Vegan Chopped Challenge! Our Entry: Mediterranean Platter!

The Post Punk Kitchen is hosting a very interesting challenge right now. If you've seen the show Chopped! then you will understand but the basic gist is create a dish using these 4 ingredients: blackberries, fresh mint, blackeye peas, and bittersweet chocolate. Biggest and best difference between this contest and the Chopped! show... everything must be vegan! 


This is what we came up with: A Mediterranean Platter with blackeyed pea falafel, blackberry couscous, fresh mint tabouleh, and bittersweet chocolate hummus!

We're going to write out the full recipe for every part of the platter very soon but because there is a fast approaching deadline for the entries we're just going give you a basic breakdown of how we incorporated the challenge ingredients. 

The falafel is made from a dry mix, water, and 1 can of pureed blackeyed peas. We sauteed them in olive oil till crisp and brown and put them in the center of our platter.


The couscous was made with lots of sauteed veggies including onions, sweet peppers, zucchini, and garlic and also included some fun ingredients like raisins and orange juice. We added the blackberries once it was cooled down and man, did they add some flavor! Lightly fruity and delicious! We garnished the top with fresh mint and positioned it on the right side of the platter. 


The tabouleh was mostly fresh mint and parsley and we also added red and yellow onions, grape tomatoes, cucumber, and cracked wheat. Tabouleh is always so yummy and adding in some extra fresh mint really gave it a nice twist! This is on the left side of our plate.


The hummus was really the most fun to put together. We bought a bar of Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate and made our usual hummus recipe then added a teaspoon of organic sugar and a teaspoon of organic brown sugar then melted the bittersweet chocolate in our chocolate melter and mixed it into the hummus in the food processor. We saved a tiny piece from the bar and chopped it finely to garish the hummus. It's on the upper left side of the platter and might seem strange but the sweetness really adds an interesting balance of flavors to these wraps. 


We also added a blend of black and green olives a salad with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and onions to stuff into the mini wheat pitas. 


We've been eating our "assemble your own falafel wrap platters" tonight with friends and are getting great reviews!


The whole thing took about 35 minutes to make (good thing because our limit was 40 minutes)!


This challenge was really fun to do and we can't wait for the next one! It will be awesome to look at everyone else's entries and wait for the results!


We promise the full recipes will be posted soon!


With peace, love, and compassion-
The Two Vegan Ladies

Vegans at Disney! The Magic Kingdom Review

A few Saturdays ago was the unofficial Gay Day at The Magic Kingdom. We had never been before and a friend who works for the park took us for free! It was a great day. It's always wonderful to be at a Disney park with someone who knows them inside and out. Lucky for us our friend is a fantastic guide and we were able to ride and see just about everything before the end of the day. We're telling you- FAST PASSES- use them... strategically.

So for those of you who have never heard of Gays Days it is a series of events that go on the first weekend of June in Orlando. Unofficially, one day for each park is selected and everyone shows up in red shirts to identify each other and just enjoy the park. Really it was just like any other day aside from a good amount of same-sex parents and lots of adorable bear groups.

Like these guys! If you can't see it in the picture their shirts all say "Bear 1", Bear 2" and so on. I think they had almost a dozen guys with the numbered shirts on. Totally cute.

As most vegans know, often the most difficult part about having a nice day out is knowing what food options may await you in your desired location. Good news for us is that when you're talking about animal-free options at the Disney parks The Magic Kingdom is actually the most friendly. It has a whopping TWO options! Which honestly is a spectacular number compared to most places.

If you visit the park you will find both your options at Cosmic Rays in Tomorrow Land. There will be three 'bays' to choose from. The veggie burger is on bay 2 and you will find the other option, the veggie sandwich, in bay 3.

On the menu below it's listed as a 'veggie wrap' but we assure you it comes on a multi-grain loaf and is a sandwich now.

