Columbus Vegan

I made quesadillas and all I have to show for it is a blurry iPhone photo

2011-09-19T14:38:00.006-04:00

Make no mistake about it, I am not the master chef that Tracy is. I can follow a recipe. Kind of. But cooking off the top of my head, in any type of freestyle situation, is way beyond me.

But Tracy challenged me to make a quesadilla instead of going to the outside world and picking up some junk food.

So that's exactly what I did.

I know it's still junk food, but it was MY junk food.

There's no recipe per se. A recipe for a quesadilla, even for a pure, clueless amateur like myself, is over the top. Just kidding. I needed a recipe:

-Put a teaspoon of butter in a medium-heat pan and let it melt. Swirl it around.
-lay down your flour tortilla and get your Daiya cheese on it immediately.
-(optional)chop up some prepared Gardein and put it on top of the cheese
-cover the pan and let the cheese melt
-Put the top tortilla on and flip the quesadilla
-Don't leave the 2nd side on too long.
-BAM! Eat that stuff.

I do have a few tips for the complete novice though.

1) a little bit of butter in the pan goes a long way. Don't soak it though because then your finished product ends up greasy. If you like that sort of thing, go for it though.

2) Once your pan heats up, flour tortillas burn fast. Especially after you flip to the 2nd side and there's not as much butter in the pan. Peel it up with a spatula quickly and make sure it doesn't burn. I burned one pretty bad and it still tasted good.

3) Gardein breaded chicken and Daiya's Pepperjack style cheese are the bomb. So make your quesadilla with those things and you can't go wrong. Tracy's cilantro-lime sour cream doesn't hurt either.

4) Apply the hot sauce of your choice if you like that sort of thing. I sure do.

Finally I'm Fresh

2011-08-25T11:55:00.001-04:00

If you're a vegan and you're into naturalish products, you're constantly tempted to slip up and try something more, how shall we say it, mainstream?

It could be a soap, a shaving cream, a tampon with a plastic applicator instead of a paper one. There is a diffent temptation for each of us.

For me it's deodorant.

I've been searching a long time for a deodorant that A) works. And b) won't give me leukemia. With those two parameters, it's hard to find the perfect choice.

After almost giving up on the natural deodorant search and settling with some strongly scented commercial stuff like Axe, I sniffed around the co-op (literally) - pulling off cap after cap in hopes of finding something non-feminine and effective.

And then I did.

It was love at first sniff. I found Zion Health's Adama Minerals citrus blossom ClayDry deodorant.

My new particular flavor showcases what a sucker I am for citrus - orange blossom. It is an all gender acceptable, light orange aroma grounded in the earthy smells of clay. A touch of hippy, a touch of high class. Just like I it.

Stop by the Clintonville Community Market and try some out. Well, not right in the store. But buy some and try it out.

Loaded Baked Potatoes for 1

2011-08-20T09:00:00.001-04:00

Potato of doom!

Twice-baked potatoes are a thing of beauty. It's like a combination of the 2nd and 3rd best way to eat a potato (the first being french fries IMHO). You get the crispy outside of baked potato coupled with the velvety texture of mashed potatoes. I don't know if I would necessarily call these true twice-baked potatoes, so I'll just call them "loaded" - as in "loaded with toppings and deliciousness".

They are really easy to make. I didn't really put measurements, because I sort of feel like it's based on how crazy you want to go with them. And in case you're not a huge lame-o like me and make potatoes for one, you can always just eyeball the recipe for 2 or 3 or 4 people... however many you want.

And OBVIOUSLY, the Contours are totally applicable in this case. Get it? Because they can do the mashed potat'a?!?

Loaded Baked Potatoes
Makes 1 lonely potato

- 1 huge russet or baking potato
- olive oi, just keep that bottle on hand
- small broccoli floret, about a handful
- 2-3 slices of Smart (fake) Bacon
- Daiya cheddar cheese, about a handful
- chopped green onion, about 1-2 tablespoons
- pickled & sliced jalapeno, to taste
- baby spinach, about a handful
- 2 tbs earth balance
- 1 tbs tofutti sour cream
- Salt, pepper, and fresh or dried garlic to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Wash your potato. Give it a good scrub. Cover with a teaspoon of olive oil and some salt.
Give it a few stabs with a fork. Wrap in foil. Bake on the oven rack for about an hour, or until tender.
Place broccoli florets with 1 tsp of oil and some salt in a glass dish in the oven with the potato for the last 15-20 minutes. Remove and set aside when tender and bright green.
When potatoes are finished, remove from the oven and let sit unwrapped. Keep your oven on.
Heat some oil in a pan on medium heat. Cook your Smart (fake) Bacon strips in oil, flipping, until crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.
Remove the insides of the potato, keeping the shell intact. Place in a mixing bowl. Add desired amount of Daiya cheese, earth balance, sour cream, baby spinach, and seasoning to taste (don't forget salt! Potato's best friend!). Mix until smooth like mashed potatoes.
Place mixture BACK into the potato shell in the tinfoil. Top with more Daiya. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, allowing Daiya to melt.
Remove from oven, top with green onions, jalapenos, broken up Smart (fake) Bacon pieces, broccoli florets, and more sour cream if desired.
Now eat!

Cheater Chick'n & Cheeze Empanadas: Pockanadas?

2011-08-19T12:18:00.002-04:00


The golden, crispy exterior

I hate to call these empanadas. I feel like I'm doing a huge disservice to that which is a true empanada. So, we'll say these are somewhere between a super fancy hot pocket and an empanada. Fancy Pockanada? No? I'll work on it. But I definitely see Hot Pocket stealing that from me. THEN who will have the last laugh?

That being said, these are insanely delicious. Inside, the Daiya cheese and cream sauce melt together to make a phenomenally decadent center. The gardein chicken is strong enough to handle all the cooking, so it retains it's flaky, chicken-like consistency. A little jalapeno makes for a touch of heat. A handful of spinach to make you feel good about it. And the puff pastry outside... well, find me someone who hates puff pastry. We'll talk.

These crazy Pockanadas just make me want dance to Grant Green like a mad woman.

"Oh yeah. I can cook"

Enough talk. Here's the recipe:

Cheater Chick'n & Cheeze Empanadas
I'm going to say this serves about 4 people. Although, we definitely ate it all ourselves. But we crazy!!

Crust:
- 1 package of puff pastry sheets - they come in the scary tubes like the biscuits (Read the label, always! Companies are constantly changing their recipes, and they might not be vegan forever.)
- 2 tablespoons earth balance plus 1 tsp minced garlic melted together
- Onion powder & chili powder

Filling:
- 1 package of frozen Gardein scallopini (4 Gardein "fillets")
- 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1/2 to 3/4 of a bag of Daiya mozzarella cheeze (more or less depending on cheesiness preference)
- 1/4 cup chopped pickles jalapenos (or no-pickled ones are good, too)
- 1 packed cup baby spinach
- 1 cream sauce recipe

Cream Sauce:
- 1.5 tablespoons earth balance
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, or chickpea flour, or brown rice flour (thickening flour)
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning, I like Tony Chachere's, OR make your own

Preheat your oven to the temperature your puff pastry can says to. If you use a real empanada recipe, do whatever temperature that says to.
Put Daiya cheese, spinach & jalapenos in a bowl.
Heat up about 1-2 tablespoons of oil on medium/high heat. Get your Gardein out. Season each side with a dash of salt and pepper. Maybe a little of the chili powder if you want to. Grill each side of the Gardein fillets in a pan until golden and crispy. Shouldn't take more than 2-3 minutes per side.
Remove the Gardein from heat. Let cool. With that same pan of oil, cook your onions until soft and translucent. Add onions to your Daiya mixture.
Start your cream sauce by heating up the earth balance on medium heat. Once heated and bubbling, add your flour and whisk it until you have a creamy yet thick consistency. Add more flour as needed. Whisk in your cajun seasoning. Let bubble for about 1 minute. Add your soy milk. Whisk again until incorporated. Let simmer until thickened. Add more seasoning as a necessary.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Cube your cooked Gardein, and add it to your Daiya mixture. Stir.
While still warm, mix in your cream sauce. Your Daiya should melt a little but not completely.
Open up your puff pastry can. Put a dusting layer of flour on your CLEAN counter or cutting board. Unroll the pastry onto it. While you work the pastry, melt your earth balance/garlic mixture.
Now, here's where you can do what you want. I've made these twice. You probably won't use all of your filling, which is nice. Because then you can refrigerate it and make some more later! So, you can either:

Roll out the pastry. Use a giant bowl and trace empanada circles. Cut out your circles, fill half of the circle with your filling - about 1/4 of a cup. Fold it in half sort of like a football. Use a little of your earth balance mixture to seal it shut. Cut 2 air slits on top and baste with a little of the earth balance mixture (to make it golden brown). Top with a pinch of onion powder and a pinch of chili powder. Bake on a greased cookie sheet per package instructions: 7-12 minutes - until golden brown on top.
Now, if you're super hungry, you can do what I did the second time out of laziness. Roll out the dough a little thinner than how it comes out of the can. Put about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of your filling in the center. Fold your pastry in half and seal shut with earth balance mixture. Again, cut 3-4 air slits. Baste with earth balance mixture. Season with onion powder and chili powder. Bake on a greased cookie sheet per package instructions: 7-12 minutes - until golden brown on top.

When done, let cool for 2 minutes. Cut into 4-6 squares.

The Wynn creates a vegan oasis in the desert

2011-08-16T11:18:00.002-04:00

Tofu and Eggplant

It's an old cliche - a billionaire creates an epic hotel, hires some of the world's finest chefs, goes vegan and then makes all the world famous chefs create vegan menus.

Well, it's not a cliche at all, but it should be.

Tracy and I sat down together to see if there were any good reasons to get out of town for the weekend. The idea of Vegas came up. It was probably a joke at first, but the idea became a real possibility when we remembered some old vegan news clippings that fell through our google news filters about an eccentric rich guy, Steve Wynn, who was doing something crazy: veganizing his restaurants. ( read about his veganism )

It make sense. Now that he has found himself a healthier lifestyle, he of course would want to be able to eat at the restaurants that bear his name. The residual effect is that he has created a vegan oasis and the rest of the world needs to take note at how simply accommodating vegans and vegetarians opens up the floodgates on an untapped revenue stream.

Tasting Menu from Botero

My best advice and the bottom line of everything I am going to say: if you are a vegan, go stay at the Wynn. The experience is something you can't imagine - every restaurant is more than vegan accessible. It is a privilege we thought we gave up when we went vegan. Wynn has given us the closest thing to normalcy I have experienced since becoming a vegan 7 years ago. For that I am grateful and I will show my gratitude with the thousands of dollars I will spend at his establishment.

My initial reaction is to gush about everything, but I think it's only fair if I share every detail so that if you do decide to drop a lot of money at the Wynn, you now exactly what you are getting into. The good, the bad and the great.

--

Tal Ronnen inspired cashew "cream" sauce pasta - "Pasta & 'Clams'"

If you've cooked your way through Tal Ronnen's cookbook, then the menu should feel familiar. He is a paid consultant of the Wynn and you can feel his influence in almost every dish - fancy salads, cashew cream sauces, and gardein can be found everywhere. If you haven't yet had these items, then the Wynn may very well be the best food you have ever eaten.

Me, on the other hand, have had many of these dishes cooked for me by a superb vegan chef (Tracy) and seasoned to my taste (super spicy and flavorful).

The chefs at the Wynn are traditional chefs. They are used to relying on creams and fats to carry their flavor and at times it shows. At the Wynn's tapas (La Cave) restaurant, we were served a mushroom pasta that relied entirely on the cream sauce and the mushrooms for the flavor, but the flavors just weren't bold enough.

The Caprese Salad

At Botero, we were served a caprese salad - it was wonderful - but the "cheese" component was basically raw tofu. I imagine in a non-vegan version this part of the salad would give it a much needed lift. It was however, a very intelligent use of tofu. I never thought a thinly sliced rectangle of barely cooked tofu would go so well with watermelon and raw tomatoes.

But it did.

The Wynn was also the home of some of the best vegan dishes I've ever had.

One of which, was simply titled Tofu and Eggplant. It was from Botero and was the 4th course of the 5 course vegan tasting menu. The connecting thread in the tasting menu was basil, and this dish did not fall short of it. The tofu was fried to a crisp, while still retaining it's normal soft consistency on the inside, creating a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth feel. Below the tofu, sat a wonderfully aromatic bed of arugula. Below that, sat perfectly grilled, not-too-soggy eggplant. And to finish, it was all drizzled with a chunky tomato sauce.

The room service was amazing. They could have charged us anything and we would have kept ordering it -- and that's basically what happened. With the exception of a $40 pitcher of orange juice, the prices were reasonable for room service and the results were mouth watering. And as a vegan, the concept of having vegan food brought to your room, without having to scour the internet and Happy Cow, is what's truly a life-changing experience when it comes to the Wynn.

The Griddle Cakes with Blackberry Jam and Vermont Maple Syrup

In spite of drinking ourselves into upset stomachs (not our style, but it was Vegas), we ordered up as much decadent food as we could. Tracy ordered some orange griddle cakes that were more than likely the best pancakes we've ever tasted. They were light, almost airy, and incredibly sweet. They paired amazingly with the savory, standard country potatoes that we ordered on the side. I only got a bite of these pancakes, because that's how Tracy rolls, but I'll remember how well the pure Vermont maple paired with the sweetness of orange citrus for years to come.

Me, I'm more of a savory breakfast person. I enjoy sweet breakfasts, but when they are side by side on the menu I will almost always order salty over sweet.

The Gardein Sausage & Tofu Scramble Wrap w/ Country Potatoes

For me, that made the Gardein sausage wrap the obvious choice. Gardein is always a winner so I had to see what the Wynn's chefs would do with it. Strangely, before this I had never tasted the Gardein sausage product, but it was only natural that it would be a home run. Sausage is heavily seasoned and therefore easy for a company that makes such good meat replacements to replicate. And that's exactly what they did.

The sausage was wrapped in a light, almost deliciously waxy flour tortilla and paired with a standard, but delicious tofu scramble and it was all topped off with a creamy vegan American/cheddar style cheese. This is not something outside of the culinary box, but as a Vegan it was nice to experience some old fashioned comfort food with ease and convenience.

I ended up ordering it both days. Need I say more?

(Click on any of the photos to go to our Flickr stream and see more of the delicious food we ate!)

Cornbread, Ain't Nothin' Wrong with That

2011-08-02T12:54:00.003-04:00

Chris Rock has forever ruined cornbread for me. I can't even begin to utter the words without immediately thinking: "Ain't nothin' wrong with that!!"And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you should listen to this while you bake this AMAZING, incredibly perfect cornbread:

I've tried other recipes before, and they always sort of fall flat. They're really bland or too dry. But this recipe I recreated from a concoction of Paula Dean and classic southern cooking web research is the bomb. I like my cornbread sweet, and dare I say, like the Jiffy corn muffin mix. It reminds me of my dad, who - other than his homemade spaghetti and incredibly awesome home-fries - was known for making Jiffy corn muffins almost every morning. And if you don't already know, the Jiffy corn muffin mix is not vegan. So, it really warms my heart to be able to eat what I ate so often as a child.

Cornbread: the sweet, buttermilk-y kind
- Makes about 9 squares. Keep covered in plastic wrap near your oven if not eating immediately. It will last a few days like that.

- 8 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread (or 1 stick - I use the tubs, though)
- 2/3 cup sugar (there is a vegan refined sugar you can get from Whole Foods Market)
- 2 "eggs", Ener-g Egg replacer eggs made per package instructions
- 1 cup soy "buttermilk" (1 cup soy milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar left to curdle about 5-10 minutes)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (you can also sub in whole wheat pastry flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Grease your square (8x8) glass pan a little Earth Balance.
Start your buttermilk and let it sit while you get your ingredients ready.
Whip up your 2 Ener-g Egg Replacers eggs per package instructions. Make sure to whisk them really well! Set aside. You'll need them ready.
Whisk together your cornmeal, flour, and salt. Set aside.
Melt Earth Balance in large skillet, being careful not to burn. Remove from heat just when melted and stir in your vegan sugar. Quickly add your Ener-g eggs and whisk together until well blended.
Add the baking soda to the soy "buttermilk" you've prepared, and stir into pan.
Stir in your whisked cornmeal, flour, and salt mixture until well blended and few lumps remain.
Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

PBJ

2011-07-30T10:50:00.010-04:00

Not the Easton store

At 27 I can feel my metabolism slowing to a crawl.

I decided I could either watch my weight slowly creep up, or I could find a way to eat less calories and feel good about it.

So I tried in my extravagant lunches at Northstar Cafe and Chipotle for something lighter that turned out to be even better. An old vegan classic:

The PBJ.

But not PBJ in the traditional, bread and spread sense - a modern reinterpretation of the Peanut Butter and Jelly.

A wise fellow vegan pointed me in the direction of Planet Smoothie.

In it's original state, the PBJ smoothie is not vegan. It's basically a milkshake. If you ordered it the way Planet Smoothie created it, it would be strawberries (sweetened), bananas, peanut butter, vanilla, frozen yogurt and milk.

Clearly not vegan.

But after veganizing it, I can't imagine you gain anything by adding all that fat and dairy to it. So when you order it, just order it no dairy.

For no-sugar vegans, you can take it even further and swap out the strawberries for the unsweetened blueberries and have them hold their liquid sweetener and substitute it with a splash of Grape Juice. I've never had it this way, but another vegan tells me it's still amazing.

This meal-replacing smoothie is incredible. It sounded gross when I first heard of it, but I've replaced a meal a day with it and the extra couple of pounds I added have disappeared.

Aside from that, it's good to infuse fruit in your diet. In my experience as a vegan, it's easy to miss out on your daily servings of fruit. Especially if you enjoy eating out like I do.

Give it a try. With a location at Easton and a location at Polaris, next time you're shopping, swap your big lunch out with a PBJ smoothie.

Kluski Bake: A Warner Tradition

2011-07-28T21:01:00.004-04:00

The finished product looks very elegant with a light arugula salad.
Have some crushed red pepper on the side.

When I first moved to Ohio, there were three Warner family classics that I always heard about: Lorna Doone Dessert, Brownie Dessert, and - of course - Kluski Bake. I think you can figure out the idea of the first two desserts - some sort of cloyingly sweet Lorna Doone concoction and then a layered brownie dessert of sorts. And of course, all I ever heard is how much Andy used to LOVE them. I had made it my life's goal to try to reinvent these dishes and three years later, I'm one down - two to go.

Cheddar style Daiya is the best. Follow Your Heart would be my second choice.

I've never had the original dish. And I'm sure someone's grandma got this off a Kluski noodle box at some point and then claimed it as their own -- so I'm not saying this is a Warner ORIGINAL. But I will say, I'm pretty sure I'm the first person to try to veganize it. And who would try? It's pretty much just beef, cheese, and egg noodles. It's like a trifecta of anti-veganism. The trifecta of DOOM!

Fortunately, we live in the modern vegan world where things like Daiya cheese and tofu pasta exists. Without which, I'm pretty sure the dish would be an unmelty, soggy mouthful of soy beef. And my friends, it is quite the opposite.

This pasta is awesome!

The original Kluski Noodle is, of course, an egg noodle. It's sort of thick and puffy - not like your standard pasta noodle. To get around that, I found these great tofu noodles made by Ramp from Whole Foods. They're perfect. If you can't find them or you're from one of those crazy towns that you have to special order all your food form another country just be vegan - you would be okay using regular fettuccine noodles. I know we like to go healthy and use whole wheat - but this dish needs a light and airy base. So, against your better judgment, I'd try to use plain, white noodles. Or not. It's your belly.

The soy beef when it is about done.

Kluski Bake: Veganized
- Makes about 4-6 servings depending on appetites.

Ingredients:
- 1 bag soy beef (I used Boca)
- 1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped baby bello mushrooms (the original recipe uses canned, but canned mushrooms are icky)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- optional: a dash of cayenne pepper
- salt & pepper to taste (I used about 1-2 teaspoons of each)
- 1 can unsalted tomato sauce (the smaller ones, I think they're 12-14 oz)
- 1 bag daiya cheese, cheddar flavored (The best! I highly recommend using this brand)
- 1 package of Ramp tofu pasta (or whatever you can find)
- a little oil for the onions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Boil some water and cook the Ramp noodles per package instructions, except a little undercooked. They should be a little al dente. (Also, I like to break up my noodles before boiling a little to make them easier to eat)
Cook the onions in about 1-2 tablespoons heated oil over medium heat until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, and cook about 1-2 minutes. Add the soy beef (straight from the freezer). Add seasoning and cook until heated through. I like to brown mine a little. TASTE IT. It should be flavorful, and maybe slightly saltier than you would normally eat.
Throw the pasta, soy beef, 1 can of tomato sauce, and most of the cheese into a large casserole dish. Mix it up. Top it off with a layer of left over cheese.
Bake for 30-45 minutes, careful not to burn the noodles. They will get hard if over baked. You just wanting the cheese to be melted and the dish should be sticky/saucy.

