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  • Home
  • About
    • Allyns 21
    • Allyn's Cajun
    • Allyn's Bar
    • Allyn's Craft Beers
    • Al Fresco Dining
    • Vegan Friendly
  • Menus
    • Online Ordering
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    • Catering Menu
    • Kid's Menu
  • Later Gator Blog
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Later Gator, The Blog

Fat Tuesday, Vegan Style (with Recipes)

3/3/2019

 
Fat Tuesday, Vegan Style (with Recipes)
As we approach Fat Tuesday, I thought you would like my Vegan variations on some NOLA classics. Over the 28 years of owning and cooking at Allyn’s I calculate we have made 250,000 entrees of Jambalaya. A quarter of a million is a big number for one item at the restaurant. When I went vegan six years ago, I worked on making the plant-based versions of some of our classics. Here are two Cajun Vegan specialties that you can whip up from my book, Later Gator. We serve the Vegan Jambalaya at Allyn’s and I will introduce the Red Beans, Rice and Vegan Sausage soon. I hope you enjoy them!

Vegan Jambalaya

Ingredients
Olive oil, 2 tbsp
Minced garlic, 2 tbsp
Yellow onion, one diced
Pepper (green or red), one diced
Vegan chicken strips, 1 package (10 oz)
Mexican Chipotle (Field Blend) Sausages, four sliced
Crushed tomatoes, 25 oz can
Lundberg Wild Blend Rice, 2 cups
Water, 4 cups
Not Chick'n Bouillon cubes, 2
Marjoram, ½ tbsp
Cayenne pepper, ½ tsp (be careful not to add too much)
Joe’s Stuff, 1 tbsp (optional, available from the New Orleans School of cooking online)

Directions
  1. Add the bouillon cubes and spices to four cups of water and slowly bring to a boil.
  2. In a large pot add olive oil, minced garlic, onions and peppers and cook them on a medium to high heat. When the vegetables begin to sweat, add the sliced vegan sausage and vegan chicken strips. Cook them for about two minutes.
  3. Next add the rice and continue to cook for about two more minutes, stirring constantly to get the rice to absorb the flavors.
  4. Add the crushed tomatoes and continue to stir, deglazing the bottom of the pot. After a few minutes, add the boiling Not Chicken broth and spices to the big pot and bring to a boil.
  5. After the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Let it cook for one hour and fifteen minutes.
  6. Check the doneness of the rice; it should not be mushy or too firm.

Cook for an additional few minutes if needed. Remove the pot from the heat and serve. Cool any remaining jambalaya and save it for leftovers. It heats up very easily and tastes just as good the second time around.

In my quest to do more Cajun recipes, I also came up with a great red beans, rice and vegan sausage recipe. Normally all you do is replace the real meat with a vegan substitute, and they get easier to find all the time. This recipe like the real red beans and rice alternative requires it to simmer for several hours. So, I will usually start it in the late morning for a dinner delight.

Vegan Red Beans and Rice with Vegan Sausage

Ingredients
Olive oil, 2 tbsp
Minced garlic, 2 tbsp
Yellow onion, one diced
Peppers, two (green and red) diced
Mexican Chipotle (Field Blend) Sausages, four sliced
Red beans, 6 drained and rinsed cans (12 oz each)
Water, 4 cups
Not Chick'n Bouillon cubes, two
Marjoram, ½ tbsp
Cayenne pepper, ½ tsp (be careful not to add too much)
Sugar, 1 tbsp
Bay leaves, 1 or 2
Brown rice or Lundgrens Wild rice, 2 cups
Water, 3½ cups

Directions
  1. Add the bouillon cubes and the spices to four cups of water and slowly bring it to a boil.
  2. In a large pot add the olive oil, minced garlic, onions and peppers and cook them on a medium to high heat. When the vegetables begin to sweat add the sliced vegan sausage. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and add the drained red beans.
  3. Stir the beans and vegetables and cook them until a boil of the liquid in the pot is visible and continue for two to three more minutes.
  4. Add the broth to the pot and bring it to a boil. Boil for two to three more minutes and reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for two to three hours or longer for the thickness of the broth and the desired tenderness of the beans.
  5. In a separate two-quart pot prepare the rice. Add two cups of Lundgrens Wild Rice to three and a half cups of water and bring it to a boil. If you use a different rice, follow the direction on the package. For the Lundgrens, simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
  6. Add the rice to the bottom of a bowl and top it with the beans and sausage mixture. I usually put about one third rice and two thirds red beans.

