Tofu Bacon

The first time I made this I cried literal tears of joy. Then I put it on a sandwich with tomato and avocado. Then I had the best day ever.

1 block of firm tofu
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup

1. Drain the tofu very very well (remove from package, wrap it in several towels, place a heavy book or two on top and let it sit for about 20 or so minutes)
   
2. slice the tofu lengthwise into the thinnest strips possible
3. mix the soy sauce and maple syrup together in a bowl
4. dip the strips in the mixture
5. heat about 1/2 an inch of olive oil in a frying pan. When the oil starts to sizzle start adding the tofu strips.
6. fry the tofu until they are crispy all the way through. A little burnage actually works in the tofu's favor in this case.
   

Mall Style "Asian" Noodles

This pretty much qualifies as vegan junk food. The first time i tasted it, it took me back to about 7th grade when I would go to the mall all the time. It tastes so much like whatever I used to get at Amazing Wok or whatever that place was called it almost makes me feel like loading on layers of glittery lip gloss and begging my dad for 20 bucks.

1 packet ramen noodles
about 1 cup or assorted veggies chopped (i.e. carrot, celery, mushroom)
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster mushroom sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. boil the ramen noodles ( you won't be needing the flavor packet)
2. chop veggies and saute them in the olive oil
3. in a small sauce pan combine the garlic and ginger with a little olive oil and immediately add the soy sauce.
4. once the garlic ginger combo becomes fragrant, add the veggies and oyster mushroom sauce.
5. when noodles are done add them to the sauce.
   

The oyster mushroom sauce is the big flavor secret here. Its what really makes this dish taste yum.

Eggplant Sauce

I'm going eggplant crazy! I think the inspiration for this recipe came either from harira, which is a traditional Mediterranean stew featuring tomatoes and cinnamon, or Skyline chili, which is a traditional American fast food chain restaurant which features cinnamon in their chili. Hm, I wonder which one it really was....

1 eggplant
1 can of v8 juice, or standard canned tomato sauce, OR if you're feeling awesome and really cool (its ok if you're not) about 5 large tomatoes either juiced in a juicer or blended very well in a blender.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each of basil, oregano, and marjoram
salt and pepper to taste

1. skin and chop the eggplant
2. put the pieces in a strainer over the sink and sprinkle with salt. Let them sit for at least 10 minutes, then rinse well.
3. in a saucepan combine the eggplant, tomato sauce or juice and olive oil. Bring to a simmer
4. add other ingredients and taste to make sure all the flavors are in balance. Make adjustments if needed.
5. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, checking on it every five minutes and giving it a good stir. While stirring, try to break down the eggplant pieces even more. They should get very soft throughout the simmering process.
6. The sauce is done when all the flavors have melded together and the eggplant pieces are soft and incorporated into the tomato.

This is very good over pasta, lentils or rice. To make it more of a stew add in carrots, celery, mushrooms and any other vegetables you like.

Eggplant Rolling Up Things

I kind of remembered that there's this thing you can do with eggplants where you slice them and roll things up in them, I think its called rollatini, but I've never done that, so I just improvised. Results were quite pleasing.

Baked Eggplant Roll Ups
1 eggplant
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 olive oil
(filling)
1/2 cup white mushrooms
1 very small onion
3 handfuls walnuts
1/2 of a roasted red pepper (instructions on how to roast a pepper at the bottom)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 bunches fresh basil or several hearty shakes dried

1. Slice the eggplant lengthwise about 1/2 an inch thick. Its better for it to be too thick than too thin.
   
2. Lay the slices out on a plate or something and sprinkle them with salt (this is pretty much optional, salt leeches the bitterness out of eggplants and makes it more tender).
   
3. Put all the filling ingredients together in a blender and pulverize until mostly pasty and a little chunky.
4. Rinse the salt off the eggplant and dry them.
   
5. Pour the olive oil into a bowl and the breadcrumbs into another bowl. Dip one side of the eggplant in the oil and then dip into the crumbs (haha, that's just how you're supposed to do it. What i really did was spooned the oil on to the eggplant and heavily sprinkled the breadcrumbs on top. It worked really well).
6. Lay the slices out on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 400.
7. Bake for 10-20 minutes (the baking time will depend on the thickness of the slices). They are done when they are very soft and the skin is slightly wrinkled.
   
8. Remove eggplant from the oven and flip the slices over. Spread the filling liberally all along the slice and roll.
9. eat!

I think that this would be very versatile in that you could use infinite different kinds of fillings. The next time I make it i think I would like to make a greeny-spinichy filling and I also think it would be awesome with just a basic pesto filling!

****HOW TO ROAST A PEPPER**************************************************
This works best on a gas stove, but I have attempted it mostly successfully on an electric stove as well.

1. Hold the whole pepper with tongs or something long and sharp that you can spear it with over the flame.
2. turn it frequently. On an electric stove it works best to actually touch the pepper to the heat source.
   
3. When the skin of the pepper is 80-90 % burnt, remove it from the heat source and place it in a closed paper bag for 10 minutes. When you take it out the skin will be very easy to remove and then you've got yourself a roasted pepper!