. Marinade 4 mushroom caps for up to 2 hours:

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons spicy mustard

Hot sauce (to taste)

Salt/pepper

Grill 3-4 minutes on each side. Add to bun, dress, and enjoy!

Play Ball!

Today was my first real challenge in vegan eating. It was the Royal’s home opener and hot dog day at work. An email went out announcing that the food was ready. I cautiously made my way to the break room and slinked around the food table. I navigated my way through the containers of cookies, platters overflowing with brownies, bowls of cheese dip, and creamy pasta salad. It was not looking promising. Then out of the corner of my eye, I spotted it…the crock pot full of vegan hot dogs!!! I was elated that I would have something to put on my plate besides baby carrots. With dog in tow, I went back to get a bun, and that’s where things went south. The buns had dairy. Fail. I have to give my company props for including the vegan dogs, but they do lose a few points for not having an appropriate hot dog vessel.

And the verdict on vegan Tofurky hot dogs you ask?

Source

Taste – Pretty close to an actual hot dog, but very salty.

Texture – There was a skin of some sort around it which made it difficult to cut through with my plastic fork. Almost resembled a brat more than a hot dog. Inside, the texture was more mushy than meaty, but was palatable.

Overall – With a bun, this would be an excellent substitute for a hot dog or brat. I’ll probably keep some on hand this summer for all of the cook outs we’ll be attending. In terms of health, I’m trying to stay away from anything processed for my migraines, so this will not be an everyday eat.