Teriyaki, Hunan sauces with Udon noodles, broccoli, bok choy, tofu, seasoned with fried basil and sesame seeds prepared Jain! This was a great woking lunch. Get it?

Vegan Hot & Sour Soup with Bok Choy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 lb. block of firm tofu, drained
• 1 tbsp. ginger powder
• 8 cups Jain broth
  
• 8 oz. can bamboo shoots, sliced
  
• 1 bunch bok choy (chinese cabbage), green part, sliced (or Indian cabbage)
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Asian chili paste (Jain chili paste)
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup cold water 
• Sliced celery
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Press your tofu by wrapping in paper towels and placing a heavy object on top.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp. oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add broth, ginger powder and bring to boil. Add bamboo shoots and simmer for about ten minutes.
4. While your broth simmers away, remove paper towels from tofu and cut into about ½ inch cubes.
5. Heat remaining 1 tbsp. oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add tofu and cook on each side until it begins to brown. Remove from pan. 
6. Add tofu, bok choy, vinegar, chili paste, soy sauce and sugar to broth. Simmer an additional ten minutes.
7. Add cornstarch mixture, stir well, and remove from heat.
8. Add scallions and cilantro, setting just a bit of each aside.
9. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro.

Made Jain friendly by Yummy Vegan

Royal Cucumber Avocado Toast

Royal because avocados are rare to find in India and when you do find them, you’ll have to give up a day’s worth of meals to afford them. So if you’re making them, savor every moment and if you’re in America and get avocados by the boatload for cheap, rejoice. 

Ingredients

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 4 tablespoons mashed avocado
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• A few basil leaves, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Mix mashed avocado with lemon juice.
2. Slather mashed avocado on each bread slice.
3. Place chopped basil leaves and cucumber slices.
4. Sprinkle salt and ground black pepper.
5. Eat either that way or sandwich the two bread slices.

Savory Brunch Time Jain Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Old Fashioned Oats
• 1.75 cups water
• ½ cup veggies (sliced green beans, red peppers, corn kernels)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated green chili if you want it spicy

Toppings:

• Cooked Black Beans
• Sprigful of coriander leaves
• Surti Jiralu
• Canned tomato sauce slightly cooked with salt + black pepper
• Jain Hummus

Directions: Throw oats and water into a pot on medium heat and stir frequently for 5 mins. Add frozen veggies directly into pot, black pepper, sea salt, chili. Cook for about 7-8 more minutes on low-medium heat, stirring often. 

Pour into bowl and add toppings!

Mexican Grilled Corn Vegan 

• Take some corn put it on the grill.
  

• Mix together a couple of spoons worth of vegan mayo mix in a tiny spot of chipotle powder and some salt. Mix it up.
  

• Now comes the fun part. Once you’ve grilled the corn evenly on all sides, use quarter of a lime to scoop up your vegan mayo mix and spread it on the corn.
  

Vegan Chipotle Breakfast Tacos

Ingredients

• 8 ounces firm tofu
• 1 cup cooked black beans (*best is pressure cooker, alternately, soak black beans overnight and boil them until soft in the morning)
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• ½ cup Jain salsa for serving (*thinly chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, cucumbers + one squeeze of lime juice and pinch of salt, mixed)
• ¼ cup pomegranate arils
  
• Corn tortillas (2 per person)

Seasoning for the Tofu

• ½ tsp chili powder
  
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chipotle powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Jain salsa (see recipe above)
• 1 Tbsp water

Instructions

1. Wrap tofu in towel and place something heavy on top.
2. Cook black beans in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbly, then reduce heat to simmer and set aside. Add a pinch of salt, cumin, chili powder and chipotle powder.
3. Add dry tofu spices + salsa to a small bowl and add enough water to make sauce. Set aside.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and unwrap tofu. Use a fork to crumble.
5. Once the pan is hot, add 1-2 tbsp olive oil and tofu. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes to brown. Then add seasoning and toss to coat. Continue cooking until browned and fragrant - about 5-10 minutes - stirring frequently. Set aside.
6. To serve, warm tortillas over a pancake griddle or open flame. Top tortillas with tofu scramble, black beans, avocado, cilantro, Jain salsa, and pomegranate arils (or desired toppings).
7. Serve instantly.

