house vegan.

vegan mofo: momoko cuteness

2010-11-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

When you think “Texas” or “college campus” you don’t usually think “bubble tea.” The good news is that you totally can. Right in the middle of the UT neighborhood is the tiny Japanese boutique and tea shop, Momoko.

I went in today and got a new one for me, Romantic France. It tastes like pretty, if that makes sense. The color on this one is pretty bland, but the taste is amazing. I like getting a tea handed to me that’s bright pink, blue or purple. I’m not complaining about the color of this one, I’m just noting that the occasional technicolor drink is always welcome!

Momoko makes hands down the best bubble tea I’ve had anywhere. They don’t use powders or crazy machines or concentrates. They brew the tea, give you the option of milk (or soy milk!) and serve it to you in a normal plastic cup. No flimsy plastic wrap topping and no BS. This place is absolutely the real deal. I’ve been going to Momoko for almost 7 years and I have yet to try a tea that wasn’t delicious. They have a massive selection and I’m pretty confident that they’re all good.

Things you should know before going in:
* They have a card minimum of $5. Drinks are anywhere from $3.50 and up, adding boba is, I believe, $0.50 (don’t quote me on that!) and substituting soymilk is $1. My drink today cost $5.14 (+ $1 for tip)
* As you could probably tell from the above note, they are really pricey. I think it’s completely worth the price. After years of trying to find a vegan bubble tea, I really don’t mind paying so much.
* This is the kind of unique store you’ll want to support. The owner is crazy sweet, the vegan offerings are huge and it’s impossible to be in a bad mood here. The gifts are ridiculously overpriced, but I love it so much, I sometimes don’t mind spending $10 on a coin purse.
* Parking is limited, so consider street parking.
* The also offer rice balls and shaved ice. The shaved ice comes with a sweet creamy sauce that’s not vegan so if you want shaved ice, make sure you ask them to leave it off.

I love this place. I’m not a Japanophile, I just really love bubble tea. If you also really love bubble tea, get to Momoko.

Momoko
705 W 24th St # A
Austin, TX 78705-4742

vegan mofo: autumn care package cuteness

2010-11-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

Last week at work was realllly rough. In order to maybe boost some morale or at least show that I'm a lover, not a fighter, I made my coworkers a mini Autumn care package.

Those are pumpkin chocolate chunk cupcakes with a cinnamon caramel icing, candy corn gumdrops, peanut butter pretzels, chocolate teddy grahams and peanut butter crackers.

I'm dropping it off this afternoon. Hope they like it!

vegan mofo: halloween with awesome people

2010-11-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Mofo, everyone! I hope you're all as excited as I am. This month I'll be cooking up a storm, visiting my favorite veg friendly restaurants and being crazy social. And that's where I'm kicking off Mofo: Socializing.

This year we spent Halloween at our dear friend's Chris and Crystal's house (from Vegan Explosion and Food For Lovers fame!) Crystal's birthday is in October and she asked us over to eat pizza, watch movies and celebrate.

When we walked in I was instantly drawn to the punch bowl. It was purple and looked so menacingly delicious with the dry ice! It was so good! We threw in a little Brandy to give it extra umph. Yum!

The rest of the spread included chips and pear relish, fruit, my own contribution of muddy buddies
and these glorious sugar cookies. They were so moist and flavorful, I couldn't even believe it. And look how cute!

We also ate something that I was beyond excited to try. Queso from THE jar.

If you aren't familiar with the exciting things going on in the world of vegan queso, Food for Lovers is C&C's queso company. They were the original great queso makers and have been working their asses off to get it on the shelves for everyone to enjoy. This stuff is unbelievable. If you are aware of the queso and have been excitedly waiting for it to take it's place among the other vegan staples, you will not be disappointed. It's amazing! It's just like the original recipe only better if you can believe it. Patience is a virtue and the FFL queso is worth the wait!

All of this delicioness happened before dinner. They ordered pizza from Conan's Pizza who has just started carrying Daiya. I'm not the biggest Daiya fan, but Conan's used it Right. They got the proportions and use down so that the pizza was perfectly balanced. We got ours with onions, peppers and olives.

It was perfect. Generous with toppings, not crazy with the Daiya and with just the right amount of sauce (which was a lot!) The crust reminded me of the delivery pizzas of days past. Austin Vegans, get to it! Order from Conan's and show them how much we appreciate the option. Maybe we can convince them to start carrying vegan meats. It Cruzer did it, maybe Conan's will!

After we completely stuffed our faces, we all gathered around their ginormous TV for some movies that M picked for the occasion. We watched the adorable Frakenweenie (against mine and Crystal's apprehension), It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (at my insistance) and Ed Wood , the brilliant film about The Worst Film Directer of all time.

It was a fantastic night. C&C were amazing hosts and pulled out all the stops (dry ice?!) Vegan entertaining doesn't have to be overwhelming or difficult. It can be low stress and still be completely impressive. I can't say whether or not this was stressful for them, but they made it it feel totally comfortable and like it was no big thang. Meanwhile mine and M's mouths stayed open the whole time from eating, drinking or in just plain aw.

If you're down for some vegan entertaining, I've got a post coming up later this month with some of my own tricks, secrets, ideas and aspirations. M and I love to entertain and did it a lot when we lived in Los Angeles. We're still trying to work out our own style in the new TX digs, but so far I'm pretty pleased with what we've come up with!

This whole post was brought to you by:

Charlie and Betsy, Koop (perfect blogging music), the coffee I'm currently enjoying and the plea that Austin Vegans support the hell out of Conan's Pizza.

Conan's Pizza
603 W. 29th St.
Austin, TX
http://conanspizza.com/

Vegan Mofo 2010

2010-10-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

Vegan Mofo is almost upon us, you guys! I have lots in store for next month including burger nights, bentos, creme brulee experiments (ooh la la!), espresso drinks, bubble teas, entertaining and even a whole feature on some of the amazing vegan tacos Austin has to offer. And I'm not talking about tacos from vegan establishments. I mean tacos that are out there mingling with non-vegan tacos. Showing them up, stealing the show and being available when your friends want tacos and refuse to go to Guero's.

And thats only a few of the things I got going on next month. It's gonna be great! Meanwhile, there's a pumpkin cookie party happening on my counter.

Recipe from wing-it vegan.

snack bar

2010-07-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

Last night I was feeling a bit dejected and cabin feverish. M agreed that getting out of the house would be boss so we got in our car and headed down to Snack Bar on South Congress.

We've heard mixed reviews, but having had a pretty decent experience there about a week ago we decided to try it out for dinner.

First things first, drinks. I got a Shandy which is lemonade and beer mixed together. The beer I chose was Pearl Light. I had never had it, but I liked the name and the calorie content. Someone later in the evening told me it was the Texas 70's version of PBR. So there you have it. It was good. The Shandy I mean. The beer by itself was...beer. M tried to order two different wines, but they were out of both of them. Same thing happened last time we were there. I don't know whats going on with that, but it's pretty lame.

The Shandy

Ordering food there is so easy for vegans. They have a lot of vegan options (including dessert!) and handy little hearts next to said options on the menu. Easy identification! I ordered the Seitan Satay and Dilled Brussels. The seitan was excellent. I was really impressed. It was caramelized on the outside and juicy on the inside. The peanut sauce was great and the noodles and mixed greens were perfect accompaniments.

Seitan Satay

The brussels were pretty good. A small side gets you a lot so kudos to them for not being stingy. Dill and brussels sprouts may not be my favorite flavor combo, but I get where they were going. They could have done with a better sauté, but they were decent.

Dilled Brussels

I wanted dessert but was way too full. They sell NadaMoo ice cream which I would have devoured if I had room!

All in all, I'm a fan! As a vegan, I appreciate the unique options Snack Bar has to offer. I wouldn't go there expecting the fastest service or top notch experience, but for a low key meal, I like it. Next time I go, it's gonna be for brunch. I'm curious about their vegan waffles.

Snack Bar
1224 S. Congress Ave.
Austin, TX
snackbaraustin.com

ate. graduated. ate more. moved. still eating.

