tofu sizzling sisig

sisig is a filipino dish that is made of minced parts of a pig's head (ears, nose, cheek, etc.) that is seasoned with calamansi juice and chilli peppers.  it is usually served on a hot sizzling platter and eaten as a pulutan (appetizer).  anthony bordain actually tastes sisig when he does an episode of No Reservations in the phillippines....check it out on you tube.

i was inspired to make this vegan version of sisig after i had the tofu version at Intramuros in South San Francisco.  here's my version of sisig.

vegan puto (filipino rice cake)

puto is a steamed rice cake that is popular in the philippines.  it is usually eaten as a desert but is also eaten with many filipino dishes like pancit malabon and dinuguan.  puto comes in many variations ranging from different flavors, shapes, sizes, and colors.

i went ghetto and made my own version of a steamer.  i bought a cheap $10 roasting pot and all i did was add a baking rack on top.  instant steamer!

granny's pancit bihon...veganized (filipino noodle dish)

pancit is a filipino noodle dish that has many different variations depending on the way it is cooked, the ingredients, vegetables and the type of pancit or "noodles" used.

the dish i made today is made with thin rice noodles, also known as bihon.  pancit bihon is usually cooked with soy sauce, chopped pork, chicken, shrimp, chinese sausage, and vegetables.

today i cooked my granny's pancit.  i love her way of cooking pancit bihon.  there's something about the way she cooks it, that really brings all the flavors together.  in this recipe, i used vegan chicken and vegan shrimp.

vegan snicker doodles

 

 ingredients

• Cookie Dough
• 13/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 stick (4 oz.) vegan margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vanilla soymilk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
•  
• Cinnamon Sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 Tbs. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 nutmeg (optional)   

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. To make Cookie Dough: Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and baking powder in bowl. Beat margarine in separate bowl with electric mixer until soft. Add sugar, and beat until fluffy. Beat in soymilk and vanilla extract 30 seconds or until smooth. Add flour mixture, and beat 30 seconds or until smooth.
3. To make Cinnamon Sugar: Combine sugar and cinnamon on large plate.
4. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in Cinnamon Sugar, and place 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until cookies look dry on tops and are lightly browned on bottoms. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container. 

recipe adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10369

vegan chocolate chip cookies

ingredients
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Earth Balance*, softened (although Earth Balance is the best, you may use any other non-dairy butter/margarine)
3/4 cup granulated [white] sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Egg Replacer for 2 eggs**
2 cups (12-ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

instructions

1. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl.
3. Add egg replacer one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture.
4. Stir in chips and nuts.
5. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
6. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

recipe adapted from:

http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-chocolate-chip-cookies.asp

vegan banana nut muffins

if you don't want to waste those over ripened bananas...turn them into banana muffins! 

ingredients

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup vegetable Oil (i used applesauce)
Ener-G equivalent of 2 or 3 Eggs
1/3 cup soy-buttermilk (add 1/3 teaspoon vinegar)

1 1/3 cup walnuts

directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Mix bananas, oil (or applesauce), and buttermilk in another mixing bowl.

Combine the banana mixture with the large bowl containing dry ingredients, and stir well. Add the Ener-G Egg Replacer in now, and stir.

For muffins: line muffin pan with liners, scoop about 1/2 full, and bake for about 30 mins, or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.

recipe adapted from:

http://veganmother.blogspot.com/2008/01/banana-bread-muffins.html

boca burger

there's something about holidays that get me in the mood for bbq. for lunch, my hubby grilled me up a boca burger.  i personally like to buy the "flame grilled" boca buger...after i take a bite of this burger, it's like i never gave up meat.  i dressed up this burger with tomatoes, onions, vegenaise mayo and soy chedder cheese on a whole wheat bun. 

tempeh potato hash

for sunday brunch i whipped together my vegan version of corn beef hash.  instead of using corn beef, i used tempeh, which is made out of soybeans that are packed together into a retangular cake.  tempeh is rich in nutrients and has a high source of protein and calcium.

ingredients
2 medium sized potatoes, cubed
4 oz of tempeh
2 tbs of soy sauce
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, chopped
6 stalks of asparagus, cut into 1/4
4 cloves of minced garlic
3 tbs of olive oil
red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

directions
1) in a bowl, crumble tempeh and add soy sauce.  mix well and let marinate for 5 minutes.
2)  heat olive oil on medium heat.  saute onions then add tomatoes and cook for about 3 minutes.  add garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.  continue sauteing for another minute.
3)  add potatoes.  cover and cook for 10 minutes.
4)  add tempeh and asparagus and cook for about 5-8 minutes.

spaghetti alla veganesca

this is my go to dish when i have no time to cook and exhausted from running 3 miles and going straight to yoga.

i first had  spaghetti alla puttanesca at my favorite mom and pop's italian restaurant in fremont.  this dish is made with anchovies to give it a unique salty flavor that i love.  here is my version of spaghetti alla puttanesca minus the anchovies...hence, "veganesca".


ingredients
4 tbs olive oil
 1/2 cup of olives, preferebly without the seed.
3 tbs of capers
12oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained.
4 oz tomato paste
5 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup of chopped parsley (save some for garnish)
salt, pepper and chili pepper flakes to taste
1/2 a package of whole wheat spaghetti noodles- cooked, drained and set aside.

directions
1) heat olive oil on medium heat.  saute onions for about 3 minutes then add garlic.
2)  add olives and capers. cook for about 2 minutes.  season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
3)  next, add diced tomatoes (undrained) and tomato paste.  cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes.  i sometimes i like to add olive juice, which adds a bit of saltiness that is missing from the anchovies.
4)  add parsley the last 5 minutes.  taste the sauce and if you need to add more flavor feel free to add more salt and pepper.
5)  stir in noodles to sauce and garnish with parsley.