[Accidentally] Vegan TV

There's a blog and a YouTube Channel called, [Accidentally] Vegan, which collects videos of cooking shows where the recipes are, as the title suggests, "unplanned" vegan foodstuffs. Regulars from the Food Network (Guy Fieri, Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, etc.) are represented along with Martha Stewart, Debbi Mazar, The Chew, The Today Show, etc.

I love it cause you don't have to worry about veganizing anything or making conversions. The recipes are ready to go as is.

[Accidentally] Vegan YouTube Channel
[Accidentally] Vegan Blog

Here's Asian Street Fries from Guy's Big Bite.

Bragg's Factory Diner, Phoenix, AZ

Bragg's Factory Diner's Flatiron Front Door

Bragg's Factory Diner is the latest of the all-vegetarian restaurants to hit Phoenix. Located off Grand Avenue in a one story flat-iron building, this cute diner itself is pretty dang small, but there is plenty of parking. So keep in mind, peak diner hours might include a little wait if you hit the rush. That said, I was there on a Sunday during brunch with a couple of friends and we were seated right away.

The diner is full of fun kitschy salt and pepper shakers and mismatched vintage dinnerware, which gives it a cozy and welcoming vibe. The art on the walls is a nod to the history of Phoenix, with lots of old photos from residents and a giant painting near the registers featuring some of our more famous icons and residents.

clockwise from front left: Frank Lloyd Bite, Koo-Koo-Pancakes, The Classic, Side Biscuit & Gravy (part of Frank Lloyd Bite)

Bragg's is a vegetarian diner serving breakfast (all day) and lunch. Breakfast includes entrees like coconut curry waffles, cinnamon ginger French toast, banana pancakes, scrambles, soyrizo breakfast burritos, and hash browns. And lunch includes tasties like the eggplant "bacon', lettuce and tomato; the portabello reuben, the beet burger, and a kale salad. But they all have much more clever names like the Frank Lloyd Bite, which is what I had (two pancakes, hash browns, eggplant "bacon", & a side biscuit & gravy).

Frank Lloyd Bite (minus the Side Biscuit & Gravy)

I really liked the pancakes, they so hit the spot. I dislike eggplant, but I wanted to try it anyway because it sounded so interesting. It was okay, very edible for eggplant. The one person in our party who liked eggplant enjoyed it. The hash browns were hash browns, so nothing fancy there, but delicious as usual. I'm not big on biscuits and gravy, this one had a poblano gravy, but I think if you like those things you would really like these. I'd eat it again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Side Biscuit & Gravy (smaller version of Bwiscuits & Gravy entrée)

I sampled the Koo-Koo Bananas Pancakes that my friend order and it was really good. The side of fruit that came with it was fresh and ripe which I really appreciated even though it wasn't even my meal! I begged some forkfuls of another friend's Classic scramble which was pretty good but not my favorite entrée that day.

Koo-Koo Bananas Pancakes with Side of Fruit

The Classic

My friends agreed they would come back and make this place a part of their regular rotation. And I am definitely going back because I want to try those coconut curry waffles that I hear such good things about and the French toast which is one of my favorite foods.

And of course they serve PIE, they are a diner and housed in the old Bragg's Pie Factory building afterall. Plus donuts and other pastries, and they all rotate in a little display case as any proper diner would host.

Diner Seating and Dessert/Pastry Spinner

Alright, so give this place a try and let me know what you think! Check out Bragg's Instagram for a deeper look at their goodies.


EDITED TO ADD:
They now serve dinner and have extended hours which have been updated below.


Bragg's Factory Diner
Ranking: ****

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bragg's Factory Diner
1301 NW Grand Ave (Grand Ave runs diagonally across the Phoenix grid)
Phoenix, AZ 85007
 602-733-8076
http://braggsdiner.com

Hours
Tuesday - Thursday 7am to 9pm
Friday - Saturday 7am to 10pm
Sunday 7am to 2pm

Bragg's Factory Diner from the Parking Lot

Girl and Foxes Mural (on a nearby building)

Recycle Mural in Bragg's Factory Diner Parking Lot

Penzeys Spices & Vegan Eats World

Penzeys Spices, Tempe Marketplace, Arizona

Penzeys Spices is a national chain with three locations in Arizona; Tempe Marketplace, Paradise Valley Marketplace (Phoenix), and Tucson. They also sell their spices online.

