Chicos and Beans: A Desert Vegan Survival Guide

On the Road: Veggie Grill, Irvine, CA

2012-01-30T06:34:00.124-07:00

Despite frequently being in the neighborhood, I kept missing chances to visit The Veggie Grill. But, finally, success! The Veggie Grill is a chain with about 7 locations in Southern California, and a new one in Oregon as well. The Irvine Spectrum Center location is smack dab in the middle of a busy and popular outdoor mall. How cool is that! I love that vegan(-friendly) restaurants are quite a bit more plentiful in California.

Santa Fe Crispy Chickin' Sandwich and Sweetheart Fries with Chipotle Ranch Dip

I had heard good things about their Sweetheart Fries, sweet potato fries served with vegan chipotle ranch sauce. And I have to say they did not disappoint. While not a big fan of sweet potato fries, these were particularly good. I was also in the mood for a sammie, and had a hard time picking between the Santa Fe Crispy Chickin', Bayou Chickin', or the VG-Cheeseburger. I finally settled on the Santa Fe which was crispy fried chillin' chickin', lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, and southwestern spiced vegan mayo. I really liked it too. Simple sandwich toppings, with a nice and crispy breaded faux chicken.

The Veggie Grill...Outdoor Patio looking In

They have indoor and outdoor seating, and I spent my time on the patio people watching. It was evening, and low lighting, so the pictures are a little dark, but what can ya do. Anyway, I would really like the chance to go back and try those other two sandwiches, and maybe some of the other items on the menu. But with the meal I had, this place is solid, and I would recommend anyone check it out.

The Veggie Grill - Irvine Spectrum Center
Ranking: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Veggie Grill - Irvine Spectrum Center
81 Fortune Dr
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 727-9900
http://veggiegrill.com

Hours
Sunday - Wednesday 11am to 9pm
Thursday - Saturday 11am to 10pm

On the Road: Avanti Cafe, Costa Mesa, CA

2012-01-27T10:13:00.002-07:00

Avanti Cafe

I first visited Avanti Cafe about a year ago, when I picked up their holiday dinner. Since then, they redecorated their little dining room, making more space for tables and chairs. It's a very cute little cafe, with great attention to detail, and it was nice to actually sit down and enjoy the atmosphere. They had these cute little spice boxes which held black pepper, Himalayan salt, and red pepper flakes. The wait staff was very friendly and solicitous. And they served water in green glass bottles, and left the bottle on the table so you could refill your glass as desired. I always love that.

Spice Container...Black Pepper, Red Pepper, and Himalayan Salt

My grandmother and I were lunching and we both had pizza. Avanti is a vegetarian establishment, with lots of vegan options. My grandmother who is an omnivore, had the One Eyed Pizza which was a vegetarian pizza and loved it. I ordered the vegan Arugula and Spinach Pesto Pizza and enjoyed it. My experience with Avanti Cafe is that their food tends to be good, but has more of a health food taste.

The Arugula and Spinach Pesto Pizza: organic sauteed kale & chard, spinach & arugula pesto, BBQ tempeh, falafel crusted onion rings, organic heirloom tomatoes, and Avanti pepperoncini.

Arugula & Spinach Pesto Pizza

Avanti Cafe Seating

Avanti Cafe...More Seating

Arugula & Spinach Pesto Pizza...Again

Avanti Cafe is a good choice if you're in the area, and they have nice atmosphere, but there's quite a lot of stiff competition in vegetarian, vegan, and vegan-friendly restaurants in the Costa Mesa area. And if you are going down a list of choices, I'm not sure they would be in my top 5. I'd definitely eat there again, and they are worth checking out for yourself...especially since maybe I just haven't had their to-die-for menu items yet.

Avanti Cafe
Ranking: ***1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Avanti Cafe
259 E.17th St
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 548-2224
http://www.avantinatural.com/

Hours
Monday - Friday 11AM - 10PM
Saturdays 10:30AM - 10PM
Sundays 10:30AM - 8PM

Thai Dinner

2012-01-25T12:26:00.003-07:00

clockwise from top center: Red Thai Tofu, Green Beans with Thai Basil, and the Bhutanese Pinapple Rice

I recently made a Thai dinner from recipes in the Appetite for Reduction cookbook. It went over very well. Very tasty, and the recipes were on the healthy end of the spectrum. I made the Red Thai Tofu, Green Beans with Thai Basil, and the Bhutanese Pinapple Rice.

I used jarred Thai basil instead of fresh. I found the Thai basil, Thai red curry paste, and the Bhutanese red rice at Whole Foods. The rest of the ingredients are simple to find. I think I've also seen the Thai red curry paste at Sprouts too. And both the Thai red curry paste and jarred/fresh Thai basil can probably be found at LeeLee's Oriental Supermarket.

This post is very short. Just sharing the small menu, a couple of tips, a quick photo, and a hearty recommendation to check out not only these recipes, but the book itself. I have Appetite for Reduction in paper book, but just had to get it for my Kindle too, so I can travel with it.

Recipe Round-up: Vegan Croque Monsieur et Madame

2012-01-04T10:10:00.003-07:00

I'd never heard of Croque-anything until I took a French class in college and was suddenly having to order them from my classmates, along with a café au lait and croissant. I don't know what made me think of them recently, but I suddenly decided I wanted a vegan version. This meant digging through recipes online to see if I could find something workable. A few vegans have beat me to the punch and created their own vegan Croques. Of course, I had to share.

By the way, I saw a couple of non-vegan, vegetarian recipes (heavy on the gruyere) that used mushrooms and/or spinach instead of vegan ham, so you might consider substitutions like that if you don't want the faux ham that some of the recipes use.

There aren't very many recipes, so people, get on this!
~Parsley Soup's Vegan Croque Monsieur

~The Vegan Croque Monsieur with Dijon Dill Aioli at Veganize It...Don't Criticize It

~D.I. Wine and Dine's Vegan Croque Monsieur aka Savory French Toast

~The Vegan Croque Monsieur (with a side of Dijon Potatoes!) over at Yummy-Licious

~Shins' Vegan Lovin' has a Vegan Croque Madame Panini

~Animal Emancipation showcases a Croque Madame...no real recipe but you should be able to figure it out with all the ingredients listed.

Best Vegetarian Dish Competition on The Valley Dish

2012-01-02T02:32:00.001-07:00

Sasha Raj of 24 Carrots Cafe and Cassie Tolman of Pomegranate Cafe served as judges for this Best Vegetarian Dish competition on The Valley Dish with Tram Mai.

Vegetarian Website Award

2011-12-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Vegetarian

Recently, VegOnline.org awarded Chicos and Beans with a Vegetarian Website Award. An excerpt from the email:

We at VegOnline.org are pleased to present you with the Vegetarian Website Award for excellence in vegetarian information! We understand the value of free, accessible information regarding vegetarian and veganism: great recipes, insightful articles, and tips to make people’s diets that much healthier. Chicos and Beans helps further the vegetarian cause, and we think you should be honored as such.
...
Thank you for everything Chicos and Beans does to increase food awareness – your service is highly valued.

Thanks again for all you do!
Best Regards,

Evan
Senior Editor
VegOnline.org

Thank you for the recognition, VegOnline.org!

Udupi Cafe

2011-12-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Sad news! Udupi Cafe, the Indian vegetarian place in Tempe, has closed its doors within the last week or so. I don't have any details, just the bad news. :(

Recipe Round-up: Vegan Fruit Cake

2011-12-02T12:45:00.001-07:00

You may remember that in June I posted about Emily Dickinson. She liked to bake and the Library of America recorded her recipe for Black Cake (aka Fruit Cake). It inspired me to do a recipe round-up for fruit cake, but of course, I really needed to wait til December since it's more of a seasonal holiday treat. And here we are. I've never made a fruit cake before, but I'd like to try one of these.

The first two recipes were the ones that seemed the closest vegan recipes to Emily's Black Cake. The rest are the various vegan or easily veganizable takes on fruitcake that I have seen online. A couple of the below recipes just need vegan margarine and non-dairy milks, which are simple substitutions. You'll have to convert from British measurements and terminology on a couple of them as well.

~Bryanna's Low-Fat Vegan Carrot Fruitcake at the Vegan Feast Kitchen

~Vegan and Demanding's Fruitcake

~The Fruit Cake and Fruity Marmalade Cake over at The Vegan Society

~ About.com's Vegan Christmas Fruit Cake

~Vegan Christmas Fruitcake from Madhuram's Eggless Cooking

~Nom!Nom!Nom!'s Vegan Fruitcake Delight

~Parsley Soup's Fruit Cake

~Christmas Cake at Vegan Village

~Fruit and Nut "War" Cake from Jugalbandi

~Veggies.Co.Uk's Maggie's Falling Down Fruit Cake

~Suburban Yogini's Spiced Vegan Fruitcake, and Christmas Cake with Marizpan and Icing

~1940s Experiment's Eggless Fruit Cake and Eggless Xmas Cake

~Cake's Eggless Fruit Cake

~Aayi's Recipes Eggless Fruit Cake

~Food in the Main's Eggless Fruit Cake

~Ina Garten's Dried Fruit Cookies - They look like Fruitcake Cookies to me! You'll want agave nectar instead of honey, and egg replacer for 1 egg.

Colombian Raw Vegan Fruitcake with Coconut Milk
(In Spanish with Subtitles)

Taste Test: Mint Chocolate Non-Dairy Beverages!

2011-11-30T01:31:00.000-07:00

So Delicious Coconut Milk Mint Chocolate vs. Silk Mint Chocolate

Another So Delicious / Silk face-off. Let's dive in.
The So Delicious Coconut Milk Mint Chocolate really isn't any thicker than the Silk Mint Chocolate, though that was the case with the Nogs. And the color is quite similar. In fact, there wasn't much difference between these two drinks, except the So Delicious does have a slight coconut taste.

Overall, I'm not really a fan of either. This is definitely a taste preference on my part. I pretty much figured this would be the case going in, as I have had the Silk in the past. I've never much liked chocolate milks (except for chocolate almond milk), and I definitely don't care for the mint added to chocolate 'milk' beverages. I'll drink them, but I won't buy them. This is the case for just about anything mint chocolate, I'll eat it...because...but it's not something I put in my "Like Column".

That said, I DO think people who like mint chocolate flavors would enjoy these drinks. In fact, I know quite a few people that like the Silk Mint Chocolate (they tried it in years past, but have not yet tried the So Delicious brand to determine a preference).

If I were to purchase one for guests, it would be the Silk, only because that slight coconut taste is distracting from the mint chocolate. But ultimately, I rated them the same.

So Delicious Coconut Milk Mint Chocolate
Rating: **

Silk Mint Chocolate
Rating: **

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[You can find both of these Mint Chocolate beverages at Whole Foods. The So Delicious is a new product so I'm not sure who else will be carrying it, but the Silk is usually found at Sprouts and some of the supermarkets that carry Silk regularly.]

Mashed Spiced Sweet Potatoes with Vegan Toasted Marshmallow Topping

2011-11-28T00:14:00.001-07:00

Mashed Spiced Sweet Potatoes with Vegan Marshmallow Topping

My dad loves Sweet Potato Casserole. His version involves sweet potatoes mixed with brown sugar and, well, I'm not sure what else he puts in it. He's one of those "whatever-I-feel-like" chefs who doesn't use recipes or measurements much. But his sweet potatoes always have browned and melted marshmallows on top. This year I was in charge of cooking Thanksgiving for my parents. I had to make a healthier version of my dad's favorite entrees. And vegan versions, of course.

Mission accomplished. Essentially these are the Mashed Spiced Sweet Potatoes from Veganomicon placed into a casserole dish and topped with Dandies vegan marshmallows. I'm normally not particularly fond of sweet potatoes, but I really liked this version. A lot. And I had to share it.

Thanksgiving is over, but there are sure to be several holiday potlucks and dinners you will be attending, and these sweet potatoes are a great and easy dish to share.

Mashed Spiced Sweet Potatoes with Vegan Toasted Marshmallow Topping

(Adapted from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero)

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds sweet potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or other light vegetable oil (but not olive oil)

1 & 1/2 bags of vegan Marshmallows (I used Dandies from Whole Foods)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the sweet potatoes directly on an oven rack (no tray is needed and no need to poke holes in them). Depending on the size of the sweet potatoes, the cooking time will vary. An average-size sweet potato takes about 45 minutes but large ones can take longer, sometimes up to 75 minutes if they are the giant kind.

Once you can easily poke through the potatoes in the center, they are done. Remove from the oven and split them lengthwise; leave them opened to speed up cooling.

When still warm but not too hot to handle, scoop out the sweet potatoes with a spoon and place in a casserole dish. Discard the skins.

Add the salt, spices, maple syrup, and oil and mash everything with a strong fork. Once well incorporated, flatten mashed spiced sweet potatoes into casserole dish and top with vegan marshmallows as desired. When toasted they will expand and melt, so no need to cover all of the sweet potatoes. Place into still-warm oven and broil for a couple of minutes until marshmallows are toasted to a light golden brown. Watch the broiling carefully...they could blacken too much quite quickly. Serve warm.

Fashion Friday: John Bartlett's Tiny Tim Fashions

2011-11-25T04:23:00.002-07:00

Vegansaurus recently posted a cute little raglan pullover featuring Tiny Tim, John Bartlett's late tripod pitbull. It's a simple design found on all of his products. All of the shirts look soo comfy! Here are a few of the winter wear items, starting with Bartlett's take on a traditional winter sweater, plus a couple other goodies. Some proceeds go to the Tiny Tim Rescue Fund, a non profit dedicated to raising and distributing funds for dog rescue groups who pull animals directly from high-kill shelters. He is having a Black Friday sale, so check that out while you're visiting.

Cookies From Home

2011-11-23T08:08:00.019-07:00

Cookies From Home, Lemon Pecan

Recently I visited AJ's Fine Foods in search of preserved lemons, and while AJ's focuses on upscale, specialty, and imported foods which makes them minimally vegan-friendly, I did stumble across some vegan Lemon Pecan Cookies from Tempe-based business, Cookies from Home.