I hope you enjoy my variations on New Orleans classics. You can make some really delicious Vegan variations on most of the classics and they are much lower in fat and cholesterol than the originals and have the same amount of protein. Let me know if you like these or if you had any trouble making them.   

Some (Vegan!) Sweets for Your Sweetie this Valentine's Day

2/13/2019

 
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Here are some recipes from my Book, Later Gator. I think it’s appropriate to make something special for the one you love, and this will be a big hit on Valentines Day.

Vegan Cheesecake with Graham Cracker Chocolate Crust

Makes one cake
I originally bought this cheesecake from our vegan friend Jenny Houser. She has a big sweet tooth. Jenny is so active, I think she needs the sweets to keep her energy charged — kind of like a hummingbird needs to sip the nectar from flowers to keep its wings going a zillion miles an hour. She gave me the recipe so that I could start making it at home or in the restaurant. It's always a good sign when customers or friends want to know what's in it because it tastes like the real thing.

Ingredients
Tofutti Cream Cheese, 3 containers
Tofutti Sour Cream, 1 cup
Non-GMO silken or soft tofu, ½ cup
vegan graham crackers, 4 cups (after putting in food processor)
Earth Balance Organic Vegan Buttery Spread, 1/2 cup
Organic ground flaxseed meal, 2 tbsp
Pure vanilla extract, 1 tbsp
Organic cane sugar, ¾ cup
Lemon, one half juice only
Vegan non-GMO semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, ½ cup
Strawberries or blueberries for garnish

Directions 
Put the graham crackers into a food processor and blend them until they are finely ground. Put the graham crumbs into a medium mixing bowl. In a microwave melt, but don't heat, ¾ of a cup of Earth Balance Buttery Blend (30 seconds.) Add the melted Earth Balance to the graham crackers and mix it together with a fork. Add the mini chocolate chips and continue to mix so that it has a consistent and even texture.

Grease a springform cake pan with additional Earth Balance Buttery Blend sparingly. (A springform pan has a clip that will allow you to take the side of the pan off when the cake has cooled.) Pour the contents of the crust mixture into the springform pan and make an even layer of graham cracker along the bottom and then a ridge along the interior pan about an inch high. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, add the Tofutti cream cheese, Tofutti sour cream, silken tofu, flaxseed meal, organic sugar, pure vanilla extract, and the juice of a half lemon. Blend this mixture for about four or five minutes. Pour the filling into the cake pan and even out the top out with a spatula. I will also tap the pan lightly on the kitchen counter to help even out the mixture. Next put the cake in the oven on top of a cookie sheet. This is important in case the buttery spread leaks out of the bottom of the springform pan (which could cause a fire).

​Bake it for about 50 minutes and check. Once the top of the cake has baked evenly and has a slightly light brown hue, it's done. In my oven it is exactly one hour. Let the vegan cheesecake sit on top of a counter top for about 45 minutes and then place it in a refrigerator for it to completely cool. I generally wait a total of four hours before I slice into the cake. Serve the dessert on a large or small plate with a fruit garnish, like fresh strawberries or blueberries.
Picture
Allyn's Energy Balls
Makes twelve balls

I am not a big sweets person, which is probably good. It seems that if I start eating sweet things, I want more. My energy balls are sweet, but they are so filling that you only want one or two. These are great for the sweet cravings we all get at times.

Ingredients
Organic oatmeal, 1½ cup 
Flaxseed meal, ½ cup 
Organic pure maple syrup, ⅓ cup 
Honey, 3 tbsp (honey is not vegan: remember, it comes from bees) you can skip this and add a little more maple syrup
Pure vanilla extract, 1 tsp 
Vegan chocolate chips, 3 tbsp 
Sun butter, ½ cup of (we don't like the organic as much, but you can use that also)
Coconut flakes, 2 tbsp
​

Directions
In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and blend with a spatula until you have a consistent mixture. Refrigerate the mixture until it is cold. This makes it easier to form into balls. Make the mixture into golf ball size balls and keep them refrigerated. Eat as a dessert, snack, or quick pick me up.

Please let me know how you like my desserts and have a wonderful Valentines Day. ​

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3538 Columbia Pkwy
​Cincinnati, OH 45226

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About Allyn's Cafe


​Allyn's Cafe is a Cincinnati original featuring fine eclectic and Cajun cuisine along with an extensive craft beer list. We've been creating memories since 1991. 

Come by for a casual, enjoyable experience at our bar, restaurant, outside on the patio or rent our event space. We have vegan dining options, too. 
Voted Cincinnati's Best Cajun Restaurant along with various awards for our sweet and hot turkey chili.
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​Bar open until 10pm
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