Sandwiches Archives » I LOVE VEGAN

Smoky Maple Tofu Sandwich

Brittany — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 20:27:43 +0000

This Smoky Maple Tofu Sandwich recipe was originally published on November 28th, 2012. That’s from I Love Vegan’s very first month online! If you’re curious, you can take a peek at the original post on the original ilovevegan.com, thanks to Wayback Machine.

After shuffling through different recipe plugins, a few ingredients had going missing making the recipe incomplete. Since it's been popping up when people google "tofu sandwich", I figured they deserve an updated and complete recipe! Not to mention some appetizing new images and accurate nutrition information.

I've included the original image at the end of the post to jog your memory if you think you’ve made this recipe before.

Smoky Maple Tofu Sandwich

This tofu sandwich is basically a TLT (a tofu, lettuce, tomato sandwich), with a few extra bells and whistles.

We’ve got the basics: toasted bread, smoky maple tofu, green leaf lettuce, sliced tomato, vegan mayo, plus some deluxe extras!

Caramelized onions, mashed avocado, and Dijon mustard make this tofu sandwich downright fancy.

This smoky maple tofu sandwich is sweet and savoury and very hearty. It’s loaded with protein (20g), fibre (9g), vitamins (great source of B vitamins) and minerals (29% of your daily iron!) Scroll to the bottom for complete nutrition info because this recipe is a vegan powerhouse.

Marinated Tofu for Smoky Maple Sandwiches

Mix up the marinade (garlic, soy sauce, maple syrup, water, and liquid smoke.) Slice a 350g block of tofu into about ¼” (½ cm) slices. (I cut a block of Sunrise Soya Extra-Firm Tofu into 16 slices and it works out to about ¼” thick.

Use a paper towel to pat or press the tofu to remove excess moisture so that the tofu can soak up the marinade.

Place the sliced tofu and marinade into a sandwich sized food storage bag or a shallow dish. Let the tofu marinate for 30-60 minutes.

The longer you marinate the tofu, the more flavourful your tofu sandwiches will be. You can marinate it overnight too.

Customizing Your Tofu Sandwich

Marinate tempeh instead of tofu for a tempeh bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. Tempeh is less absorbent so I’d marinate it overnight.
Skip the caramelized onions for a quicker, easier sandwich. Caramelized onions add smoky flavour and sweetness to this sandwich, but making them can take up to an hour. Omit them for a simple but flavourful tofu, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.
Swap maple syrup for brown sugar. You’ll lose the maple flavour but retain the sweetness and caramel notes. Brown sugar is cheaper and a common pantry staple.
Skip the avocado. Avocados are fickle things and they're not always ripe when you need them! If you don’t have any ripe avocados just keep it simple with the vegan mayo instead.

More Tofu Sandwich Ideas

Tofu sandwiches are delicious, balanced vegan meals, so we have a few recipes for them here on I Love Vegan. From burgers, to wraps, to breakfast sandwiches, here are our favourite tofu sandwiches:

Chipotle Maple Glazed Tofu Burgers
Mango Chili Tofu Burgers with Cashew Crema
Vegan Spicy Buffalo Tofu (fantastic in sandwiches and wraps!)
Marinated Tofu Naan Wraps with Avocado Lime Slaw
Vegan Drive-Thru Breakfast Sandwiches
Scrambled Tofu Breakfast Sandwiches

Smoky Maple Tofu Sandwich

★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews

Author: Brittany Mueller
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Category: Lunch & Dinner, Sandwich
Method: Sautéing
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

All the TLT (tofu, lettuce, tomato sandwich) basics: toasted bread, smoky maple tofu, green leaf lettuce, sliced tomato, vegan mayo, plus some deluxe extras! Caramelized onions, mashed avocado, and Dijon mustard make this tofu sandwich downright fancy.

Ingredients

Caramelized Onions:

1 large white or yellow onion, sliced
½ tbsp vegan butter
¼ tsp salt
* 1 tablespoon water, as needed

Marinated Smoky Maple Tofu:

1 (350 g) block extra-firm tofu
½ tbsp canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp water
½ tsp liquid smoke

Smoky Maple Tofu Sandwich:

8 slices of wholegrain rye bread
1 ripe avocado, mashed
Vegan mayo, to taste
Dijon mustard, to taste (optional)
4 leaves of green leaf lettuce
4-8 slices of tomato

Instructions

Marinated Smoky Maple Tofu:

Slice tofu into ¼” (½ cm) slices. Press or pat tofu dry with a clean kitchen towel.
In a shallow dish or sandwich-sized food storage bag, add garlic, soy sauce, maple syrup, water, and liquid smoke. Add the sliced tofu and marinate for 30-60 minutes. Meanwhile, begin caramelizing the onions and preparing your sandwich toppings.
After caramelizing the onions, pre-heat ½ tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the marinated tofu to the skillet (do not crowd the pan), but reserve and excess marinade. Cook both sides until golden-brown. Pour the remaining marinade into the pan with the tofu, stirring gently. Continue cooking until the tofu has absorbed all the marinade. Set aside.

