BBQ Chick'n Pizza

Level of Difficulty: Some assembly required!
Pots/Pans Used: one!

Ingredients

pizza dough
BBQ sauce
2 cutlets of Gardein Chick'n Scallopini
1 TBL Bacon Bits
handful of Kale, ripped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 green apple, sliced

White Sauce:
1/4 cup Earth Balance
2 TBL nutritional yeast
3 TBL Flour
1 cup Unsweetened almond milk
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt

I saw a version of this recipe on the Food Network and thought it looked very... "veganizable". At first, I was going to leave the apples out all together. However, I decided to give it a try. This recipe would be good either way... but if you're feeling adventurous, try the apples! They're not nearly as invasive as you would expect. In fact, they add a nice and subtle sweet note.



Preheat oven to 425. Roll out pizza dough and lay out on a pizza crisper (If you don't have a pizza crisper, you can use a greased baking sheet. However, you may need to pre-bake the dough longer in order to get it nice and crisp). Pre-bake dough for about 5 minutes and then take it out. Meanwhile, saute your chik'n cutlets in a saute pan with a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. Brush the cutlets with some BBQ sauce. Set cutlets aside. Using the same pan, you can start on the white sauce. Melt Earth Balance in the pan and then whisk the flour in gradually. Continue to whisk as you add the milk. Once it has reached a thick/cheezey/saucy texture, it's done. Add the onion powder, salt, and nutritional yeast.



Now you can start assembling the pizza. Spread about 3 TBL of BBQ sauce on the dough for the base. Then spread out the cheezey white sauce. Top with the BBQ chik'n (cut into bite-sized pieces), apple slices, kale, and bacon bits. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Yet another Oliver-approved recipe!

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Vegan in Milwaukee!

I know, I know... it seems I'm a bit of a jet-setter these days. Just know, this really isn't the norm for me. I just happened to visit two different states this month. The reason for this getaway was a little reunion of my high school friends. We all met in Milwaukee and stayed with my friend, Shannon, who attends The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. We pretty much spent the weekend dancing, drankin and eating some mighty excellent vegan food... We are kind of all-stars at doing all these things.

I have to give my friend Je$$ props because she did the majority of the cooking when we weren't eating out. My favorite dish she made was this cheezey vegan version of a hamburger helper.




Let's start at the beginning. First, we ate brunch at the Riverwest Co-op...

I started out with an AWESOME Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie ( t'was ridonkulous). Then, I was so excited when this landed in front of me... A Philly Cheezesteak Sandwich



INSANE Mac & Cheeze



French Toast



Ranchero Plate- Spiced brown rice, seasoned black beans, scrambled tofu served with corn (gluten-free) or flour tortillas, salsa and avocado



I have to say, the Biscuits N' Gravy were probably my least favorite. The biscuits were a little too dense but still purtty good.



Then we had a Sunday brunch gathering with some of Shannon's friends at Beans & Barley. We had probably THE sweetest server ever! I would give her a shout out if I only I knew her name :(



Don't worry... I didn't consume all of the following food alone.



I started out with one of my favorite drinks, a Sweet Matcha Latte



Jess got a cup of Pumpkin Peanut Soup. I'm not a fan of peanuts in savory food, so I'll reserve my opinion. However, I will say that she finished it!



Then she got the Tempeh Rueben. It was good, but a little on the dry side.



A bunch of us ordered the Pesto Scrambled Tofu with parsley shallot potatoes.



I also tried yet another plate of Biscuits n' Gravy. I have to say, Beans & Barley's were better in my opinion.



Flippin' fantastic Pancakes!



Then on our last day, we did lunch at Comet Cafe. Lemme just say, we were all so enthralled in how unbelievably good our own entrees were that there was very little talking and sharing going on...



A few of us just had to try the Beermosa. Yup, sounds super gross but is surprisingly awesome. I swear!



Eva got the Vegetable-Heaven Salad with marinated tofu and ginger dressing...



Plus a side of Tofu Scramble



Jess had the Vegan Meatloaf Sandwich topped with mashed potatoes, grilled tomatoes, and beer gravy.



Julia got the Vegan Gyro with housemade seitan.



Last, but certainly not least, is what I ordered (and the reason Comet Cafe will forever hold a special place in my heart). Now, if you haven't noticed by now, I am a vegan who tends to enjoy the occasional faux meat product. I know a lot of vegans aren't into that so please don't hate me for gushing about the following entree... Vegan Deep Fried Ribs. Here's the thing, no one I talk about this to seems to think this sounds good at all. Admittedly, it sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen. But come on, I figured this was probably my only chance to get this. Seriously, it was AAAAAAAAMMMMMMAAAAAAZZZZZIIIIIINNnNnnnNggggg! It was beer battered vegan riblets with hand-cut fries, vegan chive mayo, hot sauce, and BBQ sauce. I mean... just... yeah... i can't.... I have no words....





