Raw Pierogi Recipe – Raw | Vegan | Plant Based

I’m currently enrolled in the Rouxbe Plant Based Professional Course and this past weeks assignment was to create a raw dish. I decided to try my hand at making a raw pierogi and was pleasantly surprised at the result! While they resemble more of a mini taco than a traditional Pierogi, the combination of beets, green onions, and dill is as Ukrainian as it can get!

Ingredients

• 2 Medium Beets – Peeled and thinly sliced using a mandolin or a sharp knife
• 1/4 Cup of Red Wing Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Cold Pressed Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp of Dill – Roughly chopped
• 1 Cup of Raw Cashews – Soaked for 3-4 hours
• 1/2 Cup of Sunflower Seeds
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 Tbsp of Lemon Juice
• 1/2 Cup of Water
• 1/4 Cup of Dill – Finely Chopped
• 1/4 Cup of Green Onion – Finely Chopped
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Recipe

1. In a shallow dish add sliced beets, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and dill. Allow to marinate for 1-2 hours to soften the beet slices. They need to be pliable to wrap around the filling.
2. In a food processor, add the soaked cashews, sunflower seeds, garlic, and lemon juice. Pulse to combine. Add small amounts of water and continue pulsing until you have a course but combined consistency.
3. Transfer nut mixture to a bowl and fold in the dill, green onions, salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Once the beet slices are pliable transfer them to a cutting board allowing the excess marinade to drip off prior to transferring.
5. Add 1-2 tsp of filling (depending on the size of the beet slices) and fold over. You can completely cover the filling for a more traditional pierogi look or partially cover to showcase the filling.
6. Arrange on a plate and drizzle with vegan sour cream.
7. For additional topping you can add chopped green onions and coconut bacon!

I hope you enjoy this dish! Let me know what you think in the comments.

Vegan Beef Jerky – Made with Seitan

Here in Alberta, beef is synonymous with the average diet. In fact, when a now international chain, that started here in Edmonton, decided to stop using Alberta Beef in favour of beef from the USA the chain was boycotted until they reversed their decision. Beef is so engrained into the diets of Albertans that it’s nearly impossible to convince a meat eater that it is one of the worst foods you can eat. Beef, a red meat, is known to be linked to cancer and other diet related illnesses. Cattle production is terrible for the environment, and of course eating beef is terrible for the thousands of cows who are slaughtered daily.

While some people who follow a vegan or plant based diet don’t see the need for imitating real meat I find it’s a great way to convince people that there are alternatives to their way of eating. It is helps those who are already vegan or plant based to relive nostalgic moments. This seitan “beef” jerky recipe brings we back to Saturday’s at the St. Albert farmers market with my Mom and siblings. We would all get to pick something to snack on and we almost always chose beef jerky.

If you are craving, a sweet, salty, peppery snack I recommend you drop what you are doing and whip up a batch of this Vegan Beef Jerky!

Vegan Spicy Pierogi Pizza

Pizza, pierogies, and spice. What more could you possibly want? Well aside from pairing this pizza with an ice cold beer. Prior to going plant based one of our favourite pizzas was the Spicy Pierogi Pizza from Boston Pizza and while Boston Pizza has been testing vegan cheese at various locations they do not offer any other vegan alternatives such as the bacon and sour cream on this pizza.

We decided to re-create the Spicy Pierogi Pizza using completely plant based ingredients. No its not super healthy but yes it is super good.

Vegan Pizza Dough

This simple pizza dough recipes takes about an hour and 20 minutes to make including rising time. Say goodbye to underwhelming vegan take out pizza and say hello to delicious homemade vegan pizza!

Ingredients

• 4 Cups of All Purpose Flour (or sub 2 Cups of All Purpose Flour and 2 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Tbsp of Sugar
• 1 Tbsp of Dry Active Yeast
• 1 tsp of Salt
• 2 Cups of Lukewarm Water

Recipe

1. Combine all ingredients into a bowl.
2. Mix until dough forms.
3. Move to a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes.
4. Place in a bowl, cover, and let rise until double in size (about 1 hour).
5. Once risen punch down separate into 2-3 portions depending on sizes of pizza and press or roll out on a floured surface.
6. Top with your favourite ingredients and bake for 7-10 minutes at 500 degrees.

 

Vegan Sushi with Tomato “Tuna”

This weekend I was craving sushi and since we never did get to visit Edmonton’s Watari Express, an all vegetarian sushi place, in the limited time it was open, I decided to experiment a bit and make my own.

I have made vegan sushi many times before but have always stuck to simple rolls with various veggies and tofu. This time I was going to get fancy.

I decided to make three types of sushi: Avocado Rolls, Spicy “Tuna” Rolls, and “Tuna Nigiri”. Check out the recipes below!

Vegan Perishke – Ukrainian Cottage Cheese Buns made Plant Based

Perishke is my all time favourite Ukrainian food. I could eat it for days on end and not get sick of it. It is served at almost every holiday dinner, but of course, it’s tough to get a bunch of old Ukrainians to give up cheese and cream, so I decided to try to veganize the traditional dish using a crumbled tofu filling and a cashew cream sauce.

The first time I served it for family my brother’s girlfriend said, “How is this vegan if there is cheese in it?” She totally fell for the tofu substitute! Got ’em!

Green Onion Cakes – An Edmonton Original

If you are from or have been to Edmonton and visited one of our numerous summer festivals you’re bound to have tasted a green onion cake. The green onion cake is an Edmonton Summer staple, at one point there was even a petition to make it the official dish of Edmonton.

Vegan Ground Beef – Turn homemade seitan into veggie ground round

My goal before the summer is to make the best homemade veggie burger I have ever had! We have tried a large variety of store bought veggie burgers and each has it’s own unique flavours and textures but they all have one thing in common. They are expensive.

Beef Style Seitan Recipe

I’ve been experimenting with many different seitan recipes over the last few months and I am finally getting the hang of creating delicious seitan.