#herebevegans

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BACON

Tofu bacon is one of those classic, old school recipes that our vegan forefathers got just right. You don’t really need to mess with it. 

Vegan bacon options at the grocery store are surprisingly limited given how prevalent moc meat is at this point. Until Morning Star gets with the program and stops slopping egg whites into everything, you’re kind of out of luck on the pre-packaged front if you wan’t something really tasty. So, let’s travel back in time to, let’s say, the 1970s, when your hip parents were trying out all kinds of wacky recipes with radical, politically conscious hunks of bean curd. 

tofu bacon

1 block super firm tofu

1/2 cup tamari

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon liquid aminos

1 teaspoon pickle brine or vinegar

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

Mix up all the marinade ingredients. Slice the tofu very thinly. Soak the tofu in the marinade in the fridge for at least an hour.

Drain the tofu but save the marinade.

Lay out the tofu onto two oiled baking sheets. Spray or brush some oil on the tops of the tofu slices.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Flip the tofus. Add a bit more marinade and then oil to the top of each slice. Bake for 12 more minutes. (Cooking times vary depending on how thinly you slice the tofu, how many pans you have cooking simultaneously, and how crispy you want your bacon to be, so keep an eye on it!)

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HAIL SEITAN

We’ve been keeping this one to ourselves for the past seven years. Now that the lovely restauranteur who shared her secret recipe with us is happily retired, we’re posting her perfect seitan recipe for you to enjoy.

seitan

3 cups vital wheat gluten

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

3 Tbsp chickpea flour

3 Tbsp onion powder

3 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 can white beans (such as cannellini, great northern, navy), pureed

2 cups water

1/2 cup oil

Whisk all the wheat gluten, flour and spices together. 

Add all the remaining ingredients. We use a Kitchen Aid with the bread hook attachment for 1 to 2 minutes. You don’t want to over-mix it because the gluten will go crazy.

Form the seitan dough into a long log, maybe 13 inches long.

Wrap the seitan log entirely in tinfoil. Place on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Flip the log. Bake for another 50.

Cool. Slice. We store the slices in the freezer.

There are lots of things you can do with your seitan. In the photo above, we had it on a sandwich with a sauerkraut/ vegan mayo/ ketchup slaw and a slice of Chao cheese. There’s a restaurant we love in Denver that serves a seitan slab smothered in gravy with biscuits and tofu scramble. It’s also great chopped into pieces and added to a veggie pot pie.

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WORLD’S BEST HASH BROWNS

Crispy, buttery hash browns for breakfast.

hash browns

1 large russet potato

2 Tbsp vegan better

rounded 1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Peel and grate the potato (we do half large shred and half small shred). Wrap the grated potato in a dish towel and squeeze to remove extra liquid.

Toss the potatoes in the salt and pepper.

Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Evenly scatter the potatoes and press to flatten. Cook until brown and crisp (about 7 minutes). 

Slide the hash browns onto a plate. Melt the other tablespoon of butter in the pan. Invert the hash browns onto another plate, slide them back into the pan and cook the other side (about 5 minutes). 

Fold hash brown cake in half, cook for 1 more minute. Cut into wedges. 

*Recipe adapted/ veganized from Cooks Illustrated

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CLASSIC APPLE PIE

It had been almost exactly one year since we went to the apple orchard. The last time we were there, I was pretty darn pregnant. 

This time around, we walked between the rows of apple trees and filled up a half-peck bag with perfect McIntosh apples. Jake bit one open for our baby to chomp on and she loved it. Then he snapped a photo of me that was nearly identical to the one he had taken the year before. As a rule, we don’t post photos of our girl on social media, but we’ll let this distant, blurry profile shot be the exception since the side by side with last year’s photo is just too good. 

