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Connoisseurus Veg
Fri, 24 Mar 2023 09:54:23 +0000
Vegan Matzo Ball Soup
Whether you're celebrating Passover in the coming days or not, you need this vegan matzo ball soup in your life! No eggs, no animal products, just all the deliciousness made with cozy matzo balls and veggies in scrumptious savory broth.
Okay, before I start, confession: I've never had non-vegan matzo ball soup. So I'm far from being an expert on matzo ball soup. I always wanted to try it, but traditional versions are made with eggs and chicken fat, so that wasn't happening.
But I have experimented with creating vegan versions over the years. Well, I finally think I perfected it! With Passover coming up, now seemed like a great time to share my results.
While I can't say I'm sure what matzo ball soup with chicken fat and eggs is supposed to taste like, I can tell you that this vegan matzo ball soup is freaking delicious.
In place of chicken fat, I used plain old olive oil in my matzo balls. And instead of egg, I used potato starch. With these swaps I found it tricky (not impossible though) to get the balls to hold together while simmering in the soup.
So I tried another approach: I steamed my matzo balls, and it worked great! These matzo balls held together like champions, and the soup was absolutely wonderful.
[feast_advanced_jump_to] Ingredients You'll Need- Matzo meal.
- Potato starch. This is the binder for your matzo balls, so it's important. You may be able to find it in the baking or natural foods aisle of your supermarket. If not, buy it online.
- Salt.
- Baking powder.
- Non-dairy milk. Use a variety that's unsweetened and unflavored. Try almond milk, cashew milk, or oat milk.
- Olive oil. Another neutral oil can be substituted if needed. Just avoid using coconut oil, which can solidify while you chill your matzo ball mixture.
- Carrots.
- Leeks.
- Garlic.
- Vegetable broth. Use a vegan chicken style broth if you can find one! This will give your matzo ball soup an authentic flavor. King Arthur and Better than Bouillon both make products what will work. If not, simply use your favorite veggie broth.
- Frozen peas.
- Fresh dill.
- Black pepper.
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Start by combining matzo meal, potato starch, salt, baking powder, non-dairy milk and olive oil in a small bowl. Stir the mixture up well, cover the bowl, and stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Tip: Don't skip the step of chilling your matzo mixture! This is when the matzo meal becomes saturated with the milk and oil, giving the matzo balls the perfect texture.
To make the soup, heat some olive oil in a pot, then sweat the carrots and leeks (pale green and white parts only) until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook it with the veggies for about a minute.
Add your broth, raise the heat, and bring it to boil. Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer for about 45 minutes.
Tip: If your soup reduces too much while simmering (which can happen if it boils too rapidly), feel free to add some water.
Prepare a steamer while the soup simmers. I like to use a wok and bamboo steamer, which has plenty of room to accommodate all of the matzo balls. If you have a smaller device you can steam them in batches.
Roll the matzo meal mixture into 1-inch balls and arrange them in the steamer so they're not touching. Steam them for 10 minutes.
Let the matzo balls sit for a few minutes when they're done steaming, then add them to the soup and simmer them for a bit.
Take the soup off of heat when it's done, then stir in some thawed frozen peas, fresh dill, salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle your vegan matzo ball soup into bowls and dig in!
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
Course SoupCuisine American, Eastern European Prep Time 20 minutesCook Time 55 minutesTotal Time 1 hour 15 minutes Servings 4 Calories 314kcal Author Alissa Saenz IngredientsFor the Matzo Balls
- ¾ cup matzo meal
- 3 tablespoons potato starch
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or another neutral flavored cooking oil)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium leek, white and pale green parts only, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- To make the matzo balls, stir the matzo meal, potato starch, salt, and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Stir in the milk and oil until thoroughly mixed.
- Cover the bowl and chill the mixture for at least 30 minutes, while you begin the soup.
- To make the soup, coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. Add the leek and carrot. Sweat the veggies for 5 minutes, until the carrot just begins to soften.
- Add the garlic and sauté with the carrots and leek for 1 minute, until very fragrant.
- Stir in the broth. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and allow the soup to cook for about 45 minutes.