I really liked the lemon pecan cookies. They're small cookies, maybe a little bigger than an Oreo, with 4 in a package. I think they were some of the best packaged vegan cookies I have had. So I went to their website to check them out and found they have a whole vegan category and they even offer some great tins of vegan cookies and brownies, perfect for gifts. Looks like they also have gluten-free options. I can't tell if all of their vegan cookies are also gluten-free, but the website kinda implies this.

Cookies From Home Gift Tin

And they've got a retail gift shop in Tempe. How cool is that!? At some point I'd like to visit their retail gift shop and see if I can taste-test some more of the vegan cookie and brownie options. The only thing missing from their website is a list of the vegan flavors, so I'm not sure what else they offer. Just a note, I don't know if Cookies From Home always offers vegan options in their retail gift shops, many times in places like this vegan options are considered special order items, so you might consider calling ahead to check.

Rating: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[You can find the small packaged cookies at AJ's Fine Foods. I'm not sure what other flavors are available, nor if they are carried at any other local shops. But you can find more options at their retail gift shop and order them online.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cookies From Home
Retail Gift Shop
1605 W. University Dr. Unit 106
Tempe, AZ 85281
(800) 543-8133
http://www.cookiesfromhome.com/

Hours
Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm
Saturday, 10am to 4pm
Closed Sunday

Guest Post: 24 Carrots, Chandler, AZ

2011-11-21T08:16:00.005-07:00

24 Carrots

Kenike: I was kind of hesitant to review 24 Carrots after my visit a few months ago, as I didn't really get a chance to experience the cafe. I was in and out rather quick, on my way to a workshop, and they were about to close. Luckily, we have a guest poster today to do the review for us. Please welcome, Carla Brown, here to do our very first guest post!

***

24 Carrots is a quaint café nestled between a Subway and a Caribbean restaurant on the northwest corner of Kyrene and Chandler Boulevard in Chandler. I’ve been practically stalking the owner, Sasha, on Facebook – I’m unsure how I even found her page – hungrily going over the pictures of her daily specials. I finally found the time to make the trek to this established café.

24 Carrots, Interior

The restaurant reminds me of a coffee shop with its bookshelf, coffee tables, and coach nestled in the back. This feeling is confirmed by the tattooed young man behind the counter. Today’s burger special is a Black Bean Pumpkin Burger with the choice of salad, tortilla chips, or carrots. I am a true sucker for anything pumpkin. In fact, the sole reason I came to this location rather than my usual haunts was the online promise of pumpkin bars, which I purchased immediately and took a bite while waiting for my meal. It was sweet with a cake-like texture topped with raw pumpkin seeds.

But back to the burger – it came out with tortilla chips on a whole wheat bun. The first bite tasted like a delicious mixture of Thanksgiving stuffing and cranberry sauce. It was, unfortunately, messy, but was easily scooped up with the chips. The chef made an appearance to ask how it was and I could only nod my head and give a thumbs-up since my mouth was still full with her tasty creation. Then she said something that made me want to kiss her, “We have a pumpkin cheesecake.” SOLD! The raw vegan pumpkin slice of heaven came on a fig-nut crust and was very rich. I would suggest splitting it. There were artistic swirls of cranberry sauce as a beautiful final touch.

Raw Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

The rest of 24 Carrots’ menu consists of a full juice and smoothie bar, noshing plates, soups, salads, sandwiches and wraps, Mediterranean and Asian-inspired meals, and pizza. There is an extensive brunch menu and a few select items for the kiddos.

24 Carrots

Carla's Rating: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
24 Carrots
6140 W. Chandler Blvd. Suite #2
Chandler, AZ 85226
(480) 753-4411
http://www.24carrotsjuice.com/

Hours
Monday - Friday 8am - 6pm
Saturday 8am -5pm
Sunday Closed

Bio:

Carla Brown is a part time writer and full time food lover. This meek, hippycore misfit from the Midwest plays is a blocker for Arizona Roller Debry. Her ideal world would include her significant other and skates in a treehouse, but not much else. Oh, and vegan cookies, but not much more than that.

Jerk Tofu with Pineapple Slaw Sammie, Tortilla Chips, Pickle, and Strawberry Coconut Water Smoothie

7th Annual Thankful Veghead Menu

2011-11-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad

Sigh. I just cannot remember to take photos or delegate the photos to others sometimes. But I did manage to borrow from a guest who snapped a couple with her iphone. Here is the menu with recipe links for the Thankful Veghead Dinner. A very small and cozy affair this year.

Entrees
*Tofurky Roast w/ Savory Baste and Savory 'Giblet' Gravy
*Sage and Pumpkin Seed Encrusted Seitan w/ Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Sauce
*Almost Beef Wellington with Madeira Sauce

Sides
*Creamy Scalloped Potatoes (I added 2 tbl minced onion, 1 tbl minced parsley, & black pepper to taste to the sauce.)
*Green Bean Casserole (Native Foods)
*Tangerine Cranberry Sauce (Vegan Yum Yum)
*Wheatberry Waldorf Salad (Native Foods Cookbook)

*Christmas Kale Chopped Salad

*Spaghetti Squash (My sister made this and added Daiya mozzarella shreds, sage, and thyme to the squash.)
*White Chili (A guest brought this, I don't have the recipe.)

Christmas Kale Salad

Dessert
*Boston Cream Pie Cake (Vegan Pie In the Sky)
*Apple Pie (My sister made this and subbed in vegan margarine and shortening & skipped the grains of paradise.) with Apple Cider Caramel Sauce
*Red Velvet Soda [Cup]Cake[s] with Pomegranate Spread and Buttercream Frosting [My sister made this as well, and added 1/2 cup margarine and more powdered sugar for proper consistency of the frosting.)

A photo of last year's dinner. This year's dinner looked a fair bit like this, though the actual recipes were different. Haha.

6th Annual Thankful Veghead Dinner (November 2010)

Nog Taste Test!

2011-11-07T07:50:00.003-07:00

The Nog Taste Test!

Earth Balance Soy Nog vs. So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog vs. Silk Nog

What a rumble!

First a few words about each.

The Earth Balance Soy Nog has the typical nog flavoring of nutmegy cinnamon... at first. Then the aftertaste is like a weird return to bland, plain soy milk. It's kinda strange, actually.

The So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog is the creamiest and thickest of the three by far which was kind of nice. You can see the actual spices speckling the Nog, which you don't see in the others. But there is a slight coconut taste that distracts from the nog.

The Silk Nog is rather thin, and you can't tell in this photo so much, but's rather a yellow looking milk. Other than this, it has the requisite nog spices. (You can see my past review of all the Silk seasonal beverages here.)

Overall, I like the Silk best and would pick this one out of the bunch. But I would drink any of the others if they were available. Now I'd like some Nog pancakes. And suddenly, the word "nog" is the strangest word ever.

Ok, now for the ratings.

Earth Balance Soy Nog
Rating: **1/2

So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog
Rating: ***

Silk Nog
Rating: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[You can find all of these Nogs at Whole Foods. The Earth Balance and the So Delicious are new products so I'm not sure who else will be carrying them, but the Silk is also usually found at Sprouts and some of the supermarkets that carry Silk regularly.]

Apple of My Eye

2011-11-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

back row, left to right: Empire, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Rome
middle row, left to right: Cripps Pink Lady, Fuji, Jonathan, McIntosh
front row, left to right: Gala, Jonagold, Braeburn, Jazz

One of my best first grade memories is sitting in a circle on the floor with my classmates and taste testing 10 or so different apple varieties. Such a simple activity and yet so fun and adventurous. Earlier this year, I was inspired by that memory and taste-tested different kinds of tangerines. Well, now it's apple season!

As I was trolling the fruit aisle at Sprouts I saw an abundance of apples and decided to get one of each variety. Well, mostly. I skipped the Red Delicious, Green Delicious, and Granny Smiths. They tend to be the most common ones, so I thought I'd just try the others. And really, twelve varieties was PLENTY. Though apparently there are over 7500 cultivars of apples in the world. One could make it a life mission to sample them all. Not me though, thanks.

Here are the ones I did get and what Wiki has to say about each:

**
Empire- (New York) Empire apples are red, juicy, firm, crunchy and sweet. Good for eating.

Honeycrisp- (Minnesota) Mottled red and yellow colour. Good crunch when in prime condition. Juicy. Hybrid of Keepsake and Unknown. Good for eating.

Cortland- (New York) Pale crisp flesh. Classic red coloration, nice crunch. Cross between McIntosh and Ben Davis. Good for eating.

Rome- (Ohio) Rounded, all red, and very glossy. Flavour develops when cooked. Good for cooking.

Cripps Pink Lady- (Australia) Crisp, very sweet and slightly tart. Light red, pink and light yellow-green striped skin. Good for cooking and eating.

Fuji- (Japan) Sweet, crisp, dense flesh. Very long shelf life, even without refrigeration. Japan's predominant eating apple. Good for eating.
Jonathan- (New York) Tart taste. Mostly red apple with patches of lime green. Does well in cooler areas; some frost resistance. Good for eating and cooking.

McIntosh- (Ontario, Canada) A popular, cold-tolerant, pocket-sized eating apple in Canada and northeastern US. Favorite of children. Used alot in applesauce. Good for cooking and eating.

Gala- (New Zealand) Thinner skin. Very soft eating apple, well-suited for denture wearers. Good for eating.

Jazz- (New Zealand) Bright red round apple with subtle yellow under-striping. Tart to sweet, dense and very crunchy with effervescent texture. Good for eating.

Jonagold- (New York) Popular in Europe and land of origin. A very large apple. Several highly coloured strains are available. Good for eating and cooking.

Braeburn- (New Zealand) Firm to the touch with a red/orange vertical streaky appearance on a yellow/green background. Dense apple, and becoming increasingly popular in the UK. Good for eating.
**

back row, left to right: Empire, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Rome middle row, left to right: Cripps Pink Lady, Fuji, Jonathan, McIntosh
front row, left to right: Gala, Jonagold, Braeburn, Jazz

Alright, now for the ratings!

Eating Experience+

Key
***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

Empire **1/2
Honeycrisp ****
Cortland ****
Rome ***1/2
Cripps Pink Lady ***
Fuji ***
Jonathan **1/2
McIntosh **1/2
Gala ***
Jazz ***1/2
Jonagold **1/2
Braeburn ***

OVERALL
I like apples, but they are by no means my favorite fruit. And I have to say that 'apples' tend to taste like 'apples' to me. Not a huge difference in taste, though some are a little sweeter and some a little tangier. There can be, however, a significant difference in texture, crispness, and firmness. But this can even run from apple to apple, not just across varieties.

Red Delicious used to be my favorite apples when I was a kid. But in recent years, Red Delicious have had a watered down taste, very bland. I think farmers and scientists have messed with them too much.

Anyway, in this taste test, Rome was by far the prettiest of the apples with its deep red hue. Unfortunately, they were slightly soft. But Cortland was the big surprise, with an interesting, slightly tangy flavor. I liked it best for taste.
I highly recommend the Cortland and Honeycrisp for eating raw. In the past I have really liked the Fuji, though it didn't test as well this time, just average.

