The Sexy Vegan Cookbook (16 page)

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

One 8-ounce package tempeh, cut into six 2-inch-by-2-inch-by-4-inch squares

1 red onion, thinly sliced

½ cup bourbon

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 cup vegetable stock

2 teaspoons arrowroot dissolved in 1 teaspoon water (see WTF,
page 69
)

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons Smoked Cheddar Sauce (optional), warmed

6 mini buns (about 2 inches wide), halved

¼ packed cup baby spinach

1 Roma tomato, cut into 6 slices

In a pan, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh to the pan, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned on one side, then flip and brown the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the tempeh from the pan, and set aside. Add the onion to the same pan and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, or until slightly browned and soft. So as to not set yourself on fire, turn off the flame, and add the bourbon to the pan. Now let the bourbon simmer over medium heat for 1 minute, or until reduced by half.

Stir in the brown sugar, and simmer until it dissolves, about 1 minute. Add the vegetable stock, and simmer for 2 to 3 more minutes. Stir in the arrowroot slurry, continuing to simmer for about 1 more minute. When the sauce begins to thicken, add the tempeh to the pan and coat it with the sauce. Cook for 1 to 2 more minutes, or until the sauce reduces to a glaze. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Time for assembly. If using the smoked cheddar sauce, spread it on the inside of the buns. Assemble the sandwiches from the bottom up in the following order: 1 bun half, 1 piece of tempeh, a little of the bourbon sauce and onions, a few spinach leaves, 1 tomato slice, a pinch of salt, and the other bun half.

One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

½ cup cooked couscous

1 tablespoon tahini

1 clove garlic, grated

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

2 tablespoons chopped kalamata olives

1½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ roasted red bell pepper, diced (see Tip,
page 96
)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 buns of your choosing, halved

2 tablespoons Dreamy Tahini Dressing (see recipe,
page 198
)

½ medium cucumber, thinly sliced

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

1 beefsteak tomato, thinly sliced

½ red onion, thinly sliced

To make the burger patty, in a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, couscous, tahini, garlic, oregano, olives, salt, and pepper. With a fork, potato masher, or your very clean hands, mash all of it together until 90 percent of the chickpeas are mashed. Now that you have this pasty mass, gently fold in the roasted pepper (as it would have been destroyed during the initial mixing). Divide the chickpea mixture into four portions and form into ¼-inch-thick patties.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add your burger patties to the pan, and cook them for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Slather each bun half with dreamy tahini dressing, and assemble the burgers from the bottom up in the following order: 1 bun half, cucumber, chickpea patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, and the other bun half.

2 cups drained freshly cooked black beans or one 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper

1 cup cooked brown rice, cooled

¼ cup thinly sliced scallions

1 teaspoon adobo sauce

½ cup ground tortilla chips (ground in a food processor or blender)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¾ teaspoon salt

Pepper

¼ cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for frying

4 whole-wheat buns, halved

1 cup Kajillion Island Dressing (see recipe,
page 197
)

4 thick slices beefsteak tomato

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

In a large bowl, combine the beans, bell pepper, rice, scallions, adobo sauce, chips, cumin, salt, and a pinch of pepper. With a fork, potato masher, or your very clean hands, mash everything together, until about 90 percent of the beans are mashed. Now that you have this pasty mass, gently fold in the corn kernels (as they would have been destroyed during the initial mixing). Divide the bean mixture into four portions and form into ¼-inch-thick patties.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add your burger patties to the pan, and cook them for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. If you’re using your time wisely, you’ll be toasting your buns while the burgers are cooking. Slather each toasted bun half with kajillion island dressing, and assemble the burgers from the bottom up in the following order: 1 bun half, 1 black bean patty, 1 tomato slice, ½ cup of lettuce, and the other bun half.

Spaghetti and Balls

Lasagna Fauxlognese

Stuffed Shells Puttanesca

Oyster Mushroom Risotto

Grilled Seitan Caponata with Lemon Pilaf

Colonel Schmolonel’s Fried Seitan with Mashed Taters, Gravy, and Greens

Barbecue Ribz with Smoky Elbows and Cheeze

Crabby Cakes over Succotash

Grilled “Fish” Tacos with Corn and Jicama Salad

Seitan Steak ’n’ Fries

Mexicali Quinoa with Black Lentils and Pretend Chipotle Sausages

Jambalaya

Shepherd’s Pie

IF I WERE WRITING THIS BOOK WHEN I WAS SIXTEEN YEARS OLD
, the “Pizza!” chapter would have been titled “Entrees,” and the entree chapter would have been titled “The Stuff That Other People, Besides Me, Eat at Dinnertime Instead of Pizza.” (Sorry, Mom, that was the last one.) The hearty meals in this chapter are as diverse as they are delicious, and they are sure to fully satisfy vegans and omnivores alike. I
would
say, “It’s time to ring the dinner bell,” but while other people were made aware of dinnertime by the sound of a ringing dinner bell, I was made aware of dinnertime by the sound of a ringing doorbell. (Okay,
that
was the last one, Mom. Promise.)