Vegan San Choy Bau Lettuce Cup Recipe

makes 10 lettuce cups

Jerome and I were going to our family dinner party the other night and we had no idea what to take. I wanted to make something new that was interesting and finger-foody so that it could easily be shared around. So, I decided to create a vegan san choy bau recipe and I am so glad that we did. These are absolutely delicious and our whole family scoffed them down like there was no tomorrow! While I was making it, Jerome kept creeping over and stealing them and eating the mince... tsk tsk! They truly are tasty. These would be great for dinner parties or barbeques or anywhere you would like to impress others with delicious vegan food! Use our vegan mince recipe in other Asian dishes too, such as in gyozas. Add any desired dipping sauces. We normally make a tasty sauce by combing lime juice, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce and adjusting it until it tastes yummy. If you are short on time, you can always purchase hoisin sauce or other bottled sauces if needed. So, give this a try and tell me what you think! I guarantee that you will enjoy it ^-^

Vegan Mince:

   350g extra firm tofu, drained and finely crumbled
   200g mushrooms, finely diced

   20g ginger root, minced

   4 garlic cloves, crushed

   2/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

   2 tablespoons (40ml) sesame oil

   4 tablespoons (80ml) soy sauce

   big pinch freshly cracked black pepper

Garnishes:

   crushed peanuts

   thinly sliced green onions

   thinly sliced red chilli

   coriander leaves

Dipping Sauce*:
   lime juice

   sweet chilli sauce

   soy sauce

Other:
   10 iceberg lettuce cups

1. Prepare the dipping sauce if you are making your own. Combine lime juice, sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce in a bowl and whisk until combined. Keep adjusting the flavours until the combination is perfect to your own taste. Or, purchase a premade dipping sauce such as hoisin sauce. Set it aside.
2. Prepare the iceberg lettuce cups by removing the best lettuce leaves and washing them. Trim them if desired. Make sure your iceberg lettuce is fresh and crunchy. Set them aside.
3. Make the vegan mince by adding all of the "mince" ingredients and stirring until combined.
4. In a frypan on high heat, add the vegan mince.
5.  Sauté for 15 to 20 minutes until the mushrooms wilt, the tofu browns and the liquid is absorbed. Keep tossing and moving the mixture to ensure that it browns and use your spatula to keep crumbling the tofu.  The smaller the mixture, the better! You want a dry mixture rather than a wet mixture. The dipping sauce at the end will add the moisture.
6. Once the mixture is crumbly and browned and has reduced to about 1/3 of the original size, take it off the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
7. Distribute the mince mixture into the lettuce cups.
8. Garnish each lettuce cup with: a pinch of crushed peanuts, thinly sliced green onions, thinly sliced red chilli and coriander leaves.
9. Serve each with a side of dipping sauce and enjoy!
   
   

• *Make a dipping sauce out of lime juice, sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce to your own taste. You could even add garlic and ginger. On the other hand, you could purchase hoisin sauce which is a common side to lettuce cups.

The nutrition information above is an approximate guideline and does not include the optional dipping sauce. Each san choy bau is only 68 calories and is high in calcium  iron, manganese, phosphorous, selenium and vitamin B6. Wowee!

Vegan Satay Pizza Recipe

makes 2 pizzas

This is one delicious pizza... and by delicious I mean OMG. It is one of those pizzas that tastes amazing even the next day! Take it to work and eat it for lunch to make all of your friends and coworkers jealous. I guarantee that you will start to crave the tastiness of the satay sauce, the sweetness of the pineapple and the crunchiness of the veggies. We had to make this a second time as we ate it all before Jerome could photograph it. That is normally a good sign that the recipe is yummy enough to be published on Veggieful :) Anyway, this pizza is delicious and is a great meal to make for your family and non-vegan friends. It is full-flavoured, so filling and a great example of how delicious vegan and vegetarian food can be. If you love our satay tofu skewers then you will love this as it has the same satay base. Make a double batch of the satay sauce and freeze it for future purposes such as putting it on satay tofu skewers, in stir-fries, noodles or on pizzas. Read the nutrition information at the bottom of this post as one slice of this pizza contains 43% of your daily intake of vitamin C. WOW! Enjoy!

2 wholemeal pizza bases

Sauce:

   1/2 cup peanut butter

   2 tablespoons coconut cream

   1/4 cup tomato sauce (ketchup)

   2 tablespoons lime juice

   2 garlic cloves

   1/2 teaspoon freshly minced ginger root

   1/2 long red chilli (or more to taste)

   1 teaspoon ketjap manis  

   1 teaspoon sesame oil

Toppings:

   1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

   1 cup canned chickpeas, drained

   430g can pineapple, drained

   1 red capsicum, diced

   1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

   1 cup thinly sliced snow peas

Garnishes:

   thinly sliced red chilli

   coriander leaves

   thinly sliced shallots

1. If making your own pizza bases, prepare them as directed and add them to two pizza trays. 
2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. 
3. Add all 'sauce' ingredients to a processor and process until creamy and smooth.
4. Spoon the satay sauce onto the pizza bases and use a spoon to spread until evenly covered. Save and freeze any excess sauce if any.
5. Distribute the chickpeas, onion, pineapple, capsicum, snow peas and green onions evenly over the pizzas.
6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly browned on top.
7. Serve immediately and garnish with chilli, coriander and green onions. Enjoy!

