Author: PatagoniaLlami

If you thought making a batch of kimchi at home was hard and time-consuming, think again! With my 30-minute recipe (and the additional fermenting time of course!) for making authentic kimchi that tastes just like the real thing AND is also vegan, you will be making a fresh batch of homemade kimchi every week!

Why I wanted to create a vegan version of my homemade kimchi!

It is true. I have had a slow-burning, escalating obsession with kimchi for a while. Like baking bread, once you start making your own kimchi there is no turning back. I first shared a step-by-step Vegan Kimchi recipe with heaps of process and stage shots two years ago. I give away a lot of kimchi jars every year to friends and a couple of them are allergic to seafood which was why I devised a vegan recipe that called on the umami flavour of mushroom and seaweed.

That and the fact that I like to open the fridge door, get my kimchi jar out, unscrew the lid and eat straight off the jar with my nimble fingers at least once a day (Hey! Probiotics are good for you!) and too much fish sauce was hampering this ritual. I wanted something softer, a bit more rounded but equally pungent and spicy.

Re-inventing traditional homemade kimchi with a vegan version that has a secret ingredient!

After happily eating that kimchi for a couple of years, a chance lunch date at a Korean restaurant revealed a much superior kimchi to me. This one had a slight sweetness to it, had a deeper texture and a more viscose quality to it and packed a punch.

So began a relentless quest to create jar after jar of kimchi, scouring websites and blogs, trying to absorb everything there was to the art of fermentation. Much like the mad bread-baking spree of 2013. But then after a few weeks of experimentation, I hit the jackpot. I used rice flour to create a viscose base for the cabbage and a brand spanking new vegan fish sauce recipe that was made with pineapple juice. This kimchi batch was vibrant, red, spicy, thick and hit the spot without overpowering me with that fish smell. And it went pretty quick. So I made another and am sharing it today so you can make your first batch too!

Helpful tips for making the best jar of homemade vegan Kimchi.

Once you mix your kimchi, make sure you pack it in a large airtight jar with plenty of room for the gases to form. I use an Italian Fido jar with a tight rubber seal. Leave it in a warm spot in your kitchen out of direct sunlight and within the first few hours, you will see the foggy breath of the wonderful fermented gases form in the empty space above the kimchi.

It is a magical process called lacto-fermentation that is a by-product of the clever pairing of cabbage and radish with salt and sugar. As you know everything has good and bad bacteria. The salt brining is to kill off the bad bacteria. Meanwhile, the good bacteria pair up with the sugar to create lactic acid which preserves the vegetable and gives it that amazing tangy taste. The probiotics are created as a result of this wonderful process.

Scientific lectures aside, this kimchi only needs to ferment for a day, another day if you want it to take your head off. After the fermentation, comes the bottling. You need smaller tight-lidded glass jars. Like 750ml or 1 litre mason ball jar. And the most important thing to remember is to pack your kimchi in real tight. Like, squish it down with your fingers (or spoon) making sure all the gorgeous liquid sits on top and there is barely a centimetre of space between the top and the lid. And then refrigerate. This is to prevent it from fermenting further. Lack of space and cold temperature will stop the fermenting process and more gases from forming. So there!

Vegan fish sauce made with pineapple juice!

Before I wax lyrical some more about why this kimchi is amazing (30 minutes, that’s why!) let’s talk about this vegan fish sauce made with pineapple juice. Even more amazing! Imagine all those Thai dishes you couldn’t eat because of a seafood allergy or couldn’t make for a friend who broke into hives the minute you said “crustacea!” .. that is a thing of the past because this sauce has no fish but tastes like fish sauce and takes 2 minutes. What!!! …..

I now have the freedom to create Thai recipes for seafood-intolerant friends with ease without losing any of that glorious salty, sweet and sour fish sauce flavour. This one will change your life. I love splashing this through my pad thai and pineapple fried rice. Yum!

A kimchi makes a great weekend kitchen project. If you make yours this weekend (because it only takes 30 minutes!), I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below and if you love it, please do rate the recipe so it can encourage others to try their hand at making it too. Share your kimchi experiments with me on Instagram using #cookrepublic. I think I have been prepping and writing this post for over 10 hours now and seriously deserve a glass of wine. Plus its Friday! So I bid adieu. Happy weekend folks. xx

Recipe

Recipe

January 24, 2019 by Anja Leave a Comment

Preberi v slovenščini.

We’ve been living in Luxembourg for a year now and I still haven’t made any french recipes, like I wanted to when we first learned about moving so close to France. The thing is, we don’t eat put as much as we did it Dubai, so the local cuisine isn’t influencing our cooking that much. We are still loving the middle eastern dishes though and we miss the spices and richness of flavours. As we recently got some hints we won’t be staying here much longer, we decided to make the best of the time we have here. So we dived into the culture, food and nature, to explore the country even more.

This is how this cake was born. Luxembourg is known for the apples grown here, so naturally this is the fruit we eat most at home during winter. And when you visit the local pâtisserie, you can find an apple cake in different forms. So I set on a mission to find a locally inspired recipe, but easy to make, since lately all my kitchen experiments are often interrupted by David. I found this lovely recipe for a French Apple Cake, that I veganized and it turned out to be a hit. It’s a bit more on a sweet side, but you can easily lower the amount of sugar and it shouldn’t affect the cake. And even though I am not a fan of very sweet desserts, I loved it in this cake. The apples bring the sourness to balance out the sugar and almonds on top give it that extra crunch. So, there is some rum involved in the baking, I personally loved the rich aroma, but when baking for kids, you might want to avoid it. David did eat it with us, and there was no side affects, so I believe the alcohol has  evaporated while baking.

