Vegan Donuts (revisited)

I'm really not much of a baker. At all. I know some basic rules, and I can follow a recipe like a champ, but I'm not confident enough to "invent" recipes. Sometimes I'll try to veganize a recipe. Like maybe once. But for the most part I leave it to the experts. I've tried two vegan donut (or doughnut... I don't know which one I like better yet) recipes, and they've both been phenomenal.

Vegan MoFo Day 21: Cheesy Jackfruit Chimichangas

Whenever I'm super stumped about what to make for dinner, Andrew always says in a mocking voice "Chimichangas". I think it's because the word sounds so ridiculous. Either way, it never helps and it just frustrates me. So, when I was super stumped last night, I decided "F it, I'm making chimichangas". And I did.

We had this lingering can of jackfruit in our cupboard that Andrew usually makes amazing BBQ "pulled pork" with but since he hasn't been in the kitchen since his green thai curry adventure, I decided to use it. I wanted it to be sort of carnitas-flavored, this time, which I hadn't done before. The results were very successful. I think this deep fried beauty has taken the place in Andrew's heart that my creole once held. And I'm ok with that.

I felt a little guilty about making these. But if you think about it, jackfruit is like a whopping 30 calories a serving. And vegan cheese is hardly something to worry about. I'm reaching-- but I never said this was a diet plate. At least the tortillas are whole wheat.

[[Jackfruit Carnitas]]
I read a lot of jackfruit failures online, and it usually because people buy the wrong kind of jackfruit. Use YOUNG GREEN JACKFRUIT IN WATER-- NOT BRINE! I can't stress that enough. And if prepared properly, I guarantee it's delicious.

2 tbs vegetable oil
1 can of YOUNG GREEN JACKFRUIT IN WATER, drained
2 tbs chili lime cholula
1/3 cup beer, I used my trusty magic hat #9
a few shakes of liquid smoke
1 chopped roma tomato
seasoning: chipotle powder, ancho chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
* a small dash of cinnamon -- small!

-- Heat the vegetable oil on medium heat.
-- After draining the jackfruit, keep the pieces whole and let them cook in the vegetable oil for a few minutes.
-- Some may feel soft enough to pull apart. At this point, add the cholula and allow it to saturate into each piece, flipping them over to fully coat. Coat each piece with a little seasoning-- all but the salt and cinnamon. Simmer for a couple more minutes.
-- Add the tomatoes, beer, and liquid smoke. By now you can probably break them apart. Some may be more easily broken than others. So, as they simmer in the beer mixture, break them apart, using the back of a fork for the harder parts. Partially cover, leaving an opening for some steam to come out, and allow to simmer on medium low-heat for 10-15 minutes.
-- The beer should evaporate and the tomatoes show have dissolved into the sauce. Add another layer of seasoning, including the salt and cinnamon. Taste. Keep on low heat and mix every so often until ready to serve.


[[Cheesy Jackfruit Chimichangas]]

1 recipe for jackfruit carnitas
1/2 cup daiya or FYH cheese
4 medium sized, whole wheat tortillas
1/2 inch of vegetable oil heated on high heat.

-- Place the tortillas on a baking sheet, top with cheese substitute of choice. Under a low broiler, melt the cheese. Keep an eye on them so you don't dry out the tortiallas
-- Remove from oven and top with jackfruit carnitas.
-- Closing the ends, roll the tortilla up and place in heated vegetable oil FOLD SIDE down first. Allow to brown about 20-30 seconds. Flip and brown the other side.
-- Remove chimichanga and place on a paper towel or a brown paper bag to drain.
-- Serve with guacamole or tofutti sour cream or salsa... or eat it by itself.

Vegan MoFo Day 8: Tofu Lollipops!

I finally did it. I deep fried something. I'm not completely ashamed of deep frying, only because it's so much fun. And looks pretty [[the bubbles?]]. But I'm a little ashamed. It made me feel better to eat a side of kale with it.

It occurred to me yesterday that I haven't had a corn dog in forever. The last one I had was probably at the California state fair in high school. I can't be certain, though. Anyway, all this reminiscing on corn dogs inevitably lead me to want a corn dog really bad.

I briefly flirted with the idea of using store bought veggie dogs, but I didn't really want to use the amount of oil it would require to deep fry long hot dogs. I suppose now that I think about it, I could have just chopped them into little sausage bites, but tofu seemed more exciting. It probably just made me feel better like the kale did.



So these guys turned out pretty elegant. They look less carni, hot-dog-on-a-stick and more tasty tofu surprise at the end of a stick. Tofu is a cool thing to use for a corn dog inspired dish because you can flavor it any way you want to beforehand. And then you can have different, exciting flavors inside your crispy cornbread encasing.

[[Tofu Lollipops]]
This will make about 16 lollipops. I just used half of the grilled tofu, saved the rest for lunch, and made half a cornbread loaf with the rest of the batter.

1 block of tofu, pressed for 1 hr
2 tbs olive oil
chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper
1 tbs soy sauce

1 recipe for cornbread, with a dash of chili powder
* I used one from The Joy of Vegan Baking, but here's one from the PPK. I trust them. If you want to use your own, just make sure it's a neutral cornbread and not a sweet one.
1/3 cup white flour
16 bamboo skewers, you can find them at kroger
a pan with 2-3 inches of vegetable oil

-- To begin, unwrap your tofu and drain. Wrap in a clean kitchen towel and cover with a heavy object for an hour.
-- Cube the tofu, drizzle with soy sauce and season. Mix with a spoon to coat tofu with seasoning.
-- Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. When heated, add the tofu and cook until all sides are browned. Remove from skillet and set tofu aside.
-- In a pot, heat vegetable oil on high, about 2-3 inches [[enough to submerge the tofu]]. Be careful not to get any water in the oil, it'll sizzle and burn you.
-- Prepare cornbread batter, adding a few dashes of chili powder.

-- Set up a frying station: Tofu, white flour in a bowl, and cornbread batter.
-- Stick tofu on skew and dust with flour. The tofu won't stay on the skewer well until you fry them, so be careful.
-- With a spoon, dip the skewer in the cornbread batter and use the spoon to completely coat the tofu. The batter will be thick so it won't dip easily. Just scoop and spread it on there.
-- Dip the skew in the heat vegetable oil for about 10-15 seconds. Watch them, they will brown quickly.
-- Place on a plate and do the next one.
-- Lightly salt them and serve with mustard, ketchup and hot sauce.