Even if you get a less than stellar batch of apples, all is not lost. Make PIE! Or cider, or applesauce, or juice, or Cinnamon Baked Apples. These days I like apple pies with a mix of different apple varieties. In yesterday's post you'll see the Garam Masala Apple Pie I made. It was really good. I had the Rome, Braeburn, Jazz, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, and Gala in it, I think. And not that long ago I made a Dutch Apple Pie, so check that oen out too. For a future pie, I will consider mixing the Rome with Granny Smith and Cortland.

~~~~

+Keep in mind that each single fruit is a completely different experience which also depends on where we are in the season. In other words, my results may be different from yours based on fruit condition, ripeness, etc.

Super Top Secret

2011-10-31T23:03:00.002-07:00

I started my recipe testing for Terrry Hope Romero this past weekend. A look at some of the ingredients and final products.

Some Salad Ingredients...notice the bright red pomegranates! ::LUST::

Preserved Lemon (not cheap, but was a time saver)

Preserved lemon smells SO. GOOD.

Kale Salad with Preserved Lemon and Pomegranate

Crispy Eggplant and Skordalia

This Garam Masala Apple Pie is not-so top secret. Terry posted the recipe on her blog months ago, I guess it didn't make it into the new pie cookbook. But it was so very intriguing to me, in the end I made this one. I still haven't made anything from Vegan Pie in the Sky. haha. Also, this is one ~~ugly~~ textured pie, but I totally short-cutted it by using two frozen ready-made bottom pie crusts. Vegan Pie in the Sky tells you how to make one of the crusts into a top. It worked good enough for me! I really like this pie. It has a nice warm kick. Highly recommended.

Garam Masala Apple Pie

Alright, it's the end of Vegan MoFo. I was gonna try to squeeze in one more post, but it's been a long month and I'm ready for November.

Odds and Ends

2011-10-27T23:31:00.001-07:00

I would be rockin' Vegan Mofo if I wasn't dealing with crappy health these past couple weeks. Considering the circumstances, I feel pretty good about my level of participation. A big bummer is I haven't gotten to explore the other blogs participating in Vegan Mofo very much.

Alright, moving on.

I just got my Vegan Pie in the Sky cookbook today. Whee! I need to make something with apples this weekend...maybe Apple Crisp, Cosmos Apple Pie, Apple Hand Pies, French Toast Apple Cobbler, Apple Frangipane Tart, or some kind of hybrid Salted Apple Caramel Tart thing based on two other recipes. I'll be sure to tell you all about it.

Have you made any of the pie book recipes yet?

Also, I am an official tester for Terry Hope Romero's new global vegan cookbook. :: EXCITED ::
So, over the next few months I will be teasing you with photos of things I have made from her super top secret recipes. I'm hoping to get to a couple recipes this weekend. The first ones will involve pomegranate, eggplant, and Chinese 5 Spice....not necessarily in the same recipe. And I believe I will even be making my very first seitan from scratch. That'll be an adventure.

Alright, that's it from me now. Over and out.

On the Road: Lovin' Spoonfuls, Tucson, AZ

2011-10-25T21:15:00.002-07:00

Lovin' Spoonfuls

Lovin' Spoonfuls is a 100% vegan restaurant located near the University of Arizona campus in Tucson. I'd say that, overall, they serve vegan comfort foods; a wide variety of them at that. You can find tofu scrambles, country fried chicken, lasagna, fries, chocolate cake, stroganoff, and veggie burgers but also thai curry, dolmas, egg rolls, and polenta. They also have a separate gluten-free menu.

Lovin' Spoonfuls, Interior

They have a nice dining room with plenty of tables and booths. Or you can eat on the patio.

Two omnis accompanied me to Lovin' Spoonfuls for this visit. One got the Southwest Breakfast Burrito which wasn't as spicy or "chorizo"ed as he would have liked. I didn't try it, but it was huge.

Southwest Breakfast Burrito

Southwest Breakfast Burrito, Innards

My other companion took on two appetizers for her meal, the nuggets and fries. I stole some fries, which were average (and they needed more salt). And I snared a good few of the nuggets too. We dipped them in an apple-y sweet and sour sauce which I liked. I thought the nuggets were good, but maybe a teeny bit skimpy on the mock meat parts. I wouldn't hesitate to order their fried deliciousness again.

Golden Nuggets and Shoestring French Fries

I ordered the Route 66 Bacon Cheeseburger because I am a sucker for them. I didn't realize the burger came with chips or I would not have picked the potato salad as the side. Oh well. The potato salad was ok. It was better than my own homemade attempts have been, so I was satisfied. I'm just having trouble finding the perfect potato salad these days. Maybe it's like an alchemical delusion- the perfect version doesn't exist. The sandwich itself was good, though I have to admit I have had better vegan bacon cheeseburgers....Native Foods comes to mind.

Route 66 Bacon Cheeseburger with Potato Salad & Poore Brothers Chips

I also made sure to sample the Tempura Shrimp. These battered shrimps were so delish! My only problem was they were served with a spicy cocktail sauce which did not complement them at all. I would love for these to be served with that sweet and sour sauce or some kind of sweet chili sauce. I really want a do over on these faux shrimps, where I can eat them properly sauced.

Tempura Shrimp with Spicy Seafood Sauce

We also shared a piece of Raspberry Orange Cake. The cake was slightly orange flavored with raspberry filling and a light chocolate frosting. I neglected to snap a picture, but we all agreed the cake was really good.

Lovin' Spoonfuls even placed 3rd in PETA's Top 5 Vegan Pies ranking with their Banana Cream Pie. That's a pretty high honor!

Lovin' Spoonfuls is worth the visit. The food is pretty good and the owner is super nice. If you are in Tucson, it would be silly to miss this place.

Lovin' Spoonfuls
Ranking: ***3/4

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lovin’ Spoonfuls

2990 N. Campbell Avenue

Tucson, AZ 85719

(520) 325-7766

http://www.lovinspoonfuls.com/

Hours

Monday - Saturday 9:30am to 9pm

Sunday 10am to 3pm

Majans Bhuja Cracker Mix

2011-10-24T10:02:00.002-07:00

Majans Bhuja Craker Mix

Majans Bhuja Cracker Mix is tasty. Mmm. A bit addictive too. I'd always wanted a little snack like this. And most that are similar in design have always had something just a bit off about the taste. But I liked every bit of this snack mix. The Bhuja Cracker Mix has rice crackers, multigrain noodles, green peas, peanuts, chick peas, and sultanas that are flavored with chiles, turmeric, paprika, corriander, and cumin. The sultanas fit in the least, but there are only a few of them so they are come across as just a small oddity, and they're by no means unwelcome.

There were several other mix flavors, and I'm looking forward to giving those a try too. I think I'll be using these to fill up snack bowls when friends come over.

Majans Bhuja Cracker Mix

Rating: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[These are brand new products at Sprouts, and I found them on a display near the produce section. Not sure who else has them yet or will be getting them.]

Apple Annie's Orchard, Willcox, AZ

2011-10-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

Picking chili peppers.

A photo journey.

My sis, bro in law, nephew and I visited Apple Annie's and picked some goodies from the land. We missed the apple picking season by one week, but we got some green beans, chili peppers, jalapenos, poblano peppers, eggplants, and okra. Sunflowers, pumpkins, bell peppers, tomatoes, and squash were also available for picking. We went kind of late in the picking season overall, so I recommend hitting them earlier in October or late September. Picking yourself is optional, all goodies are also offered already picked, but it is fun and cheaper to DIY.

Fuzzy caterpillar dancing to The Ugly Bug Ball song by Burl Ives.

Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Butters (didn't look to see if vegan, but betting so.)

Purty Corns.

Green Beans. My most favorite.

Yellow Eggplants. Not a fan of eggplant, these guys conned me into taking them home anyway.

Apple Trees. (er, I think)

Drying peppers.

Urbanites visitng the Farm. Phone call while picking peppers? No problem!

Gourds

Sunnies.

Pumpkin Patch

Our Harvest Bucket

Amande Almond Yogurt

2011-10-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

Amande Raspberry Almond Yogurt

First, the semi-disclaimer. I have never been a yogurt fan. When I went vegan I found soy yogurt to be far superior to dairy yogurt, edible even. And even more so, I liked the coconut yogurt when it arrived. Still, these yogurts are only once in a while eats, I don't eat them often. So, after my successes with the soy and coconut-based gurts, and the fact that I like almond milks, I figured I'd easily welcome the Amande into the fold.

I was wrong. I discovered that I am not a fan of almond-based yogurts, or at least not this brand. I tried both the raspberry and the blueberry. I definitely think this could be just my personal deficiency somehow, as there are people out there who love the unsweetened almond milk which I think is bitterly disgusting. And as you can tell, I am not much of a yogurt fan to begin with. But I did find out that my hairstylist had the same disappointing experience with the Amande yogurt.

I don't like to give vegan products bad ratings, and I usually just don't review products I don't like, but I felt like I should do this one. You read my disclaimer, it really could be me and not the product.

Amande Almond Yogurt

Rating: *1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[I'm pretty sure Whole Foods is the only place that has this. I suppose Sunflower Market might, but I almost never go there to know for sure.]

Tofutti Yours Truly Cones....(translation: Vegan Dessert Drumsticks!)

2011-10-20T22:18:00.001-07:00

Tofutti Yours Truly Cones

I LOVE these. The End.

Wait, I do have a request for Tofutti. Please make some with peanuts on top and with vegan caramel in the middle. These ones have crunchy cookies on top, and that's yummy, but not ideal. Thank you. Also, sometimes the cones are soft and sometimes they are crunchy. It's random, but not unlike what I remember for non-vegan drumsticks. Nature of the frozenated cone.

The End. For real this time.

Mmmmm! When they talk about visions of sugar plums dancing in heads, they really meant visions of sugar cones.

Tofutti Yours Truly Cones

Tofutti Yours Truly Cones
Rating: **** 3/4

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Sprouts definitely has these. Fry's Marketplace and Whole Foods might as well.]

Kenike's Veg*n Restaurant Wish List

2011-10-19T22:48:00.000-07:00

I am completely jealous of Kristin at Will Travel for Vegan Food. The kind of jealousy, greed, and gluttonous feelings that could lead one to the dark side. But not the dark side forever, I know I would be able to cross back with the right Jedi assistance.

Anyway, thinking about Kristin's year of hitting every single vegan restaurant in the USA had me thinking. Maybe I can't do this trip, but I can pick a few must-eat-at, bucket-list places to visit. I thought I'd share my top restaurants-to-visit list. Of course, each of these places is outside of Arizona, because it's an easy assumption that I will visit all of the vegetarian/vegan restaurants here in short order.

So, not in any particular order...

1. Madeleine Bistro, Tarzana, CA

2. Millenium, San Francisco, CA

3. The Chicago Dinner, Chicago, IL

4. Candle79, New York City, NY

5. Spiral Diner, Dallas/Fort Worth, TX

6. The Fixin' To, Portland, OR

7. The Wynn, Las Vegas, NV

8. Seabirds Truck, Orange County, CA

9. Dirt Candy, New York City, NY

10. Shojin, Los Angeles, CA

11. Portobello Vegan Trattoria, Portland, CA

Posthumous Honorable Mention: The VegiTerranean, Akron, OH
Sadly, Chrissie Hynde's vegan restaurant, The VegiTerranean, closed. It was a place I really wanted to try.

::takes a respectful moment::

***

So, people, what is on your list, or perhaps more importantly, what should I add to mine?

Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub

2011-10-15T12:49:00.001-07:00

Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub

Lush makes vegan lip balms, tints, and scrubs. I had heard about the Mint Julips Lip Scrub a while back and thought about giving it a try. I finally picked it up last month.

The sugar scrub smells so good, like a York Peppermint Patty. Mmm. Technically, this is not food for the Vegan Mofo, but you can eat the scrub. And it tastes really good too. Its main ingredients are castor sugar and peppermint oil, plus jojoba oil, vanilla extract, tagetes oil, limonene, and flavoring.

If you need to eliminate some dead skin cells from your lips and moisturize them, this is a good bet.

Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub
Rating: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[We've only got one Lush store in Arizona, but you can also order most of their products online.]

Lush

Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall

7014 E. Camelback Rd., Unit #1020

Scottsdale, AZ 85251

(480) 946-5874

Four Vegetarian/Vegan Food Festivals

2011-10-14T22:06:00.002-07:00

If you are like me, you haven't made it to any vegetarian/vegan food festivals yet. For one thing, we don't have one here in Arizona and attending one means a road trip. But luckily, Jasmin Singer of Our Hen House and VegNews Correspondent visits four vegetarian food festivals and gives us a taste of each.

The four: New York Vegetarian Food Festival in NYC; Mad City Vegan Fest in Madison, Wisconsin; Maine Vegetarian Food Festival in Portland, Maine; and NOLA Veggie Fest in New Orleans.

True Food Kitchen Special Deal via Ecorazzi

2011-10-13T00:59:00.000-07:00

Ecorazzi is celebrating their 5th anniversary of existence, and they are hooking us up with special deals at vegan/vegetarian/sustainable restaurants throughout the country and offering prize packages through Facebook and Twitter. You have just this week to take advantage of each, October 12-19, 2011.

The Arizona/Phoenix area restaurant deal:

True Food Kitchen, Many Vegetarian Options, $$ (Phoenix & Scottsdale)

$20 vegetarian/vegan Pre Fixe Dinner Menu including appetizer, entree, & dessert. Does not include tax & tip.

Twenty smackaroos for 3 courses?! That is a sweet deal!

The Facebook contest requires you to 'like' the Ecorazzi Eats page, and then submit your name and email address.

The Twitter contest requires you to tweet a photo of your meal or someone eating a meal at the participating restaurant. For us Phoenicians, that means True Food Kitchen. I tweeted a pic of their drinks on the patio. ::fingers crossed!::

Go forth and get your special meal deal at True Food!

Coming Soon: So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog and Mint Chocolate

2011-10-12T23:23:00.000-07:00

I am super excited to try these new seasonal coconut milks from So Delicious! I might even do a face-off between Silk and So Delicious Nogs. I love the Silk Nog, as you may remember.

I think they should have called the nog, Coconog. And Cocomint for the other, too match.

I can't wait to get my filthy paws on them. Let me know if/where you see them locally! Thanks for the heads up, Vegan MoFo.

Laughing Giraffe Organics Goji Cacao & Maca Snackaroons

2011-10-11T22:54:00.001-07:00

Laughing Giraffe Organics Snackaroons

Occasionally, I like to dabble in raw vegan foods. I'd probably eat more premade, storebought raw food snacks, but they're just usually a little more expensive than I prefer. Plus, it's like playing Battleship. Miss, Miss, Hit, Miss.

Well, friends, the Laughing Giraffe Organics Goji Cacao & Maca Snackaroons are serious hits. These delicious nuggets are made from: unsweetened coconut, agave nectar, almonds, extra virgin coconut oil, vanilla extract, cacao, goji berries, maca, and Himalayan pink salt. No more, no less.

Laughing Giraffe Organics Snackaroons

Mmm. What else to say about them? They're little macaroon balls of gluten-free sweetness. But not too sweet, and one little snowball is quite satisfying. I'm gonna have to try some of the other flavors.

Laughing Giraffe Organics Goji Cacao & Maca Snackaroons
Rating: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** This is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[So far, I've only seen these at Whole Foods.]

Arizona Bloggers for Vegan Mofo

2011-10-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

Vegan Mofo listed the participating blogs by state. I thought I would take the opportunity to share our local Arizona blogging friends so you can see what they're eating, talking about, and just to say hello.

~Benevolent Bites

~Earth Remedy

~Gluten Free Vegan Family

~Queer Vegan Food

~The Happy Go Lucky Vegan

~The Kitchen Shaman

~Vegan Conversion Challenge

~Vegan Ventures in Cuisine

~You Had Me at Tofu

Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-10-09T11:25:00.025-07:00

Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies

These quiet, unassuming, regular looking chocolate chip cookies have a devastating secret; they are made with mesquite flour. Which, I have to say gives them a very interesting taste. The recipe is based on Isa and Terry's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. I had read somewhere that you shouldn't replace more than 1/4 of the flour in a recipe with mesquite flour. It doesn't have gluten so it doesn't bind. And the flavor is fairly strong, so no more than that is even needed.

Anyway, in my head this translated to 1/4 cup of mesquite flour replacing the regular flour for these cookies. My omniveore taste-testers who like the regular version of these cookies, also thought the mesquite version was good. I think they are good, but there is this unmistakable, indescribable taste that comes from the added mesquite. I can't even think how to describe it. Give it a try.

Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/2 brown sugar
1/4 white sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon tapioca flour
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup mesquite flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two large light metal baking sheets, or use parchment paper on baking sheets. I swear by parchment paper.

Mix together sugars, oil, almond milk and tapioca flour in a mixing bowl. Use a strong fork and mix really well, for about 2 minutes, until it resembles smooth caramel. There is a chemical reaction when sugar and oil collide, so it’s important that you don’t get lazy about that step. Mix in the vanilla.

Add 1 cup of the flour, the baking soda and salt. Mix until well incorporated. Mix in the rest of the flours. Fold in the chocolate chips. The dough will be a little stuff so use your hands to really work them in.

Makes two dozen two inch cookies or about 16 three inch cookies.

For 3 inch cookies, roll the dough into about ping pong ball size balls. Flatten them out in your hands to about 2 1/2 inches. They will spread just a bit. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes – no more than 9 – until they are just a little browned around the edges. I usually get 16 out of these so I do two rounds of eight cookies. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

For 2 dozen two inch cookies roll dough into walnut sized balls and flatten to about 1 1/2 inches and bake for only six minutes.

Recipe Round-Up: Mesquite Flour

2011-10-08T15:56:00.089-07:00

As promised, vegan (or veganizable) recipes that use mesquite flour. Gotta say, raw foodists are really representing with the mesquite flour recipes. I'm gonna make some cookies and the raw caramel apple dip to start, what about you?

Raw Vegan
~Hungry Vegan's Carob-Mesquite Dream Smoothie
~Raw Food Recipes' Bring on the Heat Raw Vegan Chili

~Raw Sacramento's Tahitian Vanilla Crème Parfait with Tropical Fruit Compote, Candied Walnuts, and Sweet Ginger Corn Cakes

~Jamie Abrams' Ginger Mesquite'en Me Crazy Balls and Sunny Ice Cream

~Marisa's Healthy Kitchen- Butterscotch Smoothie, Banana and Avocado Sweet Snack, Banana Ice Cream Love, Superfood Smoothie

~Durian Coconut Delite via Recipe Puppy

~Raw Beets' Sweet and Creamy Caramel Apple Dip (video below)

Vegan
~Free Range Cookies' Mesquite Date Muffins

~Tusconivore's Mesquite Flour Tortillas

~Peace Love Bagels' Vegan Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies

~Aprovechar's Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan=non-ghee)

~Affairs of Living's Gluten-Free Sugar-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe with Crunchy Crust and Cashew Whipped Cream

~No Knead Mesquite Bread via Craftzine

~Mohave Mesquite Bread

~Mesquite Bean Jelly- requires vegan gelling agent like agar maybe?

~Jack Keller's Mesquite Bean Wine

~Desert Harvesters' Simple Mesquite Drink, Pinole, Mesquite Margaritas, Mesquite Carob Tortillas, Hearty Mesquite Bread . The Neighborhood Mesquite Holiday Bars just require using agave nectar and vegan margarine, the Basic Yellow Mesquite Cake just needs non-dairy milk and vegan margarine, and the Mesquite Shortbread and Kukukadoo Solar Cookies just need vegan margarine. All of the pancake recipes require egg replacement egg replacement and non-dairy milks.

~Mighty Foods' Mesquite Cornbread- This one requires some veganizing, but it looks fairly easy. First, replace the butter with vegan margarine (like Earth Balance). Then sub the egg with egg replacer (like Ener-G Egg Replacer or the flaxseed/water combo). Change the honey to agave nectar. And finally, replace the buttermilk with 1 cup of non-dairy milk plus 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (mix those two in a small bowl and let sit for a couple of minutes before adding.)

~Mesquite Margarine: Mix half a stick of softened vegan margarine with 1/2 teaspoon of mesquite flour to create a smokey, nutty, slightly sweet spread.

Mesquite Flour

2011-10-07T23:24:00.158-07:00

Mesquite Flour

For Vegan Mofo, I wanted to highlight something native, something a little more unique. And I've been wanting to try mesquite flour for quite some time. In fact, the unopened box sitting in my cupboard has been there for a couple of months now. The summer heat killed all desire to cook, but now that the weather is finally cooperating, I have cooking urges to fulfill. First, I thought I'd tell you a little about mesquite flour and then tomorrow I'll do a little recipe round-up, so we can figure out what to do with it.

Mesquite flour is gluten free, low glycemic, and full of protein, without being high in calories or full of fat. Nice!

Mesquite flour or mesquite meal is made from the finely ground up bean pods of the mesquite tree, which grows abundantly here in Phoenix and throughout the southwest, whereas the mesquite flavoring most people know comes from the bark of the tree. Mesquite trees are often found in the yards of Phoenicians and most people have no idea they are sitting on a mesquite goldmine. The problem is that mesquite pods aren't the easiest to grind into flour, as a hammermill works far better than a food processor, and they are easily susceptible to bug infestations or mold.

You have options though, you can fork over the dough to buy a bag of mesquite flour or you can harvest your own pods and track down one of the traveling hammermills. Whole Foods sells mesquite flour in both the gluten-free and raw snack sections of the store. Two of their products are pictured in this post. I have no idea why they are importing it from Peru when surely someone processes it locally?? If you are lucky you might be able to find it in bulk in health food stores, but I don't know of any local options. Of course, you can also find it online. It's not particularly cheap, so thankfully a little goes a long way.

More Mesquite Powder/Flour

For DIYers, Desert Harvesters, based in Tucson, brings their hammermills to the Phoenix area as well as Tucson and you can have their help in the milling process. They offer their services seasonally, so you have to pay attention to the schedule. In fact, they have two Phoenix milling dates next weekend, October 15 & 16. Check out the calendar for more dates and details. And here are some of their harvesting and storing tips.

A few places like the Desert Botanical Garden and a couple state parks (ex. Boyce Thompson Arboretum and Oracle State Park), occasionally offer classes on utilizing mesquite, how to process it and what to do with it. The classes are usually offered early in the summer, however, before the first mesquite pod harvest. We've already missed those, so keep an eye out for next year or check out the how-to videos online (one is below).

I don't know a lot of people using mesquite flour, but I do know Treehouse Bakery sometimes sells baked goods with mesquite flour at the Phoenix Public Market.

Lastly, here's a little video talking more about harvesting the mesquite pods from one of the Desert Harvesters himself. Mesquite stuff starts at 2:35 in case you want to skip ahead.

Consumed

2011-10-06T11:12:00.002-07:00

Just a quickie post today. Stuff I ate recently.

Green Special: SALVADOR DELI - a surreal mix of vegan deli meats, genoa salami, spicy capicola, and sliced chicken with cucumber-artichoke heart relish and sun dried tomato aioli on a toasty po-boy roll. With a side of Tahini Coleslaw.

I think I finally have to admit publicly that Green is my favorite restaurant ever. Maybe I should have held out for some kind of endorsement deal. Like free tsoynamis for life?

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Grilled Tofu from Appetite from Reduction

I love the salads in the Appetite for Reduction Cookbook. I highly recommend this one for everyone, especially people watching their diet. The recipes are inventinve, yet familiar, and satisfying.

Trader Joe's Meals

2011-10-05T22:15:00.002-07:00

I've had a few Trader Joe products recently. Here's the scoop.

Trader Joe's Rice & Vegetable Bento Box

First up, TJ's Rice and Vegetable Bento Box. It looked fascinating on the cover and I'd never had a bento box before. Just based on the image, my only lament was there were three rices, and I wanted at least one of those to be noodles. As far as reviews of the actual taste, eh, I was not really a fan. I probably wouldn't get this again. I don't know if it was because it just plain sucked or if the items are just not to my personal taste. For example, several of the ingredients were mushroroms, pumpkin, and eggplant, of which I like none.

Trader Joe's Rice & Vegetable Bento Box, Cooked

Here's what the Bento Box included (left to right, top row to bottom row): Pumpkin with Shiso Seasoning, Spicy Long Beans, Eggplant with Miso Paste, Soba Salad with Oyster Mushrooms, Shitake Mushroom with Edamame and Carrot, Baked Tofu with Teriyaki Sauce, Brown Rice with Seaweed & Sesame Seed, Curry Flavored Brown Rice, and Teriyaki Flavored Brown Rice with Vegetables.

Trader Joe's Masala Dosa

I also tried Trader Joe's Masala Dosa. I am a big fan of masala dosa in general. I love the potatoes, corriander, chiles, and crepes. Mmmm. These were pretty good. I'd totally get them again. This one came with coconut chutney sauce, which I am just as content to ignore. I'm just not into the chutneys.

Trader Joe's Masala Dosa, cooked up with the chunky coconut chutney

And lastly, I tried my first ever green papaya salad. It was quite an interesting taste. Fresh and crisp with some spice. I did NOT eat the red peppers you can see there at the bottom. It's my general M.O. to avoid whole peppers, though I will eat them crushed up and in things. But I've been burned before. Pun intended. Haha. Anyway, this was a decent little salad. And particularly handy, because you keep it frozen until you are ready to eat it. I'd eat this again. But really, what I'd rather do, is go somewhere I can order this dish fresh. I know Fresh Mint serves this...

Green Papaya Salad

Before I go, I just wanted to mention the new Trader Joe's cookbook. Cooking With Trader Joe's: Skinny Dish is reportedly a vegan cookbook, though it doesn't state such in any of the advertising. But the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine indicated that it is. Which is great and it sounds promising. It just came out, so someone needs to procure one and report back on the recipes.

Cooking with Trader Joe's Cookbook: Skinny Dish

Trader Joe's Rice & Vegetable Bento Box

Rating: **

Trader Joe's Masala Dosa

Rating: ***1/2

Trader Joe's Green Papaya Salad

Rating: ***

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Obviously, these are only found at Trader Joe's. And the products they carry tend to be seasonal and random, so you never know if your item will be in stock, though some products tend to be regulars. In other words, shop at your own risk.}

Vegan Etsy: Fall/Halloween

2011-10-04T20:38:00.001-07:00

Vegan Etsy: The results of a seasonal search. A little bit of everything. Even some food items for Vegan Month of Food. Huzzah!

Severed Finger Catnip Toy

Dirty Pumpkins Soap

Chunky Neck Warmer/Cowl/Scarf/Wrap

Horrorshow Soap- GLOWS in the Dark- TRUE BLOOD- Eric Northman- Dragons Blood Scent

Feathers Necklace, Black Pleather, Vegan

Halloween Silver Chain, Lampworked Glass

Gothic Boney Necklace

Black Pepper Bubble Gum Berry BOOLAS BOO-licious Vegan Smoochalicious Lip Conditioner

Vegan Pumpkin Cookie Sandwiches

Bloodbath Vegan SOLID PERFUME Patchouli Vanilla

Pumpkin Baby Beanies

Skull and Crossbones Vegan Wallet

Skulls Knitting Stitch Markers

BLOOD MOON collection, EyeShadow & EyeLiner, Vegan Mineral Makeup

Caramel Apple Chocolate, Raw, Organic, Vegan

Vegan Hazelnut Pumpkin Smile Chocolate Cheesecake

Jack Skellington Jester Stick

Blue Fox Hat

Jorge Garcia, Actor, Chihuahua Rescuer

2011-10-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

Jorge Garcia

Jorge Garcia, of Lost fame, has been a vegetarian for some time and this summer he announced he went vegan. Hopefully it's working out for him, though I haven't seen a lot about it since. And about a year ago he rescued two super cute chihuahuas named, Pip and Smidge, from a rescue organization in California, Cuddly Canines. So much awesomeness!

I've been missing Lost recently, but I'm excited for Jorge's new show, Alcatraz, which looks like it could be just as myserious, and with an island. I think it's coming mid-season sometime, and will likely air on Mondays 8pm, Arizona time. Here's the trailer. Will you be watching?

Wait, this is Vegan Mofo. I'm supposed to talk about vegan food. Ok, Jorge makes his own almond milk and has step-by-step instructions on his blog, check it out. And I am completely jealous he got to visit VooDoo Doughnut in Portland; they have a complete line of vegan donuts. Oh, Portland, one of these days!

Candle Cafe Frozen Entrees

2011-10-02T16:52:00.003-07:00

Candle Cafe Frozen Entrees

Not too long ago I reviewed Candle Cafe's Tofu Spinach Ravioli, it was very tasty. At the time it was the only one of Candle Cafe's four frozen entrees available. I have since been able to sample the remaining three flavors; Ginger Miso Stir-Fry, Macaroni and Vegan Cheese, and Seitan Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce.

These other three flavors are not nearly as good as the Tofu Spinach Ravioli. I don't know if my expectations were too high or if they were legitimately subpar. The ravioli was sublime, whereas the others were okay, but by no means outstanding, and simply comparable to other frozen meals.

Ginger Miso Stir-Fry

I found the Ginger Miso Stir-Fry to be slightly spicy, but not in a bad way.

Macaroni and Vegan Cheese

The Macaroni and Vegan Cheese is fairly good, primarily because I love Daiya and how can you go wrong with noodles and Daiya. Here's the thing, and it quite surprised me too, I like Amy's Rice Macaroni and Cheeze better! It also uses Daiya vegan cheese. So, if I want Mac and Cheese, it'll be Amy's I buy.

Seitan Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce

My first bite into this Seitan Piccata was not promising, but after a few more bites I found the meal to be okay. I love seitan in just about anything, so the taste of this one was quite disappointing.

I've always heard amazing things about both Candle Cafe and Candle 79, both in NYC. I'm guessing their dishes just don't translate as well into frozen meals. All of them are completely decent, don't get me wrong, but I was just hoping for more. And honestly, I've found other brands that do a better job with the frozen meals.

Well, if we can't make it to NYC, and the frozen meals just aren't cutting it, we will soon be able to make our own Candle 79 meals with their brand new Candle 79 Cookbook. I'll be checking this cookbook out for sure, but it doesn't arrive until November 1st. You can preorder it on Amazon now.

Candle 79 Cookbook

Candle Cafe Ginger Miso Stir-Fry
Ranking: ***

Candle Cafe Macaroni and Vegan Cheese
Ranking: ***1/2

Candle Cafe Seitan Piccata and Lemon Caper Sauce

Ranking: **1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Right now, Candle Cafe frozen meals can only be found at Whole Foods. I found these at Whole Foods Tempe. Hopefully, in the future, they will be able to expand to other markets.}

Sneak Peek: Nami, Downtown Phoenix

2011-10-01T22:15:00.001-07:00

Nami, Interior

Nami hasn't had the grand opening yet, but it is open. I had a quick visit and snapped a couple of photos of the interior. A real post will come at a later date, I suspect, when they've settled in.

Nami is small, it's basically a little hut next door to the downtown Phoenix Green that offers coffees, tsoynami tsoft tserve desserts, and baked goods. For off-peak hours it'll be grand, but it could get crowded in a hurry.

Nami Baked Goods

The Menu:

Nami Menu...the top half is all tosynami flavors. Click on image to make bigger.

They had muffins, scones, mini cupcakes, cookies, and regular size cupcakes for sale. Plus various coffees. And they had the full, identical menu of Tsoynamis that Green has. No special flavors when I was there, but I am sure it is just a matter of time.

Nami, Seating

I did snap a photo of the Green building next door with a view of the signage, but it's not a very good angle. Still, maybe it gives you an idea of what the buildings look like. There is more parking, and the parking lot has been fixed since it was That's a Wrap...and boy did it need it!

Green Phoenix, right next door to Nami (offscreen to the right)

Anyway, both the new Green and Nami are both open as of this posting, and they are next door neighbors, so go check them out.

