Oh, Smoky Curls, You are Shamefully Addictive

I would almost have to say:  It is a sin how good these are...  Perfect for Sunday Brunch, next to a huge stack of pancakes.  And don't even get me started on how amazing these are on whole wheat toast slathered with Veganaise, lettuce and tomato...

If you don't have Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson, run to your nearest bookstore and buy it!!  I have this cookbook on my Nook Color, and I have to say, every recipe I've tried so far has been a winner!  Google books just so happens to have a sneak peek of the Smoky Soy Curl recipe here, if you'd like to check it out.

So, Soy Curls... 

When dry, they kind of remind me of shriveled up witches' fingers  Not very appetizing, I know, but when re-hydrated, these little babies take on a life of their own!  Soy Curls are not sold in stores anywhere in Rhode Island, so I decided to order me some bags to keep in the pantry.  I ordered quite a few... but the price was better the more you bought!!  They also threw in a container of their Chickn Seasoning too, (kewl)!

The beauty of the soy curl is two-fold. 
ONE: although they are technically a processed soy product, Soy curls are actually made from certified Non-GMO, WHOLE soybeans, grown without chemical pesticides.  Many of the vegan "meat" products on the market today are made with “soy protein isolates”. These protein isolates are obtained through a rigorous chemical process, often using the chemical hexane, where the soy protein is actually separated from the fat of the soybean.  Thankfully, soy curls leave this chemical bath behind when making their product
TWO: Soy curls have no FLAVOR, whatsoever. Which gives you, the cook, the power to impart any flavor your heart desires!  The suggested method of re hydration from the Soy Curls website is plain ol' boiling water. I always thought that was a little pedestrian, considering there are so many broths and spices one could use to infuse flavor RIGHT into the curl!  I'm thinking something more like veggie broth, a splash of soy or Bragg's, some sage, thyme or rosemary, onion powder, garlic powder...something!



That's what makes Julie's recipe so great.  The curls are re hydrated in a mix of water, soy sauce and LIQUID SMOKE, the vegan equivalent of smoky, bacon-flavored goodness!  These smoky curls can be whipped up, marinated, and sauteed to a crispy-sweet and smoky goodness in about 15 minutes.  Julie's recipe, as written, makes an abundance of smoky curls! 

I have about a third of them leftover, and am going to attempt a Pasta Carbonara.  Will let you know how it goes!  If I can pull it off, my meat-eating better half will be MINE foreverrrrr!!  ^_^

Bacon with a Vegan - Part II

  

At long last, I have finally made Tempeh Bacon! My bacon adventures began back with Tofu as the main ingredient. This time, I decided to use the new, and slightly improved, Tempeh Bacon recipe found in Vegan Brunch (If you haven't checked it out yet, is probably one of the best cookbooks EVER)!

The ingredient list for the marinade is very basic: soy sauce, liquid smoke, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, tomato paste, garlic and some veggie broth. I sliced my tempeh nice and thin, and mixed up the liquid carefully, letting the strips marinate overnight. I then fried the stips in a little olive oil, adding a bit of the marinating liquid as I went.  The strips browned up nicely, but made one MESS of my stainless steel pan, probably from the maple syrup in the marinade, and the fact that I used ketchup in place of the tomato paste.  Carmelized sugars are nothing to fool with, but it was nothing a bit of simmering warm water and vinegar couldn't fix. 

Anyway... the jury is still out with me on whether I like these tempeh bacon strips on their own. I can't say that the flavor on these, (straight out of the pan), blew me away like the tofu bacon did.

BUT, but, but...

the leftovers make a MEAN BLT sandwich!!! It actually ended up being a B&L sandwich, as I was fresh out of tomatoes, but you get the idea! There was something about these smokey, crispy tempeh strips on top of crunchy wheat toast which had been spread with Veganaise and topped with some nice romaine lettuce...

I think I'm in love... I had one for dinner every night until the strips were all gone ;)

Bacon with a Vegan

Ok, so this weekend, I thought I'd try my hand at making my own Veggie Bacon.  I've seen countless recipes in cookbooks and on the web, and generally, there seem to be two Vegan "Camps".  Camp Tempeh, and Camp Tofu. 

So which one to make...

Although the Vegan with a Vengeance (VWAV) recipe has always been in the back of my mind, I wasn't really in a tempeh kinda "mood".  I also wasn't on the ball enough to make up the marinade ahead of time, as sometimes I am lazy...

So I found this recipe by my online cooking pal, Chef "Sharon123" over at Recipezaar!  It's made using tofu, and as an added bonus, does NOT require overnight marinating.

Let me tell you, this stuff is GOOD.  I loved the flavor of the soy sauce, liquid smoke and brown sugar SO MUCH, that I was even hesitant to add the nutritional yeast at the end, as the recipe stated.  Do yourself a favor and DON'T skip it.  The strips of fried tofu taste great with the simple marinade, but the nutritional yeast coating, sprinkled on at the end of the cooking time, totally MAKES IT!!

I nibbled on three pieces on their own, I really couldn't get enough.

But then I decided to give my tofu bacon a bit more purpose, and made this:

Tofu Baco BLT: Toasted wheat bread slathered in Veganaise, topped with leafy green lettuce, and slices of a gorgeous red tomato

And, my two favorite guys!!  Pic posted here, just cuz... ^_^