A Soy Bean

Coconut Cake and a House Made of Kale

2012-02-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

A great friend of mine was expected this past weekend to take a break from her busy life and come see the fruits of my ~~labor~~ ~~renovation~~ money. When we were planning the day in advance, she promised that she had "dessert covered" and my mind raced. You see, she is a very good friend.

I was excited for her impending visit all week and, that day, was awakened by a surprise phone call that there was a delivery waiting for me. Always happy to accept an unexpected delivery, I raced down the stairs, in my pajamas, to retrieve what turned out to be this beautiful fruit arrangement.

I don't love fruit, but I couldn't help but to be impressed by the presentation of this creation. Yet no sooner had I closed the door on the delivery man did a dark thought cross my mind. Had my friend sent this in advance of her impending arrival? "Oh, hell no," I thought. You see, I am rotten to the core.

Within a matter of minutes I had rationalized all of the reasons my kind, thoughtful, and intelligent friend would not have promised dessert and then presented me with fruit, but it wasn't until ~~she~~ this box arrived that my mind was put at ease.

Aaaah.

Oooh.

I'm not embarassed to tell you that as we enjoyed enormous slices of the fluffy-creamed, dense-caked, coconut decadence we had the nerve to discuss living healthier and more positive lives. Days later, I'm still stuffing my face with glorious cake but I am trying to be less negative. Or, at least, roll my eyes less and not curse at parked cars.

In our defense, we did set the attractive fruit arrangement on the table as we cake-feasted, but alas only a strawberry was consumed between us.

~~The following day~~ Two days later I decided to give the healthier eating a try and I began to dissassemble the fruit concoction in order to pack it up into work-suitable containers. Mid-way through I spied something familiar; was it kale?

Lo and behold, it was.

And, once all of the fruit was removed, I was left with a house made entirely of kale. How cool is that?

I guess my local supermarket isn't the only place that thinks kale is best used for garnish. A kale gift arrangement; now that would be something.

Surprise kale notwithstanding, let's just say that the cake is gone. But I will note that so too is the fruit! Perhaps not coincidentally, another friend has since sent me the "fatify" app... as if I'm not doing a good enough job of that on my own.

Cooking For Non-Vegans

2012-02-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

Now that I am (just about) settled in my new home, it's time to entertain. I tested the waters with a few (vegan) friends and then decided to invite the co-workers who have been so patient, supportive, and helpful during the past year of my ~~whining~~ renovation. The invitation was essentially for a tour and what I described as a "light meal". At that point I wasn't yet sure what the menu would be, but I wanted to be sure they realized it wasn't going to be steak.

The pressure was on; I didn't want to make any vegan cliches, so- no hummus, chips & salsa, or tofu. I also didn't want to serve anything unusual or dishes that would be deemed too convoluted to duplicate. I also wanted to be able to prepare it ahead of time so that I could actually enjoy my company rather than spend the evening in the kitchen- all this in an effort to impart both the accessablity of healthy and delicious vegan food, as well as the ease with which you can eat compassionately. With all of these rules in the back of my mind and the input and encouragement of many vegan friends, I settled on the following menu.

Freshly baked sun-dried tomato bread,

using Jim Lahey's My Bread recipe for basic bread and adding as many sun-dried tomatoes as I felt like cutting (I did not rehydrate them). Note to self: guests are really impressed by homemade bread.

To accompany, Christine Waltermyer's lentil walnut pate. You can find the original on her website (preferred), but there is a slightly different version in her cookbook, The Natural Vegan Kitchen. This is my variation; you need only whir it all up in the bullet:

2 cans cooked lentils
1 bunch fresh parsley (florets only!)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 small red onion, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
2 tbsp white miso
2 tsp Bragg's liquid aminos
4 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp agave
6 tbsp filtered water

I'll admit this pate gives my bullet a run for its money, but don't be tempted to add too much liquid or it will wind up runny.

always reserve some parsley for garnish

Of course, a raw kale salad with dijon dressing: my take on Sacred Chow's dijon marinated kale.

5 tbsp dijon mustard
6 tbsp evoo
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
5 tbsp water
3 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp paprika

Simply whir it up in the bullet and massage into torn, de-stemmed, firm, curly kale leaves.

And, a chilled tri-color quinoa salad with toasted cashews, currants, chick peas, and diced red onion (next time I'd add more raw veggies for added crunch and color). I deferred to my Horizons New Vegan Cuisine cookbook for a cumin-lime dressing.

I was incredibly nervous that the group of omnis wouldn't like anything, but their reaction was positive from the start. They weren't frightened by the presentation of unfamiliar foods (kale and quinoa were new to some) and each took healthy helpings of each dish. They seemed to be enjoying their meal while they independently asked questions about nutrition and ingredients. I wasn't entirely sure if they were being polite or if they were really interested. And then, just when I was about to clear the table, one of my guests decided she was going for seconds...and all of the others followed suit! By the time they were done noshing they all asked for recipes. I would call that a raging success, no?

I'm not as much of an activist as some, but a little education accompanying a pleasant introduction to vegan food goes a long way.

My wall of truth doesn't hurt either.

How Many Leftovers Are Too Many?

2012-02-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

My posts have been a little erratic of late. First I was renovating a house, then I was moving, and now that I'm in I not only have to get acclimated, but I owe it to all of the patient people who have suffered through my house blahs over the course of the last year +++ a tour. But before that happens I had to get comfortable with my new appliances.

The first thing I cooked was nothing fancy: curry roasted asparagus and baby portabellos, snap peas sautéed with garlic and Bragg's, and brown rice.

new countertop!

Served with Secret Aardvark, it was really good.

As leftovers on the second night it was delicious yet again: both cold and re-heated.

The third night it occurred to me that when you don't have roommates you shouldn't continue to cook in such massive quantities.

On the fourth night I developed severe animosity towards everything in my plate.

On the fifth night I delivered the rest to said former roommates and insisted they take me out to dinner.

More to come, just in smaller batches...
What does that mean to you? New kitchen, new dishes, new photos...

The Problem With Sprig and Vine is That Their Food is Delicious

2012-01-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

It's true; we've talked about it. This is a problem for a few reasons. For starters, I think about their cauliflower banh mi more often than I care to admit- even going so far as to strategically plan errands that will bring me to the area. But, more unfortunately, because barring one employee, the restaurant staff seems not to be able to get their act together in any way other than the food. There is rarely, if ever, a welcome of any kind when you enter. On our latest visit, in fact, we were the first customers of the day and were greeted with 3 stares, silence, and then..."Two for lunch?" Sometimes you just want to hear a hello, you know?

Our favorite waitress Jackie notwithstanding, the waitstaff is no more warm or friendly than the host and the service lacks the general polish that the beautiful dining room and outstanding food deserve.

But the food? Look out!

We started with the chilled roasted gold beet crostini with black beluga lentils and smoked cashew ricotta. The contrasting flavors and textures of all of the chilled ingredients atop the smooth cheese and crisp crostini was outstanding and hearty.

We shared the butterhead lettuce salad: watermelon radish, candystripe beet, grilled avocado, pickled red onion, fried quinoa, citrus-almond dressing. So fresh and crisp, I especially appreciated the dressing that was creamy but light. However, it would have been preferable for the serving to have been halved in the kitchen.

For lunch we each had our favorite cauliflower banh mi: pickled carrot & jalapeno, shredded lettuce,
~~cilantro~~ & mint with lemongrass aïoli. Just writing the words makes me want another one!

And, of course, a side of the kennebec potato wedges with their awesome grain mustard aoili (and ketchup by request).

Outstanding meal, per usual. We actually decided to skip dessert; I was disappointed to realize that they still haven't updated their selections. It wouldn't have mattered, I suppose, as we couldn't have stayed another minute; the dining room was absolutely freezing. I don't bring this up for the sheer purpose of knit-picking, but because I really want S & V to succeed and I'm worried that may not be the case, as every time I visit the dining room is less than a quarter full. I assume that, more recently, this has something to do with the fact that it's winter and the area of New Hope isn't exactly bustling in the frigid temperatures. But guess what? It doesn't help that inside your restaurant is just as bad; please set the heat to an appropriate temperature. Although we enjoyed our mouth-watering, drool-inducing sandwiches immensely, the cold was literally distracting. Our fingertips were tingling, our legs and feet blocks of ice. Even our warm drinks cooled practically immediately upon being served. Interestingly, when our meal was over we were surprised to find that the front of the restaurant was significantly warmer than the back, where all of the few diners had inexplicably been seated. Did it really not occur to the staff to seat diners in the warmest area of the dining room?

The fact of the matter is that the food is the hard part and Sprig & Vine consistently exceeds my culinary expectations. The other missteps are unfortunate and constant, but if they could be checked the restaurant would be flawless.

Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

2012-01-26T18:27:00.000-08:00

~~I was recently~~ A while back I was lucky enough to win a blog contest for the Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook from I Dream of Greenie. Bess was kind enough to whisk it out to me pronto and I would have gotten to work on it much sooner had the renovation of all renovations not been dragging on to infinity.

Although I usually start off with dessert, I found myself with some beautifully, tightly curled bunches of kale at my disposal. I consulted the index and decided to try kale with peanut dressing (p.186) with a few variations. Instead of preparing it as a cooked dish as indicated, I omitted the carrots and used the ingredients as a dressing for raw kale salad; it was rich and tasty. Cooked, I imagine it might be a lighter, more Americanized version of this African Vegetable Stew.

Made anxious by the detour, I returned to the dessert section and decided to get serious. You can never be too full of peanut butter in my book, so I decided on the Alicia's crispy peanut butter treats with with chocolate chips (p.249). I Dream of Greenie herself suggested that I halve the crispies and I was extremely grateful for the suggestion...until I realized that nothing measures ounces in my house- least of all me (I ~~laugh~~ cry in the face of math).

Five ounces seemed too much less than a cup to be enough...so I quadrupled it. Don't judge me; I have other skills!

It wound up being fine, which had nothing to do with the fact that I eyeballed the rice syrup and peanut butter amounts because it was easiest to just finish both sticky jars than to add to my already growing pile of sticky dishes. Priorities, people.

Before:

After (those bits are peanuts; I used chunky PB):

They were ready in a flash.

These were SWEET!! And remember who's talking here, the queen of sweets. Sweet is actually an understatement for these bars, so prepare yourself. [Update 1/27/12: After Andrea made an excellent point in the comments, I realized that besides possibly overdoing it on the rice syrup, I also used sweetened peanut butter. My bad!]

Next up was the roasted curry cauliflower (p.175), with an eye towards the opposite page's red lentil dal for a dinner in the not too distant future. I'm a big fan of roasted vegetables in general, but for some reason cauliflower never seems to cooperate for me. However, with this recipe everything was perfectly crisp and robust, the flavors incredible: really the highlight of the three dishes I've tried so far. Did you hear that? Cauliflower trumped dessert! Amazing.

One note: when I have a specific ingredient in the house, I'll often check the index of various cookbooks to see what they have to offer. For some reason, the index of this book isn't necessarily set up for this kind of recipe shopping in all cases. For instance, the cauliflower recipe can only be found under "sides" and not "cauliflower", yet the kale in peanut dressing is under "K". Just remember to scan the meal "type" as well and you'll be good to go.

Thanks one again to Bess for the contest and to Kim Barnouin for the cookbook; more recipes to come.

The Unexpected Hit and Miss of Vatan

2012-01-22T10:26:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to try Vatan's all vegetarian pre-fixe for years and finally got to right before the holidays with some super-swank friends.

Everything about our experience was terrific. Pleasant and efficient waitstaff, gorgeous dining room, and delicious (and vegan-friendly) food; what more could you ask for?

When you arrive, you are given a bowl of these appealing crunchy things. They're like a cross between Wise onion rings and....something less salty and oniony. Still, good- especially when dipped in the chutney.

The chutneys: coriander, tamarind, roasted garlic slices, spicy pickled carrots, and spicy pickled jalapenos. So good!

Water for the faint of palate (remember to ask for ice if you order soda; they serve Euro-style).

The impressive Appetizer Thali:

The two items on the left are Sev Puri: Potatoes, garbanzo beans, ~~yogurt~~, and chutney filled in a crispy bread (they leave off the yogurt for the vegan brethren) served, mysteriously enough, somewhat chilled.

Top middle is a handful of mini samosas: triangular savory pastries filled with spicy (debatable) potatoes and green peas. These were delicious, but they were definitely more in line with the frozen phyllo dough samosas you can buy in the supermarket rather than traditional, Indian samosas.

In the center left, Mirchi Bhajia: fried hot peppers with garam masala. I would have preferred these crispier (like pakora), but they were otherwise great! So much so that I also ate my tablemate's (thanks, HK!).

Center right: batatavada: fried potato balls in a chickpea flour batter. These reminded me of a cross between pakora and aloo tikki and were very good, albeit also served at room temperature.

Top right is Ragda Patis: potato cutlet in a white bean sauce. Also room temperature (are you noticing a theme?), it was creamy and slightly sweet- very palatable.

On the bottom right is a chilled lentil mixture that was not listed on the menu. I assume we didn't receive the intended chana masala because they must prepare it with dairy, but the substitution was really tasty and the temperature wholly appropriate.

You have the option of ordering seconds of anything on your thali, but we all figured we'd better pace ourselves if this was only the beginning.

At this point the lovely waitress informed us that the appetizer had been of medium heat and we had a choice; our entrees could be the same, less, or more spicy. I chose more. Bring on the heat!

Good choice to pass up the appetizer seconds; this was the Entree Thali, clockwise from center:

Papadam: thin lentil wafers- always good dipped in tamarind

Puri: puffed whole wheat bread- a little on the oily side and naan's less popular cousin.

Toor Dal: boiled lentils cooked with Indian spices- seemed like sambar.

Chole: chickpeas cooked with tamarind and garam masala- not as spicy as the chana masala of my youth, but you can't really go wrong with this.

Ful-Cobi: cauliflower and green peas sauteed in a savory sauce- not as spicy or authentic as traditional aloo gobi, but also very good.

Bhaji: sauteed spinach and corn- outstanding and reminded me of a similar Ethiopian collard greens dish I've had and enjoyed countless times.

Batakanu Sak: potatoes cooked in a mild red gravy. Potatoes; how can you go wrong? You can't.

And to accompany, Entree Complements:

Pulao: boiled basmati rice with peas- standard and light.

Khichdi: lentils mixed with rice and assorted vegetables- extremely thick and pasty; I filled my batakanu sak with this, but probably should have left it alone.

While the spice and flavors were a little more muted than I'm used to, everything was delicious and I felt extremely comfortable dining at such a vegan-friendly establishment. So much so that I was able to forgive them for the vegan dessert option: Aam Rus: mango pulp- straight up, mango pulp! To be polite I smelled it (ok, that wasn't polite), I tried it, I grimaced at it, and then I ~~thrust away~~ shared it. I will note that everyone else at my table enjoyed. As for me, if I want a mango I'll just eat one ~~with a side of sweet Thai sticky rice thankyouverymuch~~.

