Teriyaki Tofu

Japan is on my top three list of favorite places in the world. In college, I minored in the language and studied abroad in Tokyo as well as lived with a host family in a small suburb two hours south of Tokyo (my host mother was a radio chef and they chose me specifically as a host daughter in order to cook vegan food to try something new - how lucky was I!). That being said, Japanese food is my favorite type of food. Hands down. I've been eating sushi so long, I don't even remember the first time I had it. As a little girl, my parents and I would go to the same little Japanese restaurant, Taka Sushi, just by our house in the Bay Area at least once a week, if not twice. Early on, I knew the names of various Japanese foods. The sushi chef at this restaurant (his name was Roni) would let me stand off to the side of the bar in order to watch him make sushi and explain to me about how to prepare it and the words in Japanese. I don't really miss what I chose not to eat anymore because of being vegan, but it's sure cool to take old favorites and spruce them up in a cruelty-free way. :D


Teriyaki Tofu

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes
* Ingredients (for teriyaki sauce):

• 1 cup soy sauce or tamari*
• 1 cup brown sugar*
• 2 tbsp vegetable stock
• 1 tsp mirin*

* Ingredients (for teriyaki tofu):

• 1/2 package (14 oz.) of firm tofu, cut into 1/2 in. slices
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional to toast)
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp nori, ripped apart or cut into fine strips

* Recipe (for teriyaki sauce):

1. Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil in small sauce pan.
2. Simmer for 5 minutes. Be careful not to let the sauce boil over.
3. Refrigerate for up to 2 months.

* Recipe (for teriyaki tofu):

1. Press tofu of any water before starting.
2. Bring oil in frying pan to hot heat.
3. Put the flour on a plate and dredge each side of the tofu completely in it.
4. Add the tofu to the frying pan and fry each side to a golden brown color.
5. In a new frying pan, put the tofu in there and add the teriyaki sauce. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduse and let simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Turn tofu over periodically in order to coat each side.
6. Remove from pan and serve on top of hot rice. Top with sesame seeds, scallions, and nori.

* Note: One could probably use Bragg's Amino Acid in replace of soy sauce or tamari. Make sure your sugar is vegan. Mirin is a sweet rice wine cooking liquid. I modified this recipe from Japanese Home Cooking by Shunsuke Fukushima.

Vegan Chicago: Review of Victory's Banner Restaurant

Brunch is my favorite meal. Two of my friends and I regularly do Sunday brunch. It's good fun! We usually go to the same places (such as Revolution Brewing, Handlebar, the Chicago Diner, & Kitsch'n), but I've been meaning to try Victory's Banner for a really long time. So, I took the opportunity to try it.

Tofu Scramble

Victory's Banner is a small restaurant in the heart of Roscoe Village. With quaint stores and other neighborhood restaurants and bars along Roscoe Ave., Victory's Banner fits right in. During the summer in Chicago, you must sit outside to eat even if it is a hundred degrees outside. We spend far too long indoors during the winter/spring/fall to not do so. For brunch, we sat outside and the owner was very friendly, talking to us about the restaurant, menu, and asking about ourselves. 

The restaurant is entirely vegetarian with many vegan options. The people that work there also are practitioners of meditation and followers of an Indian spiritual master. Don't be surprised to see the wait staff in sari's!

Soy sausage & side vegetables

I had the tofu scramble. The tofu was seasoned very well. You have a choice of adding two types of vegetables to it. I opted for a side of mixed grilled vegetables in order to add more than just two. I also got a side of soy sausage (the soy bacon had egg in it). To top it all off, it came with some very hardy bread and soy butter and homestyle potatoes. To wash it down, I had some apple juice. 

Victory's Banner is definitely a place to go to as a vegetarian or vegan on the prowl for a yummy brunch in Chicago! Highly recommend and I'll be going back sometime soon.

Mini chocolate cupcake

On the way home, I stopped at Delicious Cafe near Victory's Banner. It is an all vegan cafe with sandwiches and baked goods. The only non-vegan item is dairy milk for coffee. I had a mini chocolate cupcake for dessert. Delicious is a great place to get a sandwich, cup of coffee, and sit on your computer. 