The last time we were at The Magic Kingdom we asked a lot of extensive questions about their veggie burger and found that the burger itself is vegan. The bun it comes on is not. However, the wheat bun they put the meat burgers on is vegan... go figure. So to get yourself a vegan burger just order the veggie burger with the wheat bun. There are also tons of fixings like grilled mushrooms, onions, pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce over at the side bar. We double-checked about the grilled mushrooms and onions and they are indeed vegan and grilled in oil, not butter.

There is also several condiments available. The spout ketchup, mustard, and also barbecue sauce packets are vegan.

Jenna definitely took advantage of the fixings bar this trip. Th taste of the veggie burger is pretty good, but very heavy. Not the best but certainly not the worst veggie burger we have ever had. 

So let's talk about this veggie sandwich. This trip was the first time either of us gave it a whirl and ordering it proved to be a difficult task. After looking at the ingredient list (which they will provide for you at the cash register if you ask) Brandy ordered the sandwich without the chipotle mayo. Now here's where things get tricky. In the ingredient listing they call the sauce a chipotle mayo- in the kitchen they call it an aioli sauce. So although the cashier put in my order correctly in her system we still ended up getting a sandwich covered in mayonnaise. 

Not ones to make a huge fuss we waited another 10 minutes and received a new sandwich, but the stares we got in the meantime for holding up the line from both cast members and guests felt a little harsh. In either case, if you want to order this sandwich, we suggest just mentioning the sauce by both names and hoping for the best.

We managed to snap a picture of the ingredient listing for this item. Of course, as the Disney cast member made clear to us as we took the picture, these ingredients are subject to change.

The taste of the veggie burger is always pretty consistent, but this veggie sandwich is still something were on the fence about. 

Firstly, be aware, it's cold. The bread is not toasted and all the veggies are served chilled. I'm not sure why we expected it to be a warm sandwich like the veggie burger but it just sort of seemed like it was marketed in such a way. Just be advised, it is literally cucumbers, pickles, onions, and what seemed to be squash and zucchini on a thick multigrain ciabatta roll. Nothing more, nothing less. 

We suggest taking advantage of the fixings bar again and covering it in some warm mushrooms and onions... and maybe a little barbecue sauce. Overall, we were not impressed. But props to Disney for giving it a go and offering something more than just a veggie burger. 

Alright, so let's talk sides. Your options at Cosmic Rays for sides are sliced apples, a cucumber salad, and the classic theme park staple- french fries.

If you order the apples expect to get about half a flavorless red apple cut into slices. The cucumber salad comes in a small cup no bigger than a side of ketchup would come in and was originally verified as vegan and then taken back by a cast member. He said it may now contain dairy. He was going to double check for us, but got really busy. If you want the cucumber salad it would probably be wise to ask for an updated ingredient list first. It didn't look like it contained diary (it just looked like cucumbers soaked in oil and vinegar to us) but you never know! They love to sneak that stuff into anything.

Now, sad news. On our way out after lunch we stopped back by the cashier to get a photo of the veggie sandwich ingredient list and she informed us that as she was looking for more info about what was animal product free a chef made her aware that, although it is not currently available in the information book at the counter, they have changed their frying method and their french fries are now fried in the same fryer as the breaded chicken. To some vegans this is a big deal, to others it's not. That is entirely up to you. But that is something they have recently changed at Cosmic Rays and we wanted to make you aware. 

So where do we stand on our Gays Days Magic Kingdom trip food-wise? Eh, it was okay. When you're paying over $20 as a couple for your lunch it's sort of difficult to be impressed. The problem we found was an hour later we were both feeling very sluggish from the greasy food and more than anything just wanted to rest or call it a day and go home. That's fine for us, we're local. But for families that are from further away and only have a day to spend, you don't want to spend it dragging yourself around, or worse- in the bathroom. 

Bottom line: if you are inclined to eat at the park these options will be animal-free, regardless of their nutritional value.

There are also a few vegan options at the stands for quick snacks you may not want to pass up like soft pretzels, candied nuts, and popsicles on a hot day.  