I left with a great feeling, anxious to return.

I really wanted to ~~go back~~ take VM, so my return visit was soon thereafter. Unfortunately, it was immediately apparent that our waitress this time was disinterested and in an inexplicable hurry. It was early and the restaurant was more than half empty, so there was no reason for this. She quickly snatched our menus because we "didn't need them", so we blindly ordered one vegan dinner and one vegetarian, with VM hoping it would mean there was some paneer in her future.

Even they put a bird on it.

The Appetizer Thali was as good as I'd remembered, but two minutes into enjoying it the waitress was back to ask if we wanted more of anything. How were we to know yet?

why only two samosas this time!?

Mostly just to catch her off guard I did immediately ask for more Mirchi Bhajia and, to her credit, she brought it right out.

The only difference between VM's vegetarian plate and my vegan one was that she received Khaman, puffed cream of wheat flour cakes (that she didn't like), and her Sev Puri was drowning in yogurt (that she didn't like) instead of tamarind chutney like mine. Since I had two, I gave one of my superior, vegan ones.

the non-vegan options were the big losers of the thali

As will happen in waitstaff situations such as these, she had no sooner cleared our first plate that the Entree Thali was served (the restaurant was still only 1/3 full). As the waitress rushed through the descriptions of the dishes' contents ~~like a stewardess explaining the location of the emergency exits with that annoying two-fingered motion,~~ she removed one of the selections from my dish- the Bhaji that I had so enjoyed on my previous visit. "This contains dairy and should not be on there," she explained. What!? I was not sure who to believe as I generally want to believe nice people over not-so-nice people, but I had to err on the side of veganism and go without.

VM received the non-vegan plate, inclusive of the coveted Bhaji and the added bonus (not really) of Kheer: rice pudding with saffron and dried fruits. She did not indulge.

Because there was a non-vegan present, we received an additional Entree Complement: Kadhi: soup with yogurt and chickpea flour in authentic spices. VM was so frightened by this milky substance that she did not even try it. Note to vegetarians: at Vatan, non-vegan = yogurt, yogurt, and more yogurt.

It was hard to enjoy the meal through the eyes of someone obviously disappointed after my initial, glowing review. VM was disappointed and, needless to say, I was annoyed and disappointed. After having hated the mango pulp on the previous visit, I already knew I wasn't having dessert. I urged VM to order the homemade Indian ice cream if she liked, but when we found out it too was mango-flavored, she passed and we anti-climactically ended our meal in the now nearly empty restaurant- much to the delight of the waitress, who clearly had other things to do.

the view from our hut at 7:30pm

On the way out I noticed this fine fellow who I had missed seeing on my last visit; even he looked perplexed.

Between the vegan misinformation and the missing pleasantries and ceremony of the second visit, I'm not sure how quickly I will return. VM is completely disinterested in doing so. It is a shame, really, how one establishment can afford two such distinct experiences; it was almost as though I wasn't at the same place.

To Pancake or Not to Pancake at the Pancake House

2012-01-17T19:11:00.000-08:00

Despite being a chocolate chip pancake aficionado from way back, on my last visit to the Rutherford Pancake House I was (embarrasingly) won over by the savory breakfast offerings. While my meal was terrific, I left full of regret and devoid of maple syrup. This time I swore it would be different.

When we entered, my eyes were immediately drawn to this sign boasting Vegan Challah Bread French Toast Stuffed w/ Sweet Cream and Strawberries.

A creamy (seemingly vanilla), fruity breakfast isn't generally my idea of a good time (chocolate chips FTW), but the fact that it was such a generally spectacular and totally unexpected vegan offering had my wheels turning and my stomach rumbling. I did peruse the menu*, but my decision had already been made. VM tried to tempt me away from a sweet breakfast with her savory lunch choice, but I held firm. I double-checked with the waitress that it was definitely, completely vegan and had a special moment when she soon after instructed VM that the cheese on her veggie burger was "real" and, therefore, not vegan. Good looking out!

While we waited for our meals I ordered a vegan egg cream. What do you expect? There it was on the menu, just waiting to be ordered. It was good, but had a slight aftertaste- probably from the syrup.

VM's veggie burger looked completely awesome; there she goes with those impressive ordering abilities again. She told me it was delicious and just as good as leftovers.

not sure if this burger is vegan minus the cheese

As for mine? Hmm. Ok, fresh fruit always puts on a good show, but this French toast was definitely not any kind of Challah bread I'd ever seen. Rutherford, I ask you; do you really think this is what Challah looks like? Because the whole point of Challah and, by extension, Challah French toast, is that it's thick and doughy; this looked like regular pre-packaged bread slices to me.

At first I thought the cream was missing, but there it was between the slices of white bread- kind of like a sandwich. It was smooth and slightly thick- a consistency like nothing I can relate it to, but altogether pleasant. It was mildly sweet and- dare I say- slightly cheesy? Slathered with maple syrup it was tasty...buuuuut, still not Challah.

And then came the drama. For some reason my breakfast appeared on the bill as $9.95 instead of $6.95 as advertised on the specials board; no big deal. At RPH you pay at the counter, so we simply pointed it out at the register to the manager/owner (?). Without skipping a beat, the snippy reply was something along the lines of the fact that obviously the specials board was wrong. Really? And who's problem might that be? We suggested that he check the board and he informed us that he believed us, but that it didn't change the fact that it was obviously wrong. Ok, I didn't write the sign and I'm not psychic; now what?

At this point there was an awkward silence wherein I can only assume he thought he could wait me out and that I would simply give in to the unnecessarily uncomfortable situation and pay the higher price. Not with an attitude like that I wouldn't! It was turning into quite the standoff and then it happened: to add insult to injury, he began explaining how everything- including the bread- is made fresh daily. Um, by Pepperidge Farm? Come on. The bread? That's how you're gonna play this? Let's not go there. Even if this loaf was homemade, it was not Challah! Which means that on top of charging me wrong and then annoying me about it, I could accuse you of false advertising. And besides, am I supposed to pay more than advertised because you're telling me it's homemade? Just fix the bill and let me be on my way already.

Eventually Mean Bean face prevailed in the silent stare-off and he slammed the price adjustment into the computer and made a show of crumpling the incorrect bill and throwing it on the floor. Now why ya gotta have a nice, vegan-friendly menu and then act like that? While I appreciate the vegan love, I do NOT appreciate the attitude. We spent the whole meal talking about why there weren't more places like this one and how we should visit more often, and then a bad attitude ruins it all. I don't fault you for a mistake, but I do fault you for mishandling it. Bad form, RPH, and no reason for it.

* For some reason, the online menu doesn't nearly give you an idea of how many vegan offerings RPH has to offer. In person, the word vegan is all over the actual menu and there are many options in each category.

Kale vs. Collards (Team Kale here)

2012-01-13T15:32:00.000-08:00

A few friends and I have been having an ongoing kale vs. collards debate. A group of us is particularly infatuated with kale (raw kale salad especially), while a small, super-fit few are all about collards all (most) of the time. I'm obviously no nutritional wizard; the sole basis of my being a member of Team Kale is taste. So I'll let them wax poetic about the health benefits; let's have some fun.

I admit it; there was a time in my life when I didn't even know what kale was. Now I have my whole omnivorous family eating it: raw salad, baked chips...even in soup (cannelloni bean concerto)! With no end to the debate in sight, I feel like I should be a public advocate for kale. What better way to do it than with an Eat More Kale t-shirt?

Besides being rad, by supporting this small business you are not only advertising a superhero vegetable, but you are also standing up for a little guy who is being bullied by a giant, non-vegan company. Read all about, support Bo, and let big business know that you're not having it. TEAM KALE!!

You want more kale? You got it. Guess what I recently gifted all of the friends involved in the kale vs. collards fiasco? Kale propaganda!!

Really, how cute are these pins? They are from Sick on Sin, a company that offers all kinds of adorable pins and magnets and stuff: the vegan/animal themed are only some of their many offerings ("I love kale" is design #45).

Besides their adorbs merchandise (vegans love pins), the folks at Sick on Sin were incredibly kind as well as efficient. When I placed my order for multiple pins of the same design, they wrote to confirm my order and still shipped the very same day. So even though I'd waited until the last minute to order, it still arrived in a flash.

After having explained the friendly kale vs. collards debacle in the email conversation regarding my order, guess who weighed in on my packing slip? Yep, another member of Team Kale! Very cool.

"P.S. I vote kale too!"

Think that's all the kale I have for you today? Think again. Look what I found at Herbivore: a thumbs-up kale belt!

as modeled by My Vegan Gut

It too was a gift and now I'm wondering why I didn't get one for myself- especially since it seems they are out of stock. Kale belt buckles FTW!

And, finally: ~~if you're afraid of offending collards~~ if your kale-ness isn't ready to be represented so tangibly, perhaps stickers are more your speed. For a small donation, there's always the sizable Eat More Kale sticker to get your point across.

Most importantly, eat some kale!

And, to my friends (the collard sympathizers) who have been trekking through Nepal: welcome home!

Let's go get some kale?

Things I'm Still Eating Even Though the Holidays Are Over

2012-01-10T07:32:00.000-08:00

So besides the fact that I'm still making my way through all of the generous booty I received over the holidays, I also have a couple of things I picked up myself to plow through.

To all you Starbucks' (soy/decaf/extra hot/no whip) Peppermint Mocha fans out there (myself included), let me let you in on a little secret: WestSoy Chocolate Peppermint Stick is the bomb.

I found it while searching for their taste-bud exhilarating soy shake and it has made a more than fine consolation in the absence of my original fave. It's shelf stable so you can stock up, it heats up to a delectable adult hot chocolate (no booze; I meant the light mint flavor), and it's even good cold. Really good. Seriously, get on this; it's only out at the holidays but I've still seen some out there.

Late July Dark Chocolate Covered Sandwich Cookies Sprinkled With Organic Peppermint are just as good as you've heard. They too are only around this time of year, so my advice would be to buy more than one box if you have the chance.

They come individually wrapped, which is great. Not because you're only going to eat one (HA!), but because they travel so well in your pocket.

I'm not generally a huge sandwich cookie fan,

but the combo of the cookie, cream, chocolate, and mild peppermint is really decadent.

I have to admit I have yet to enjoy these chocolate peppermint creations together, but if you're feeling particularly chocolate-minty...have at it. Happy New Year.

New Year's Day Feast, Part II: Chocolate-Covered Dessert

2012-01-05T18:04:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the not too complicated/not requiring too many ingredients theme of the day, for dessert I decided to make VM a treat that we haven't had in eons.

Sometime last century, Ritz offered a product that was basically Ritz crackers dipped in non-vegan dark chocolate (not to be confused with the non-vegan fudge covered Ritz that are offered now). It sounds weird, but think about it: salt and chocolate? YUM! Unfortunately, they weren't around for long and we've been talking about them ever since. For some inexplicable reason, it never occurred to either of us how easy it would be to mimic. So, I ~~finally~~ melted up some chocolate,

got to dipping, and finished off with birthday sprinkles.

Voila, chocolate-covered Ritz:

As per usual, I wound up with a bowl partially filled with melted chocolate not deep enough for dipping. And then I had an epiphany... I broke up some pretzel rods and mixed them into the chocolate until the ratio looked even.

Then I used a small ice cream scoop to pack them into two-bite-size candies, sprinkled them with sea salt, and let set in the fridge.

If you're thinking these look familiar, you're right; the inspiration was the pretzel clusters from Cocoa V. My pretzel pieces weren't as small as in the original, but they tasted exactly the same!

Seriously, regular, chocolate-covered pretzels can suck it.

Dip everything salty in chocolate!!
(Dear regular, chocolate-covered pretzels, I'm only kidding).

New Year's Day Feast, Part I: Mexi-Dinner

2012-01-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

Living between two houses doesn't make cooking easy, so I had to come up with something for VM's birthday dinner that would be relatively easy and something she really liked. When the new freezer is stocked such that it looks like this, it's easier said than done:

yes, that is 5 pints of almond bites; don't judge me!

As I am not alone in my enjoyment of Chipotle, I figured why not bring the enjoyment home? Easier said than done.

Start with store-bought, stove-top warmed, flour tortillas:

add white rice (apologies to the health conscious!):

garlic-cumin black beans:

peppers and onions sauteed with olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground telecherry pepper:

Tofutti sour cream:

Daiya pepperjack:

and corn-tomato salsa with pepper and ground coriander:

assembled:

Served with sweet corn cake:

And don't forget the chips...

and homemade guacamole just the way we like it: loaded with extra onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, and lime juice!

Happy birthday to my favorite VM! Stay tuned for Part II: dessert! We already ate it, but it will be new to you.

Vegan Friends, Gifts, and Activism

2011-12-28T16:06:00.000-08:00

"Mink don't care about your next vegan potluck. Fox yearn for freedom while we swap recipes and eat cupcakes." -Victor Vanorden

I recently read this powerful quote on Facebook from an interview with Kellie and Victor VanOrden.

In a conversation with vegan friends, it came up that the vegan superheroes used to be the hardcore, the activists, the people who were getting arrested for the cause. Now it's the cooks, the bakers, the business owners. Sweet activism/cupcake activism, whatever you call it, has it's place...but have we watered down our own cause by becoming a coffee klatch of sorts? Are we too caught up in our own vegan foodie communities that we've lost sight of the big picture? The whole idea really gave me pause as the calendar approached the mark when I would be embarking upon my thirteenth year of veganism.

And then the holidays arrived.

Awesome MVG care package: Crazy Rumors (peppermint plum), Brad's kale chips (THE BEST), Sweet & Sara s'mores and dreidel, and a chocolate hazelnut Mast Brothers bar

I gifted vegan goodies to non-vegans. I was the reason that 80% of the food at my office holiday party was vegan and, since it was awesome, the dialogue was effortless and continuous, eventually reaching aspects of veganism other than diet. My non-vegan co-workers bragged about the various vegan-friendly brands I've turned them onto- from Espe to Matt & Nat to Alternative Outfitters. Of course the world doesn't revolve around consumerism, but let's face it; we do vote with our dollars.

Thanks, VM!

It's not all about food either, but isn't it nice to be thought of and to be able to participate in ritualistic eating that we've, in the past, been relegated from? As it happened, this holiday season I received a boatload of extraordinary love from vegan friends far and wide- mostly in the form of delicious vegan delights, pictured throughout this post. All were heartfelt, with contents brimming with personalized touches.

Boundless gratitude for the ridonkulously kind and generous booty from MS: YES that is the best "chewy caramel" I've ever eaten; sugary, crunchety snickerdoodles; peanut butter(y) cups; soft ginger(bread) cookies I inexplicably devoured like I'd never had an issue with ginger, and chocolate chip (!) banana bread (cause without them it's pointless).

I ate and enjoyed. I shared the goodies and the vegan word. I felt part of a community and I wanted to do more.

Cocoa V chocolate pretzel clusters (thanks, BSGP!)

I suppose that could have been achieved by jointly participating in leafleting, a protest, or an undercover endeavor instead of enjoying a holiday dinner together, but we didn't. I suppose that instead of exchanging tasty morsels we could have made donations in each others names. Maybe we should have (some did; thank you HK!!).

The Kind Life's chocolate peanut butter cups, courtesy of PS

So, what is the answer; I know I can do more, can you? But, if it weren't for this kind of activism, sweet activism (which begets "community" activism), family friends wouldn't be aware of farm sanctuaries and the reason for them, co-workers wouldn't have otherwise known what a vegan was or why, and my mom wouldn't be vegetarian. So yes, I can do more. But living a vocal, vegan life every day: educating people in earnest rather than condescension; leading by example with fashion forward, cruelty free products; donating as much as I can afford to the vegan charities I support; emailing companies regularly in commendation of their vegan options or in request for some or more; proudly living a vegan life without apology- sometimes it's all the activism you can muster in a day. I do what I can and I will try to do more, but all this is something.

"Thank you for the delicious pie, which we shared with friends on boxing day. You may yet convert me to veganism!"

But lest we not forget that veganism is mistaken as a dietary choice mainly because food is the predominant part of many cultures. Most people don't give a second thought to realize the cruelty behind everyday "textiles" (leather/wool/silk), cosmetics, cleaning products, etc. By sharing your own vegan enlightenment on this and other issues, you interest people, open their minds, make them think differently, and spread the vegan word; it is not for naught. Try it with family, friends, co-workers...whoever is in your vicinity. My friend HB recently coined the term "Supermarket Activism", wherein you- only when appropriate- suggest various vegan items in friendly conversation to other shoppers that may be reaching for the same or similar thing in your vicinity. This really works! Sometimes you meet other vegans who respond with, "I know; my wife and I love Daiya", and sometimes you'll come up against a non-vegan who'll say, "There's really no cholesterol in Almond Bites?" Plant seeds of veganism wherever and whenever you can.

that which needs no introduction, thanks to my own personal inside scoop: BYOL

So an unabashed bravo to the hardcore protesters whom I appreciate and aspire to. But also a special thank you to my vegan friends who are not only sweet/community activists, but who keep me grounded, thinking, and full.

Eve Eve

2011-12-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

This year a group of us were hoping to get together on Christmas Eve, but family plans were an impediment. So, we created our own non-secular holiday: Eve Eve!

Here's how it went down: we went to Hangawi for dinner.

my requisite plum juice

Our first shared appetizer was the vegetarian dumplings, fried; it was Eve Eve after all.

Next up was my fave Hangawi appetizer, combination pancakes in pumpkin, kimchi, and mushroom leek.

They kindly quartered each flavor to make it easy for our party of four to share.

For dinner I took my cue from my friend, PS, who always orders the best noodle dishes: we both went with the vermicelli stone bowl rice and I stole all her hot sauce. I still think I prefer the avocado stone bowl, but this hit the spot. Our fourth, HB, ordered the original vegetarian stone bowl with brown rice (it looked too much like mine to warrant another flash photo in the serene dining room). Note: it would seem that the stone bowls no longer come with complimentary miso soup.

My bud, MVG, ordered the tofu with mixed vegetables in brown sauce; it was mild, but extremely tasty.

We all telepathically agreed to forego dessert and headed to the place where everybody knows our names, Lula's Sweet Apothecary. I had a sundae of pumpkin, cinnamon, chocolate, and peanut butter chip ice creams...

topped with hot fudge, caramel, graham crackers, whipped cream and a cherry. A masterpiece!

As you can see, Eve Eve was a raging success; it just might have to be a permanent celebration.

photo courtesy of BYOL

Happy Eve Eve to all, but especially to the Fab Vegan Five!

Eight Crazy Nights

2011-12-21T07:18:00.000-08:00

This Hanukkah, I sent my ~~self~~ family Gone Pie's extraordinary pecan pie.

Since I ordered multiples for gifts and shipping was already built into the price, Gone Pie was kind enough to include a surprise...

macaroons!

The macaroons are soft, moist, and very lightly toasted on the outside. There is no question that they look and smell extremely appealing, but my AB radar detected that something was missing.

Ah yes, Gone Pie's famous frosting; the decadent chocolateyness went terrifically with the mildly sweet macaroons!

The pecan pie was just as delicious as I remembered and I've decided that I like it best chilled.

I have to admit that after eating all of this, even I couldn't partake in the Sweet & Sara chocolate-covered marshmallow dreidel that I'd been saving (for 3 whole days!). It was bestowed upon me by a dear friend who carefully assessed the chocolate to marshmallow ratio before gifting; I can't wait to eat it. <3!

Luckily, tomorrow is another day...of Hanukkah.

"Instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights!" - Adam Sandler, The Hanukkah Song

Pineapple Upside Down Cake Remix

2011-12-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

Nope, I'm not baking out of season; I'm just really behind on my blogging and found this post missed being published this summer.

Enjoy & stay warm!

Another ~~$1.99 pineapple coupon~~ pineapple, another pineapple upside down cake.

My cake from last year was a huge success, but I decided that this time I would try to make it using the pineapple right side up cupcake recipe for the cake. I made a couple of minis; this one was for a certain pineapple-upside-down-cake-loving-friend.

It was good, but while the cupcakes are divine, I have to say that the upside down cake should be baked as is! Subbing the sweeter recipe for the cake made the cake way too sweet- even for me. Also, this batter always cooks up extremely moist, which means it soggifies very quickly. Not so with the original cake recipe as directed.

So obviously it was my duty to make another one using the original recipe. Notice that my design technique has significantly improved.

Once again, the cake perfectly browned:

And what do you know; the top caramelized as expected. This recipe really is no fail (even for me).

I'm not above taking shortcuts, but fresh pineapple is a must. So, bookmark this one for next summer!

Smackdown: Chipotle vs. Qdoba

2011-12-14T17:34:00.000-08:00

I love Mexican food. When I can't make it myself, I have no problem hitting up casual-dining (a step above fast food), vegan-friendly establishments: usually Chipotle. Since a Qdoba recently opened near my office I've had the opportunity to try them a few times now to compare. So, I decided to pit them against each other in a Mexi(can)-Cas(ual) smackdown.

Chipotle soft tacos

Name:
Admit it, Chipotle is an awkward word whether you're referring to the restaurant or the pepper. But then you kind of get to like saying it. Kind of like salsa in the 90's. Qdoba, on the other hand...is it Q doba, or kadoba? Note: It's Q doba. Also, what is the reference? Chipotle is spice, Qdoba is...adobea with a Q thrown in?
Point Name: Chipotle

Originality:
I have a special affinity for Chipotle because they are an original, with Qdoba jumping on the bandwagon not long after (with others following suit).
Point Originality: Chipotle.

Chipotle cups

Menu:
Chipotle's menu is refreshingly simple, while Qdoba's is unnecessarily convoluted for pretty much the same result. Get over yourself, Qdoba.
Point Menu: Chipotle.

Chipotle hard tacos

Availability:
Maybe it's just because I'm in the Northeast, but there are far more Chipotles around than Qdobas. Except, of course, for the Qdobas that open right across the street from Chipotles (see "Originality").
Point Availability: Chipotle.

Presentation:
In quantity, the available options seem more plentiful at Qdoba, but that's just because they have two identical sections going at the same time. Regardless, the choices at Chipotle are always presented much more neatly and therefore look more appetizing. Chipotle also always seems much better staffed, with employees working at a constant pace like a well-oiled machine. At Qdoba it's been my experience that they are short-staffed, messy, and overwhelmed- even during slow periods. Barring a few missteps, Chipotle's finished dishes are consistently neat. Qdoba, on the other hand, still can't even seem to get the burrito rolling down pat. Who wants to eat their burrito with a knife and fork?
Point Presentation: Chipotle.

Qdoba burrito, poorly folded

Rice:
A few years ago I tried Qdoba for the first time and found the ~~nasty~~ fresh cilantro taste way too much for me to bear. It seemed to be most highly concentrated in the rice and I vowed never to return. I believe that they have since dialed it down considerably, as I don't taste a significant difference between theirs and Chipotle's. Unfortunately, though, Qdoba over-rices as much as Subway over-lettuces. As if they weren't already ahead, Chipotle has recently added a brown rice option.
Point Rice: Chipotle.

Beans:
Black beans have always been the only bean option suitable for vegetarians at Chipotle and I've found them consistently forthcoming with this information once you order "vegetarian". Both black and pinto beans are vegetarian at Qdoba, but I've never tried the pinto (Team Black Beans!). I don't notice any difference in the preparation or taste anything different between the black option at both establishments.
Point Beans: tie.

Basic Ingredients:
At Chipotle the vegetarian option comes with black beans and rice, as well as peppers and onions if you'd like. Imagine my surprise to find that at Qdoba, the vegetarian burrito does not come with veggies of any kind. The grilled veggie burrito, however, does come with grilled zucchini, squash, and red peppers...but no beans. Is there some rule in Qdobaland that beans and veggies cannot co-mingle? Whatever the reason, it's kind of chintzy, but I'll note that for $0.69 I'd recommend abandoning your principle and adding the peppers and onions. Point Basic: Chipotle.

Chipotle soft tacos

Guacamole:
Chipotle offers complimentary guacamole on all vegetarian entrees and it's always ridiculously fresh. My pet peeve at Chipotle, though, is that every time you order guacamole as a topping, they scoop some up in a metal spoon, use a plastic knife to portion it onto your food, and then throw the knife away. Every time, for each person. At Qdoba, guacamole is only included in some vegetarian entrees. So tacky! Why you gotta nickel and dime the veggie customers, Qdoba? On the bright side, they use a small ice cream scoop to serve. However environmentally friendly, though, it's also stingy and prevents achieving an even layer of guacamole on your entree; it's all concentrated in two bites! If fresh, Qdoba's guacamole actually tastes slightly better, but that might just be because I can't stomach Chipotle's ridiculous waste of plastic utensils. Unfortunately, more often than not, Qdoba's guac is browning or brown; don't be too shy to request a new batch.
Point Guac: Chipotle.

Qdoba hard tacos: barely filled (I requested the new batch of guac)

Spice:
I am usually a fan of Chipotle's thick, tomatillo red-chili hot salsa, but of late I've gotten a couple of batches that don't taste much spicier than tomato puree; are we upping the wuss level because customers can't take the heat? Granted my spice tolerance seems to increase by the hour, but this is a major disappointment. When it's good it's good; when it's bad it's bland. However, I will say that they'll give you as much as you want- on your entree and/or on the side. Qdoba's fiery habanero salsa seems like it could be superior in taste and heat, but even with a double serving you can barely taste it amidst the pound of rice. And why do they make you confirm that you really want it? It's not that hot. I think it's just another excuse to be stingy. Chipotle's available table-side hot sauce is Tabasco: a little old school for me. Qdoba's hot sauce of choice is Cholula- not my favorite, but a step up from Tabasco. Still...Point Spice: Chipotle.

Chipotle soft tacos

Accoutrements:
At Chipotle I get the same every time: fresh tomato salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, tomatillo red-chili salsa, guacamole, and lettuce. While Qdoba's options seem more plentiful, they're basically the same idea, only some cost extra. The flavors at Chipotle remain superior.
Point Accoutrements: Chipotle

Accountability:
While I don't buy into the humane myth, I do believe that Chipotle makes a considerable effort to minimize animal suffering, utilizes significantly higher quality ingredients than Qdoba, as well as attempts to educate the general public about 21st century farming. Point Accountability: Chipotle.

So there you have it.

Rock your Bok

2011-12-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

Whenever I eat bok choy at a restaurant, it's prepared beautifully. When I cook it at home, it ~~inexplicably~~ inevitably gets overcooked. Not any more!

A friend recently schooled me in the art of the bok; this is my interpretation of his instructions and how I now cook it to perfection every time. I had to scroll through all of my archived texts to find his original recipe, but now it's easily searchable and will be forever available on my blog.

First, sliver off the very butt end of the bulb and discard.

Then cut off the bulb- about an inch or so. [UPDATE 12/10/11: This is both so that you are able to thoroughly clean the inners of your bok and to make sure the bulb and the leaves cook evenly.]

Wash the bulbs and the leaves separately.

(You'll be cooking them in stages.)

Heat a large pot with a little bit of evoo, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Add in the ~~butts~~ bulbs and cook for about five minutes on medium low, stirring regularly.

Then add the leaves, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

At this point, squirt in tamari sauce, black pepper, toasted sesame oil, ~~and a generous squeeze of lemon juice~~ [UPDATE 1/24/12: My friend whose recipe I adapted has admonished me for the inclusion of lemon juice and says it was never in the original recipe. Since I usually forget it anyway, let's all do so, shall we?]. Stir and cook, uncovered, for another minute. If the leaves start wilting on you, STOP!

If you remember, serve garnished with sesame seeds (I didn't; that's garlic).

Feel guilty about all the extra sauce you have left over? Serve over rice or make some tamari almonds!

Marinate your almonds in the mixture overnight and bake at 375* on a lightly greased baking sheet for about ten minutes**, tossing midway.

*Or maybe lower; I always burn mine.
**Or maybe less; I always burn mine.

New York: You Asked For It, You Got It...The Cinnamon Snail is Coming to a Neighborhood Near You!

2011-12-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

For immediate release:

From*
Chef Adam Sobel
The Cinnamon Snail Food Truck
thecinnamonsnail@gmail.com

After two full years, finally The Cinnamon Snail food truck is fully permitted for NYC. We will be serving many neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn starting this Thursday 12/8/11 with an appearance for brunch and lunch in Midtown West.

The exact location will be announced via social media when we are parked. Folks can follow us on twitter @veganLunchTruck or on facebook.

Expect visits from The Cinnamon Snail in the FiDi, Flatiron District, Midtown, the LES, Williamsburg, Green Point, and other areas on Manhattan and Brooklyn in the following weeks.

Our season is over on Xmas, but we will be back from our winter hibernation sometime around valentines day (weather permitting).

The Cinnamon Snail has been mostly in Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark and Red Bank NJ for the last two years. Hoboken is passing a new vending ordinance, which will make it completely unaffordable and difficult for food trucks to operate. So their loss in NYC’s gain!

The Cinnamon Snail is a 2010 and 2011 vendy award nominee
The Cinnamon Snail won the 2011 vendy award for their vanilla bourbon crem brulee donuts
We were named the #1 vegetarian street food in America by PETA
Named as one of the top ten food trucks in the country by Yahoo.com in 2010
Nominated for the 2011 VegNews Veggie Awards
Nominated for PETA’s 2011 Libby Awards
Featured on the Cooking Channel, New York Times, Time Out NY, Vegeterian Times, Veg News, Asbury Park Press and probably on the FBI’s most wanted list (of places to eat of course)

GET ON LINE!

* photos and links added by Abzilla

I'm Pretty Sure Everyone Needs a Tofu Xpress

2011-12-03T17:19:00.000-08:00

I can remember first hearing about the Tofu Xpress years ago, but I never got around to actually buying one. Sure I knew that the fact that it took me hours to press the tofu*, unrefrigerated, under a stack of heavy objects (that often toppled and broke anything in their path) was archaic, but deep down I was waiting for someone to buy one for me. It was fairly priced, useful, and perfect for a vegan; I waited and waited, but no one ever did.

Now that I'm in the process of moving (yes, it's the world's longest renovation), I decided it would make a great housewarming gift...to myself. So, I took matters into my own hands and went ahead and ordered it.

The Xpress arrived quickly in a small, unassuming box that I contemplated for a few days before unpacking.

When I finally opened it and inspected the contents, it seemed sleek and well designed. It did occur to me that it might be convoluted to figure out, but a few friends assured me that I was going to love it and I hoped that I would.

Extra credit for coming with a tofu coupon!

I read ~~some of~~ the instructions and started out by putting it in the dishwasher as directed; I was immediately impressed because I'm not a big fan of hand washing (Clarification: I wash my hands all the time; I don't like to hand-wash dishes.).

Then I was ready to use it. I consulted the directions again and plopped in my rinsed tofu cube (am I the only one who does this?).

Then I assembled the lid, the spring,

and the top: super simple.

I placed it in the fridge and was going to leave it overnight,

but an hour later there was plenty of water separated from it, so I decided it was done.

At this point, you simply empty the water (sorry; I drained it before remembering to photog) and proceed as usual. If you wish, fill the Xpress with your marinade (I used double the tofu teriyaki recipe from CSD p. 217),

cover with the marinading lid, and put it back in the fridge.

I let the tofu marinate overnight,

and then baked it on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 45 minutes at 350, turning a few times. I knew as soon as it came out of the oven that I'd done well; it looked professionally prepared. I served my gorgeous tofu over brown rice...

and topped it with peppers, onions, and cashews I'd sauteed in the leftover marinade.

While I knew it looked impressive, it wasn't until I cut into the tofu that I had an inkling of how great it would taste; it was my favorite part of the dish. Look at that texture! Credit goes to the Tofu Xpress, but I am super proud that I was able to achieve this level of tofu cookery. It was absolutely scrumptious.

I can't say enough good things about the Tofu Xpress, especially since most of them bode so well with my inclination towards laziness:

it takes up hardly any room in your cabinet

it's simple to use

it's convenient that you can press your tofu and marinate it in the same container

the clean-up couldn't be easier

the results are fantastic in hardly any time at all and with barely any effort whatsoever

I don't know what I was thinking not buying this sooner; it truly is fantastic. See, I knew all along that it would have made a great gift; someone definitely should have bought this for me! I highly recommend this as a wonderful gift- to yourself or someone you know who might just be waiting for someone to buy it for them too. Don't make them buy it for themselves to find out how convenient and useful it is; you buy it, YOU take the credit! Otherwise they'll only have themselves to thank. Ahem.

*Disclaimer: I'm not, generally, a tremendous tofu fan. Clearly this is because I haven't prepared it well enough.

Gone (Pecan) Pie and Pumpkin Brownies

2011-11-28T17:27:00.000-08:00

Last fall I overdid it with the pumpkin. Pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin loaf, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cupcakes. So much so that when autumn came upon me this time around, I was (practically) immune to the temptation. That is, until the talented baker at the helm of Gone Pie Vegan Bakery generously sent me a pan of her pumpkin pie brownies to share with my infamously non-vegan co-workers.

At first I thought I could resist (just until the next morning); but when the delivery arrived with explicit instructions to immediately sample, it was only right to follow the direction.

The packaging* was pristine and included an extremely friendly and useful info sheet listing the contents of the package, the ingredients of the items, etc., as well as explicit information regarding serving the pumpkin brownies. To paraphrase, the icing may get stuck on the lid of the container in transit, but a side of frosting is included for immediate ~~consumption~~ repair.

And sure enough; they know of what they speak:

The trusty repair kit:

And voila; good as new:

Seriously, if I can make it look this pretty, anyone can. Reward yourself for your hard work by ~~licking~~ using a fork to scrape the inside of the lid and not let it go to waste, i.e., shove it in your mouth! No matter how you slice it (pun intended), you're ultimately getting extra frosting! Trust me, this is a very good thing.

In the interest of full disclosure, my personal taste test occurred prior to having addressed the aesthetic frosting issue. What? Like you could have resisted.

Know that as soon as the lid is removed, all of the fragrant, autumnal spices waft out. It was at this, precise moment that it instantly occurred to me that I probably wasn't really over pumpkin. I knew the first bite would be telling. In a word? No. I wasn't over it. At all. I was, apparently, just over my own half-assed pumpkin attempts; this was tasty to the nth degree. First the spices hit my surprised tastebuds, then the chocolate cake and frosting: the combo created quite the chocolatey/fall powerhouse. VM insisted she's not a big fan of pumpkin, but I counter-insisted she try it anyway; she loved it. "These giant chips!" and "This frosting really is something else" were among the litany of compliments that followed. Poor VM, always being made to taste delicious baked goods against her will. The horror!

What really gets me about Gone Pie baked goods is the crumb; this was no exception. I found the pumpkin brownie to be more cake than brownie, and the crumb is perfect. And this coming from someone who barely knows what that means! Needless to say, they didn't last long in my office; people know a good thing when they see/smell/taste it. Add this to the roster of irresistible Gone Pie brownies.

And then there was one. Look at those giant chips beckoning to whoever will have them. The chips. Oh, the chips!!! Clearly the esteemed tasting panel's favorite part...or was it the frosting? Who can decide? Good thing it's a package deal.

The overall office consensus on the pumpkin brownies was as follows:

1) YUM
2) that the pumpkin taste was perfect: not so dominant as to overwhelm the dessert or the dessertee
3) that the frosting is outstanding

Next up, pecan pie. Yes, PECAN PIE!! There is just something about pie, isn't there? Well wait till you get a load of this one.

I especially loved the way the pie was wrapped. Impressive and impeccably presented, this is a particularly great item for gifting, in my opinion:

Unwrapped, it is an exquisite specimen. I immediately cut myself a small slice.

KIDDING!! Okay, only partially kidding. You have to know what you're sharing, right?

Seriously, the best pecan pie I've ever had. I didn't even think I was really a fan of pecan pie. VM definitely wasn't. Guess what? We are now.

And let me address the fact that this is gluten-free. Because I am not, I am often hesitant to try things that are; I blame an unfortunate incident regarding a papery tasting wrap that I won't go into. But fear not, fellow gluten-partakers; this is a phenomenal dessert with or without the gluten...you'd never guess. Gone Pie has proven me wrong time and time again; this too was no exception. The pecans, the crust, the sweetness: all skillfully proportioned so that each bite is a masterpiece.

But, as far as sharing was concerned, I had to tread lightly. The OCD employee in me couldn't risk simply placing this gorgeous cake at work for the taking, only to find it quickly desecrated by the gads of "pickers" who insist on slivering their way through office desserts, leaving them in a disrespected, crumby heap (can you tell this drives me nuts?). So, I was prepared.

I pre-cut the pie into tiny, perfect slivers and watched contentedly as my co-workers said, "I can only have a piece"...and then neatly took a whole, pre-portioned slice. I am a genius. What I didn't anticipate, though, was the fact that people would take their slice with their fingers instead of a utensil, which I'd placed right beside. Baby steps.

My boss, in particular, is a tough cookie when it comes to desserts. One of the first people to try the pie, she exclaimed something complimentary I can't recall and, I dare say, reached for a second slice before swallowing the last bite of the first. Others quickly followed suit even before I could send out the invitational email for my department to partake.

Despite the very clear presentation, I still fielded the requisite omni questions posed in accusatory tones, none more irksome than the incredulous, "Are these vegan?". Too late VM suggested that my response should have been, "Oh no, I used to be vegan. These are all filled up with cruelty and cholesterol just like you like it; enjoy!" Of course they were not, I was nice (!), and the goods were not to be resisted. Everybody wins!

The accolades poured in- general gratitude via email and explicit praise muttered through gratified chews.

"What you taste is the nuts; this is done right. And by right I mean better than any pecan pie I've ever tasted."

"How is the crust not soggy? I have to line my crust with chocolate [(!)] in order to prevent that from happening."

"What a pleasure and novel idea- to have a pie filled with pecans and not filler."

"Exquisite, European, like a tart"

"Pecan pie is usually goopy; this is all the quality stuff, not the goop."

And those are just the quips I was able to scribble down.

So perhaps the lesson to be learned is that it's not necessarily vegan food that scares people, but MY (homemade) vegan food. Hmm; something to consider. These items, for sure, were a hit.

More importantly, another thing to take away is that people can identify quality. And when they do, the fact that it's vegan becomes secondary. Gone Pie's desserts are the decadent type that are satiating in just a few bites- evident by the accolades from all. Can you tell I was very popular this day? Know how to be popular yourself? Share or gift any and all of Gone Pie's incredible creations. Just remember to snag a few items for yourself, lest your gifts not all make it to their intended destinations as a result of an unanticipated detour to your belly.

A sincere thanks to Gone Pie for their extreme generosity, startling talent, and exquisite contribution to veganism.

* A word about the packaging and presentation: outstanding.

my iPhone pic orientation has to foil me at least once per post

In high school, an art teacher told another student that her execution and presentation was flawless; I often reflect on that statement and aspire to it. Gone Pie truly delivers and achieves.

And you know what they say about a well-placed sticker.

A Very Vegan Eggplant Rollatini Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

Because VM has had so much practice over the years, she has long since mastered the veganization of any and all of her famous Thanksgiving side dishes. This year has been busier than most, so when I found this terrific new product we agreed that we'd forgo all of the various traditional preparations in favor of one, epic dish.

And by "we", I of course mean "she"; VM cooks, I document.

By the time I showed my face on Thanksgiving ~~morning~~ afternoon, VM was well on her way. Her sauce was already simmering:

And the eggplants were mid-peel:

Once I started photographing she really kicked it into high gear and prepared her frying assembly line.

Side one of the first batch:

Side two:

Cooling (would anyone recommend baking the coated eggplant to eliminate or at least decrease the oil, or would that negate their fried flexibility?):

Time to try the Tofutti ricotta.

It came out of the container quite dense, so I fork smushed it.

Parsley, salt, pepper, and a handful of Daiya mozzarella shreds:

Time to assemble:

Scoop...

roll...

repeat:

Sprinkle with Daiya:

Cover with sauce & more Daiya (even more if VM isn't looking):

Bake at 360 degrees for 45 minutes, loosely covered with tin foil.

Some people like it served atop their gemelli:

Others beside:

No matter the placement, prepare to be WOWED!

I ordered an epi loaf for the holiday; it was even more gigantic than usual.

I cut the loaf at the joints, spritzed them with olive oil and coated them with garlic...

and then I smothered them in Daiya mozzarella too: 25 minutes at 360 degrees.

Voila; cheesy bread:

The meal was more than a success. SO GOOD!!! The sauce alone deserved (and received) a standing ovation.

And...leftovers!

And, in honor of Thanksgiving, turkeys!

Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

Did you know that turkeys are super soft and their heads feel like warm brains? They also act as mood rings, changing color depending on their mood- from red to blue.

Farm Sanctuary, Watkins Glen

This is the first turkey I ever met; I was astounded by how beautiful a creature it was. Please make it a Thanksgiving for all living beings; go vegan.

Justin's PB Cups vs. Go Max Go Cleo's: Who! Will! Win!

2011-11-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

My fellow dark chocolate-loving friend and I went on a serious cup-hunt when Justin's first came out with their dark chocolate peanut butter cups; I think it's fair to say we've been hooked ever since. I've been avoiding the new Go Max Go Cleo's simply because they are milk chocolate, but after recently being impressed by their Snap! bar, I figured I owed the Cleo's a chance.

The peanut butter/chocolate showdown:

The peanut butter
The peanut butter in the Cleo's is really creamy. This is crucial to note because sometimes the peanut butter in a Justin's cup is contrarily dense and powdery. Unlike their Reese's ancestors, this apparently isn't a result of staleness, but rather an extreme sensitivity to cold. I know this because I've induced this phenomenon by putting them in the fridge. Do not put them in the fridge! Unfortunately, I've also purchased Justin's cups that were powdery even without a misstep on my part, so it would seem that stores have not necessarily received the "no fridge" memo. To be fair, this has only happened 50% of the times I've purchased Justin's. But, at $2 a pack, it's not really a gamble I appreciate. I will say, though, that when not powdery, Justin's peanut butter is as dense and smooth as it should be. Cleo's creamy peanut butter, on the other hand, seems impervious to anything you could do to them- consistently.

The chocolate
I'm partial to the fact that Justin's is dark chocolate, but they are also superior in ingredient proportion. While every Justin's bite is relatively evenly distributed between chocolate and peanut butter, the Cleo's are seriously peanut butter-heavy in the center, with an extremely thin coating of chocolate above and below, and a considerably thicker shell around the edge and towards the peanut butter. I don't recall the architecture of Reese's accurately enough to be able to compare the proportion authenticity, but I prefer Justin's to Cleo's.

The bottom line:

While both options are impressive, I think it's fair to say that they each offer a totally different dessert experience to the peanut butter cup loving crowd. As for me, I'd reach for the Justin's. Of course this may change if they don't get their powdery problem under control...but, assuming they do, the dark chocolate and even proportion happen to do it for me. Go forth and enjoy whichever cups float your particular chocolate peanut butter boat.

It Doesn't Suck To Live Within Driving Distance of Vegan Treats

2011-11-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

NYC peeps are spoiled by all of the establishments that serve Vegan Treats, but my favorite place to partake is at their shoppe, located in Bethlehem, PA. Their available goodies are always rotating, but on this day...

Isn't it pretty? Pumpkin and vanilla soft serve twist with rainbow ~~sprinkles~~ non-pareils. IS THERE A SPRINKLE SHORTAGE?

Remember when the i/c machine was broken? I don't.

caramel pecan sticky bun:

glazed vanilla donut*:

powdered sugar-coated chocolate donut:

raspberry crumb bar:

And, for dessert (What? That was breakfast!): french pastries! Clockwise from left: s'mores cheesecake, death by chocolate, caramel apple crumb cheesecake, Mexican chocolate pecan cake.

Somehow, this extra booty made it home as well. VT's gigantoid cinnamon bun:

A coconut roll:

And a camera shy cowboy cookie to wash it all down.

See you soon, VT.

*see sprinkle shortage

A Whirlwind of Vegan Food and Coupons!

2011-11-14T17:07:00.000-08:00

Join me and VM for another personal NYC food festival...with coupons!