- While the soup simmers, prepare a steaming device. (Note 1)
- Shape the matzo mix into 1-inch balls and arrange them in the steamer so they aren't touching. (Note 2)
- Steam the matzo balls for 10 minutes. Remove them from the steamer when done, then allow them to sit for 5 minutes before adding them to the soup. Let the matzo balls simmer in the soup for 5 to 10 minutes. (Note 3)
- Carefully stir in the peas and cook the soup for about 2 minutes more.
- When the soup is finished cooking, remove it from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the dill.
- Ladle into bowls and serve.
- I like to use a wok fitted with a bamboo steamer, but a simple vegetable steamer and saucepan will work just fine.
- You can steam your matzo balls in batches if necessary.
- The simmer times aren't super critical in this recipe. If the soup has longer than 10 minutes to go when you add the balls, let them simmer longer. If the soup has less than 5 minutes to go, let it simmer a little longer so that the balls have enough simmer time.
The post Vegan Matzo Ball Soup appeared first on Connoisseurus Veg.
Wed, 22 Mar 2023 13:36:59 +0000
Vegan Egg Salad (Made with Tofu!)
The best egg salad ever, sans eggs! This vegan egg salad is made with diced up tofu and crunchy veggies in a creamy base of vegan mayo, Dijon mustard and optional tahini.
Being totally honest here, I was never a big fan of egg salad. I ate quite a bit of it as a kid and always had mixed feelings. On the one hand, if it was egg salad day at school, it meant I was avoiding worse fate, like bologna or tuna salad. Those were the worst.
On the other hand: eggs. Never one of my faves.
I generally tolerated egg salad and kept my fingers crossed that tomorrow would be PB&J day.
I loved this vegan egg salad. Egg salad made with tofu is far superior to egg salad made with actual eggs, if you ask me!
I totally intended to split a sandwich with my husband and then pack up the rest for weekday lunches, but between the two of us we finished the entire batch over the weekend.
[feast_advanced_jump_to] Ingredients You'll Need- Vegan mayonnaise. You can find vegan mayo in most regular supermarkets these days. Look for it near the regular mayo, or in the natural foods section. Just Mayo, Hellman's Vegan and Vegenaise are some popular brands to look out for.
- Dijon mustard. I like whole grain Dijon (Trader Joe's is my favorite), but the smooth stuff works too.
- Tahini. This is an optional ingredient, but I find it works great for thickening up the dressing and mimicking the texture of hard boiled egg yolks.
- Red wine vinegar.
- Ground turmeric. This is for adding some yellow color to your vegan egg salad. Skip it if you don't feel like you need that.
- Tofu. Extra-firm tofu works best for this recipe, but firm will do in a pinch.
- Red onion. Pro tip: if you find raw onion to be a bit intense for you, simply soak your onion in some cold water after dicing it. A 10 minute soak followed by a rinse in cold water will wash away most of the bite.
- Dill pickle relish. Finely mince up some dill pickle if relish isn't something you normally buy.
- Fresh parsley.
- Celery.
- Carrots.
- Scallions. Also known as green onions.
- Kala namak. Kala namak, also knowns as black salt, is a type of salt with a high sulfur content. It's great for making things taste eggy! I use it in all of my vegan "egg" recipes like tofu scramble and vegan quiche. You can find it in most Indian markets or on Amazon. It's optional in this recipe and can be replaced with regular table salt if needed.
- Black pepper.
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
This stuff comes together super easily, in mere minutes!
Stir the dressing ingredients together: vegan mayo, Dijon mustard, tahini (if using), red wine vinegar, and turmeric.
Now stir in your filling ingredients: diced tofu, red onion, relish, parsley, celery, carrots, and scallions.
Give the mixture a taste-test and make any adjustments you think are needed. You can add more mayo to make it creamier, more vinegar for tang, or more veggies for crunch. Add kala namak (or regular salt) and pepper to taste.
Stuff your vegan egg salad into a sandwich, scoop it onto a green salad, or devour it from a spoon!
Leftovers & StorageLeftover vegan egg salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
More Creamy Sandwich Salads
Vegan Chicken Salad
Curried Tofu Salad Wraps
Vegan Tuna Salad
Smoky Smashed Chickpea Salad SandwichesLike this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
- ¼ cup vegan mayo, or more, if you like
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon tahini (optional)
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon turmeric (optional, for eggy color)
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) package extra firm tofu, drained, patted dry and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup diced red onion (Note 1)
- ¼ cup dill pickle relish
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 medium celery stalks, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, finely diced
- 2 scallions, chopped
- Kala namak (optional, for eggy flavor), to taste (Note 2)
- Black pepper, to taste
- Stir the mayo, Dijon mustard, tahini (if using), vinegar, and turmeric (if using) together in a medium bowl.
