RECIPE: Crab Cakes - But Make It Vegan for Environment911.org

Vegan Crab Cakes
for Environment911.org
August 2022

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I was recently at a wedding and they had delicious crab and shrimp cakes and I wondered to myself whether I could make a vegan version.
The taste and texture of crab is hard to replicate but as a stand-alone appetizer, these are super tasty. You can make them in various sizes too if you want bite-size or one you’d need a fork to break down.


INGREDIENTS
- approx. 400g of young jackfruit (in water)
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- 2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning (more to taste)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (vegan)
- 1 tsp soy sauce (low sodium)
- 2-3 tbsp green onion or chives, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped (option to sub in more chives)
- approx. 1.5 cups bread crumbs (regular, panko or both)
- splash of lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS
In a small bowl combine the ground flax with 6 tablespoons of water. Whisk together and set aside for 5-10 minutes until it thickens.

Drain the jackfruit of excess water, and break up into fine pieces. (If it’s not already broken up, you can use a food processor to help shred it.)

In a bowl whisk together the lemon juice with the Worcestershire, soy and the Dijon mustard, as well as the old bay, garlic, and salt and pepper – until combined.
Add the broken-down jackfruit, flax egg, chives/green onion and cilantro, and 1 cup of the bread crumbs. Combine (with your hands is easiest) until the mixture comes together evenly.

Form the mix into balls and then patties – at your desired size – and then press the extra breadcrumbs into them for a crispier exterior.
Place on a plate in the fridge for approximately an hour or until ready to cook.

I put mine in the air frier at 375, cooking for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway – if you chose to bake them be sure to keep watch and cook until golden brown.

If you’re frying them in oil, get it nice and hot and cook until golden brown on one side, then flip and cook on the other. Place on a paper towel afterwards to drain excess oil.

Plate and serve with your choice of dipping sauce (I made a homemade vegan tartar sauce) and optional lemon wedges.

ENJOY!

RECIPE: Jerky – But Make It Vegan for Environment911.org

Jerky – But Make It Vegan 
 
What’s kind of awesome about vegan jerky is that it is a LOT less work than its meat counterparts. The soy curls are already the perfect shape and are generally even sizes, so you’re not cutting anything up. 
Just toss it in the marinade, dehydrate it and go! 

Make the marinade your own, add spice, add sweet, it’s up to you and what you prefer.  
 
INGREDIENTS 
- 4 cups Soy Curls (these will expand and absorb the marinade) 
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (low sodium, I used Bragg’s) 
- ¼ cup neutral oil  
- 2 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce  
- 2 tsp liquid smoke  
- 1 tbsp of brown sugar(optional) 
- 1 tsp onion powder 
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
- 2 tsp ground black pepper (coarse) 
- 1 tsp salt  
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional) 
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) 
- 1 cup boiling water 
 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 
In a large bowl mix all the ingredients – including optional spices – together until well combined, then add the cup of boiling water. 
 
Add the soy curls and mix well until coated.  
Let sit for 5-10 minutes, as the soy curls will absorb the marinade during this time. 
 
If you have a dehydrator, follow the instructions on your machine for jerky. 
If using your oven, set to 225F, line baking sheets and place an oven proof wire rack over top of them.  
 
Evenly space your jerky, in a single layer. For the oven bake for 1 hours, rotating the pans after 30 mins hours of cook time. If using your dehydrator, the time will vary based on the machine, but might be up to 4 hrs. 
Check often, you want it to be firm, and dry, but still flexible. Add more time, or take out early if needed. 
 
Store in a sealed container and it should be good for a week at room temp, a month in the fridge, or vacuum seal it to extend the life even further. 

BLOG: Tips for Making Your Next Camping Trip Waste-Free for Environment911.org

Tips for Making Your Next Camping Trip Waste-free
for Environment911.org

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Nobody likes having to bring home a big bag of garbage and cans after a long camping trip. Not only does it end up smelling gross, you know it’s totally wasteful. 
So here are some tips on how to reduce your environmental impact and keep your next camping trip completely waste-free. 
 
Reusable Water Jug – You can fill it up at home, and it collapses down when it’s empty for easy storage. This will save you from buying any big plastic water jugs or bottles from the store. 
 
Prep Food at Home & Bring Frozen – If you decide on meals that you can prep at home, it means saving time at the campsite, and if you can freeze them, it helps keep things in the cooler cold while it defrosts. Another bonus is that you can store any leftovers from meals in said jars afterwards. 