Also to note, in my last post about vegan-friendly restaurants in Chicago, I didn't know there were two Mexican restaurant's now serving vegan food. One is Quesadilla Mexican Vegetarian Cuisine which is Chicago's only all vegetarian and vegan Mexican restaurant. Check out a picture of their menu here. It looks awesome with vegan tacos, tortas, and of course, quesadillas. The other Mexican place is La Cocina which is serving Upton's Naturals seitan in their tacos. 
Support local vegan-friendly restaurants!

Italian "Beef" Sandwiches with Homemade Giardiniera

As a Chicagoan, I do not participate in the city's love of Italian beef with all the gross juiciness. Instead, I create much healthier versions that lack meat and share for all the world to make as well. :D

Cute humor aside, this turned out freaking fantastic. This is coming from a vegan, vegetarian, and the two omnivores that all had it. If anyone tries it (or any recipes for that matter), could you please send a picture my way at veganmiss@gmail.com? I would appreciate it! On the Facebook and Flickr for Vegan Miss, I post pictures of people's recreations (with credit, of course). 


If anyone has gone to Revolution Brewing here in the city (owned by the Handlebar people), there are these awesome polenta fries with vegan aioli. With it comes their homemade giardiniera. My friends and I always love it and so I decided to make my own. It turned out pretty good! I didn't add any spice to it (via jalapenos or serranos) because I don't like much spicy stuff.

Italian "Beef" Sandwiches


* Prep Time:  15-20 minutes
* Cook Time: 1 hour
* Ingredients (for seitan):

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 tbsp basil
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup vegetarian "beef" broth*
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 (14 oz.) firm tofu package

* Ingredients (for au jus):

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups vegetarian "beef" broth
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp tobasco
• 8 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce*
• salt, to taste
• 1 jar pepperoncini juice (16 oz.)
• 8 pepperoncini, sliced
• 2 tbsp basil
• 1 bottle of ale beer (12 oz.)*

* Ingredients (for sandwich assembly):

• 5-6 french rolls*
• 2-3 tsp homemade giardiniera*
• 1 pepperoncini, sliced 

* Recipe (for seitan):

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Blend tofu and other wet ingredients in blender or food processor until tofu is smooth.
3. Put wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl. Mix well.
4. Roll into a log that is 2.5 - 3 in. wide. Loosely roll foil around the seitan log and twist both ends like a tootsie roll.
5. Place in a pot with au jus. Have something holding it from the bottom so it is not touching the broth (ex: a deep cookie cutter).
6. Steam for 1 hour. While you are steaming, the au jus is cooking.
7. When done steaming, take out of pot, allow to cool. When cool, slice thinly like deli meat.

* Recipe (for au jus):

1. In a medium pot, add all the ingredients together. Cook with the seitan (see recipe above).
2. Serve with the Italian beef, either dipping the bread or the seitan.

* Recipe (for sandwich assembly):

1. Slice the french roll in half lengthwise. Dip the bread in au jus, if desired.
2. Add a heaping pile of au jus soaked sliced seitan. Top with giardiniera and pepperoncini.

* Note: For vegetarian beef bouillon, I used Better Than Bouillon brand No Beef Base. For vegan Worcestershire sauce, I used The Wizard's brand. For ale beer, make sure it is vegan on Barnivore. Make sure the french rolls are vegan. For homemade giardiniera, see my recipe below.

Homemade Giardiniera


* Prep Time: 24 hours
* Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours
* Ingredients:

• 2 green peppers, chopped fine
• 2 red peppers, chopped fine
• 1 poblano pepper, chopped fine*
• 3-4 medium to small celery stalks, chopped fine
• 1 large carrot, chopped fine
• 1 small white onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup salt
• water, to cover
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 cup white vinegar
• 2 cup olive oil

* Recipe:

1. Chop the first seven ingredients and mix in a big bowl. Add the salt and enough water to cover the vegetables. Cover the bowl. Allow to sit in the fridge overnight.
2. The next day, drain and rinse the vegetables of the salt water.
3. Wash canning jars with soap and water. Dry completely (inside and out). Bake the jars at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes. Allow jars to cool to touch (do not touch the rim or inside, though).
4. Spoon the vegetables into jars almost to the top (3/4th to 1 in. from the top).
5. Boil the jar lids in a small pot for about 10 minutes.
6. In a pot, bring the remaining ingredients to a boil. Once at a boil, bring to a low simmer and then spoon the mixture into the jars with the vegetables.
7. Using prongs, top the jars with their lids. Screw on ring until tight to touch.
8. Place the jars into a large pot of boiling water (so the jars are submerged). Boil for 15 minutes.
9. Remove and allow to cool before touching jars.