I recently wanted to make Terry Hope Romero's Pistachio Date Quinoa Salad from Vegan Eats World. But I didn't have any sumac. I know the Middle Eastern Bakery in downtown Phoenix carries it, Lee Lee Oriental Supermarket most likely does, but I needed a place in the north east valley. Then I remembered I had seen this little spice shop at the Tempe Marketplace. I called ahead and they stocked several container sizes of the ground up Middle Eastern berry.

Vegan Eats World Cookbook by Terry Hope Romero- 2 very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Penzeys Spices is a cute little shop with a good vibe next door to the Men's Wearhouse. I also noticed they had smoked paprika which I had been looking for previously. I had been using regular paprika as a replacement, but I kinda want to go back and get some smoked paprika. They had both Hungarian style AND Spanish style and I wasn't sure which I wanted to sample.

Anyway, I got the sumac and made the Pistachio Date Quinoa Salad, and I have to say I was impressed with the salad. It has chickpeas, spinach, parsley, onions, ground coriander, fennel and cumin seeds, as well as the sumac and title ingredients. My first thought was this is interesting... because I didn't know how to process the flavorings.

But it's a really nice salad, makes a nice, bold statement. I used about 3 tablespoons rather than the called for 4 to 6 tablespoons. Sumac smells like lemon vinegar, and the flavoring is oddly similar though reported to be less acidic and milder. The salad would be great for potlucks and such when you want to blow people's minds, and because it can be eaten at room temperature.

Anyway, for those of you with some BIG plans for holiday dinners or for those of you talking Terry's global cuisine cookbook, you have a good chance of finding what you need at Penzeys Spices, so give them a try.

 The final product: Pistachio Date Quinoa Salad

Recipe Round-up: Vegan Thanksgiving Goodies

Every year more and more vegan holiday recipes are shared. Below is a link to my previous Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up, and after that, the rest are links to goodies being talked about this year.

2010 Thanksliving Menu Round-Up

[And if there is one dish I could personally recommend for Thanksgiving, it's the Sage- and Pumpkin Seed- Encrusted Seitan with Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Sauce, it's a fantastic main dish.]

Moving on to the new stuff...

~Chef Chloe is well-represented over at the New York Times Vegetarian Thanksgiving section with her Chocolate Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Hazelnuts, Harvest-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, Coconut Mashed Yams with Currants, Southern Skillet Black-Eyed Peas and Cauliflower, and Quick Biscuits with Maple Butter.

~Oh She Glows blogger, Angela Liddon has some healthy recipes featured at Veg News: Guilt-Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sumptuous Shepherd's Stew, and Sinless Sticky Toffee Pecan Pudding.

~Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits, Coconut Butternut Squash Soup, Herbed Cream Collards, and Fourless  Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream from several awesome vegan chefs via VegNews.

~Dreena Burton's Plant Powered Kitchen has a whole bunch of Vegan Thanksgiving and Christmas Recipes...too many to give you the details, just check out her post.

~And of course, The Post Punk Kitchen has an entire category of recipes perfect for Thanksgiving.

Let me know what you plan on making!

EAT MORE KALE! Mesquite-Avocado Kale Salad

Maybe you're still not sure about kale. Maybe you tried it and didn't like it. Maybe this recipe from Heather of HealthyVeganRecipes.net with fix everything for you!

And maybe you just need to try mesquite powder.

No cooking necessary. Light and perfect for summer.