Solar Lights – This is a no brainer as there are lots of string and in-ground solar lights that will help you save on lanterns that use batteries or fuel. 

Reusable Plates, Cutlery, Glassware – Yes paper plates might seem easier (and might be if you’re camping when there isn’t a fire ban), but if you bring enough reusable camping dishes, they’re easy to clean, or if it’s a short trip, just rinse them and do the dishes at home. And if you wash some of the mason jars you brought your food in, you can use them as glassware as well. 

Dish Towels vs Paper Towels – Same thing as above – bring a few dish towels instead of letting the paper towels pile up. If you have a clothesline, they’ll dry easily during the day as well. 

Growler Fill & Pre-Mix Drinks – Get growlers filled on the way to the campsite and then you’re not left with piles of cans that you have to deal with the whole time. And if you pre-mix some cocktails in mason jars, you’re also not dealing with juice jugs of all sorts and then all you have to do is add ice. 

Ice Packs vs Bags of Ice – Speaking of ice, ahead of time, make some ice for your drinks in your freezer at home, and just use ice packs (and your frozen food) in the cooler to cool your items. Not only will this prevent you from having a ton of plastic ice bags afterwards, but it’ll save a bunch of money as the ice packs are reusable. (My friends even reuse the ice pack from their meal kit delivery boxes.) 

Invest/Repair/Rent/Borrow/Buy Used Camping Gear – If you don’t have an item that you want for camping, there are lots of places to get it instead of buying something brand new. Sometimes you can find brand new things for sale online, or call up that friend you know that’s an avid camper and ask to borrow an item for your trip. It saves you money, and you can give some gear a second life. 

RECIPE: Cinnamon Buns - "But Make It Vegan" for Environment911.org

Cinnamon Buns
”But Make It Vegan” for Environment911.org
June 2022
 
I don’t think I need to sell you on these, because... cinnamon buns. 
But what if I told you that you could make them in about 30 minutes!? 
 
I was cooking recently with my friend Rebecca Coleman, who wrote a cookbook called “Vegan Baking Made Easy” and she has a quick vegan cinnamon roll recipe that is sure to make your Sunday morning even better. 
I made some adjustments for what I had in my house, but I found them simple and delicious! They’re not the big super fluffy ones, but they’re SO fast and simple to make. 
 
Makes 12 Small Cinnamon Buns 
 
INGREDIENTS: 
 
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons vegan butter 
- ½ cup non-dairy milk 
- 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (or white) 
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar 
- 1 tsp salt 
- 3 tbsp of baking powder 
- 1/3 cup of brown or granulated sugar 
- 2 tsp cinnamon (or more if you’d like) 
 
- ½ cup powdered sugar 
- 2 tsp of non-dairy milk 
- 1 tsp vanilla (optional) 
 
 
INSTRUCTIONS: 
 
Melt 1/2 cup of the vegan butter and let cool while you prepare the rest of the recipe. 
Preheat oven to 350F, grease a round cake pan (approx. 8 inches) with the un-melted butter. Rebecca also suggests using a muffin tin for this (but I always claim the middle buns with all soft sides). 
 
Combine the ½ cup of non-dairy milk in a bowl with the vinegar – this will curdle the milk and make it into vegan buttermilk – let sit for at least 5 mins. 
 
In a large bowl, mix the flour, 2 tbsp of granulated sugar, salt and baking powder. 
Add 1/3 cup of melted butter to the vegan buttermilk and stir to combine. 
 
Create a well in the flour mixture and add the buttermilk/butter combo in and mix to combine, then knead with your hands into a dough. 
 
Sprinkle a clean surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it and knead it a few more times. 
 
Flatten the dough with your hands and rolling pin and shape into a ¾ inch thick, 12x6 rectangle. 

Spread the remaining melted butter on top of the dough with a pastry brush, and then sprinkle your desired sugar (I used golden) and cinnamon evenly across. 
 
Roll the dough into a log (12-inch side), and pinch the end to close the seam. 
 
Cut into 12 equal sized pieces (cut in halves until done) and then place evenly in the greased pan. 
Bake for 20 mins until they start to become golden brown on the edges. 
 
While they are baking mix the powdered sugar with the 2 tsp of non-dairy milk, an optional vanilla, in a small bowl. 
It will be thick, but you want it that way because it will melt on the buns. 
 