* Note: I used half pint jars for canning this giardiniera. It made about 10 jars. Canning the jars like this should allow one to be able to leave them as is until the seal is broken. If one does not want to can it, they could just put the vegetables and liquid mixture in a jar and keep it in the fridge. Lastly, feel free to add jalapenos or serranos to this recipe. I don't like spicy stuff, so I put in the poblano.


Speaking of canning, two weeks ago, I made a whole ton of pickled vegetables. Included were several dill pickle jars (slices and spears), beats with ginger, cherry tomatoes, button mushrooms, green tomatoes, and cauliflower. I'm waiting a few more weeks until I open them. Really, one can wait for a week and then try your pickled concoctions, but the longer the better. When I do open them and if they are good, I'll post the recipes. I'm looking forward to making pickled fried green tomatoes!

Chinese New Year: Buddha's Delight & Jiaozi Dumplings

Chinese New Year starts on Thursday, Feb. 3rd. This year is the year of the rabbit. For more information about the year of the rabbit, check out this website. Actually, I was born the year of rabbit! 

Buddha's Delight

* Prep Time: 30 minutes

* Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

* Ingredients:  

• 6 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp Shao Hsing rice wine*
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 medium pack fried bean curd, sliced*
• 1/2 cup broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup carrots, sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
• 1/3 cup white onion, sliced
• 1 (14 oz.) can stir-fry mix (water chestnuts, bamboo shoots. straw mushrooms, baby corn, etc.)
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• sesame oil, for frying
• white rice, cooked according to box instructions

* Recipe:  

1. Combine the first four ingredients and let tofu marinade in them for at least half an hour.
2. Steam the broccoli so that they are soft.
3. In a wok, heat some sesame oil and add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Once onions are translucent, add remaining vegetables and salt.
4. In a bowl, combine the vegetable broth with cornstarch.
5. Add the marinated tofu, mix, then add the vegetable broth mixture.
6. Cook until all vegetables are tender.
7. Top over white rice.

* Note: Shao Hsing is a Chinese cooking wine. You can find it at Asian grocery stores. If you can not find it, you can use sherry cooking wine instead. The same goes for the fried bean curd. If you can not find it, use regular tofu instead.

Jiaozi Dumplings

* Prep Time: 20 minutes

* Cook Time: 10 minutes

* Ingredients (for dumplings):  

• 1/2 package (4 oz.) Upton's Naturals ground beef style seitan, crumbled and cooked*
• 1/3 cup napa cabbage, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup green onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1/8 cup water chestnuts, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 package (16 oz.) wonton wrapper*
• water, to close wontons

* Ingredients (for sauce):

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp chili oil
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp green onions, sliced

* Recipe:  

1. Cook the seitan according to package instructions.
2. In a large pot, boil water.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl.
4. Fill the wonton wrappers with a teaspoon of the filling. Using your fingers, wet the wonton wrapper along the edges.
5. Fold wonton and pinch to close.
6. Place 7-8 dumplings in the boiling water and boil for about 3-5 minutes.
7. While dumplings are boiling, combine the sauce ingredient in a small bowl. Mix to dissolve the sugar.

* Note: Upton's Naturals is a local Chicago seitan company. They sell their faux meats here in Chicagoland. You could use other seitan-style meat crumbles such as Boca Ground Crumbles,Gimme Lean Sausage by Lightlife, or Yves Meatless Ground Round Original. Make sure your wonton wrappers are vegan. Many of them contain egg. I have a dumpling press, which is why my dumplings look so perfect in the picture. Same water around the edges applies when you use this too.