- Add the tofu, onion, relish, parsley, celery, carrots and scallions. Gently stir until fully blended.
- Season with kala namak or salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve in sandwiches, wraps, or atop a bed of greens.
- Optionally, soak your diced red onion in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse it before using. This will mellow the flavor and reduce the raw onion bite.
- Kaka namak (also known as black salt) can be purchased at most Indian markets. Substitute with regular salt if you can't find it or don't want to use it.
The post Vegan Egg Salad (Made with Tofu!) appeared first on Connoisseurus Veg.
Mon, 20 Mar 2023 13:48:18 +0000
Spicy Gochujang Tofu
This fiery gochujang tofu is like a party in your mouth! A delicious Korean-inspired vegan main dish that's loaded with flavor and can be on the table in about 20 minutes!
Let's talk about gochujang. It's a sauce, sort of. Maybe more like a paste. In any event, it definitely falls into the seasoning/condiment category.
But it's one of the few seasonings/condiments that I could make a meal of. Is that wrong? Well maybe I don't want to be right.
Okay, really, gochujang is way to spicy to make a meal of, but I love it. So instead I decided to make a meal that heavily features it: let me introduce you to gochujang tofu.
In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, gochujang is a spicy fermented Korean red chili paste. It's featured in lots of Korean dishes, and I've already used in in a handful of recipes on this site, like my vegan bibimbap and kimchi fried rice.
This particular recipes isn't authentically Korean. Its something I made up that features lots of my favorite flavors and is relatively simple to throw together. It's absolutely perfect when you're craving a scrumptious meal but have limited time to put it together!
[feast_advanced_jump_to] Ingredients You'll Need- Gochujang paste. If you're lucky you'll be able to find gochujang in the international aisle of your regular supermarket. If not, try an Asian market, or buy it online.
- Maple syrup. Another liquid sweetener can be used if you'd like, such as agave or coconut nectar.
- Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if preferred.
- Rice vinegar.
- Toasted sesame oil.
- Cold water.
- Cornstarch.
- Peanut oil. This is for frying the tofu, and just about any neutral high-heat oil can be substituted. Corn oil, vegetable oil, canola oil and coconut oil will all work!
- Tofu. The recipe calls for super firm tofu. It has a great texture and is really easy to work with. All you need to do is drain the excess liquid, then dice it. If all you can get is firm or extra-firm tofu, that's fine! You'll just need to press your tofu before cooking.
- Garlic.
- Scallions. Also known as green onions.
- Toasted sesame seeds.
Tip: In addition to the ingredients above, you'll also want to pick up some accompaniments for your gochujang tofu. Cooked rice or quinoa, steamed or stir-fried veggies like broccoli, cabbage, or carrots, or Korean sides like vegan kimchi are all great options.
How It's MadeThe following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Do your prep work before you start cooking. Dice your tofu, mince your garlic, and mix up the ingredients for your gochujang sauce: gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, water and cornstarch.
Tip: Using cold water will help your cornstarch to fully dissolve when mixing your sauce. If you can't get it to dissolve, cool the mixture down a little more by adding a small ice cube or placing it in the freezer for a few minutes.
Heat some oil in a nonstick skillet and add your tofu cubes. Cook the tofu for a few minutes on each side until the pieces are golden brown.
Push the tofu back just enough to make some space for your garlic. Add the garlic to the skillet and sauté it for about a minute, until it becomes very fragrant.
Tip: Check out my tutorial on how pan-fry tofu if this is a new cooking technique for you.
Pour the sauce into the skillet with your tofu and garlic. Be careful, as the sauce can sputter when it hits the hot cooking surface.
Mix everything up, bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook the mixture until the sauce thickens up. This should only take a minute or two.
Take the skillet off of the burner and top your gochujang tofu with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.
Serve it with rice, vegetables, or your choice of accompaniments.
Dig in!
Leftovers & StorageLeftover gochujang tofu will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. Reheat it in a saucepan or skillet on the stove, or in the microwave, adding a splash of water if the sauce becomes too thick in storage.