First up, free coffee from The Bean for joining their mailing list. Visit them at their Broadway and 12th Street location until their two new shops open in their old stomping grounds.

Next up, our regular goods from Sacred Chow. Besides a rather unpleasant experience with the waiter (what happened to that lovely waitress!?), another absolutely delicious meal, courtesy of Living Social.

The weather was beautiful yet SoHo was blissfully empty; I think we fell into a pocket of time devoid of tourists. We shopped and gallery-hopped for the rest of the day until dinner.

I'd let my Saluggi's Yelp! deal languish until the last minute, so VM and I had to handle two pies by ourselves. Contrary to what you might be thinking, when I say "handle" I actually mean carry them home (exercising those biceps); we only ate a slice apiece. One pie with brussel sprouts, the other roasted peppers and carmelized onions (they're under the cheese); please note that although Saluggi's seems to have removed their dining room advertisements geared towards vegans, they still carry Daiya and make a mighty fine pie.

I know, I sometimes still can't get the orientation right on the iPhone.

Finally, Lula's! VM had a full card, so her drumstick (a.k.a. chicken leg) cone was free. My sundae, however, was worth every glorious penny! Chocolate chocolate cookie, pumpkin, peanut butter chocolate cookie, and drumstick ice creams with caramel topping, whipped cream, and a cherry. You'll note I had half scoops so I didn't make as much of a pig of myself as usual!

On the way home we swung by Pommes Frites because it was the last day for their 100% free ScoutMob deal.

Orange cones had to corral the line stretching down the block, but even though they were mobbed every single fry was cooked to perfection and each employee chatted and smiled genuinely as he worked. Even better, the fries reheated flawlessly for the next day's dinner!

The onions and jalapenos were still complimentary even though the fries were free.

Who says NY is expensive? ;-)

Bagged Kale?

2011-11-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

The kale pickins have been awfully slim around my neighborhood, so I recently resorted to buying bagged kale from Trader Joe's. It looked fresh and the quanity seemed equivalent in price to a loose bunch, so I figured I'd give it a try.

The first thing I noticed was that it wasn't organic. The last organic bunch I'd bought was filled with- well, you know, so I wasn't too upset about that. But then I noticed that it said "greens for cooking" and "cut, cleaned & ready to cook". Why no raw love? Perhaps because the kale leaves had been chopped with the stems? Nevertheless, I washed the leaves thoroughly (only one or two cootified pieces per bag) and made my salad using Domestic Affair's dragon dressing, as recommended by Food Feud.

The stems are hiding; they know they're not wanted.

After the first two bites containing stems I knew this wasn't the solution to my kale drought. And, even after I'd picked out the stems, the leaves were still inexplicably, overly bitter- despite my mildly sweet dressing. I couldn't face another lunch of bitter grossness so I unpacked my prepared lunch portions, picked out the zillions of stems, and cooked the pre-dressed kale with chick peas, raisins, Braggs, and lots of Garam Masala. Then I re-packed my lunches and hoped for the best. It was nervy expecting cooked kale to be tasty at room temperature, but compared to the previous day's atrocity it was a gourmet meal. There was still something off about it- it was too tough and sat in my stomach like a boulder, but as long as it was edible I didn't want it to go to waste.

Perhaps the bagged kale would be convenient for cooked recipes, but I'm still not sold on the taste; I'm going to stick with the fresh variety, de-stemmed. Please note: try this at your own risk. Sharing is not recommended; this kind of kale could turn someone against it for good! I wonder if I am the only one who has had such a negative experience with bagged kale, or am I simply the only one who has ever purchased it?

Happy (Cinnamon) Snails To You

2011-11-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

The Cinnamon Snail's locations range far and wide (between New York and New Jersey), but my personal favorite place to visit them is at the Red Bank Farmer's Market where the crowd is continuous, the fans are loyal, the line is long, and the clientele is not all vegan.

With only a few left in the season, VM and I took a ride to bid the Snail a fine adieu for the winter months (okay, I'm already working to convince her to return on 11/20...). Leading up to the day I'd been ~~nagging~~ imploring Chef Adam to bake his amazing Mexican hot chocolate donuts for me the good of all mankind, and I was thrilled and flattered when I read this Facebook post the day before:

The Cinnamon Snail
Only a couple more Red Bank farmers markets for the year. We are pulling out all the stops tomorrow, and the special this week is super lovely!
Ancho chili seitan burger with piri piri whisky sauce, arugula, beer braised smoked onions and garlic, and fresh horseradish cream on herb focaccia
We will also have Bananas Foster pancakes.
...and yes Abby, MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE GLAZED TWISTS too!

As always happens, I arrive with the full intention of partaking in breakfast, but then my tastebuds are immediately distracted and I am lured away by the promise of an amazing sammie of some sort. Today was no exception and I decided on the special, the ancho chili seitan burger with piri piri whiskey sauce, arugula, beer braised smoked onions and garlic, and fresh horseradish cream on herb focaccia. Here's the thing: I don't love seitan and I'm not particularly enamored with burgers. But this? Scrumptious! What's piri piri whiskey? I don't know! But the key to the Snail's incomparable sammies is in the vast and varied attention to detail in each and every ingredient; trust in their creations and every bite is a palatable vegan firework display in your mouth.

VM, ever the renegade, made her own sandwich again. She started with the creole grilled tofu sub on toasted baguette with caramelized onions, arugula, grilled tomato, and roasted garlic aioli...minus the tofu, plus marinated kale. Too late I realized she should have added avocado, but Chef Adam had the good sense to include a generous squirt of spicy sauce b/c we loves us some spicy! VM enjoyed and couldn't help remarking that, on top of everything else, the Snail always has the best bread. True.

We ate, we enjoyed...but, I couldn't stop thinking about the breakfast special: Bananas Foster pancakes with spiced rum caramel. You know how I like to fill myself almost to the brim with tapas at Sacred Chow, and then order the sweet brunch option as dessert? I think you know where this is headed. Don't judge me!

Thank you to the Cinnamon Snail crew for pretending that they didn't realize what I was doing and/or calling me out on my gluttony. See how swell they are!?!? As expected, I was happy to have risked ridicule because the dish was phenomenal: perfectly cooked pancakes, caramelized bananas, and a sticky and sweet caramel topping to accent the smooth and thin syrup. In the interest of full disclosure, I admit that at one point I broke my fork and continued eating by holding just the tines between my thumb and forefinger. It was slightly pathetic, but I stand by my perseverance- no waste! Note: it was at this time that VM pointed out, rather sarcastically, that she wasn't judging me.

Of course there was take-home booty- especially now that I know I can freeze the baked goods for future gorging. To start, three Mexican hot chocolate glazed twists (I know you're impressed by my restraint), one white chocolate pumpkin glazed twist, a few apple cider donuts, and a seasonal surprise!

Behold the head-to-head rivalry between the twists: Mexican hot chocolate glazed vs. white chocolate glazed pumpkin, a.k.a., The Scare in Tupperware.

Mexican hot chocolate FTW!!! Yep, those are ribbons and flecks of chocolate throughout.

The seasonal donut of choice: pumpkin pie [extravaganza]:

And, Ned's Nubian cousin: chocolate Wild Man Ned Stevens Marshmallow Pecan Gutter Cleaner Cookies, featuring Sweet and Sara marshmallows!

And now for the surprise of the haul: I really liked the apple turnover... a LOT!

Don't take this the wrong way, but it was like the vegan, super-spectacular version of the McDonald's apple pie- highbrow and on steroids. Well done, Snail. Between this and your fresh berry bun, I guess I can no longer say I don't like fruit.

Besides sweets we did take home something else, curried lentil puff pastries.

I heated them up in the toaster oven and enjoyed them immensely (yes, I stole half of VM's; don't judge me!!) alongside some veggies.

Just the right cross between my beloved samosas and my favorite entree at Blossom; if this is any indication of the Snail's catering capabilities, somebody marry me so we can have a party! Erm, not really; I'll just keep picking up my pastries from the truck, 'kay?

But you, if YOU out there are having an event, word on the Snail street is that catering is available.

As if that wasn't enough, they are also offering a pick-up catering menu for Thanksgiving - large, small, and individual orders accepted.

I may never cook again.

More Queen of Sheba Ethiopian

2011-11-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

After my multiple meals at Queen of Sheba, I wanted to see what fellow-Ethiopian-food-loving VM would think of the food and the place.

We started off with the lentil sambousa: a pair of Ethiopian style triangular phyllo dough pockets with spicy stuffing.

There was considerably more phyllo than filling (I think the ones at Mesob were more proportionate), but you can't really go wrong with vegan food stuffed into fried dough.

Also ordered was an appetizer of one of our favorite Ethiopian selections: azifa: green lentils, onions, and chili peppers coarsley mashed in an Ethiopian mustard vinaigrette. It was more dense and finely chopped than any azifa I've tasted before, so the texture was weird. I also thought the mustard was unnecessarily overwhelming. Their injera, however, remains the best I've ever had.

For dinner we both had the vegetarian sampler, subbing butecha for the shimbra asa. To my surprise, the butecha- my previous favorite- was this time extremely dry and unappealing and wound up being left on the plate when we were done eating, along with the seemingly unseasoned, flavorless (frozen?) gomen and the limp cabbage in the atakilt. The smooth shiro was our collective favorite, with the pungent misir a close second.

clockwise from top: atakilt, gomen, shiro, cabbage, butecha, kik alicha, mesir

Sampler:
Ater Kik Alecha: "split peas are cooked in onions, garlic and olive oil, mild yellow dish with a touch of turmeric and subtle blend of herbs and spices".

Shiro: "split peas are milled together with a perfect blend of berbere, herbs and onions, slow-cooked into a creamy dip for your injera."

Cabbage Wot: "cabbage, potato, and carrot cooked with onion and garlic, with a touch of turmeric."

Butecha: "finely milled chickpeas pan crusted in olive oil and reduced with lemon shallots and jalapenos." (I have tried and failed at this dish myself)

Gomen Wot: "finely chopped collard greens are cooked in their own steam with mild seasonings and olive oil."

Atakilt Wot: "fresh string beans and long cut carrot [don't be fooled; they're baby carrots] are cooked in tomato sauce with our rich blend of seasonings."

Misir Wot: "split lentils are stewed with onion, garlic, and a blend of Ethiopian herbs"

As is generally the case when you bring someone to a place that you like, I found myself re-evaluating QoS with fresh eyes- especially since the food wasn't as good as usual. While VM and I both agreed that we'd enjoyed, we weren't blown away. Additionally, it remains unfortunate that the waitstaff- however pleasant, is wholly apathetic. But perhaps the worst part of the experience was noticing that the restaurant's interior, in the harsh light of day, is in much worse shape than I originally realized. In fact, the obvious disinterest in the disrepair translates to severe disregard for the clientele, which is extremely off-putting in an eating establishment (for those of you keeping track, that's a triple dis...a trifecta of dis, if you prefer). Queen of Sheba, Ethiopian restaurants are few and far between; get it together!

Support Vegan Owned Businesses

2011-11-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

More proof that many things are simply habit...I'm still posting every day even though Vegan MoFo is over!

This will just be a quick one. The friendly folks over at Herbivore recently posted these three digital placards for you to post, share, and heed.

Sure, it's great to spread the word of veganism by making requests of non-vegan companies/corporations/establishments. And who can resist the draw of something unexpectedly and accidentally vegan? But let's not forget the vegan-owned-and-operated businesses that fight the good fight, solely for veganism, every single day.

Just a few vegan businesses to consider when holiday shopping this season:
Crazy Rumors - best chapstick ever
Food Fight - all kinds of goodies
Gone Pie - baked goods, chocolates, and gluten-free yums
Herbivore - best ever messagewear and accessories
MooShoes - shoes & bags from everyday to couture, messagewear, and generous vegan event space
Rescue Chocolate - chocolate bars and treats (peanut butter pit bulls for everyone!)
Sweet and Sara - marshmallowy gifts and more
Vegan Treats - cookies, donuts, cakes, etc.

A gift certificate to your favorite vegan restaurant or a donation to a compassionate sanctuary is also a great idea.

SUPPORT!!!

Phew! Life After MoFo: Starts With Nacheez, Ends With Pie, With a Little Salad Thrown In.

2011-11-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

Well there were an awful lot of things going on in October: embarking upon my first Vegan MoFo, begrudgingly suffering through "the cleanse", concluding the major renovations on my "new" house... So, for the month of November I'm going to revert back to my normal blogging schedule, which is ~ 2 posts/week. Stay tuned for more scathing reviews, fumbled recipe attempts, and vegan miscellany- just not every day and definitely not having anything to do with green juice.

What effect has the last month had on my future blogging? Well, I hope to increase the proportion of healthy eats to not-so-healthy eats, as well as to make the preparations to finally move. I suppose that, combined, it's a good opportunity to stock my new pantry differently.

Until then, let's discuss Nacheez. Shortly after the Vegan Queso Taste-Off, which pitted Nacho Mom's against Food For Lovers, Nacheez came on my radar. I recently ordered a jar and quickly got to testing. The color was a little unsettling before heating, but what nacho cheese isn't?

Of course I ordered the spicy variety, in the hopes that it would replicate Chi-Chi's queso of days gone by. With only the addition of chips and a bowl (napkin optional), I regretfully didn't find it spicy in the least. The other two members of the esteemed tasting panel, however, were heard to exchange, "Is something spicy?," so maybe I just have taste buds of steel.

It had a very nice and creamy texture, heated easily and evenly, and didn't congeal as it cooled. The taste was pleasant, but I realized too late that it would have been much better on cheesy fries than nachos. As for the award for best overall queso? The winner is... the vegan community at large who now have three brands of mainstream cheese sauce to choose from! Sheesh, remember when "vegan cheese" was something to laugh at?

Lest you think my house consists of nothing but cheese, behold the salads I've prepared for the rest of the week's lunches: romaine, cauliflower, carrots, and tomatoes.

And, finally, look what (finally) came in the mail:

Pie in the sky? Pie in my future. It's a little fruit heavy, but I think I can work around that.

Vegan MoFo Day 31: Lula's FTW!

2011-10-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

I had it all planned out that Lula's would fittingly end Vegan MoFo for me, but, as it turned out, I didn't wind up getting there as I'd been expecting to all month (yes, the italics are supposed to represent my innate bitterness). This was especially infuriating since on my mid-cleanse visit I couldn't eat anything! Now I know how you folks on the other side of the country feel; I feel your pain.

So, in lieu of a real time visit, I'll take you on a stroll down memory lane- both to a visit about a month ago, as well as to the the sundaes of my teenage years.

I went vegetarian at 13. Coincidentally, I began working at an ice cream store around the same time. Because I knew nothing about nutrition or meal planning and, since I spent most of my non-school time there, most of my diet consisted of whatever I could concoct at the store.

I went through a few phases: coffee chip shakes, frozen candy bars, and anything with butterscotch. But over the course of the four years that I worked there, what I ate most frequently throughout the day (and never tired of) were perfect mini-sundaes. Let me explain. When assembling a sundae, it is almost impossible to precisely proportion your topping to ice cream ratio. Through experience I discovered that if I made a sundae in what we sold as a "kid's cup", the result was a few spoons full of complete sundae bliss. The architecture of my perfect mini-sundaes was as follows:

the recollection
dollop of soft vanilla/chocolate twist
squirt of hot fudge
squirt of caramel
whipped cream
rainbow sprinkles
cherry

I'm sorry to say that I've no photographic documentation of these sundaes. Times were different and we didn't all photograph our food back then!

As you know, I've enjoyed some pretty epic sundaes at Lula's and have had no complaints. But never this particular combination. Then, recently, I noticed both hot fudge and caramel were listed as sauce options on the board simultaneously; it was time.

the recreation
scoop of hard chocolate ice cream
scoop of hard vanilla bean ice cream
hot fudge
caramel
whipped cream
chocolate chips
cherry

The caramel was AMAZING and just what I hadn't realized my previous sundaes had been missing. Every time I think Lula's has outdone themselves they go and get even better. So, my advice to you, no matter where you live? Get down there and make a perfect sundae of your own.

As for me, I'll just finish up my scrumptious pumpkin ice cream

and call it a day.

And that, my friends, (not so) fittingly concludes Vegan MoFo 2011 for me!

Your regularly scheduled blogging will continue...

Vegan MoFo Day 30: Donuts, Hummus, and a Movie

2011-10-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

On this lazy weekend day I delved into the pre-cleanse stash in my freezer to retrieve...Cinnamon Snail donuts! Now that the Snail will be in NYC regularly, most of you have no excuse not to visit soon and often. But, just in case that's not a possibility, rest assured that you can confidently over-buy and freeze for future enjoyment; they defrost just fine! For myself, I'd saved the Vendy Award-winning vanilla bourbon creme brulee donut:

And for VM, what else but an apple cider donut:

I did get a chuckle out of the fact that I'd sealed both donuts in a container that I'd previously used and thusly marked otherwise:

Oh yeah, there was Starbucks too. A cinnamon dolce latte for VM and a tall-soy-raspberry-extra-hot-no-whip-hot-chocolate for me.

Lunch/Dinner was one of my favorite hummuses (hummi?) and the reason why I don't buy store-bought- house hummus: hummus topped with cherry peppers, olives, and roasted garlic from Sahara Restaurant in NJ (I know, I know; more beige).

And, finally, I had the opportunity to watch Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead. Overall, I thought the production was a little more slick than Forks Over Knives, but I was extremely disappointed that it relied mainly on the weight loss results for shock value, rather than the significant information that could have been provided by the grossly under-utilized asset of Dr. Fuhrman, who was in the movie only briefly. I was surprised by the apathetic responses most of the people interviewed gave about their health and futures, but mostly I was bummed that there was no vegan message whatsoever. I know that vegans are supporting this movie because it promotes a veggie & fruit (juice) filled diet, but I think that the audience could have easily absorbed and benefited from more detailed information about why.

Vegan MoFo Day 29: Back to My Routine: A Study in Beige

2011-10-29T06:02:00.000-07:00

On top of all of the meal prep-work, another time-consuming thing about the CSD cleanse was that there was a lot of chewing; meals tended not to be things I could consume in front of the computer. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, sometimes I don't want each and every meal to be a ceremony. So, with that said, yesterday I harkened back to my regular, daily, efficient, eating routine to see how it would go.

For breakfast: pumpkin flax granola cereal with (vanilla) soy milk. As soon as I poured everything into the bowl I thought, "beige". But, it was good, simple, and I only needed a little to fill me up.

For lunch: peanuts and raisins. More simplicity and efficiency, not to mention the original sweet and salty combination of my youth. Do peanuts count as beige food?

For dinner: leftovers! So easy to simply reheat: Angel hair with homemade marinara and cheesy garlic bread. Outstanding! But also lots of beige carbs. A simple swap could include a recreation of John's avocado bruschetta in place of the cheesy goodness and/or zucchini spaghetti, but let's face it: nothing beats an Italian feast. It's just good to remember it's not meant for every day.

The overall theme? Beige, beige, BEIGE! A month ago I wouldn't have thought twice about this day's menu, but now- where are my veggies? Raw cauliflower, asparagus, radish- anything would have been appreciated and I'm sure would have assuaged how desperately thirsty I was all day. Perhaps the old routine requires a bit of tweaking.

Vegan MoFo Day 28: Food Fight Delivery!

2011-10-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

Last week a friend asked why I didn't time the cleanse so that it ended on the weekend, allowing me to really go to town. I had just discussed this with my boss because I actually thought it was better that it was ending midweek- so that I could attempt to maintain some measure of self control. I also told her to expect to find me at my desk hidden by a mound of candy wrappers, but that's neither here nor there. For the record, she told me that if I put myself into diabetic shock at this busy time of year I'd be fired. Incentive to take it slow! Or so I pretended... Of course my ruse of self-control was to be exposed, since I had my massive Food Fight order shipping to my office. Curses! Foiled again.

As it turned out, I didn't have to worry about overdoing it; right after the cleanse ended I took it slow and did just fine. Then, a few days later, there I was, sitting at my desk, minding my own beeswax, when it happened. The friendly, neighborhood, UPS man arrived with my bounty.

I really think Food Fight could sense how desperate I was to receive these goodies because they shipped them right away. And, may I say, did a superb and most impressive job maximizing the capacity of the relatively small box by fitting everything in like a gloriously edible, vegan puzzle. I considered leaving it sealed until I got home, but haven't I suffered enough?

I'd just eaten lunch (romaine with carrots, celery, and tomato), but I still couldn't resist the Uncle Eddie's peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. At first I just sat them on my desk. Then, ~~a nano-second later,~~ I dug in.

If you've never tried Uncle Eddie's before, let me assure you that they are a-ma-zing. I haven't had them in years, but I always recall them as one of the first and best store-bought vegan cookies I ever tried. They are as soft, chewy, chocolate chippy, peanut buttery, and fantastically decadent as ever; I can't recommend them highly enough.

So, it's official; I'm not over sweets (I still get credit for the potato chip revelation, though).

Now I know you took one look at that first picture of the order and called me a fatty in your head. Well, I'll have you know that the entire bounty was not mine; it was a combined effort. Don't worry; I accept your apology.

As it turns out, my friend, MVG, purchased these items:

A respectable assortment of Secret Aardvark Habanero hot sauce, pomegranate hint mints, Chreese mix, peanut butter cups, and peppermint patties (that I resisted even though I inhaled the intoxicating aroma as soon as I opened the box).

As for me, I ordered one or two things more: Holy Kakow chocolate sauce, Uncle Eddie's, Horchata (first time trying), Secret Aardvark (What? It's supposed to last me all year), a few hint mints, Nacheez (for blogging comparison purposes only), corn-taters, cocomels, a Rescue Chocolate peanut butter pit bull, and the newest Go Max Go candy bars: Snap and Cleo's.

Hey, don't judge me; I just finished a 21 day cleanse!!!

To make me feel like even more of a fatty, ever-generous MVG immediately offered to share his goodies. This while I was scarfing my third, okay, fourth cookie in as many minutes.

It was at that point when I packed everything up and re-sealed the box.

Vegan MoFo Day 27: VM's Spaghetti with Daiya Mozzarella Garlic Bread

2011-10-27T06:18:00.000-07:00

It was no use holding VM off any longer; even though she wasn't a huge fan of the cleanse, she doesn't necessarily condone ice cream as a meal replacement (often). So, it was spaghetti time!!

Angel hair with VM's homemade, sweet pepper marinara. Besides no wheat pasta, there were no cooked tomatoes on the cleanse- this was a real treat! I still like my zucchini spaghetti, but there's no denying that the original takes the cake.

To complement, I made Daiya Mozzarella Garlic Bread. Who says you can't eat 21 days worth of bread in one sitting?

[UPDATE 10/27/11: I know a lot of folks are trying out gluten-free diets (no doubt in no small part due to the fact that the food industry has actually embraced that dietary preference with a vengeance, inexplicably bypassing the ever-growing number of vegans who have been plugging along reading ingredients for decades) and I just wanted to note that the overload on gluten after a 21 day hiatus did not affect me in the least.]

A note about junk: I had some potato chips yesterday and it did not go well. I wound up feeling completely and utterly disgusted for the rest of the afternoon. My mouth felt dry, my stomach uncomfortable. Whether I want to acknowledge it or not, it seems that the cleanse is using my reactions to certain foods to clue me in to what's really bad for me. There are splurge foods and there is junk; my post-cleanse life seems not to handle the latter with much ease.

Vegan MoFo Day 26: The Cleanse is Over; Bring on the Grub!

2011-10-26T05:46:00.000-07:00

Woot! Woot! That's the sound of the ~~police~~ good-ies. Woot! Woot! That's the sound of the beast (me eating)!

At about 10:00pm on the last night of the cleanse I decided I needed to at least smell chocolate, so I unwrapped one of the Earth balls I'd been saving. Imagine my furor when I realized I'd bought milk chocolate by accident. Here I was expecting those deep, dark, spheres of days gone by and instead: milk. I bellowed, "I BOUGHT MILK CHOCOLATE BALLS!" to no one in particular, and then pouted.

By midnight I was ready to call this cleanse a (21) day(s) and I went to grab my peanut chews. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten where I'd hidden them. After a few panicked minutes of searching I found them and dug in. Eew; was this what I'd been waiting for? No; yuck! They didn't taste at all like I'd remembered; so, rather than continue eating something I didn't particularly want, I abandoned them. I had been looking so forward to enjoying them and instead of satisfying my long overdue sweets craving, all they did was leave a bad taste in my mouth- literally. Had I lost my taste for sweets? I decided to go to bed and consider the thought in the morning; it was too mind-boggling.

I knew that even I wouldn't feel like candy first thing in the morning, but I expected to be giddy at the prospect of eating whatever I wanted. Instead, I woke up full. Full? From a bowl of soup & 1/5 of a peanut chew? Who had I become?

I also woke up unusually early and well rested, so I just started the day with some orange juice. It was sweet, good, and...filling. Really? Really.

An hour passed and I still wasn't really hungry, but I knew I had to eat something before I headed off into commute-land. Believe it or not, I was stumped; the limitless choices seemed unnavigable. Oatmeal? Awfully heavy when compared to cucumbers. Buttered toast with a mountain of cinnamon sugar? VM was probably right- not exactly appropriate for the first post-cleanse morning. So, my breakfast wound up being a toasted bialy half with cream cheese and black raspberry jelly.

Delicious, but heavy. I usually dig the dough out of my bagels, but I was so out of practice that I forgot. So, halfway through my nosh I was stuffed.

For lunch I bought, washed, chopped, prepared, and packed NOTHING! It's pretty slim pickins around where I work, but I left myself open to get ~~salt and vinegar potato chips~~ whatever I wanted. And what do you know? I wanted kale salad. Who am I? With none in tow, I decided to splurge and go to Starbucks. Well hello, tall-soy-decaf-cinnamon-dolce-extra-hot-no-whip-no-foam-latte; so nice to see you again.

Ultra creamy and rich; it took me 40 full minutes to savor this beverage. I guess it's true what they say, that you appreciate things more when you don't have them often. But I was beyond full from the veritable cup of soy milk for the rest of the day.

Dinner! VM halfheartedly offered to make me ceremonial spaghetti (she really doesn't like to cook) now that the "madness" was over, but I asked her to hold off; I had another meal in mind.

That's right, it was time to break out the Lula's pumpkin ice cream I'd been saving (admit it, a part of you thought I'd eaten already). And what better to do with it than to replicate the happy ending sundaes of my Friendly's youth?

Thank you for labeling, Mia!

Did I forget to mention that I'd also stockpiled a pint of chocolate chocolate chip?

So good! Now this is something to enjoy. Smooth, chippy, chocolate chip and perfectly creamy, autumnal pumpkin goodness; thank you, Lula's Sweet Apothecary; that really hit the spot!

Did anyone catch it? In lieu of whipped cream, I used my Sweet and Sara marshmallow bat-wings for the clown hair! I know: culinary genius.

To recap, the first day post-cleanse didn't go exactly as planned. Instead of blindly gorging on everything I could get my hands on, I found myself thinking thoughtfully and carefully about what I wanted to eat, and didn't waste any chewing on things that I couldn't truly enjoy. So maybe there is something to this cleanse idea after all, even for me.

So sad!

I admit it, the idea of clean food really appeals to me and I could stand to eat raw more regularly. It's the feasibility of maintaining it as a constant lifestyle that makes it so repellant to me. Making your own dressing every time you want a salad is tiresome! Oh yeah, I also love snacks. But a cleanse isn't intended to be a lifestyle; there is a happy medium and I will try to find it. To be continued...

Vegan MoFo Day 25: The Last Day of the Cleanse!

2011-10-25T07:08:00.000-07:00

So, the last day of the cleanse was yesterday. I admit that I was completely over it and ready to move on, not putting much effort into my eats. I had crisp, cool celery and zucchini for breakfast. With the thermometer holding steady at 43 degrees, I would have much preferred something warm, like oatmeal, or at least something room temperature. Let's be honest, Starbucks wouldn't have hurt.

With the previous night's dinner I'd finished what was left of my produce; per usual, this led to an inability to pack a lunch. I decided to head over to Whole Foods, but nothing I wanted was cleanse-appropriate. I wound up splurging on deydrated, raw, kale chips.

In spite of the tendency towards crumbs rather than large pieces, I like Brad's the best (no pointy stems).

I hadn't tried this flavor before, but one bite and I decided it's my new favorite variety. It's just like my previous fave, the cheese, but this one has the added bonus of delicious, jalapeno heat.

I wouldn't say "nasty" hot, but, rather, "appropriately" hot

While I was there, in anticipation of my post-cleanse munching, I cleaned them out of Almond Bites. No, really; I did. The cashier was asking me if they were good (no doubt prompted by my bounty) and I talked them up so much that she said she was going to buy them. Then I had to break the news to her that I'd bought all they had. Don't judge me; it's every man for themselves when it comes to Almond Bites.

For dinner, leftovers of the fantastic fennel and yellow split pea soup, which was even better a day later.

Are you snoring yet? Because...

Ladies and Gentleman, that officially concludes my 21 day cleanse! It's been a long, hard road...for you as well as for me; thanks for putting up with it!

Please stay tuned, as MoFo still has six days to go and I have a lot of eats to make up for; let's see how I fare, shall we?

Vegan MoFo Day 24: Hourslong Soup

2011-10-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

VM & OD went to a dinner recently and came back raving about a soup that they'd enjoyed. They were armed with a recipe, but it was shoddy at best. Vague ingredient listing, insufficient instruction, and missing steps: even the sentence structure was wrong! But I figured it was a good weekend project for VM & I while I was still in the throes of healthy cooking mode, so I decoded it and we came up with this.

