Food Network Monthly Cookalong: Super Topped Frankfurters

Just recently one of our local health food stores (Market Organics) started carrying Field Roast sausages and frankfurters. I was over the moon happy and rushed downtown to get some the very evening they announced this. I love Field Roast sausages but will admit I had never tried their frankfurters. Last time I went down there, there was one lone package of frankfurters left in the fridge so I decided to take them home and give them a shot. I searched through all the suggestions of what to top a hot dog with on Food Network US Grilling Central and landed on two different ideas. We tried them out on two different nights and really loved both. The best part is...they are super easy to veganize. Switch out the hot dog for your favourite vegan version (Field Roast Frankfurters recommended!) and you are most of the way there. Of the two we picked only one had cheese, I just used our favourite cheddar-y cheese sauce in place of it but you could use Daiya shreds or wedges as well. (Sidenote: we just got Daiya wedges here yesterday and again being the crazy person that I am for all things vegan, I ran to Rainbow Foods as soon as they tweeted their arrival and got some. Now that I have tasted them all, I wish that I had had them when I made the Nacho Dogs, the Jalapeno Garlic Havarti would be amazing on them!)

The first recipe I went for was from Bobby Flay called Nacho Dogs. It has a spicy roasted tomato salsa, guacamole, pickled jalapenos and crushed corn chips all loaded in there. It calls for grated white cheddar so I went with my favourite cheddary cheese sauce from Hearty Vegan for the Irish Nachos in it's place but like I said above, this would be a great place to use some Daiya Jalapeno Garlic Havarti. The guacamole has more in it than I usually do but I went with it (minus the yucky cilantro) to taste the dog as he intended it. It was tasty but I like mine spiked with garlic so next time I would throw that in. The salsa was a little wet but it was super tasty, smoky and spicy! I like the flavour it got from roasting the tomatoes and it was super quick to do. I just put them straight on the super hot grill and turned them every few minutes and they were quickly blistered and had nice grill marks on them. I grilled the Field Roast frankfurters on the BBQ as well. They were sticking a bit at first so I grabbed a small plate and put a bit of olive oil and S&P on it. I rolled each one in the oil and stuck them back on the grill and it worked much better. I did it a few times while they cooked sort of like basting them since they are not fatty like their meaty counterparts.

All together they were quite stuffed and it was tricky to get it all in one bite but we gave it our best! They were really tasty and Ryan and I both enjoyed them quite a bit. We both said after supper that we would want them again!

The next one we tried was a Chicago Dog from Food Network Magazine. I have heard about Chicago Dogs but have never tried one and I am so happy I finally did! I think it might be my favourite hot dog ever!!! I grilled the hot dog which I know isn't traditional but hey, neither is a wheat gluten franks so go with me here. Put your grilled frank in a bun (they say poppy seed, I say whatever you have since we have established I'm not a purist) and then load it up with relish, mustard, big spears of dill pickles, sliced tomatoes, diced onion then sprinkle the top with celery salt. It is amazingly tasty and fresh. This will definitely be my new hot dog combo of choice! I had two on my plate but only ended up getting through one and a bit before I was stuffed. I passed it over to Ryan who happily finished it off. I will admit to watching him eat it and being a little jealous that he could eat it all up. I served this one with pasta salad and grilled local corn (another reason I was so stuffed). It is so easy to grill corn and you won't regret it, it's delicious cooked this way and you don't have to heat up the kitchen with a big pot of boiling water which is a super plus since this summer here is crazy hot and humid. I used Bobby Flay's recipe for Perfectly Grilled Corn but just for the technique. I think I will have to try out his flavoured butters in the future!

 

Food Network Cookalong: Garden Burgers by Food Network Magazine

Since the theme this month is GRILLING, I headed to the Food Network website and searched for my favourite thing to grill...burgers! There were lots of options (998 to be exact) so I sorted through the top ones I would like to try then went to Ryan for his vote. He picked Loaded Chili Cheeseburgers as his number one pick and my number one pick was the Garden Burger. I swayed him to my side easily and promised to try his pick before the month was over. The Garden Burger is a beef patty topped with green goddess dressing, lettuce, tomato, avocado and sprouts. Not the usual toppings for a burger for sure but with a name like Garden Burger how's a vegan to resist!