More Easy Tofu Main Dishes- Easy Sweet & Sour Tofu
- Tofu Stir-Fry with Garlic Sauce
- Cozy Weeknight Tofu Curry
- Pan-Fried Sticky Sesame Tofu
Easy Sweet & Sour Tofu
Tofu Stir-Fry with Garlic Sauce
Cozy Weeknight Tofu Curry
Pan-Fried Sticky Sesame TofuLike this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
- 3 tablespoons gochujang, or to taste (Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 (16 ounce/454 gram) package super firm tofu, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- Cooked rice or quinoa
- Additional accompaniments of choice, such as steamed vegetables
- Whisk the gochujang, maple syrup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sesame oil, and cornstarch together in a small cup or bowl.
- Coat the bottom of a large nonstick skillet with the oil and place it over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the tofu. Cook the tofu for about 10 minutes, flipping it once or twice, until the pieces are golden brown.
- Push the tofu to the side of the skillet and add the garlic. Sauté the garlic for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until very fragrant.
- Carefully pour the sauce into the skillet. Stir everything up so that the sauce coats the tofu. Bring the sauce to a simmer and continue cooking everything for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Remove the skillet from heat and top the tofu with chopped scallions and sesame seeds.
- Serve with rice or quinoa and additional accompaniments of choice.
- You can use anywhere from 1 tablespoon of gochujang for a relatively mild sauce, to 5 tablespoons, for a very spicy sauce. Start with less and taste-test the sauce if you're not sure how much you can tolerate.
- Nutrition information does not include accompaniments.
The post Spicy Gochujang Tofu appeared first on Connoisseurus Veg.
Fri, 17 Mar 2023 13:34:15 +0000
Vegan Cream of Asparagus Soup
This luscious vegan asparagus soup is thick, creamy and absolutely delicious! You'd never guess it was dairy-free. It's easy to make and can be on the table in 40 minutes flat.
Asparagus is the big early spring veggie that I look forward to every year, and it's been abundant lately at my local markets. But it doesn't always feel like spring this time of year. That's why this creamy vegan asparagus soup is pretty much my ultimate early spring recipe.
Classic cream of asparagus soup is a pretty simple dish made from just a handful of ingredients, asparagus and heavy cream being the two stars of the recipe. With that in mind I set out to veganize the dish using my favorite ingredient for replicating the richness of heavy cream: cashews.
Blended cashews are my favorite ingredient for making creamy dairy-free bisque-style soups like this one. They're great at replicating that rich lusciousness you get from milk or heavy cream.
And, good news, we're using a hack that allows us to skip the usual step of soaking cashews before blending. Read on to learn how it's done!
[feast_advanced_jump_to] Ingredients You'll Need- Fresh asparagus.
- Olive oil. Just about any high-heat oil can be substituted here. Canola oil, corn oil, coconut oil and avocado oil will all work.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Potato. The recipe calls for a russet, which is the best option for this soup, but other varieties like red potatoes or Yukon gold will work if that's what you have on hand.
- Raw cashews. It's important that your cashews are raw. Roasted cashews won't give your soup the right flavor or consistency.
- Vegetable broth.
- Lemon juice.
- Salt and pepper.
- Toppings. These are all optional, but feel free to garnish your vegan asparagus soup with some extra asparagus tips, coconut cream or cashew cream, fresh parsley, dill or chives.
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Prep everything before you begin cooking. Dice the onion, peel and dice the potato, mince the garlic, and trim and chop the asparagus.
Tip: Here's the best way to trim the woody ends from your asparagus: grab a spear, grasp it in the middle with one hand, and at the base with your other hand. Bend until the base breaks off. It will break in just the right place!
Heat the oil in a large pot and add diced onion. Sweat the onion for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until it becomes soft and translucent.
Add the asparagus pieces and cook them with onion until they turn bright green and tender-crisp. Add the garlic and continue cooking everything for about 1 minute.
Tip: Optionally, set aside a few asparagus tips to garnish each bowl of soup. You can use them raw, or remove them from the pot after cooking them with the onion for a few minutes but before adding the broth.
Add the broth, raw cashews, and diced potato to the pot. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a boil.
Lower the heat and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, until the asparagus is soft and the potato pieces are fork tender.
Tip: Boiling the cashews is what allows us to skip the step of soaking them! I borrowed this trick from my vegan broccoli cheddar soup recipe, but it works as a shortcut in many recipes where you'd normally need to let your cashews soak for several hours to soften them up for blending.
Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and blend until its smooth and creamy. You may need to work in batches, and it may take a few minutes to fully blend the soup if you aren't using a high-powered blending device like a Vitamix.
Tip: I don't recommend using an immersion blender for this particular recipe, as it would be very challenging to get all of the cashews smoothly blended.
Warm the soup back up on the stove if needed, and season it up with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. You can also thin it with up to 2 cups of extra broth if you'd prefer a thinner soup.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top it as you like.
Leftovers & StorageLeftover vegan cream of asparagus soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days. I don't recommend freezing this soup.
More Creamy Vegetable Soups- Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup
- Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
- Ultra Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
Ultra Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash SoupLike this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
- 2 pounds fresh asparagus spears
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth, plus up to 2 additional cups
- 1 cup peeled and diced russet potato (about 8 ounces or half of a medium potato)
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Asparagus tips
- Coconut cream or cashew cream
- Fresh dill, chives and/or parsley
- Trim the ends from the asparagus spears (Note 1), then cut the spears into 1 to 2 inch pieces.
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the onion. Sweat the onion for about 4 minutes, until it becomes soft and translucent, stirring frequently.
- Add the asparagus and cook it with the onion for about 3 minutes, until it turns bright green. (Note 2)
- Add the garlic and cook it with the asparagus and onion for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
- Stir in 4 cups of broth, along with the potato and cashews.
- Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potato and asparagus are very soft.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor bowl in batches and the soup blend until smooth. Always be very careful when blending hot liquids.
- Return the mixture to the pot. Thin with up to 2 cups of additional broth if desired. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reheat if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with toppings of choice and serve.
- To trim, grasp a spear by the middle in one hand, and by the base in another hand. Bend the asparagus until it breaks. This will remove just the tough portion at the base.
- Optionally, reserve a few tips to garnish each bowl of soup. You can set them aside and use them raw, or cook them according to step 3 and then remove them from the pot before you proceed with the recipe.
- This recipe makes about 6 cups of soup, assuming you only use 4 cups of broth.
The post Vegan Cream of Asparagus Soup appeared first on Connoisseurus Veg.
Wed, 15 Mar 2023 13:42:00 +0000
Vegan Reuben Sandwiches
The classic Reuben goes vegan! Made with layers of hearty seitan, tangy sauerkraut and creamy vegan Russian dressing, these vegan Reuben sandwiches are packed with flavor and grilled to crispy delicious perfection.
My husband was in the middle of eliminating animal products from his diet when I first met him, and he was really excited about my cooking. He made lots of requests for vegan versions of old favorites, and lots of them were dishes that I'd never actually had. One of his first requests was for a Reuben sandwich.
I've never had a conventional Reuben, so I relied on my husband's guidance for this one. He tells me it's pretty spot on. To this day it's a household favorite!
Not only have I never had a Reuben, but I've never even had corned beef, which is the main ingredient in a conventional Reuben. Seitan is the most realistic beef substitute I know of, which is why I use it in my Reuben sandwiches.
Seitan is also super easy to work with and loaded with protein.
I've made these sandwiches using my homemade seitan, as well as store-bought. Both work great! The advantage of making your own is that you make it in large chunks and then slice them super thin. If you prefer to use the store-bought stuff, just use a chef's knife to cut your seitan into strips that are as thin as possible.
[feast_advanced_jump_to] Ingredients You'll Need- Vegan mayonnaise. Most supermarkets sell vegan mayo these days. Look for it near the regular mayo or in the natural foods section. Hellman's vegan, Just Mayo and Vegenaise are a few brands to look out for.
- Tomato ketchup.
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce. Most Worcestershire sauce is made with anchovies, so be careful here. Annie's, Edward & Sons, and Whole Foods brand are all vegan. You can also make your own vegan Worcestershire sauce — it's really easy!
- Horseradish mustard.
- Hot sauce. Skip this if you prefer. If not, just use your favorite brand. I like to use a dash of Tobasco sauce in my vegan Russian dressing.
- Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos are both totally fine substiutes.
- Maple syrup. Feel free to use another liquid sweetener, like agave or coconut aminos, if that's what you have on hand.
- Spices. You'll need ginger, allspice, black pepper and cloves in order to season your seitan like corned beef.
