Vegan Pork Carnitas for Adam

My friend Adam I think was trying to throw me a curve ball when he asked me to veganize pork carnitas, but this one is actually very easy and delicious and can be used in so many ways!

For those of you who may not be familiar with Carnitas it literally translated means "little meats" so maybe you could use this term to deflate the egos of some of the men in your lives without really ticking them off.  Or maybe not.  But the important thing to know about the orginal or "little meaty" carnitas is that it is all about the spice blend and the texture of the meat, so that is the most important thing to get right with this if you are going to trick the omnivores in your life.  Normally carnitas are slow braised and then broiled, but because the braising is just to break down the tough cut of meat we can make them super fast!

You need to first start with your favorite brand of fake chicken strips.  I think that morningstar has the best texture for this preparation.  So depending on how many people you want to feed start with one (2 big servings) bag or 2 bags. 


 First word to the wise.  Do not follow the directions on the bag. Listen to me instead! First defrost the strips in your microwave for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes on 35% power.  When they come out they should be still slightly frozen in the center and warm on the outside.

In order to get the flavor you need to first make a spice rub/ mix to coat the strips.  This spice rub should be equal parts (you might want to make plenty of this rub and keep it around because it is good as  seasoning on lots of things, so I am not going to tell you amounts, just make sure they are equal and you need at least a teaspoon of each.

• garlic powder
• cumin
• oregeno
• basil
• smoked sweet paprika
• seasoned salt
• black pepper
• onion powder
• brown sugar

The best way to mix these is to put all the spices in a large zip lock bag and shake them until they are combined.  Now you have a really great BBQ dry rub (the oregano and basil really makes it carnitas, I don't know is that is technical but seems to change the taste).

Now take your thawed chicken strips and cut them into 1 inch pieces and place them in a soup pot with 1/2 of your seasoning mix and 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes that have been blended.  Bring this mixture to a boil and add salt and pepper to taste then reduce to a low simmer.  If you like things spicy this is a great time to add the chipotle powder!  Because we don't really have to cook our "little meat"  we are just trying to infuse the flavor into the strips.  While you are cooking these pre heat your over to 325 degrees and get out a large baking sheet or dish.  If you are worried that it will stick line the dish with foil.

After the majority of sauce has cooked off and been absorbed into the strips turn off the heat. Then the strips cool for about 10 minutes and they will absorb more of the liquid.  At this point the strips are looking a bit soggy, but don't worry it will get better!  After they have cooled slightly, add them into the bag with the other 1/2 of the spice rub. Make sure the remainder of the rub has coated the outside of each piece and dump onto your baking sheet.

Make sure that they are in only one layer or you won't get the texture you are looking for.  Place them in the 325 degree oven for 25 minutes, turning them once half way through.  This will remove most of the moisture. But make sure they don't start to burn.  If they start to burn keep turning them. After most of the moisture is removed increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees and cook for another 10 minutes turning half way through again.  Now the outside should start to get slightly charred, that is what we want!  They should start looking a bit crispy!  If you would like them less crispy just cook less time, but it is important that you do both heat levels.

Now they should be ready to enjoy.  They can be served plain with rice and beans, in a taco, or my favorite as an enchilada.  In order to make them into carnita enchiladas just wrap in corn tortillas or the tortilla of your choice and ladle over one can of either green or red enchilada sauce. Top with daiya cheese about 1/2 cup. ( Diaya cheese, is vegan, gluten free, and soy free and melts great!)

 After they are cheesed and sauced place back in a 375 degree oven until the cheese has started to melt.  Enjoy!  Ok Adam there you go, vegan pork carnitas!

Vegan Green Bean Casserole for Chasten

So a good friend Chasten is a long time vegan and said that he is having a hard time making a good vegan green bean casserole.  It is that time of year but this one is really easy, just have to have the right ingredients, and for those you do have some options.

Ingredients:

Green Beans: You have to make the decision on what you and your family like the best.  You can use frozen (which is my favorite choice because they have great texture, you can get organic ones out of season, and they are CHEAP), but some people definitely prefer the canned variety, and if you are lucky to have someone that canned their own, that is AWESOME.  And of course, you can always use fresh, but remember to clip the ends and pull of the "thread"  along the pod.  What ever kind you choose the first step is to cook them to al dente.  With some sliced onions and garlic.  Just enough to add some flavor.  When I do this and since I normally use frozen I let the green beans partially thaw while I saute thinly sliced white onion and 3 cloves of garlic over low heat and a tablespoon of vegan butter.

Now you have the green beans cooked to aldente (or still with a slight bite) you need to prepare the sauce.  This is actually way easier than you think.  You just need to find a vegan portabello soup.  My favorite is one made by imagine.  It says it is a "creamy" soup but no cream at all :-)    Ok that part is premade, now you just need to add some texture and thickness and it will be just like that gross campbells stuff out of a can.  In order to do that you will need about a 12 ounce package of whatever kind of mushrooms you like.  I recommend criminis just because they are baby portabellos and have a ton of flavor, but the button mushrooms are cheaper and just as great.  So cut each mushroom in half and then thinly slice and saute in another tablespoon of butter.  Make sure that you have a big enough pan that you can give the mushrooms plenty of room and still add the soup.  After the mushrooms start browning slightly add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir in.  You need to cook the flour into the mushrooms so the flour doesn't taste raw.  Now pour in your soup and it should thicken as it comes to a boil.  If the texture is not thick enough for you add a table spoon of corn starch to a 1/4 a cup of almond milk and stir in and it will thicken even more. At this point I also add a good heaping table spoon of black pepper, a pinch of smoked paprika, a good spoon full of garlic powder, a bit of nutritional yeast, and a squirt around the pan of braggs amino acids. (But as I warned you I put those things in everything so you can season to taste at this point.)  This part of the dish should be OVER seasoned because you are adding it to the green beans which don't have much seasoning at this point.  So if it is too salty that is a good thing! :-)

Ok now you have your green beans, and your mushroom soup.  The only thing left is your french fried onions which...happen to be VEGAN!    Although if you would like you can make your own, by thinly slicing one onion and making a batter with flour, almond milk, garlic powder, and salt.  Then you first let them soak in almond milk and then dip them in the batter before adding them to a pan of vegetable oil at 375 degrees.  But I am telling you, if you really want to full your friends just use the canned stuff this time.

Now just assemble and bake.  Mix the green beans and soup mixture together and place in a 9 by 13 baking dish.  Top with your onions and pour over just a couple teaspoons of melted butter mixed with olive oil to get it to crisp up. Now pop it in a 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until it is bubbly and the fried onions are browned.  Take out and Enjoy!  Happy Tofurkey Day!