Fennel and Yellow Split Pea Soup
serves 10

4 1/2 cups dried yellow split peas, rinsed
4 tbsp butter
2 bulbs fennel, diced
2 onion, diced
8 stalks celery, diced
12 small carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
1 tsp turmeric
14 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

Directions:
Place peas in a ginormous pot where they take up from 1/4 to under 1/2 of the room, then fill up to the 3/4 line with water and a sprinkle of salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat slightly to prevent boiling over, and let cook for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, being aware that the peas will significantly expand. When finished, drain, rinse, and set aside.

In any even more gigantoid pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Cook fennel, onion, celery, and carrots with garlic and salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Add the turmeric, stock, water, potatoes, and peas; mix well. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 2 hours.

Once cooled (this will take hours), use a food processor to puree in batches until smooth.

Before:

After:

I realize we made a most significant batch, but we're both of the mind that if we're going to go through all the trouble, we may as well wind up with enough to freeze for a couple of meals. If you choose to cook this quantity, know that the prep time is 2 hours, with more than two hands pitching in. Granted we're far from culinary professionals, but eegads that's a long time. I want to stress that the result was DIVINE, but there's no denying Amy's,- gotta love 'em.

To accompany, a salad of romaine, tomato, red onion, and avocado with sun-dried tomato-walnut dressing (AFR p. 50), subbing lime juice for vinegar.

No lunch today, but for breakfast I had sliced banana with the LAST of my almond butter. How fitting.

I know, I'm still having issues with the orientation of my pics. Even though I correct it after uploading, it still appears out of whack. Who cares? Tomorrow is the last day of the cleanse! Maybe I should fast completely in order to make room for the feast that awaits me?

Vegan MoFo Day 23: Nearing the End of the Cleanse AND the Reno

2011-10-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

Are you there Universe? It's me, Abby Bean. IS THIS OVER YET!?!?!?!

Do you know what happens when you have the bright idea to place an order from Food Fight while your cleansing and in anticipation of it being over? A 35 item order. I know, let's not talk about it (I can't wait!).

Ok, so yesterday's eats were pretty boring since whatever time I wasn't at Home Depot or Lowe's, I was preparing the next day's dinner. It's going to (hopefully) be good!

Another banana smoothie with almond butter, almond milk, cinnamon and agave for breakfast. 6 ice cubes fills the cup & my belly for the day.

I had a few Brazil nuts mid day.

And for dinner: leftover sunflower seed pate served with raw cauliflower, cucumbers (!), zucchini, celery, ~~and watermelon radish~~. A word about watermelon radish...it doesn't taste like radish! It's tongue-burning bitterness does not lend itself to a crudite. To the rabbits who inherited my bounty, I apologize.

To make up for this snooze of a post, a glimpse at my house finally getting some finishing touches after 8 months of reno...

new to the house

original to the house (after considerable TLC)

If I'd had any idea what was really going to be in store for me when this project started, I would have been considerably more frightened. Now that everything is really coming together, it's startling to recall how far it has all come. I'm referring to the house, of course. As for the cleanse...it was a pain. I won't dwell. Give me some sugar! The mere thought of my peanut butter chocolate chip cookies already en route is making it easier to reach the finish line.

Vegan MoFo Day 22: Five Second Rule

2011-10-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was walking to my office when I came across this Twizzler snack pack on the ground. The first thought to cross my mind was, "it is still wrapped." As you can see, I have descended to a deep, dark place.

Besides that I've noticed something odd- throughout this cleanse I have become increasingly less thirsty. I am a huge water drinker, averaging about 120 ounces a day. However, in the last few weeks my water intake has severely declined. Could this be a result of consuming less salt or eating more veggies? I don't know, but why am I lugging these bottles around if I'm not going to drink them?

anyone have any idea why portrait photos are uploading landscape?

On another note, I do believe it's possible that I've dropped some poundage. I haven't really been paying attention, but today my pants seemed just a tad too long and I could have used a belt. Of course I should note that my shoes are pinching, so maybe the bulk just relocated to my feet. Can feet be fat?

Breakfast was ~~cucumber~~ a banana smoothie with almond butter, almond milk, cinnamon, and agave. Sue me; I was on a high from my new iPhone, ain't no cukes gonna bring me down. Oh no. ~~I've got to keep on movin', oooooh~~. I added cukes to my lunch salad instead.

So, lunch: more of my romaine, cauliflower, carrot salad...with cucumber. While I like the taste, romaine remains infinitely inferior to green curly kale, if only for it's inability to stay crisp overnight once dressed.

Dinner was an admitted mishmosh of clearing out the fridge again.

For starters, I made a sunflower seed pate to go with the leftover cauliflower.

I started with this recipe, but wound up doing this:

Sunflower Seed Pate
serves 2 (it's rich)

1 cup sunflower seeds (I used roasted/salted)
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp Tamari
1 tbsp tahini
1/2 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water

Whir it all up in the Magic Bullet and let it sit in the fridge for a while. If you don't have that kind of indeterminate period of time before dinner, place in the freezer for 5 minutes. Really.

There were also string beans sauteed with Bragg's, hemp oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Although I didn't roast, I was inspired by these roasted string beans over on Andrea's Easy Vegan Cooking, one of my favorite blogs.

In case you're wondering where the beans came in, I've been trying to clean out the contents of my freezer in preparation of moving. Since all of my delicious, frozen goodies are off limits, the only thing I could really conquer was the string beans. Is it Tuesday yet!?

Vegan MoFo Day 21: Kale (and a Leibster Nomination)

2011-10-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

I surprised people yesterday when I bad-mouthed my kale. Don't get me wrong; I still love it & I'm not at all sick of it- even after eating it for lunch for almost this entire cleanse. But that purple kale was super skunky. After salad spinning and preparing two bunches for lunches (haha) the rest of the week, I had to chuck most of it- I just couldn't do it. It was vile, VILE I tell you!

To prove that I hold no grudge against kale, behold "fun with kale" (inspired by MVG).

If you can't guess who it is, here's a hint: we're from the same patch! Seriously guys, the lack of sugar is making me delirious.

Ok, back to the drill.

Breakfast was more cucumber. It's the easiest thing I can think of to eat green in the morning because I can't bring myself to prepare any more than lunch and dinner, but boy am I sick of cucumbers. I may never consume one again. Okay, maybe I'll make an exception for kicky cucumber lemonade.

Lunch was a new salad (see, I really did dispatch with the kale fail): romaine, cauliflower, and carrots

dressed with sweet dijon vinaigrette (CSD p. 209).

Dinner was leftover deconstructed taco from yesterday; it was just as good and, thanks to the lime juice, the avo didn't oxidize.

You may recall that I was once nominated for a Most Versatile Blogger Award. More recently, Kimberly from Robotic Whimsy Blog nominated me for a Leibster Award. She tells me that the purpose of the award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers. I'm very grateful for the shout-out, but have you noticed that I'm only ever nominated for awards with no actual winners or, more importantly, prizes? A lifetime supply of something wouldn't hurt! I kid. (Daiya, if you're listening, I'm not really kidding).

Mucho gratitude to Robotic Whimsy. Now, to pay it forward, here are 5 blogs you may not have heard of, but you should definitely check out.

1. Food Feud chronicles eats far healthier than are generally in my repertoire, but she makes them look so good! Fret not, there are healthy splurges as well; I'm still fawning over her cinnamon walnut fig waffles.

2. bite me (I'm vegan) has gads of food porn and non-convoluted recipes. Caramel coffee cake? "Cheesy" Potatoes and Broccoli? Yes and yes.

3. Veganthropology, for starters, has an awesome name. Product and restaurant reviews, recipes, and more; check out her entry into the Daiya contest; she should have won!

4. Yum Veggie Burger is a vegan-friendly, vegetarian blog chronicling...veggie burgers! Ali has yet to meet a burger she couldn't conquer and she reviews with extraordinary detail and panache. Oh yeah, we also agree that Sunshine Burgers are the bomb.

5. Finally, Fork and Beans. I found this blog through MoFo because the name caught my eye. Imagine my surprise to find that she was dedicating a good portion of her MoFo to making candy!!

Must buy chocolate making equipment...

Vegan MoFo Day 20: Deconstructed Taco

2011-10-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

Let's work our way backwards through yesterday's eats, shall we? I was going to make ~~yet another~~ a salad (zzz) for dinner until a friend told me he was making red curry. Red curry. Red curry!?!? I couldn't take that lying down. I figured my favorite Thai restaurant wasn't exactly cleanse-friendly, but I thought that just maybe I could swing a Chipotle meal? Hmm, I'd have to do the salad, no rice. But then wouldn't I be missing the point? On second thought, I decided that maybe I could try something similar at home. Thoughts of my peanut avocado unroll brought me to this.

Why yes, that is a Mexican-inspired salad within an avocado ~~half~~ boat; how nice of you to notice!

Sometimes you feel like a taco. Sometimes you can't.
serves 2

1 avocado, halved (slice the bottoms so they're flat)
1 avocado, cubed
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
1 tomato, diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced
2 small jalapenos, minced
1/4 cup lime juice
sea salt to taste

mix all ingredients and serve in and around halved avo

my last 2 Topsy Turvy jalapenos of the year- good & hot

While I did miss the tortilla, this was one of my favorite meals of the cleanse besides my zucchini spaghetti. It looked good, smelled good, was good. Success! (I would like extra credit for resisting the urge to make a side of cornbread.)

For lunch there was the purple kale salad with cucumbers and green goddess dressing I'd made the night before. Yep, more cucumbers. I can barely stand it! Moreover, is there such a thing as skunk kale? Because this is the second batch of purple that has been less than stellar and kinda weedy. If I can't enjoy my kale salad, what do I have left!?

Do you know what the problem with eating cucumbers for breakfast is? You become grossly full...of cucumber. It might take 2 cucumbers to make just 1/4 cup of juice, but it takes eating only one, large one to be nauseatingly full of it. Cuke, that is.

In case anyone is keeping track, today I found myself thinking of Mighty O donuts, thanks to this post. I have extremely fond memories of my Don King from Portland and began planning a trip straight to the source- Seattle, around mid-afternoon.

Also, it should be illegal for people to toast bread at work; that aroma is intoxicating. That is all.

Vegan MoFo Day 19: The Save Pile is Growing

2011-10-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

So, you might have noticed that yesterday I referred to a "save" pile. It's true, I have begun stock-piling treats to ~~scarf~~ consume at the end of the cleanse. Perhaps this isn't the healthiest way to approach the last week of a three-week cleanse, but whatever get's you through; don't judge.

Sweet & Sara chocolate-covered marshmallow bat

Two weeks in and I've admittedly learned a lot. For starters, I hate green juice. Just kidding! Well, not really, but that's not what I'm referring to. Most importantly, I learned that I'd forgotten about clean, raw food. Yep, I said it. I am a sweets fanatic, but I'm still the same girl who was excited to go to an elementary school birthday party where they served carrots and celery. I am confident that goodies like raw asparagus, zucchini, and peppers will remain in my repertoire.

I've also learned to try new things- from an avocado shake (meh) to raw, spiralized spaghetti (yay); the worst that can happen is that you don't like it and you move on.

Exercise: I hate that too. But even my car goes in for service every few months, so shouldn't I take some care of my bod? Sure, it's a pain to pull on those exercise clothes and get to it, but a half hour as often as you can work in during the week will make your body feel better. And you know what else? More snacks, less guilt.

As for what I'm eating right now...for breakfast I had sliced cucumber. Not exactly the breakfast of champions, but I really begrudge the juicer; we're not currently on speaking terms. Would I have rathered something beige- cereal, a bagel, oatmeal, or anything with maple syrup? Certainly, but no juicing doesn't mean no cleansing. It's going to be a green veggie breakfast week; I'm in the home stretch.

For lunch I actually went to a nearby cafe and assembled a salad. I like the idea of a buffet (take as much as you want of whatever you want), but generally not the price or the germ factor. Today, with nothing in tow for lunch, I made an exception. Ok, I admit that I hung around and waited for them to replace each plate before I partook. Really. It was lunchtime; it didn't take that long. Mixed greens, cauliflower, pearl onions, red pepper, white carrots, tofu, peas, purple onion, pecans, a splash of olive oil and a boatload of red pepper flakes:

I had so many complaints about it, though, that I was quickly reminded to make my own damn salad! It's tastier, cheaper, and all-around-better. Also, no sneaky bits of cilantro. Seriously, does it have to be in everything?

Dinner was a bit sketchy, as I had something to do after work that prevented me from arriving home in time for what I would consider a timely dinner (I don't like to eat late). I was exhausted (still) and knew I had to prepare lunch for the rest of the week: purple kale salad with green goddess dressing (AFR p.26), so I split the difference and simply ate for dinner whatever didn't fit into my lunch containers. Note: this dressing is RICH. I added cucumbers, but tomatoes would have been even better.

Oh yeah, one more thing to add to the "save" pile: old school globe chocolates like they used to sell at Down to Earth!

Yes, I literally bought two bunches of purple kale and two Earth balls. I'm not proud. Aw, who am I kidding? Yes I am.

Vegan MoFo Day 18: Parsley Pesto & a Magic Bullet Scare

2011-10-18T06:33:00.000-07:00

Another weird day in cleanseland wherein I wasn't at all hungry until the afternoon, when I finally finished the last bit of green apple with almond butter. Yep, still gross; I won't be buying these again.

Due to a subsequent combination of minor nausea and lack of hunger, that was all I needed until dinner- when I revisited the spiralizer! In anticipation of the lentil walnut pate, I'd overbought parsley. I picked some up from the supermarket and then came across an infinitely superior bunch at the health food store that I couldn't pass up. Bet you can't tell which is which:

With all that parsley to use up and itching to resume spiralizing, I googled parsley pesto and was happy to see that it does in fact exist. I threw together this recipe for 5 medium sized zucchini:

2 cups parsley leaves
4 tbsp lemon juice
10 tbsp water
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp EVOO
1/2 cup toasted almonds (I reserve pine nuts for pignoli cookies)
1 tbsp nooch
1 tsp sea salt

There was a bit of a scare with my Magic Bullet when it began to sound strained, but then it powered back up again. This has happened every once in a while for the last couple of years, so much so that I have a brand new back up at the ready just in case; I don't want to find myself Magic Bullet-less. And then it really sputtered and...stopped. I thought that was it. When I removed the large cup I realized that one of the tabs had broken off, rendering it incapable of the the tri-pressure necessary to power the bullet. Gasp!

No worries, I simply transferred the contents to a mug and was on my way. My Magic Bullet is about 15 years old and still going strong. Parsley Pesto:

More zucchini spiralizing:

Building the main ~~event~~ course, zucchini spaghetti:

...with pesto:

...garnished with diced tomatoes and red onion:

The spiralizer just doesn't get old; the dinner was great.