Caramelized Onions:

In a thick-bottomed skillet, heat vegan butter over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and season with ¼ teaspoon salt.
Adjust the heat and stir occasionally so that the onions brown and caramelize but don’t burn or dry out. Don’t stir too often or the onions with take longer to caramelize. As the onions cook down you’ll need to stir them more often to prevent burning.
If the onions begin to get dry, add 1 tablespoon water.
Once the onions are very soft and golden to golden-brown in colour, remove from heat (approximately 45-60 minutes).

Assembling the Smoky Maple Tofu Sandwiches:

Lightly toast each slice of bread.
Spread one slice with mashed avocado, and on slice with vegan mayo and Dijon mustard (optional).
Top the toasted mayo/mustard bread with a leaf of lettuce, 1-2 slices of lightly salted tomato, 4 slices of tofu, and ¼ of the caramelized onions. Top with the toasted avocado bread.
Slice sandwich in half.

Keywords: tofu sandwich, tofu sandwich recipes, vegan tofu sandwich

The post Smoky Maple Tofu Sandwich appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Vegan Holiday Burger

Brittany — Sun, 13 Nov 2016 09:04:54 +0000

Sandwiches made with holiday leftovers are one of the best parts of Thanksgiving or Christmas. But why wait for leftovers to enjoy holiday sandwiches? We're getting straight to the point with these vegan holiday burgers.

(Left) Uncooked and oiled. (Right) Baked with cranberry glaze.

The patty is adapted from one of our most popular holiday recipes, our Ultimate Vegan Thanksgiving Loaf with Cranberry Glaze. With a couple of minor adjustments, the recipe is perfect for making veggie burger patties. This recipe is full of nutritious ingredients like brown rice, green lentils, oats, kale, carrots, and walnuts, but more importantly, it's full of holiday flavours! They strike a perfect balance of savoury + sweet: hearty base with tangy pops of sweetness from dried cranberries and a cranberry glaze.

Take this delicious holiday-inspired veggie patty, add a soft dinner roll, a healthy dose of mushroom gravy, a little extra cranberry glaze, a touch of vegan mayo and heaps of garlicky Brussels sprout slaw for the ultimate Thanksgiving or Christmas burger experience.

These burgers are great for getting your holiday feastin' fix year round. Serve them as a super low key alternative to the whole BIG dinner production or as a fun addition to your holiday menu. Most importantly? Enjoy!

Vegan Holiday Burger

★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 6 burgers
Category: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Burger
Cuisine: Vegan

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Ingredients

6 dinner rolls or burger buns
mushroom gravy
vegan mayo
2 cups cranberry sauce, canned or homemade, blended smooth

Holiday Burger Patties

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing patties
½ onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-large carrot, grated
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
1½ cups kale, stems removed, shredded and tightly packed
1½ cups mushrooms, thin-sliced
¼ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 cup slightly overcooked green lentils
1 cup cooked brown rice
⅔ cup oat flour (ground oats)
3 tbsp ground flax seed
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ cup chopped walnuts
⅓ cup dried cranberries
½ tbsp caper brine (or lemon juice/vinegar)

Brussels Sprout Slaw

½ tbsp olive oil
approx. 20 Brussels sprouts, ends removed, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Holiday Patties

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan and heat over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and kale. Sauté until the onion is translucent.
Add the mushrooms, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender.
In a large bowl, combine the sautéed vegetables, cooked green lentils, cooked brown rice, oat flour, ground flax seeds, nutritional yeast, walnuts, dried cranberries, and caper brine. Mix VERY well, mashing the mixture to helps the ingredients bind together. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Note: If the mixture doesn't hold together easily, blend about ⅓ of the mixture using a food processor or immersion blender. Recombine.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Portion mixture into ½ cup patties approx. ½" thick. Brush both sides of patties with olive oil. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 15 minutes, flip and bake for another 15 minutes. Spread with cranberry glaze and bake for 5-10 minutes or until glaze appears set.