Remove the buns from the oven when ready and let cool for 5-10 mins in the pan. 
Carefully remove and spread the icing on top of the buns and serve. 
 
You can store these at room temp in an airtight container for a few days, or freeze for up to 3 months. 
 
ENJOY! 
 

RECIPE: Vegan Breakfast Sausage

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RECIPE: Breakfast Sausage - But Make It Vegan
for Environment911.org
April 2022

Some mornings call for a really big breakfast—and these breakfast patties fit in beautifully with a tofu scramble and some roasted potatoes. I like to make them for brunch, or on a camping trip, while sipping on my hot cup of tea. They’re loaded with so much flavour and spice, I guarantee you won’t miss the meat.

Makes Approx. 8-10 Sausages

INGREDIENTS

- 2 cans of black beans
- small onion
- 1 red pepper
- 6 cloves garlic
- fresh rosemary
- fresh sage
- fresh thyme
- 1.5 tsp fennel seeds
- salt & pepper
- optional: teaspoon of paprika (or other spice)
- 2 flax eggs (instructions here)
- (optional: bread crumbs)
- cooking oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Make your flax eggs.

Roughly chop and de-seed your pepper, peel and quarter your onion, and peel your garlic.
Add three ingredients into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
Remove and place into a large bowl.

Add the black beans into the processor and blend until almost a paste, and then place into the bowl with the pepper-onion-garlic mixture.

Chop your fresh rosemary, sage and thyme and add to the bowl with some salt and pepper. (This is also great to sprinkle over potatoes if you’re having them.)

Mix ingredients together with your hands, then add in the flax eggs and mix until combined.
(If the mixture doesn’t hold together fully, add in some bread crumbs or oat flour.)

Dive into equal parts of desired size. Roll and then press flat.
Heat oil in a pan and fry until both sides are nicely browned.

If you have leftovers, try making a breakfast burrito or hash the next day.

RECIPE: Vegan Panko Cauliflower Bites

Vegan Panko Cauliflower Bites for Environment911.org
February 2022

If you need a good weekend mid-day snack to go along with whatever sports you’re watching on the TV, this is a super easy, and tasty recipe.
If you wanted you could also coat them in the hot sauce of your choice once they’re baked.
Vegans and non-vegans alike will love this snack!

Serves 4-6  

INGREDIENTS: 

- 1 medium to large head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces 
- 1 small head of garlic 
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs 
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan (or nutritional yeast) 
- 1 cup non-dairy milk 
- all-purpose flour (approx. 1 cup) 
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
- 1/2 tsp onion powder 
- 1/4 tsp salt 
- 1/4 tsp pepper 
- 1/4 tsp paprika (optional, more if you want more heat) 
- zest of one small lemon 
 
- juice of one small lemon 
- 1/4 cup vegan buttermilk (see how to make it here) 
- 1/4 cup of vegan yogurt (plain) or mayo 
- finely chopped parsley and/or chives (approx. 1 tbsp) 
- salt and pepper 
- paprika and/or hot sauce (optional) 
  

INSTRUCTIONS: 
 
To save time roast the head of garlic ahead of time (in a foil packet, cutting the top off and drizzling with olive oil – approx. 30mins, at 450) - which allows it time to cool so you don't burn your fingers as well! 

Preheat oven to 450. 
Place an OVEN-PROOF, non-stick, cooling/wire rack on a baking sheet.  

In one shallow bowl, add the cup of non-dairy milk and whisk in the all-purpose flour. In a 2nd bowl, combine the panko, onion and garlic powder, paprika, vegan parmesan, salt and pepper, and lemon zest until thoroughly mixed. 

Dunk the cauliflower florets in the non-dairy milk/flour and then dredge them in the panko mixture, and put them on the baking sheet (you may want to spray it down with cooking spray for extra non-stickness. 

Bake in the oven for about 20 mins and then flip and bake again for about 15-20 mins until brown and crispy! Keep an eye on them throughout, as some oven may cook them faster than others. 

While this is baking, make the sauce by combining the roasted garlic, lemon juice, 'buttermilk', yogurt (or mayo), parsley or chives, optional hot sauce/paprika, and salt and pepper. You can do this by hand, but I used an immersion blender to make sure it was nicely pureed. 
Pour into a small bowl for dunking once blended. 

Plate the cauliflower on a serving tray with the sauce, and serve hot!