Follow this recipe and you will end up with one perfectly tart, sweet, and buttery, classic apple pie.

regular 9-inch apple pie

2 flaky pie crusts (recipe below)

6 McIntosh apples

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2.5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons Earth Balance, cut into small pieces

a bit of cinnamon & sugar to sprinkle on the crust, if you wish

mini apple pie (5.5-inch pie pan)

1 flaky pie crust (recipe below)

3 McIntosh apples

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 heaping tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon Earth Balance, cut into small pieces

a bit of cinnamon & sugar to sprinkle on the crust, if you wish

flakey pie crust

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup vegetable shortening or Earth Balance (we did 50/50)

1/3 cup ice water

flakey pie crust (mini pie)

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening or Earth Balance (we did 50/50)

up to 1/4 cup ice water

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and process for about 10 seconds. Add the shortening/ Earth Balance and pulse until the mixture is like clumpy sand, with pieces the size of peas. Add the water a bit at a time until the dough comes together. It should look rather rough (not a smooth solid mass) and hold together when you press it with your hands. Divide the dough in half, press each half into a thick disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for half an hour before rolling it out.

Preheat the oven to 425. Butter and lightly flour your pie dish. 

Peel, core, and slice the apples (about 1/4-inch thick). Toss them with the lemon juice. Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and stir until the apples are evenly coated. Allow this mixture to rest and soften a bit while you roll out the dough.

On a floured work surface, roll out half of the dough into a round (about 13 inches for the regular pie or about 8 inches for the mini pie). Press the dough round into the bottom of the pie pan, leaving the excess hanging over the edge.

Pour the apple filling into the crust. Roll out the dough for the top crust and lay it over the top of the pie pan. Use scissors to evenly cut both layers of overhanging crust to about 1-inch. Press the two layers together with your fingers. Fold the edge downward and inward, tucking the cut ends in against the lip of the pie pan. Use your forefinger and middle finger on one side of the curst, and your thumb on the other, to create an attractive crimped edge by pressing your thumb in between your other two fingers. Alternatively, use a fork or any other method you prefer. Use a knife to cut four ventilation slits in the top of the pie. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if you wish.

Bake for 30 minutes. Place a baking sheet or some foil beneath your pie, reduce the oven temperature to 350 and continue baking for another 30 minutes. 

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 3 hours. 

*recipe adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking

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TOFU FRIES

To avoid any confusion, we feel like we should mention straight away that potatoes are indeed vegan. This is not a vegan french fry post. Unless they’re cooked in lard, fries are usually vegan. But tofu fries are fun and yummy and so easy to make.

These are modeled after the tofu fries from Susty’s Vegan Cafe in Northwood, New Hampshire, which had been making vegan food since 1998 until they closed down due to the pandemic.

Susty’s was a funny little restaurant. It was the rare sort of small town restaurant where the person who took your food order would then just walk into the back and cook it for you. It was really slow and pretty charming and the food was totally worth waiting for. Sometimes you’d drive there and it wouldn’t be open because the one person who was supposed to be working didn’t make it in that day, which could have been disappointing but always made us laugh.

RIP Susty’s. We miss you.

tofu fries

block of tofu (super firm or extra firm)

oil (we used olive)

our seasoning mix (or whatever seasoning mix you like)

nutritional yeast

Drain the tofu and pat it dry with a couple cloths, then cut it into little fries. Put the fries in a bowl, coat them in oil, then spice mix and nutritional yeast. Bake at 400 on a parchment-lined tray for about 25 minutes. Keep and eye on them and take them out when they’re as crispy as you want. We could advise you to flip them halfway through, but we didn’t and they turned out great.

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BRAISED RED POTATOES

This is one of the yummiest things you can possibly make, and also one of the simplest. These cute little red potatoes are soft on the inside and browned and perfectly seasoned on the outside. They take a bit of time to cook, but you really barely have to do any work for this recipe. Next time you’re at the grocery store, grab some red potatoes and try it!