2010-07-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

9 months is a long time to refrain from blogging. Life has changed really intensely way in that time.

I graduated. I hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas at our house. I went to Paris with my husband. I visited, was visited and explored while biding my time till The Move. The Move finally came and went and now we have relocated to my previous home of Austin, Texas.

Beer - Tacos - Alamo Draft House - Zilker - Family - Momoko - Mopac - Spider House - Central Market - Epoch.

That is what my life has looked like since being here.

I'm unemployed, trying not to be fat and want to enjoy the foods (new and old) that Austin has to offer. We'll see what happens!

vegan mofo: snack time

2009-10-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

I snack a lot throughout the day. I have to or I'll freak out. Hunger turns me into the Hulk. I need to keep my blood sugar even and my metabolism going otherwise...RAWR!!!!

Here's what I've been snacking on lately:

1. Tea and Toast

When I'm feeling sluggish or tired, tea and toast is my go to. I have a pretty big assortment of teas to fit any mood. My afternoon tea is usually something green like Jasmine. I drink mostly decaf, but the energy green tea gives me is pretty balanced. I'll make a little pot (or french press, rather) of tea and half a piece of toast with peanut butter. That usually gets me going.

2. Apples

My husband lost 40+ lbs by balancing his meals, minimizing his portions, taking daily walks and eating 2 - 3 carrots a day. Ask him what the most important factor of his weight loss was and he'll say it was the carrots. One between breakfast and lunch and another between lunch and dinner to keep his metabolism up. He's lost his weight, but he still eats two carrots a day. What does this have to do with apples?

I don't need to lose weight, but I like the idea of a high metabolism and not gaining 5lbs every time I eat french fries. I don't like carrots so I went for apples. I snack on apples a lot, but I'm not as vigorous with them as he is with his carrots. The problem is that there was a time in my life where I was eating 3-4 apples a day. After, like, a year of that I got kind of sick of apples. Still, I like them more than any other crunchy fruit and they do the job. If you're feeling stuck in your weight loss, may I suggest carrots or apples?

3. Trader Joe's Seaweed Sesame Rice Balls

Oh my dear God, these things are heavenly. They taste like Funyuns only so much better! I ate half a bag the first time I got them and I could have kept going. I had to stop myself because I knew I would want more later. Get them and let Trader Joe's know that they can NEVER EVER EVER discontinue them. Ever.

4. Daiya Not Cheez Its

I've got to stop buying Daiya Cheez. These crackers are always calling my name. At first I wondered if it was a waste to use Daiya in crackers. It's not exactly cheap, y'know? But after making the Not Cheez Its I feel like it's a waste to use it for anything else.

5. Garlic Teriyaki Noodles

Noodles don't sound like the smartest choice for a snack, but these are so easy. They're great when you're lazy or drunk. And they're perfect late at night. The recipe is only for 1oz of pasta so it's just a small little snack.

Garlic Teriyaki Noodles

1 oz dry udon noodles
1 - 2 tsps olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. teriyaki sauce (I don't measure, but if you must.)

1. Boil the pasta for 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a skillet over medium low heat, heat up the olive oil. Once hot, add the garlic. You're sweating the garlic, not sauteeing. Let sweat for about 2-3 minutes. Until the garlic gets a little golden.
3. Turn the heat up to medium and add the noodles and toss around in the garlicky oil. Let them cook for about 3 minutes, tossing often.
4. Add the teriyaki sauce and toss to coat the noodles. Let them cook for about 2 more minutes. Serve!

Yay eating!

vegan mofo: taste of life

2009-10-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

We are beyond blessed in LA with the Hollywood Farmer's Market. It has so many FANTASTIC options for vegans. Sorbet, truffles, chili, tacos, korean goodies, thai goodies, tamales and many many more. Many more including the star of the market, Taste of Life. Vegan soul food served with smiles and snark. I love them, I love their food, and I love that they're in my life. Here's me (in the red hoodie) excitedly buying what would become my only real meal last Sunday:

Here's what I got:

kale, pot roast (seitan), bbq tofu and macaroni and cheese,

The kale was the star for me. I had never had it before and now I crave it every. single. day. The pot roast was really really good, but really really intense. I get it every now and then and space it out throughout the day. It's...strong. The tofu was reminiscent of the BBQ Tofu from Mothers in Austin. It's saucy and nutty. Definitely a a winner. The mac and cheese is, I'm pretty sure, world famous at this point. There's nothing I can say that hasn't been said. It's delicious, unique and worth any stomachache you might get from eating it too fast.

Not pictured was a white peach ginger juice that the guy makes. It's sooo gingery and refreshing. I don't think they advertise it though, so next time you're there, ask him about it.

vegan mofo: mint cacao nib ice cream

2009-10-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

....whaaaaat? There's a gelato stand at the Hollywood Farmer's Market that sells awesome vegan sorbets and (sadly) not vegan, but amazing looking gelatos. They make their goodies using only things from the farmer's market. Many a Sunday afternoon I have enjoyed Spicy Strawberry or Cucumber sorbet while my husband enjoyed his Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean or Mint Cacao Nib gelato. While the sorbets are fantastic, I'm always a little jealous of the flavors he gets to experience. Knowing this, he said "This is silly..we'll just make them vegan." I love him.

We decided to start with Mint and Cacao Nibs. He told me that the NV version was unlike any mint ice-cream/gelato he's ever had. The mint is not from an extract, it's from leaves infused into the milk. It has a strong mint flavor, but with an herb-ness not present in extract.

He found a nonvegan recipe online, bought some Mimicream and had a go. Perfection. The mint is definitely strong and herby and SO FRESH. The cacao nibs offer great texture and a chocolate element that isn't sweet. The nibs really tie the ice-cream together. If you like mint chocolate chip ice-cream, this recipe will blow your mind.

Mint Cacao Nib Ice-Cream

2 c. Mimicream, sweetened
2/3 c. sugar
3/4 c. fresh mint leaves (Any will do, I'm sure. We used spearmint.)
1/2 c. rice milk
1/2 c. soy creamer

1. Put the Mimicream, sugar and mint leaves in a stainless steal pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture begins to boil. Remove from the heat and let steep for 1 hour so the flavors can infuse.
2. Once steeped, scoop out the mint leaves and discard. Add the rice milk and soy creamer to the infused Mimicream. Cover and let cool completely (about an hour or two in the fridge or overnight.)
3. Pour into your ice cream maker and run according the manufacturer's directions. Once done, stir in the cacao nibs.
4. Cover and put in the freezer. Eat right away OR let it freeze at least two hours for maximum tastiness.

Veganized from this recipe.

vegan mofo: vegan 100

2009-10-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

Vegan’s 100

1) Copy this list into your blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out or italicize any items that you would never consider eating.

1. Molasses
2. Cactus
3. Scrambled Tofu
4. Grilled Portobella Caps
5. Horseradish
6. Sweet Potato Biscuits
7. Cornbread
8. Vegan Cole Slaw
9. Carrot/Squash/Sweet Potato Soup
10. Fiddlehead Ferns
11. Roasted Garlic
12. Umeboshi
13. Almond Butter
14. Aloe Vera
15. Fresh Bagels
16. Butternut Squash
17. Truffles/truffle oil
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Wasabi
20. Coconut Milk Ice Cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Apple cider
23. Mango
24. Quinoa
25. Papaya
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet
27. Goji Berry
28. Fennel
29. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie
30. Radishes
31. Starfruit
32. Sourdough bread
33. Sangria
34. Sauerkraut
35. Acai
36. Blue Foot Mushrooms
37. Vegan Cupcakes
38. Tempeh
39. Falafel
40. Spelt Crust Pizza
41. Oyster Mushrooms
42. Jicama Slaw
43. Edamame
44. Hemp seeds/milk
45. Champagne
46. Persimmon
47. Avocado
48. Tofu Pesto Sandwich
49. Vegetable juice
50. Seitan
51. Prickly pear
52. Almond Milk
53. Concord Grapes
54. Ramps
55. Coconut Water
56. Arugula
57. Vidalia Onion
58. Kale/Collards/Swiss Chard
59. Honeycrisp Apple
60. Taro root
61. Vegan Smores
62. Grapeseed Oil
63. White Peach
64. Pita bread with hummus
65. Chestnut
66. Guava
67. Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
68. Vegan marshmallows
69. Plantains
70. Mache
71. Beets
72. Pickles
73. Liquid Smoke
74. Meyer Lemon
75. Veggie Paella
76. Vegan Lasagna
77. Kombucha
78. Soy Milk
79. Loose tea
80. Lychee fruit
81. Tempeh Bacon
82. Sprouted Grain Bread
83. Lemon Pepper Tofu
84. Vanilla Bean
85. Watercress
86. Carrots
87. Vegan Pie
88. Edible Flowers
89. Corn Chowder
90. Vegan (raw) chocolate
91. Yellow Kiwi
92. White Flesh Grapefruit
93. Harissa
94. Coconut Oil
95. Jackfruit
96. Risotto
97. Spirulina
98. Tangerine
99. Sorbet
100. Fresh Peas