Brussels Sprout Slaw

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Add shredded Brussels sprouts and minced garlic. Sauté briefly, until slaw is tender but crisp. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Assembly

Lightly toast buns if desired, cut side down in a hot skillet with butter (optional).
Spread the top bun with a light coat of vegan mayo. Top bottom bun with a generous amount of mushroom gravy, add the patty and additional cranberry glaze if desired, top with Brussels sprout slaw and the top bun. Enjoy!

The post Vegan Holiday Burger appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Vegan Jackfruit & Mushroom Gyros with Tzatziki

Brittany — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 00:42:14 +0000

It's Day 9 of Vegan Mofo 2016 and I am officially flying by the seat of my pants. I'm sitting down to write this post, gyro in hand, kitchen in a state of chaos, literally moments after I finished photographing the completed dish (while competing against a sun that's sinking below the horizon earlier and earlier every day.)

Today I'm taking inspiration from Hot for Food's Recipe?! videos. I'm taking an inventory of what's in my fridge and trying to make something delicious. This is gonna be fun! And we need fun right now.

Here's what I picked out from my fridge, freezer, and pantry:

unsweetened coconut yogurt
frozen naan
a can of young jackfruit in brine
Creamer potatoes
Cremini mushrooms
⅓ zucchini
chives
green onion
cilantro
garlic
½ onion
jalapeno
½ cup soaked cashews
and a preheated oven from baking molasses cookies earlier

Immediately the coconut yogurt, soaked cashews, zucchini, garlic, and herbs had me thinking tzatziki. With the tzatziki idea locked down and possible Greek-inspired theme happening I decided to use the jackfruit, Cremini mushrooms, and naan bread to make gyros!

For the filling I sautéed thinly sliced onion, 3 cloves of minced garlic, and ½ jalapeno seasoned with paprika, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Once the mixture was fragrant I added the Creminis (thinly-sliced) and the jackfruit (after removing the core and rinsing well). As the mixture cooked, I mashed the jackfruit with a fork. I wanted to develop and smoky "meaty" flavour so I also added a ½ teaspoon liquid smoke and ½ tablespoon molasses to help the mixture caramelize a little bit. I cooked the filling, stirring often, for a good 10 minutes. At this point I didn't find the texture quite right so I decided to pop it in my preheated oven while I worked on the other components. I added ½ cup of water and transferred it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to cook for 30 minutes (stirring every 10 minutes.) At the end the filling was nicely browned and just moist enough.

Now onto the tzatziki. I blended ½ cup coconut yogurt with the leftover cashews on high until perfectly smooth. I grated the zucchini, sprinkled it with a generous amount of salt and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then I transferred the grated zucchini into a clean tea towel to ring out the excess water. I added the zucchini, 2 cloves of minced garlic, chives, green onion, and plenty of salt and pepper to the yogurt + cashews. I let this chill in the freezer while I started preparing the potatoes.

I parboiled the potatoes before frying them in a generous amount of olive oil, in the same pan I'd cooked the filling in. I seasoned them with salt and fried them till crispy. Originally I'd intended to serve the potatoes as a side but instead I ended up wrapping them up along with filling which ended up being exactly the right choice.

After the filling was done "slow roasting" in the oven, the tzatziki was chilled, and the potatoes were hot and crispy, I got ready to assemble. I warmed the naan in the oven and sliced some onion and tomato (which I'd previously missed while checking the kitchen for ingredients.) I arranged the sliced tomato, onion, jackfruit filling, and crispy potatoes down the center of a warm piece of naan and topped it with tzatziki. I folded the edges inwards, attempting and failing a cone shape, and wrapped it in parchment paper to keep everything secure.

This little experiment turned out to be a success! Everything came together beautifully. I've only experimented with jackfruit once previously but even so, the filling was flavourful and texture was spot on. If I were actually shopping to remake this recipe I'd add some crispy lettuce to the mix but that's about it!

Vegan Jackfruit + Mushroom Gyros and Tzatziki

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 3
Category: Sandwich, Main Course, Entrée
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

A "meaty" filling of roasted jackfruit and mushrooms, crispy potatoes, and cool tzatziki all wrapped up in warm naan.