All in all, if you're looking for excellent vegan fare, GET YOUR VEGAN BUTT TO MILWAUKEE!



And yes... now that I'm home, I will resume cooking!

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Artichoke with Hollandaise Sauce

Level of Difficulty: So Simple
Pots/Pans Used: 1 plus a blender

Ingredients

Artichokes!

For the Hollandaise Sauce:
3/4 cup of soft tofu
2 tsp mustard
4 TBL nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup soymilk
1 TBL olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
pinch paprika
pinch turmeric
salt & pepper to taste

The inspiration for this came while watching Julie & Julia. I believe it was the first recipe that Julie Powell tries from the Julia Child's cookbook. Anyways, in the movie it looks ridiculous! Artichokes have always been one of my favorite meals. Eating it requires more participation that the average veggie, but in my opinion, it's a small price to pay!



Steaming the artichoke is very simple. Basically just cut off some of the stem and steam the artichoke in a pot for about 15-20 minutes or until the leaves pull off easily. Meanwhile, you can start on the Hollandaise Sauce. I just stole this recipe from my "Eggless Benedict" recipe. You just throw it all in a blender and flip dat switch! This may make more than you want but the sauce is great over pasta. That's what I always do with the leftovers.

I am also really excited because CSN approached me about doing a product review for them. I have been looking at all the stuff they have on their websites and it goes way beyond kitchen supplies. In fact, if anyone is in the process of remodeling their kitchen, they have some pretty cool lighting options. Their Pendant Lighting fixtures are very unique and simple. Anyways, stay tuned for that review coming soon!

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Vegan in Vegas!!!

That's right... my mom and I went to Las Vegas. I happily returned home from my trip last night with a tummy full of yummy vegan food and 33 dollars in penny slot winnings. So... all in all, being a vegan in Vegas is not too shabby in my book. Technically, my mom was actually there on business so we were lucky enough to stay at the Bellagio hotel. I can't speak for other hotels, but the room service chef was really excellent in trying to accommodate my special diet. He came up with a vegan breakfast menu that included more than just fruit! Honestly, some of the food was hit or miss, but it was awesome that they at least tried to get creative.

Here's what we feasted on and where you can get it. I also took the liberty to include a few fun pictures from the trip.

As soon as I arrived, I spoke to the chef on the phone and he sent up a couple midnight snacks. First was a veggie roll with very snazzy leaf-shaped wasabi... Ooh la la!



And some fantastic Thai Spring Rolls that came with two dipping sauces




My first morning in Vegas, I feasted on a Vegan Frittata with hash browns and a grapefruit




This grapefruit was seriously fantastic. It had burnt sugar on top that made it like the most delicious little Grapefruit Brulee!




For Lunch we walked over to the Wynn hotel. I did some research before my trip and found out that Mr. Wynn is in fact a vegan. That means that all of his restaurants offer an optional vegan menu. However, I had seen pictures from Little Vegan Planet's Vegas trip and decided I HAD to get the pizza. I kept it simple with caramelized red onions, mushrooms, and red pepper. It WUZ Gr8!!!!







Then we went to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and I got my picture taken with my idol, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Seriously, It's about time you all knew that I LOVE Buffy! My life is now complete. Unfortunately, Leo Dicaprio was not in the building :(



The next morning they sent up some vegan pancakes and some beautiful fruit! Honestly, the texture of the pancakes were a little weird - very thin and chewy. At least they tried...





Another morning I tried the breakfast burrito which was a big disappointment. It really had no flavor.



The buffet was alright... but if you don't like veggies and Japanese food, you're pretty much screwed.




Lemme just say, if you can do anything while you're in Vegas, go on the Pink Jeep tour to the Valley of Fire. It was truly amazing. These pictures really don't do it justice...


Yay! Me and my mama!




For our last night in Vegas, my mom and I had dinner at this fantastic Chinese restaurant called "Fin" in The Mirage hotel. Unfortunately, by this point my camera had died so I had to take pictures with my phone. The staff was so helpful in putting together a great vegan meal for us.

We started out with our favorite dish of the night... Crispy Shitake Mushrooms

Spicy Eggplant

Hot and Sour Soup

Moving on to the entrees... we shared a Tofu Clay Pot, Vegan Fried Rice, and Kung Pao Tofu




Alright, if you're not already packing your bags for Vegas, you may want to get on that........................................ now!

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