But I did have my eye on this treat. In the save pile!

Vegan MoFo Day 17: A Boring Day of Eats From Scroungeland

2011-10-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

After the not-quite-cleanse-appropriate, but extraordinary meal at Kajitsu, yesterday was a bit strange. For starters, I woke up late and still extremely full. After a while I had some almonds and tea.

Not long after that I acknowledged a bad taste in my mouth, so I had an extremely small, Macoun apple I'd purchased in error (I knew I was buying an apple, it just wasn't the type I had intended to buy). Consider it a tip of the hat to my new iPhone.

For the first time since the cleanse began, I found myself looking for bread- a bagel, a cracker...really anything along those lines. At some point even wasabi peas even crossed my mind. Could this be a result of having consumed noodles the prior day? I settled for leftover shabby sheik hummus and carrots for lunch.

Because I didn't leave the house until the evening, for dinner I simply finished the very last of the lentil walnut pate with celery.

And then I went shopping for the week.

Vegan MoFo Day 16: A Very Special Visit to Kajitsu!

2011-10-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

We interrupt your regularly scheduled mid-cleanse blogpost to bring you...Kajitsu!

For VM's birthday I gave her a gift certificate to Kajitsu. We've tried to go a couple of times since, but they are always booked far in advance (yay for popular vegan restaurants). This weekend we had lots of fun planned, but I couldn't think of where we could go that would be not only be cleanse-friendly and VM-approved, but would also not leave me feeling like I was missing out on a specific favorite (Blossom black-eyed pea cakes, I'm talking to you). At the last minute I had an epiphany- vegetable heavy Kajitsu! So, I begged and pleaded and actually succeeded in getting the lady beans in for the evening.

That morning we went to Cafe Blossom for breakfast. I know, so close to the pea cakes. But even I don't feel like a pea cake at 11:00am. VM, being the supportive trouper that she is, agreed to go raw for the meal (even though I'm pretty sure she could go for a pea cake at any time of day). So, we shared. First up, Autumn Sweet Potato Rolls (Raw): "coconut noodles, jicama, carrot, red and yellow pepper, scallion, avocado, almond ginger dipping sauce". VM liked them more than I did. They were were good- fresh and crisp, but nothing screamed wow.

That was because the wow factor was all packed into the terrific Live Nachos (Raw): "dehydrated flax seed crackers, cashew sour cream, tomato salsa, mango guacamole". Even though I'd be all over any number of the other menu offerings on a typical day, this is something we both agreed would make the non-cleanse cut; they were really great- especially the crackers.

The coveted last piece:

Mid-day we stopped at Irving Farm Coffee for a black coffee (VM) and a chamomile tea. The counterperson was very nice and I got the question of the day right! What is the only internal organ that has the ability to regenerate itself?

And finally, it was time for Kajitsu. Kajitsu serves shojin cuisine in a monthly rotating menu of two options: Kaze- 5 courses, and Hana- 8 courses. We chose the Hana and VM accompanied her meal with the sake pairing.

The restaurant is minimalist in decoration and there is no music; staff voices are even and low without being hushed and they are methodical and precise with their movements and explanations. There is not really any conversation, let alone friendly banter.

All courses, except dessert, are served on enamel trays that remain on your table. The waitstaff both delivers and removes only one dish at a time. There are no western utensils offered, so prepare to slurp your noodles and sip your soup.

Terrine of Autumn Vegetables
chestnut crumbs
Fresh, crisp, flavor-popping veggies captured in an unexplained but not at all unpleasant brick of unknown gelatinous substance. Japanese pumpkin, pepper, lotus root, okra, broccoli-flower, edamame, broccoli rabe, spinach, corn, zucchini...

sake #1

Red Miso Soup with Maitake Mushroom Tempura and Japanese Eggplant
Yes, that tempura-ed mushroom is practically the size of my head. Yes, I tasted it; it was as good as it looked (admitted cleanse fail). Thank goodness for vegan tempura. This was one of those instances where the waitress's detached and strictly professional behavior left us feeling like naughty schoolchildren. When VM asked, "Excuse me, is this soup served with a spoon?", the response was an abrupt and shockingly surprised, "No! You sip!", followed by a curt turn on her heel as she immediately took leave of us and our preposterous inquiry. She didn't even get to hear VM respond, "I was afraid of that."

Underneath the monster mushroom was a bushel of Japanese eggplant tied together with a delicate, edible rope. As two non-fans of eggplant (unless it's fried and smothered in sauce and cheese), we agreed that this was an exception- as tender as a homemade artichoke's heart. The red miso broth was outstanding: like no miso soup either of us have ever tasted.

Sake #2

House-made Udon with Goma-dare
chayote, shiso, schichimi
These thin, wheat noodles (admitted cleanse fail) were served with the explicit instruction to dip them into the sauce.

sake #2, holding steady

But, as if the slippery noodles weren't unruly enough, the unnecessary travels for dipping e~~ventually~~ immediately got old. We chose instead to dump the sauce right into our bowls of noodles; things went considerably more smoothly after that. I will note that the noodles expanded in my stomach in a matter of minutes- no doubt a result of my recent, cleansing diet.

Slow Simmered Vegetables
satoimo, carrot, mizuna, fried tofu, kabocha, bogo
This course was served to us by another waitress who very sweetly waited for us to react. When we didn't, she prodded with endearing, understated urgency, "Please remove the lids",

sake #3

and only then did she describe the contents of the bowl. Yet, however our misstep affected her, nothing about her behavior towards us left us feeling uncomfortable; it would seem it was mainly our waitress who was a bit on the uptight side. It was explained to us that each of the vegetables were cooked in their own juices separately from the others in order to preserve the integrity of the tastes. The onion and the pea pod were crisp and bold, while the rest of the vegetables tasted inherently more stewed. The item that looked like a mushroom stem was outstanding and VM loved the Japanese pumpkin.

Assortment of Grilled Vegetables with Smoked Soy Sauce
Matsutake Mushroom Croquet
Hibiscus Leaf
Grilled Awa-Fu with Sweet Soy Sauce
buckwheat seeds, wasabi

sake #4 (#4 background; #3 foreground. Backing up!)

The croquette was served with a tiny slice of a particular type of lime and small mound of salt for dipping. This was one of VM's favorite items of the evening, but I didn't like it as much. I took a bite (admitted cleanse fail) and relinquished the rest to her.

The sauce was just slightly smoky and pleasant, highlighting the tomatoes, green and yellow string beans, snap peas, onion, mushrooms, and root vegetables. The charred leaves tasted like my attempts at kale chips dehydrated in the oven (minus the nooch).

VM was trepidatious of the Awa-Fu as soon as it was presented, so I took the first taste (admitted cleanse fail). It was chewy and a not a little bit pasty, but the sauce along with the wasabi and buckwheat seeds helped to get one down. That was it for us.

Hijiki Rice with Black Sesame and Konnyaku
whole grain puffs, soy powder, kuroshchimi
House-made Pickles
This is where the meal took a turn for the worse for us. It was explained to us that we should first taste the rice and then top with the puffs and enjoy the pickles alongside. The smell of the rice alone made us both grimace; we are not fans of the ocean-scented (and tasting) hijiki seaweed. After one taste each to confirm, we attempted to clear enough rice of seaweed to taste with the puffs. Only I managed to (almost) successfully do so and it was pleasant, but not worth the effort of picking out the seemingly growing population of seaweed in order to continue. The pickles were unusual, not at all like either American or Indian variations, but managed to mask the taste of the seaweed for the moment. Our waitress did not acknowledge that we both sent our plates back full.

sake #5, water chaser

Sweet Potato Kinton with Coconut Tofu Cream
walnuts, macadamia nuts
As with many Asian desserts, this sphere was filled with bean paste- this of the chilled, white variety. Rolled in riced sweet potato and dusted with nuts, I liked it more than VM, but it was not a table favorite. What we both agreed upon was that we could have easily eaten a bowl full of the crispy, candied, sweet potato skin garnish- so unexpectedly sweet and tasty.

Matcha with Candies by Kyoto Kagizen-yoshifusa
We are not green tea lovers and, unfortunately, this grassy matcha- however beautifully presented, was no exception.

In the excitement of having been presented with candies representing the restaurant, I quickly popped the bottom, right corner, yellow circle in my mouth to VM's shock and dismay. She quickly admonished me to, "spit it out; you don't need it" and, in fact, I didn't- it was pure sugar. Still a pretty way to end the meal.

It was unfortunate that the last two courses were so disappointing to our Western palates. Because, despite the fact that we were plenty full, the rest of the meal had been such a varied assortment of pure flavors that we would have considered returning. But, when you end on a low note, you begin to reconsider.

Aside from that, we would have appreciated more interaction and personality from our waitperson in particular. When an experience is so unusual, it benefits from having a friendly guide rather than simply a narrator. Such friendliness would have made for a significantly more comfortable and pleasant experience and we wouldn't have been made to feel so gauche at every turn. On the whole, the experience lends itself to more endearment than was offered.

I think I can safely speak for both of us when I say that we had an absolutely wonderful time for our very special occasion (HBD VM! xoxo) and would recommend as such or simply for a new experience. It was a highly enjoyable evening for us, but probably not a repeatable one. We have plenty of other places to try!

Finally, I may as well admit it. I went to Lula's tonight. But, I DID NOT EAT ANYTHING. I swear. How could I? There are ~~people who know me~~ spies working and eating there at all hours of the day. What I did do, was buy a pint of hard pumpkin ice cream to have on hand for ~~the moment~~ when my cleanse ends. I realize I should probably consider easing into sweets, but since this Lula's cashew-based pumpkin ice cream counts as vegetables and nuts (in the AB dictionary), I don't think there will be an issue.

pumpkin is so great that it even gets its own font (cinnamon is another fave- great in a sundae! Oh Lula's, how I miss thee)

Ok, I also bought a Sweet and Sara chocolate covered marshmallow bat* to save for later. That's it; I promise!

*Sara, extra credit for the person with patience enough to halve the rice crispies for eyeballs!

Vegan MoFo Day 15: Taking Inventory Midway

2011-10-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

A close friend who reads my blog recently emailed me regarding my cleanse. She said that she wasn't surprised that I wasn't finding myself hungry, because she recalled feeling the same way when she had followed the Atkins diet. She suggested that I, like her at the time, had probably just lost the will to eat without all my goodies (I do have some good goodies, don't I?). Over ten days in and I'm not sure she's far off.

I really do enjoy eating vegetables but, as I've said, preparing them almost every day is so tedious that I'm beginning to resent them. Coming home tired on a chilly night I really would be satisfied to heat a can of soup or have peanut butter on toast and call it a night. But I've resisted. I'm doing the best I can and anything involving the can opener would not be my best at this point.

So let's see where we're at. My whole green juice/smoothie debacle has come to a head and I've just about given up on it. So, yesterday, I made due with another banana, almond butter, cinnamon, almond milk smoothie (it looks bigger because I added extra ice). This isn't exactly what the CSD has in mind, so I'll resolve to eat some greens in the a.m. because green beverages are most certainly out!

Just wondering, why don't my Magic Bullet mugs fit in my cup holders?

I'm doing just fine with the lunches, which continue to be raw kale salads. Yesterday, a new one: dino kale with lentil/pea/adzuki bean sprouts and red onions.

For the dressing I made the vegan ceasar from CSD (p. 209), subbing an avocado for the mayo and adding water to thin.

I started out doing salads and sauteed veggies for dinner, but frankly it was double work. So, I've settled into a routine made up simply of dips and raw veggies in some incarnation or another, the best example of which was my raw spaghetti. The spiralizer has really impressed me and helped to bridge the gap between appetizer food and an actual meal. Also, I have a new appreciation for zucchini.

Yesterday's dinner was more leftovers of the lentil walnut pate (I know; I prepare way too much). Still cleaning out the fridge of this week's produce, so it was a cold lettuce and tomato salad to accompany. I know, snore.

Not to say it isn't tempting* when a close-up photo of a peanut butter pit bull appears in my inbox, or The Cinnamon Snail mentions they have Mexican hot chocolate donuts on the truck, but I haven't really been craving anything in particular; I really am committed to completing this cleanse. As for afterwards, I hadn't really given much thought. Yet, when I told my boss about it a few days in, she asked, "What made you decide that you'd had enough sugar?", and I answered automatically and without hesitation, "I didn't really, this is just for 21 days."

So the question is, is it? At the halfway point, only time will tell.

*It's not enough that holidays are based around candy, let's do the same for seasons; yay!! Pumpkin and mushroom-shaped hazelnut truffles FTW.

Vegan MoFo Day 14: #$@%! Green Juice

2011-10-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

I lied. I didn't unfriend Lula's. I never intended to unfriend Lula's. In fact, it gives me no small level of comfort to be reminded that Lula's continues to serve the incredible flavors I've enjoyed in the past and will continue to enjoy in the future- even though I'm not doing so right now.

This is a list of flavors that Lula's posted the other day:

Pumpkin, Rosewater Pistachio, Vanilla, Mint Chip, Chocolate, Cookies 'n Cream, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie, Banana, Maple Walnut, Strawberry, Coffee

Let that settle into your consciousness for a minute.

Now consider that this is what I drank for breakfast.

Do you notice any incongruity?
Yesterday morning I had the best of intentions with my green juice. I purposefully omitted the cucumber because I thought that might be what was upsetting my stomach. I prepared celery, green apple, and, per CSD's recommendation, "sweet" broccoli stems- hoping for the best.

At some point during the morning's juicing episode I thought the juicer was broken. I became a bit frantic because that would have meant I had dirtied the machine and not even gotten any juice out of it. Worse yet, I'd just gotten it for goodness sake; broken already? It took me a moment to realize... that I wasn't disappointed.

When I figured out what was wrong and confirmed that it was, in fact, intact and in perfect working order, I began to wish that it wasn't.

During the juicing process, I somehow managed to splatter on my shirt again, much as I'd done previously with my smoothie. I didn't notice the green juice on my pants, however, until about 1pm.

As if that wasn't bad enough, as I was transferring the countless parts of the juicer to the sink for washing, I somehow managed to drip green juice on my toe. Green juice on my toe. Not appropriate. I do believe that somewhere between that incident and my third, grossly un-enjoyable sip was when I officially acknowledged the end to this green juice charade. I know that CSD says juicing is the quickest way to ingest nutrients, but I'd rather eat any of the greens that I've been trying to juice than drink them; I'll take my chances with the nutrients.

last minute to-go breakfast

For lunch there was- yep, more kale salad. It might be boring to read, but it's good no matter what.

Dinner brought leftover lentil walnut pate that I'd been thinking about ever since I first made it. This time, served with carrots in lettuce boats.

I also had a small scoop of these grains with a little Bragg's. Random, but I was tired, hungry, and in cleaning out the fridge mode.

And now, I will amuse myself with all kinds of possible fates that could accidentally befall my juicer.