Ingredients

3 pieces naan or pita bread
sliced tomato, to taste
sliced onion, to taste
lettuce, to taste

Jackfruit and Mushroom Filling

1 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ jalapeño, seeds removed (optional)
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
pinch oregano
1 can jackfruit in brine (drained, core removed, and rinsed)
8 Cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
½ tsp liquid smoke
½ tbsp molasses
pinch of cinnamon
½ cup water

Tzatziki

½ cup unsweetened coconut yogurt
½ cup soaked cashews
⅓ zucchini, grated, generously salted and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp chives, chopped
2 tbsp green onion, chopped
black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

Crispy potatoes

10 Creamer potatoes, quartered and parboiled
olive oil, for frying
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Jackfruit and Mushroom Filling

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeño, paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook for about 3 minutes, until onion is tender.
Add jackfruit and mushrooms. Cook, stirring often and shredding the jackfruit, until mushrooms are tender.
Add liquid smoke, molasses, and cinnamon. Stir well. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Stir in ½ cup water. Cook for another minute and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until browned but still slightly moist.

Tzatziki

Blend unsweetened coconut yogurt and soaked cashews until smooth.
Add drained, grated zucchini, minced garli, chives, green onion, black pepper and salt. Stir well. Chill for 20 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning.

Crispy potatoes

In the same skillet used to cook the filling, heat a generous amount of olive oil over medium-high heat. Fry potatoes until crispy and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.

Assembly

Warm naan bread in oven. Arrange lettuce, tomato, and onion down center of naan. Top with ⅓ filling, ⅓ crispy potatoes, and a generous amount of tzatziki. Fold edges tightly inwards and wrap with parchment paper if necessary. Enjoy!

The post Vegan Jackfruit & Mushroom Gyros with Tzatziki appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Tempeh Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich

Brittany — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 17:35:23 +0000

TLT's are my go-to meal when I'm craving something savoury and delicious but I don't want to cook. Even if I don't have the ingredients on hand, remembering the grocery list: bread, vegan mayo, lettuce, tomato, tempeh bacon, is easy enough for even my most scatterbrained of days.

There's not much to making a TLT. Pick your favourite tempeh bacon (store-bought or homemade) and fry it up. Lightly toast some sliced bread, spread with mayo and layer lettuce (I used romaine here but typically I'd buy iceberg or green leaf lettuce for TLT's), sliced tomato, salt + pepper, and bacon. Close 'er up and enjoy!

For mayo we used Hellman's Carefully Crafted. We also love Earth Island's (Follow Your Heart in the US) Original Vegenaise. I've tried making homemade vegan mayo, but so far I just haven't loved the flavour enough to share.

For tempeh, Lightlife's Smoky Tempeh Strips and Tofurky's Smoky Maple Tempeh work great. Lightlife's tempeh is similar in flavour to Tofurky's but it has a finer texture and is sliced thinner. We also sliced and marinated some of Lightlife's Organic Soy Tempeh in a sweet, salty + smoky sauce for a less bacon-y alternative.

You can also make a VLT (veganbacon lettuce tomato sandwich) with any vegan bacon you like best. Try tofu bacon, shiitake mushroom bacon, rice paper bacon, whatever you want! I've included a marinade recipe you can use if you like. It's not bang on for bacon by any means, but it IS delicious in these sandwiches.

Want to upgrade your TLT? Add perfectly ripe, sliced avocado to take this classic sandwich to the next level. I didn't have a ripe one on hand, but it is SO good. Seriously, do it.

Now the accompaniments. Fries or potato wedges are at the top of my list (those are Cavendish FlavourCrisp potato wedges and fries pictured, they make the BEST frozen to baked fries and wedges we've ever tried. Seriously, they're like deep-fried deliciousness, but baked!) Crudité with vegan ranch is another favourite side for this sandwich. Or you could just say screw it and make 2 TLT's. 👿

PS: Today is Day 7 of Vegan MoFo. Yay!!

Tempeh Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1
Category: Sandwich
Cuisine: Vegan

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Description

A classic TLT (tempeh bacon, lettuce and tomato) sandwich! Ready to eat in 10 minutes or less.

Ingredients

2 slices bread
1-2 tablespoon vegan mayo
1-2 leaves lettuce
2 slices tomato
4 slices tempeh bacon + oil for frying

Instructions

Fry tempeh bacon according to package instructions, or until golden-brown and crisp.
Lightly toast 2 slices of bread.
Spread both slices with a light coat of mayo. On one slice, evenly layer lettuce, followed by tomato (sprinkle with salt and pepper) and then bacon slices. Top with second slice of bread and slice on a diagonal. Enjoy!

Sweet & Smoky Sliced Tempeh

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 8 strips
Category: Marinade
Cuisine: Vegan

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Description

A sweet + smoky marinade for sliced tempeh or tofu. Marinate overnight for best flavour.