To veganize it was quick and simple, I switched out the homemade patty for a Gardein Ultimate Beefless Burger since they are my favourite pre-made burgers. I have always cooked them on the griddle or frying pan before so it was the first time I had made one on the BBQ. It was still just as delicious and had the caramelized outside that I always loved about them while cooking them inside. The toppings were already vegan so all that was left was the green goddess dressing. I switched out refrigerated silken tofu for the low-fat yogurt (exactly the same amount) and used 4 tbsp of Vegenaise in place of the low-fat mayo called for in the recipe. I added a bit extra since after blending with the original amount, I felt it needed a little extra so try it first and taste for your own personal preference. I added Wan Ja Shan brand Organic Worcestershire Sauce (vegan and gluten free) and the rest of the ingredients stayed the same, fresh chives, basil, lemon juice. It was a lovely bright green from the herbs once it was all blended and had the perfect tang to it to still shine through all those burger toppings and the patty itself. I served them on PC brand pretzel buns because we are currently obsessed with them. I even buttered and grilled them as well! It made a delicious burger that tasted fresh and had lots of crunch with the sprouts and lettuce. Ryan even commented that his taste buds must be evolving because he was really enjoying it and didn't hate the alfalfa sprouts (since he usually doesn't love them). I have loads of dressing left over so there will be some green goddess dressed salads in my future for sure but since it's so tasty, I'm looking forward to it! I would definitely make these again!

Food Network Monthly Cookalong Theme - July!

First off...Happy Canada Day to all the Canadians out there! We are going to celebrate it by going to the farmer's market and cleaning our backyard, woo! I know, we are wild!

The theme for July for our cookalong is going to be GRILLING! Works perfectly for this time of year, too hot to cook inside around here for sure. I figured I would go broad with the theme this month since there are lots of grilling recipes on the American Food Network website (5000+ in fact if you search) and they have a page up right now as well called Grilling Central that is full of recipes just screaming for that vegan touch. I can say I don't have much experience barbecuing since becoming vegan but I'm ready to give it a go. We even bought a new BBQ the other day that I am really excited about breaking in. Don't have a BBQ? No problem, grilling is something you can do inside as well on a grill pan or under a broiler or maybe even over a camp fire! And remember barbecuing isn't just about the food, it's about the experience too! You can blog about your favourite summer drinks or sides too! So summon your inner Bobby Flay and hit the grill, then share it with the rest of us on your blog and don't forget to email me a link or let me know so I can include you in the round up at the end of the month!


Links to Food Network Grilling ideas for inspiration


http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/delegate.do?fnSearchString=grilling&fnSearchType=site

http://www.foodnetwork.com/grilling-central-home/package/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/bobby-flays-barbecue-addiction/index.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/delegate.do?fnSearchString=bbq&fnSearchType=site

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/guides/summer/bbq/index.html

Food Network Monthly Cookalong: My Tribute to Native Bowl

After I did my last post on Seabirds Truck, I started thinking about all the other vegan food trucks out there. There are so many talented people out there creating delicious vegan food everyday and I routinely torture myself by looking at pictures and menus. I dream of what I would order and what it would taste like and when Ottawa will finally have a vegan food truck. One truck I would love to visit is Native Bowl in Portland, OR. Jay and Julie Hasson are the owners and chefs there and I think I would honestly be a little starstruck. I am absolutely smitten with Julie's book Vegan Diner and the pizzas I have been testing recently are her genius creations! I know that any bowl this vegan power couple makes would be extraordinary and the cart itself is just so charming, I would never want to leave. I looked over the menu and then I emailed Julie to ask her for some inside info on these bowls since I have never had the pleasure of actually eating one. I wanted to know the structure of them, the what goes where. And you know the best part...she quickly answered me with all the info I needed to make one. She even shared a little tip, most of what you need to make a Mississippi Bowl is in Vegan Diner!!! I can't share the recipes with you here but I can tell you which ones I used and if you don't already own a copy this would be the perfect reason to go and get it!