• Make a double batch of the satay sauce and freeze it for future purposes such as putting it on satay tofu skewers, in stir-fries, noodles or on pizzas.

The nutrition information above is an approximate guideline and uses our wholemeal pizza bases. Each slice of our delicious satay pizza includes 43% of your daily intake of Vitamin C, 10% of your iron and is very high in maganese and Vitamin B6. 

Vegan Wholemeal Pizza Dough Recipe

makes 2 30cm pizzas

Are you sick of buying cardboardish pre-made pizza bases from the grocery store? Well look no further. This is my tried-and-trusted reliable vegan wholemeal pizza dough recipe... it is easy to prepare with only 5 ingredients! This pizza dough is absolutely amazing because it gets crunchy on the outside but deliciously fluffy on the inside! The wholemeal flour gives the base a really nice earthy flavour and also a nice crunch. When using wholemeal flour, your pizza bases will not turn out as fluffy as the white bases due to its dense, rough and unprocessed consistency. HOWEVER, I believe that it cooks amazingly and tastes so beautiful! It is the best wholemeal base I have ever eaten. Jerome said to me that it is the best pizza dough so far, even better than the white and herby ones. I have tried to write out the steps in a way that will be easy to understand with a few little tips from me. But don't worry, pizza dough is so easy to make and there is no need to fear the use of yeast, the rising or the baking. Once you make it you will not believe how easy it is. I would love for you to try it and tell me what you think. I guarantee that you will never buy a pre-made pizza base again! :D 

Note: You will need to allow approx. 45 minutes of rising time.

I am using the metric system. So, my 'cup' measures at 250ml. Make sure you too are using metric measurements or your pizza dough may be sticky or dry.

   2 teaspoons dried yeast

   1 ¾ cup warm water*

   1 teaspoon sugar

   3 ¾ cups (640g) wholemeal flour plus more for kneading

   pinch salt

1. In a small bowl, add the water and yeast. Use a metal spoon to stir until combined. Sit for 5 minutes until the yeast has dissolved into the water and is foaming. (*The warm water is activating the yeast so make sure that the water is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. Use water that is warm and able to be touched with your fingers.)
2. In a large bowl, add the flour and the salt and stir with a metal spoon until combined.
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast and water mixture. Stir with a metal spoon until it forms a wet dough. (At this point it will be quite sticky and will stick to your hands and any surfaces.
4. Lightly flour a clean surface.
5. Add the wet dough to the floured surface and knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it is easily rolled into a ball and does not stick to your hands or to the surface. If it is still too wet, add more flour. If it is still too dry add a little bit of water until you reach the desired consistency. 
6. Spray oil the inside of a large bowl.
7. Add the dough ball to the bowl and cover with a wet tea towel or plastic wrap and place into a warm place.
8. Allow to rise for about 45 minutes until it has doubled in size. (This could be more or less depending on the temperature of the surroundings)
9. Take off the tea towel or plastic wrap and use your fist to punch the air out of the dough. It should be very soft and airy. 
10. Lightly flour a surface. (Do not over-flour the surface or you will change the consistency of the dough)
11. Add the dough to the surface and knead for another 1 to 2 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. At this point, the ball will reduce to its original size before the rising. (The dough should be able to be rolled into a ball without sticking to your hands or to the surface. If it starts to stick to your hands or to the surfaces, add a little bit more flour to the surface and knead again for a few seconds and then roll into a ball).
12. Rip the dough ball into two even pieces and roll them into balls.
13. Using a rolling pin or a glass, roll them out into pizza base shapes.
14. Apply them to two lightly-oiled 30cm diameter pizza trays and use your fingers to push the dough into the sides of the tray.
15. Pre-bake the bases at 200 degrees Celsius for 5 to 10 minutes until slightly browned on the bottom before adding your toppings. Enjoy!

• I do not use bread flour… just wholemeal plain/all-purpose flour. 
• *Make sure the water is warm but not too hot. Hot water will kill the yeast. You must use water that is hot but you are still able to touch with your fingers.
• I am using the metric system. So, my 'cup' measures at 250ml. Make sure you too are using metric measurements or your pizza dough may be sticky or dry.

The nutrition information above is an approximate guideline. Each slice is high in dietary fiber and protein.