Nami

Tsoft Tserve and Cofeee

2014 N. 7th St

Phoenix, AZ 85006

(602) 258-NAMI

http://www.tsoynami.com/

Hours

Monday - Sunday 7am to 9:30pm

Vegan MoFo...The Vegan Month of Food

2011-10-01T21:17:00.003-07:00

I almost forgot that I am participating in Vegan MoFo...aka The Vegan Month of Food, where the goal is to post every day in October about vegan food. If you are interested, there are a ton of vegan bloggers joining the melee and there should be TONS to read. The Vegan MoFo BlogRoll has the full list of participants and there are a couple of categorical RSS Feeds for MoFo Posts. Check it out.

Green and Nami, Soft Opening?

2011-09-28T09:33:00.001-07:00

Rumor has it the downtown Phoenix locations of Green and Nami will be open for business on Friday. I don't know how valid this rumor is, so don't blame me if you trek over there and can't get yourself an Original 'G' with Thyme Fries or a coffee and Strawberry Basil Cupcake. You might call ahead to be sure.

Green and Nami are located on 7th Street just north of McDowell. West side of the street.

2014 north 7th Street
Phoenix Az 85006

There's no phone number listed for Green/Nami Phoenix, so you'll have to check in with Green Tempe (480) 941-9003 for the scoop.

On the Road: Native Foods, Costa Mesa, CA

2011-09-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

Native Foods, Costa Mesa

I've reviewed Native Foods before, twice actually. Once for their Palm Springs location, and once for Costa Mesa's Holiday Dinner. I am a big fan.

I made the extra effort of a busy trip to get to Native Foods to try their Labor Day Special. Yeah, this was weeks ago, and you can pretty much only drool and dream at this point. Anyway it was a Chimichurri Burger (homemade thinly sliced seitan, topped with warm grilled zucchini slices, sweet roasted peppers, caramelized onions and freshly blended chimichurri sauce) with Garlic Fries. Mmmm.

Labor Day Chimichurri Burger and Garlic Fries....To Go

I particularly liked the Garlic Fries. I was a little worried the chimichurri sauce might be too vinegary because the one time I've ever had a chimichurri sauce, it was vinegar-overkill. But this was Chef Tayna, and I should never have worried. Good sammie, but I still love the Chicken Run Ranch Burger and the Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger better.

I also snapped up a cupcake, you know for research to see how it ranked in comparison to all the vegan cupcakes I have eaten in the past few years. I tried the Good Luck Rose one. I believe it was also tagged as cardamom flavor but I'm not sure about that; it was definitely rose-flavored and had rose petals on top. It was delish and ranks high on the chart of vegan cupcakes. A little more frosting than I care for, but it was good frosting. And too much frosting is an easy fix, though a painful one.

Good Luck Rose Cupcake

Anyway, Chef Tanya caved to high demand for the recipe of her chimichurri sauce and made a little video with directions. So now you can make your own chimichurri burger.

Native Foods (Costa Mesa)

Ranking: ****1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.

**** hey, this is pretty dang good.

*** not bad at all.

** eh.

* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Native Foods (Costa Mesa)
The CAMP
2937 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714)751-2151

http://www.nativefoods.com/

Hours
Monday-Sunday 11AM-10PM

On the Road: Sensitive Sweets Bakery, Fountain Valley, CA

2011-09-21T01:49:00.025-07:00

Sensitive Sweets Bakery

Sensitive Sweets is located in a little strip mall, just a few blocks from Au Lac Fine Humanese Cuisine. Their baked goods are free of wheat/gluten, dairy/casein, eggs, soy, and nuts. That's A LOT of frees! Almost everything on display when I was there was vegan, except the marshmallow cupcakes (which my sister got- I didn't realize it til after I took the pictures). I know there is a market for these baked goods, as there are people who have allergies or sensitivities to all or most of these things. And if you are one of these people, I definitely recommend this place.

I wouldn't say that these were even close to the best vegan cupcakes or cookies I have ever had, but considering the ingredient limitations these were tasty. My omni mom took a bite of my Black Forest Cupcake, and completely agreed. The cupcake frosting was really light and fluffy, and melted in my mouth. I didn't try any of the other cupcakes.

Black Forest, Marshmallow (not vegan), Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes

I did get one of the frosted cookies because I had read a review saying they were good. And it was. I liked it even better than the cupcake. It was a little mushy or perhaps slightly undone, but the flavor and frosting were good.

I recommend Sensitive Sweets mostly for those with allergies and sensitivities. If you are looking for regular vegan cupcakes in the Orange County area, I believe these places usually have some: Native Foods, Luscious Organic Desserts (served at Mother's Market Costa Mesa and Seabirds Truck), Sprinkles, Whole Foods, and possibly Avanti Cafe.

Black Forest, Marshmallow (not vegan), Lemon Blackberry Cupcakes & Frosted Cookie

Sensitive Sweets Bakery
Ranking: *** (great for those with sensitivities and allergies)

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sensitive Sweets Bakery
17431 Brookhurst St.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714) 968-9169
http://www.sensitivesweets.com/

Hours
Tuesday - Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Closed Sunday & Monday

On the Road: Au Lac, Fine Humanese Cuisine, Fountain Valley, CA

2011-09-19T00:05:00.007-07:00

Au Lac Fine Humanese Cuisine

Au Lac Fine Humanese Cuisine is a vegan/raw restaurant specializing in Vietnamese and Chinese food. It's been around for quite some time, and is a regular advertiser in VegNews magazine, which is how I first discovered it quite a few years ago. It is located in a little strip mall, and the outside is not very impressive, but the inside is very nice. I wish I had taken a photo so you could see the dining area. Despite the classy interior, the restaurant is laid back and casual. The staff are friendly. And the food is delicious. Half of the menu is composed of cooked vegan items and the other half is raw vegan, with a huge list of elixirs.

I have been here three or four times over the past few years, and I can't remember ordering anything raw. Maybe next time. Anyway, my sister, an omni, really likes this place, especially their egg rolls and vermicelli. She and I had been here before, pre-Chicos and Beans, so when I told her I wanted to go for lunch, she was totally game. We also dragged my brother-in-law with us.

'Egg' rolls & 'Pork' rolls

We ordered a couple of appetizers; the egg rolls and the pork rolls. For some reason, the Au Lac website is down and I can't access their menu to identify the full correct names. When it comes back up, I will edit this post with the correct info. The egg rolls were excellent. The pork rolls were okay, we really liked the peanut sauce.

Beef Lemongrass Vermicelli

I ordered the vermicelli because I just love this kind of dish. I love that it has noodles and greens and a great sauce and these super tasty thin strips of faux beef. So delish! This is the place that first introduced me to this vermicelli, years ago. And now I get it at my local Loving Hut all the time.

My sister orded this Lemongrass 'Chicken'. It was rather spicy, but really good. The faux chicken had a good texture and taste and I really liked the chili and lemongrass sauce. Through some very tricky manuevering, I stole her leftovers.

Seafood Noodles

My brother-in-law ordered this seafood noodles dish. He didn't realize it would come with faux shrimp, he hates shrimp, and wouldn't even try theses ones. So that means I got the little shrimp wonton and the shrimply bits. His dish was particularly unusual. I think it was made of some kind of bean noodles that I had never had before. They had this interesting earthy taste, mixed with the seafoody flavor of the sauce. It was good.

We didn't order anything for dessert this visit, though I happen to know they offer some nice 'cheesecakes' and some reportedly good raw chocolates. We hit up the nearby Sensitive Sweets (review coming) instead. I definitely recommend you visit Au Lac.

Au Lac Fine Humanese Cuisine
Ranking: *****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Au Lac, Fine Humanese Cuisine
16563 Brookhurst St
FountainValley, CA 92708
(714) 418-0658
http://www.aulac.com/

Hours
Tuesday - Sunday 11:33am -3:33pm, 5:33pm-9:33pm

Hug a Vegetarian Day! Coming September 30th...

2011-09-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

Vida Vegan Con

2011-08-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the first annual Vida Vegan Con in Portland, Oregon. "...A professionally run, annual conference designed to celebrate, explore, and fine-tune the practice—and ever-growing community—of vegan bloggers." I didn't even hear about it til recently, and so I didn't even get a chance to think about going. Maybe next year. I am dying to visit Portland.

Anyway, if you went and you want to share your experience, feel free to post it in the comments or share a link to your flicker photos, blog recaps, or youtube snippets.

If you want to hear more about the event...someone put together a Google reader bundle, and The Vegan Backpacker pulled together a list of the vegan blogger attendees and you can check out their individual reports. And lastly, a link to the Facebook group, Vida Vegan Con Bloggers.

Vegan Black Metal Chef

2011-08-19T00:03:00.001-07:00

The Vegan Black Metal Chef is all about style as well as tasty veganism, as you can see by his hardcore make-up, propensity for black, insane knives, and pentagram cutting boards. If you can handle the fact that the recipe instructions are ~~sung~~ growled black metal style, the Vegan Black Metal Chef offers vegan recipes to try, such as Pad Thai and Tempura Asparagus Sushi. I found the videos to be hilarious and entertaining. My throat winced in sympathy from all of the growling. But I think one thing is clear, everyone should have a black and silver-studded gauntlet for cooking.

Re. Tofu for the Pad Thai: "Form the triangles into the symbol of the ancients on the plate...." haha!

"Cut the potato on the altar..." hahaha!

Fresh Mint, Scottsdale, AZ

2011-08-15T00:04:00.016-07:00

Fresh Mint, Modern Healthy Cuisine

I *finally* got a chance to visit Fresh Mint in Scottsdale recently. And I loved it so much, now I need to send all of you there. Fresh Mint is 100% vegetarian and almost entirely vegan, with a focus on Vietnamese and Thai food.

The first thing I ordered was a Thai Ice Tea, a beverage I had never tried before but had always wanted to. This one is completely vegan and has a coconut-based cream on top. I am not really a tea drinker, except I do like Chai Lattes. The Thai Ice Tea was very different for me, but I think it is something I am going to like as much as my Chai Lattes. I will definitely order it again.

Thai Ice Tea

For my entree I ordered the Fresh Lemongrass Tofu; tofu, seaweed, rolled and seasoned in a tangy sweet red sesame ginger sauce. I adore lemongrass, so this was a no brainer. I'll admit, when I first saw the plate I was a little unhappy about all the plain, unsauced, steamed veggies (bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash). I often figure if I want steamed veggies, I can make those at home. Only, these were so perfectly cooked and just plain fresh and delicious on their own with a good variety, that I instantly forgave them. Especially since perfectly steamed veggies are really what I should be eating, and who are we kidding, I don't actually make them at home. The rice was also perfect. I grew up eating rice with soy sauce drizzled over it, so I did that, mixing in bites of steamed veggies and it was delicious. But the real star of dinner was the Lemongrass Tofu. Oh wow, it was AMAZING! So good. And I've never had anything like it before.

Fresh Lemongrass Tofu with Thai Ice Tea

Unfortunately, I was having dinner alone when I visited Fresh Mint, and could only try the one thing. Next time I go, I will be taking several others with me so I can sample more items. It's going to be hard for me to try anything new because I loved the lemongrass tofu so much.

Just thought I would share a couple other reviews on local blogs, so you can get an even bigger picture of Fresh Mint.

~Four Legs Good
~Vegan Conversion Challenge

Fresh Mint
Ranking: *****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fresh Mint
13802 N. Scottsdale Rd Ste 161
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
(480) 443-2556
http://www.freshmint.us.com/

Hours
Monday - Saturday 11AM - 9PM
Closed Sunday

Bonus: Check out how Mai Ly (owner/chef) makes her Spring Rolls.

On the Road: Las Vegas, NV

2011-08-10T06:35:00.001-07:00

As I know many of us Phoenicians road trip to Vegas, I thought I would pull together a few resources about eating vegan while there. It's getting easier, thanks to Chef Mayra of the new vegan restaurant Pura Vida Bakery and Bystro, and Steve Wynn and his requirement for all restaurants at the Wynn and Encore hotels to have a vegan menu. This should get you started. I haven't been in to Vegas in a long time, so be sure to report back with experiences and suggetions.

Restaurants
100% Vegan
~Pura Vida Bakery & Bystro
~Go Raw Cafe

100% Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly
~Veggie Delight

Vegan Friendly
~Vegan Menus for 14 restaurants at Wynn and Encore as of October 2010 (via QuarryGirl)
~Komol Thai Restaurant
~Red Velvet Cafe
~Yard House
~Ronald's Donuts (donuts)
~Atomic #7 (ice cream)

Blogs
~Eating Vegan in Vegas
~The Vegas Vegan (not current, but has some reviews and guides)
~QuarryGirl's Vegas Info

Dining Guides
~Las Vegas Vegan
~HappyCow.net
~VegGuide.org
~Yelp Reviewer Guide

Happy Dining and Happy Travels!

David Zabriskie, Pro Cyclist

2011-08-08T01:13:00.002-07:00

David Zabriskie

David Zabriskie is a world-class cyclist and has participated in Le Tour de France about 6 times. This last LTdF race, he planned to cycle sustained by a vegan diet. The first cyclist to do so. I believe he did plan to consume some fish a couple of times a week if it proved necssary, but it sounds like he was making the attempt to race with a mostly vegan diet.

Of course, this post is a little behind and Le Tour de France is over and David Zabriskie crashed out with some injuries. But I thought I would bring attention to him as an athlete and his vegan diet. He eats vegan because of the improved health and performance benefits he receives.

Here is a good article from the Wall Street Journal about Zabriskie, his move to veganism, and his 2011 plan for Le Tour de France. It includes his race menu. Looking forward to seeing him try again next year.

And here is his blog where he recaps his experience on Le Tour and in his career in general. His blog posts are rather engaging, even for those of us not into cycling. And he's a big fan of superheroes and comics, which is always cool in my book.

Lastly, check out this shirt you can buy on his website.

Vegan Tofurky Roast Beef Style Sammie with "Arby's Sauce"

2011-08-03T01:41:00.001-07:00

Vegan Roast Beef Sammie: Whole wheat bun, Vegenaise, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, Tofurky Roast Beef Style Deli Slices (heated), homemade "Arby's Sauce"

This post has two recipes and a product review. Bonus!

I saw the new (to me) Tofurky Roast Beef Style Deli Slices at Whole Foods, and picked up a package thinking I might make a vegan Arby's Roast Beef Classic. I even found a nice copycat recipe for the Arby's sauce. (Arby's sauce is accidentally vegan, so you could just swipe some packets from there, but it has high fructose corn syrup, which I don't like, so I just decided I'd try making my own.)

First, the recipes.

Arby's Sauce
from CopyCat Recipes

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons water

1 cup water
1/2 cup catsup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce¹
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, combine corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix well and set aside. Place all sauce ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed for 15-20 seconds. (I skipped the blender step and just stirred everything in the saucepan.) Pour ingredients into a small saucepan, heat on medium low. Simmer gently for twenty minutes, stirring several times. After twenty minutes add cornstarch mixture, stir well. When sauce begins to thickens let simmer on a very low temperature for ten minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Mixture will be similar in thickness to steak sauce. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

My preferred products and where to find them:
1. Vegan Worcestershire Sauce- I know of two vegan products, Annie's and The Wizard's. I believe they sell both at Whole Foods. They also sell The Wizard's at Green in their little pantry section. And I "think" they have the Annie's Worcestershire< at Sprouts and Fry's Marketplace in the natural foods section. You can also get one or the other at the online vegan grocers like Vegan Essentials , Food Fight!, and Pangea.

~~~~

The Tofurky Roast Beef Style Deli Slices package had a recipe for a similar sauce on the back. I didn't notice it until I had already made my Arby's sauce, so I haven't tried it, but here it is. Also, I can't recommend any vegan horseradsh products, I never use it, so I haven't looked for any.

Horseradish Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 tablespoons vegan prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon plain soy yogurt
Sprinkle of garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together the horseradish, mustard, mayonnaise, yogurt, and garlic powder. Dress sandwich.

~~~~

I haven't had an Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich in over 20 years, so the memory isn't so fresh and I can't reliably compare the taste. But I definitely liked this sandwich. The sauce was a nice addition, and the Roast Beef Style slices were a nice change of flavor from the Oven Roasted Chicken Style slices I sometimes eat.

That said, I am not entirely sure these slices taste anything like roast beef, which is a mixed blessing, I suppose. They were okay on their own, but I really liked them hot and dipped in Arby's sauce. I probably won't eat these unless I have a batch homemade Arby's sauce handy.

Mmmm!

[The sandwich gets ****, the slices get ***.]

Tofurky Roast Beef Style Deli Slices
Ranking: ***

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Tofurky Deli Slices can be found at Whole Foods, and possibly Sunflower Market and Trader Joe's.]

Mellow Mushroom, Phoenix, AZ

2011-07-29T00:17:00.045-07:00

Mellow Mushroom - Phoenix/Happy Valley

Finally made it to the Mellow Mushroom for some vegan pizza!

I ordered the Mega Veggie with Daiya vegan cheese to replace the feta and mozzarella, and it came with: sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, black olives, roma tomatoes, broccoli, banana peppers, artichoke hearts, and tofu. Talk about loaded. No skimping here. And a yummy crust. It was excellent. I highly recommend it.

They are definitely vegan friendly, with tofu, BBQ tofu, and tempeh plus heaps of fruits and veggies and the Daiya for a build your own vegan pizzza. Not to mention the bruschetta, hoagies, and calzones that can be made vegan as well. Nice!

Mega Veggie with Daiya Vegan Cheese

This is a national chain and we have two locations here in Arizona. I visited the Phoenix location, but there is also a new one in Tempe on Mill Avenue. Check them out (and check out their super late hours! Late night pizza run, absolutely!

Note: Both locations in Arizona offer vegan options, but double check the locations in other states to make sure you can get the Daiya, etc.

Mellow Mushroom - Happy Valley/Phoenix
Ranking: *****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mellow Mushroom - Happy Valley/Phoenix
2490 W. Happy Valley Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85085
(623) 580-1111
http://www.mellowmushroom.com/

Hours
Daily 10:30am - 2am

Candle Cafe Tofu Spinach Ravioli

2011-07-25T00:46:00.000-07:00

This was really good! I was quite impressed with the taste. The portion is slightly on the small side, but not too bad. I'll be adding this to my rotation of frozen meals, for when I can't be arsed to make my own lunch.

There are several other Candle Cafe frozen meals to try: Seitan Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce, Mac & Vegan Cheese, and Ginger Miso Stir Fry. Looking forward to them!

Some of the proceeds from Candle Cafe frozen meals goes to The Humane Society of the United States and Farm Sanctuary. Tasty charity, sweet!

Candle Cafe Tofu Spinach Ravioli

Candle Cafe Tofu Spinach Ravioli
Ranking: ****1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Right now, Candle Cafe frozen meals can only be found at Whole Foods. I found this one at Whole Foods Tempe. Hopefully, in the future, they will be able to expand to other markets.}

Fashion Friday: Green New American Vegetarian Restaurant

2011-07-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the pic, it's from my phone and not the best quality. Also, this week's Fashion Friday only has one item for your consideration, but it's an awesome one!

Green New American Vegetarian Tee

Advertise for local fave, Green, everywhere you go with this shirt featuring their logo. I love Green, no doubt about it, and I like their logo, but sometimes I wonder how that logo connects to Green. No matter, I'd wear the shirt proudly anyway!

Shirts are $10 at the restaurant.

Rumor has it the new Phoenix Green and Nami locations will be open in about a month. Looking forward to it!

The Latest

2011-07-20T01:53:00.052-07:00

Things I've made or eaten recently.

My sister made this Blueberry Pie. It was pretty tasty, oozing fresh (well, cooked) blueberries.

The innards recipe.
And the crust was from Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

Blueberry Pie

Mmm. Mango Pineapple Sorbet. My sister made this too. Her recipe: "I used whatever canned pineapple was left after making pita pizzas. Then I cut up some mango that we had. Pureed it with a petite can of coconut milk and put in ice cream maker. Voila."

Mango Pineapple Sorbet

My Minty Watermelon Seltzer Float is nowhere near as pretty as the creator's. Loved the creamed banana floating in the watermelon seltzer. Inspired.

Recipe.

The Seaside-stuffed Mirlitons were okay. I needed to up their cajun/creole spice though. I took the extra filling and cooked it in a casserole dish with the panko topping. It was pretty good. I didn't add any hot sauce or anything, but next time I will. They sure look pretty.

Recipe.

Seaside-Stuffed Mirlitons

Seaside-Stuffed Mirlitons with a side of grilled veggies.

Fruit Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce from Whole Foods. (greens, avocado, mango, carrots, cabbage, and cucumber in a rice wrap)

Fruit Rolls from Whole Foods

I had a cupcake from Whole Foods Scottsdale as well. Research for an upcoming baby shower I am co-planning. I tried the peach colored one in the photo below, though it was really vanilla cake with a regular frosting. I suppose it wouldn't have been a bad cupcake if it hadn't been so dried out. But I make better cupcakes in my sleep. Unless the cupcakes are fresh, I say, don't bother.

Whole Foods Scottsdale Cupcakes

Luckily, you don't have to worry much about vegan truffles being fresh. Whole Foods Scottsdale has a whole glass case row of vegan candies! I've tried the turtles and a few of the jewel shaped goodies, and everything has been delicious. Highly recommended.

Whole Foods Scottsdale Vegan Truffles and Candies

Heavy Metal Vegan Cooking

2011-07-18T08:13:00.003-07:00

Heavy Metal Vegan Cooking.
A sampling from the Heavy Metal Vegan Cooking show. These crack me up! BIZARRO FUN.

MJ's Black Bean Burgers

Wings of Seitan

Jalapeno Poppers

Organic Nectars Cashewtopia Gelato - Pistachio Flavor

2011-07-15T19:09:00.001-07:00

!!!YUM!!!
Organic Nectars' Cashewtopia Gelato is vegan and free of soy, refined sugar, gluten, and trans fats. It's made from raw organic cashews and agave nectar. I sampled the pistachio flavor and it is soooo good! Super delicioso. I love pistachio flavored ice creams, and this one is amazing. It's summer, and a perfect time for frozen desserts.

I found the Cashewtopia at the Scottsdale Whole Foods. I don't know which other locations have it, but I do know that the Tempe one doesn't...not yet, anyway. There are several other flavors to try as well; Chocolate, Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Hazelnut, Cherry Chocolate Swirl, and Mint Chocolate Swirl.

Cashewtopia Gelato- Pistachio Flavor
Ranking: *****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Organic Nectars Cashewtopia can be found at Whole Foods. The only confirmed sighting thus far is the location on Scottsdale Rd (not Raintree). Ask for it at your nearby Whole Foods and they might start carrying it too. I know the Tempe one has received several requests, add yours to the mix. This stuff is so good, you'll be glad you did!]

Mango Thai [Vegetarian] Restaurant

2011-07-11T01:04:00.146-07:00

Mango Thai Restaraunt

Mango Thai [Vegetarian] Restaurant confuses me. On their Facebook page, VegPhoenix.com, and a paper menu it is stated that they are a vegetarian restaurant. However, when I arrived with my dining companions, we were asked if we wanted the 'regular' menu or the 'vegetarian' one. I asked for the vegetarian one and my companions, who are omnis, wanted the regular ones. Don't get me wrong, the vegetarian menu was huge, and a full menu in its own right, but I just didn't understand why they would have a 'regular' menu if they were now a veg restaraunt. Wouldn't the vegetarian menu BE the regular one? Nevermind the two giant vegetarian signs in front of the entrance advertising vegetarian food, as you can see in the photo.

From their Facebook page:
"At Mango Thai, we are pleased to offer tantalizing dishes whose origins go back thousands of years of Thai and Vietnamese vegetarian Cuisine. We practice strict vegetarianism in our restaurant.Our staff has recreated the authentic recipes and that were one served exclusively at the royal court. The skilled chef created extraordinary vegetarian recipes with the appearance,texture, and taste of your favorite meat, poultry,and seafood dishes.

All "meat","poultry","seafood", menu items are made from vegetable protein products and 100% vegetable oil. All dishes have no cholesterol. It is our pleasure to serve you and we hope you enjoy your dining experience."

A "vegetarian restaurant" is different than a "restaurant that offers a lot of vegetarian dishes". So, yeah, I was confused about their food identity. I let it go and sat down to peruse the giant vegetarian menu. After struggling to pick from several dishes including the Golden Shrimp Flame and the Mango Curry, I finally ordered; Tom Yum Soup as an appetizer (I've been wanting to try that for some time now), and the Lemongrass Chicken as my main dish.

Tom Yum Soup

As we waited for the food, I took a look around. There was a couple there, but otherwise we dined alone. I was expecting a "new" place based on what I had read, but if it was a new restaraunt, they had simply bought out an old restaurant and kept it as-is. The decor resembled many hole-in-the-wall Asian restaurants I have been to, only a bit more worse for wear. The cultural elements were cool; Thai statues, bamboo, paintings, etc. But the tablecloth was stained and the chairs looked like they were from the 60s, rather than the 80s/90s as is common. I try not to be a snob, so if a place is clean, I ignore the aged look. But then my water glass was dirty, and I started wondering... I am sure it was the dishwasher, but they still should have checked the glass first. Especially since we were practically the only customers. I sent it back for a clean one, still hoping that the food would be as good as I saw a couple reviews for.

Did I mention their air conditioning had apparently gone out? The fans and the early hour made it tolerable for me, but one of my companions was very uncomfortable, and it started getting hotter the longer we were there. I wouldn't hold that against them either, but it was displeasing, especially since they didn't even warn us there was an issue. This is summer in Arizona, people.

My Tom Yum Soup arrived. It was rather tasty. Hot and sour Thai-style clear soup simmered with mushrooms, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, chili paste, cilantro, and steamed tofu. I can't make any comparisons to other places on this dish, but it was good.

And then my Lemongrass Chicken arrived. Stir-fried soy chicken with chopped lemongrass, onion, and served with rice, cucumber, and tomatoes. I was so disappointed. While the sauce was fine, the soy chicken was not good at all. It tasted like some really bad, old school mock meats. Maybe I've been spoiled by Green and Loving Hut, and other newer and improved mock meats, but this stuff was not good. And almost the entire dish was onions and mock meat, served with barely steamed broccoli. I realize this is totally my preference at this point, but I like my broccoli cooked more, and less stalk-y. I wasn't even expecting broccoli to begin with since it wasn't under the entree description, instead I was expecting tomatoes, cucumbers, and rice, which weren't there. They did remember the rice much later and asked me if I wanted it, but at that point I was beyond rice and declined.

Lemongrass Chicken

One of my omni companions liked her meal, the other one, who can usually eat anything, could barely even eat hers. Such a mixed bag with the food, two entree dislikes and two likes, but I can easily say that the taste of the Tom Yum was not enough to fix any of the other problems.

I feel really bad about this review. I don't like dissing vegetarian restaurants, but ultimately, I felt like I had to share my experience with the vegcommunity. I love Thai food. I really hope this place figures itself out and makes some changes. I'd really like to give it another chance. But at this point, I won't go back until someone else tests it out and tells me they had a good experience.

I can't imagine that you will go there after this review, but if you do, you're probably better off trying something with tofu instead of the mock meats. And maybe you should try their $5 weekday lunch special, so you don't waste too much money on something you might not like.

Mango Thai [Vegetarian] Restaurant
Ranking: **

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mango Thai [Vegetarian] Restaurant
1440 S. Country Club Dr
Mesa, Arizona 85210
(480) 964-3944
Facebook

Hours
Monday - Saturday 11:00AM-9:00PM
Sunday Closed

Fashion Friday- ASPCA

2011-07-08T00:01:00.001-07:00

I found this first shirt online and I just loved it. And suddenly I was planning an entire Fashion Friday around the cool cat and dog advocacy of the ASPCA. They have some great shirts, as evidenced below. There are often cat and dog versions, as well as mens' and womens' styles and sizes, for each message.

Will Fight For Animals

Don't Believe the Bull...Adopt a Pit

Speaking Up for Those Who Can't

I Love My Shelter Cat

There's No Excuse for Animal Abuse

Bonus:

Will Fight for Animals

(Some shirts are available in unisex, men's, women's, juniors, plus sizes, and children's sizes. I only display one shirt as a representative of the style. Please see the websites for available size and style/color options.)

Please, Sir, I'd like some more....

2011-07-04T23:56:00.000-07:00