You have to start with a base of jasmine rice. It had been awhile since I had made jasmine rice and once I did, I was a little mad at myself for having denied myself of it for so long. It creates the most amazing aroma while it cooks and has such an amazing, slightly nutty taste. Next is a little ranch dressing* followed by some soy curls slathered in Rough Rider BBQ Sauce* with a few squirts of North Caroline Style BBQ Sauce* (which is my new favourite thing! I put it on everything!). For the soy curls, I rehydrated them in hot water, squeezed out all the water once they were, tossed them with some garlic and onion powder, dried thyme, paprika, oregano, a few cap fulls of tamari then pan fried them with a bit of olive oil until they were browned. Once they were browned, I added in 1/3 cup of the Rough Rider BBQ sauce and let it get warm and caramelized a bit before adding it to my bowl. Now top all that off with some crisp coleslaw* and some sliced green onions and your got yourself a Mississippi Bowl! It is so easy and worth every second! Make sure you stir it up a bit before you eat so you get a bite of everything just like they suggest on the Native Bowl website.

I am seriously in love with the combination of flavours in this dish and will be making it again and again. The crunch of the cabbage, the sweet tang of the BBQ sauces on those curls all mingled with the creamy ranch dressing, it's heaven! It even gave me a reason to break out my silicone take out containers and finally give them their first use. They worked perfectly but I am totally on the lookout for the bowls Julie and Jay use at Native Bowl! I will definitely give the other bowls a go in the future too. I know they would be even better if Julie and Jay were making them but this will definitely do until I make my way to the vegan heartland of Portland!

*denotes recipes that are in Vegan Diner

My First Soy Curls Experience

Sometimes I feel like I'm living under a vegan rock...it's a Canadian rock since we tend to not have all the wonderful yummies the US is enjoying. We do usually get the same stuff but it takes awhile and usually involves mail order in my case. Thank goodness for Viva Vegan and Karmavore! So up until earlier this week I had never tried soy curls. I had ordered a bag from Viva Vegan and wasn't exactly sure what I was getting or what I was going to do with them but I had heard they were delicious. I kept seeing pictures of the notorious Macnocheeto from Homegrown Smoker and drooling all over my keyboard every time I did. I googled a bit to find how to work with soy curls and found mostly BBQ recipes so decided that's the way I would go too. I soaked them in vegan "chicken" broth instead of water and then pan fried them until they were a bit crispy on the outside. I then poured my made up BBQ sauce (apple butter, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, tamari, apple cider vinegar, cumin, ancho chili powder, coriander, garlic and onion powder and the kitchen sink) into the pan and let it get all thick and sticky and delicious. Man the house smelled amazing! Ryan came into the kitchen and said "I have no idea what you are making but it smells amazing and I want two!" so I knew I had a winner on my hands.

Now to go with the soy curls...I had been introduced to the idea of mac n' cheese with BBQ by Tamasin Noyes during the testing for the upcoming sandwich book and it fricken wowed me! It was one of those combos I had heard of but thought it wouldn't work and it sooooo works! I also like coleslaw with BBQ sandwiches so I did something a little nutty. I made Cheesy Coleslaw and put it on top of the soy curls on a buttered hamburger bun and oh my goodness....it was sooooo good together! It had the crunch from the coleslaw but the tang of a cheesy mac, all mingled in with the slightly sweet, smoky flavour of the soy curls. And I love the texture of these things, it's so perfect for this and immediately I started picturing what else I could make with them. I am totally trying to figure out if I can lightly bread and fry them crunchy on the outside to make a vegan version of this Chinese takeout I used to get, spicy crispy beef. Hopefully I can crack the code on the sauce. I also thought about making carnitas out of them, soaking them in a citrus-y, slightly sweet, cumin flavoured broth, that you then reduce down to make a sauce that you slather on and then broil to finish. All I know...I'm gonna need a bigger bag!

I don't have an exact recipe for the coleslaw but all I did was take shredded cabbage and carrot, poured about a cup of cheesy sauce (almost exactly the creamy sauce from the amatriciana sauce I posted earlier this month), about a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, lots of pepper and some salt and stirred it all together and gave it about a half an hour to do it's thing and mingle all together before putting it on top of the soy curls. I seriously recommend giving it a shot! Here's the final product...