Recipe at: One Green Planet (dot) Org

Trader Joe's Vegetable Pakoras

Trader Joe's Vegetable Pakoras

I recently picked up these Vegetable Pakoras at Trader Joe's. So good! They're lightly fried balls of potatoes, onions, chickpea flour, carrots, cauliflower, with a sweet and tangy tamarind dipping sauce. They tasted nothing like falafel in case you were wondering about the chickpea flour, and the sauce was perfect. My only problem was there was not *enough* sauce. I don't think I overdipped, TJ's definitely skimped on the sauce a bit. I'll be picking these up again. They are great appetizers or sides, and I ate them all as a main course.


Trader Joe's Vegetable PakorasRating: ****

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

[You can find the Vegetable Pakoras at Trader Joe's.]

Recipe: Skeptical Salad

I have no idea where my sister found this recipe originally, but it has been a staple in my family for several years now. It's one of my favorites, because it is so dang simple, and yet so delicious. I called it "skeptical" because I couldn't understand why there were green onions in it and how the combination could possibly taste good. But it does, although the green onions are optional if you aren't a fan. Also, I adore the dressing! And you can eat this with strawberries during the spring and summer, and with pomegranate arils during the fall and winter. Both versions are excellent.

Skeptical Salad

Skeptical Salad
Salad Base

INGREDIENTS

Mixed greens
*1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced OR 1/3 cup pomgranate avrils
*11 ounce can of mandarin orange segments in juice
*2/3 cup green onions, sliced
*1 cup glazed walnuts

DIRECTIONS:
Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.


Dressing

INGREDIENTS
 1/4 cup orange juice
 1/4 cup agave nectar
 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate until serving. Shake/mix well before pouring on salad.

Recipe Round-Up: Vegan Mac 'n' Cheese

Today is National Macaroni Day. Mac 'n' Cheese is probably the most popular way to use macaroni noodles. Good vegan Mac 'n' Cheese recipes used to be but a dream, but now there are many fantastic and inspired vegan recipes out there. I've gathered quite a bunch including some gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, grain-free, paleo, and raw vegan options. Some are baked, some are more traditional, some use nutritional yeast, or cashews, or Daiya shreds. Do some browsing and see which ones catch your eye.

The Recipes!

Cooking with the Vegan Zombie: Vegan Mac & Cheese


*Green's Chef Damon Brasch Vegan Mac-n-(Cashew-Cheddar)-Cheese

*Fat Free Vegan Kitchen's Easy Macaroni and Cheeze and Baked Macaroni and Cheese

*Happy Herbivore's Soy-Free Mac n' Cheese

*Chef Chloe's Vegan Mac 'N' Cheese

*Vegan Housewives' Southern Baked Mac & Cheese

*That Was Vegan?'s Cauliflower n' Cheese

*The Wannabe Chef's Gluten-Free Vegan Mac n Cheese

*Vegan Dad's Creamy Mac and Cheeze

*Post Punk Kitchen's Mac & Shews and Sunflower Mac

*VegWeb's No-Nooch, No-Tofu, Excellent Mac 'n' Cheese

*Happy Healthy Life's Fake-Out Mac 'n Cheese, Baked Dill Mac n Chreese (with spicy sausage), and Easy Mac n Cheese

*The Gluten Free Vegan's Mac & Cheese

*Manifest Vegan's Vegan Mac & Cheese

*Seitan Beats Your Meat's Jalapeno Mac n Cheese

*Allison Rivers Samson's Vegan Macaroni & Cheese (via VegNews)

*Cheeky Kitchen's Creamy (Vegan) Mac & Cheese

*Glutenfree Goddess' Best Vegan Baked Mac & Cheese

*Vegan Yack Attack's Mexican Macaroni & Cheeze

*The Noochy Noodle's Mac n’ Quiche With Caramelized Onions, Spinach and Smoky Curls

*My Darling Lemon Thyme's Roast Tomato and Thyme Macaroni 'Cheese'

*Vegetarian Times' Mac and Cheese

*Aylin Erman's Whole Wheat Macaroni and Sweet Potato Cheese (via EcoSalon)

*The Paleo Mama's Paleo Mac n Cheese

*Olives for Dinner's Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

*Get Sconed!'s Smokey Baked Mac n Cheese

*The Spunky Coconut's Butternut Mac-n-Cheese

*Vegan Yum Yum's Mac & Cheeze and Mac & Cheeze (Take 2)