Ingredients

2 tbsp light soy sauce
2-3 tablespoon maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp vegan butter, melted
½-1 teaspoon liquid smoke
black pepper, to taste
8 strips tempeh
½ tbsp vegan butter, canola, or olive oil

Instructions

Combine soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic, melted vegan butter, liquid smoke, and black pepper in a shallow dish.
Add tempeh strips and ensure they're well coated with marinade. Refrigerate overnight. Do not shake, flip gently with tongs if needed.
To cook: Preheat skillet over medium heat. Add ½ tablespoon vegan butter or oil and fry tempeh (plus remaining marinade) until crisp and browned to your liking.

The post Tempeh Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

How to Make the Best Vegan Grilled Cheese

Brittany — Thu, 03 Nov 2016 00:11:55 +0000

The classic grilled cheese sandwich - is this really something you need a recipe for? Perhaps not, but when we first went vegan, we didn't enjoy a proper grilled cheese sandwich for months.

Why? A couple of reasons. We needed a little bit of time to kind of "forget" how dairy cheese tasted before diving into this whole vegan cheese world. I think it's a little easier to judge vegan cheese for what it is if you haven't just eaten dairy cheese the day before. You know?

When I finally did make one, I figured that the only key difference to making a vegan grilled cheese would be to swap in vegan cheese for dairy cheese. That sounds reasonable, doesn't it? But vegan cheese just doesn't taste exactly like dairy cheese. Some adjustments needed to be made!

First of all, I'd suggest using less vegan cheese than you would use dairy. ⅓ cup of vegan cheese shreds should be just about perfect.

Where we live, there aren't a whole lot of options for vegan cheese so I can't tell you which brand is THE ABSOLUTE BEST. We've got Daiya Shreds (Cheddar and Mozzarella Style), Daiya Slices, and Earth Island (Follow Your Heart in the US) American Style Slices to choose from here.

Our go-to for grilled cheese sandwiches are the Daiya Shreds (a mix of Mozzarella and Cheddar Style shreds is best.) The Earth Island American Style Slices are good (in a Kraft slices grilled cheese kinda way), but they're much more expensive than Daiya.

Use a vegan butter for the classic fried flavour. Earth Balance Original has great flavour and a proper "buttery" texture. Add the butter to a preheated skillet instead of spreading it straight on the bread. This helps keep the bread light and airy. Melting the butter in a hot skillet saves you a little hassle and doesn't result in squished bread. Choosing the right bread is important! Look for something with a medium-thick slice (about ½" is just right.) Bread that's too thin gets dry and toast-like and bread that's too thick will throw off the optimal cheese to bread ratio.

Next we have one of my favourite tips: after frying, sprinkle the outside with a little bit of extra cheese and cook briefly to add a little crispy fried cheese flavour. This is KEY for making your sandwich taste more like a classic grilled cheese.

For something a little more deluxe, try adding some tempeh bacon! Fry the bacon to your liking before adding it to your sandwich. Be sure to cushion the bacon between 2 layers of cheese if you want your sandwich to hold together! I've always been a fan of Tofurky's Smoky Maple Bacon. We recently came across Lightlife's Smoky Tempeh Strips and decided to test them for this post. They're great! They're very similar in flavour to Tofurky's tempeh bacon but the slices are thinner and the texture is finer. We're hooked!

After your grilled cheese is cooked to perfection (with or without tempeh bacon), let it rest for a couple of minutes before eating. The texture of the vegan cheese improves once it's cooled down just a touch.

Now it's time to eat! I serve mine with the teeniest bit of regular ol' ketchup. Or try sriracha, vegan ranch, or hummus for something a little different. Ah, classic vegan comfort food at it's finest!

PS: This post is not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned above! Happy Day 2 of Vegan Mofo 2016!

Vegan Grilled Cheese (Classic & Bacon)

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 1 sandwich
Category: Sandwich
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

The classic grilled cheese sandwich, veganized! Lunch doesn't get much easier than this.