However, after this experience we're thinking The Two Vegan Ladies may still indulge in the snacks, but pack their own lunch the next time they visit The Magic Kingdom. 

With peace, love, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies

Teriyaki Glazed and Grilled Tofu

Last weekend we went home to visit family. Now, home... home is an odd clasification. Because home to us is the house the two of us share with our animal friends in central Florida. The place lovingly referred to by many as the 'crazy hippy vegan farm'. But home is also in south Florida where we grew up. The place where we met, the beach where we shared our first kiss... It's where our parents live and where no matter how old we get we will probably always think of as "home".

The thing about going home is that there is always an endless amount of things that your parents will try to get you to take with you when you come to visit. It's always great when you're nearing 30 years old and your mother asks if you would like to take a plastic film tube full of all your baby teeth back to Orlando with you. (lol Love you Mom!)

This weekend we were offered a George Foreman Grill. Our first reaction was... no... I mean what the heck are we going to do with that if it's meant to cook oil off of meat? But upon further inspection we thought well... maybe it may be worth a try. It's just an electric grill... we could probably cook anything on it.



And boy were we right! We've been experimenting on it since we brought it in the house and not to sound too overly 90s infomercial but man this thing can do it all!

So far we have made grilled zucchini, garlic, bean burgers, and a few other things. But by far the best creation was the teriyaki glazed tofu. This was so easy we were almost not going to write out a recipe, but it honestly tasted too good not to share.

This recipe will serve two.

What you'll need:

1 block of Tofu
Teryaki sauce
Soy Sauce
Spray Oil
Iron Chef General Tso or Orange Glaze
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Sesame Seeds

First, take a block of tofu and cut it length-wise in half. You want to make two thick "steaks".

Next, fill a shallow dish with a mix of teriyaki and soy sauce (you'll want to do about 3 parts teriyaki and 1 part soy sauce) and let your tofu steaks sit in the mix for a few minutes, flipping occasionally to make sure the sauce is getting evenly absorbed.

Then, sprinkle some light salt, pepper, and garlic powder on your coated tofu. Heat up the George Forman Grill to medium/medium-high heat, spray with non-stick cooking spray, and set on grill horizontally. (If they're rectangular -if they're square this really doesn't make a difference.)

While the tofu is cooking take your teriyaki/soy mix and add a couple tablespoons of the General Tso's or Orange sauce. Mix well and then drizzle or brush on to tofu periodically as it cooks.

The tofu will probably need to cook for at least 10-15 minutes. We suggest flipping it once half-way thorough and coating the bottom side with your sauce mix. The top grill side also seems to make those 'char' lines a little faster. So if you want them to be even on both sides it will definitely need to be flipped.

Most of this sauce is probably going to end up in the drip pan. Not a problem! When your tofu is nice and grilled pop it on a plate and drizzle it with the left over and dripped off sauce then garnish with sesame seeds.

We put our glazed tofu on a bed of sauteed kale and chickpeas. The only special thing we do for that stuff is sauté it in soy-free Earth Balance and add salt, pepper, and garlic powder.... and then the special ingredient... shallots!

If you have never cooked with a shallot before, do so as soon as possble. They are these amazing little onions that add so much flavor to anything they are cooked with, specifically kale and other greens.

The chickpeas could probably use a dash of soy sauce while cooking but be careful not to turn this meal into too big of a sodium-fest! You could also try balsamic vinegar or just plain old salt, pepper, and garlic. Those staples always work. Fresh garlic would be nice here too depending on what you're in the mood for.

Someone mentioned that this dish reminded them of asian style ribs but we think of it more like a faux glazed salmon.

We've really been able to make some versatile dishes in this thing so far. We have a whole list of items like seitan and tempeh we are going to try soon. The best part about this 90s-era contraption is how evenly it cooks the items. So if you have one of these grills lying around from your omnivore days, bring it down from the shelf and dust it off! See what kind of magic you can make happen! It's time to reclaim this grill in the name of the vegan world and make some tofu!