Vegan Satay Noodles Recipe

serves 4

This is one delicious noodle recipe. If you love our satay tofu skewers then you will love this noodle dish. There is nothing better than a quick, delicious noodle recipe that you can quickly prepare on busy weeknights or after work. This is practically a satay noodle salad with the tastiest vegan peanut sauce. Yum yum yum! I would say that it serves 4 but Jerome could easily eat it all in one sitting. It is definitely one of those meals that you eat in silence because it is so tasty. I have always loved anything with satay sauce. I remember when I was little, I would order the spicy satay noodles from the Chinese takeaway store... they were yummy but always made you feel really sick afterwards. However, this dish keeps the yumminess and ditches the sick feeling. If anything, it will make you feel really clean and refreshed afterwards. Hope you love it as much as we do :)

Satay Sauce:

   4 tablespoons peanut butter

   2 garlic cloves

   thumbsize piece of ginger

   ½ long red chilli

   1 tablespoon sesame oil

   2 ½ tablespoons lime juice

   ¼ cup soy sauce

   2 tablespoons hot water

   ½ tablespoon ketjap manis

   2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

   sweetener (optional)

Salad:

   1 cup thinly sliced cucumber

   1 red capsicum, thinly sliced

   1 big handful basil leaves, roughly chopped

   2 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped

   1 ½ cups bean sprouts

   ½ cup thinly sliced green onions

Other:

   200g rice noodles

   thinly sliced red chilli (to garnish)

1. Make the sauce by adding all satay sauce ingredients to a blender and blending until smooth. Set aside.
2. Prepare rice noodles according to packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, add all of the salad ingredients and toss to combine.
4. Pour the drained noodles and the satay sauce into the bowl with the salad.
5. Toss until the sauce is evenly distributed.
6. Garnish with thinly sliced red chilli. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
   
   

• Add a sweetener if you would like a sweeter satay sauce. Try brown sugar, agave or anything you have on hand! 
• Play around with the flavours of the satay sauce. Add more ketchup, sweeteners, garlic, ginger or anything else to make it yummy to your taste. 

The nutrition information above is an approximate guideline. One bowl of our delicious satay noodles has almost 100% of your daily intake of vitamin C! 

Vegan Happy Smoothie Recipe

makes 500ml - 2 servings

This smoothie is made especially to brighten up your day! I have done lots of research on the best food to help combat stress, anxiety and depression. These ingredients will not only prevent negative feelings but will also make the smoothie taste amazing and make you feel happy and smiley! Great for Monday mornings, that time of the month or those going through a rough patch. We have all had those days or even months where nothing is going our way and sadness can creep up on us. A great first step to happiness is eating more of the foods that make you happy and positive. You will absolutely love the taste of this. It is clean, delicious and tastes a lot like a vegan berry yoghurt! Yum!

This smoothie includes a banana which contains Vitamin B6 to assist the protein tryptophan to be converted to serotonin (the happy hormone). This helps improve your mood and reduce the risk of depression, stress and problems during PMS time. The uncooked oats are high fiber wholegrains which help reduce stress and anxiety and improve your mood by increasing serotonin levels and maintaining blood sugar levels. Walnuts are rich in omega 3 fatty acids which help reduce the risk of depression and lower blood pressure. Berries such as blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are all rich in antioxidants and Vitamin C and can help improve your mood and combat stress and depression by preventing an increase in cortisol (the stress hormone). And lastly, Soy milk contains Vitamin B1, B2 and D which aid in stress relief. It also contains tryptophan which is metabolized into serotonin to help improve your mood and decrease the risk of depression. Alternatively use oat milk or cashew milk which both assist with a happy mood.  So, have a try of this and tell me what you think. I hope you love it as much as we do! :)

   1 ripe banana

   ¼ cup rolled oats

   150g (1 cup) frozen raspberries

   ¼ cup raw walnuts 

   1 ¼ cups lite soy milk

   sweetener (optional)

1. In a high speed blender, add all ingredients.
2. Process until creamy and smooth without lumps.
3. Taste it and add sweeteners if desired. If too thick, add a little bit more soy milk until the desired consistency is achieved.
4. Smile and enjoy!

• Use frozen raspberries as they make it nice and icey when blended. If you don't have frozen raspberries just use fresh ones and add some ice too. 
• If you don't have raspberries, just use mixed frozen berries of any kind!
• Use a sweetener if desired. You could use maple syrup, agave syrup, brown sugar or brown rice syrup. Your choice! 
• The riper the banana, the yummier it will be. If you ever have bananas that are becoming too ripe just peal them, cover them and freeze them. You could chop them beforehand or just keep them whole. Then when you want to make a smoothie you will always have frozen ripened bananas to use. Amazing!
• If you don't want to use soy milk you could always use oat milk instead. But I think that the soy milk tastes yummier! 
• If you do not like walnuts, try almonds. They too have amazing properties that help make you happier! 

The nutrition information above is an approximate guideline. One glass of our 'Happy Smoothie' is very high in Vitamin C, high in manganese, high in dietary fiber and has 18% of your daily recommended intake of calcium. So smile and enjoy! :)