Ingredients

2 slices sandwich bread (½" thick)
⅓ cup vegan cheese shreds (mozza + cheddar blend), plus extra
1 tbsp vegan butter (divided)
2 -4 slices tempeh bacon, fried until crisp (optional)

Instructions

Classic grilled cheese: Sprinkle vegan cheese shreds on a slice of bread. Top with second slice of bread.
Tempeh bacon grilled cheese: Sprinkle half of the vegan cheese over a slice of bread, add sliced tempeh bacon, and then sprinkle the remaining vegan cheese over the bacon. Top with second slice of bread.
Preheat cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat.
Melt ½ tablespoon vegan butter in a hot skillet. Add sandwich and cook until golden brown and crispy. Use a spatula to lift the sandwich and check the progress as needed.
Add another ½ tablespoon of butter to the pan and use a spatula to carefully flip the sandwich.
Top the cooked side with a light sprinkle of vegan cheese shreds.
Continue cooking the underside until golden brown. Quickly flip the sandwich once more, cooking just long enough for the cheese on the outside to get fried and crispy.
Slice on a diagonal and let the sandwich rest for a couple of minutes before eating.
Optional: Serve with your favourite condiments - ketchup. hummus and vegan ranch are both great options.

The post How to Make the Best Vegan Grilled Cheese appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Mango Chili Tofu Burgers with Cashew Crema

Brittany — Sun, 21 Aug 2016 06:06:55 +0000

Today we're back at it again with another recipe for Pulo Phillipine Cuisine, featuring their Mango Chili Marinade inspired by Guimaras Island. Yesterday we may have had soup, but that doesn't mean Fall has arrived on this blog! Nope, I've got a burger recipe that truly celebrates the remaining month (yes, more than 30 days!) we have left to enjoy all things summer.

Pulo's marinades: Mango Chili (Guimaras Island), Lemongrass Atsuete (Cebu Island), and Pineapple Tamarind (Samal Island)

With this recipe, we've now featured all three of Pulo's marinades. We used the Lemongrass Atsuete in our marinated tofu naan wraps with avocado lime slaw, and the Pineapple Tamarind in our Pulo grilled tofu bowl with bok choy and cashews. Yep, you guessed it, Pulo goes exceptionally well with tofu.

I knew Pulo's marinades would be perfect for easy vegan burgers. Just marinate, grill, assemble, and then go crazy with the toppings. Aside from the usual green leaf lettuce, red onion, and tomato, this mango chili-marinated tofu patty is topped with sliced avocado, sweet mango, and a lemon-y cashew crema for a burger that says all things "summer".

I'm a sucker for a well marinated tofu burger but you could absolutely swap out the tofu for another patty. Try marinating a portobello mushroom, or just baste your favourite store-bought vegan burger (or our mushroom black bean burgers) for something different!

Pulo is available in Canada and in the mainland US at Cost Plus World Market (and online from My Asian Store)

This post is sponsored by Pulo Philippine Cuisine. We love them for their easy to prepare and 100% vegan cooking sauces and marinades. Thanks for supporting the brands that support I Love Vegan!

Mango Chili Tofu Burgers with Cashew Crema

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 burgers
Category: Burger
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

A super easy grill-friendly recipe that's bursting with summer flavours! Mango chili tofu, crisp veggies, sweet mango, and a creamy combination fresh avocado and lemon-y cashew crema make for a seriously flavour-packed vegan burger.

Ingredients

Mango Chili Tofu Burger

½ cup Pulo's Mango Chili Marinade
1 350g block extra-firm tofu
olive oil, for frying
4 hamburger buns

Toppings

red onion slices
tomato, sliced
avocado, sliced
mango, sliced
green leaf lettuce

Cashew Crema

½ cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
⅓ cup water
2 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp sea salt

Instructions

Mango Chili Tofu Burger

Slice block of tofu in half, so that you have 2 square chunks of tofu. Slice each square horizontally so that you have 4 square patties. Press/drain tofu using a clean kitchen towel or paper towel, to absorb excess water. The dryer the better (but don't press too hard or the tofu will crumble.)
In a shallow dish, marinate the tofu patties in ½ cup of Pulo's Mango Chili marinade for 30 minutes.
Gently wipe off excess marinade before grilling or pan-frying. Once the patties are crisp and slightly golden brown, brush with excess marinade and cook for a couple of minutes longer.
Gently warm buns, cut side down, on a hot grill or skillet.
Top buns with lettuce, tomato, onion, grilled tofu patty, mango, avocado, and a drizzle of cashew crema. Enjoy!

Cashew Crema

Rinse soaked cashews under very cold water. Combine cashews (drained), water, lemon juice, garlic powder and sea salt in a high speed blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add more water and lemon juice if cashew crema is too thick to drizzle. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

You'll notice jalapeno slices on my burgers in the photos but unless you really like spicy things I'd skip them. For a kick of heat I'd add a drizzle of sriracha instead.