It should look sort of dry and underwhelming before you put it in the oven.

And there you have it: the incredibly easy, but oh-so satisfying Kluski Bake - veganized. One of my top 10, all-time favorite vegan dishes.

Gluten-free(-ish) Mexican Pizza Night

2011-06-29T09:45:00.011-04:00

I wanted to make something with this gluten-free crust I accidentally bought at Whole Foods the other day. And it occurred to me, I could make something gluten-free for my blog!! However, I'm an idiot and it didn't occur to me that there is gluten in the Boca Soy Crumbles. I'm sure there are some gluten-free alternatives I could have used. And you gluten-free folks out there probably know all about them. But like I said... me = idiot.

So, here is a SORT OF gluten-free, but definitely vegan, Mexican pizza recipe. I found the crust in the freezer section of the Lane Ave. Whole Foods. I'm sure the big kahuna Whole Foods off Sawmill Rd. has gluten free pizza crust options, too. It was pretty good.

Oh, and before you read the ingredients and think, "Taco Bell Seasoning!?" - just hear me out. I read the ingredients - they are vegan - and while there are some less than appetizing additives in there, I never claimed to be a healthy vegan all of the time. So, if you want to turn your nose up at the Taco Bell Seasoning, that's completely fine. There are tons of excellent recipes online that I've used. I just didn't feel like doing all the mixing, and I happen to really like flavor of the Taco Bell Seasoning. You can get it in the Mexican food aisle at Kroger.

On a side note, talking about Taco Bell Seasoning makes me think of this song. I find it apropos.

Get it? Because it's PIZZA and TACO BELL??

Gluten-free-ish Mexican Pizza
Makes 3-4 6'' pizzas

Ingredients:

1 bag Boca Soy Crumbles
1-2 tsp. Taco Bell Seasoning (or homemade)
1-2 tsp. cayenne pepper (per taste)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1-2 tsp. olive oil
1 can vegetarian refried beans
1 jar of hot salsa
Daiya Mozzarella Cheese
1 jar of pickled jalapenos
1 diced tomato
2 tbs. chopped green onion
3-4 tbs. Tofutti Sour Cream
3-4 mini gluten-free cornmeal pizza crusts

Process:

Pre-heat your oven per the package instructions of your crust.
Warm the olive oil in a large skillet for 1-2 minutes. Don't let it smoke. Add the chopped onion and cook until they become soft, translucent, and aromatic.
Put the crust in the oven and allow to cook for half the time.
Add the Boca Soy Crumbles and the seasoning. Cook for about 10 minutes, browning the crumbles slightly. Taste! Add more salt and cayenne per taste preference.
While those are browning, warm up the beans, chop the tomatoes & green onions, and prepare the rest of your ingredients.
Remove the crust from the oven, keeping the oven heated. Fill each crust with a think layer of beans, then top with prepared soy crumbles, then top with salsa and cheese. The rest of the ingredients will go on later.
Put the pizza back in the oven for the remainder of time specified on the package. Allow the cheese to melt. If it doesn't, put it under the broiler for 30 seconds.
Remove form the oven and top with diced tomatoes, green onions, and Tofutti Sour Cream.

Go to Pattycake Bakery today!

2011-05-23T09:26:00.007-04:00

Today, Pattycake Vegan Bakery - the most delicious bakery in town - is donating 15% of their proceeds to Sunrise Sanctuary.

If you don't already know, Sunrise Sanctuary, located just west of Dublin, is a non-profit animal welfare organization providing a permanent shelter for OVER 80 animals; providing loving, knowledgeable, quality care for abused, neglected, disabled, and unwanted animals.

So, do yourself a favor and some animals a favor, and get Pattycake today! :D

Attend the facebook event!

[images from pattycake website & sunrise website]

Isa's Chickpea Picatta

2011-04-07T08:54:00.005-04:00

My version

One of my favorite "fancy" things to make is a picatta - whether it be seitan cutlets or gardein. So, when I saw in Isa's new cookbook "Appetite for Reduction" that she had revamped her recipe to be around 400 calories, I was pretty amped. The white wine sauce and all the mashed potatoes with tons of earth balance of the standard picatta is quite indulgent, albeit delicious, but maybe more indulgent than I would like.

Isa uses chickpeas instead of a faux meat product and a whopping 1 tsp of olive oil. The bases of the sauce is mostly vegetable broth with a touch of bread crumbs to thicken it (instead of flour). Instead of your standard mashed potatoes, she makes "caulipots" - steamed cauliflowers mashed with potatoes and a little vegetable broth. A little wilted arugula adds a nice bite, as well.

Anyway, it's really good and very low calorie, so I would check it out. View the recipe at www.theppk.com. And then buy the book on amazon!

Crispy Gardein Sandwich

2011-04-06T11:26:00.008-04:00

Delicious and beautiful

I've been eating at home a lot and cooking AND taking photos. The posting part has just escaped me lately.

This sandwich is amazingly easy and quite delicious. It's also sort of elegant looking with the flat bun and fresh spinach. It's almost like a flat bread sandwich, which if you ever eat out or watch tv - you know it is so hip right now.

Whole Foods carries these really great 100 calorie buns; and if I were a better blogger, I'd have the name of said buns for you. They are vegan, which can be tricky with buns - especially the whole wheat variety (the secret ingredient is honey!). But I guess you can assume that they are since I'm talking about them.

I used the gardein crispy tenders (or whatever fancy name they call them) - seasoned with chipotle, onion, and garlic powder; and cooked per package instructions. Then, during the last 2 minutes of cooking, I sprinkled some mozzarella flavored daiya on top, cranked up the broiler, and let them melt. If you hate daiya, any vegan cheese will work.

To assemble the sandwich: I took the bottom bun, slabbed on what we call "fancy sauce"* (Step Brothers, anyone?), topped it with the gardein, then spinach, then top bun with more fancy sauce.

You can get all of these ingredients at Whole Foods (at least in Columbus).

*Fancy sauce: It's not really fancy, but it's funny to call our made-up sauce that. It's just 2 tbs vegenaise, 1 tbs ketchup, a few shakes of hot sauce (I like to use Skyline's hot sauce), and a dash of chipotle powder. You whisk it together really well and keep it refrigerated.

10 Foods Vegans CAN Eat

2011-02-23T12:42:00.010-05:00

I was checking out YDV today and discovered a very frustrating post in reference to an even more frustrating article, "10 Foods That Vegans Can't Eat". Granted, it was one of those stupid Yahoo! articles that seem to be just there for content sake, rather than actually being anything worth reporting, but it was frustrating nonetheless.

And actually, the article itself was a nice little nod to the vegan community, in a way. It's intention seemed to be to inform the masses (who for whatever reason don't know already) what being vegan actually means. And I appreciate that. The real frustration was the comments. They all seemed to be ANGRY at vegans and often referred to them as hypocrites. YDV did a great job of pointing out that perhaps a better article would have been "10 Principles of Veganism".

But since I'm primarily in the business of cooking and eating, I would like to instead write a list of 10 foods we CAN eat. After all, that is the question we get asked the most, right?

1. Fake Chicken (Gardein & Boca)

One of the things you hear a lot is "I could never give... up". And one I frequently hear is chicken. But that was never an issue for me! To be a vegan nowadays is truly fortunate - these chicken alternatives are sooo good!!!

Boca makes this amazing spicy chicken patty that's to die for with a little homemade vegan ranch and a whole wheat bun - you won't even care that it's fake.

Gardein also has completely changed my life. From their baked chick'n fillets to their turk'y filled with stuffing and covered in a light breading with a side of gravy, I don't think there's a single thing they make that I don't love.

2. Milk Alternatives (Soy Milk & Almond Milk)

Thanks to Starbucks and other coffee chains like Peet's Coffee & Tea (west coast) and the Columbus chain of Staufs/Cup 'o Joe - you don't have to dream of giving up your morning latte. And if you declare, "I hate the taste of soy milk!" or "I eat too much soy already!", then I'd recommend almond milk. It has a surprisingly mild flavor and works perfectly in place of soy in almost all situations.
(SN: If you still think Starbucks' milk is not vegan, read my post.)

3. Vegetables (Duh)

This may seems painfully obvious, but I think it needs noting. If all you eat are beef and cheese, and you're confused by a vegan diet -- then you probably need more vegetables in your life! There's a wealth of nutrition, flavor, and protein from vegetables - notably, the leafy green variety. My favorites include spinach, broccoli, asparagus, arugula, and green beans.

4. Fake Cheese (Daiya & Follow Your Heart)

Cheese is a bit of a frustration for me. It's one of the least healthy things you can eat (imho), but everyone declares, "I love cheese too much to go vegan !!" (which is sort of missing the point to me). And while these cheese alternatives really aren't anything like the real thing, they will curb your desire for something melty and flavorful.

The two best options out there are Daiya and Follow Your Heart - the mozzarella flavor for both. If you're in Columbus, you can get a Daiya pizza at Z-pizza in the Short North or Daiya nachos from Whole World in Clintonville OR Follow Your Heart nachos from Mad Mex near campus.

5. Nutritional Yeast (AKA Mac 'n Cheeze)

If you're a vegan noob, you might not know about nutritional yeast. It's in the supplement section (you can find it at a whole foods or your local co-op) and you can use it for all sorts of deliciousness. A lot of people will say you will miss out on vital nutrients if you're vegan, but this stuff is JAM PACKED with vitamins, including the ever elusive vitamin B-12. Add it to a cream sauce to make it cheesy or dust a little on some pasta for a super healthy, really different version of Parmesan.

6. Italian Food (Pasta!)

It's sad for me to note that American food is not really vegan friendly. The emergence of veggie burgers at places like Johnny Rockets is nice, but all other regions seem to cater to vegans a lot more!

And one that I love is Italian food. Pasta with a little olive oil, some garlic, and grilled vegetables is highly underrated. A lot of marinara sauces are vegan, too (especially if you make them at home!). If you go to a restaurant that makes their pasta in-house, you can usually assume they use eggs, unfortunately. Most places use dried pasta; however, and that's a-ok 90% of the time.

7. Indian Food (Banana Leaf, anyone?)

A lot of Indian restaurants seem to be vegan friendly, but be wary of the dreaded ghee (clarified butter)! Columbus' own Banana Leaf is an amazing all-vegetarian Indian restaurant that does a great job of pointing out their vegan options.

8. Mexican Food (Chipotle & Taco Bell)

Mexican food is also, for the most part, amazingly vegan friendly. If you go somewhere super traditional, there may be hidden lard, chicken stock, or sour cream in their guacamole (I assume to cut costs). But places like chipotle have great offerings - and in some locations, offer gardein. If you're worried about cross contamination I might avoid eating at taco bell, but a seven layer burrito minus cheese and sour cream is a nice option when you can't get anything else (they have extensive ingredient lists online).

9. Chinese food (tofu & setian)

I don't think any type of food has done more service for vegans than Chinese food. Tofu has been and will continue to be a wonderful staple in a vegan diet. Also, seitan has been a great meat alternative for people who don't necessarily love the texture of tofu. It's meatier and highly versatile.

10. Dessert (Patty Cake & Whole Foods)

Glorious, indulgent desserts are something you will not miss one bit. Vegan desserts are just as good an the non-vegan variety. Seriously. I never hear any complaints. Patty Cake is Columbus' all-vegan bakery and makes the most amazing cinnamon buns on Saturdays. Whole foods has sporadic vegan bakery options, including cookies and pies.

Nondairy ice cream is also amazing. You can get that ANYwhere: Kroger, Giant Eagle, whole foods, CCM, ... anywhere! It's made from soy, coconut, or rice milk. They are all different, so experiment to see which you like best. My favorite is the coconut milk ones!

And if you can, try to find Sweet & Sara's little marshmallow s'mores. They are to. die. for. Clintonville Community Market (CCM) carries them, unless Andrew and I come in and clean them out. Then you're just SOL.

Happy New Year, Fatso

2011-01-01T16:57:00.013-05:00

It's officially 2011, and I cannot ignore the scale any longer.

We spent the eve eating fried avocados, tacos, and beer at Columbus' own all-vegan bar, Hal & Al's. Then, continued our night at a friend's party where we drank even more. Not to mention my binge baking in the past two months. And those damn starbucks peppermint mochas.

Oh, and the amazing bread maker (which I'll post about later) that's caused me to carb-load for a run I keep failing to go on (due to hibernation).

Anyway, the point is: I've been a bad vegan. And my body has suffered from it. A few pounds and a lot of rapidly disappearing thigh muscles later, it's time to reinstate the regiment. Andrew has quit caffeine again, which makes me go less frequently, which cuts out a good 500 calories per day in beverages alone. Not to mention a whole lot of money from our budget. And next to go is eating out for every meal.

To help keep lunches interesting and to ensure that I won't revert to eating out all the time, I like to trick myself... with this salad, for instance. The dressing is a very light caesar salad dressing that I've taken from "The Conscious Cook" by Tal Ronnen. While there is a whole cup of olive oil, and he claims only 4 servings per batch, I choose to limit myself to about 1-2 tablespoons of dressing per massive salad and just do a phenomenal job shaking it up. Plus, I add 1 tsp chipotle powder to bulk up the flavor (thus, making me not notice the lack of dressing). And let's face it, I add chipotle powder to pretty much everything, anyway.

Another great addition to my salads is gardein. In these photos I'm using the scallopini cutlets, but I usually use the crispy tenders. I love the tenders, because each tender is only 90 calories, and I've tricked myself into thinking I'm eating something worse than I am. They're breaded in whole wheat, and you bake them instead of frying them. (Although, this winter we did deep fry some, and they were awesome). Here's the complete how-to:

Chipotle "Caesar" Salad with Gardein Crispy Tenders

Makes one salad

- 2-3 Gardein Crispy Tenders

- 1/2 cup chopped romaine lettuce

- 1 cup spinach

- various toppings: diced orange bell pepper, soy beans, chopped broccoli, and finely diced shallots

- 2 tbs caesar dressing, made with 1 tbs chipotle powder

*I highly suggest getting a copy of "The Conscious Cook" - very good recipe

- some black pepper or red pepper

1. Combine all vegetables into one container with a lid, or get a bowl (you can use a plate for a lid).

2. Top with your dressing, cover with the lid, and shake your money maker.

3. Top with your fresh-from-the-oven tenders. You can season the tenders with a little onion powder and chili powder. I like to do that. Top the whole salad with some fresh pepper or red pepper flakes if you like.

4. You can either eat it fresh or refrigerate it overnight and eat it for lunch the next day. The tenders are very good cold, too.

*** If you want to use the scallopini gardein, just heat 2 tsp olive oil in a non-stick pan. Season the scallopini with a dash of salt, pepper, onion powder, ancho chili powder, and chipotle powder. Then cook 2 minutes per side on medium heat, until golden brown.

Isa Test Kitchen: Oven Baked Onion Rings

2010-12-02T11:15:00.008-05:00

Andrew LOVES to cook. He gets such joy out of it. Especially when you have to painstakingly dredge onion rings in batter ONE by ONE. It's the most fun one could possibly have, right?

I'm lying. Obviously, no one likes battering stuff like that. It takes forever, and it's boring. Andrew and I tried to tag in and out so we could rest our minds from the bland abyss. But it doesn't help a whole lot. So, if you're ever going to a potluck and think making onion rings for 100 people sounds like a good idea -- don't. It's not really a good idea. I mean, it is. But it's a lot of work.

We made do though. MAYBE everyone didn't get onion rings. But I don't think I'll lose any sleep over it.

This recipes comes from www.theppk.com. I think they have a new low-fat, weight-lossy vegan cookbook coming out to counter the years we've all been cooking from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. And rightfully so. The recipe was super easy. We used Italian bread crumbs instead of just plain ones. We thought it'd be a little bland without all the oil and fatty deliciousness. We also cut the salt a little since a few commenters thought they were too salty. Give 'em a try!

Recipe: Oven B aked Onion Rings Via The PPK
2 vidalia onions (about a pound), or other sweet onion like Walla Walla (**we found this to be WAY too many onions)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup cold almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (**or Italian!!)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
Cooking spray
Slice onions into 3/4 inch thick rings. Separate the rings and place in a bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or something, to keep the onioniness out of your eyes.
Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a rimmed 12×18 baking sheet with parchment paper, spray with cooking spray and set aside.
Now you’ll need two bowls for batter and breading. If you’ve got large, wide cereal bowls that’ll do the trick. In one bowl, dump in the flour and cornstarch. Add about half of the almond milk and stir vigorously with a fork to dissolve. Add the rest of the almond milk and the apple cider vinegar, and stir to incorporate. Set aside.
In the other bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and salt. Drizzle in the oil and use your fingertips to mix it up well.
Assemble the onion rings:
Get a conveyor belt going. From left to right, have the onions, the flour mixture, the breadcrumbs mixture and lastly the baking sheet. Dip each onion slice into the the flour, letting the excess drip off. Transfer to the breadcrumbs bowl and use the other hand to sprinkle a handful of breadcrumbs over the onion, to coat completely. This may take a bit of practice. Carefully transfer each onion to a single layer on the baking sheet. Make sure you use one hand for the wet batter and the other for the dry batter, or you’ll end up with club hand.
Spray rings lightly with cooking spray and bake for 8 minutes. Flip, and bake another 6 minutes. Rings should be varying shades of brown and crisp. Taste one to check for doneness. Serve as soon as possible. With ketchup if you must.

'Tis the Season: Give the Gift of a Charity Donation for Animals!

2010-12-02T10:34:00.004-05:00

December 1st has come and gone (with snow, too!) and if you're slacking on holiday shopping, look no further! The best gift you can give to the compassionate people in your life, is the gift of giving. Giving to any charity in someone's name shows you care about that person and their causes. Not to mention, you don't even have to leave your home. So, pull up a mug of hot, mulled apple cider, grab your laptop, and get holiday shopping!

Here's a list of some great animal organizations that you could gift to someone this year!

Mercy For Animals: If you live in Columbus, you probably hear about MFA a lot. They sponsor meetup groups (like our Thanksgiving Potluck last month), hold charity events, and Dec. 11th they are having a holiday party at Dragonfly Neo-V. They are a great organization, dedicated to giving a voice to animal rights: Read more about their mission.
PeTA: We all love to hate PeTA, I think. They're certainly controversial. But what they do a good job of is keeping animals rights a part of the conversation. Gift a donation for PeTA.
You can also go to this website and gift over hundreds of charities of your choosing, including American Humane Association, SPCA, Wildlife Conservation Society, etc.
Donate to a Farm Sanctuary! Or take a trip down, and volunteer. It's the best way to directly help animals in need.

Tip Top Update Via Twitter

2010-12-01T13:53:00.003-05:00

More Easy Meals: Lazy Baked Mac 'n Cheeze

2010-12-01T11:41:00.006-05:00

On days that I'm eating alone, I can't justify cooking extravagantly. PLUS, I've been pretty lazy every since I started working this side job (of making websites). So, if you're looking for a meal that's easy but a little more interesting that just a box of macaroni, try this.

Ingredients:
1 box Road's End Mac 'n Cheese - any style you prefer, they're all good
** They carry this at Whole Foods, Clintonville Community Market, and probably that beast of store - Market District
1/2 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs - read labels, some brands have dairy in them
Various vegetables - I like broccoli and onions
Optional: Add a dash or two of chipotle pepper when you add the vegetables.
Optional: Microwave some Field Roast sausages, chop them, and add them to the mac when you add the vegetables.

- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Make macaroni as per box instructions. I always add the optional earth balance.
- Precook your veggies in a saute pan with a teaspoon olive oil and maybe some garlic - or just steam them in water if you're trying to be healthy.
- Combine macaroni and veggies and other optional items (if using) in a casserole dish. Cover with bread crumbs.
- Bake for about 10-15 minutes, turning the broiler on for the last minute. Watch so you don't burn it.
-Remove, cool, and eat itttt!!

Pesto Pups - Italian "Pigs"-in-a-blanket

2010-11-29T19:07:00.016-05:00

You can be pretty sure it's a bad sign when there are spiders living under your apron. I don't know what got into me. I left for vacation mid-summer, and just never left that state-of-mind I suppose.

Either way, I was struck with inspiration today! I was perusing through some flicker photos and saw that Whole Foods makes these crazy, vegan pigs-in-a-b

lanket with all sorts of soy cheese and what not. I had to have one. Plus, I've been on this crazy eating bender, and the photos are all I really need to tip me over the edge.

SO, I guess all I have for you is a really easy, fun way to make some vegan PIAB (we'll say PIAB from now on). Traditionally, I think they're made with your run-of-the-mill dogs, with some sort of puff pastry or pizza dough, and maybe a slice or two of american cheese up in there. But, I'm not a HUGE fan of vegan cheese. I don't know. I'm on the fence I guess. Then from that hatred, came love. Vegan pesto love.

Pesto Pups Recipe

makes 8

Ingredients:
Four sausages - I used Italian Field Roast
6 crescent rolls - Use any vegan brand you can find, or make them, or use puff pastry (I used Pilsbury)
Pre-made vegan pesto or this recipe
a little oil for frying
some spray oil for the pan

- Preheat your oven to 375 F. (Or follow your package instructions)
- Get your pesto prepared.
- Cut your sausages in half so you have eight tiny sausages.

- Heat a little oil in a skillet and grill the sausages until they are golden brown on the outside. Set them aside to cool.
- When cooled, cut slits down the middle. (If you're from Ohio, the slits are just like how Rad Dog cuts their dogs.)
- Fill each slit up sausage with pesto. Like a teaspoon or two.
- Spray a pan with pam or something like that.
- Take the sausages and roll them in the pastry. It doesn't have to be pretty, they just puff up anyway. Cook for about 15 minutes or per package instructions for pastry.
- You can add a little Italian seasoning on top to make them pretty, but I think that's overkill. Just garnish your plate with a little fresh parsley. And save a side of pesto for tipping. And there you have it - Pesto Pups.

Cyber Monday, for Vegans

2010-11-29T13:34:00.006-05:00

Check out VegNews, and gift someone a subscription for 15 bucks!

Forever21 is doing free shipping on all orders (no minimums!), plus other discount offers. They have TONS of faux leather jackets and cotton, wool-free coats.

Check out these adorable, vegan, heart-shaped soaps on Etsy. Or, get these soy candles with free shipping!

Love Olsen Haus vegan designer shoes? Amazon.com has tons of deals, with free shipping!

American Apparel has 20% off EVERYTHING online.

You can get 20% off vegan shirts and aprons at CottonFactory.com.

Plus, check out Cyber Monday's twitter to see the dozens of other deals online.

Tip Top: Vegan Soy Beef is No More

2010-11-28T21:51:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry to report that Tip Top has changed their soy beef provider to Morningstar, which as many of you know, is not vegan.

They still have their soy cheese that is vegan (for now) and a pretty killer veggie wrap.

COLUMBUS VEGAN WEEK! WHAT?!

2010-10-14T22:00:00.004-04:00

In an effort to help protect animals and the planet (and be super awesome), seven local eateries have collaborated with the Ohio-founded animal advocacy organization, Mercy For Animals, to offer exciting, new vegan options in celebration of World Go Vegan Week in October. I know. It's nuts.

The list has a few predictable suspects, but I'm really excited about the others that have decided to join in. The group is as follows:

Phat Wraps, 10 E. 12th Ave.
Knead, 505 N. High St.
Columbus Brewing Company, 525 Short St. (Monday – Thursday Only)
All Betty’s Family Restaurants:
Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace, 248 S. 4th St. (Thursday Only)
Surly Girl Saloon, 1126 N. High St. (Tuesday Only)
Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails, 73 E. Gay St. (Monday Only)
Betty's Fine Food & Spirits, 680 N. High St. (Wednesday Only)

Between Sunday Oct. 24th and Sunday Oct. 31st be sure to head out to these spots and show your support. Check out www.columbusveganweek.com for menu info. I hear there will be vegan ham and cheese wraps at Phat Wraps, and Columbus Brewing company has like five exciting offerings. Check it out!!

Louie's Fusion Grill - Now in Upper Arlington

2010-10-09T12:33:00.005-04:00

Louie's Fusion Grill used to only have one location in Hilliard... which I never go to, so this spot slipped under my radar. Now that they opened a second location in Upper Arlington, I can tell you they have the most delicious veggie tacos!

Andrew enjoying the Louie's ambiance

I didn't expect much from this place, but Andrew likes to go into places and harass them about vegan options. Well, not so much harass, as politely ask. But I still get slightly uneasy when he does. Half the time people don't know what you're talking about, or they think you're joking. It's sort of a degrading experience.

Louie's was a pleasant surprise. Not only did they know what we were talking about, but they seemed really excited that they had vegan options for us. The options are not "on the menu" necessarily, but it is one of their frequent specials -- the veggie tacos. Fluffy flour tortillas, delicately seasoned vegetables, and a salsa that will knock your socks off. If you ask for them, they'll know what you're talking about.

So go in, and request them! They're awesome.

Inside Louie's

Some interesting Louie's art

Tacos!!

Fall is here.

2010-10-08T17:44:00.005-04:00

I haven't cooked or baked much in a while, which probably explains my long standing silence on here.

Andrew's Aunt Laura died in July, just a couple weeks after our all-family vacation to North Carolina. She had been suffering from some, even still today, mysterious symptoms that were causing her a lot of pain. She was one of my favorite people in Andrew's family, besides Andrew of course. She took pottery classes with me. She stuck to them even though they made her cry. She was probably the only person who read this blog. She always asked me about it and told me which posts she liked best. We had similar taste in music. We even went to a concert together once. She was always giving me tickets to things. We got along well. She was nice. I had been losing interest in this blog, as most people do with blogs, and when Laura died... it was too depressing. Even still, I get sad looking at it.

But as fall approaches, the grey gets me down, and I'm trying to take comfort in the kitchen again. It's a good place to be when you're stuck inside all day.

Andrew's begun a new job. His hours often extend well pass when I get home, and I'm sort of alone in the evenings a lot. It bothered me at first, coming home to a quiet, dark house. But I'm trying to see this newfound time as an opportunity to reinvigorate old interests, this being one of them.

I bought Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World a few months ago and about three years too late, and I've just now started baking from it... with a vengeance (ha). Every cupcake is amazing. I've made 4 now - apple cider cupcakes, chocolate chip pumpkin, tiramisu, and s'mores. Everyone at my office and Andrew's job keeps asking me for recipes. You really should get this cookbook if you haven't already. There's some of gluten free cupcakes, as well.

Things are changing again...

2010-09-27T20:57:00.001-04:00

Stay tuned. I'll be reviving this blog shortly.

Pure Evil: The Best Sandwich Ever

2010-07-08T11:25:00.002-04:00

I make two things fairly often: "cheesy" garlic bread and tofu scramble sandwiches. They are really simple and incredibly satisfying, which is probably why I make them so often. The other day, I got to thinking, these two dishes would go pretty well together. I could take two slices of "cheesy" garlic bread and make a tofu scramble sandwich!!!

I don't know if it's just me, but I get really excited when I realize I can make something extremely indulgent and delicious. I hate to call it unhealthy, because it is, but it isn't really that bad. Tofu, by most people's standards, is really good for you-- good protein, not too high in the calories. And a seedy, no preservative, whole wheat bread, always the best alternative to a white bread. And if you want something melty and awesome, vegan cheese is a much healthier alternative to real cheese. Plus, those fake bacon strips are like 20 calories.

I guess that's not the point, though. I wanted to make something that felt bad. But wasn't THAT bad. So, if you're feeling on the cusp of evil, try this.
Cheesy Garlic Tofu Scramble Sandwich
with Fake Bacon

Ingredients:

A whole wheat bread, like ezekiel or even a multi-grain loaf would be good if you want something more like a sub sandwich
One recipe for cheesy garlic bread spread
One recipe for tofu scramble
4 strips of smart bacon
Olive oil

Assembly:

Prepare your tofu scramble first
While preparing tofu scramble, fry your smart bacon in about 1 tablespoon olive oil until very crispy
When completed 1 and 2, prepare your slices of cheesy garlic bread
Remove cheesy garlic bread from broiler and assemble sandwich: one slice cheesy bread, two strips of smart bacon, about 1/3 cup tofu scramble, top with another slice of cheesy garlic bread.

Vegan Donuts (revisited)

2010-07-06T15:32:00.008-04:00

I'm really not much of a baker. At all. I know some basic rules, and I can follow a recipe like a champ, but I'm not confident enough to "invent" recipes. Sometimes I'll try to veganize a recipe. Like maybe once. But for the most part I leave it to the experts. I've tried two vegan donut (or doughnut... I don't know which one I like better yet) recipes, and they've both been phenomenal.

The first recipe I tried was Vegan Yum Yum's. It's more of donut-shaped cupcake thing than a donut, but they are really amazing. They're also baked, which makes me feel less guilty about the whole thing. Everyone always loves them, and they have been requested on occasion. That was about two years ago, and it's been my go-to donut recipe ever since.

Recently, I got adventurous and attempted to make Vegan Dad's deep fried donuts. It's not something I'll do all the time, but if you're really in the mood for an actual donut, this will more than curb your desires. It takes a couple hours with yeast/rising times, plus you have to deep fry them and watch them and not burn them. And I have been known to burn things. But like I said, they are really worth it. You don't even need a donut-shaped pan for these! Or a deep fryer technically. I just bought some cheap canola oil, filled up a pot, and heated it with my milk frother thermometer. It only goes up to 180F, but I just assumed a double rotation was double the max temperature. It's a little ghetto, but it works!

Anyway, if you're in the mood for donuts, give one of these a try.

Stay tuned, I haven't quit. More to come!

VegNews First Annual "Great Vegan Dessert Giveaway"

2010-05-21T15:24:00.004-04:00

Go to the VegNews Facebook page, "like" them, and comment your favorite vegan dessert on their post about their dessert giveaway. Then, that's it. You're automatically entered to win a trio of awesomeness from Allison's Gourmet, BabyCakes NYC, and Sticky Fingers Bakery.

Best of luck!

Vegan Pizza by the Slice!

2010-05-14T19:35:00.001-04:00

Good news, guys. This weekend at all Z Pizza locations you can get vegan pizza with Daiya cheese by the SLICE. A simple luxury most of us have forgotten. More info via the PPK (thanks again, Jim!):

"This weekend we will be testing vegan pizza by the slice. Stop in between now and Sunday to try some of our pizzas made with Daiya cheese instead of mozzarella. This is just a test to see how they sell, so if you would like to have this option all the time be sure to stop in and buy a slice or at least send us a message via twitter @zpizzaSN to let us know."

Clintonville Community Market: New Website, New Deals

2010-05-03T11:13:00.004-04:00

In the past few months, Clintonville Community Market has revamped their website and store. They have more and newer registers, as well as new deals on memberships fees. They're cheaper now! For an individual wanting 2% discounts for a year, it only costs $20/yr; for a 5% discount for a year, it costs $40/yr. And if you're a family of 2 or more, it's 2% at $35/yr, and 5% at $60/yr.

So, go check out their new site. They post sales, news, and info about their products. And sign up for a membership while you're there.

Starbucks Soy Frapp Official

2010-04-30T10:13:00.008-04:00

READ: Soy Caramel frappuccino, no caramel sauce, no whip

It's official, guys. I've had one a day since Tuesday. You can, once again, enjoy caramel, mocha, green tea, or any other flavor frappuccinos with soy milk at every starbucks in the city. Confirmed locations include: Kingsdale, Fifth Ave./Grandview, Lane Ave., the Goasis in Ashland, and probably all the rest. I thought I might miss the caramel sauce/whipped cream part, but they're plenty sweet and amazingly delicious. I went in on Tuesday to the Fifth Ave. location just to confirm that they exist. They were concerned that it might be too sweet, so they asked my opinion. And while it is sweet, I sort of recognize that as the point of a frappuccino. The soy milk is sweetened, so you may want to do half the pumps of syrup. But I really enjoy the sugar overload. Check them out!

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UPDATE: So, I got some info on the new recipe. They add a syrup to their new frappuccinos that's a coffee flavored sugar syrup. It's supposed to help the consistency of their frapp. It is vegan, as they use xantham gum as a thickener. You might want to know about the added sugar, though!

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A commenter recently mentioned that the soy milk at starbucks is not vegan. I verified this (well, Andrew did) at our local starbucks that their soy milk IS VEGAN. The ingredients are (sorry about the low pic quality, it's from an iPhone)...

A City in Food: Chicago

2010-04-28T12:45:00.010-04:00

So, months ago, in the tail end of winter, Andrew and I went to Chicago. And for whatever reason, I never posted about it. But we went to Cleveland this last weekend [[for Andrew's second Sanshou fight]], and now I feel like I'm backed up on vacation talk. So here's Chicago.

Karyn's Cooked

Karyn's Cooked is a beautiful restaurant located in downtown Chicago, moderately priced with an extensive menu [[click map for more info]]. And it's all pretty much vegan. There are few items labeled with honey, and an appetizer pizza [[dedicated to her husband]] that has cheese on it. Andrew got the jerk tofu sandwich with slaw and potatoes. I got the "cheese" flautas with black beans and guacamole. We also got the pizza appetizer with "cheese" and seitan. And for dessert, the tiramisu cake. Everything was delicious, the wait staff was tremendously helpful. We had a great time.

If you're visiting Chicago, I'd recommend hitting up the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art and then walking a few blocks over to Karyn's Cooked.

Chicago Diner

Chicago Diner... what can I say. If we lived in Chicago, we'd move across the street from it, eat there every day, and gain about a zillion pounds. EVERYthing on that menu is delicious. We ate there 3 times while we visited Chicago. Unfortunately, all those times I didn't bring a decent camera. So, you get shitty iPhone pictures. What you see on the left is me on our last day before hitting the road back to Columbus with 3 breakfasts. I got their biscuits and gravy, tofu scramble plate, and pancakes. ALL amazing. Andrew got their gyro sandwich-- absolutely amazing. They'll tell you their Reuben is their signature item, but I think their gyro is even better. And in the right picture he's eating their peanut butter cookie dough shake, which I would eat every day if I could. I also tried their sweet potato quesadilla, their twice baked potatoes, and their seitan hot wings w/ ranch. I can't really say anything bad about this place, except get in there early for Sunday brunch. But that's how it is at most brunch places, anyway. The servers were really cool and super helpful with lots of a suggestions. It has a nice, casual atmosphere-- like a hip diner.

I would recommend hitting up Chicago Diner for dinner, and then walking a few blocks over to see the Blue Man Group.

Starbucks SOY Frappuccino

2010-04-12T09:55:00.003-04:00

Coming next week, Columbus, OH will have vegan frappuccinos.

I was informed by my friendly, neighborhood Starbucks barista that their frappuccinos will no longer be made with the cream based mix and can now be made with soy. She says they are even better. And although you still can't have the caramel frapps (caramel sauce is cream/butter based) or the whipped cream, you CAN have the mocha frapps or any other flavor of frapp you can think of.

The plus side of the vegan frapps: they're not all that bad for you. Since they're mostly ice, and you can't eat the whipped cream, a tall coffee frapp is only 125 calories.

It's not all stores, though. And the only one I can absolutely confirm in Columbus is the store on Henderson Rd. You may want to check with your local starbucks to find out.

I'm Still Here

2010-04-08T13:16:00.003-04:00

These are the "Oysters" Rockefeller from The Conscious Cook. They're absolutely amazing if you ever need a fancy appetizer for something. A lot of time goes into them, but it's worth it. Coincidentally, The New York Times has an article questioning why vegans shouldn't eat oysters. It's a silly point, mostly because oysters do have a simple nervous system. But you might want to check it out none the less. Some interesting comment discussion.

Anyway, life has been busy and thus the blog has been vacant. Andrew is fighting at the end of April, so he will need to cut weight. We're transitioning his diet this weekend to a low carb vegan diet. Any suggestions!?

Gardein's Classic Styled Meat-free Buffalo Wings

2010-03-19T16:18:00.002-04:00

These are gardein's version of a vegan buffalo wing. They are slightly spicy-- although if you don't have a taste for spicy food, these will be very spicy to you. And if you're Andrew, you won't even notice that they're spicy. Andrew was really eager to try them since we both miss the vegan buffalo wings from Chicago Diner. And while these were a very different kind of buffalo wing, we found them very enjoyable! I only wish they had more of that sauce. A vegan ranch goes really well with this, too! I found them at the Whole Foods on Lane Ave. Give them a try!

Gardein "Beef" Red Wine Stew

2010-03-18T13:15:00.004-04:00

I guess you could technically call this a vegan "Beef Bourguignon", but this dish seems to be a lot more than just "beef and red wine". I know I'm not breaking any molds here by making a stew. According to wikipedia they've been making stews since the 4th century BC, but I'd like to think they weren't making mock-meat stews like this. In fact, I bet they weren't this good.

I like this stew a lot. Stews sometimes have the bad rap of being bland, and it makes sense. I think people rely on the beef flavor too much. But when you're working with mock meats, you have to be a little more inventive. It doesn't really matter what red wine you use, it's just an accent to the overall flavor. The touch of chipotle powder adds a smokiness and the basil & oregano give it some herby savoriness. By adding the carrots last, they don't get overcooked and mushy-- and I hate mushy carrots. So you have some good texture contrasts in there. And if you've never had gardein before, you'll love these skewers. They have a meat-like texture with a beefy flavor, which is good for a "beef" stew.

[[Gardein "Beef" Red Wine Stew]]
Serves 4. Or 2 if you're hungry.

2 tbs. vegetable oil
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 packages of Gardein BBQ skewers
1/2 cup white flour
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp parsley
1 tbs fresh chopped basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1 small red onion finely chopped
1 1/4 cup red cooking wine
2 cups no-chicken broth
1/2 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
1 bay leaf
2 carrots, sliced
more parsley for garnish

-- In a ziplock bag or a large bowl, add flour and onion powder. Mix together to fully incorporate the onion powder.
-- Remove the gardein from the packages and remove skewers. Rinse the gardein chunks with cold water to remove excess sauce.
-- Place rinsed gardein in the flour mixture and shake to full coat in flour. Remove coated gardein from the flour mixture and discard excess flour. Set aside the gardein.
-- Get a large pot and add 2 tbs vegetable oil. Heat on medium/high heat.
-- When heated, add the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Lower the heat if the garlic starts to burn.
-- Add the gardein to the heated vegetable oil/garlic mixture. Allow the gardein to get crispy and flip to cook the other sides. About 3-5 minutes per side.
-- Lower the heat to a medium/low. Add the onions & all the spices and cook with the gardein about 5 minutes allowing them to get soft.
-- When softened, add the red wine. The red wine will simmer down and should begin to thicken from the flour on the gardein. This may take 5-10 minutes. Raise heat if it's not simmering.
-- After it simmers and thickens, add 2 cups of warmed no-chicken broth. Stir to fully incorporate.
-- Add the carrots, mushrooms, and bay leaf. Let it sit for about 15 minutes. It will begin to thicken some more and the vegetables will soften.
-- Serve over mashed potatoes or rice and garnish with parsley. Remove the bay leaf first!

Something Green: Sushi!

2010-03-17T14:26:00.002-04:00

I actually made something of my own for once. That was last night, and unfortunately I have no pictures or recipes up yet. But for now, I'll show another recipe from the Conscious Cook, because it's St. Patrick's day and it fits!! Sushi!!

Get it? The nori sheets are technically green? And the avocado??

Well, this dish was pretty awesome. The thai chili sauce I got was pretty sweet, so I might just use some siracha next time to mix in with the vegenaise to make it more spicy and less... sweet. And if you're trying to find something to do with your bag of bulk quinoa -- do this!! It's blackened portobellos that were marinated in creole seasoning and wine [[there's more to it than that]] with avocados, scallions, and that thai chili vegenaise.

Here are some other green things:

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Green Bean Casserole
Fried Green Tomatoes

Boca is back!

2010-03-16T10:11:00.004-04:00

So my beloved Boca Meatless Spicy Chicken Patties are back! They didn't actually go anywhere. Boca just made the stupid move, to cut costs I assume, of adding egg whites to their recipe. One of the first things I ate my very first day of my vegan bet was this patty with vegan ranch dressing. This patty helped me to realize it wouldn't be that hard to be vegan. I ate these all the time. I couldn't understand why Boca would suddenly make them not vegan. But thanks to the tons of angry vegans out there, Boca has made it vegan again. Go get some!

The Pottery Show w/ Better Pic, the Arnolds, & Pattycake Bakery

2010-03-04T22:00:00.004-05:00

I've disappeared a little bit. And when I do reappear, it's usually to talk about The Conscious Cook, I know. I've been kind of on a recipe making/cooking hiatus for a couple reasons: 1) Andrew is competing in the Arnold Classic, or the Arnold Sports Festival, on Saturday, thus he is cutting weight. Which means he's not eating. Which means I'm out a job. And 2) I've embarked on yet another hobby, pottery. Which takes away a few of my nights each week, and has really helped business at Tip Top [[not that they need it, but it's near the studio- kinda - and take out is easier than cooking at 9 at night]]. So for that, I apologize.

Last Friday my pottery studio, Clayspace, had a gallery showing for all the classes [[including little ole beginners potter's wheel - my class]]. It was fun. A lot of people came out, and I brought a vegan cheesecake to share [[since it was a pot luck, too]]. I don't really have any pictures of the night. I brought my camera and everything, but so many people wound up coming and sometimes you're just having too much fun to take pictures. Here are some pictures of my pottery that I took:

Like I said, it was beginners potter's wheel, so a lot of this stuff is pretty conventional. I experimented with the colors a little bit, so that's why some of them are the color of poop. This time around I'm taking a slab class. Ideally I'll be making more interesting pieces. We'll see!

Anyway, the classes are super fun, and the instructors are really helpful. If anyone is interested in taking one, go look at their website and contact Tami Knight. [[PS she's vegetarian!]]

As far as The Arnold Sports Festival goes, Andrew in competing in Sanshou on Saturday. No head contact, but kicking, punching below the neck, and some throws are involved. I'm pretty excited for him. Since he's been cutting weight his food has consisted of Amy's lunches [[which are conveniently under 300 calories]] and clif bar dinners. He's pretty manorexic lately [[read: man anorexic]]. I'm trying not to gorge myself too much in front of him. Although I did make some awesome "Oysters Rockafeller" from [[duh]] The Conscious Cook last night. I forced him to try one. I ate the rest pretty much. I'll post about those later. The night before that I had a big ass bowl of brussels sprouts covered in earth balance and cayenne pepper. Which should explain to you my lack of posting. Generally lack luster dinners or things from a cookbook.

An adorable little Amy's pizza! Cheeseless and so freaking tasty.

Something I do want to share, however, is this hilarious entry into Cupcake Wars. Columbus' very own Pattycake Bakery was asked to submit a video to be a part of Cupcake Wars on food network. What I discovered from watching their video is that they have an evil twin next door. Check it out:

More Conscious Cook: My Heart Shaped Timbale

2010-02-22T14:26:00.005-05:00

My obsession with The Conscious Cook won't end. I think I'm cooking my way through it, easily. Most cook books will take me years just to make 4-6 things, but not this one. A lot of the recipes are really accessible for me with how I cook, I already have a lot of the ingredients on hand.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a particularly exceptional dish. This, pictured above, is the timbale. It has a longer name, but I can't think of it now. From top to bottom we have: quinoa cooking in veggie broth with jalapenos & cilantro, some chopped avocado, roasted sweet potatoes, raw kale, and some spicy blue corn chips. The sauce is a roasted tomatillo, cilantro, & olive oil dressing. This is freaking amazing. Not only is it probably the most perfect meal you could eat [[3 super foods and the more nutritious grain ever]], but it's flipping delicious. The recipe calls for you to make your own spicy creole chips using a tortilla, but I just bought some from Whole Foods. It also calls for micro-greens, which I've only found at the Clintonville Community Market, so I just used chopped kale. Arugula works really well, too. The great thing about this meal is that after you've made it once, you have left over dressing so you can make it again really easily.

Also, if you want to make this look super fancy, you use a hollowed out cylinder-shaped item to place all the ingredients in a perfectly round shape. Since I don't own that, I just used a heart-shaped cookie cutter. It came out really adorable & perfect for Valentine's Day. :)

Matt the Millers Tavern: "The Vegan" Burger

2010-02-17T10:33:00.008-05:00

A couple weeks ago Andrew's dad heard about a burger at Matt the Millers Tavern in Dublin called "The Vegan". While the title isn't the most clever name ever, I have to applaud them for their directness. If you're ever wondering if a restaurant has any vegan options, it's nice to see it clearly labeled.

Anyway, this was our first time going to MTMT and from our office, it's way the heck out in BFE. But we were excited and eager to find some new vegan far in the Columbus area. The standard restaurant rotation can get kind of tired -- Qdoba, Aladdin's, Taj Palace, Mad Mex. All good places, but some variety is nice.

I guess the first thing I should note is the ambiance. It's a very nice looking, clean, modern tavern. It has a large restaurant area and a pretty sizeable bar. On the Friday night we went, it was busy as heck, too. I think we had a 40 minute wait, with nowhere to sit in the bar. So plan to wait around a while during prime hours, or get in there early before the after-work crowd. When we were eventually seated, our waiter was friendly and knowedgable. And because we are the way we are, we double checked to make sure "The Vegan" was in fact vegan and not just a silly name. It is. As was the hummus and pita appetizer.

The hummus and pita appetizer was deliciously amazing, as to be expected. I haven't met a brand of hummus I don't love. And while the white flour pita is the bane of my existence [[because of the white flour]], they were still fluffy and soft.

Now onto "The Vegan". It's a seasoned black bean burger patty topped with grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, cilantro pesto and lettuce with a side of crinkle cut sweet potato fries. Firstly, I must say their crinkle cut sweet potato fries are freaking AMAZING. They're my favorite fries ever, I think. I usually hate crinkle cuts but they work really well with sweet potatoes. Sweet potato fries can come out kind of soggy sometimes, but when you use the crinkle cut, it keeps them crunchy. The burger itself had a lot going on. The cilantro pesto was strong, so if you don't love cilantro, I wouldn't get this burger. But it really helped to lubricate it since it lacked cheese and condiments. The mushrooms were good, but I may ask for extra next time since they were sparse. The patty was a little mushy [[as so many vegan burgers end up]], but it packed a lot of flavor. The whole wheat bun made it all the better, too. Check them out next time you're in Dublin. It has great food for omnivores, as well.

Vegan Valentine's Day?

2010-02-11T10:24:00.003-05:00

My favorite thing to do for special occasions is always the stay at home, cook something awesome, get drunk off red wine, and enjoy my night in. I'm a bit of a homebody that way, but sometimes you want to be a little more romantic or exciting and go out. I get that. That's why I give you a couple vegan-friendly things you can do in Ohio for your awesome, sexy significant other on Valentine's Day.

Dragonfly's Tantra Aphrodisiac Valentine's Dinner: This is more for your upscale, super romantic evening. It's $45 per person, plus more if you get the wine pairings. Andrew and I went to this last year, and the food was exceptional with a great, romantic atmosphere. Make sure you CALL AHEAD and make reservations. We saw a lot of unfortunates go out that night hoping to get a table, and they were waiting a long time! It's a busy night for Dragonfly.

Lattes & Love Songs @ Travonna Coffee House: If you want a more casual, fun night, head over to Travonna Coffee house! You can grab a soy latte, and enjoy some live romantic music, love poems, and free give-aways. Check out their facebook event page.

Broken Heart Prom @ Hal & Al's: So, if you're not laid back and you're not fancy, but you just want to party, get 5 bucks and head over to Hal & Al's for V-day. Grab a vegan dog and have the 80's prom you always wanted. Check out Vegan Columbus for all the info.

Aladdin's Four Course Meal for Two: If you're looking for a romantic evening on the cheap, you can get an amazing Lebanese and Mediterranean dinner for two at Aladdin's eatery in Grandview or in Clintonville for only $12. There's a preset menu, but don't fret-- there are plenty of vegan options, just tell them. They even have vegan desserts from a Cleveland-based bakery. Check out their facebook page.

More Conscious Cook & Fasting

2010-02-08T16:25:00.002-05:00

Hey all. We just got back from an amazing trip in Chicago, and now we're fasting. I have a lot of pictures and food spots to share. In the interest of not completely torturing myself, I'll just mention this really great recipe from The Conscious Cook. I made the cashew ravioli, and it is completely and utterly amazing. All the work and the time is totally worth it. So, if you want someone to bow to your feet in awe of your mad cooking skills or just worship the ground you walk on for the next couple days, make them this. It's so rich and creamy, and if you don't have a pasta roller [[like I don't]] just roll out the dough yourself. It takes a bit longer, but it works well. And if you roll out the dough, cut your circles with a wine glass top or something, and then roll out those circles ever more -- you get a really thin dough.

Creamy Creole Pasta with Crispy Seitan & Broccoli [[Revisited]]

2010-02-02T10:08:00.000-05:00

I posted this recipe about 9 months ago. It's easily my favorite thing to make. And since posting it, I've really updated this recipe a lot. And my camera. So here is my creamy creole pasta, again. With some prettier pictures and new twists...

Veganism can't do a lot of things well in way of replication. Vegan cheese by most standards, sucks in high quantities-- macaroni and cheese will be a life long battle for some. Tofu scramble is awesome, but really doesn't shine a light on actual scrambled eggs. You'll never get a fried egg again.

At the end of the day, though, we're a bunch of freaking wankers. We chose to not eat dairy and meat [[and honey for most of us]]-- we signed up knowing our food will never taste the same.

But as vegans, your taste buds adapt. Some days I crave nutritional yeast cheese. I love the chewy, delicious texture of a fake chicken patty. And tofu scramble speaks the words of my heart.

Last night I made a creamy creole pasta. It's been a while since I had a dairy cream pasta, but to me this was reminiscent of those delicious, creamy pastas I once enjoyed. And while dairy products seem most difficult to replicate, I think this does an amazing job of it.

[[Creole Cream Pasta with Crispy Seitan & Broccoli]]
This made a butt load. Like two large dinner plates, plus two decent sized lunch plates. And the more I work with chickpea flour to thicken my sauces, the more I believe that white flour is completely unnecessary.

About 2 cups whole wheat rotini
-- Cooked per packed instructions
-- I like to cook the pasta, then set it in a strainer in the sink and use the same pot for the cream sauce. Then add the pasta back to the pan and stir so it warms up again.

1 cup seitan, cubed
oil
creole seasoning
-- Dust the seitan with the seasoning and brown in a pan with some oil.

1 cup chopped shittake mushrooms
1/2 red onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 cup spinach
2 roma tomatoes chopped
olive oil
-- Lightly sauteed in olive oil until soft. Add mushrooms, onions and tomatoes first. Then add spinach for last 30 seconds.

3 heads of broccoli, chopped
a drizzle of olive oil
-- Baked broccoli at 450 F in a glass dish for 15 minutes until tender and crispy.

Cream Sauce Ingredients:
2 tbs earth balance
4 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
4 tbs brown rice flour
1 1/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1 1/2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tbs creole seasoning [[tony chachere]], if you make your own creole seasoning be sure to add salt and pepper!
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Cream Sauce Instructions:
-- Melt earth balance in a medium sized sauce pan on medium heat. Add garlic and seasoning. Cook for two minutes allowing the seasoning to brown a little and the garlic to become fragrant but not burnt.
-- Then add brown rice flour*. Whisk it quickly until you have a roux, like a thick goop. Let it bubble for 30 seconds or so.
-- Add the white whine. Whisk for a while on medium heat until it's thickened up again [[like a cream sauce, not like the goop you had before]]. Let this bubble too to remove some of the alcohol flavor.
-- Then add the milk and whisk again, allowing it to thicken like a velvety cream sauce.
-- Once thickened again, add your nutritional yeast and continue to whisk until fully combined.
-- Add the grilled onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach to the pan along with the noodles and stir to fully saturate the noodles.

*If you don't have brown rice flour, that's fine, you can use chickpea flour, corn starch, or any thickener like flour. Brown rice flour is found at whole foods, kroger, anywhere really.

Vegan Breakfast Part 2: Broiled Tofu with Sage Wasabi Cream, Sauteed Spinach, and Lebanese Tabouli

2010-01-26T10:59:00.004-05:00

The first part to this series was a banana french toast with candied walnuts. And while I love a sweet breakfast, my favorite has to be the savory. Something about all that syrup first thing in the morning doesn't sit well with me. Unless we're talking about "weekend mornings", which are more around 12 pm. At that point, I could eat anything.

Anyway, Andrew and I have taken on a new aspect to the regiment-- morning yoga. We have 3 Rodney Yee yoga dvds that we cycle through. Well, we mostly cycle through "Power Yoga" and "Strength Building Yoga". It's a pain in the ass to wake up an hour earlier, but it's worth it. I feel so much better after working out in the morning. And yoga really focuses on both mind and body. I'll probably write more about this later, but the point being-- I'm really hungry in the mornings now! It gets my metabolism going I think. Thus, a series about breakfast food.

This is a really good nod to eggs florentine. It doesn't taste much like [[I don't think? I've never had it!]], but it's super delicious. The sauce is warm and creamy with a touch of spice and the Lebanese tabouli adds a fresh finish. Give it a try.

[[Broiled Tofu with Sage Wasabi Cream, Sauteed Spinach, and Lebanese Tabouli ]]

2 Ezekiel English muffins
2 tbs earth balance or other soy butter

1/2 block of tofu cut into 8 triangles
2 tbs soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic
some parsley

1 recipe for wasabi cream
plus:
1 tbs vegan sour cream, I use tofutti
1 tbs fresh sage chopped
a dash of cayenne pepper

1 tbs olive oil
1 cup spinach

1/3 cup tabouli - you can buy it at whole foods or make it yourself

-- Turn your broiler on high.
-- Mix together all the ingredients after tofu. Marinade you tofu in this mixture and then place in a glass baking dish.
-- Cook until a little crispy on the outside about 12-15 minutes. Then baste the tofu with a couple tbs of the marinade. Cook for another 5 minutes. Repeat and remove the tofu.

-- Heat the wasabi cream in a sauce pan. If you're using extra that has been refrigerated it may be kind of thick. Whisk in 1/4 cup soy milk.
-- If you're making it from start to finish, just continue with these instructions.
-- When wasabi cream is full heated [[or thickened]], whisk in the sour cream, sage, and cayenne. Remove from heat and set on warmer until ready to use.

-- Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a medium pan. When heated, add the spinach and cook until slightly wilted.

-- Assembly: Top your buttered English muffin halves with the tofu, then spinach, then wasabi sage cream, then sprinkle with tabouli.

Warm Wasabi Cream

2010-01-25T09:27:00.006-05:00

I got a new camera last week! I'm pretty excited about it. It's a Nikon D5000, and though I'm not exactly a mad wielder of awesome pictures yet, I can see a huge difference with my food photos already. Which makes me pretty excited about this post. It's the premiere of the D5000.

I've really been plowing through The Conscious Cook. The recipes are a little challenging and often time consuming, but I really enjoy the change. This recipe is Old Bay Tofu Cakes with Horseradish Cream and Summer Vegetables. I made a few alterations, because sometimes it's just a pain in the ass to run out and grab every ingredient. Especially when you've gone to two stores already looking for old bay and you somehow forgot the horseradish.

Can't find Old Bay? It's often in the seafood section.

The recipe called for some shallots and other ingredients with fresh vegetables, bla bla. Instead, I bought a frozen bag of mixed, organic vegetables and cooked them with some thinly sliced yellow onion [[it's what I had on hand]], olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. And because I forgot the horseradish like a dummy, I decided to make a warm wasabi cream. Again, it's what I had on hand. Here's what I did:

[[Warm Wasabi Cream]]

1 heaping tbs earth balance
1 glove garlic
about 2 tbs brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1 tsp salt and pepper
2 tbs wasabi

-- Warm the E.B. and the garlic.
-- Add the brown rice flour when the E.B. is completely melted and slightly bubbling. Whisk together and let sit for 20 seconds.
-- Add the soy milk, salt, pepper, and whisk to combine.
-- Allow to thicken on medium heat.
-- When thickened, whisk in wasabi and set on warmer until ready to use.

The tofu cakes were phenomenal. I'm not a huge white pepper fan, so I may leave that out next time, but they were really great. They were a little difficult to patty after sitting in the fridge for a a half hour [[still too runny]], but I made due. They certainly didn't come out as pretty as his, but they still tasted great. Creamy inside, with greasy crispy outside.

Akron Vegan Bake Sale for Haiti

2010-01-18T10:47:00.003-05:00

Hey all. If any of you are going to be around Akron in the next few days, stop by the vegan bake sale for Haiti hosted by Vegiterranean. All proceeds are going to Doctors without Borders! Check out their event website for more info and to download a flier. And if any of you know of any others in Ohio or you're planning one is Columbus, be sure to inform Isa at the PPK -- she has a master list of all vegan bake sales for Haiti.

More From The Conscious Cook

2010-01-14T17:04:00.000-05:00

I'm posting again about The Conscious Cook, mostly because I seriously love it. Not to knock on my old faithfuls, but this book is completely different than all the other cookbooks I have. This is what I wanted Great Chefs Cook Vegan to be like, but it wasn't [[If you haven't seen that book, it's just a lot of overly complex recipes with machinery and foods I don't have access to and don't want to buy for one recipe]]. But this cookbook is just challenging enough for it to be fun and not daunting. And Ronnen does add some strange ingredients, like the lobster mushroom. I hunted for some, but an employee from whole foods assured me she's only seen them there once in the two years she's worked there-- so I'm thinking it's a pretty obscure item. From what I read, there's a fungus that grows on mushrooms, turns them red, and gives them a spicy/seafood flavor-- and that's a lobster mushroom. But even though you can't find some items, I've subbed a lot of stuff and it's always turned out spectacular. Here are some more things I've tried from The Conscious Cook...

Holy Mother of Pearl, this was delicious! This is the Paella: Nori dusted oyster mushrooms, artichoke hearts cooked in white wine and lemon, blackened Italian Field Roast Sausages with a delicious tangy rice. It's very remniscent of seafood, while being completely vegan. I loved it! I coundn't find a medium grain rice, as requested, so I just used some long grain brown rice. It took a lot longer to cook. Like an extra 30 minutes plus some extra no-chicken broth. But it was worth it.

I think this is probably the perfect dish. Pine nut and basil crusted gardein with purple kale [[or just regular kale, it's mostly for looks. I found the purple kale at Kroger]], roasted fingerling potatoes, and an [oyster mushroom] beurre blac sauce. It's supposed to have lobster mushrooms, but again, I could not find them. This dish did not lack without them, though! The sauce is rich [[with about 8 tbs earth balance!]] and creamy with a very sophisticated lemon buttery flavor. The base is supposed to be a cashew cream recipe Ronnen has in his cookbook, however, I didn't really plan ahead of time. Instead, I just made a roux with some flour and earth balance, then added about 1 cup soy creamer. Worked perfectly!

Anyway, I'm just really freaking obsessed with these recipes. I hope you all at least check it out. If you're in a cooking rut [[which I clearly am, by my lack of posting]], this book will rip you out of it. Maybe.

Dont' forget the amazing Cajun Portobello Sandwiches either!

Vegan Meetup 2010: Hal & Al's

2010-01-11T16:56:00.002-05:00

This is the email, please come! It will be fun and delicious. I promise:

What: January 2010 Columbus Vegan Meetup @ Hal & Al's w/Rad Dog!
When: January 23, 2010 4:30 PM
Where:
Hal & Al's
1297 Parsons Ave
Columbus, OH 43206
(614) 375-4812

"Happy 2010 all!

To kick off the new year, we're gonna visit a new-ish Columbus establishment that has joined forces with a well-known local vegan presence. Hal & Al's, a pub featuring live music and rotating artwork, is the current home of Rad Dog!

Tawd Bell has kept the familiar favorites from his all-vegan street cart menu and added such yummies as the Be Bin Bop (tempura-battered dog covered in kimchee and red pepper sauce), the Radneck (deep-fried beer brat smothered in mashed potatoes and gravy), tempura, fried pickles, pretzels, and mac-n-”cheese”, as well as other items. Check out the menu!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iC4fYXghOAg/SzEoZPa7ZuI/AAAAAAAAAEM/9FgpyUM2FoY/s1600-h/menu+small.jpg

This will be a pay-as-you-go event, which allows each guest the flexibility of ordering as little or as much as is desired. Though Hal & Al's is a pub, this will be a family-friendly event. Kids are welcome!

For our viewing pleasure, the artwork of Mike Martin will be on display.

As Tawd has requested a final head count to ensure that he can provide us with the best service possible, we kindly ask that all RSVP's be up-to-date by the designated deadline.

Come partake in delicious Rad Dog! comfort food and enjoy the company of like-minded folks in a cozy pub. Can you think of a better way to beat the gray days of January? We couldn't, either.

Hope to see you there!

Debra and Doug

RSVP here:
http://vegan.meetup.com/44/calendar/12072321/"

Winter Coats: Be Warm and Not Look Ridiculous

2010-01-11T10:09:00.015-05:00

I get a giant F for posting in 2010. I realize this. I'm trying though.

Anyway, I just wanted to share some awesome winter coat ideas for vegans living in Columbus. It may seem easy, but I remember my first year living in Ohio as a vegan. I think I was in Macy's for hours with my mother-in-law looking at every single label on every single coat. It was madness. But this year I'm smarter, wiser, slightly more savvy. And I think I've discovered the best ways to get NICE looking winter coats. Not to knock on veganstore.com or the like, but their coats are ugly. [[I guess that's kind of knocking, but it's true!!]]

Case in point:Very drab and shapeless. $199.95

Ugly and expensive? Seems ridiculous. Therefore, I bring you my favorite places to get really cool, really cheap vegan jackets. It's f-ing cold out there, so this seems appropriate. I'm not posting links, since websites frequently update and in a few months they'll all be dead links. I just want to give you a sampling of all the awesome vegan coats you can find in various stores.

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Forever 21:

You'd think every cheap store would use synthetic materials or cotton instead of wool just for cost purposes, but they don't. Places like Old Navy like to sneak in a little "10% wool" on you. Forever 21 does that too, but for the most part, you can find faux-leather jackets and non-wool pea coats that are really affordable.

100% Polyester, and really freaking cute pea coat trench. And at a whopping $37.80.

White faux leather jacket. $32.80

This cute little hooded number: only $32.80A black knit trench coat: vegan, chic and only $34.80

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American Apparel:

This kind of seems like a "duh" but American Apparel has some really awesome HEAVY vegan coats for women and men. They have a lot of cool things like faux leather hoodies, but they aren't very warm so I won't post about them.

This unisex, 100% vegan coat is sherpa lined, heavy and great for Columbus winter. Andrew calls it his sherpa coat. A little pricier at $157.00

Unisex snow vest, 100% polyester, $50.00

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Gap - for the men:

Gap is really good at getting cotton, non-wool items for the men. Not so much for the ladies though. There are a few thin, cropped trenches and a puffer coat for women, but their pea coats tend to be all wool blends. So here's a little info for guys about where to get good looking, cruelty-free stuff.

the barracuda jacket: cotton and polyester and really nice, only $79.50

100% cotton, camo and awesome. $98.00

All cotton and nylon, this carrignton twill coat is only $88.00

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Anyway, this was just a brief vegan coat tour. If you have any other suggestions, by all means, share. I hope you all are staying warm in a cruelty-free way.

Vegan Breakfast Part 1: Banana French Toast w/ Candied Walnuts

2009-12-30T12:54:00.006-05:00

Breakfast undoubtedly goes on my list of favorite foods. At my mom's house, everyone eats omelets-- daily. And before I was vegan, I was on the omelet train, too. I'd make one for lunch and probably eat another one for dinner during the summer. When I went to college, we'd drive to the nearest city to go to Denny's, just to get a midnight omelet with a side of everything [[because everything seems to come with everything, doesn't it?]]. My little sister hates eggs, though, so she was sort of the odd one out. She always wanted pancakes. And not to knock on my mom or the fine people at Bisquick, but I hated my mom's pancakes. I hate sogginess and the general texture of a non-fluffy pancake. But I can't blame her. Such a pancake takes infinite finesse and more time than she was willing to put into it. If you have Vegan with a Vengeance, Isa's adds lots of tips for perfect pancakes. One being: refrigerate your batter the night before. I swear by that.

But this post isn't about omelets or pancakes; it's about french toast. Whenever I want to do something nice, I'll wake up on the weekends and make french toast for me and Andrew. We usually just snack a granola bar or eat some cereal for breakfast, so it's always awesome when I have time to make french toast. These are sweet with just a hint of banana that doesn't overwhelm the undertones of vanilla and cinnamon. The candied walnuts aren't too sweet and add a nice texture contrast to the fluffy, crispy french toast. I love these!

[[Banana French Toast w/ Candied Walnuts]]
Check out my tips for perfect french toast.

French toast:
1 half loaf of day old ciabatta bread [[I got mine from whole foods on Lane Ave.]]
1 medium sized banana
1 cup soymilk
1 tsp vanilla
a dash of cinnamon
2 tbs canola oil

Candied Walnuts:
1/2 cup walnuts
3 tbs earth balance
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions for Candied Walnuts:
- Blanch walnuts by boiling them in salted water for about 3-5 minutes. Strain and set aside in a medium sized baking dish.
- Melt butter on stove top.
- When melted, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Pour over nuts in the baking dish and stir until they are all fully coated. Sprinkle with salt and cinnamon and bake for about 10-15 minutes.

Instructions for French Toast:
- Place all ingredients, except the bread, in a blender and mix until smooth and creamy. You can also whip it with a hand blender, but that gets messy.
- Slice day old bread about 1/2 inch thick.
- Heat a large skillet with one tbs canola oil. After dredging both sides of the bread and allowing excess to drip off, place on heated skillet. You can use the extra tbs of canola oil if it gets too dry.
- Cook each side about five minutes, or until crispy. Keep warm in 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions:
- Serve french toast with Grade A maple syrup, warmed. Top with sifted powder sugar and a tablespoon or two of candied walnuts.

Last Minute Vegan Gifts: The Conscious Cook

2009-12-22T10:14:00.005-05:00

I love finding new cook books that are able to give you something different. A lot of the time, you'll buy one, and get a lot of overlap in recipes, which isn't always bad, but it is uninteresting. But Tal Ronnen's "The Conscious Cook" gives a lot of variety and modernizes a lot of your old recipe books by incorporating things like Gardein and Field Roast.

This book is great for veteran vegans and newcomers. It contains high quality glossy pages full of amazing [[and sometimes not so simple]] recipes, plus information pages. It has interviews with the best vegan restaurants, with the creator of gardein, and "best of" pages with his favorites-- from his favorite types of mushrooms, to the best items to pickle. I especially love the utility recipes, like Ronnen's cashew cream. And if you get bored of Ronnen's style, he has guest chef recipes in there, too.

I've only made one recipe so far-- the Cajun Portobello Sandwich with Avocado and Remoulade. It has a lot of flavor-- the mushrooms hold a very meat-like savoriness, and the remoulade is a nice tangy accompaniment. It's easily one of my favorite sandwiches to make. And if you're really into cooking, you'll have a lot of fun making this. This recipce wound up only making two sandwichs for us-- mostly because I like a lot of portobello in my sandwich, so you may want to double up the portobello and marinade recipe. You get lots of remoulade left over, too, which is nice for other sandwiches you make throughout the week.

Anyway, try out this recipe, and buy the book. It's amazing. Get it for someone for Christmas. I don't think Ronnen ever mentions veganism in the book. He calls them "meat-free" recipes. Which is nice if you want to get this for someone who eats meat, and may want to incorporate some "meat-free" cooking into their lives. Either way, get it-- it's beautiful and the recipes are spectacular.

[[Cajun Portobello Sandwich with Avocado and Remoulade]]

Mushrooms:
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons low-salt Cajun seasoning, divided use
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed, gills removed, cut on the bias into 1/4-inch slices

Assembly:
About 1/4 cup rémoulade (recipe follows)
4 soft sandwich rolls, split
4 to 8 romaine lettuce leaves, rinsed and dried
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pit removed and sliced

Rémoulade:
1 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons capers, minced
2 teaspoons minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons minced red bell pepper

For the mushrooms: Place a large pot over medium heat. Sprinkle the bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat for 1 minute, being careful not to let it smoke. This will create a nonstick effect.

Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened. Add 1 tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning, along with the wine, vinegar and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Pour the mushrooms and liquid into a shallow container, cover and set aside to marinade for 1 hour.

Remove the mushrooms from the marinade and press between paper towels or in a cotton dish towel to remove the excess marinade, then sprinkle with the remaining Cajun seasoning, pressing the seasoning into both sides of the mushroom slices. Discard the marinade.

In a cast-iron skillet over medium high heat, cook the mushrooms in a single layer (you may have to do this in two batches) until blackened, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate.

To assemble: Spread a spoonful of the rémoulade on one half of each roll. Top each with 1 or 2 lettuce leaves and a few slices of tomato and avocado. Divide the mushroom slices among the rolls. Close each sandwich, cut in half and serve.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

For the rémoulade: Place mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt, capers, shallot, parsley and pepper in a food processor or blender and blend on high for 1 minute. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Makes 1 1/4 cups.

It's Been a While: Aloo Chana & Pumpkin Muffins

2009-12-17T13:42:00.006-05:00

The other day Andrew said to me, "Remember when you had a blog?" This was joke of course, but it made me feel bad for abandoning the CV for so long. I recently received a copy of "The Conscious Cook" that I promised to try out and post about-- and while I have several good intentions to make some recipes from it, I haven't quite had the time recently. But that's changing. So, here I am. Crawling back. With a post about one of my longtime battles: Indian food. [[I'm trying out "The Conscious Cook" tonight, and will report back.]]

Anyway, Indian food, for whatever reason, is really flippin' hard to make taste right. The recipes online or even in cookbooks just don't match the flavors you get in restaurants. They're either bland or too sweet. I combated the sweetest in past attempts by removing things like cardamom and garam masala [[lots of cinnamon]], but a lot of flavor was still missing. After talking to a fellow vegan in the area [[evolution]] about enchilada recipes, it occurred to me that maybe a tomato based sauce wasn't right for an aloo chana. He mentioned that the enchilada sauce he liked is chili pepper and water based. So with this aloo chana, I cut out the tomatoes and went chili based.

And while this isn't exactly right, it's damn near the best Indian food I've ever made. You'll like it. I'm just trying to blindly recreate a flavor in my mind, so whenever I don't get it right, I'm frustrated. But at least this recipe tastes good.

[[Aloo Chana]]

2 14 oz cans of garbanzo beans, drained
3-4 red potatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces

2 Anaheim chilies, roasted and chopped
1 white onion, chopped
2 small red bell peppers, chopped [[when I say small, I mean organic small]]
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of no-chicken broth
juice of one small lemon

3 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground Indian cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or more for heat
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ginger
1-2 tsp of salt

1/2 cup soy creamer
3 tbs fresh chopped cilantro
a lemon peel
brown rice

-- Place the two Anaheim chilies on a cookie sheet under a high broiler and roast until they are blistered and black. This should take about 10 minutes. Be sure to rotate to get all sides. Remove them from the oven and place in a paper bag for 10 minutes.
-- While you roast the chilies, chop the potatoes and boil in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes.
-- Remove chilies from the bag, and remove the blistered skin. Chop the tops off and remove seeds. Place in a blender with chopped onion, bell peppers, lemon, garlic and 1/2 cup of broth. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
-- In a skillet, lightly toast the mustard seeds on medium heat for about five minutes. While that's toasting, blend the cumin seed in a coffee grinder or spice grinder. Add the ground cumin to the skillet and toast that with the mustard seed. Add the rest of the spices, except salt. Stir for about 2 minutes.
-- Add 2 tbs vegetable oil and the chickpeas. Stir coat the chickpeas and allow to cook for a few minutes.
-- Add the boiled potatoes and stir those to coat. Add the remaining 1 tbs of vegetable oil if necessary.
-- At this point add your puree. Let the chickpeas and potatoes sit in the chili puree on medium high heat for about 10 minutes. Add chopped cilantro, creamer, and salt. Stir. Let sit for another 2 minutes.
-- If it becomes to thick, use your left out broth to thin it out. Serve over brown rice or basmati rice. Garnish with more more cilantro and a lemon slice.

I realize Aloo Chana isn't very festive. A lot of bloggers this time of year go out of their way to give you awesome holiday recipes. And if I were more on top of things, I'd probably do that, too. But I'm not. I did however, have this looming can of puree pumkin that never made it's way to a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, so I made these pumpkin spice muffins from Vegan with a Vengence. If you've never made them [[and I've had this book for a while, and neglected to try them]], you definitely should. They taste like winter and smell like heaven. Really. Sub in whole wheat pastry flour, and they're practically guilt-free [[maybe]].

Go South Florida!

2009-12-08T09:09:00.002-05:00

``A generation ago, it was quite unusual,'' said Dr. Neal Barnard, founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which advocates for vegan and low-fat vegetarian school lunches. ``Nowadays, kids do it for political reasons, environmental reasons, animal rights reasons.'' [[full article]]

I always wondered what the vegans in my high school ate for lunch. I know the vegetarians probably just ate candy, chips, and pizza [[so healthy, right?]]. But I did know a few vegans growing up-- and there was nothing for them. Not even a vegan salad dressing. So, it's really refreshing to hear about schools in South Florida, and not just college campuses, offering vegetarian AND vegan options. They recognize the switch in the way youth thinks, and they're feeding that demand.

Some of the veg*n options they offer:
* indicates vegan meal

Salad with sunflower seeds *

Gardenburger *

Cheese pizza

Black beans and rice *

Red beans and rice *

Egg salad on wheat bun

Grilled cheese sandwich

Some vegetarian and vegan offerings in Miami-Dade public schools:

Hummus and veggie platter *

Veggie chik tenders *

Vegan patties *

PBJ sandwich *

Rice and beans *

Cheese pizza

I don't have a kid, otherwise I'd probably try to push this. But if you do and you're veg*n, I would try to get more options in your child's school! It's possible-- they'll respond if a need is expressed. So, go do it!

In Vitro Meat

2009-12-01T09:27:00.002-05:00

For a few months now, I've been reading about in vitro meat that the Dutch have been brewing in labs from a small, fleshy sample of a pig. They say it may be in grocery stores as soon as 2014. PETA's been throwing cash at them in support, and I'm trying to decide if I support it myself. I'm working out the implications of in vitro meat in my mind and I can't really see anything wrong with it. Personally, I don't think I'll ever eat meat again. This meat is supposed to be healthier, greener, and cruelty-free [[all the major reasons to go vegan]], but I don't think I could stomach it. I guess the only issues I have with in vitro meat are in my imagination. What if it proves to be unhealthy? More cancerous than meat already is? And since I've been playing Left 4 Dead 2 a lot-- what if it's the start of the zombie apocalypse and we run around like mad cows gnawing our faces off?? It's a stretch, but what if...?

This is a picture of lab grown meat from TreeHugger

Then, I come to the question of eggs and milk. I haven't heard any word about growing dairy and eggs, but I start to wonder-- could I eat that? Could I go out and get pasta without worrying if they use butter or oil? Probably. I may not cook with it anymore, since I've harnessed this passion for MacGyver vegan cooking, but it'd sure be nice to eat out and not have to ask a thousand questions.

Anyway, I'm curious about what you guys think. Would you eat it? Is it technically "vegan" to you? Any zombie apocalypse thoughts?

Thanksgiving and an Ode to Pesto

2009-11-30T11:05:00.007-05:00

Thanksgiving was good. I got to get in Mimi's way while I tried to cook a whole other thrown-together Thanksgiving meal. It turned out well all things considered. I made a green bean casserole the night before, baked it without the onions, and carried it in a cooler as we drove to KY. I baked it there with some fancy fried onions I found at whole foods [[vegan!]]-- that way the onions didn't get soggy sitting in the cooler. Other than that, Mimi set aside some potatoes to make vegan mashed potatoes, and there were some sides of vegetables free of butter. Notably, this bean/corn stew type thing that Dave made the night before. And then the Tofurky with stuffing and gravy.

I don't have any new recipes for you, as this weekend we only had about 60 dollars until payday which means no grocery shopping, which means easy, thrown together food. I do however love pesto, and made some before we left to KY for Thanksgiving. So, I got to make some stuff with that. This isn't the healthiest post ever, mind you. It is the holidays, though, so it's to be expected. Don't worry, you'll probably join a gym for your new year's resolution.

Pesto pizza: whole wheat crust, pesto with cilantro, sauteed peppers, onions, and garlic, chipotle field roast sausages, and pickled jalapenos

Pesto sandwich: Fried tofu marinated in pesto, pesto spread, vegenaise, and fried onions on ezekiel toast. It's a low fat dish. :)

Family Guy: "My Life Has No Meaning"

2009-11-29T22:03:00.003-05:00

Brian, the dog from Family Guy, suffered a mini-crisis when he discovered that animal life has no meaning in a human-run world. He started an animal rights organization where he tried to get people to see that animal life has meaning [[much like PETA]] only to hear people say, "I want a cheese burger", "I wonder what a dog tastes like", "Let's eat him!!"

It's nice to see a show highlight something that frustrates me daily. Hearing someone say their love of bacon outweighs their love of animals really disgusts me-- and I think Family Guy made fun of it pretty well. They even had one douche bag guy say "They eat doggies!?" pointing out how silly it is when people hate pet cruelty more than other animal cruelty in general. I just wish the episode didn't end with Brian realizing his life has some kind of meaning as a house pet. Lost it's awesome cred. Keep an eye out for this episode if you haven't already seen it. It's hilarious and depressing all at once.

Spicy Tomato Quinoa

2009-11-23T09:20:00.004-05:00

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. I started a second job, which means more take-out and Amy's meals, less cooking, and thus less blogging. We were sick during the Thanksgiving meetup so I have nothing to show for that. It's been quiet here. But I'm trying to regain momentum.

I'll start with quinoa. When I eat rice, it's usually with a stir-fry or accompanied by beans and guacamole. And recently, I've been trying to re-invite quinoa back into my life in place of brown rice-- we've been shopping more at Kroger than the community market lately, and the market is the only place I know of to get quinoa. It's one of the best ways to get most of your essential amino acids, and my favorite food to mention when people ask how I get complete protein. It's probably the perfect food.

So, instead of using it in the standard ways we use rice, I decided to make an awesome spicy tomato quinoa that can stand alone. And it can.

This is spicy tomato quinoa, topped with garlic sauteed kale, cornmeal crusted tofu marinated in little lime juice, a garlic cream drizzle and a little chili powder.

[[Spicy Tomato Quinoa]]
1 cup dry quinoa
1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth, plus an extra 1 1/2
1 tbs tomato paste
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 Roma tomato, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp chipotle powder

-- Rinse the dry quinoa through a fine sieve. I let it soak for 10 minutes to an hour and then rinse it to remove any bitterness.
-- Add cold or room temp. vegetable broth [[1.5 cups]] and the quinoa to a large pot. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until the the vegetable broth is absorbed. This will take about 5-10 minutes.
-- In a separate pan, heat the olive oil on medium. When heated, add the garlic and allow to become fragrant -- about 30 seconds. [[You can test the oil with a small piece of garlic. If it sizzles, it's ready. If it starts to smoke, it's too hot.]] Add the onions, tomato, and bell pepper. Cook in oil for about 5 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent.
-- Check the quinoa. If it's still firm, add another 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and allow that to absorb. Continue doing this until the quinoa is tender. This may be more or less depending on how long you let your quinoa soak.
-- When tender, add the onion, tomato, and bell pepper to the quinoa including any excess oil from the pan. Add the tomato paste and chipotle powder and mix thoroughly.
-- You can eat it alone, or like I did - with garlicy sauteed kale and cornmeal crusted tofu.

November Treats: Pumpkin Spice Granola

2009-11-17T10:12:00.003-05:00

Hey, Columbus. I wanted to do a quick post about the most amazing granola I've ever had. I never got into the whole seasonal food thing, mostly because the thought of a pumpkin spice latte made me cringe a little. BUT I'm here to tell you, I've been converted. Pumpkin spice granola is officially my new favorite thing ever, served with vanilla rice milk. You can get it in bulk at the Clintonville Community Market, and I highly recommend that you do! It's flavorful, crunchy, and feels like fall in a bowl.

Tiny Canary Indie Design Market

2009-11-16T09:38:00.011-05:00

Sorry I've been gone-- first Andrew got sick, then I did. So it's been a long week of being sick at work or staying home in a coma all day. Sunday was our first real day out of the dungeon that had become our living room. We pried ourselves away from the hours of Left for Dead and Mad Men season 1 to go to the Tiny Canary Indie Design Market and it was awesome. Tons of people came from all over the country to showcase their awesome crafts, and Patty Cake was there with cookies and cupcakes and sticky buns.

I think people were pretty run down by the time we got there late in the afternoon the second day. It was funny. I like people that way. They don't really care what they say, and they don't try too hard to sell you on stuff. So you can peruse in peace. Here's some of the awesomeness we bought:

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The first place we stopped at was this soap booth, Metropolis Soap Co. The owner isn't vegan, but she does hate working with animal fat [[because it's nasty, duh]] so all of her soaps and lip balms are 100% vegan! She claims she can't bake, so she makes soap. The owner didn't want to be in the photo, so I cut her head off. Like I said, everyone was tired. She's based out of Brooklyn, NY and has this sweet retro wrapping that's kitschy, which I know you vegans love, and funny. You can buy any of her soaps, lip balms and other products online.

Some awesome orange creme lip balm. It smells amazing!! They're five dollars each.

Some soaps. The Black Soap Horror has charcoal in it which is said to extract toxins from your pores. And the green one is a really nice smelling spearmint soap. More lips balms and a flier. I think the soaps were 6 dollars each.

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This one is my absolute favorite. They are a brother and sister duo from Minneapolis, and they make these amazing necklaces with REAL, super tiny flowers in them. They are so beautifully hand crafted, you have to see them in person to really appreciate them. The only downside is that they are pretty pricey. This necklace, with a chain, came out to $74. But you get a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted necklace. I recommend clicking on this picture to see it up close and checking out the amazing selection on their website.

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And finally something awesome and Columbus-based! Wholly Craft is that pink, handmade looking store on High St. I had never gone in there, but after seeing them at Tiny Canary I definitely want to make the trip over. They have these awesome comic book coasters, posters, and Columbus theme magnets. I saw these and had to get them. They're just so sick. The one on the left is Superman saving a boat or something. The one of the right is Wonder Woman leaping from planes. Check out Wholly Craft!

Bodega Cafe Sucks @$$: Calling All Vegans

2009-11-16T09:15:00.007-05:00

Yes that's cheese one my side salad. They fudged up my order and brought me a new one.

So, Bodega used to rock for one super awesome reason-- their tempeh salad sandwich. It was the best faux-chicken salad I've had, and my favorite one to get. For some stupid, crazy reason -- they got rid of it!! I don't know if you've ever had it or even been to Bodega, but if you're vegan and in Columbus, please call them requesting it, demanding that they bring it back. Or you can do what we did. We ordered it, they said they no longer carried that item, so Andrew screamed in the background "well fuck you then!" and I said, "well we're not ordering then". Just so they know how much we miss it. Hopefully the message will get relayed, and they'll bring it back.

Here is their info (address, phone number, hours, and twitter):

Bodega, 1044 N. High Street
Columbus, Ohio
614-299-9399
11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Mon-Wed,
11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Thurs-Sat,
11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun
TWITTER: @ColumbusBodega

Write them letters. Call them. Walk in and leave in a huff. If not for the salad, then for vegan options everywhere. Too often they get removed from a menu, because restaurant owners think there's no demand for them. So demand it!!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2009-11-11T11:05:00.000-05:00

Andrew has been sick with a cold since last Friday, so I haven't really cooked much. I've just been getting takeout and trying to make him feel better, while simultaneously feeling like crap myself. I finally went back to work on Tuesday while Andrew stayed home and played Left 4 Dead all day. Butthead.

Anyway, LAST week I was really craving spinach artichoke dip and apparently Andrew and I have completely different memories of the non-vegan version of this dip. Whenever I had it, my mom bought it from Trader Joe's or something and it came all smooth in a container. It wasn't super chunky or cheesy. It was like a smoother, kinda chunky dip. If that makes sense. And I guess Andrew always got it at restaurants, really chunky, coated with lots of cheese. He called this more of an artichoke pesto. But it's not. There's no oil, and it's thick and creamy with cream cheesy goodness.

So, if you have Andrew's memory, then this isn't really the spinach artichoke dip of your dreams. You could probably make it chunkier and add a bunch of vegan cheese. I'm not in love with vegan cheese, so I stay clear. It is, however, a really great flavorful dip or spread. I put it on a sandwich with some Italian marinaded tofu.

[[Spinach Artichoke Dip]]

1 container of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1 large chopped shallot
3/4 cup of jarred and drained artichoke hearts with 1 tbs marinade
1 packed cup of spinach
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
salt and pepper to taste

-- In a blender, mix cream cheese, garlic, and shallots until smooth.
-- Then add the salt, pepper, artichoke hearts and marinade, plus half of the spinach. Blend it all roughly but not into a smooth consistency. You want some chunks of artichoke still.
-- In a medium sized sauce pan, add the rest of spinach and cook until wilted. Add the contents from the blender and warm on the stove. Serve warm with chips or crostinis.

Yes, I do eat brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes on the daily now.

Friday Night at the Rad Dog Opening

2009-11-10T08:50:00.007-05:00

The hub master fresh and I went out Friday to Hal & Al's for Rad Dog's opening. The bar is way the hell in BFE, at least for us, but it was worth the trip. They had their usual menu plus macaroni, fried vegetables, and some others. Andrew got the Bi Bin Bop, which is a tempura fried dog with kimchee and Korean red pepper sauce. He also got the mac n cheeze. I got the less adventurous but still delicious, Rad Dog -- beer brat, spicy mustard, sauerkraut, and grilled onions and peppers.

It was really packed when we first got there, so we were sort of awkwardly standing at the bar until some seats opened up. When we finally did get some seats, I noticed a couple of old men eating the mac n cheeze and asked if it was good. I guess they were really drunk, because one of the guys kept going on and on about how awesome the food was as he shoved a fork full in my face. I tried to decline as politely as possible making some comment about swine flu. Then the other guy offered me some of the "regular" bar food and I said I couldn't eat it. And he said What? Well Why the hell not? So I tried to explain I'm vegan, there's probably egg in that pretzel. And he shouts in a loud, old man bar voice You're a WHAT? A pagan? I tried to tell him louder VEGAN. And then Andew pipes in That mac n cheeze your eating has no cheese in it. And the one eating it said Well I don't care, it's good. That's when we realized that a silly amount of people didn't even realize that they were getting vegan food. A little later a couple came in, and Andrew asked if they were vegan. They weren't. I think it actually pissed them off that the menu was vegan, because they really wanted some hot dogs. I didn't see them get food.

Our orders took a long time to get out. I think that's just a product of street vendor gone kitchen runner. It was hard to see the little numbers people were given after they ordered. We saw Todd running around frantically trying to find whatever number order he had at the time. I imagine things like this will improve, though.

The food was awesome. They had an old school Nintendo you could play and a REALLY terrible DJ. I hate to pass judgment on peoples' musical choices, because I think that's snobby and arrogant, so I won't. He was bad because he basically sat there and let his iTunes go on autopilot while he text messaged people.

By about midnight, the bar was emptying out, and Andrew and I had had our fill. So we left. It was a cool little place. Some strange people, but really good food. Check it out!!

Balsamic Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

2009-11-04T14:21:00.005-05:00

I hate to be completely unoriginal, but this is a darn good sandwich. And if you don't roast at home, you should try it. You can throw 'em in an oven and go play xbox or read or something [[Anyone play halo or L4D?]]. I can't imagine anything easier.

Bodega in the Short North makes a really good roasted vegetable sandwich, so if you're even lazier than this recipe, you should go try theirs. Sub in a spinach salad for their mixed greens salad, and you've got yourself a hardy little plate of vegetables. And if you hate vegetables, go to the grand opening of Rad Dog at Hal & Al's bar this Friday! Because their hot dogs are awesome. But I hope you don't hate vegetables. You'd be a sucky vegan.

[[Balsamic Roasted Vegetable Sandwich]]
makes 2 large sandwiches

1 cup chopped broccoli, small bite-sized pieces
1 cup chopped cauliflower, small bite-sized pieces
1/2 of large zucchini, chopped small
1/2 of a large red bell pepper, chopped small
1 large shallot chopped
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil

4 slices of whole wheat bread, preferably ezekiel
1 tbs vegenaise
1 sliced roma tomato
1/2 cup of baby spinach

*Pre-heat oven to 475 F.
-- Chop all vegetables and place in a large baking dish so every piece is touching the bottom of the pan [[no piles!]].
-- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix with a spoon to evenly distribute.
-- Add the garlic and seasoning. Again, mix to evenly distribute.
-- Cook in pre-heated oven for 35-45 minutes, until vegetables are crispy and tender.
-- Toast bread, spread 1/2 tbs of vegenaise on each sandwich, top with roasted vegetables, spinach and tomatoes.

Tofu with Warm Cactus Relish

2009-11-03T14:27:00.002-05:00

So, I dropped the ball and missed the last day of the Vegan Month of Food. But I did a lot better than I expected and posted nearly every day. I was having some camera difficulties and instead of just posting some recipe with no picture, I decided to wait. Yesterday I was at the dentist getting hacked and filled so I wasn't really in the mood to post. BUT, I'm back and hopefully I can keep up the momentum of before.

I bought a jar of cactus yesterday on a whim. I've had it before, never worked with it, but have always liked it. It seems to be in mostly Mexican dishes with eggs and I suppose it would pair nicely with a tofu scramble, but I didn't do that. I decided to pair it with a cornmeal crusted tofu and a creole sauce [[I used no-chicken broth instead of wine and halved the recipe for this]]. It's a little Southern-Cajun-Mexican fusion. And it's amazing. The cactus is a bit slimy at first, which is off-putting to me, but it picks up flavors nicely and pairs really well with onions and peppers.

[[Warm Cactus Relish]]

1/3 cup jarred cactus, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup red bell pepper cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup coarsely chopped red onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
a dash of cayenne pepper, more to taste
1 tbs olive oil

-- Mix all ingredients in a small bowl, except for the olive oil. Toss to coat.
-- Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Cook mixture in olive oil until the onions and bell pepper are soft.
-- Serve hot on top of seitan, tofu, tempeh, a salad, tofu scramble, etc. Anything!
-- Optional: At the end of cooking, at about 1 tbs chopped green onions.

[[Basic Cornmeal Crusted Tofu]]

1/4 cup chickpea flour or white flour
1/3 cup water

1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
a pinch of salt

4-5 1/2 inch slices of tofu, pressed
2 tbs vegetable oil

-- Mix the water and chickpea flour into a thick paste.
-- Mix the spices and cornmeal in another bowl.
-- Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.
-- After pressing the tofu, rub the tofu in the wet mixture. You may need to massage it onto all sides of the tofu. Then press firmly in the cornmeal mixture on all sides. Repeat with all slices.
-- When all tofu is breaded, cook each slice on each side for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Place on a paper towel or paper bag to drain.
-- Top with creole sauce and cactus slaw.

Vegan MoFo Day 30: How to Fix a Broken Sauce + Recipe

2009-10-30T14:49:00.005-04:00

Above is a really delicious, but REALLY broken, sauce. It's a lemon butter sauce. The base is a little soy milk, reduced, and a little no-chicken broth, reduced. And sometimes, for one reason or another, when you add your fat, everything sort of falls apart. And you get this sort of speckled, animal print looking sauce. It's really frustrating for a vegan because the best way to fix a completely down-right ruined sauce is to use an egg yolk. But for obvious reasons, that won't work.

So, in honor of my failures this week, I thought I'd give you all some tips on how to fix your broken sauces.

1. If you see it start to break, immediately obtain some of your base [[this could be soy milk, broth, whatever you started with]] and whisk some in, about 1-2 tsp., until the sauce comes together again.

2. You can whisk a little flour in when you add your fat [[oil, butter, etc.]]. This way, your sauce is less likely to break since flour is a pretty awesome binding agent.

3. You can also try blending a little tofu, a flax egg, or using an ener-g egg replacer in order to bind the sauce again.

4. To prevent, add you fat slowly and whisk quickly. And don't let it sit on the heat too long.

[[Lemon Butter Sauce]]

1 tbs olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 cup chopped assorted mushrooms
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup no-chicken broth
1/2 cup soy milk
2-3 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 tbs earth balance
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

-- Heat olive oil on medium heat.
-- Add shallots, mushrooms and garlic, when oil is heated. You can test the oil with one piece. If it sizzles, it's ready.
-- Cook vegetables for 3-4 minutes. Allow the garlic to become fragrant and the shallots to become soft and translucent.
-- When ready, add the no-chicken broth. Turn the heat up to medium high. Bring to a simmer.
-- When the broth has reduced in half, add the soy milk and whisk together. Once again, allow the milk to reduce in half at a simmer.
-- Add the lemon juice. Whisk together.
-- Add the 4 tbs of earth balance and whisk quickly. Add the earth balance slowly! If you add it too quickly, it will break. Try one teaspoon at a time. If the sauce begins to break, try any of the methods to salvage the sauce as stated above.
-- Add the parsley and pepper. Serve over any meat substitute, vegetables, pasta, mashed potatoes, rice, etc. Be sure to not let this sauce sit on the heat too long, as that will cause it to break. Prepare it right when everything else is ready. And if you refrigerate it, you're doomed! Dun, dun, DUN! [[like scary music?... ok.]]

Vegan MoFo Day 29: Italian Spinach Salad

2009-10-29T12:54:00.005-04:00

Almost every day for lunch, I'll eat something small with a side salad of spinach and shiitake dressing. And that gets boring every day. So the other day for dinner, I decided to make something a little different, but still simple, so I don't get off the spinach bandwagon completely. A little variety to help me keep going strong.

And it's basically this: baby spinach, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted and salted pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh pepper. The cool thing about this side salad is that you could easy eat this as a giant salad for lunch-- the pine nuts give you some protein and the artchokes are rich enough to fill you up. Plus, it's super tasty.

I found marinated artichoke hearts at Kroger-- it's hard to find ones not marinated, but they're really good. They are lightly seasoned with some Italian herbs and sit in a jar of olive oil. They really gush with flavor. Roasted pine nuts are pretty easy to find. I think you can get them in bulk at Whole Foods, or Kroger has little bags of them in their baking section. Anyway, try it out. It's a great salad.

OH! P.S. That top chef challenge was VEGETARIAN, not vegan. I always thought Natalie Portman was vegan!?! Sell out.

I read since then she's become vegan, though.

Top Chef Preview: Don't Forget!

2009-10-28T16:51:00.003-04:00

I got an email from Bravo, who passed along this preview. Don't forget to watch Natalie Portman and her vegan challenge on Top Chef. I hope Robyn will do well, considering she was a raw foodist for a while. We shall see, friends.

Vegan MoFo Day 28: Pinot Noir Sauce

2009-10-28T16:17:00.005-04:00

Vegan Month of Food is winding down and it makes me a little sad. It should be vegan YEAR of food. It's nice to have a network of bloggers to read and to have some extra motivation to cook and post about it daily. It will feel so silent when all is done.

Today I went to the dentist for the first time in like two years. I was a little scared. But sure enough, the dentist tells me my teeth are awesome and strangely plaque-free [[even though I switched to fluoride-free toothpaste]]. I'm slightly prone to cavities and I already knew going in there that one was really bugging me, so unfortunately I have to get two filled. The dentist says I need to start using fluoride again, but I wonder-- if I'm so good at taking care of my teeth already, what more can fluoride do for me? Is anyone else on the anti-fluoride train?

Anyway, back to food and not my disgusting oral hygiene. I love sauces. I think they bring a whole meal together and set the tone for the flavors. I make a lot of white wine cream sauces, just because they're velvety and homey feeling, but I think I neglect the darker, red wine sauces. After making a gardein marsala the other day though, I've been turned onto red wine sauces. I used just a really cheap pinot noir this time and added a little flour to make it thicker than the marsala sauce. Topped it with a cornmeal crusted seitan and had some brussels sprouts on the side.

[[Pinot Noir Sauce]]

about 1 tbs olive oil or any oil, after cooking a protein
1 cup thinly sliced red onions
3-4 cloves minced garlic
about 1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 cups cheap pinot noir, or any red wine
1 cup no-chicken broth
2 tbs flour
salt and pepper to taste

-- Cook your protein in the same pan as your sauce. If you have any left over oil, use that to sautee the onions, otherwise add about 1 tbs. Cook with minced garlic.
-- When onions are soft and translucent, add the seasoning through oregano and cook about 30 seconds.
-- Add the red wine. Allow to simmer on medium heat until reduced in half.
-- Add the broth and stir.
-- When broth is incorporated, add the flour and whisk quickly to avoid lumps. Sifting the flour beforehand may help this.
-- Allow to simmer on medium heat until thickened. Add salt and pepper-- be sure to taste. You may want to add more seasoning per your preference.
-- Top on protein, mashed potatoes, vegetables-- anything.

Vegan MoFo Day 27: Brussels Sprouts!

2009-10-27T08:55:00.004-04:00

Honestly, until this year, I've NEVER had brussels sprouts. They're one of those things that I think my parents even hated so we never got subjected to them. And I think my parents' were just so happy that I liked one green vegetable -- green beans -- that they bought cans of them by the crate. My older sister liked broccoli with cheese. Shelby, the youngest, still won't eat anything green.

Since having them at Mi Lah's in Philly, I've craved them. I like the nice crunch they get and they pair so well, like most green vegetables, with a little earth balance. One cup has about 3-5 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, and about 50 calories. Another score for veganism. Protein from a vegetable.

[[Spicy Brussels]]

one container of brussels sprouts
2 tbs earth balance
1 minced clove of garlic
1 tsp fine sea salt
a dash of pepper
cayenne pepper to taste, I used about a 1/2 tsp

-- Chop off the brown stems of the brussels sprouts, remove any loose, browned leaves and slice in half.
-- Heat butter and garlic in a skillet on medium heat until garlic is fragrant. Add the brussels, cut side down. Cook until crispy and golden. Add the larger ones first, then the smaller ones, since the smaller ones require less cooking time.
-- Flip over and cook the other side until crisped. Spinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Vegan Mofo Day 25: Happy Birthday Andrew!!

2009-10-25T19:44:00.003-04:00

The birthday was a great success. I made a peanut butter chocolate cheesecake, some messy lasagna- no picture -, and an awesome brunch. And Andrew loved his environmentally wrapped presents. My vegan mofoing has suffered a bit lately but I should be back on track next week. The final week!!

Ok I'm blogging from my iPhone so I'll stop here.

Vegan MoFo Day 24: Busy and Presents

2009-10-24T20:09:00.004-04:00

I was so busy today getting Andrew's birthday cake and birthday dinner ready for tomorrow that I really didn't cook today. We did go to the vegan meetup with Rad Dog today, though, and had a blast! I hope I'll have some pictures of that for you all this week. And if you're in Columbus, consider coming next month for the Thanksgiving potluck.

I wanted to give you all an environmental tip. I'm sure you've seen it before, but if you get presents for someone, consider wrapping them in old newspaper or comics. Not only does it reuse your old waste but it also prevents you from making new waste! Plus, I think it looks kinda cool.

Vegan MoFo Day 23: Zucchini Casserole

2009-10-23T08:45:00.003-04:00

Andrew and I joined a gym recently. Well, it's a club. As the rain and the snow and the harsh cold comes, it's becoming increasily difficult to run regularly. And this place has it all-- indoor pool, treadmills, weights, sauna, tv's, and even a little area where you get beer and food [[I know-- beer in a gym?]]. But with all the awesomeness and healthfulness going on, it's amazing to me how baffled people get when we ask if they have vegan options. Are you really just serving these people beef and cheese and beer at a gym? It seems like a schemy marketing ploy to keep you fat.

Anyway, they did have one maybe-vegan option. We're not sure about the bread. It's a veggie wrap. Something I think vegans get to know really well because that's often all you can get at omnivore restaurants. And that's a shame. I think it almost makes vegans NOT want to use vegetables anymore. They have all these recipes-- and me included-- featuring varieties of faux meats and cheeses and they completely forget about old faithful-- the vegetables.

Which brings me to a zucchini casserole. I was a little wary of making this because it sounds too healthy and like a lot of zucchini for one dinner. But this was a pleasant surprise. I still kept my beloved seitan and FYH cheese in here, because I don't think they're bad. They can be a part of the dish without being the main part. That being said, they could easily be removed, too.

[[Zucchini Casserole]]

5 medium sized zucchinis, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup chopped seitan, tiny chops
3 shallots, sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 tbs earth balance
1 tbs flour- white, chickpea, or brown rice
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste
opt: a dash of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups of no-chicken broth

1/2 cup FYH mozzarella or whatever vegan cheese you like
1/4 cup bread crumbs

*Preheat oven to 400 F.
-- After slicing the zucchini, in a grease casserole dish make one layer of zucchini. Set aside.
-- Heat olive oil on medium heat. Season your seitan however you like-- I used a little creole seasoning. Then cook it in the oil until crispy.
-- Add the shallots and peppers, and cook until shallots are translucent. Set aside.
-- In a sauce pan, heat earth balance, garlic, and seasoning through parsley on medium-high heat. Add the cayenne now if you're using some. Cook for about 30 seconds and then add the flour and whisk until a smooth paste is formed. Heat for another minute or two.
-- Add the broth. Whisk until combined. It should thicken in about 2 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
-- Place the shallot/seitan mixture in one layer on top of the zucchini in the casserole dish. Then ladle some sauce on top. Then, add another layer of zucchini and repeat. Your last layer should be zucchini.
-- Top with shredded FYH cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes. Then, place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown. Remove and serve with garlic bread.

Vegan MoFo Day 22: Natalie Portman on Top Chef

2009-10-22T23:43:00.004-04:00

I almost didn't post today, because well... I haven't made anything recently. We went to the Airborne Toxic Event concert last night and went out to eat, and Andrew's birthday is coming up, like I said... so I'm a little disoriented.

BUT I was watching Top Chef tonight and found a reason other than my cooking to post. Natalie Portman is a part of the challenge for next week's episode! And that means, vegan!

I was so excited when Zooey Deschanel was on Top Chef Masters, but I was pretty unimpressed with their turn out. Someone just bought rice dream ice cream and topped it on some strawberry soup?

Anyway, this crop of chefs seems young and innovative, so hopefully they'll bring the heat. Although the preview had Natalie Portman talking about how disgusting something was... sooo, I'm not that hopeful.

Vegan MoFo Day 21: Cheesy Jackfruit Chimichangas

2009-10-21T13:09:00.006-04:00

Whenever I'm super stumped about what to make for dinner, Andrew always says in a mocking voice "Chimichangas". I think it's because the word sounds so ridiculous. Either way, it never helps and it just frustrates me. So, when I was super stumped last night, I decided "F it, I'm making chimichangas". And I did.

We had this lingering can of jackfruit in our cupboard that Andrew usually makes amazing BBQ "pulled pork" with but since he hasn't been in the kitchen since his green thai curry adventure, I decided to use it. I wanted it to be sort of carnitas-flavored, this time, which I hadn't done before. The results were very successful. I think this deep fried beauty has taken the place in Andrew's heart that my creole once held. And I'm ok with that.

I felt a little guilty about making these. But if you think about it, jackfruit is like a whopping 30 calories a serving. And vegan cheese is hardly something to worry about. I'm reaching-- but I never said this was a diet plate. At least the tortillas are whole wheat.

[[Jackfruit Carnitas]]
I read a lot of jackfruit failures online, and it usually because people buy the wrong kind of jackfruit. Use YOUNG GREEN JACKFRUIT IN WATER-- NOT BRINE! I can't stress that enough. And if prepared properly, I guarantee it's delicious.

2 tbs vegetable oil
1 can of YOUNG GREEN JACKFRUIT IN WATER, drained
2 tbs chili lime cholula
1/3 cup beer, I used my trusty magic hat #9
a few shakes of liquid smoke
1 chopped roma tomato
seasoning: chipotle powder, ancho chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
* a small dash of cinnamon -- small!

-- Heat the vegetable oil on medium heat.
-- After draining the jackfruit, keep the pieces whole and let them cook in the vegetable oil for a few minutes.
-- Some may feel soft enough to pull apart. At this point, add the cholula and allow it to saturate into each piece, flipping them over to fully coat. Coat each piece with a little seasoning-- all but the salt and cinnamon. Simmer for a couple more minutes.
-- Add the tomatoes, beer, and liquid smoke. By now you can probably break them apart. Some may be more easily broken than others. So, as they simmer in the beer mixture, break them apart, using the back of a fork for the harder parts. Partially cover, leaving an opening for some steam to come out, and allow to simmer on medium low-heat for 10-15 minutes.
-- The beer should evaporate and the tomatoes show have dissolved into the sauce. Add another layer of seasoning, including the salt and cinnamon. Taste. Keep on low heat and mix every so often until ready to serve.

[[Cheesy Jackfruit Chimichangas]]

1 recipe for jackfruit carnitas
1/2 cup daiya or FYH cheese
4 medium sized, whole wheat tortillas
1/2 inch of vegetable oil heated on high heat.

-- Place the tortillas on a baking sheet, top with cheese substitute of choice. Under a low broiler, melt the cheese. Keep an eye on them so you don't dry out the tortiallas
-- Remove from oven and top with jackfruit carnitas.
-- Closing the ends, roll the tortilla up and place in heated vegetable oil FOLD SIDE down first. Allow to brown about 20-30 seconds. Flip and brown the other side.
-- Remove chimichanga and place on a paper towel or a brown paper bag to drain.
-- Serve with guacamole or tofutti sour cream or salsa... or eat it by itself.

Vegan MoFo Day 20: An Old Favorite

2009-10-20T11:56:00.004-04:00

Last night we had mounds of dishes to do, and it being Monday, we were a little beat. So instead of bringing new, awesome food-- I'll show an old faithful. The creamy creole pasta. It's basically earth balance or olive oil and any type of thickener [[all purpose flour, chickpea flour, brown rice flour]] mixed in a pan in equal parts. Plus, one cup of soy milk and a half cup of vegetable broth or wine. Then some seasoning and sauteed vegetables. Check out the complete recipe.

We probably eat this creamy creole pasta once a week. I'm not sure how this ended up being our go-to meal, but it did. I guess it's a no-hassle way to get protein, carbs, and vegetables all in one meal, glued together with some creamy spice. And you don't really need a certain assortment of vegetables. I'll use spaghetti squash for pasta, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, varying types of onions, bell pepper, spinach, kale, tofu, seitan, tempeh, fake chicken patties-- you name it, it works.

Anyway, Andrew's birthday is this Sunday and the plan is vegan lazagna and a cheesecake that I will be decorating. I'm pretty excited about it and hope to get some good shots for you all. If you're on twitter, give @andrewwarner2 a birthday shout out. Happy Tuesday.

Vegan MoFo Day 19: Gardein Marsala Sans Mushrooms

2009-10-19T10:11:00.003-04:00

I had gardein for the first time while eating a faux chicken salad sandwich from the Clintonville Community Market made by Del's Wellness Forum Foods. The "chicken" was suspiciously chicken-like, and ever since I discovered it was gardein, I've been trying to figure out what the hell gardein is. While I'm still not entirely sure what it is or how it's made, I did recently find it at Kroger. They had a bunch of other varieties, but I grabbed the gardein chicken filets. They're flavor neutral, so you can make them with whatever sauce you want. Each fillet is only 70 calories and under 2 grams of fat. The ingredients aren't too crazy looking either - it's a combinations of soy, vital wheal gluten, various vegetables, and "ancient grains" including quinoa.

I've never had Marsala wine before, and honestly I don't know very much about wines. It turns out this 18% alcohol wine is too high to be carried at Kroger. Or any other grocery store for that matter. I forgot about these alcohol laws here that don't exist in California. We could have gone to Huffman's in Arlington, but they close early.

Anyway, his parents came to the rescue at 9:30 last night and had half of a bottle sitting in their fridge. I almost got frustrated at Kroger and just bought a regular, generic white wine. But I am so glad I didn't. Marsala wine has a really distinct flavor that makes chicken - or gardein - marsala really tasty. I should also mention that this dish traditionally is served with mushrooms, but since I didn't have any, I made it with thinly sliced red onions.

[[Gardein Marsala - Sans Mushrooms]]

1 tbs earth balance
1 tbs olive oil
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 box of gardein chicken-style fillet's - four fillets

3/4 cup dry marsala wine
1 cup no-chicken broth
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
a dash of oregano, thyme, parsley, pepper, and salt

2 servings of whole wheat spaghetti, cooked and tossed with a little garlic and earth balance

-- Pre-heat oven to 250 F and start the pasta.
-- Mix flour and first set of seasoning.
-- Heat butter and oil in a skillet on medium high heat.
-- Dredge the fillets in the flour mixture and cook in the butter/oil for 2-3 minutes per side until golden and crispy.
-- Place in a baking dish and put in the oven to keep warm.

-- Keep the oil and butter in the pan. Some of the flour should have come off of the fillets and make a sludge in the pan.
-- Keeping the heat on medium, add the Marsala wine while scraping excess bits from the bottom of the pan.
-- Add the seasoning and let the wine simmer and reduce about 5 minutes.
-- Add 1 cup broth and bring back to a simmer. Let that thicken slightly and reduce a bit.
-- Add the onions. Let simmer on low to medium heat until onions are limp.
-- Toss the pasta with a little earth balance and garlic, top with fillets from the oven, and add the sauce.

Vegan MoFo Day 18: Seitan Cheesesteak

2009-10-18T11:44:00.004-04:00

This will be a short post today. Andrew and I woke up late after a night at the Haunted Hoochie, and today we're trying to find a new gym to sign up with. We started actively running at the end of last winter and now that it's getting to be freezing cold again, we need to find a way to get our exercise on! So, hopefully we'll find a good place to go.

So, ths sandwich isn't exactly a cheesesteak. It's more like a seitan fillet with shallots, red peppers, and daiya cheese. Like a fancy cheesesteak. I've been trying to use the daiya cheese in different ways, and this so far has been my favorite. The daiya cheese has a lot more flavor than the FYH cheese I usually use, so it worked with with the spicy seitan fillets to compliment the heat. If you can't really handle spicy, I'd use less karen's hot wing sauce. That stuff is REALLY hot.

[[Seitan Cheesesteak]]

2 seitan fillets
2 shallots, sliced
1/4 of a red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs karen's hot wing sauce
1 tbs flour
1 tbs creole seasoning
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 cup italian blend daiya cheese
4 pieces of ezekiel sesame bread

-- Marinade seitan in karen's hot wing sauce.
-- Sauteed shallots and peppers with garlic in a little olive oil until limp an tender.
-- Dredge fillets in flour and creole seasoning. Heat vegetable oil on medium high.
-- When heated, cook each side of the fillets until browned and crispy.
-- In the pan, on medium heat, top with the sauteed peppers, shallots, and daiya cheese. Cover with lid until cheese is melted.
-- Put on toasted ezekiel bread with a little ketchup or whatever you like to put on your sandwiches.

Vegan MoFo Day 17: Morning Smoothies

2009-10-17T17:15:00.003-04:00

I try to have a smoothie every morning. That, or tea and a granola bar. But I feel better when I have a smoothie for breakfast. I've heard ever since I was little that you should never eat fruit after a meal because it will make you sick. I've never really had that confirmed by a doctor before, but I received a chain email recently restating that fact. The email also said that to get all the detoxifying health benefits of fruit, you should eat it on an empty stomach. I don't know how much of this I believe. Even an extensive google search didn't really give me more insight. Either way, I'll usually eat fruit as a smoothie in the morning, when my stomach is empty. My favorite smoothie I make is 2/3 cups of frozen raspberries, 1/2 of a banana, 3-4 ice cubes, and 1/4 cup of pure pineapple juice-- all organic. I really like tart fruits, and this ends up being a pretty tart smoothie. If I'm making some for Andrew, who doesn't really like the tartness, I'll use strawberries in place of raspberries and add more banana. Anyway, if you want to eat more fruit, do it in the morning. The potassium boost from the bananas gets you going first thing!

Vegan MoFo Day 16: Cinnamon Rolls!

2009-10-16T12:17:00.012-04:00

I've wanted to make these for a while. I don't baked breads much, so the thought of making cinnamon rolls is a bit daunting for me. The kneading and the shaping and the rising time-- it all seems like too much work to be worth it. But like most things I've tried in the kitchen, and in life, it's never as hard as you think.

And to make it that much easier for you, I created step by step instructions with photos. Sometimes, especially in pastry recipes, I'll read an explanation of how to do something, and it's gibberish. That's usually when I get frustrated, throw something in the sink, and tell Andrew I'm never cooking again. Luckily, most of my baking time is while I'm home alone now, so he doesn't get to see the tirades.

I got this recipe online. The pictures sold me. However, the recipe did not come with "by hand" instructions, just bread machine, stand up mixer, and food processor. Since I broke my food processor the first day I bought and I have been too stubborn to go buy a new one, I just did it all by hand. If you want other instructions, go to the link.

[[Cinnamon Rolls]]
by these people with some additions

bread:
Ener-g eggs, room temperature and beaten -- next time I'd try a flax egg
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raw sugar
5 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup plain soy milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

filling:
1/2 cup earth balance
1 cup soft brown sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons ground cinnamon

icing:
1/2 tub vegan cream cheese (like Tofutti), room temperature
1/4 cup vegan margarine, room temperature
1 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

By hand preparations:
1. Whip the egg replacer [[check out the box instructions]] until foamy. Set aside.
2. With a tsp sugar, mix the 1/4 cup warm water with the 3 tsp of active dry yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes.
3. While you wait for your yeast to look foamy and "alive", prepare the dry ingredients. Mix bread flour, vital wheat gluten, sugar and salt together.
4. Cut the room temperature butter into the dry ingredients.
5. Add warmed milk, vanilla, egg replacer, and yeast/water mixture to the butter/flour mixture. 6. Knead until it comes together to form a smooth, sticky ball. All the flour may not incorporate and that's ok. Just knead until it just comes together.
7. Place in a clean bowl and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
8. Get together your ingredients for the filling. Here comes the hard part... for me anyway.

9. Remove the dough after it has rested and roll it out into a large rectangle.

10. With a basting brush, spread softened butter onto the rolled out dough.

11. Sprinkle with brown sugar. In this photo it looks like a lot less. I halved the brown sugar just to make it a little lighter, but I'd recommend using it all.

12. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

13. Like a hot dog, roll from the longest side up. The tighter you roll it, the more it will buff up in the middles, so try to avoid rolling it too tightly. When you roll it up, seal the flap with a little water by pinching it and smoothing it.

14. With a knife, slice little lines so you cut them into even rolls.

15. Slice them and lay them in a grease baking dish about 1/2 inch apart. Flatten them a bit with your hands. Do not have them touching. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2-3 hours, or until they double in size. You can also refrigerate them and let the slow rise overnight for the morning. Or you can freeze them and save the 2-3 hours of rising for later.

16. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
17. While they're baking, mix together all incing ingredients. My rolls' icing looks different because I ran out of earth balance. So, if you want to make a thinner icing, you can do it without the butter and with a little soy milk, about 2-3 tbs. Use icing at room temperature.
18. When they're done, cover in icing and top with chopped nuts or raisins if you so choose.

Vegan Mofo Day 15: Trifecta Tofu with Spaghetti Squash

2009-10-15T10:36:00.005-04:00

I wasn't really able to go grocery shopping the other night so I had to do a bit of a pantry raid. I had a spaghetti squash lying around, and with that I made some creamy creole sauce with spinach, onions, and red peppers. I love spaghetti squash. It's really easy to prepare and takes to flavors just as easily as spaghetti, I almost feel stupid for ever using spaghetti.

For a protein, I wanted to do something really different but all I had was a few blocks of tofu. I'm always trying to mix up my tofu breading to find the best one, so I did a trifecta of breading. It's actually mostly because I was out of my whole wheat bread crumbs and had to mix in other stuff. But it turned out really good-- a thick hard crust with a lot of crunch. Unfortunately, the crispiness didn't carry over to lunch the next day.

[[Trifecta Tofu]]

1 block pressed tofu
1/4 cup crushed spicy blue corn chips, you can get these at whole foods
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
a little pepper and onion powder

1/3 cup brown rice flour or chickpea flour
1/3-1/2 cup water

2-3 tbs of vegetable oil

-- Press the tofu.
-- Mix the crushed chips, cornmeal, and bread crumbs with spices. If you can't find the spicy blue corn chips, you can use regular chips and add more seasoning.
-- Whisk together water and flour. It should be a thick paste.
-- Cut tofu into triangles.
-- Heat vegetable oil on medium high.
-- Coat tofu in slurry, then press each side into the trifecta mixture.
-- Cook in heated oil on each side about 2 minutes.
-- Serve over awesome pasta. :)

Vegan MoFo Day Day 14: Magic Hat Chili

2009-10-14T10:07:00.006-04:00

I don't drink a lot. Maybe once a month, sometimes twice. Everyone knows the freshman 15 is just code for beer belly. And then when you get out of college, it's all down hill from the 15. And I attribute all that to excessive amounts of alcohol. Sure, aging slows your metabolism and you don't have your parents there to tell you not to eat chipotle 3 times a day, but I think it's mostly the beer pong tourney's. Plus, wouldn't being a huge alchy just competely defeat the health benefits of being vegan?

That being said, there are two beers I really like. That's Bud Select and Magic Hat #9. I'm not a super beer guru by any means, but I know what I like. Magic Hat #9 works well with this chili-- it has undertones of apricot that pair well with the smoky chipotle flavor. And you may think, "Wtf Chickpeas?" but they work, too. They're a little harder than the black beans and sausage, which gives it a nice texture contrast. And this recipe is pretty spicy. So, adjust it per your personal Scoville threshold. Or do what I do, and put a buttload of tofutti sour cream on it.

[[Magic Hat Chili]]
I know I said the magic hat works oh-so well with this chili, but if you can't find it, I'm sure any fruity, flavorful beer will work. You all are probably better beer connoisseurs than I am. You'll figure it out.

2-3 tbs olive oil
1 carrot diced
3 celery branches diced
1 small red onion diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
2 red bell pepper diced
1 tsp chipotle pepper
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 bottle of magic hat #9
1 can of diced tomatoes, drained
2 cans of black beans
1 can of chickpeas beans
1 cup of no-chicken broth or veggie broth, plus more
1 tbs lime juice
1 tsp salt
2 chipotle field roast sausages, diced

finely chopped onions
tofutti sour cream

-- Heat oil. Add diced vegetables and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
-- Add the chili powders, pepper and cumin. Mix with a wooden spoon about 1 minute. Don't over cook the seasoning.
-- Add the beer. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
-- Add the drained can of tomatoes and beans. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes.
-- Add the no-chicken or vegetable broth and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add more vegetable broth if it becomes too thick.
-- Once thickened to desired consistency, add the salt, lime juice, and diced/microwaved chipotle sausages. Taste and add more seasoning as necessary.
-- Top with sour cream and onions. Serve with corn bread or garlic bread.

Fun Fact: Andrew has a black cat named Magic.

Vegan MoFo Day 13: Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Brittle

2009-10-13T11:58:00.004-04:00

I freaking love peanut brittle. Especially the chocolate covered brittle from See's Candy [[does that exist in Ohio?]]. Since I've been vegan I haven't had any, for obvious reasons, but whenever I got a box of assorted candies, that would be the first thing I'd look for. Andrew was convinced no one liked peanut brittle but me, until some 12-year-old on x-box live confirmed he liked it, too. That was a good moment for me.

This is a chocolate pumpkin seed brittle I adapted from the Joy of Vegan Baking [[the chocolate almond brittle]]. It's not really a brittle-- it's too soft. It's almost like a fudgy, nutty crumble. Ever since I made it, Andrew asks for it like every day. No joke.

It doesn't really need a recipe. It's basically equal parts melted butter and chocolate chips. Plus some pumpkin seeds and crushed graham crackers. I added a little agave and some cinnamon. Then you spread it thin in a greased pan and refrigerate it about 2 hours or until it's set. If you love brittle, this isn't exactly a brittle. I think next time I'll make a true brittle and dip it in chocolate. It works really well on ice cream, though.

Vegan MoFo Day 12: Daiya Cheese on a Rustic Pizza

2009-10-12T09:45:00.006-04:00

My Daiya cheese came in last week. I ordered the Italian shredded blend from Vegan Store, mostly because the cheddar was out of stock. So, I made a pizza!

I'm usually not a huge face of vegan cheese. I'll sprinkle a little on some seitan parm or drizzle a bit on a pizza, but it's never the centerpiece of what I'm eating-- always an accent. I don't really miss the melt-y, greasiness of dairy cheese-centric foods. I'd probably puke after a heavy dose of pure cheese.

That being said, I do have favorites... Well, one favorite. I love Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet's mozzarella. It's the best. It has a pleasant flavor with no strange after taste. It melts well. It's just an all around good product. I wouldn't have tried Daiya had everyone not mentioned it to me so frequently for the pure fact that I'm so please with FYH. But I did.

The Daiya cheese was good. Andrew and I realized we had tried it before because Z Pizza, based purely on our tastebuds, uses the same cheese. It didn't steal the show for me, though. It melted just as well as FYH. It tasted different, but still good. And I actually had one issue with it. It's almost TOO gooey and melty. It sticks to the roof of your mouth and your lips and face [[well, the lips and face thing may just be me heh]]. It's almost like glue cheese.

I don't know. Maybe it's just me. But I still love FYH...

Here's what I did for my pizza: I made one whole wheat pizza bread dough recipe. Preheated my oven to 500 F. I used left over Puttanesca sauce for my base, drizzled with cheese, topped with sauteed red onions, sliced roma tomatoes, and spicy tempeh. Baked for 10 minutes and ate.

I really want to make a vegan Canadian "bacon" and pineapple pizza. Maybe next time. . .

Vegan MoFo Day 11: PPK Banana Bread

2009-10-11T22:25:00.003-04:00

I almost didn't post today! We went out with Andrew's parents to get a new computer. It's Andrew's birthday in two weeks, so they were buying him an early present. His old computer sort of just died on him.

Anyway, this is some killer whole wheat banana bread, soft on the inside with a hard, crusty outside. I found the recipe on PPK and subbed in some whole wheat. Unfortunately, it being fall, it fell prey to the fruit flies that we keep getting. Apparently they love bananas and subsequently banana bread. It was deeply upsetting. It was in the microwave, too!

Vegan MoFo Day 10: Pasta Puttanesca

2009-10-10T11:46:00.003-04:00

Happy Saturday, everyone. This is just a really simple pasta sauce. I jazzed it up a bit with the oregano and shallots, plus the toppings. Even though it's so simple, it packs a lot of flavor. I also read on the internet that this is a "whore" pasta. Something about it being easy for an adulterous house wife to make before her hubby gets home. That being said, you should still try it.

I also got my order of Daiya cheese this week! I'm excited to try it. I feel bad abandoning FYH because I do like it so much. But I had to see what all the fuss was about. I plan on making a pizza today and reporting back.

[[Pasta Puttanesca]]

3 tbs olive oil
4-5 shallots, cut into rings
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
salt, pepper, red pepper to taste
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
opt: pine nuts and nutritional yeast for topping
whole wheat angel hair pasta

-- Heat olive oil on medium heat. Add garlic and shallots. Cook 4-5 minutes until shallots are softened.
-- Add oregano and red pepper. Cook for 30 seconds.
-- Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.
-- Dice and add kalamata olives.
-- Serve over whole wheat angel hair pasta and sprinkle with nutritional yeast and top with pine nuts.

Vegan MoFo Day 9: Pesto Crostinis

2009-10-09T12:21:00.004-04:00

So, after being completely discouraged by pesto, I finally had a great success! I only made pesto one other time. It was some crazy internet recipe that called for nutritional yeast and spinach and all sorts of crazy nonsense. That was the first time I ever tried pesto, too, which made me think I just didn't like pesto. I've now realized what everyone else already has-- pesto rules! This time, I just did bare bones pesto, and it was perfection! [[Thanks for the encouragement]]

This is a really pretty way to serve pesto-- a slightly thicker pesto, spread on a crispy bread with olives. You can make your own baguette [[I hear it's pretty easy]], or kroger sells some multi-grain ones like this.

Here's what I did: I bought some fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, and a mini baguette. For the pesto, I blended garlic, salt, and pepper with equal parts basil and pine nuts while slowly adding extra virgin olive oil in a blender, pulsing. I refridgerated it for an hour. For the crostini, I sliced the baguette and put them under a high broiled for about a minute [[watching them]], and then flipped them over for another minute. They should be cripy, not burnt, but almost stale feeling. Then, I spread the pesto on the crostinis and topped them with sliced kalamata olives.

Vegan MoFo Day 8: Tofu Lollipops!

2009-10-08T09:10:00.003-04:00

I finally did it. I deep fried something. I'm not completely ashamed of deep frying, only because it's so much fun. And looks pretty [[the bubbles?]]. But I'm a little ashamed. It made me feel better to eat a side of kale with it.

It occurred to me yesterday that I haven't had a corn dog in forever. The last one I had was probably at the California state fair in high school. I can't be certain, though. Anyway, all this reminiscing on corn dogs inevitably lead me to want a corn dog really bad.

I briefly flirted with the idea of using store bought veggie dogs, but I didn't really want to use the amount of oil it would require to deep fry long hot dogs. I suppose now that I think about it, I could have just chopped them into little sausage bites, but tofu seemed more exciting. It probably just made me feel better like the kale did.

So these guys turned out pretty elegant. They look less carni, hot-dog-on-a-stick and more tasty tofu surprise at the end of a stick. Tofu is a cool thing to use for a corn dog inspired dish because you can flavor it any way you want to beforehand. And then you can have different, exciting flavors inside your crispy cornbread encasing.

[[Tofu Lollipops]]
This will make about 16 lollipops. I just used half of the grilled tofu, saved the rest for lunch, and made half a cornbread loaf with the rest of the batter.

1 block of tofu, pressed for 1 hr
2 tbs olive oil
chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper
1 tbs soy sauce

1 recipe for cornbread, with a dash of chili powder
* I used one from The Joy of Vegan Baking, but here's one from the PPK. I trust them. If you want to use your own, just make sure it's a neutral cornbread and not a sweet one.
1/3 cup white flour
16 bamboo skewers, you can find them at kroger
a pan with 2-3 inches of vegetable oil

-- To begin, unwrap your tofu and drain. Wrap in a clean kitchen towel and cover with a heavy object for an hour.
-- Cube the tofu, drizzle with soy sauce and season. Mix with a spoon to coat tofu with seasoning.
-- Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. When heated, add the tofu and cook until all sides are browned. Remove from skillet and set tofu aside.
-- In a pot, heat vegetable oil on high, about 2-3 inches [[enough to submerge the tofu]]. Be careful not to get any water in the oil, it'll sizzle and burn you.
-- Prepare cornbread batter, adding a few dashes of chili powder.

-- Set up a frying station: Tofu, white flour in a bowl, and cornbread batter.
-- Stick tofu on skew and dust with flour. The tofu won't stay on the skewer well until you fry them, so be careful.
-- With a spoon, dip the skewer in the cornbread batter and use the spoon to completely coat the tofu. The batter will be thick so it won't dip easily. Just scoop and spread it on there.
-- Dip the skew in the heat vegetable oil for about 10-15 seconds. Watch them, they will brown quickly.
-- Place on a plate and do the next one.
-- Lightly salt them and serve with mustard, ketchup and hot sauce.

Columbus Vegan Meetup: Rad Dog

2009-10-07T16:15:00.004-04:00

If you're in Columbus, come to the vegan meet up this month!! It's a great group, run by some awesome people [[Doug and Debra]]. If you're looking to meet more vegans, this is a good place to go. They're all super smart and have great cooking tips, too.

What: October 2009 Columbus Vegan Meetup @ Scioto Audubon Metro Park w/Rad Dog!
When: October 24, 2009 12:00 PM
Price: $9.50 per person
Where:
Scioto Audubon Metro Park
395 W. Whittier Street
Columbus, OH 43206

For $9.50, you will receive a Rad Dog! combo consisting of:

*A vegan sandwich of your choice: Hot Dog (single or double in one bun), Beer Brat, Italian Sausage, Kielbasa, Beer Brat w/sauerkraut, peppers, onions & mustard, Chili Dog w/salsa, Reuben, or Sloppy Joe
*A cup of vegan chili
*Blue Sky Soda or water
*A Pattycake Vegan Bakery cookie

If you haven't heard of Rad Dog, it's Columbus' own all vegan hot dog stand. I haven't given them a try yet, but I hear great things!

Be there! Or be square. . .
I said it.

Vegan MoFo Day 7: Sweet Potato Hash Browns!

2009-10-07T09:41:00.003-04:00

The only kind of hash browns my little sister will eat are the weird egg shaped ones from McDonald's. She's almost 16.

But I can understand that. They're more like mashed potatoes with a really greasy, crispy outside. When I first ordered hash browns at a place other than McDonald's, I was pretty disappointed. Still greasy and crispy, but they didn't have that golden tater tot look and smooth inside. Instead they were more like a crispy, spider-like blob on my plate TOUCHING my eggs [[I didn't like mixing food too much back then]].

Since then, I've eaten the spidery hash browns on the regular, covered in everything, touching everything. But being vegan makes it hard to find hash browns I can trust. I'm convinced they're all covered in beef and butter.

THESE hash browns are extra special, though-- sweet potato hash browns. I can't express to you how amazing these turned out. And I can trust them.

[[Sweet Potato Hash Browns]]

1 sweet large potato, shredded
2 tbs vegetable oil, plus more for frying
Seasoning: salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder

-- Shred one large sweet potato. Using a clean dish towel, wrap up the shredded sweet potato and press to remove excess moisture. Return to table, and then press the shredded sweet potato in handfuls in the dish towel. You want the potato to be pretty dry.
-- Place dried out sweet potato in a large bowl. Add 2 tbs oil and seasoning. Stir to coat.
-- In a large skillet, heat about 1/2 inch of oil on high heat. Spread the shredded sweet potato in one thin layer and cook until browned. Cut into four sections. Flip each section over and cook the other side.
-- Serve with ketchup or sour cream and top with some cilantro.

Vegan MoFo Day 6: Spicy Teriyaki Stir Fry

2009-10-06T09:24:00.005-04:00

Vegans make a lot of stir fry, so I feel a little silly posting about one. But it's Vegan MoFo so I'm posting about everything.

I recently picked up some black bean garlic sauce. My stir fries are always pretty average in my opinion so I've been looking for a little something to make them more interesting. My step dad once recommended I use black bean sauce, and I always assumed it was actual black beans-- which translated into not very flavorful. Apparently they're black SOYbeans, which just means they're a lower carb, less bean-y flavored version or your standard soybean. I don't know if that makes them more flavorful than a black bean, but they worked in this sauce.

I also have this weird thing about tofu. I hate a stir fry with gooey tofu, UNLESS it's siklen tofu. Strange, I know. And when you make stir fries, you usually just throw everything in a pan or wok and cook it. So for this stir fry, I had to cheat and do it in parts, just so the dang tofu was crispy enough. I guess I could have done all this in one pan and layered everything, but then there would have been too much oil in the pan.

Anyway, this is how I did it.

-- First I fried the tofu in peanut oil so it got all hard and crispy.
-- Then I took the tofu out, dumped the oil, and sauteed the onions, mushrooms, and broccoli a bit in the residual oil.
-- In a separate, small pan, I heated teriyaki sauce, 4-5 teaspoons of black bean garlic sauce, some raw soy sauce [[it's all I had]], and however much sriracha I could handle.
-- Then I dumped the sauce over the broccoli and tofu and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring.
-- Serve over brown rice. Or the less healthy version, white rice.

Vegan MoFo Day 5: Spicy, Smoky Pumpkin Sauce

2009-10-05T09:14:00.007-04:00

So it seems the icy, bitter cold in Columbus has faded away a bit and now we're in to the best season-- fall! It's still sunny but it's chilly. You get all the fun of bundling without the seasonal depression. I don't know why we had a few days where I was already busting out the winter jackets, but it's all gone now.

In honor of the great weather, I wanted to do something uniquely fall that didn't involve a spiced latte or sugary pie. While I love pumpkin in all sweet situations, I wasn't sure it would work in a sauce. I thought pairing it with a spicy, smoky flavor, like a chipotle, would give it that savory dimension that makes it okay to pair with tofu. And while this is still very unique tasting, it definitely worked. So if you're all pie-ed out, and have a lingering can of plain [[make sure it's not a pie mix!]] pumpkin, I'd give this a try. It's pretty spicy, and I mention that in the recipe. You may want to work in only half the spices, and then add the rest later.

[[Spicy, Smoky Pumpkin Sauce]]
This makes a lot of sauce. I would recommend halving it for four people.

1 14-15oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup soy milk, unsweetened
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp chipotle powder [[or less, check for spicy level]]
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
salt and pepper

-- Heat olive oil and vegetables. Heat oil on medium to high heat and cook onions and garlic until onions are translucent.
-- Brown the seasoning. Add all seasoning [[or half if you're going to check spiciness and add more later]] to the oil/onion mixture. Mix around for about 30 seconds until browned.
-- Add pumpkin puree, water, vegetable broth, and soy milk. Whisk together quickly. Add more water if the sauce is too thick. Heat for a few minutes and remove from heat.

-- I made some plain brown rice, sauteed some kale and garlic, and fried some tofu. For the tofu, I breaded it with a flour/water slurry and whole wheat bread crumbs with oregano, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Then, I fried it in safflower oil until crispy on each side.
-- Top generously with pumpkin sauce.

Vegan MoFo Day 4: Sweet Potatoes Rule!

2009-10-04T09:45:00.000-04:00

Sweet potatoes were one of those things I was late on the bandwagon for. They're so orange and the concept of a sweet potato did not entice me. The closest to a sweet potato I've ever had were yams [[apparently they're different]], covered in marshmallows on Thanksgiving and I hated those. But who wouldn't?

Then, for the first time at Tip Top, I had sweet potato fries. I felt stupid. No wonder people love them so much... because they're amazing! They work so well with smoky, peppery seasoning to make a really appealing sweet and spicy combination.

I've had them every other day for the past week or so, just because I love them so much. And since they're so healthy and decently cheap, I really don't feel bad about it.

[[Simple Instructions for Sweet Potatoes]]
One large sweet potato seems to be plenty for 2 sides, maybe 3.

1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Cube one large sweet potato and boil in water for 10 minutes. Don't over boil so they're mushy. You just want them a little softer.
3. Drain. Put in a shallow baking dish in a single layer and coat with any high heat oil.
4. Spice with whatever. I use a little smoked paprika, chipotle powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix around.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until desired crispiness.

Vegan MoFo Day 3: Survey Says!

2009-10-03T10:00:00.002-04:00

I found this survey on Whoa Wren's blog and thought I'd take a lazy Saturday to fill it out. You should fill it out, too.

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?
Rice milk. Vanilla.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
I'm determined to make a good pesto, whole wheat cinnamon buns, and ... it's not really cooking, but ice cream!

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
earth balance and salt.

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
I made a chocolate cake and didn't know the difference between dutch processed and regular cocoa powder. EPIC fail. It tasted like ass.

5. Favorite pickled item?
Jalapenos.

6. How do you organize your recipes?
At home, I have a baker's rack with post-its and tabs for things I make often. At home, I have a "vegan blogs" tab on my toolbar filled with recipes.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
Trash.

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)?
sweet potatoes, avocados, and seitan

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
Pretending I was French and doing stupid accents while I made boxed alfredo with my sister.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Mocha Almond Fudge ooooh my god

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
Wooden spoons... Is that an appliance? ;)

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
I probably would say cayenne pepper or something, but it's really salt.

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
Veganomicon.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
Strawberry.

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
Cheesecake! They never know...

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
Seitan and tofu are close. But probably seitan.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
I like cooking mid day.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
Ezekiel cereal and a shit ton of empty bottles of alcohol. Not mine. They're all Andrew's brother's!

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
Amy's frozen pizza, blue berries, ground flax seed

20. What's on your grocery list?
Garlic, broccoli, vegan oyster sauce, onion... I need to go shopping, bad.

21. Favorite grocery store?
Kroger or the Co-op

22. Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet.
Brown bread and sweet butter from Outback Steakhouse.... oh man.

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa's because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?
Happy. Healthy. Life. , Vegan Dad, Fat Free Vegan... iono I read a lot. Everything on my blog roll and more.

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Green & Black... 85% dark

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
Meeh. I don't buy extravagant. I got a Z pizza for lunch?

26. Ingredients you are scared to work with?
Iono... almost everything in produce. I don't know what to do with half that crap. I will never buy coconuts again.

Vegan MoFo Day 2: Chili Rubbed Seitan Tacos

2009-10-02T10:25:00.006-04:00

I think I make entirely too much Mexican food. My love of pickled jalapenos and large amounts of guacamole is intense. But I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with that. I just worry I'm becoming too one dimensional: creole or mexican. It's just so good......

Anyway, I just wanted something that was spicy and flavorful. I'm discovering more and more that homemade seitan is WAY better than store-bought seitan. If you haven't tried to make it yourself, I encourage you to do so. It's cheaper than buying it and really not that hard. I find that I can control the texture more and get better shapes than the cube chunks you get when you buy it.

Don't worry too much about using these exact chilies. You can use whatever you have or can find. There are endless possibilities for flavor combinations.

[[Chili Rubbed Seitan]]

5-6 serrano chilies, seeded and chopped up
1-2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped up
2-3 tbs safflower oil, plus more for frying
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
a little salt, pepper, and cumin
opt: add a little chipotle powder for some smokiness

-- Slice seitan into strips and pat dry if you had them in stored in a liquid. Place in a shallow dish
-- Put all ingredients in a blender and combine until a coarse paste is formed.
-- Pour over seitan, be sure to coat all sides. Allow to marinade for about an hour.
-- When ready, heat oil in a pan and fry with a little marinade.
-- Eat them in a taco with some tofutti sour cream and guacamole or in a burrito or whatever. They're crispy and spicy and perfect for almost anything. Hell- throw 'em in a stir fry!

Vegan MoFo: Blueberry Scones

2009-10-01T09:08:00.003-04:00

When I was little, we lived in Santa Barbara, CA. My mom, for some strange reason, was obsessed with winter holidays. She had whole collections of strange Christmas CD's, our houses always had to have a fire place [[we moved a lot]], and we always baked a lot. As a kid I always enjoyed it, but looking back I see how silly it is to have a roaring fire when it's 70 degrees out. It was all fun, but seemed really unnecessary. My mom wore Ugg boots with her shorts and t-shirt.

Now that I live in the mid-west, where there are seasons, especially fall and winter, I'm starting to understand exactly why we do all these wintery things around the holidays. It's grey. It's cold. All your plants died. It's pretty depressing. But baking... and fires... and snuggling... those all grab new meaning to me.

Perfectly flaky in the middle.

I was laying on the couch last night, feeling cold and bored and just zoning out like a giant sloth. The cold weather really gets me down. Eventually, I got out "The Joy of Vegan Baking" and made her amazingly delicious blueberry scones. And suddenly I didn't seem to mind that it was near freezing and dark at 6. Because I was eating an incredibly flaky, warm blueberry scone. That was my a-ha moment. Baking makes so much more sense when it sucks outside.

Anyway, if you want to bake the best vegan stuff ever, like scones and pies and lemon cheesecakes -- buy The Joy of Vegan Baking. It's my favorite.

Happy World Vegetarian Day! And the start of Vegan MoFo!

Vegan MoFo: My First Year

2009-09-29T14:03:00.005-04:00

I've failed to post as regularly as I'd like to these past two months. Sometimes you just lose the fire. I'm hoping to up my game again and start posting daily. FORTUNATELY, Vegan MoFo kicks off in two days, and that will be some extra motivation. And if you haven't already, you should sign up, too! Post a comment on Cake Maker's Blog before October 2 to be included on the list and on the RSS feed. And if you want to go the extra mile, mail out a press release to your local media about the Vegan Month of Food.

Potatoes Au Gratin, With a Kick

2009-09-24T10:46:00.004-04:00

I've been on a big soy cheese kick lately. Namely, mozzarella. I think it may have something to do with comfort food and fall coming. Cold weather and garlic cheesy bread or seitan parmesan just go together. They scream hybernation. And fat. Although it hasn't been a very chilly fall so far. Just dark. And humid.

Anyway, I don't think these are like traditional potatoes au gratin at all. I've never really had them, but they always seemed really delicious in my mind. For me, these are the ideal way I'd want them to taste [[because I dream about what potatoes au gratin taste like?]]. Rich with a creole kick. And they're really not that bad for you. You could even use olive oil instead of the earth balance and just keep out the tofutti sour cream. Then you're just eating soy milk and potatoes. I'm not making this sound very appetizing, but I swear these are great. Even if you keep the recipe the same, red potatoes instead of white and a little spinach makes me feel better anyway.

[[Potatoes Au Gratin]]

5 red potatoes, boiled
1/2 cup shredded FYH mozzarella soy cheese
whole wheat bread crumbs for sprinkling
spinach for layering
2 tbs earth balance
2 tbs unbleached white flour
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup red onions, chopped finely
1 3/4 cup plain soy milk
1 tbs tofutti sour cream
1 tbs creole seasoning

-- Preheat oven to 350 F.
-- Boil potatoes until easily pierced with a fork. Set aside and allow to cool.
-- Heat earth balance, onions, and garlic in a pan. Cook until onions are translucent. Add flour.
-- Whisk flour together with butter/onion/garlic mixture until fully incorporated. Heat while stirring for 5 minutes.
-- Add milk and whisk quickly to dissolve flour mixture completely. Let boil on medium heat for 5-10 minutes in order to thicken. Stir occasionally.
-- Add seasoning and sour cream, whisk together thoroughly. Set aside.

-- Slice your cooked red skin potatoes into 1/4 inch slices.
-- Grease a deep baking dish. Make a single layer of the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Top with a layer of spinach. Fully coat with a scoop of sauce. And repeat until you have used all your sauce and potatoes. Make sure the top layer has sauce!
-- On the very top layer, top with shredded mozzarella soy cheese and sprinkle some bread crumbs on top.
-- Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and place under broiler for 2 minutes to crisp.