For all recipes, make sure the sugar is vegan. For more information about vegan sugar, please see this website.

During Chinese New Year, children receive small red envelopes usually filled with money. Also, Mandarin oranges are considered a sign of abundance and good fortune. They are often given to people as well.

Eggless Egg Salad

This was a request from my friend, Pam. It turned out pretty good! I've never had real egg salad (never ever liked eggs before I was vegan), so I don't have much to compare it to. But, I'd say it's awesome! 

Eggless Egg Salad

* Prep Time: 10 minutes

* Ingredients:  

• 3  tbsp onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 tbsp dill relish
• 3 tbsp stone ground mustard
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp agave nectar*
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 package medium grade tofu (14 oz.), pressed and drained, mashed*
• 3/4th jar vegan mayonnaise*

* Recipe: 

1. In a bowl, mash the tofu well.
2. Add the onion,celery, parsley, and dried dill to the tofu. Mix well.
3. Next, add the dill relish, mustard, lemon juice, agave, salt, and pepper. Combine well.
4. Lastly, add the mayonnaise. Combine well.

* Note: Agave nectar is a natural sweetener that is used to replace honey. You should be able to find it at your grocery store with the jams and honey. I used medium tofu in this recipe. If you wish, one could try this recipe with soft (not silken) tofu. Let me know how it turns out! I am not sure if it would be too "runny" which is why I opted for medium. For vegan mayonnaise, I prefer Vegenaise. 


Once you combine all the ingredients, if you feel the salad needs a little bit more of one of the ingredients, feel free to add more.

Animal Shaped Chick'n Nuggets

Super kid-friendly recipe! Have fun with these cute nuggets. If I had dino shaped cutters, I would have done that. Alas, I only had animal shaped cookie cutters.

Animal Shaped Chick'n Nuggets

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

* Ingredients:  

• 2 tbsp mustard powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 tbsp dried sage
• 1 tsp salt & pepper
• 1 tsp of Butler's Chik Style Seasoning, optional*
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup all purpose
• 1/3 cup soy milk
• 1 "egg", follow box instructions
• 1 block tofu, 10 oz., pressed, cut into animal shapes
• vegetable oil, for frying

* Recipe: 

1. Combine all ingredients except soy milk and egg in a bowl. Mix well. 
2. Combine the soy milk and egg in another bowl. 
3. Heat oil in a large sized frying pan. 
4. Press the tofu and then slice the block into four sheets. Use animal shaped cookie cutters to make animal tofu bites. 
5. Take your animal bites and coat with the soy milk mixture, then coat with the dry mixture. 
6. Place in heated pan and fry each side until golden. 
7. Use ranch or bbq sauce with these fun nuggets! 

* Note: The Butler's Chik Style Seasoning is something I found on Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe and thought it would be useful for my fried chicken, etc. I used it in this because I had it. It is not necessary. 

Bento Box: Take Ichi

I've never made a homemade bento box before. This was my first take at it and it went alright. It isn't as amazing as I wanted it to be, but it will do. I have these neat Hello Kitty presses and other shaped presses. I also didn't have enough room to use the adzuki rice I made for onigiri.


I fried some tofu slices a bit of sesame oil and mirin until brown. For the "scrambled egg" that's in the center of this picture and inside the onigiri, I fried up some smashed tofu, variety of mushrooms (oyster, button, shiitake), frozen peas, minced green onion, chopped ginger, sea salt, black sesame seeds, several splashes of soy sauce, splash of mirin, splash of sake.


 I steamed some carrots to make the shapes, steamed the broccoli and the lotus root. The snap peas are fresh and cut, same with the enoki mushrooms.

  
For the shumai, I fried up some chopped tofu, 2 pieces of minced garlic, tablespoon of minced ginger, tablespoon of chopped green onion, a bunch of chopped mushrooms (oyster, button, shiitake), soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and salt. 


The purple potato Hello Kitty face was steamed in mirin and soy sauce to make it soft.

Balsamic Baked Tofu Caprese Sandwich & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Caprese sandwiches are not so vegan. Therefore, I made an original recipe gone vegan!