The post Mango Chili Tofu Burgers with Cashew Crema appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Vegan Mushroom & Black Bean Burgers

Brittany — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 20:48:55 +0000

If there's one thing I love about veggie burgers, it would be everything. I love almost everything about veggie burgers. The good ones are delicious (obviously), hearty, messy, ridiculously satisfying and best served with a side of fries (skins on!) If there's a vegan veggie burger on the menu, I am ordering it, end. of. story.

If there's one thing I don't like about veggie burgers, it's the whole making them from scratch thing. Making veggie burgers isn't difficult, but there's a certain amount of effort required to make sure the ingredients bind together. Very finely chopping the vegetables is the first crucial step to making a veggie patty that won't fall apart but unfortunately, teeny-tiny chopping veggies is both time-consuming and boring.

So that is where today's post sponsor, Braun, comes in to save the day! Braun is returning to North America with the New Kitchen Collection, a beautiful line of intuitive appliances: the Multiquick Hand Blender, Puremix Blender, and Brewsense Coffee Maker. I've had the opportunity to try out the line and I've been playing around and getting to know each appliance. In this post you'll see the Multiquick 7 Hand Blender, a seriously powerful and versatile immersion blender. I happen to be a huge fan of immersion blenders. They're convenient, portable, compact (a must for small kitchens), perfect for hot soups and sauces, and soo easy to clean. They also make a perfectly good smoothie which, let's be honest, is my main use for any blender. The Multiquick 7 does all of those things AND more because it also comes with a bunch of nifty attachments that make it a powerful food processor (yes, you read that right!) complete with a ton of different slicing/shredding/chopping blades. It also can be used as a powered whisk, as well as a masher. This thing is the ultimate multi-tasking tool. If I could go back a start my food blogging and recipe development career with just one appliance, this guy would be very high on the list.

In this recipe, I'm focusing on the food processor attachment with the chopping blade to chop all the veggies for my burgers. There's lots of mushrooms, carrot, celery, red onion, and garlic, and I want them all chopped super fine and even. I'm also using it to evenly mash and break open my black beans without turning them into a mash. Easy and super lightning fast!

Back to these veggie burgers. These patties are made up of mushrooms, black beans, brown rice, bread crumbs, carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Nutritional yeast and soy sauce add a little of that salty burger-y umami flavour. The smashed beans and rice, and bread crumbs help to bind the ingredients and firm everything up, and the addition of ground chia seeds really helps to suck up extra moisture and keep these patties firm. I whizzed the chia seeds in the Puremix blender (which we'll talk more about on another day) using the "crush ice" setting which worked beautifully.

To bring these delightful patties from mere tastiness to full-blown veggie burger deliciousness I recommend you serve them with a healthy dose of vegan mayo, crisp green leaf lettuce, a slab of tomato, melted vegan cheese, red onion rings, sliced dill pickles, and a squiggle each of ketchup and mustard. Oh! And don't forget the fries! Enjoy!

This post is sponsored by Braun.
Visit the Braun website (CA/USA) to learn about their New Kitchen Collection or to check out the Multiquick 7 Hand Blender used in today's post. Come back later in the month for another recipe collaboration with Braun! Thank you for supporting the brands that support I Love Vegan.

Vegan Mushroom & Black Bean Burgers

★★★★★ 4.6 from 17 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 1 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hours 45 minutes
Yield: 8
Category: Sandwich, Lunch and Dinner
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Classic vegan burgers made with a base of mushrooms, veggies, brown rice, black beans and bread crumbs. Perfect for your summer BBQ!

Ingredients

Mushroom & Black Bean Patties

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 ⅓ cups canned black beans, mashed
1 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for frying)
6-8 -medium mushrooms (cremini/white button), finely chopped
1 stalk celery , finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
¼ red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½-2 cups bread crumbs
1 tbsp ground chia seeds
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
squeeze lemon juice

Burger Toppings

buns
vegan cheese slices
tomato, sliced
red onion, sliced
dill pickles, sliced
green leaf lettuce
condiments: vegan mayo, ketchup, mustard

Instructions

Mushroom & Black Bean Patties

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the finely chopped mushrooms, celery, carrot, onion, and garlic until just tender. Sprinkle with salt and stir.
Add the black beans, brown rice, bread crumbs, ground chia seeds, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce, lemon juice and stir until the mixture gets very thick and difficult to mix. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Portion the burger mixture into ⅓ cup (or slightly larger) patties (21/2" in diameter and ½" thick). You can now refrigerate, freeze, or cook the patties.
Heat a generous amount of oil over medium heat. Fry each patty for 3-5 minutes, flip, top with a slice of cheese (if using) and cover with a lid until the cheese melts. Warm the cut side of the buns while the patty finishes cooking.

