Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen is Going On Tour!

Spicy Seitan Potstickers (page 43) Photo by Wade Hammond Recipe can be found HERE.

Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen is going on tour.  We will start our Journey right here in California, and work our way all across the United States, ending our adventure in New York at the New York Vegitarian Food Festival, where I will be serving up some awesome Fusion Tacos.  I am keeping the schedule posted on the Calendar page HERE (or just click the Calendar tab above) and will update it as each date is comfirmed.  If there is a place you'd like to see me and my book, please leave a comment below and I will see if I can fit it in to the schedule.

Fusion Tacos with Sesame Carrot Coleslaw (Vegan and Gluten Free!)

Fusion Tacos with Sesame Carrot Coleslaw

Now I am totally and fully aware that you cannot tell that the above is a picture of tacos, however I thought it really showed off all of the amazing colors these fusion tacos boast.  GREEN onions and cabbage, ORANGE carrots, PURPLE onions, BLACK sesame seeds, RED chili flakes, PEACH creamy spicy sushi sauce, YELLOW corn tortillas, and BROWN taco meat.

I am not sure what's gotten into me lately, but I am having so much fun mixing different types of foods together.  Now, of course, mixing Mexican food with Asian influenced flavors is nothing new.  There are fusion food trucks and restaurants popping up all over the place.  But, I haven't seen many vegan options out there.  I've got a few others up my sleeve I will be sharing soon.

Spicy Sushi Sauce tops the Fusion Tacos made with TVP Taco Meat

For the Sesame Carrot Coleslaw:
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1/2 cup finely shredded carrots
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Toss together all ingredients to coat, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups (enough to generously top 4 tacos)

Nutrition Facts for Sesame Carrot Coleslaw

For the tacos:
4 (6 inch) corn tortillas
TVP Taco Meat  (If you would rather avoid soy, and you don't have gluten intolerance, try Celine's  Seitan Chorizo Crumbles instead!)
Sesame Carrot Coleslaw (recipe above)
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
3 stalks green onion, chopped
Spicy Sushi Sauce

To assemble the tacos:
In a dry frying pan on a grill, cook the tortillas until lightly browned on each side.
Add first, the TVP Taco Meat, then pile on the 'slaw.  Top with red and green onions, then give it all a real liberal squirt of delicious Spicy Sushi Sauce.

Yield: 4 (6 inch) tacos

Enjoy!

A big yummy mess! And proof they are actually tacos!

Home Made Inari topped with Spicy Sushi Sauce

Home made Inari Sushi with Spicy Sushi Sauce from 500 Vegan Recipes

An oldy but a goodie! I originally posted the recipe for the Spicy Sushi Sauce way back in January of 2009 as a teaser for 500 Vegan Recipes, and I'll be darned if I don't love that stuff even more today. My newest favorite way to use it is on Asian Fusion Tacos. There are a few food trucks and restaurants in Los Angeles serving up this wonderful Asian twist on Mexican food.  I say wonderful, because I think it is a wonderful idea to fuse those two cuisines, but the truth is, those places aren't vegan, so I haven't been able to try them out.  Enter my local Whole Foods Market, who started serving up vegan street style tacos in their traditional Mexican form as well as Fusion style.  YAY!

But I digress.  This post is about Inari, home made Inari to be exact.  So it's really 3 recipes in one post. One for the tofu pockets, one for the rice filling, and of course, one for the ridiculously good sauce.   You can take a huge shortcut when making these at home by buying canned, prepared Inarizushi No Moto tofu pockets, but I like to make my own pockets with regular extra firm tofu that you can get at any grocery store.

For the Tofu Pockets

12 ounces (or one block) extra firm tofu, drained and pressed*

1 cup (or more) vegetable oil

1 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup agave

*It really doesn't matter how much your block weighs.

In a pot, or a deep fryer, place enough oil to give you at least one inch. Heat on high heat.

Cut your tofu into 12-16 pieces, depending on the size of your block. You want to have rectangles that measure about 2 inches long, 1 1/2" wide and 1/4" thick.

Deep fry the blocks, 3 or 4 at a time, in oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Take care that they don't touch in the oil, or they will get stuck to eachother. Remove from oil and set on a plate lined with paper towels to drain off any excess oil.

In a wide shallow dish, or a gallon size zip top bag, mix together soy sauce, vinegar, and agave. Place the fried tofu in the marinade and let soak for at least ten minutes, but no longer than twenty. Remove from marinade and, once again place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess moisture.

Carefully cut a slit in the long end of the tofu to create a pocket.

Stuff with the prepared sushi rice.

Tofu Pockets

For the Rice
1 cup dry sushi rice
2 cups water
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon agave
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in your rice cooker. If you don't have a rice cooker, follow the instructions on your package of rice, adding the vinegar and agave to the water.

Sushi Rice

Spicy Sushi Sauce
1/2 cup vegan mayo

2 tbsp Sri Racha

1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil

Whisk together until smooth, put it in a squeeze bottle and then squirt it all over everything you can think of!

Sushi Sauce