vegan mofo: migas

2009-10-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

God, I miss Texas. I miss Texas so much, that I will go through pain staking efforts to feel like I'm there. I pretend I still live in Austin so much that it's bordering crazy. People say "Man it's hot" and I say "Well that's TEXAS for ya!" and then they look at me like I'm nuts. Which I kind of am. Nuts for Texas that is....!

Naturally I cook a lot of Tex-Mex and Texas food. I have to. If I'm going to stay slightly sane, I need to at least eat like I'm in Texas. Yesterday I was feeling particularly homesick so I made kick ass migas. I ate them right out of the pan and they were delicious. Had I not been so desperate, I would have served them with some refried black beans, tortillas and homefries.

Migas

6 - 8 oz firm tofu, lightly pressed and crumbled
1/4 tsp. black salt
1 - 2 tbls. oil
2 corn tortillas, cut into strips
1/2 an onion, diced
1 jalapeno, small diced
vegan cheddar cheese to taste ( I use a teeny amount, but you may prefer to load it on)
1/4 c. salsa
salt and pepper to taste

1. Stir black salt into the tofu. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over md - high heat. Add the tortillas and fry, stirring often for 3 minutes or so. Add the onions and jalapeno. Cook until onions are translucent.
3. Add the tofu and scramble. When the tofu has browned to your liking, sprinkle with cheese. When the cheese is melted, add salt and pepper to taste. Add more black salt if you want it to taste more eggy. Top with salsa and serve.

vegan mofo: lightening hot tofu nuggets

2009-10-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

The last installment for Percy Jackson MoFo: Lightening Hot Tofu Nuggets. Get it? Lightening hot...Lightening Thief...LIGHTENING. Eh..anyway. These are tasty, spicy and an awesome use of tofu. LOVE.

Lightening Hot Tofu Nuggets

6 - 8oz. super firm tofu (or firm tofu, pressed, frozen and thawed) and cut into nuggety shapes
Enough oil to generously coat the bottom of a medium skillet

Marinade:

1 tbls. soy sauce
1/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. vegetable broth powder
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 - 3 tbls. sriracha sauce

Breading:

1/4 c. flour
2 tbls. bread crumbs
2 tbls. cornmeal
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt

1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade. Add the tofu, making sure all the sides are coated. Let the tofu sit in the marinade for at least half an hour, stirring and turning once half way through to give each piece a chance to soak.
2. Once the tofu is marinated to your liking, start heating the oil over medium-high heat. Mix together the ingredients for the breading.
3. Bread each piece of tofu. When the oil is hot enough (really hot, but not smoking!) add the breaded tofus. Fry on each side. Drain on a paper towel or cooling rack. Serve hot! To make them super hot, I dip the tofu in sriracha. Crazy, but delicious.

vegan mofo: oatmeal cookie owls

2009-10-14T20:18:00.000-07:00

The next recipe for Percy Jackson week is Oatmeal Cookie Owls. Athena (rather her children) play a huge part in the books. They're smart, strong and all together awesome. When thinking about what food to do for them I thought, obviously, it needed to be owl shaped no matter what. I don't know why I decided on oatmeal sugar cookies, but I'm glad I did. They have potential. They're good and totally passable, but not amazing. I think they'd really benefit from some icing. I might ice them tomorrow and repost my thoughts. Until then here's the veganized version of this recipe:

Oatmeal Owls

1 cup white sugar
1 cup vegan margarine
2 ener-g egg replacer "eggs"
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cream sugar, margarine, "eggs" and vanilla. Mix in oats, 1 3/4 c. flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Dough should be roll-able. Add the rest of the flour if needed.
4. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. With an owl shaped cookie cutter, cut out the shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Hope that all makes sense! I'm a little under the weather tonight.

UPDATE: No need to ice. They're so much better the next day. YUM.

vegan mofo: blueberry blue pancakes

2009-10-13T14:11:00.001-07:00

My second post for Percy Jackson week is Blueberry Blue Pancakes. In the books, Percy has an ongoing thing with his mom about blue food. His stepfather made a stink about blue food, so they did it to spite him. They would eat blue candy, blue cakes and, of course, blue pancakes. I thought about making them a really fake neon blue, but it would be ridiculous to ignore the blue-ing effect of blueberries. The pictures aren't a great indication of how blue these guys are. They're really blue. They're also perfect. In their tastiness and their blueness.

Blueberry Blue Pancakes
(an very blue version of the Vegan Brunch Perfect Pancakes)

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbls. canola oil
1/2 c. water
1 c. pureed blueberries (About one cup whole berries. If it doesn't exactly equal a cup after pureeing, just even it out with non-dairy milk)
2 tbls. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat for at least 2 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center and add the oil, water, blueberries, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix until just combined.
3. Spray pan with canola oil spray. Pour pancakes one at a time and cook until bubbles form and the top looks somewhat dry (about 3 minutes). Flip over and cook for another minute or so. Serve!

vegan mofo: ambrosia blondies and nectar of the Gods smoothie

2009-10-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

VeganMofo: Percy Jackson style!

I LOVE this book series. I want mayhem to surround them. I want to see other people who love the book as much as I do. I want to see kids running around in Camp Half Blood shirts with pretend armor. I want lines at the theater when The Lightening Thief movie comes out! I don't know if it'll happen, but maybe it will. Maybe there's this whole group of fans that I don't know about. In any case, I'm embarrassingly obsessed with these books.

If you've never heard of it, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a book series about a boy who finds out he's a Demi God. Things chase him, there are prophecies and adventures ensue. The series takes place in our world but with the understanding that the Greek Gods are alive (and reproducing) and Olympia now resides above New York City. People relate the series to Harry Potter, but really, that's bollocks. The similarities are the age of the boy and the fact that he's not all together human. End of similarities. Read some reviews and check out the books at the local library. You won't regret it!

This week is going to feature some delicious Percy Jackson related food. Starting with Ambrosia Blondies and a Nectar of the Gods Smoothie!

Ambrosia Blondies
(adapted from the Macadamia Blondies from Vegan with a Vengeance)

For the Blondies.

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces firm silken tofu (this is half a package of the vacuum-packed kind)
1/4 cup coconute milk
1/3 cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups raw almonds, partially chopped and partially ground.

Topping:

1 1/2 c. shredded coconut
15 oz. can diced pineapple, thoroughly drained (or 12 oz. diced)
1 orange, peeled, sectioned and diced

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.
2. In a blender, whiz the tofu with the coconut milk until smooth. Add the oil, sugar, and vanilla, and blend again.
3. Pour the tofu mixture into the flour mixture and use a firm wooden spoon to combine everything well. Fold in the almonds. The batter will be thick and have a cookie dough consistency. Spread in the baking pan and bake for 25 minutes.
4. Prepare the topping. (Just mix all ingredients together.)
5. Remove the blondies from the oven and spread the topping over them, return to the oven, and bake for 10 minutes.
6. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Serve garnished with chopped almonds.