Just a few things I've cooked up recently. First up, Cajun Beanballs and Spaghetti from Appetite for Reduction. I really liked this, especially the beanballs, even kicked up a notch above my preference. I think next time I will make this more traditionally Italian, without much of the Cajun spice and see how that works.

Cajun Beanballs and Spaghetti with Garlic Bread

I also made this sammie which is like a cross between a French Dip and a bánh mì (chay) from Veganomicon. So delicious! I absolutely have to make this one again and again. Seitan, seedless cucumbers, red onion, cilantro, vegan mayo, on a baguette with a broth-based dipping sauce. Great sammie.

The recipe (and where it says "finger" root, she meant "GINGER" root).

Vietnamese Seitan Baguette with Savory Broth Dip

I'm trying to eat a little lighter for the summer, and with less cooking. So I've been eating quite a few salads. I think I had this Pad Thai Salad every day for almost a week, which is when I ran out of the ingredients. I liked this one. The dressing is a bit fiery, but not unpleasantly so.

Recipe

Pad Thai Salad with Peanut-Lime Dragon Dressing

I made these cookies today. Nothing more patriotic than peanut butter and chocolate. I was craving them and Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar delivered. These cookies are in the "wholesome" chapter, and they don't taste as sweet as other varieties, but that's not a bad thing. Plus they use agave nectar, which is a nice change of pace for me. I fully confess I was a little bit surprised I had every single ingredient on hand.

Peanut Butter Agave Cookies with Chocolate Chips

The sources.

Cooking with the Vegan Zombie

2011-07-01T01:34:00.002-07:00

This guy cracks me up. The Vegan Zombie.

The pizza rolls look so good! And the cake looks especially easy to make.

Kashi's Vegan Frozen Entrees

2011-06-29T07:36:00.077-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of frozen meals in general, except for the convenience factor. So, I do eat my fair share of them, maybe more, cause I am lazy. Kashi makes two that I like pretty well. The Mayan Harvest Bake and the Tuscan Veggie Bake (essentially lasagna).

I'm especially impressed with the Mayan Harvest Bake which is one of the more unique frozen meals I have had. The list of ingredients includes plantains, black beans, sweet potatoes, kale, amaranth, polenta, whole grain pilaf, pumpkin seeds, and spicy ancho sauce. It doesn't look like the picture on the box but I do like the taste, especially the sweet of the plantains with the spicy ancho sauce. It's a nice refreshing flavor compared to my usual frozen meal fare.

The Tuscan Veggie Bake is also pretty good. I'm not a fan of eggplant, but that doesn't seem to be a barrier for me liking this one. This one has yellow squash, roasted eggplant, red onion, sweet potato, basil tomato sauce, sun dried tomatoes, and whole grain noodles. This is a great vegan lasagna that has little bits of creaminess mixed with the noodles and vegetables.

Another vegan flavor is the Black Bean Mango. I tried that one a long while back and personally was not impressed so I haven't had it again, but I do recommend giving it a shot to see what you think.

Kashi Mayan Harvest Bake
Ranking: ****

Kashi Tuscan Veggie Bake
Ranking: ***1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Kashi frozen entrees can be found at Sprouts, Whole Foods, Safeway, Target, AJ's Fine Foods, and Fry's Marketplace. I've really only found the Mayan Harvest Bake and the Tuscan Veggie Bake at Fry's Marketplace, but the other stores carry Kashi frozen entrees and it might just depend on your neighborhood for flavor varieties. Plus, if the store carries Kashi frozen meals already, they might easily be willing to order the other flavors for you.]

Recipe Round-up: Chayote/Mirliton/Choko/Chow Chow

2011-06-27T00:31:00.005-07:00

Chayotes are light green, puckered fruits that are part of the gourd family. In the South, they tend to be called mirlitons/merlitons. Choko in Australia, and chow chow in India. They have many other names in many other places, but those are the ones you are most likely to encounter, I think.

I've never cooked with them, nor eaten them to my knowledge, but they are in season now and cooked much like summer squash. I see them at my local grocery stores whenever they are in season, and I always think, I should try those. I never do. But this summer, I am determined to fix that. However, I needed to find an interesting recipe or two first. I found quite a few recipes and thought I would share them here.

In honor of True Blood returning, I am super pleased to start with a couple of mirliton recipes which are popular in the South, like Lousiana. I think the first thing I want to make with chayotes is the Seaside-Stuffed Mirlitons.

Mirlitons
*Fat Free Vegan's Seaside-Stuffed Mirlitons and Mirliton and White Bean Stew
*Emeril's Spicy Shrimp Stuffed Mirliton (requires veganizing: use vegan shrimp and vegan cheese)

Chayotes
*Fat Free Vegan's Southwestern Chayote Casserole and Creamy Mexican Chayote Soup
*Vegan Adventures of Meggie and Ben's Chayote with Fire Roasted Tomatoes and Green Pepper
*All Creatures [dot] Org's Chayote Squash and Potatoes
*Bon Appetit's Chayote Soup with Lemongrass and Ginger (use veggie broth to veganize)
*The Tropical Vegan's Cucumber and Chayote Slaw
*Stewed Chayote with Tomatoes and Epazote
*The Boulders Resort's (Scottsdale/Carefree) Chayote Squash and Jicama Slaw

Choko
*Choko Chutney

Chow Chow
*Cooking and Me's Chow Chow Kootu and Chow Chow Sambhar with Curd Rice

Calabacitas
(Calabacitas means little squashes, and you can really use any summer squash in most calabacita recipes.)
*Vegan Mischief's Breakfast Calabacitas
*Salad in a Jar's Calabacitas with Potatoes (optional vegan cheese)
*The Temporary Vegetarian's Tacos de Calabacitas (use vegan cheese)

Also, Terry Hope Romero's Viva Vegan cookbook has a recipe for Chayote and Potato Salad with Capers and Peas as well as one for Calabacitas.

If you've got a great chayote recipe, or even a Mexican grey squash recipe, send them my way!

Fashion Friday: Kale

2011-06-24T01:34:00.000-07:00

I adore these 'Only Kale Can Save Us Now' t-shirts and bags from Herbivore Clothing. In fact, they are the inspiration for this post. Once I saw them, I knew I had to do a Fashion Friday post on kale.

And some more kale-inspired goodies.

Eat Kale Not Cow [Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary]

Eat More Kale [Eat More Kale [dot] Com]

Silver Kale Pendant [Distinque Etsy]

Kale is the New Beef [Dr. Fuhrman]

(I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the message on this one, but I can't really explain why I think the message isn't perfect. But maybe that's just me.)

Kale [Candle Cafe]

(You can buy these at the Candle Cafe, and possibly order them by phone. Hopefully, they will be available via the online store in the near future.)

I Heart Kale Pendant [Julep115 Etsy/ (aka Christy Robinson Designs)]

Farm Sanctuary, Jason Schwartzman, Babycakes

2011-06-22T02:03:00.000-07:00

A short film/PSA from Plate to Planet a Farm Sanctuary project, voiced by vegetarian Jason Schwartzman (whom I love in HBO's Bored to Death. And I've got Scott Pilgrim waiting patiently on my DVR.)

Jason Schwartzman is reportedly a huge fan of vegan bakery Babycakes. Babycakes has two locations, NYC and LA. But never fear, the rest of us can enjoy Babycakes DIY goodies with their two cookbooks. I have yet to try the recipes, but that donut is looking pretty irresistible. Jason is featured in the first cookbook.

And because some days I miss The OC. Hahha. Jason was the drummer for Phantom Planet.

Bonus: Jason Schwartzman's musical nomme de plume, Coconut Records. I like this song...back-up singing from Zooey Deschanel.

Loving Hut, Central Phoenix

2011-06-20T02:42:00.063-07:00

Loving Hut - Central Phoenix

On the surface, the menu for Loving Hut in Central Phoenix looks remarkably like that of the Glendale location. But I have to say, some of the things I ordered at CenPho thinking they were the same as Glendale, were ever so slightly different, and not just because they use different names. For example, the Sage Lemongrass and Golden Beauty differ in taste just a little bit. So did the wontons. The point is, don't be surprised if you order one of your favorites from either location and it tastes just a little different at the other.

Wonton Soup

That said, I am excited to report there are clearly some different menu items at the newer CenPho. Some examples: MooShu Vegetables, Sizzling Rice Soup, Pan-Fried Dumplings, Clay Pot Sensation, Stuffed Tomatoes...etc.

clockwise from top left: Sweet and Sour Divine, Rainbow Salad, & Summer Rolls

Everything has been good here so far. Probably the weirdest thing I have had is the Claypot Sensation. I liked it, but it definitely had an interesting texture, I am guessing to replicate some kind of soft fish. One of my dining companions didn't care for it, but I'd order it again, as long as dinner was family style.

Over several visits, I've had the Sweet and Sour Divine, Rainbow Salad, Summer Rolls, Crispy Wontons, Wonton Soup, Sage and Lemongrass, MooShu Vegetables, Claypot Sensation, and House Fried Rice. I was ecstatic to see the MooShu Vegetables, one of my favorite Chinese dishes, and it did not disappoint. I don't know what else to say. It's all good stuff!

Oh, CenPho is open on Sundays for dinner whereas Glendale is closed. But Glendale is open on Mondays, and CenPho is not. So if you need Loving Hut on Sunday or Monday, double check which one is open on their websites.

Sweet and Sour Divine, Rainbow Salad, Summer Rolls, & MooShu Vegetables

Clay Pot Sensation & MooShu Vegetables

Loving Hut - Central Phoenix
Ranking: *****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loving Hut - Central Phoenix
3239 E. Indian School Rd.

Phoenix, Arizona 85018
(602)264-3480
http://lovinghut.us/

Hours

Tuesday - Saturday 11:00AM-2:30PM and 5:00PM-9:00PM
Sunday - 4pm - 8pm
Monday Closed

Emily Dickinson, Poet, Baker, Vegetarian

2011-06-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

Emily Dickinson is reported to have been a vegetarian. I have no idea how we know this, ('we' as in the general public, not the royal 'we') or what her reasons were. I did some basic googling and read some bio pages to see if I could come up with the source of this idea and I couldn't. Anyway, I just thought it would be cool to share a little about her today.

Many people know Emily Dickinson was a bit eccentric, reclusive, and depressed. Towards the end of her life, she wore only white- Memorial Day to Labor Day fashion rule be damned. And she would only talk to others as if she were confiding her sins in a confessional, on the other side of a barely open door.

She liked to bake and was supposedly very good at it. I found her recipe for Black Cake (aka Fruit Cake) online from the Library of America and I considered veganizing it and sharing that here. But I have to tell you, her version required 19 eggs and I am just not optimistic at the idea of using various egg replacers for that quantity. I whine when I see a recipe with 4 or 5 eggs, because it can get complicated in the substitution process, often requiring several different egg replacers. Experimental food chemistry is not my forte. But maybe you are braver and more ingenious than I am.

Rather than leave you with nothing, I did see these two recipes which are close to Emily's Black Cake. It is my opinion that, traditionally, fruit cake has been seasonal for winter simply because it used dried fruit instead of fresh fruit which I am sure back in the day was a bit harder to locate. So, in honor of Emily Dickinson who broke the 'rules' in many ways, go ahead and make a fruit cake for summer!

*Bryanna's Low-Fat Vegan Carrot Fruitcake

*Vegan Fruit Cake

For more about Emily Dickinson, I shall direct you to Poets.org.

Emily incorporated a lot of nature into her poetry. Here are a couple of poems I like, and a link to where you can find a huge selection of her work online.

***

Part One: Life
VI

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

***

Part One: Life
XXXII

HOPE is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

***

(And probably one of her most famous poems.)

Part Four: Time and Eternity
XXVII

Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.

We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –

We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –

Or rather – He passed us –
The Dews drew quivering and chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –

We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –

Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity –

***

Stuff I've Been Eating

2011-06-15T09:51:00.027-07:00

I finally started making some of the recipes in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Appetite for Reduction (AfR) cookbook, which is full of healthy recipes. Very few meat analogue recipes, low fat, light on calories, and no sugary desserts. She has a great selection of interesting salads which are filling meals, not just sides. That Irish Stew I made came from this book too.

Here's the Sushi Roll Edamame Salad from Appetite for Reduction. I thought this was fantastic.

Sushi Roll Edamame Salad

In the photo below you can see the OMG Oven-Baked Onion Rings also from Appetite for Reduction. Delicious! So what I needed. Also, the Prospect Park Potato Salad from Veganomicon, and a Tofurky Kielbasa. The potato salad was only ok, but I know I am picky, and I haven't found a recipe I like yet. Loving the Kielbasa.

Link to Onion Rings recipe.

OMG Oven-Baked Onion Rings, Prospect Park Potato Salad, Tofurky Kielbasa

My sister made this cherry peach pie with fresh peaches from Schnepf Farms Peach Festival. Not sure where she got the recipe, but the peaches in it were especially yummy!

Cherry Peach Pie

Some friends had me over for dinner and made this Spaghetti Squash Mexicana with Tropical Avocado Salsa Fresca. I know my friends really like it, and I thought it was good, just not something I would make often. The Tropical Avocado Salasa Fresca would be great to use on tacos or other things too.

Spaghetti Squash Mexicana with Tropical Avocado Salsa Fresca

My sister made me some Rosemary Infused Olive Oil so that I could make Giada de Laurentis' special popcorn. It was quite tasty, and I started wondering why so many people use microwave popcorn when cooking it in a pot is just as easy.

Rosemary Popcorn

Rosemary Popcorn

