Chow Vegan

This is what I’ll be handing out to the little kiddies for Halloween. Yummy granola.

Somehow I managed to snag one of the free Bear Naked Halloween kits which includes 30 sample packs of their fruit and nut granola, a reusable grocery bag to put them in to hand out, a Halloween edition Bear Naked t-shirt and a big sticker.

I’m thrilled to be able to offer a healthier treat than candy. Although they’re not vegan because it has honey, it’s still a very tasty, natural alternative. If you like to try it yourself, you can get your own free sample from Bear Naked.

Once upon a time, in the very distant past, I tried soup in a bread bowl. It seemed a little weird to me back then.

Do you eat the bowl or not?

I think I tried to eat the whole thing but it was way too much, I’m sure I didn’t even come close to finishing it. It just seemed like such a waste of food. I haven’t tried it since.

With the upcoming cooler weather, I feel like giving it a try again. But this time, instead of a giant bread bowl, why not a cute miniature one?

Besides the large loaves of sourdough bread at the bakery, now there’s also small and medium sizes. Get whatever size you like, the smaller ones for an appetizer, the medium ones for a bigger serving.

Inspired by VeganDad‘s post on Mixed Vegetable Chowder, I adapted my usual corn chowder to include different vegetables. It’s got a slightly different taste and flavor yet it’s still comfortingly familiar.

Vegetable Chowder In Mini Sourdough Bread Bowl
Serves 2 – 4

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 small white onion, chopped
1 small leek, sliced
1 medium carrot, sliced
2 medium red potatoes, cubed
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup soymilk
1 garlic clove, minced
6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 medium or 4 small sourdough bread loaves or rolls
Cayenne pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil until hot, add the onions and leeks, sauté until translucent. Add the carrots and potatoes, sauté for a few minutes. Add the vegetable stock and cover. Bring to a boil and cook over low to medium heat for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a wok until hot, add the remaining oil. Add the garlic and mushrooms and sauté until cooked. Set aside.

Add the mushrooms and soymilk to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes. Puree 3/4 of the soup in a blender, return to the pot, and mix well.

Slice off the top of the bread and hollow out the inside, saving the bread for another use. Ladle the soup into the bread bowl and top with cayenne pepper.

No Croutons Required is a monthly food blogging event hosted by Lisa’s Kitchen and Tinned Tomatoes. October’s theme is hearty vegetarian soups that will warm the body and satisfy a hungry tummy. In my book bowl, that’s chowder and my contribution to the event.

I’ve made BBQ pulled jackfruit sandwiches and jackfruit carintas tacos and from that taquitos. I’m ready to go in a new and different direction with jackfruit. I’m most familiar with Chinese cuisine so let’s go there.

I decided on Chinese 5-spice seasonings for the jackfruit and to serve it in the same manner as traditional Peking Duck with steamed buns but without the duck.

I thought it came out well, it doesn’t taste like duck but I didn’t expect it to nor was I trying to make it taste like duck. It’s got its own 5-spice taste which was good and then combine that with the bun and sauce it’s very savory and reminiscent of baos served at dim sum.

The flavor seemed to have developed quicker with the 5-spice seasoning, it tastes the same right after cooking as it does overnight, unlike the bbq jackfruit.

I went the lazy route on the steam buns and got the store-bought kind. I’m sure it would be even better with freshly-made buns.

Chinese 5-spice Jackfruit With Steamed Buns
Makes about 6 – 8 servings

Chinese 5-spice Jackfruit
1 20 ounce can young green jackfruit in brine
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 lime, juiced
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 tablespoon chinese 5-spice
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Freshly cracked black pepper

Drain and wash the jackfruit in several changes of water. Squeeze out as much water as you can.

Put the jackfruit in a slow cooker, add the rest of the ingredients and enough water to just cover the jackfruit. Set the cooker for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. The jackfruit should be fork tender and come apart easily. Set aside to cool.

For Serving
1 package of steamed buns, available at the Asian grocery store
Hoisin sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce
2 green onions, julienned
1/2 bunch of cilantro (optional)

Heat up the buns according to the package directions. Open up a bun, spread a bit of the Hoisin sauce on, add some of the jackfruit and a few pieces of the green onion strips or cilantro sprigs. Close bun and eat.

After having so much fun eating fondue, I was wondering what else do people eat with a tiny fork. Shrimp cocktail comes to mind. Back in the day, my family and I used to order this appetizer a lot. It was a classic starter at many of the American cuisine type of restaurants around the area.

Of course, I don’t eat shrimp nowadays. Instead, king oyster mushrooms are smothered in a cocktail sauce with cilantro and jalapeno. It’s got the same spicy, tangy, ketchup-tomatoey taste that I remember. Perfect for a nice trip down memory lane or a fancy dinner if you don’t have such memories.

Spicy Mushroom Cocktail
Serves 2

1/2 pound king oyster mushrooms
Olive oil
Salt to taste

Cocktail Sauce
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1 lime, juiced
1 small jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 sprig of cilantro, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Clean the mushrooms and slice into 1/8″ rounds on the diagonal. If the slices are on the large size, cut them into smaller pieces to fit into whatever you’re serving it in.

In a wok or pan, heat until hot and add just enough olive oil to coat. Add the mushrooms and salt to taste, sauté until soft, slightly wilted and golden around the edges. Set aside to cool.

Combine the cocktail sauce ingredients in a bowl and chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Add the mushrooms to the bowl and mix well. To serve, spoon into a cocktail or parfait glass and top with a lime garnish.

Since I still have a bit of lunchbox fondue left over from my last post, I thought it might go well with ravioli. Someday I would like to try to make ravioli from scratch.

But not today.

Today, I need something kinda quick so I’m pulling out of the freezer a package of Rising Moon Organics Butternut Squash Ravioli. It’s vegan, organic and tasty.

They also have quite a few other vegan ravioli options, so far I like the butternut squash the best. It tastes like a cross between pumpkin and sweet potato.

Cook according to the package directions. Toss the pillowy ravioli with a little vegan butter or olive oil, (basically so the raviolis don’t stick to themselves in a big clump), then serve on a bed of sautéed baby spinach, surrounded by the cheesy fondue sauce. Top with a few basil leaves, and voilà, dinner is served.