Nectar of the Gods Smoothie

1 banana
1/4 c. coconut milk
1 c. orange juice
1 tbls. ground flax seeds
1 - 2 tsp. anything else tasty (peanut butter, berries, coconut, anything that makes you feel fantastic)

1. Throw everything in a blender and blend. Drink, replenish and re-energize! Yeah!

vegan mofo: bad vegan

2009-10-11T02:00:00.000-07:00

"OMG I've been such a bad vegan. I can't help but eat these cookies/brownies/chocolate bars/pizza/etc etc etc..." I've noticed this trend on the message boards and it really shocks me. I feel like I'm going to come across as a douchey vegan, but I need to say this:

These threads remind me of a story my vegan friend told me about a friend of hers who's really bad at basic care taking. I don't want to get into the whole story, but this girl (SORRY VEGANS) killed her pet bunny via neglect and then proceeded to call my vegan friend for sympathy. If you killed your bunny, wouldn't a vegan be the last person you'd call for sympathy?

Asking for vegan hugs whilst you admit to eating non vegan food but still call yourself a vegan is so similar to me. Do you expect sympathy? Look, I've been there. I had a little stint where I was not being el stricto with my diet, and you know what? I felt AWFUL. I felt selfish and absolutely neglectful. I knew the truth of what I was eating, and I let convenience and laziness get the best of me. Never once did it cross my mind to ask for okays from a group of vegans. I told myself "Enough is enough!" I moved on and got my priorities straight. I suggest you do the same.

Sorry to be "that vegan" but honestly. I'm not going to tell anyone that "it's ok. It happens to all of us. Being vegan is hard." It's not. It's hard when you're lazy and/or have stopped caring. It happened to me, but it doesn't happen to everyone and that fact was one of the things that kicked my ass back into shape.

So, here's what: Buck up. Figure out why you've stopped caring, reorganize your priorities and move on. Just..please spare us the sympathy cries. I can't realistically speak for all vegans, but I'm going to try:

We're all about the love, but no ones perfect and there are things we hate: meat and dairy related nonsense, years of people "not getting it", Rush Limbaugh, non-vegetarian tofu dishes, people who "used to be vegan but stopped because it wasn't healthy" and people who say they're vegan but cry because they aren't really.

It's fine. Just tell yourself that tomorrow is a new day and from now on you're vegan for life. And then live it. If that's what you want, it's in your grasp. The end, no tears, just do it.

Thank you and stay classy.

vegan mofo: ginger ale

2009-10-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last year I had a blog that I never used and no one ever read. Of the 7 things I put up there, my favorite has to be my homemade ginger ale. I've taken it to potlucks and it's always a hit. Not only is it delicious, but it makes you feel better when you're a) hungover b) sick c) sad or d) all of the above.

I know I've been a little ginger crazy this week, but it's so good. Can ya blame me?

Homemade Ginger Ale:

1 c. water
1 c. ginger (peeled and sliced)
1 c. sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
sparkling water

1. Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Cook until it becomes thick and syrupy (about 4 - 7 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain and refrigerate to cool.
2. Once cooled, mix 1/2 c. ginger syrup with 3/4 c. sparkling water. Garnish with cinnamon stick or lime wedge and enjoy.

vegan mofo: muddy buddies

2009-10-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have a distinct memory of making these with my older sister and our cousin at Oma's house. I feel like we were alone and in desperate need of sugar. Really, if you can't handle crazy amounts of sugar, I would steer clear of this recipe. It is amazing, delicious, addictive, loved by all who try it and full of sugar.

Seriously, this is a warning. Make them, but be careful. Before you know it....gone.

Muddy Buddies

9 c. chex (rice or corn)
1 c. vegan chocolate chips
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. vegan margarine
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. powered sugar

1. Put chex in a large, clean paper grocery bag.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt margarine and peanut butter. Mix in chocolate chips and stir until melted. Take off heat and add vanilla.
3. Carefully pour melted chocolate into the bag of chex. Roll up the top of the bag and shake. You may need to carefully stir with a spatula and then shake again. Just to make sure you get even coverage. Once the chex is evenly coated, add the powdered sugar. Roll up the bag and shake again until coated.
4. Pour into a bowl and try not to eat all of it! We keep it in the fridge when we're not finishing it off.

vegan mofo: Grandma's chex mix

2009-10-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

I said that I was going to talk about Gingerbread Waffles, but..ehn. They were delicious but I didn't even get a good bad picture of them. It's ok because I have something equally delicious to take it's place.

Chex Mix! I'm so surprised by the amount of people who say they've never had homemade chex mix. It's worlds better than the bagged stuff. Barely even tastes the same! My Grandmother always makes huge tupperwares of the stuff around the holidays. Obviously I kept the tradition. Unfortunately I'm crazy and for me, the holiday season starts on October 1st. Fall time! Autumn! It's all a part of the brisk yet coziest time of year. My Grandmother's chex mix is the same as the recipe on the box, but with celery salt instead of seasoned. I veganized it and altered the contents. I'm writing the recipe so you too can customize your fillings and the level of crunch. I like my chex mix not too crunchy and sans bagel chips. Now you can decide exactly how you want yours. Join in the chex mix tradition. Yay Fall!

Customizable Homemade Chex Mix

9 c. chex (any combination that you want)
2 c . snacky things (pretzels, cheerios, bagel chips, sesame sticks, etc)
1 c. nuts
6 tbls. vegan margarine
2 tbls. vegan worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. celery salt
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Combine the first three ingredients in a HUGE bowl or clean paper grocery bag.
2. Melt margarine in a small sauce pan over low heat. Once melted, turn off the heat. Mix in worcestershire sauce, celery salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Pour over the cereal mix and stir or roll the top on the bag and shake shake shake.
3. Pour mix onto a large baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Take it out and stir around. Bake for another 15 minutes and take it out and stir around. Do this until you reach your desired level of crunch. Mine takes 30 - 45 minutes.

Coming up tomorrow or so: Muddy Buddies! Chex Mix's delicious cousin.

vegan mofo: sweet potato (or yam!) and sausage hash

2009-10-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today's post is all about hash!

I've made this for numerous potlucks and family events. It's a fool proof omni approved dish. The ingredients aren't "weird" or foreign. It doesn't dare people to eat tofu. It doesn't scare the dieters (too much....) because it uses sweet potatoes (or yams!) Again, no pretty picture. Just a fantastic recipe!

Sweet Potato (or yam!) and Sausage Hash
(a shamelessly altered "Spicy Sweet Potato Hash" from Vegan Planet)

1 tbls. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and diced
1/2 lb. vegetarian sausage crumbles (I use Gimme Lean), crumbled
1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes (or yams!), peeled, diced, and roasted (see below)
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over md-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Saute until onions are translucent, but not browned. Turn heat down to medium.
2. Add sausage to skillet and let brown, stirring often.
3. Add sweet potatoes (or yams!) and cook until browned and heated through. Season and serve.

Cooking sweet potatoes (or yams!)
Preheat the oven to 350 - 375. Peel the potatoes (or yams!) and dice largely. Toss in a little bit of olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes or so.

Tomorrow will be all about Gingerbread Waffles! Come back for those!

vegan mofo: tofu scramble with caramalized onions, tatsoi and "bacon"

2009-10-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

This scrambled tofu was really well received with my omni brunch guests. There was none left when all was said and done. The onions were sweet, the tatsoi was buttery and the "bacon" brought it all together. My friends couldn't believe that tofu could taste so eggy and delicious.

The only thing I regret was not getting a better picture. I was hungry!

Scramble Tofu with Caramelized Onions, Tatsoi and "Bacon"

1 onion, diced
2 Tbls. olive oil
2 large handfuls of tatsoi (or spinach or any soft leaf green)
1 package firm tofu, lightly pressed and crumbled
1/4 c. TVP Bacon
garlic powder, black salt, regular salt and pepper to taste

1. In a heavy skillet, heat up olive oil over md. heat. Add onions and let caramelize, stirring around a bit to get them all even. When the onions are all sweet and brown, add tofu. Let brown, stirring often. Add more oil if necessary.
2. When tofu is browned and scrambled to your liking, add bacon and season to taste.
3. Fold in tatsoi until wilted.
4. Serve warm! Mmmm

vegan mofo: ginger champagne and ginger bread cookie tea

2009-10-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday Mofo'ers!

