The Wicked Good Vegan

Making rice crispy treats is the right thing to do with Chicago Soydairy’s Dandies vegan marshmallows. Trust me.

Why is fried food so delicious? It’s horrible for you, and these are essentially deep-fried, wrapped cream cheese…BUT THEY’RE SO GOOD. I tried to create a more ‘authentic’ sweet and sour sauce, even though it’s only more authentic than American recreations. Real sweet and sour sauce, I’m sorry.

This recipe is a vegan take on quiche. Tofu is used to replace, and achiote seeds add colour and a little nutty flavour, as opposed to turmeric, which I find too powdery sometimes. Some sautéed spring veges get thrown in and asparagus is laid prettily on top for a presentation worthy of a fancy brunch!

What’s in the fridge and pantry that can be combined into a meal? I bet that you have all of these ingredients—or ready substitutes—on hand, and can make a nice, rich, tomatoey and cheesy baked orzo dish!

I offer to become a recipe tester and take pictures of my process for VegNews, since it seems like they’re too busy to do this themselves, and have resorted to filling their magazine pages with stock photo images of meat-filled, non-vegan images—sometimes photoshopping the bones, etc. out!

These pretty little cong you bing (they’re not really pancakes, guys) are the perfect party food. I haven’t met anyone yet who said that these weren’t the best that they’ve ever had. Normally, cong you bing are unleavened, but a little yeast makes these light and fluffy. Give these a go with some dipping sauce on the side, and you’ll see just how amazing they are. Also great with any East Asian entrée!

My installment of this month’s Gluten-Free Ratio Rally is a sweet little apricot-orange bread. The apricots add a nice moisture to the bread, which can be baked as one large loaf, three small loaves, or muffins! Throw in some raisins or other additions, bake for a bit, and enjoy the delicate crumb and unique flavour profile of this quick bread.

Looking for a lazy meal? If you make this green curry paste ahead of time (directions: throw all these things in a food processor and go), then you can easily combine it with some coconut milk, whatever produce and protein you like, and a pretty ball of jasmine rice. Simple, fragrant, and filling!

So ginger is is the same boat as garlic as far as seeming complicated to mince and guilting people into paying way too much at the store for a small jar of minced, preserved, sort of sketchy mush. Did you know that it’s actually super easy to pick up a little gnarled root buddy, take him home, and prepare him yourself!? It’s also extra fun to do this, since you get to pick through the ginger bin to find the most perfectly sized piece of ginger for what you need, just like it was meant to be…

These lovely little nachos are a breeze to throw together. You can make the salsa and guacamole a day or so ahead of time so that the flavours can get all happy together. Spread some chips and sprinkle some beans and cheese, bake, top with condiments, and you’re eating!