- Vegetable oil. Use whatever high-heat oil you have on hand. Olive oil, canola oil, and coconut oil are all good choices.
- Onion.
- Seitan. You can use homemade seitan or store-bought.
- Sliced rye bread.
- Vegan butter. This can be found near the regular butter in most supermarkets. Look for brands like Miyoko's, Earth Balance, and Melt.
- Sauerkraut.
- Vegan cheese. You can skip this if you're not a fan of store-bought vegan cheese, but I really love it on these sandwiches. Daiya makes Swiss-style slices that are perfect for vegan Reubens.
- Dill pickle slices. Another optional ingredient, but delicious.
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Start by prepping your sauces.
Stir the ingredients for the vegan Russian dressing together in a small bowl: mayo, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish mustard, and hot sauce.
Stir the seasonings for your vegan corned "beef" together in a separate bowl: soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup, and your spices.
Slice your seitan pieces nice and thin. This will be easiest if you use homemade seitan, which allows you to make larger pieces, but store-bought is fine. I'm using commercial seitan chunks in the photo above (Wegman's brand). Smaller pieces will just give you a slightly sloppier sandwich!
Heat your oil in a medium skillet and add thinly sliced onion. Sauté the onion for a few minutes until the pieces soften and begin to brown.
Add the sliced seitan to the skillet and cook it with the onion for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the slices begin to brown and crisp up a bit.
Tip: If your seitan came in a package with some marinade, add a bit of the liquid to the skillet when cooking your seitan. You'll get some extra flavor out of it.
Carefully pour the soy sauce mixture over the seitan in your skillet. Stir it up so that it forms a nice, even coating on the seitan.
Continue cooking the seitan with the sauce, stirring frequently, until the sauce begins to dry up in spots.
Take the skillet off of the burner and taste-test your vegan corned beef. Careful, as it will be hot! Adjust any seasonings to your liking.
To assemble and grill a sandwich, butter a couple of bread slices. Place a slice, butter side down, in the skillet, and top it with Russian dressing, seitan, sauerkraut, and optionally some sliced vegan cheese and pickle slices, before placing a second bread slice on top, butter side up.
Grill the sandwich for a few minutes on each side, until golden and crispy.
Serve your vegan Reuben sandwich immediately, while the fillings are hot and the bread is crispy!
Leftovers & StorageWhile vegan Reubens are best served right away, leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. I would recommend only grilling as many sandwiches as you think will get eaten at a time, then storing the fillings separately, if possible.
More Vegan Sandwiches- Vegan Cuban Sandwiches
- Vegan Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches
- Grilled Avocado Sandwich
- Jackfruit Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Vegan Cuban Sandwiches
Vegan Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches
Grilled Avocado Sandwich
Jackfruit Pulled Pork SandwichesLike this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
- ¼ cup Vegan mayo
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- ½ tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish mustard
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ teaspoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch cloves
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or high heat oil of choice
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces seitan (about half a batch if using my homemade seitan recipe), thinly sliced
- 6 slices rye bread
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- ½ cup sauerkraut, squeezed to remove excess juice
- 3 slices vegan cheese (optional)
- Dill pickle slices (optional)
- Whisk together all if the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside.
- In a separate small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup, ginger, allspice, black pepper and cloves. This is your sauce for seasoning the seitan. Set it aside.
- Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with the oil and place it over medium-high heat.
- Give the oil a minute to heat up. Once it begins to shimmer, add the onion.
- Sauté the onion for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until it softens up and begins to brown.
- Add the seitan to the skillet and cook it with the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the seitan begins to crisp up in spots.
- Carefully pour the soy sauce mixture over the seitan and stir everything few times to mix the ingredients.
- Cook the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes more, until most of the liquid has dried up.
- Remove the seitan from the skillet and transfer it to a plate.
- Carefully wipe out the skillet or grab a clean one and set it over medium heat.
- Butter one side of each bread slice, then place three slices (or fewer and cook the sandwiches in batches if there isn't enough room), in the skillet, butter side down.
- Layer the seitan, sauerkraut, dressing, pickles and cheese, if using, over the bread slices, then top with the remaining slices, butter side up.
- Cook the sandwiches for about 4 minutes on each side, until golden and crispy.
- Transfer the sandwiches to plates and serve immediately.
The post Vegan Reuben Sandwiches appeared first on Connoisseurus Veg.