This week has a theme. Autumn Brunch! This Sunday I invited a few friends over and made them a complete Autumn feast. All week I'm going to feature recipes from the brunch. Everything went along perfectly. So perfect in fact that I wasn't worried about taking beautiful photographs of the goods. I did take regular photographs though!

Today features the beverages: Ginger Champagne and Ginger Bread Cookie Tea!

Ginger Champagne

I got the idea from my homemade ginger ale. I figured, if I could mix the ginger syrup with bubble water, I could probably mix it with champagne. This was a HUGE hit. A very festive, refreshing and welcomed change from mimosas and bloody marys.

Ginger Champagne

1/2 c. ginger, peeled and cubed or sliced
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
1 bottle champagne
sugar
ground ginger
cinnamon

1. Place ginger, water and 1/2 c. sugar in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve. Bring to a high simmer (not quite a boil) and let simmer until in gets thick and syrupy, about 5 - 10 minutes. Set aside.
2. To make rim sugar, put a small amount of sugar in a bowl. And ground ginger and cinnamon to your taste.
3. Wet the rim a of cocktail glass (or champagne flute) with a little ginger syrup and coat with the spiced sugar. Mix 1 part syrup - 2 or 3 parts champagne. Pour into glass (or flute). Drink!

Ginger Bread Cookie Tea

Using my Great Grandmother's tea set, I served up my favorite tea: Ginger Bread Cookie from Teavana. An herbal tea with a beautiful pink color, Ginger Bread Cookie uses a bunch of different foods and spices to get it's flavor. From dried fruits to cinnamon sticks to popcorn, it tastes more like Autumn and Winter to me than any other beverage.

It's on sale on the Teavana website so go and get some! I drink mine with soy creamer and vanilla (or spiced) sugar.

Recipes coming up this week: Tofu Scramble with Caramelized Onions, Tatsoi, and "Bacon" Bits, Gingerbread Waffles, Sweet Potato Hash with Sausage and Peppers and more!

vegan mofo: creamy broccoli soup

2009-10-04T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Mofo'ers! This post is all about creamy soup! Mmmm! Snuggle up with your honey and a mug of soup on this happy Fall Sunday.

I go about making my creamy soups a little differently. I don't like boiling the vegetables and immediately blending it with the cooking liquid. I can't control the consistency that way. I take the extra step to strain the cooking liquid into a bowl and then reincorporate it with the veggies until I reach the consistency I like. It's totally worth the extra step if it means I'll always get perfect soup.

This says it's about creamy broccoli soup, but you could make it with any vegetable. Carrots or asparagus would be especially be nice. The important ingredients are the cauliflower and potatoes. That's what makes it reliably creamy.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

1 small - medium head of broccoli, washed and cut into florets
1 half head of cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
2 - 3 medium sized yukon gold potatoes, washed, peeled and cubed
1 - 2 garlic cloves, peeled

1. Place all ingredients into a large sauce pan. Cover fully with water or vegetable broth.
2. Bring to a boil over md-high heat. Turn down to a heavy simmer until potatoes are cooked through.
3. Strain into a bowl so that you save the cooking water. Put the strained vegetables back in the sauce pan (or blender).
4. With an immersion blender (or regular blender), blend the vegetables until you get a smooth and thick puree.
5. 1/4 c. at a time, add the cooking liquid to the veggies, blending after each addition. Do this until you reach your desired consistency.
If you run out of water before you reach that consistency (you must like it watery!), just replace it with vegetable broth and keep going.
6. Season with salt, pepper and your choice of herbs. Garnish with TVP Bacon Bits if you want :-)

vegan mofo: southern fried seitan, "fried" okra and healthy mashed potatoes aaaaand a survey

2009-10-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

This meal is healthy in some ways and unhealthy in others. The fried seitan is, well, fried. However, the okra and mashed potatoes make up for it. The okra is breaded and baked but somehow comes out tasting fried. The mashed potatoes are actually a mashed potato and cauliflower combo. A great way to sneak vegetables into something starchy. The recipe for the fried seitan is from VeganMom so I've happily posted a link on the bottom of this entry. The only thing I changed in her recipe was the method of frying. She pan fried and I deep fried.

Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower
(makes 1 serving)

1 md. sized yukon gold potato, washed and cubed
1 good handful of cauliflower florets (about 3/4 - 1 cup)
vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance), garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

1. Put cauliflower and potatoes in a md. sized pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until you can pierce a potato with a fork. Drain.
2. Mash potatoes and cauliflower with a potato masher or fork*. It should mash with no problems. Add margarine, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.

* This leaves the cauliflower a little lumpy which I like. If you want a smoother mash, use an immersion blender. Always mash before adding milk or margarine as the cauliflower tends to be watery and creamy on it's own.

"Fried" Okra

This recipe isn't for any portion size. It's just my formula.

Okra, washed and sliced
Any non-dairy milk
Flour
Cornmeal
Salt and Pepper To Taste

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix 1 part flour to 2 parts cornmeal. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add a little bit of milk to the sliced okra. Just enough to make it slimy.
4. Put okra and flour mix in a paper bag and shake.
5. Place the breaded okras on an ungreased baking sheet and spray with canola oil spray.
6. Bake for 10 minutes. Give the pan a shake and re-spray. Bake another 10 minutes or until slightly brown and crunchy.

Check out Your Vegan Mom for the stellar Fried Seitan Recipe!

Annnd the survey from Whoa Wren:

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?
Rice milk! No favorite brand so far. We buy Trader Joes rice milk because it's easy. I like it ok :-)

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
Fried Pickles, Oatmeal Sugar Cookies and Magnolia Cafe Gingerbread Pancakes

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
Salt and sometimes nutritional yeast

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
My first time making tofu was pretty bad. Lets just say that neither pressing nor marinating took place.

5. Favorite pickled item?
Cucumbers :-). Or cabbage.

6. How do you organize your recipes?
Snacks, Desserts and Breads, Veggies, Proteins Soups and Entrees, Pasta & Grains, Drinks and Misc

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

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)?
Tofu, chocolate and bread (or rice!)

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
Oh there are so many. I always loved Fall time at my Grandmothers's. She's one of those people that decorates the house according to the season. She always had chex mix made and pizzelles out. I also loved visiting my Oma. Waking up to the smell of S.O.S is amazing.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
Good Karma Rice Divine anything. Or anything with Oreos.

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
My small pot.

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
Salt.

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
Vegan Planet. My first vegan cookbook. Well loved and used.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
Marmalade or berry.

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
Vegan Explosion Queso! And/or Wheatsville Popcorn Tofu

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
Tofu usually, seitan sometimes.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
That's hard. Lunch I guess. It's usually the tastiest and healthiest for me. Otherwise dinner. Or breakfast. Ugh. Next question.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
Cereal, mixing bowls, whirley pop, tray, toaster oven, rice maker, press'n seal, sandwich bags

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
Edamame, cocoa nibs, ginger

20. What's on your grocery list?
Too big to list! Various fruits and veggies, almonds, oats, cornmeal, flax seeds, coconut, tofu, pretzels, maple syrup

21. Favorite grocery store?
Wheatsville Co-op! But I live in LA so Trader Joe's I guess.

22. Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet.
Sopapillas. It's gonna happen this month!

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa's because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?
Quarry Girl

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Airheads!

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
Wine. Always wine.

26. Ingredients you are scared to work with?
I'm pretty adventurous ;)

vegan mofo: daiya not cheez its

2009-10-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

GOD, I've missed Cheez Its. Yeah, I've had the Eco-Planet crackers. I've even made the Cheezy Quackers. While those are delicious, they taste like Nutritional Yeast Its.

But oh my sweet Daiya. Thanks to the magic vegan cheese, I was able to make vegan cheese crackers that totally taste like Cheez Its. In a scary, "are you sure these are vegan?" sort of way. But they Totally Are.

Make often and enjoy!

