Happy Vegan Pizza Day 2013 with Hawaiian Pizza

Hawaiian Pizza

To celebrate Vegan Pizza Day today, I made Hawaiian Pizza! and I want to share it with you. Making Pizza is fun as the possibility for topping is endless and everyone got their own favorite topping. I love adding fruit to my savory dish. It give natural sweetness to the dish and go well with a little spiciness. I hope you like it. Bon Appetite!

Prep Time: 1 hours 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 oz of pizza crust yeast / dry active yeast (1 envelope)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2/3 up warmed water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 can tomato sauce
Daiya mozzarella  cheese
Toppings for Hawaiian (brown mushroom, pine apple, onion and jalapeno pepper)

Directions

• Combine the yeast, salt, sugar and water in a bowl of the stand mixer ( or blender for dough making) and run it for about 10 seconds
• While mixer is running, add 1 cup of flour at a time, alternating with olive oil until the doll is smooth and forms into a ball
• Transfer the dough to oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for about an hour
• Preheat oven to 425 F
• Lightly floured the surface of you counter, divided the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll out the dough into desire shape. (I don’t have pizza pan so I bake them in baking tray for 4 individual size)
• Top with tomato sauce, cheese, mushroom, onion pineapple and jalapeno. ( use other desired topping if you like but this one is testy 😉
• Bake for about 15 mins, till the bottom turn light brown. Enjoy! and Happy Vagan Pizza Day

Miso glazed eggplant

If you are following my posts, you can guess that I like making Japanese food. Though I enjoy  almost every international food, Japanese is one of my favorite and it is easily made vegan. This miso glazed eggplant is my favorite appetizer to order at japanese restaurant. I didn’t like eggplant that much when I grew up but the flavor of this one has changed my mind, little sweet and salty with an aroma of sesame.

I had been searching for the recipe and tried to make this at home. The traditional recipe would normally require Mirin, a sweet cooking alcohol that is commonly used in japanese cooking, and sake ( Japanese Alcohol Beverage). Those two ingredients are very pricey and I do not want to spend too much to make one simple dish.  So here the simpler version of mine with a few ingredients that you probably already have in you pantry. I couldn’t tell the major difference in flavor and I quite like the result. Now, I can enjoy my favorite appetizer at home, at the fraction of a cost of dining in restaurant, and you can too.

Mizo Glazed Eggplant

Yield: 2 servings
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

1 eggplants
2 tbsp miso
2 tbsp agave or maple syrup
1 tbsp sesame oil + some for blushing
sesame seed and green onion ( for garnish)

Directions

• Preheat oven 350F
• Cut eggplant in half lengthwise
• Brush sesame oil on cut side and baked eggplant cut side down for about 30 mins
• In a small bowl, mix together miso, agave and sesame oil. Stir to mix well. Set aside.
• Once eggplant is cooked and soft ( fork can be easily insert into eggplant meat) take it out of the oven. Turn cut side up and brush it with prepared sauce and drizzle with some sesame seeds.
• Change setting from Bake to Broil (High), Put eggplant back into oven cut side up for a few minute until sauce turns dark brown ( I like it a little burnt 🙂
• Remove from the oven, garnish with slices of green onion. Serve hot and enjoy!

Eating Tip: Though skin can be eaten, enjoy only the meat for this recipe. Skin can be tough and the meat is easily came off the skin.  

Vegan Spinach Lasagna

Everyone loves lasagna for its rich cheesy creamy flavor but eating vegan doesn’t mean you have to give up all those taste you love. I have adopted this recipe I got from my step mother in-law (who is vegetarian) and put my own twist to create a hearty comfort food without using any dairy products and no compromise on taste. Instead of ricotta/cottage cheese, I use cashew and use vegan mozzarella cheese in addition. My husband said it turns out really good and I agree. It is rich, creamy and cheesy. The secret to delicious lasagna is the tomato sauce ( in my opinion) and this recipe nail it for me. I like it a lot. It has become my go-to tomato sauce recipe.

This recipe is quite time consuming ( mostly waiting for it to cook) you might want to plan ahead. It would be perfect for a dinner /brunch party as it is enough for 6-8 people. I made it the other day just for two of us, it last us for a few days ( for both lunch and dinner).  It is a good idea to make it on sunday and you will save time making meals for the next few working day.

Vegan Spinach Mushroom Lasagna

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 1 1/2 hours
Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

Lasagna Tomato Sauce (Recipe Below)
12 Lasagna noodles ( you can use GF noodles) half cooked, drain and rinse in cold water
Filling:  3 cups Spinach cashew ricotta cheese  ( Recipe Below)
1 package of Daiya Mozzarella cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven 375 F
• Spread a little tomato sauce over bottom of 9 x 13″ pan
• Cover with a layer 4 lasagna noodles
• Put 1/2 of  spinach filling
• 1/3 of remaining sauce
• 1/3 of mozzarella Daiya cheese
• Another 4 noodles
• Remaining filling, followed by
• Sauce (another 1/3), which gets covered by
• Another 1/3 of mozarella cheese
• Every last noodles
• The remaining drop of sauce
• last 1/3 of mozarella cheese
• Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes ( uncover the last 10)

Lasagna Tomato Sauce 

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped carrot
1 tbsp of chopped fresh basil
1 tsp oregano
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 can diced tomato or 2-3 chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp red wine ( optional)
2 1/2 tbsp agave or maple syrup
1/2 tsp of black pepper

Directions

• In a large kettle, saute’ first 9 ingredients
• When onions are clear and very soft, add the next 5 ingredients
• Turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer for about 35 mins, stir occasionally
• Add chopped mushrooms, cook for a few minutes

Cashew Ricotta with Spinach ( Filling)

3 cups raw cashew ( soak overnight or at least 3 hours)
1/2 – 1 cup of water
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt

5 oz of  baby spinach

Direction

• Drain soaked cashew and put in blender
• Blend soaked cashew with little bit of water at a time until reach a consistency of a ricotta
• Season with lemon juice, salt and nutritional yeast. Blend again for all ingredients to combine.
• Put cashew ricotta in a large mixing bowl, add spinach and stir to combine

Ultimate Vegan Banana Bread (GFO)

Ultimate Vegan Banana Bread (Gluten-free Optional)

I have made this banana bread recipe both with normal wheat flour and gluten free flour and I like them both. Though gluten free version is more of crumbly side but it turn out very flavorful and lighter. It is probably because the gluten free flour mix is consisted of various type of bean flours, it turn out very yummy.  If you are allergic to gluten and love banana bread, this recipe will be perfect for you.

I love having banana bread with my morning coffee, it is one of my favorite quick bread. When I was working in Australia, I have tried banana bread from every coffee shops at every conner that I could find on the way walking to work ( there are a lot of coffee shops in sydney) until I find one that I love. yeah…I am a little bit crazy about banana bread. It is simple bread but sometime they just don’t get it right. They usually make it too sweet or not enough banana. The key to good banana bread is LOT of very ripe bananas:) and now I get to make it without eggs, dairy and even gluten…Vegan version, even better! I hope you like it as much as I do.

*the photos were taken from wheat flour version, gluten-free version will looks slightly different in texture

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour or homemade gluten free flour  (you will need xanthan gum for this recipe) or store bought
3/4 cups organic cane sugar
1 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (such as almond milk and soy milk)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 cups mashed banana, from 4 large very ripe bananas
1/4 cup grape seed oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

A Dash of Love

Direction

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil loaf pan and set aside.
• In mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
• In another mixing bowl, mix together non-dairy milk and cider vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the mashed banana, grape seed oil and vanilla extract, whisking until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just combined and pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center come out clean.

Chickpea “tuna” sushi roll

Chickpea “tuna” sushi roll

This recipe is one of my favorite. It is so quick and easy to make. It taste so good you won’t believe there is no tuna in it, only protein goodness from chickpea. You can make a big batch and use them in many dishes. It is very versatile and perfect grab and go kind of meal. You can use them in  sandwich, dipping, put on cracker, salad or in sushi roll.

Ingredients for “tuna” 

1 1/2 cup cooked or 1 can of garbanzo bean (chickpea), drain and rinse with water
1 rib of celery, finely chopped
1/8 of sweet onion, finely chopped
5 tbsp of homemade mayo
2 tsp of dijon mustard
2 tbsp of sweet relish
lemon juice
salt
dill

Direction

• Drain chickpea and mash it throughly with fork
• Combine chopped onion and celery
• Add homemade mayo, mustard and relish.
• Season it with a little bit of salt and lemon juice, mix well
• Taste it, add more lemon and salt, if needed.
• Sprinkle with dill

Ingredients for sushi

Chickpea “tuna” ( recipe above)
2 2/3 cups cooked japanese rice, I used Calrose Rice BOTAN
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt

seaweed nori sheet
vegetables, cut lengthwise (such as carrot,cucumber, avocado, pepper, shred cabbage etc)
bamboo rolling mat

Directions

• Rinse to clean the rice  until the water runs clear. Cook rice in rice cooker according to instruction. If you don’t have rice cooker you can combine 2 1/2 cups of water and cook in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Rice should be tender and water should be absorbed. Cool until cool enough to handle.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the rice vinegar,  sugar and salt  then stir into the cooked rice. Keep stirring and the rice will dry as it cools.

Now it is time to assemble the roll, watch this tutorial video on how to roll sushi  and start making your sushi roll with chickpea “tuna” and your choices of vegetables. Remember not to layer rice too thick and do not over stuffing your ingredients, it will be difficult to roll.

If you do not have a bamboo rolling mat (it is not expensive ) and do not want to get one, you can also make chickpea”tuna” sushi bowl instead! the taste will be equally delicious as it contains the same ingredients, just present in different form.  To do that ,put in a bowl seasoned sushi rice, top with chickpea, diced (instead of lengthwise cut) vegetable and seaweed nori that is cut into small stripe on top. Drizzle with some soy source and enjoy ! I made sushi bowl the other day because I ran out of nori sheet and have only seaweed snack. So I thought why not make a bowl! It taste just like sushi. I just ate it with spoon instead of chop stick 🙂

Other idea of meals that I have made with chickpea” tuna” are grilled daiya cheese with cucumber, hummus chickpea sandwich and  chickpea”tuna” on cracker. Here are some pictures of dishes I made. Hope you get some inspiration and make your own favorite dish with this recipe.

A Dash of Love