I hope you enjoy baking this cake as much as we do! And most importantly, that you enjoy eating it with your coffee or tea. I would love to see how you make it, so tag @dearkitchen in your social media post, for me to see it!

About Vaishali

Hi! I’m Vaishali, a journalist turned food blogger. At Holy Cow Vegan I share easy, tasty recipes made with clean, wholesome ingredients that the entire family can enjoy.

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October 18, 2016 by Lauren Hartmann 5 Comments

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If you are looking for a treat for a breakfast party or brunch, but have a few guests with dietary restrictions on the RSVP list, whip up a delicious vegan cinnamon rolls recipe. This lactose-free baked good will allow you to show off your skills while wowing your friends with a menu item that tastes remarkably similar to its dairy-and-egg-laden counterpart. The substitutes are easy—soymilk or almond milk replaces traditional milk, nondairy margarine makes a great substitute for butter, and vegan cream cheese completes the icing on top. Like most homemade baked products, vegan cinnamon rolls are moderately labor intensive. But if you’re skilled in baking yeasted bread, this creation will seem like a walk in the park.

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• 1 cup warm nondairy milk (e.g., soy milk, almond milk)

• 1 (0.25-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

• 2/3 cup nondairy margarine, plus 1/4 cup for icing

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 dash salt

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed

• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

• 1 tub vegan cream cheese

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons water

The first time you make these delicious rolls, it may seem like a chore. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll enjoy whipping up a batch, even when there’s no occasion. 

Making the Dough

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Preheat your oven to 400 F.

3. Warm the soy or almond milk in a small saucepan on the stove.

4. In a large bowl, mix the yeast with the warm nondairy milk and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes or until frothy.

5. With a mixer, cream 1/3 cup margarine, sugar, and salt.

6. Gradually add the yeast mixture and flour and knead, using a dough hook, for 8 minutes. (Alternately, you can knead by hand.)

7. Form the dough into a ball and place it into a lightly greased bowl. Set the bowl in a warm location in your kitchen to rise for 1 hour.

8. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 16-by-20-inch rectangle. (The bigger the rectangle, the more layers in your cinnamon rolls.) 

Preparing the Filling and Rolls

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/3 cup margarine until fluffy.

2. Spread it over the entire surface of the dough in an even layer.

3. Beginning at one end of the dough, roll it lengthwise, tightly, into a 20-inch long roll. 

4. Cut the roll into approximately 12 even pieces.

5. Place each slice into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan. Cover the pan loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for about 30 minutes.

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rolls are dark golden brown on the edges.

Icing the Rolls

1. Combine the vegan cream cheese, 1/4 cup margarine, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and water and mix vigorously with a whisk until fluffy. (The consistency of the icing should be similar to thick molasses.)

2. Remove the rolls from the oven. Immediately flip them over onto a clean sheet to allow the gooey filling to re-coat the rolls.

3. Let the rolls cool for approximately 10 minutes, and then spread on the icing. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
496	Calories
17g	Fat
79g	Carbs
7g	Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories	496
% Daily Value*
17g	22%
Saturated Fat 5g	26%
0mg	0%
164mg	7%
79g	29%
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Total Sugars 42g
7g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 65mg	5%
Iron 3mg	15%
Potassium 114mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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Encore post.  Originally published 12/15/14, I thought I’d bring our popular recipe for Roasted Cauliflower Chowder back this year.

By now, you’ve likely seen my recipe for Whole Roasted Cauliflower and many of you have been asking…how do I serve it?  This Roasted Cauliflower Chowder is by far one of my all time favorite recipes to date!  We cut the whole roasted cauliflower into florets and reduced the simmering liquid.  To that, we added sauteed onions, carrots, leeks, celery and garlic.   Doesn’t it look amazing? Well, I can assure you…it tastes even better than it looks!

The Whole Roasted Cauliflower recipe is where we begin…

The cauliflower is first par-cooked in a flavorful broth.  It contains white wine, vegetable broth, olive oil, salt, lemon juice, vegan margarine, red pepper flakes, sugar, a bay leaf and water.  Bring that to a boil.

Then, add the cauliflower (leaves and stem removed, but enough left to keep it intact).  Reduce the heat and simmer, turning occasionally until a knife easily inserts into the center.  About 15-20 minutes.  For the full simmering liquid recipe, click here…

Cut the roasted cauliflower into florets.   There is already SO much flavor in this cauliflower!

While the cauliflower is roasting, I reduced the simmering liquid down by about half.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan with 2 Tbl of  vegan margarine, I sauteed onions, garlic, carrots, celery and leeks over medium-high heat.  Once the vegetables become tender, I added a bit of flour to thicken and cooked for about 1 minute.  This removes that raw flour taste.    Then, I added another cup of vegetable broth and 1 C of almond milk along with the reduced simmering liquid.  Cook for a few minutes, whisking to combine.  Season, if necessary, with salt and pepper.  It should be very flavorful and not need much more seasoning at this point.

Cut the roasted cauliflower into bite-sized florets and add to the chowder.  Cook just unti heated through.

Serve with a crusty loaf of bread to sop up all of those A-M-A-Z-I-N-G juices.  This soup is one I will make again and again.  I was thrilled with how well it came out.  My only regret is that I didn’t make more!  This serves about 4 people.

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