Daiya Not Cheez Its

1/4 c. vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance)
3/4 c. Daiya cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 Tbls. (more or less) cold water

1. Put all ingredients, except water, in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture becomes coarse and crumbly. Pour into a large enough bowl to mix.
2. Add enough water to bring the dough together into a ball.
3. Knead for a few minutes and let it rest for half an hour. Maybe use this time to preheat the oven to 350.
4. Roll the rested dough to 1/8" thick and shape and cut however you want. Place the little crackers on an ungreased cookie sheet and top them with salt. Lightly pat the salt into the dough a little bit to make sure it sticks.
5. Bake 10 - 15 minutes, checking the oven often to shake things around. Cooking time really depends on so many factors, so it may take more or less time than what I suggest. I find that 10 - 15 minutes is pretty perfect for my oven. If you want them to taste as Cheez It-y as possible, let them brown a little. The crackery they are, the better.

vegan mofo: carne guisada

2009-09-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, first of all....VEGAN MOFO!!!!!

Moving on.

Before I went vegan, I used to love carne guisada. My sister, her husband, our cousin and I would have Law and Order nights where would make dinner and watch Law and Order: SVU. Every week for a whole season we would do this. My sister would make all kinds of things, but this was my favorite.

A year later I went vegan and that was the end carne guisada for me. When I moved to LA a few years later, my boyfriend (now husband) was very hesitant about Mexican food. I was very insistent about it. We came to an understanding, and he gave it another shot. He found that he loves carne ASADA. Now I felt like an idiot for always pronouncing it with a "G." I would tell him how much I used to love it, but it's much saucier in Texas and while meat makes me feel sick, I wish I could veganize it. And so this went on for years and years. Until....

..one day I was reading about Texan food (miss!!!) on the internetz. I found a little piece about carne GUISADA and had the laugh of all laughs at myself. A) I wasn't saying it wrong, I was just saying something else. B) No wonder I remember the dish being saucier. Carne Guisada means "meat with gravy." I told my now husband about it and proclaimed that I will, under no circumstances, go on any longer without a vegan version. I found a recipe, switched some things around, took out and added some ingredients and gave it a shot. Result? Perfection. Well, almost perfect. It could be saucier, but no matter. I think it depends on your tastes.

Vegan Carne Guisada

1/2 lb. reconstituted soy curls
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 md. sized tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno, sm. diced
3/4 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. vegetarian oyster sauce (gives the curls that meat like umami)
1/2 tsp. chipotle paste (or 1/4 tsp. chipotle powder)
1 bay leaf
2 tbls. cilantro, chopped
1/2 c. water
3 oz. dark Mexican beer
2 tbls. red salsa
1 tsp. flour

1. In a md. sized skillet, brown the soy curls over md-high heat. Once browned, remove from skillet.
2. In that same skillet, sweat the onions and jalapeno until onions are translucent.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients except the flour and soy curls. Bring to a boil.
4. Once boiling, carefully scoop out some of the liquid and mix with the flour to make a slurry. Stir into the sauce. Lower the heat and reduce to thicken into a saucy gravy.
5. Once saucy, add the seitan and cook until heated through.
6. Serve on warm corn tortillas and topped with chopped onions and cilantro.

Vegan Mofo

2009-09-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

Vegan Mofo is almost here! I haven't blogged anything in a few weeks and probably won't until October 1st, but I've got a lot in store for next month . Including, but definitely not limited to Magnolia Cafe gingerbread pancakes, fried pickles, Daiya cheez its, sopapillas and lots of seasonal soups.

Seriously, that's only the tip of the iceberg. Come back for Vegan Mofo!!

Anderson's Pea Soup

2009-09-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

In Buellton, CA there's a restaurant called Pea Soup Andersons. Every time M and I go wine tasting, we stop by for some of the best pea soup ever. Luckily they're not stingy with the recipe. You can find it online or buy it with a bag of dried split peas at their restaurant. I did the latter. You can do the former:

Anderson's Pea Soup:

8 cups water
2 cups green split peas
1 Rib celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tsp thyme
Dash red pepper sauce
1 bay leaf
Salt
Pepper

1. Combine water, peas, celery, carrot, onion, thyme, red pepper, and bay leaf in large kettle. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Boil vigorously 20 minutes, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until split peas are tender. Press soup through fine sieve and reheat just to boiling point.*

*I just remove the bay leaf and blend with my immersion blender. So much easier.

Easy Teriyaki Tempeh Stir Fry

2009-09-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not the biggest fan of tempeh, but I'm always looking for different ways to make it. In hopes that I'll find a recipe I love.

Well here's one! Super easy, healthy and delicious. A dish that I don't think would taste better with tofu or seitan. The tempeh flavor and texture is perfect for the recipe. It's pretty spicey so cut down on the sriracha if you're not into that.

Easy Tempeh Stir Fry:
(2 smallish servings or 1 large serving)

1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tsp. ginger. minced
2 Tbls. teriyaki sauce
1 Tbls. sriracha sauce (or less if you're sensitive to spice)
1 Tbls. vegan oyster sauce
1 Tbls. soy sauce
a few dashes toasted seseme seeds
4 oz tempeh, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tbls. olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients (except tempeh) to make a marinade.
2. Coat tempeh with marinade and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
3. In heavy bottomed skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add tempeh (and any left over marinade) and stir fry. Tempeh should get browned and caramalized.
4. Serve over rice and garnish with toasted seseme seeds.

vfr: tempeh helper

2009-08-31T12:44:00.001-07:00

Even though I didn't come up with this recipe, I'm including it in "Veganizing Family Recipes". Only because I ate A LOT of Hamburger Helper as a kid. This recipe is "veganizing" at it's best.

It's been a very very long time since I've had Hamburger Helper, but as far as I can remember, this recipe is spot on. It took me back to that small house in Abilene, TX. After school, after homework, after playing and right before some sort of prime time TV lineup. This Tempeh Helper left me wih a happy belly and a happy conscience considering it's 4,000 times healthier and fresher than the boxed nonsense.

From the PPK Blog:

Tempeh Helper
Makes 4 roughly one cup servings (serves 2 if you’re super hungry)

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz tempeh
3 cups water
6 oz small shell pasta, or about a cup (I used quinoa pasta)
A handful frozen peas, about 1/4 cup

For the seasoning mix:
2 teaspoons onion flakes
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon mild chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoon broth powder (I used Frontier chicken-style broth)
2 teaspoons arrowroot or corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Have a lid at the ready because you’ll need to cover it at some point.

Drizzle the oil in the pan and tear the tempeh into bite sized pieces, adding them to the pan. Saute for about 5 minutes, until tempeh is lightly browned. In the meantime, mix the seasoning together in a mixing bowl.

Add a few tablespoons of water to the tempeh to deglaze the pan. Add the 3 cups of water and seasoning mix, giving a good stir to get it all mixed in. Add the pasta and cover. Bring the heat up to a boil. Once boiling, you can reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring once. Remove the lid, and cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened to your liking, usually about 3 minutes. Taste for salt.

Serve topped with Eazy Breezy Cheezy Sauce.

Eazy Breezy Cheezy Sauce
Makes 2 cups

3/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
2 teaspoons onion flakes
1/4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/8 ground turmeric
2 tablespoons broth powder (I used Frontier chicken-style broth)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon yellow mustard

Add nutritional yeast, flour, garlic, onion flakes, salt, turmeric and broth powder to a bowl and mix together. Add 2 cups water and use a fork to mix and beat out any big lumps. Once relatively smooth, pour into a 2 quart sauce pot. Turn heat up to medium high and stir often for about 5 minutes. Once boiling, bring it down to a slow boil. It should start bubbling and thickening. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until it has a thick, smooth melted cheese consistency.

Mix in mustard and taste for salt. Serve hot or warm.

avk: scattred sushi

2009-08-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

Another meal from The Asian Vegan Kitchen Project: Scattered sushi (sushi rice, snow peas, carrots, lotus root and nori strips) and Crunchy Vegetable Salad (not pictured.)

Not much to say. It was extremely tasty!

Bento this week #2

2009-08-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

I only packed two dinners this week.

Monday:
L-R
Scrambled tofu, mushroom rice balls, sautéed broccoli, two more rice balls and a little bottle of soy sauce.

Wednesday:
L-R
TJ frozen penne alla arrabiata, sauteed tofu with broccoli/red bell pepper/zucchini, green olive tapenade (in the sm. container), pumpkin shaped garlic bread

vfr: oma's potato salad

2009-08-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

What constitutes a German potato salad? Does it have to be warm? Sans mayo? Made by a German? I don't know. This salad is not warm, but it does not contain mayo and it's made by a German: my Oma. I was totally spoiled as a kid with this salad. To me, potato salad always meant potatoes, bacon, eggs and pickles. I was really turned off when I saw people eating gloopy potato salad with mayonnaise.

I always crave this salad, but with the eggs and bacon, it seemed kind of a pain to veganize. False! It's totally easy. I'm so glad to have this salad back in my life. It's sans gloop and super tasty. Thank God I can finally eat it again. I've felt really left out at family events :-(. Now I can make my own, and show them that a delicious vegan version is totally possible.

It seems like there's a lot to this recipe, but it's just prep work. You can even take some short cuts if you want. Read on:

Oma's Potato Salad:
(makes 4 side dish servings)

4 medium sized yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cubed (or sliced) and cooked
1/4 cup TVP bacon bits (recipe follows) or any vegan bacon, chopped and browned
2 oz. salad tofu egg (recipe follows)
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. vegetable broth powder dissolved in 2 tsp. water
1 medium sized pickle, small diced
2 tbls. onion, small diced
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a bowl carefully toss together potatoes, "bacon", tofu egg, pickle and onion.
2. Into potato combo drizzle olive oil, vinegar and vegetable broth. Caferfully toss together. If it looks too dry, add a little more oil or vegetable broth. It will be dryer than mayonnaise-y potato salad, but it should stay together when stirred. The consitancy you want is dry, but stuck together. Does that make sense?
3. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temp or cold.

TPV Bacon Bits
(should make about 1/4 cup)

2 Tbls. tvp granules
2 Tbls. hot water
1 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke
1/4 tsp. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. rice vinegar

1. Combine tvp and water to rehydrate.
2. Into the tvp, mix in the rest of the ingredients. Combine well!
3. Brown tvp in a cast iron skillet. I just spray with a little bit of canola oil spray and stir often. The bacon only needs to be a little browned so it should only take a few minutes.

Salad Tofu Egg
(if you're like me and miss hard boiled eggs on your salads)

2 oz firm tofu, only slightly pressed
1/4 tsp. olive oil
1 generous pinch Kala Namak (indian black salt)

1. Cut the tofu in 1 inch long thin strips. They should resemble sliced hard boiled eggs (ex ample *WARNING! UNVEGAN PIC OF AN EGG*)
2. Carefully toss with olive oil and black salt

I just want to point out how stellar this recipe is for potlucks and picnics. It doesn't have to be kept cold (no mayo!) and actually tastes better at room temperature.

vfr: s.o.s.

2009-08-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

Another meal from my Veganizing Family Recipes project.

Apparently this one came from my Opa even though I swear I remember Oma making it. They always made it for breakfast, but Mom would make it for dinner. It goes both ways!

I've missed S.O.S. dearly. It's delicious and perfect and comforting and cheap and way easy. I'm beginning to feel more at home already :-).

S.O.S.
(serves 1, but can be altered easily to serve more)

2 tsp. olive oil
2.5 oz veggie crumbles or 1 veggie burger, crumbled
1/2 sm. onion, diced
1 tbls. flour
1/2 cup original unsweetened rice milk (Soy milk tastes too soyish.)
1 -2 dashes of soy sauce*
salt and lots of pepper to taste

1. In a sm. nonstick pan or cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onion and veggie crumbles. Stir often and cook until onions are fragrant and crumbles are browned.
2. Whisk in the flour, making sure all the fat is absorbed. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking. Once everything is combined, turn heat to medium low. Add the soy sauce. Let simmer until thickened and gravy like (around 2 - 3 mintutes.)
3. Once the gravy has thickened, turn off heat and add salt & pepper to taste. Serve over toast or bicuits.

* The soy sauce adds a certain depth of flavor that makes this dish work without beef. Don't forget it!

So Delicious.

avk: kinoko no takikomi gohan, iridofu & miso shiru

2009-08-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as mushroom rice balls, scrambled tofu and miso soup.

This is the third meal I've made for the Asian Vegan Kitchen project. I've never been crazy about mushrooms, but I made a promise to make as many recipes as possible, and these rice balls were possible. And......... they're delicious! The recipe is rice, burdock, carrots and mushrooms cooked in shiitake dashi broth and rolled into balls. There's some sake and soy sauce in them, too. I'm opening up to mushrooms :-)

The scrambled tofu was different from any other scrambled tofu that I've made. The flavor profile was unique and gingery and fresh. I'll be making this A LOT. And even though I said I wasn't going to post a bunch of recipes from the book, I'm posting this recipe. It's just too good not to share.

Scrambled Tofu
(from The Asian Vegan Kitchen)

1 1/4 lb. firm tofu, pressed
1 tbls. vegetable oil
1/2 inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 scallion, sliced
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms caps, diced
3 tbls. bell pepper, any color, diced
3 tsp. soy sauce
pinch chili flakes
pinch salt
chopped chives (garnish)
kaiware radish sprouts (garnish)
shichimi pepper, to serve

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and saute the ginger. Put in scallions, shiitake and bell pepper and saute over high heat for 1 minute.
2. Put the tofu in the pan and mix with a wooden spoon until crumbled. Keep stirring for 2 - 3 minutes, until excess liquid has been absorbed. Add the soy sauce, chili flakes and salt.
3. Serve garnished with chives and radish sprouts. Sprinkle with shichimi pepper to taste.

curried lentils

2009-08-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

By the time Friday rolls around, the pickins in our fridge are pretty slim. We do our weekly shopping on the weekend and by Friday I'm usually limited to veggies (if we have any!), tofu (if we have any!) and rice or pasta. Well I've been eating tofu, vegetables and rice for three days and I'm pretty over it. I went to the pantry and found lentils. I had rice in the cooker already so now I just needed a recipe.

My priority for these lentils was not authenticity. I wanted to use the vegetables I had and I wanted to be eating them in less than 40 minutes. Viola! This recipe is delicious, simple, filling, cheap and really easy. The ingredients use whatever have lying around. A good Friday meal for my household.

Curried Lentils:
(Makes a ton)

1 cup brown lentils, dry
5 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 - 2 tbls. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. dry, ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. garam masala
1 c. vegetables, cut into bite sized pieces (Whatever you have. This time I used zucchini, bell pepper and cauliflower)
1/2 c. hot water
2 tbls. - 1/4 c. light coconut milk (optional)
salt to taste

1. In a md. - lg. saucepan add water, lentils and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil. Let simmer with the lid tilted (so it's half covered) for 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft, but not mushy. You want them to retain their shape for the most part.
2. Meanwhile, sweat onion and garlic in oil until fragrant and translucent . Be careful not to brown. Add spices and cook, on md. low, for 2 minutes.
3. Add the vegetables and 1/2 c. hot water to onion/spice mixture. Cover and cook until veggies are soft. About 5 minutes or so. You may need to turn down the heat, depending on your stove. Use your judgement.
4. When lentils are done, drain and add to the vegetables. Gently stir to mix. If using, stir in coconut milk starting at 2 tbls.. Add up to 1/4 c. if you really love coconut milk. Salt to taste. Serve over rice.

FYI, I use a brown rice/white rice combo for everything. I'm obeying my body and eating less wheat which means I've been eating more rice. I make a batch in the morning to eat with breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's been steller and my body is thankful. The reason why I combine white and brown rice is because I make a lot of Asian food, and I can't do all brown rice with Asian. Any Asian. I know it's ridiculous and maybe childish, but I can't do it. It just seems wrong. So I do halfers. It makes a fluffy, (thanks to the white) more flavorful (thanks to the brown) pot of rice. Or cooker of rice, I should say.

school lunches (erm..dinners)

2009-08-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

As much as I don't like talking about school, I do enjoy showing off my dinners. I haven't gotten into the intensely artistic side of Bento, but I make my meals looks as appealing as I can.

My schoolmates are always commenting on how cute my boxes are and how delicious my meals look. Yay veganism!

I say 'boxes', but my other bento box broke so I'm down to one and a half at the moment.

Thursday's dinner:

Edamame spears, stirfry (asparagus, home grown zucchini, home grown bell pepper, onion and spinach), pan fried tofu, brown and white rice combo and soy sauce. Simple and tasty.

I was planning on putting more dinners up here, but I only packed a lunch for school once this week. So...more next week! If they're interesting enough.

avk: nabeyaki udon & kakiage

2009-08-11T12:07:00.000-07:00

The second meal for the Asian Vegan Kitchen Project: Udon! And vegetable fritters.

I was particularly excited about this one because I've never had udon. In all my years of eating Japanese food, the popular soup never made it's way into my belly. I think this attributed to my expectations being a little too high.

It's not that it wasn't good. It was good and very warm and the broth was DELICIOUS. I guess I was expecting the clouds to open up and angels to sing, but I really just got a bowl of noodles. Good, but not great. It was pretty basic, but I can see it being a nice comfort food. Nevertheless, I was underwhelmed.

The vegetable fritters were incredibly good and really really easy. They made a great addition to the udon noodles, and I will make them again and often. Yum!

P.S. Soup is really hard to photograph.

vfr: fried noodles

2009-08-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

Another project under my belt: veganizing family standards. As all vegans do. My grandmothers each had their own recipes that I cherished as a kid. So far I've veganized, like, two of them. That's all going to change.

At home, my parents did what they could. Neither of them were foodies nor did they know much about nutrition. My mother knew a little, but could only do so much. We ate instant ramen and Hamburger Helper, but God forbid we keep white bread in the house. We rarely kept candy or chips around because Mom opted for pretzels, fruit and peanut butter crackers. She did what she could. One of the few things she would make from scratch was my favorite of her mother's (my Oma) specialties. Fried noodles.

The gist of my Oma's fried noodles is this: Cooked macaroni and bits of bacon pan fried together with scrambled eggs in bacon grease. Don't let the bacon and eggs fool you, this is a dinner. As a vegan, thoughts of eggs and bacon make me feel pukey, but when I look back to my childhood I don't see eggs, bacon and noodles. I see Fried Noodles. One of my most challenging projects since going vegan (5 years ago) has been to veganize it.

The recipe here is really good and the closest I've gotten. Does it taste exactly like what everyone else in my family blindly enjoys? No. But it is delicious, cruelty free and more than enough to satisfy my cravings. Oh yeah....and it's AMAZING. Make it.

Fried Noodles:
(makes one big serving)

2 rounded tablespoons bacon bits/tvp bacon bits/chopped up tempeh bacon
4 oz tofu egg (recipe follows)
2 oz (about 1/2 cup) dry macaroni (or bite size pasta), cooked

1. Pan fry "bacon" with the smallest amount of oil as possible. It's important to use little oil in this recipe because it can get greasy really fast. I use canola oil spray.
2. When bacon is almost browned, add the tofu egg. Add a little more oil* to give the tofu something to cook in, but remember: minimal oil!
3. When tofu is pretty golden, add pasta (and a little more oil if needed.) Pan fry until pasta is slighty browned.
4. Season with black salt (or sea salt) and lots of pepper.

* It seems like it would be easier to add enough oil in the begining to fry everything, but it's really not. It gets really greasy that way. With this way, you can control the oil. It doesn't take but 30 seconds or so to heat up as it's such a small amount of oil that you're adding at a time.

Tofu Egg:
(slightly modified from Native Foods Cookbook)

4 oz firm tofu, lightly pressed and crumbled
2 pinches tumeric
1 generous pinch black salt (Kala Namak*) or sea salt if you don't have black salt

1. Gently add tumeric and black salt to tofu. Save until ready to pan fry.

* The black salt really takes this dish from awesome to REALLY REALLY awesome. Regular salt is fine and still good. It just won't have that eggy, sulfury taste.

avk: shiitake mushroom dashi

2009-08-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

I don't plan on posting recipes from The Asian Vegan Kitchen because I think everyone should buy it immediately. But I will make an exception for the Shiitake Mushroom Dashi because it's simple, traditional and probably not a recipe thats impossible to find out there. So I'm putting it on my blog. The reason is this: it's wonderful. So warm and comforting yet light and barely there. If that makes any sense. It's the perfect base for miso soup (or any light soup) when mixed with konbu dashi or on it's own.

Shiitake Mushroom Dashi:
(from The Asian Vegan Kitchen)

4 dried shiitake mushrooms
3 cups water

1. Wash the shiitake briefly.
2. Soak the shiitake in 3 cups of water. Place a small lid or plate over the mushrooms to prevent them from floating. Leave for 4 - 5 hours then remove the shiitake and use water for stock. (If short on time, pour 3 cups of boiling water over the mushrooms and let them stand covered for 10 minutes.) The broth should have an amber color and the fragrance should be mushroomy.

matcha green tea latte

2009-08-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

I've come across so many wonderful looking recipes requiring matcha green tea, but I just couldn't bring myself to buy any. It's always $10 - $20 for a small container, and I had no idea how much I would use, if I would like it or if it was cost effective to own. For years I debated buying some until I found a small bag for 4 bucks at Mitsuwa! Yay! Debate over! I bought some. Turns out I LOVE it and it can be very cost effective.

Due to genetic heart problems, my body started rejecting caffeine late last year. I've had to significantly cut down my caffeine consumption and I was worried about matcha green tea giving me heart palpitations. Lucky for me, there's no need to worry (at least for the time being!) I won't get into the nitty gritty details about MGT because I'm still learning, but I am going to link to a few helpful articles that I hope you read if A) you are skeptical about buying MGT, but are considering it B) you can't drink a lot of caffeine, but really miss it or C) have some in your pantry for baking, but haven't made a cup for drinking.

It really is wonderful. I can drink a whole cup/glass without skipped heartbeats or anxiety. It tastes wonderful, feels wonderful and is so good for you. If you have the time, read on:

Article on MGT from SleepWarrior
Prepare for the REAL Matcha Revolution
Matcha - Wikipedia

Also, if you have any in your house, make a Matcha Green Tea latte. Not an authentic drink, definitely not ceremonial, but delicious all the same. Cut down on the sugar if need be! I do. Slightly modified from RecipeZaar:

Matcha Green Tea Latte:

1/2 teaspoon matcha green tea powder
2 ounces hot water (not boiling!!)
3 teaspoons unrefined sugar
4 ounces rice (or soy) milk
an itty bitty teeny weeny drop of vanilla extract (optional)

1. Mix matcha green tea powder with water until completely dissolved. Stir in sugar.
2. Add milk and vanilla and stir well.
3. Serve over ice
Optional: If drinking warm, just heat milk with water. Be careful not to boil!

the asian vegan kitchen project

2009-08-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

I miss cooking. I mean, I cook regularly, but not from cookbooks. I guess I miss making other people's recipes. So that's what this project is about.

I want to go through an entire cookbook. At least get through as much of it as possible. When going through my books, The Asian Vegan Kitchen popped out at me almost immediately. Hema Parekh takes you anywhere you'd want to go in Asia with her authentic recipes. Her book includes recipes from India, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia and Korea. Where to start?

Japan, thats where! I came up with 14 menus and my plan so far is to make three - four a week until I get through the country. Then I'm off to Thailand! Or China. or Malaysia.

I made my first menu last night, but being hungry and new to photographing food, I didn't take a picture. I won't do that again because it was beautiful and delicious and I can't believe I have no documentation. In case you were wondering, I made: Miso Shiru (miso soup with tofu and wakame), Goma-ae (Spinach with Sesame Dressing) and Teriyakidofu (Tofu Teriyaki Steak with Sauteed Asparagus and Mushrooms.) Yum. Yum. Yum.