We posted this recipe once before as part of a dinner with other elements involved, but we thought it needed its own spot here because it’s so special and great. You can make this recipe using the tiny red potatoes that often come in a net bag or the kind that are a bit larger, either works well. It’s especially fun to use the tiny ones if you’re making this recipe for tiny humans :)

braised red potatoes

Maybe 2/3rds of a bag of tinies, or about 8 regular red potatoes, scrubbed and halved. Just cover the bottom of your pan, cut side down.

3 whole garlic cloves, peeled

a big pinch of dried thyme (or a couple sprigs fresh if you have it)

a big pinch of dried rosemary

1/2 to ¾ tsp salt (depending on the size/ quantity of the potatoes)

3 Tbsp Earth Balance

2 cups water

Arrange the potatoes cut side down in a well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick 12-inch skillet.

Pour in the water and add all the other ingredients to the pan.

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Remove the lid. Take out the garlic cloves and place them on a cutting board.

Cook the potatoes, uncovered, while the rest of the water cooks off and the bottoms of the potatoes form a nice crust (about 30 minutes).

Turn off the heat. Mince or press the garlic. Add the garlic to the pan and stir to coat the potatoes in the butter-garlic mixture. Serve immediately.

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VEGGIE BURGER SUPREME

This is a variation of our go to veggie burger recipe (the stolen, award winning one). Cooking the onion and adding garlic, spices, and veggie broth elevates these burgers above the already great original recipe.

veggie burgers supreme (yields about 17 burgers)

1 yellow onion

1 tablespoon vegan butter

4 cloves garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, ground between your fingers

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

pinch of cumin

1 block firm tofu, drained

½ cup grated carrot

¾ cup sesame seeds

¾ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup tamari

1/3 cup neutral-tasting oil

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups bulgur wheat

½ cup veggie broth (more may be added if dough is too dry)

Chop the onion and get it cooking in the vegan butter on medium-low heat for at least 20 minutes, until softened and starting to brown. Add 4 cloves minced garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in all the spices.

In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, bulgur wheat, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. Add the cooked onion mixture.

In a separate bowl, crumble the tofu with your hands. Mix in the canola oil, tamari and veggie broth. Add the grated carrots. Add the cooked onion and garlic.

Combine the two mixtures. Mix thoroughly with your hands to make the batter.

Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours, or overnight.

Shape the mixture into whatever size patties you like. We try not to make them too thick. To achieve equal patties, you can use some sort of lid as a template.

You can store the uncooked patties as they are, but we like to cook them a bit before freezing, which makes them especially easy to heat up in the future. We use a big, double-burner stovetop griddle and cook the burgers on both sides until lightly browned. 

Stack the burgers between pieces of parchment and store them in the freezer in a freezer-safe container or bag. 

When it’s time to heat one up, cook like any other veggie burger - on a skillet with vegan butter or oil until browned on both sides, or on a grill - however you like it.

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HANK POPS (COCONUT POPS)

Creamy, not overly sweet coconut pops. These are easy peasy and really good.

When Audie asks us to tell her a story, she specifies what type she wants, a “once did” or a “pit-pat”. Once dids are true tales of things that Audie once did. Pit-pat stories, on the other hand, are made up on the spot. Pit-pat stories are about Audie going off on some adventure, often into the woods where she encounters a bunch of animal friends, and they always end with the words, “... and then Audie ran home and told her Mommy and Daddy all about it, just like that,” and then we snap our fingers. Wow, the set up for explaining why these coconut pops are called Hank pops is already so long, but we can’t stop now! The main thing is that Hank is a character from a deeply weird pit-pat about a man and his dog who make and sell popsicles together, and it barely makes sense, even to us, but we refer to coconut pops as Hank pops now, and we will forevermore!

Hank pops (yields approximately 6 Hanks)

1 can coconut milk

1/3 cup cashew cream (whole, raw cashews blended with alt. milk until very smooth and thick)

1/4 cup fine coconut flakes

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 4 tablespoons maple syrup, depending on desired sweetness

Mix it, freeze it.