Made Jain friendly by yours truly. 

Creamy Vegan Butternut Squash Linguine with Fried Sage

Spiced and creamy (yet cream-less) butternut squash sauce tossed with whole grain linguine. Top with fried sage for a healthy, comforting main dish. Serve with salad or roasted vegetables to further lighten up the meal.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 2 pound butternut or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small ½-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
• 1 medium celery, chopped
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes 
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
  
• 2 cups Jain broth (boil water, salt, celery stalk, broccoli stalk)
• 12 ounces whole grain linguine or fettuccine
• Buncha sage

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large (read: 12 inch) skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the sage and toss to coat. Let the sage get crispy before transferring it to a small bowl. Sprinkle it lightly with sea salt and set the bowl aside.
2. Add celery, squash, red pepper flakes to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Add Jain broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until squash is soft and liquid is reduced by half, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
4. Once the squash mixture is done cooking, remove it from heat and let it cool slightly. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender. Reserve the skillet. Purée the mixture until smooth (beware of hot steam escaping from the top of the blender), then season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Combine pasta, squash purée and ¼ cup cooking liquid in reserved skillet and cook over medium heat, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
6. Serve pasta topped with fried sage, more black pepper and salt if desired.

Boss Level Vegan Jain Enchiladas

You’ve beat the first level of Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3. But it’s the second one that gives you trouble. That’s OK. It’s only a video game. But in life, when it comes to matters of the tum-tum you gotta regularly beat yourself and rise to the top of the culinary chain. 

These enchiladas are adapted from our favorite vegan website of all time, Oh She Glows. They continue to take the ordinary, smack it upside the head, shake it around and add some gourmet sense into the equation. 

Basically, it’s bananas. Bonkers. Yummy to the max. Here’s the recipe for Jain friendly audiences worldwide. 

This is really not a recipe for the amateur cook. Only proceed if you are an aspiring chef.

FOR THE ENCHILADAS:

• 2 cups (260 grams) peeled and chopped (½-inch dice) cooking bananas or very ripe plantains (platanos maduros)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 celery stalk, diced (2 to 2 ½ cups)
• 1 cup jarred roasted red pepper, drained and chopped
  
• ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
• 2 cups romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
• 1 (14-ounce) can black beans (about 1 ½ cups), drained and rinsed
• 2 ½ cups Homemade Enchilada Sauce (1 batch)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
• 5 to 6 medium/large soft tortilla wraps

Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water, or more if needed

• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  
• Ground oregano powder (you’ll have to take the flakes and ground it)
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir flour and chili powder into the oil; cook and stir until smooth. Gradually stir tomato sauce, water, cumin, oregano powder and brown sugar into the flour mixture, respectively. Reduce heat to low and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.

FOR THE TOPPINGS:

Cliantro Lime Cashew Cream (Red pepper flakes, avocado, and cilantro)

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup raw cashews
• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
• ½ cup water, or as needed
  
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons avocado
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon oregano powder

Directions:

1. Add the cashews into a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can soak the cashews in room temperature water for 8 hours or overnight.
2. Drain and rinse the soaked cashews.
3. Add all of the cashew cream ingredients into a high-speed blender. Blend on high until a super smooth sauce forms. If using a Vitamix, use the tamper to get things moving. If your blender is having a hard time blending, you can add a splash more water to help things along.

Directions for making the enchilada:

1. Prepare the Homemade Enchilada Sauce and soak the cashews for the Cilantro-Lime Cashew Cream before you begin.
2. Lightly grease a large rectangular baking dish (at least 8x12 inches). Set aside.
3. Add the chopped sweet plantains or cooking bananas into a medium pot of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 9 to 15 minutes, uncovered, until fork tender. Drain and set aside. You can also steam the bananas until tender, instead of boiling.
4. In a large skillet, stir together the oil, celery and garlic and sauté over medium heat for around 3 to 5 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
6. Add the chopped roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, cooked/drained cooking bananas, lettuce, and black beans. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat, until the spinach is wilted.
7. Stir in ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of homemade enchilada sauce, followed by the lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Adjust seasonings to taste, if desired.
8. Add ¾ cup of Enchilada Sauce onto the bottom of your casserole dish and spread it out evenly.
9. Scoop ¾ cup of the plantains/bananas and black bean filling onto each tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place it, seam side down, in the casserole dish. Repeat for the rest. If you have any leftover filling, you can spread it on top of the tortillas. Spread all of the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas until they are completely covered in sauce.
10. Bake the enchiladas, uncovered, at 350⁰F for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce is a deep red colour and the enchiladas are heated through.
11. While the enchiladas are baking, prepare the Cilantro-Lime Cashew Cream.
12. When enchiladas are ready to serve, add half of the cashew cream into a baggie, snip off the corner, and “pipe” the sauce all over the enchiladas. Alternatively, you can simply spread or dollop the sauce on top of each enchilada. Garnish with chopped cilantro, avocado and red pepper flakes. Serve any remaining cashew cream on the side with a spoon.

ORANGE ALMOND BISCOTTI (VEGAN)

Serves: 15-17

Ingredients

• ½ cup (120 g) coconut oil, melted
• ¾ cup (150 g) organic cane sugar (sub coconut sugar with varied results)
• ½ cup (100 g) pumpkin puree* (acts as binder)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ¾ cups (238 g) unbleached all purpose flour*
• ½ cup (66 g) fine cornmeal (or sub more all purpose flour)
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp orange zest
• ½ cup (56 g) toasted almonds*, well chopped (somewhere between coarse and fine)
• optional: ¾ cup (90 g) vegan dark chocolate, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).
2. Melt coconut oil in a large mixing bowl. Add organic cane sugar and whisk thoroughly to combine.
3. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla and whisk until completely combined.
4. Next add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Stir until combined, but try not to over-mix.
5. Add almonds and stir once more to evenly disperse.
6. Use a knife or spatula to divide the dough into two even sections. Then using damp hands, form the two portions into long, semi-skinny logs (see photo). Try and make them as uniform in size and shape as possible so they bake evenly.
7. Bake the loaves for 25-30 minutes, or until just slightly brown on the edges. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then use a serrated knife to gently slice into ¾-inch pieces. Be very gentle when slicing, especially where the almonds are as they can crumble easily. I discarded (ate) the very end pieces because they were too small and already quite brown.
8. Gently turn the biscotti on their sides and return to the oven to bake for another 20 minutes, gently flipping once at the halfway point (10 minutes), to ensure even baking.
9. Let cool briefly before enjoying. If dipping in chocolate, add chopped chocolate to a mixing bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until melted, or melt over a double boiler on the stovetop.
10. Once the biscotti are slightly cooled, dip one half of the biscotti into the chocolate, use a spoon to spread it slightly, then scrape off the excess.
11. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to dry. To speed setting, pop in the freezer. Otherwise, let dry at room temperature until completely set.
12. Store covered at room temperature for 3-4 days (I found a large jar is ideal). Will keep well-sealed in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Vegan Spaghetti with Tofu Scampi 

INGREDIENTS

For the marinade:

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Zest and juice of one lemon
A pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

For the scampi:

1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed, drained and cut into cubes
1 lb. gluten-free pasta
Salt to taste
½ cup reserved pasta water
1 cup Jain broth (broccoli stems/water/salt)
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 Tbs. margarine (optional)
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

For the garnish:

Vegan grated parmesan

Lemon wedges for garnish

PREPARATION

1. In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade. Let the tofu sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes.
   
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve about ½ cup of pasta water. Drain and set aside.
   
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the tofu from the marinade, shake off any excess and place them in the skillet. Cook for about 4 – 6 minutes or until they have browned a bit on all sides, according to your taste. Remove tofu from the skillet and set aside.
   
4. Add the remaining marinade to the skillet. Let it cook for 2 minutes. Add the reserved pasta water and the broth to the skillet. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the zest and juice of the 2nd lemon to the sauce. Melt in the butter, if using, and add the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.
   
5. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Add tofu back to the skillet to heat through. Top with vegan grated Parmesan. Serve with extra lemon wedges, if desired.
   

Adapted to be Jain by YummyVegan