Assembling the burgers

Spread the bottom bun with vegan mayo, top with lettuce, a slice of tomato, the burger patty, pickles, onion, ketchup, mustard, and the top bun. Enjoy!

The post Vegan Mushroom & Black Bean Burgers appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Classic Chickpea "Egg" Salad Sandwiches

Brittany — Wed, 13 Apr 2016 20:18:18 +0000

Hi!! I'm pleased to report that as of today I am very nearly over the worst cold of my adult life. Nothing like complete physical breakdown to make you appreciate every day life! It's a good thing chickpea salad sandwiches happened to be next up on the editorial calender cause this might be the only food I could've handled recipe testing and eating throughout my sick days.

Today's recipe is like the ultra "egg" salad version of chickpea salad sandwiches. My original version was this veggie-filled variation that used half red lentils and half chickpeas for the base. That recipe has become one of our most popular recipes and it happened to win the Canadian Lentils Recipe Revelations Contest last year. I've made that version time and time again (admittedly I usually use 100% chickpeas for the base cause if I'm opening a whole can I figure I may as well use it. As easy as red lentils are to cook, opening 1 can of chickpeas is just easier. Ya know?)

After 14+ months of eating lots of chickpea salad sandwiches I've now tried a ton of variations. I switch up the veggies, sometimes I use half hummus/half vegan mayo, and occasionally I like to add a good dash of curry powder. The biggest difference between today's version of this recipe and my original version is in the chickpeas. Since canned chickpeas can be a little too firm and dry I've started microwaving them with the juice from the can plus some chopped garlic, onion + garlic powder, and salt for flavour. After microwaving for 10 minutes, just chill and drain and these chickpeas are soft, ultra-flavourful, and ready to be mashed!

Combine the mashed chickpeas, chopped veggies, vegan mayo, lemon juice, turmeric, bread crumbs, black pepper, (and sriracha and paprika - not pictured thanks to my cold medicated brain, sorry!) Mix well, pop in the fridge to chill so the bread crumbs can equalize with the moisture of the salad. The bread crumbs might seem like a strange addition but they give this salad a thick and hearty consistency that won't squish out of your sandwiches.

For optimal "egg-y" flavour, swap the regular salt for "Kala Namak" aka black salt. Black salt has a light sulphurous flavour that adds delicious "egg-iness" to vegan quiches, tofu scrambles, and salad sandwiches! If you're vegan or egg-free make sure to keep an eye out for some cause it is a great pantry staple!

Enjoy!

Classic Chickpea "Egg" Salad Sandwiches

★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews

Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2 ½ cups
Category: Sandwich, Dip
Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Go for the classic vegan "egg" salad sandwich by pairing a thick layer of this chickpea salad with leaf lettuce and white or 60% whole wheat bread. Paper bag lunch perfection.

Ingredients

1 540 ml/19 fl. oz. can chickpeas + juice from can
2 cloves garlic, sliced or roughly chopped
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt
⅓ cup celery, finely chopped
¼ cup green onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp dill pickles, finely chopped
2 tbsp baby dill, finely chopped
½ tsp lemon juice
¼ cup + 2 tbsp vegan mayo
½ tsp sriracha
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp paprika
⅓ cup breadcrumbs
black pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 1 can of chickpeas + juice from can, chopped garlic, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Microwave for 10 minutes. Chill.
After chilling, drain and if desired, pick out any obvious garlic bits (if you love garlic, feel free to leave it in there!)
In a food processor, pulse chickpeas until about ⅓ of the mixture is chunky and about ⅓ is really smooth (the remaining ⅓ should be somewhere in between.) For the perfect texture, allow the processor to unevenly break down the chickpeas - do not mix or scrape the sides of your processor while you process the chickpeas.
In a bowl, combine the mashed chickpeas, celery, green onion, pickles, dill, lemon juice, vegan mayo, sriracha, turmeric, paprika, breadcrumbs and black pepper. Chill for 10 minutes before assembling your sandwiches. I recommend putting approx. ⅓ cup filling per sandwich.

Notes

For optimal "egg-y" flavour, use "Kala Namak"/black salt in place of table salt in this recipe. Black salt is a great vegan pantry staple that adds a delicious light sulphurous (or "egg-y") flavour to egg-less quiches, scrambles, and salad sandwiches.

The post Classic Chickpea "Egg" Salad Sandwiches appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.