I made this Apricot Cardamom East Coast Coffee Cake from Isa's Vegan Brunch cookbook for a birthday brunch. I think it turned out pretty well. I used St. Dalfour's Thick Apricot Spreadable Fruit instead of chopping up dried apricots. I would recommend my method for sure.

Apricot Cardamom East Coast Coffee Cake

More food from the brunch. Mmmmm.

Buckwheat Pancakes, Maple Syrup, & Strawberries; Hash Browns, Fakin' Bacon Tempeh Bacon, Fried Platanos, Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes/Crumbles, Apricot Cardamom Coffee Cake

I made the Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes (vegan crabcakes) in Vegan Brunch. They were ok, but a bit strong in tangy flavor and I inadvertently messed them up so they were more crumbles than cakes. I stared at them as crumbles trying to figure out what to do with the leftovers. I finally decided I was going to use the crumbles as pizza toppings. Best idea ever. As tempeh cakes on their own, they were just ok, but as pizza topping, they were sooooo good! I used Enrico's pizza sauce, Daiya mozzarella-flavor, and the Chesapeake Tempeh Cake crumbles on pita bread.

Link to Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes recipe.

Vegan Crab Cake Pizza

And last, but not least, I made the Lasagne Marinara with Spinach from Isa's Veganomicon. Oh, my delicioso! I served this to omnivores in my extended family and they approved. You must make it with the Cashew Ricotta and the Pine Nut Cream. The pine nut cream really elevates the lasagne to outstanding in my book. I also sprinkled in some bread crumbs, just for the heck of it. I recommend using the noodles where you do not cook them first.

Lasagne Marinara with Spinach

Bonus: Fancy [virgin] drinks from True Foods at the Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix. I had the Medicine Man which features olivello juice, an extract from sea buckthorn berries. Olivello is reportedly full of powerful natural anti-oxidants and other protective phytonutrients. True Foods claims they are the only restaurant in the nation to offer olivello juice. If you want to try it, I recommend Andy's Elixir. I think I like that one better than the Medicine Man, plus you'll get a better idea of taste with that one. True Foods offers clearly labeled gluten-free and vegan menu items, including desserts. One of these days I will get around to reviewing the food there.

True Foods - Red Moon and Medicine Man

Scramble, Sunnyslope/Phoenix

2011-06-13T01:55:00.006-07:00

Scramble

I was pretty excited to eat at Scramble, breakfast foods are my favorites and they offer several different vegan menu items; Vegan Mushroom and Spinach Scramble, Vegan Veggie Scramble, Vegan Soyrizo Burrito, and Vegan French Toast. You won't see these items on their menu board, but pick up one of their paper menus from the wall holder and they are listed there.

I cannot stress how much I appreciate them simply for offering a vegan breakfast menu. However, I visited Scramble twice and had two very different experiences, good and not-so-good.

First visit: Good.
I ordered the french toast and sweet potato hash instead of fruit. The french toast was really good, the hash was not my thing. The hash I could tell was good, but it was stuffed with loudly-flavored mushrooms, and I dislike mushrooms. I don't know if the hash always has mushrooms, as the next visit I was told by my eating companions it didn't, but this day it did.

Vegan French Toast with Sweet Potato Hash

Second visit: Not-so-good.
I think they were having an off day. At least I hope so. There was a mix-up with our order. First they were out of soyrizo, and several of us had to order something else, so I ordered the Vegan Veggie Scramble instead. In the end, I ended up with both the Vegan Soyrizo Burrito (last batch) and the Vegan Veggie Scramble. I was secretly glad because it meant I could sample both.

Vegan Soyrizo Burrito with Sweet Potato Hash & Side of Fruit

Unfortunately, the slight mix-up was not the only problem. The tofu scrambles were rather bland and the toast was cold. I easily forgive the toast, but not the bland scrambles. A couple of my friends had eaten there before and said they were normally rather tasty. And I know I liked the French toast from my first visit. So I am not entirely sure what to think. I'm going to rate Scramble with the caveat that I need to try them one more time to really decide if they are worth future visits. Certainly, they would beat out any other non-vegan-friendly places to dine and I'd hope to rate them at least 3 stars.

Vegan Veggie Scramble and Toast

Scramble

Ranking: **1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scramble
9832 N. 7th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85020
(602)374-2294
http://www.azscramble.com/

Hours
Daily 6am - 2pm

Eat Well Enjoy Life's Spicy Yellow Lentil Hummus with Sunflower Seeds and Apricot

2011-06-02T01:04:00.000-07:00

This stuff is the bomb! So delicious. When you need a change of pace from chickpea hummus, this is where to go, Eat Well Enjoy Life's Spicy Yellow Lentil Hummus with Sunflower Seeds and Apricot. I took it to work and [reluctantly] shared it with one of my coworkers who loves hummus and she was swooning over this perfectly spiced lentil hummus. The combo sounded both weird and intriguing when I saw it at the store, but it is totally my new favorite. I'm out, and I need to get back and get more.

Eat Well Enjoy Life also makes some edamame and white bean based hummuses (hummii? haha).

I'm not sure there is more to be said about this except ...YUM!

Eat Well Enjoy Life's Spicy Yellow Lentil Hummus with Sunflower Seeds and Apricot
Ranking: *****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Eat Well Enjoy Life Hummus can be found at Sprouts, Safeway, and Costco.]

Vegan Anzac Biscuits

2011-05-05T13:14:00.001-07:00

Vegan Anzac Biscuits

Anzac Biscuits are a traditional Australian and New Zealand sweet biscuit. Normally the American translation for sweet biscuits is cookies, and I only mention this to give my American readers a frame of reference, because in this case, the term ANZAC is protected and revered under Australian and New Zealand law and is only officially allowed to be used in conjunction with the term "biscuit" and never "cookie," which is considered foreign in origin. In addition, in order for the name allowance, the biscuit must largely keep to the traditional recipe.

The word, or rather, abbreviation ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Anzac Day, April 25, is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand which originally honored the soldiers who fought at Gallipoli, Turkey during World War I. These days it more broadly commemorates those who have died and served in military operations for both countries.

The story is that the biscuits were created because eggs were scarce during World War I, these biscuits being eggless, and because they kept well, so they were often sent in packages to ANZAC soldiers. The biscuits are still very popular in Australia and New Zealand, and are commonly found in coffee shops and bakeries.

I don't remember exactly where I got this variation of the recipe since I have had it for years now, but I can say these biscuits are mighty tasty and easy to make.

Anzac Biscuits

INGREDIENTS
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup dried, unsweetened coconut
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons non-dairy margarine
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons golden syrup or agave nectar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheets (or use a Silpat or parchment paper).

In your main mixing bowl, mix together oats, flour, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a microwave-safe bowl, put margarine, sugar, and golden syrup. (Hint- for the golden syrup or any sticky syrup, spray the inside of the measuring cup with cooking spray first and all the sticky stuff will slide right out.) Microwave until the margarine is melted, about 45 seconds, and stir every 15 seconds while heating. Mix together until blended.

Pour the margarine/sugar/syrup mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix together until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Pinch off small balls of the dough, and compress into 1 inch balls, and place on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Don’t be afraid to handle this dough and moosh it together, because it’s fairly crumbly.

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Take out of the oven, and let stand on baking sheets for a few minutes, and then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Makes about 35 biscuits.

Pureology

2011-05-02T16:25:00.003-07:00

Pureology is a 100% vegan line of hair care products, which they proudly proclaim on their packaging. I recently tried a couple of their products that I found at Ulta. I was pretty excited because they had sample-sized bottles for most of their lines. I hate trying new hair care products that come in big bottles, especially salon quality, because they tend to be expensive and what if you don't like them? I picked up the Pure Volume Shampoo and Conditioner as well as the Heat Fortifying Spray, since I have fine, color-treated hair and I blow dry, curl, or flat iron my hair on most days.

I have to say that my first impression of the shampoo was not good. It smells like lavender and I hate the smell of lavender. No, I did not read the package for that, nor did I open the bottle for a pre-buy smell. So suddenly I was wondering what I had gotten myself into, as usually shampoos and conditioners have the same smells for consistency. I did not want to smell like lavender all day. Unfortunately, I already had the shampoo in my hair when I recognized the smell. But I decided to suck it up and give it a fair try anyway, so I lathered appropriately and rinsed.

I opened the conditioner next, and was pleasantly surprised that it did not smell of lavender. Hooray! I could handle the lavender smell of the shampoo if I was washing it out and replacing it with other scents from the conditioner. In fact, the conditioner smelled good! I am sure it was the sandalwood and rose, which I love. It also has geranium and basil. In fact, I looked back at the shampoo ingredients and it also has sandalwood as well as ylang ylang, but I think, for me, the lavender overpowers those other scents.

During the washing process, everything seemed fine. The real test was what my hair was like during the styling process and after. Shampoos tend to be okay as long as they don't leave my hair dry, and conditioners can weigh down my fine hair or leave it greasy; effects that aren't always noticeable until the end of the day or the next morning.

But I didn't have either of those problems. In fact, everything was perfectly fine, and I've actually been using the shampoo and conditioner for a couple weeks now. My hair has been smooth, not greasy or staticy. I don't have any problems with styling, and in fact, my hair looks properly styled, and those effects have survived a night's sleep.

I also took the opportunity to use the Heat Fortifying Spray before blow drying and flat ironing my hair. I liked the smell (from orange, olive, corriander, and camelina oils). I was worried this might also weigh my hair down, since you spray it on damp hair and leave it in, and leave-ins are always a bit iffy for me. But it smelled good, and didn't leave my hair either too wet for styling or too weighed down.

Overall, I really liked all three products and recommend them. I might even try a couple of their styling products.

Pureology Pure Volume Shampoo and Conditioner, Heat Fortifying Spray
Ranking: ****1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Pureology can be found at Ulta. There are a lot of local salons that also use these products and you can probably buy them there too. The Pureology website lets you search for these salons.]

If you want to try Pureology, I suggest you check out their website and answer a few questions to determine which product line you will want, then head on over to Ulta and buy a couple of samples. Now these are not super cheap products, but for a professional line, they weren't too expensive either. I personally think the investment in a quality shampoo line is worth it. And it is exciting this line is completely vegan. A little tip: Ulta has a reward card program, and they send out coupons just about every month which are quite helpful. Ulta also carries several different beauty product lines that are vegan friendly; for example, EcoTools, Opi, and Urban Decay, so joining their reward program is worth it in my book.

Two really awesome vegan beauty websites are: Cruelty-Free Face and Vegan Beauty Review. And you can find a searchable database of cruelty-free companies at CaringConsumer.Com.

Vegan Chai Tea Latte

2011-04-30T08:08:00.009-07:00

I am not a coffee drinker, nor tea. Not usually. But friends often ask me to coffee places, and well, I like to drink something I don't usually get. And I hate hot beverages, so whatever I drink has to be really cold and usually on ice. Luckily, a vegan Iced Chai Tea Latte (with soymilk) is often on the menu. And they are pretty dang tasty.

I recently went to one rinky dinky coffee shop, not a chain or anything, and ordered a vegan Chai Latte. And then I proceeded to watch as the 'barista' poured my chai tea and soymilk out of tetra containers over a cupful of ice.

My thoughts went a little like this: WAIT. That's not some mystical tea brewing process. I don't need any skills! This is something I can do at home in 10 seconds. Why the hell am I paying her $4? What brand is that chai?....oh...Oregon Chai, I've seen that. That's it... next stop, Whole Foods.

And so began my recent beverage addiction.

Oregon Chai makes a vegan concentrate and you just pour it half and half with your non-dairy milk of choice. Ice is optional- though required in my book. I need instant gratification with beverages and I have no sense of good tea (I'm not even sure it exists). Tea tends to taste the same to me to matter what flavor is listed on the box. But, make it a latte with the extra spices and added creaminess, and it's a winner in my book. And this is perfect for the hot summer days coming up when water is just not enough for the taste buds.

Oregon Chai Vegan Original Chai Tea Latte Concentrate

Ranking: ****
***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Oregon Chai can be found at Sprouts and Whole Foods. And maybe Sunflower Market. Other stores might carry it too, I'm just not used to shopping in the tea section to have noticed.]