Wed, 08 Mar 2023 22:53:17 +0000
Vegan Orange Olive Oil Cake
This vegan orange olive oil cake is super moist and intensely flavorful! It's a simple yet elegant dessert that's super easy to make. You only need one bowl and no electric mixer!
If you find yourself in need of a super simple dessert recipe that's sure to impress, this is your cake!
I know what you're probably thinking, or at least I do if the concept of an olive oil cake is new to you. It's probably the same thing my husband said when I first told him that I was working on an orange olive oil cake recipe.
Interesting.
That's what he said! And I get it. If you've never baked with olive oil the idea might seem a little weird. Olive oil tastes like olives. Do we want olives in our dessert?
We do!
While the olive notes are detectable in this cake, the cake doesn't taste at all like olives. The flavor is an undertone, and a mild one at that. It'll complement the sweet, bright flavors from the orange juice and zest that we'll be using. Trust me.
This cake is also super moist. I fed it to my family (non-vegans, by the way) and was told that the flavor and texture put in on par with a super moist pound cake.
[feast_advanced_jump_to] Ingredients You'll Need- Olive oil.
- Orange juice. Be careful here, as not all orange juice is vegan. Some brands are fortified with animal derived vitamin D3 or fish-based omega 3's. So check the ingredients. Or better yet, squeeze your own orange juice. You'll need to buy oranges to supply orange zest anyway.
- Non-dairy milk. Just about any variety other than canned coconut milk will work fine. Try oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, or cashew milk. Just make sure whatever you use is unflavored and unsweetened.
- Orange zest. See, I told you you'd need this!
- Vanilla extract.
- Flour. I've only tested the recipe with all-purpose wheat flour (also known as white flour), so I can't promise results with any other variety.
- Sugar. Make sure to use organic sugar. Conventional granulated sugar is often processed using animal bone char.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
- Salt.
- Powdered sugar. This is for topping our cake, and it's totally optional. If you do use it, make sure it's organic.
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Stir your wet ingredients together in a small container, such as a liquid measuring cup. This includes your olive oil, orange juice, non-dairy milk, orange zest, and vanilla. Make sure everything is at room temperature.
Whisk your dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. This includes your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Tip: The acidity from your orange juice may cause the non-dairy milk to curdle when you combine them, particularly if you're using a high-protein variety like soy milk. This is nothing to worry about.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir everything together until smooth. Stop stirring as soon as you've gotten out most (not necessarily all) of the lumps.
Pour the batter into an oiled and floured 9-inch cake pan, smoothing out the top with a spatula if needed. Pop the pan into the oven and bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack, making sure it's completely cool before inverting it onto a plate. Optionally top your cake with some powdered sugar. I like to garnish mine with some mint leaves and orange slices.
Shelf Life & StorageVegan orange olive oil cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 4 days or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions Can this cake be made gluten-free?I haven't tried making a gluten-free version, but I think the recipe would work with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.
Can I substitute another type of oil for the olive oil?Sure. The cake won't be an olive oil cake (obviously), and the flavor and texture might be a bit different, but the recipe should work just fine with just about any type of baking oil.
Can I make this into a layer cake?Definitely! Rather than splitting up the batter (which might require some adjustment to the bake time), I'd recommend doubling the recipe and baking it in two cake pans. Try frosting and filling it with my vegan buttercream frosting or vegan chocolate frosting.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
Buttery Vegan Pound Cake
Vegan Lemon Bundt Cake
The Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cake
Vegan Blueberry CakeLike this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
- ½ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup orange juice (Note 1)
- ⅓ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup organic granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Organic powdered sugar, for serving (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Lightly oil and flour the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan.
- In a small container such as a liquid measuring cup, stir together the olive oil, orange juice, milk, orange zest, and vanilla.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir the batter until almost all of the lumps are out. It doesn't need to be perfectly smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake the cake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the cake cool completely.
- Once the cake is cool, carefully invert it onto a plate.
- Optionally sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar. Slice and serve.
- Be sure to check the ingredients if using store-bought orange juice, as many brands contain animal-derived additives. If using freshly squeezed, you'll need about two decent-sized oranges.
- Two oranges should be more than enough to give you this amount of zest.
The post Vegan Orange Olive Oil Cake appeared first on Connoisseurus Veg.