With peace, love, and compassion-
The Two Vegan Ladies

Crafty Mac 'n' Cheese

For some of us, no matter how much we change our diets for the better there are still foods that stick with us. We may know that processed foods can make our bodies feel icky and slow but that doesn't change the fact that, even though we no longer consume them, we can look back on quick staple meals from our childhood like boxed macaroni and cheese with fond memories. We may even crave them.


There are even some of us who (although we may not want to admit it) were actually so previously accustomed to the taste of boxed mac and cheese that anything made with real whole foods just seems flavorless or just not quite to that level of radioactive powdered cheese perfection.


This recipe attempts to address that mac and cheese distress your inner child has been expressing, and give it a more natural spin. So whether you're getting off the boxed variety because it contains animal products or because you know the combination of yellow #6, yellow #5, and sodium tripolyphosphate is probably not something you should be putting in your body-  give this recipe a whirl and see if it silences your inner 5 year old for just one meal.


Before we begin, let's say a few words about the hero of this dish, turmeric. A truly underrated spice, turmeric not only has an unlimited number of health benefits (check this list out: Benefits of Turmeric), but it is also what will be making our dish naturally yellow. No dyes, no chemicals- straight from the earth-type color. So thank you turmeric! 


What you'll need:


1 package of soft tofu
1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast

Turmeric

1 teaspoon Deli or Spicy Style Mustard

2 teaspoons Yellow Mustard

1 teaspoon Powdered Mustard

1/2 teaspoons Ground Sage (optional)

2 tablespoons Garlic Powder (powder not salt)

2-3 tablespoons Turmeric

1 teaspoon Cumin

1 teaspoon organic cane sugar

4 tablespoons Earth Balance (soy free is our favorite!)

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Almond Milk

Salt

Pepper

1 package of noodles, elbow or rotini work best

Step 1: Open and drain water from tofu then place in food processor with nutritional yeast, all mustards, sage, garlic powder, turmeric, cumin, and sugar. Blend until smooth and creamy. Make sure to push down any wandering clumps of spices. You really want this to be smooth.

Step 2: In a medium sauce pan melt Earth Balance over medium heat. Once softened add the contents of the food processor and stir well.

Step 3: Give the mixture a few minutes to blend then add lemon juice, soy sauce and almond milk one at a time, stirring constantly. 

Step 4: Turn heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Try not to let it bubble too much if possible. Stir often. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Step 5: Boil and drain noodles, mix in 'cheesy' sauce- enjoy!

So what about baked mac and cheese? You know that stuff that's super moist and has crumbled crackers in it? The soul food type of mac and cheese...?

If you want to make a casserole style baked mac and cheese dish then you will need just a few more things. 

You will need:

3 tubes of Vegetable Ritz Crackers 

4 Tablespoons of Earth Balance (again, soy-free tastes the most like butter to us)


Note that blneding the crackers and vegan margarine into this recipe will add in a little more of the processed food element and certainly up the fat content. However, a recipe for a baked casserole version was requested, so here it is!

Step 1: Use the previous mac and cheese recipe but cook the noodles a little less than normal. You want them to be a little firm. Once baked, they will continue to cook.

Step 2: Melt your butter and in a rectangular casserole dish pour about 1 tablespoon of butter then crush 2 tubes of crackers and place on top. You don't want to grind the crackers into a fine powder. Just enough so that they will easily move around the dish.

Step 3: Layer your mac and cheese on top then give the noodles and crackers a few quick stirs to blend the crackers into the mac and cheese.

Step 4: Crush the last tube of crackers and layer it on the top of the casserole then take the remainder or your Earth Balance and drizzle all over the top, coating the crackers. 

Step 5: Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Note: If you're looking for some more nutritional content for this dish try adding some kale or spinach. We've also seen people add peas, carrots, really any veggie to the mix. Your inner five year old may complain, but they'll get over it. We promise!

With peace, love, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies