Crispy Eggplant Tofu (vegan)

One of my guilty pleasures and favorite places to get a quick meal is Panda Express. I know it’s not authentic Chinese food, but man is it good. My two favorite entrees at Panda would have to be the orange chicken and the eggplant tofu. However I will admit their eggplant tofu is extremely oily so I aspired to make a somewhat healthier version and add my own touch to it.

This version of the dish gives you nice crispy eggplant and tofu pieces (not deep fried!) covered in a yummy garlic and ginger soy sauce glaze. Enjoy :)

Ingredients: (makes about 2-3 servings)

• 2 small or 1 large Chinese long eggplant (regular eggplant will work too, but not as well)

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1 tbsp cornstarch

• 1/2 block firm tofu

• Avocado oil (or any neutral vegetable oil)

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon of ginger, minced

• green onions, chopped (optional, for topping)

• Sauce:

  1. *1 tbsp light soy sauce (or regular soy sauce)

  2. *1/2 tsp dark soy sauce (regular soy sauce fine if you don’t have this)

  3. 1 tbsp water

  4. 2 tsp sugar (I use monk fruit sweetener or coconut sugar as a healthier alternative)

  5. 1 tsp cornstarch

     *substitute tamari for gluten free

Instructions:

1. cut eggplant into bite size pieces and then **place into a bowl of water (enough water to cover eggplant) then add sea salt to water and mix. Cover with something heavy (I use a smaller bowl of water) so that eggplant pieces are completely submerged in water. Leave for 15 minutes.

   1. **This step is very important to get rid of the bitterness of the eggplant! You could also add sea salt to the eggplant pieces and let them sit out for about 45-60 minutes, but i like the submerged water method because its faster haha.

2. While waiting for eggplant, press your tofu. Grab your half block of tofu and place in between a dish towel or 2 paper towels. Place something with some weight (not heavy enough to break the tofu, I usually use a small plate) on the top towel layer. Leave for 10-15 min to let most of the moisture out of the tofu. After 10-15 minutes, cut tofu into 1/2” thick pieces and set aside.

3. Combine ingredients for sauce in a bowl and mix well.

4. After 15 min for eggplant is up, empty water and pat pieces dry with a dish towel or paper towel.

5. Sprinkle eggplant pieces with about 1 tbsp cornstarch and mix by hand, until each piece of eggplant is evenly coated with with a thin layer of cornstarch.

6. In a non-stick pan on medium-high heat add about 2 tbsp of avocado oil and add the eggplant pieces without them touching. Cook pieces one side at a time until all sides are lightly golden brown and eggplant is soft (about 3-5 minutes per side.) Transfer eggplant from pan to a plate and set aside.

7. In same pan or another non-stick pan at medium heat, fry your tofu (I usually do this step at the same time eggplant is cooking in another pan.) You can also coat your tofu with cornstarch to make it extra crispy if you would like, but i find it’s not necessary. Spray or lightly drizzle avocado oil into pan and place tofu pieces with largest sides down, not overlapping. Flip when nice and dark golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer from pan to a plate and set aside.

8. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of avocado oil, minced ginger, and garlic into the same pan on medium high heat. Once fragrant, add the eggplant and tofu back into the skillet. Mix the sauce again until cornstarch is fully dissolved and then pour it over the eggplant and tofu. Immediately stir a few times, until the eggplant and tofu pieces are all evenly coated and the sauce thickens.

9. Transfer everything to a plate, top with green onions, and enjoy! :)

**This dish is best served fresh! I’ve tried to save leftovers and eat it the next day, but it is not nearly as god since it loses its crispiness.

Dalgona Matcha (vegan, refined sugar free)

If there’s one thing that has been going crazy viral during this quarantine it’s the dalgona coffee trend. Everyone and their mother is making it and as someone who doesn’t drink coffee, I was getting a little jealous. After doing some research I found out that there is a way to create a dalgona matcha and boy was I excited because matcha lattes are my absolute favorite drink.

For the dalgona coffee, the whipped texture is created by using instant coffee. Since matcha powder won’t yield the same effect, you need to first create a whipped base. There are 3 options for the whipped base: heavy cream, egg whites, and aquafaba which is the liquid from a can of chickpeas. Being that aquafaba was the only vegan version, I decided to give it a try. Turns out aqufaba is literally LIQUID GOLD. Apparently it is used as a vegan replacement for egg whites, typically for the egg white froth at the top of cocktails (who knew?!) After whipping it up for the first time, I couldn’t believe that I had been dumping that liquid gold down the drain every time I used a can of chickpeas! It whipped up so quickly and looks and feels exactly like whipped egg whites. It also surprisingly doesn’t taste like chickpeas at all, and isn’t salty even if the chickpeas are salted.

Okay enough of me raving about chickpea water… let’s get to the recipe:

DALGONA MATCHA (vegan, refined sugar free)

• Ingredients

  1. aquafaba (liquid from chickpea can)

  2. *1 tsp matcha powder (culinary or ceremonial grade)

  3. *add more or less depending on how strong your matcha powder is / how strong you like your matcha

  4. refined sugar free sweetener of choice:

     1. liquid stevia: 1 full droplet

     2. stevia: 1 serving size (1 packet of stevia)

     3. maple syrup: 1 teaspoon

        **(or more or less depending on how sweet you like it)

  5. 3/4 cup plant based milk of choice (oat milk tastes best in my opinion)

  6. ice (optional)

  7. a nice, clear glass that will display your beautiful creation. Mason jars work great!

• Instructions

  1. Pour the *amount of aquafaba you are going to use out into a large bowl (big enough so you can mix vigorously and not splash)

     1. *I find that one chickpea can produces enough aquafaba to make 2-3 drinks (3 being generous), so pour out about 1/3 to 1/2 of what you got a from the chickpea can

  2. Either using an electric hand whisk or portable frother (what I use) whisk the aquafaba until it becomes a fluffy whipped texture. You can also use a regular handheld whisk but it will take much longer.

     1. The time for this depends on what tool you are using but will at least take about 3-5 minutes. Keep mixing until it reaches a nice foamy whipped consistency like in the picture.

  3. Once aquafaba is the consistency you’re looking for, add in matcha powder and liquid sweetener of choice

  4. using either a electric hand mixer or hand whisk (portable frother not strong enough for this step) mix in the matcha powder and sweetener until completely mixed in

  5. taste mixture to make sure it is too your liking. If it needs more matcha or sweetener, add it now

  6. put ice into your glass (if using) and then add plant based milk

  7. carefully spoon whipped mixture into your glass (if not all of it fits, don’t worry. You can add more later after you drink some)

  8. Take a picture of your beautiful creation (because half the point of making this is to post on instagram obviously) and then mix and enjoy! :)

Hope you enjoy this recipe! I seriously make it at least 3x a week now and find myself looking for any excuse to use chickpeas to get the liquid haha. Don’t think i’ll be spending money on expensive matcha lattes anymore even after this quarantine is over. Being your own barista is fun ;)

Ancient Grains Bowl (Inspired by True Food Kitchen, Vegan)

One of my favorite places to eat is @TrueFoodKitchen who is famous for their Ancient Grains Bowl. This bowl is essentially a plant based buddha bowl that is comprised of grains, sweet potatoes, veggies, and topped with a delicious vegan pesto sauce, avocado, and hemp seeds. You can also add on a protein (tofu, salmon, or chicken) if you would like.

I could eat this bowl every single day but unfortunately my wallet doesn’t agree. Just one bowl which isn’t too large of a portion will cost you $15.50 and another $5 if you want to add a protein. So in order to keep my bank account and my stomach happy, I decided to recreate this recipe at home and I’m so glad I did! It’s one of my favorite recipes and I find myself making it at least every other week. It’s definitely a lot of steps and different parts but it is definitely worth it. My advice is to make a large quantity of everything and eat it as your meal prep throughout the week! You can also take bits and parts of this recipe to use for other meals (i.e. the pesto!)

Ancient Grains Bowl (makes 2-4 servings)

1. Turmeric quinoa & farro blend

   • 1/2 cup quinoa

   • 1/2 cup farro

   • 1 1/4 cups of water

   • 1/2 tsp turmeric

   • 1/2 tsp sea salt

   • Instructions:

     1. rice cooker: place all ingredients in rice cooker and cook as normal! (My favorite way to cook any grain because it is so easy!)

     2. Pot:

        1. Add all ingredients to pot. Stir until combined and cover. Increase heat and bring to a boil.

        2. Reduce heat, allow to simmer 15-20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

2. Charred mushrooms and onions

   • 1 cup sliced portobello mushroom (or whatever mushrooms you have)

   • 1 small white onion, sliced

   • olive oil

   • pinch of sea salt

   • Instructions:

     1. preheat oven to 375 degrees F

     2. place sliced onions and mushrooms into a bowl, add a little olive oil and salt and mix evenly

     3. place mixture onto sheet pan

     4. place in over for 30 minutes or until onions slightly charred, stirring halfway through

     5. lazy option: saute all ingredients on a pan on the stove! You won’t get the charred flavor but it will still taste good and be done in 1/4 of the time

3. any green veggie of your choice

   • recipe calls for snow peas, but I usually use steamed kale. Other green veggies that would go well with this recipe would be broccoli, string beans, or bok choy

   • Instructions:

     1. cook your veggie(s) however you like it best! I usually prefer to boil or steam my vegetables to use less oil

4. miso glazed sweet potatoes (the star of this recipe!)

   • 1 large sweet potato

   • avocado oil or coconut oil to coat sweet potatoes (spray works best but not necessary)

   • 2 tbsp of white miso paste

   • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp maple syrup

   • 1/2 tsp soy sauce or tamari

   • 2 tsp lemon juice or rice vinegar

   • 1 tsp water

   • 2 tsp white sesame seeds

   • Instructions:

     1. peel and dice sweet potatoes into 1/2” cubes

     2. oven:

        1. preheat oven to 450 degrees F

        2. toss diced sweet potatoes in a bowl w/ a little coconut oil spray or avocado oil spray

        3. place sweet potatoes on a sheet pan, spread out evenly

        4. bake for 30 min or until sweet potatoes are tender, tossing halfway

     3. air fryer (my favorite method):

        1. toss diced sweet potatoes in a bowl w/ a little coconut oil spray or avocado oil spray

        2. place into air fryer 375 degrees for 15 minutes, tossing halfway through

     4. while potatoes are cooking make the sauce.

     5. Sauce:

        1. Mix all ingredients except sesame seeds together in a bowl and mix until well combined

        2. add sesame seeds at end and mix again

     6. Once sweet potatoes are done, move to a bowl big enough to mix and add sauce

     7. Mix well until evenly coated

5. vegan basil pesto* (recipe by Minimalist Baker)

   *this recipe will make a large portion. Great to use for other recipes throughout the week!

   • 2 cups packed fresh basil

   • 3 Tbsp pine nuts

   • 3 large cloves of garlic

   • 2 tbsp lemon juice

   • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast

   • 1/4 tsp sea salt

   • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

   • 3 tbsp water

   • Instructions:

     1. Mix all ingredients together in a blender or food processor

6. Optional protein

   • I did air fried tofu, but you could add any protein you want! It actually doesn’t need a protein though, tastes so good without it. Between the quinoa, farro, veggies, and hemp seeds you already have a very high protein packed meal!

7. Avocado slices

8. hemp seeds

Once all your parts are assembled, put however much of each item you want into a bowl, top with avocado slices and hemp seeds and enjoy! :)