*****************

Some Mac-n-Cheese recipes from popular vegan cookbooks that you might have handy (these are from the cookbooks I have handy):

Mac Daddy from Veganomicon
Mac and Trees from Appetite for Reduction
Baked Mac and Cheeze from Vegan Yum Yum
Claire’s Macaroni and “Cheeze” from La Dolce Vegan

The Noochy Noodle has a more thorough blog post on vegan Mac 'n' Cheese recipes in cookbooks, and a whole blog dedicated to vegan Mac 'n' Cheese, as a matter of fact.

*****************

Too hot? Don't feel like cooking? Restaurants!

Pomegranate Cafe has a Southwestern Mac & Cheese.

Green's Mac-n-Cheese isn't on the regular menu, but Chef Damon often offers it up as a special. Join the Green Facebook group or follow Green on Twitter for notices on specials.

Or if you are lucky enough to be in the area, Peta has a list of the top 5 vegan Mac-n-Cheese dishes at restaurants in the U.S.

*****************

Or you can always try one of these frozen meals.

I prefer the Amy's, but the Candle Cafe is pretty good too.

Candle Cafe's Macaroni & Vegan Cheese

Amy's Dairy Free Rice Macaroni & Cheeze

*****************

And, lastly, here are a couple of 'cooking' videos for raw vegan Mac 'n' Cheese.

Corin Stephenson's Raw Vegan Mac 'n' Cheez


Mrs. Leafy Greens' Raw Vegan "Macaroni and Cheese"

Thai Dinner

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.

Mashed Spiced Sweet Potatoes with Vegan Toasted Marshmallow Topping

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.

 

 

7th Annual Thankful Veghead Menu

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)

Super Top Secret

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.

Amande Almond Yogurt

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.]

Recipe Round-Up: Mesquite Flour

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.

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

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!

Stuff I've Been Eating

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

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

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.]

On the Road: La Cocina, Tucson, AZ

La Cocina is a restaurant, cantina, and coffee bar in Tucson. It's the cutest little place. I love the colorful decor and the large, tree-shaded courtyard. Best of all, they have vegetarian and vegan options (as well as gluten-free) clearly marked on the menu. It's the perfect place to go when you are in Tucson and need a place for both omnivores and veg*ns.

Thai Baguette Sandwich with Cilantro Slaw

The March evening we were there, it was the best weather for sitting outside in the courtyard with the live music. The singer sounded like Willie Nelson. I ordered the Thai Baguette Sandwich (Asian marinated sprouted tofu, cucumbers, carrots, and thai sauce) with a side of Cilantro Slaw. The sandwich was so delicious. I almost ordered another one, I loved it so much. The cilantro slaw was a little disappointing. It was basically a leaf of green lettuce topped with red cabbage. Supposedly there was a cilantro sauce on the cabbage, but it wasn't very strong or flavorful. It wasn't bad, and in fact all of the ingredients were super fresh, I just felt like I was eating a bunch of plain cabbage. Next time I will just order the garden salad.

Chocolate Tofu Pie

I did order dessert. It's hard not to when one is on a road trip and there is a vegan option on the menu even if it is something you know you might not like. The only option was the Chocolate Tofu Pie. I was not impressed. It was a very thick chocolate filling on pie crust. The chocolate was almost bitter. I'm not sure if it was the kind of chocolate they used or if it was slightly burnt. And in addition to that it was just too much chocolate for me. I should have known better. I have had several desserts almost exactly like this, and they just aren't anything I like.

Anyway, despite my complaints, I really loved the atmosphere of this place, the Thai Baguette was too-die-for, and I will definitely return if I have the chance.

La Cocina Dining Room



La Cocina Courtyard






La Cocina
Ranking: ***1/2

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

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

La Cocina
201 N. Court Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701
(520)622-0351
http://lacocinatucson.com/

Hours
Sunday and Monday 9am to 3pm
Tuesday - Saturday 9am to 10pm
Cantina open late Fridays and Saturdays