Friday, January 25, 2013

The Kelvis Sandwich - Guest Post by Ann of An Unrefined Vegan


Today's guest post is by Annie of An Unrefined Vegan. I first discovered Ann's blog while browsing through the Virtual Vegan Potluck last May. Every participating blog had mentioned Ann as the brainchild behind the brilliant VVP idea. :)

When I visited her blog, I found these super yummy Sage & Rosemary Dinner Rolls with Roasted Garlic Coconut Butter and I decided that I would definitely be participating in the next VVP.

For the second VVP, the one for which I made the Hot Spiced Chai with Sesame-Cashew Mylk, Ann had this fantastic dessert on her blog - Maple Creme & Mocha Spice Cake Trifle with Fresh Blueberries. Just the name sounds sooooooo good, doesn't it? You should check out the pictures on her post!

Ann is also an active member of our Vegan Temptivists group and we've been visiting each other on the blogosphere often.

Today, Ann shares a delicious, hearty sandwich recipe with drool worthy pictures here on my blog. Thank you so much for guest blogging on Veganosaurus, Ann. :)

--

The Kelvis Sandwich by Annie

Kel + Elvis = The Kelvis


Born from Kel's frugal nature, this sandwich also takes some inspiration from the overindulgent appetite of The King himself, Elvis Presley, and his love of fried PB & banana sandwiches. You see, I was attempting to make a kind of bean-based bacon which consisted of white beans and various spices that I processed until smooth. After spreading the paste onto a baking sheet and baking for about 20 minutes I ended up with...a very hot bean paste. It didn't slice the way it was supposed to, but it did taste good. I let it sit abandoned in the pan for a few hours - fully intending to toss the whole mess into the garbage can. Instead, Kel squirreled it away in the refrigerator and the next morning I caught him crumbling the bean "bacon" onto his morning toast along with almond butter. He declared it a winner and when I reluctantly tasted it, I agreed. Thusly, the Kelvis was born.

Instead of the paste-like bean bacon, I went with my sure-fire tempeh bacon recipe and for bread - I wanted something special - so I whipped up a batch of maple whole wheat waffles. (Feel free to use a good, hearty bread instead.) A cherry compote sounded more interesting to me than The King's preferred fruit. This is one decadent, filling sandwich and would be perfect for Sunday brunch.

Thank you, Susmitha, for giving me the opportunity to share a recipe on Veganosaurus!

Maple Waffle, Almond Butter, Tempeh Bacon & Cherry Compote Sandwiches
Makes enough to satisfy The King

Maple Whole Wheat Waffles
Makes 7

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup hazelnut flour (or your favorite nut meal)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 cups almond milk (or other nut milk), warmed
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp. maple extract, optional
1 tbsp. maple syrup, optional

Tempeh Bacon
Makes ~14 strips

1 8 oz. package tempeh, cut into 1/4" strips
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup water or vegetable broth
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. Liquid Smoke
lots of ground black pepper

Cherry-Cranberry-Fig Compote
Makes ~3 cups

1 1/2 cups pomegranate-cherry juice (or just cherry juice)
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup dried, tart cherries
1/2 cup dried figs, chopped
1 tbsp. crystallized ginger, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 10 oz. jar fruit juice-sweetened or sugar-free cherry jam
1 tbsp. flaxseed meal, optional

Almond butter (quantity is up to you)

Make the waffles:
Get the waffle iron heating.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and baking soda. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Combine with the flour mixture and stir to break down any lumps. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes.

Lightly spray waffle iron with oil and ladle on some of the waffle batter. Cook 4-5 minutes (or per your waffle iron's quirks) and gently remove the waffle. Proceed with remaining batter.

If assembling the Kelvises right away, keep the waffles warm in a 200F oven while you bake the rest of the batter. Otherwise, place the waffles on a cooling rack.

Tempeh Collage

Make the tempeh bacon:
Preheat oven to 425F. Combine the tamari through black pepper in a 9"x9" baking dish (I use glass for ease of cleaning). Lay in the tempeh strips and turn once to coat.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, turning once halfway through. You're aiming for a dark brown, slightly shiny exterior on the strips, with nearly all of the marinade baked off. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Compote, Tempeh Bacon

Make the cherry compote:
In a large saucepan, combine all of the ingredients through the allspice. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cherry jam and cook for an additional minute or two to allow the jam to melt into the compote. Remove from the heat and stir in the flaxseed meal, if using. Set aside. Keep the compote in the refrigerator until ready to use - warm gently before serving with the Kelvis.

Assemble the Kelvis:
Slather almond butter on one half of a waffle; lay on some tempeh bacon strips and top with cherry compote. Top with the remaining waffle half, if desired.

Kel Suggests:
Sprinkle The Kelvis with toasted, chopped pecans for extra crunch.

A few slices of banana couldn't hurt. It's what The King would do.

If reheating the waffles, toast them so they retain their crunch, but serve as an open-faced sandwich so that the roof of your mouth isn't shredded by the crispy waffle.

30 comments:

  1. Thank you for being such a gracious and generous host, Susmitha!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the name, love the pictures, love the dish - superb!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I still drool every time I visit this post, Lorna. Can't wait for Tempeh to be available here in India!

      Delete
  3. It's like a dynamite duo! The Kelvis is so awesome! I have to admit, I haven't liked tempeh bacon from the package, but Annie, I think I could dig your version!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've always been a vegetarian, so bacon of any form never held an appeal to me. But the first time I tried multi-grain tempeh bacon, I fell in love with it! Now Annie's version seems like it's even more yum!

      Delete
  4. The Kelvis looks to die for! Great to see you here, Annie!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Annie you have done it again!! What a gorgeous sandwich, this looks amazing!! Great guest post!

    ReplyDelete
  6. So clever and tasty and I love the combination of sour, sweet, crunchy etc etc. This sandwich has it all Annie! I'd definitely do the pecans too. Will we ever see the Bean-Bacon? I wonder what it would do if dehydrated to make it crisp? Can you share what seasoning you put in the white beans. Lovely post and thanks Susmitha for your posting :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Replies
    1. Totally! Every time I come back to this post and look at the pics, I get hungry!

      Delete
  8. Very cool combo there Ann! Tempeh bacon sounds fabulous and all of it together is indeed mouth watering.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for dropping by. Ann's recipe is mouth watering indeed!

      Delete
  9. Oh wow, I've just found your blog via Ann at An Unrefined Vegan, and it's beautiful! Love all of your recipes Susmitha, but just HAD to comment on this one... argh, I love waffles. This recipe sounds just perfect ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for visiting, Laura. Glad to hear you loved my recipes. :)

      Delete
  10. that does look beyond cool. I'm now longing for a waffle iron and an excuse to make this!

    ReplyDelete
  11. a waffle-wich! with all those flavors.. sounds fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This waffle-wich is just the kind of creative dishes you come up with, Richa. :)

      Delete
    2. Eeek, I meant, "just like the kind of creative dishes you come up with".

      Delete
  12. Everything about this sounds amazing... I'm not sure I could pick my favorite ingredient! The maple waffles? The cherry compote? The tempeh bacon? WOWZA!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean. I would've eaten up half the components even before putting the Kelvis together! :oP

      Delete
  13. What an explosive combination! Can't wait to try this

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yum, my mouth is watering just looking at the pictures.

    ReplyDelete