Balsamic Baked Tofu Caprese Sandwich

* Prep Time: 1 day

* Cook Time: 30 minute








  * Ingredients (for balsamic baked tofu):

• 1/2 block extra firm tofu - sliced into 1/2 in. slabs
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 1/2 of medium sweet onion - cut in half and sliced thin lengthwise*
• Several sprigs of fresh rosemary plus 2 tablespoons of chopped rosemary
• 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup of vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Sea salt - to taste
• Black pepper - to taste

* Ingredients (for caprese sandwich):

• 1 large tomato - sliced*
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Sea salt - to taste
• Black pepper - to taste
• 6 fresh basil leaves - medium size*
• Soy mozzarella - thinly sliced*
• Fresh sourdough bread - sliced*
• Spray cooking oil

* Recipe:

1. Start with balsamic baked tofu. This will need to marinate for at least 2 hour up to 24 hours (which is the best option if you have the time). Take the tofu block and cut into slabs. Take several paper towels, place tofu slabs on them, place several more paper towels on top of tofu slabs. Pat them dry with paper towels to remove most moisture.
2. Sprinkle each side of tofu slabs with herbs (rosemary, sea salt, black pepper).
3. Place rosemary sprigs, onion, and garlic on a medium sized baking tray. Lay tofu slabs on top of vegetables.
4. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, and vegetable broth. Spoon over vegetables in baking tray. Cover with tin foil and let it marinate for 2-24 hours in the refrigerator.
5. When done marinating, pre-heat oven to 375°. Take tin foil off of baking tray, flip over tofu slabs, and spoon marinade over tofu. Bake for 10-13 minutes.
6. Remove baking tray from oven, spoon marinade over tofu slabs again, bake for another 15 minutes.
7. For additional baking, broil for 2-3 minutes.
8. To make sandwich, begin by mixing vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, and black and pepper in a small bowl. Take sliced tomato and let marinate one side for a bit, then flip to the other side.
9. Take pieces of sliced bread, spray with cooking oil on one side, and toast in large frying pan over medium heat. Flip, spray with cooking oil, and let the other side brown. While this side is toasting, place soy mozzarella on bread and let it melt.
10. Take one piece of sliced bread with cheese, place basil leaves on the bread, then several pieces of tofu slab. Add onion/rosemary/garlic mixture from baking pan to top of tofu slab on the bread. Add tomato slice on top of that. Top with another piece of toasted bread.

* Notes: You can also use red onion. Depending on how many sandwich you make, you will need more or less basil leaves. Same goes with the bread slices and tomato. Make sure to double check that the sourdough bread is vegan and contains no animal by-product. The soy mozzarella I used was Follow Your Heart brand.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

* Prep Time: 15 minutes

* Cook Time: 40 minutes

* Ingredients:

• 5-7 cloves of garlic
• 10 baby red potatoes - peeled, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup soy milk - add more to taste
• Sea salt - to taste
• Black pepper - to taste
• Garlic salt - to taste
• Onion powder - to taste
• Several dashes of nutmeg
• 3-4 tablespoons of soy butter (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives - chopped (add more to taste)

* Recipe:

1. Place garlic (unpeeled) in baking sheet and bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until soft.
2. While garlic is in the oven, cook potatoes over medium to high heat in pot for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
3. Drain potatoes into a strainer, set aside to dry for a bit.
4. Take garlic cloves and squeeze them out of peel. In a small bowl, mash garlic with a fork until paste-like.
5. Place potatoes in large bowl, add garlic paste, spices, and soy milk. Mash. Add soy butter. Mix well. Add chives, whisk everything several more times.
6. Adjust seasoning and soy butter to taste.

Starting to think about my annual Thanksgiving day feast. This website has a lot of great ideas. Pre-plan consists of these mini pot pies with my mom's original mashed potato recipe along with French onion soup. Possibly homemade cranberry sauce and homemade rolls.

Christmas plans are also in the making. An extensive list of homemade crafts to give has been made, as well as my annual baking extravaganza for the cookie tins. This year will mark my first with vegan dog cupcake tins too. Look for my upcoming holiday blogs! They will be filled with good food, vino, and crafty fun.