Suburban Vegan Stories of Survival in the Land of Meat & Dairy

Vegan Iron Chef is continuing throughout the year! This month’s secret ingredient was bread crumbs. I bought panko at the grocery store yesterday with the idea of creating a panko-encrusted tempeh “fish” and I still might do that, but I was browsing panko recipes at Foodgawker (sometimes I go there just to see if anyone else has put together the weird ingredient combination in my head) and I saw this recipe: panko-encrusted wasabi brownies. Perhaps this violates the spirit of Iron Chef: does adding ginger and veganizing count as “making it my own?” It’s pretty good , so I’m sharing it anyway.

• 3 ounces extra firm silken tofu
• 1/4 cup almond milk (or any nondairy milk)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon wasabi sauce, or 2 1/2 teaspoons wasabi powder
• 3/4 cup floor
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup panko

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8×8-inch brownie pan with parchment paper, including the sides.

Puree tofu, milk, and oil in a blender until smooth, Transfer to a mixing bowl and use a fork to vigorously mix in the sugar. Then add the vanilla. And then the wasabi.

Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, ginger, baking powder and salt. When everything is combined, fold in the chocolate chunks. Transfer batter to the pan and smooth out the top.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and evenly distribute the panko on top of the partially-cooked brownies. Return to the oven and bake for another fifteen minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry.