Stuffed Pepper Boats

Stuffed Pepper Boats

I was inspired by a mini-stuffed pepper dish I saw in another blog, but they never post recipes. I think they added seitan to theirs, but I'm not a huge fan of meat subs so I just made a quick bean and rice dish, spooned it into some red bell pepper sections, and voila! I'm going to be moving soon so I've had finger-foods on the brain for the many dinner parties I plan on having ;)

what you need:
3 large bell peppers (any color; red is my fave!)
1 can organic black beans, drained
1 1/2 C organic brown rice
1/4 C panko bread crumbs
1/2 large white onion, diced
2 green onions/scallions (white & green part) for garnish
seasonings: creole (of course), garlic powder, fresh cracked black pepper

I buy frozen organic brown rice from whole foods. it comes in a bag and is fully cooked, you just microwave it for 2 minutes. I can't cook dry rice to save my life, so this is my go-to product!

* preheat oven to 350 degrees *

1. dice onion and saute in 2 tsp of olive oil (in a medium size saucepan). in the meantime, cut the bell peppers into sections that can be filled/piled with mixture.
2. once transluscent, add drained black beans and cooked brown rice. add about 1/4cup of water.
3. add spices, stirring occasionally until hot.
4. grease a cookie sheet and place bell pepper sections skin-side down in the oven (I bought organic olive oil cooking spray, and this is what I used to coat the cookie sheet!). let them roast for about 10 minutes so that they soften.
5. remove peppers from oven, let cool, and stuff with bean and rice mixture. place them back on the cookie sheet, cover in aluminum foil, and bake in the oven for another 5 minutes.
6. in the meantime, toast panko bread crumbs in a non-stick skillet until golden (I also added a few pinches of garlic powder).
7. remove peppers from oven, top with toasted bread crumbs and scallions!

I topped mine with a little organic salsa before I ate them. so so so good!!
another note- I over-seasoned my bean and rice dish and it was a tad too salty for my taste, so I added a packet of Stevia in the Raw and it was all better again :)

not a fan of

when Maoz doesn't label their sauces, and all of them are white, and I accidentally cover my falafel with some mayonnaise sauce. luckily, I realized my mistake before consuming the falafel and they gave me a new one (and I pawned the mayonnaise covered one off to the guy in line next to me, because I didn't want it to go to waste). ughhhhh.

I don't have anything too interesting to report these days, as I've been extremely hard at work and attending summer classes! this is what I've been eating lately:


I've been trying to stick to a diet lately that will hopefully result in the loss of 10 pounds (fingers crossed!) so all last week I brought salads to work for lunch. I tried to keep the salads as healthy as possible, combining a few of my favorite veggies (romaine, tomatoes, red onion, avocado, red bell pepper, and cucumber) as well as a handful of chickpeas, tossed in a little bit of organic roasted garlic balsamic vinaigrette.


I haven't figured out what this vegetable is actually called, but I refer to it as "chinese cabbage". I buy it from the farmer's market on the corner, and saute it in a little bit of olive oil mixed with a little sesame oil, and lots of fresh chopped garlic. this makes a really quick and easy side dish! (this time I also added a little organic brown rice)





this was another quick and easy, protein-packed meal. I am IN LOVE with trader joe's frozen fire roasted peppers and onions. I usually buy the regular frozen bell peppers (much, much cheaper than fresh and last forever!!), but I discovered these the other day and am hooked!! I sauteed the frozen peppers and onion mixture in a little olive oil, added black beans and cooked organic brown rice, and seasoned it with garlic powder, fresh ground black pepper, and a little creole seasoning (that I add to pretty much everything). I piled this onto an organic spinach tortilla, topped it with another tortilla and baked it for about 5 minutes on 350. the tortilla came out nice and crisp, and I served it with fresh avocado and salsa :)

in OTHER news, I went to the P.O.P.E. the other day with a couple of vegan friends. I'd never had any food there (it's a bar, if you didn't know) so we all ordered the "seitan fingers with fries". while the seitan fingers were edible, they were nothing to rave about. basically, they used store-bought seitain and coated it in what tasted/felt like plain cornmeal, deep fried it, and served it on a bed of super greasy french fries (too greasy, in my opinion). they came with a small side of dipping sauce, which is what allowed them to pass for food. I know this isn't a vegan bar/restaurant but it's dishes like these that give vegan food a bad name :(

eggplant!!

one vegetable I have always found perplexing is eggplant. I tried to cook it once YEARS ago (before I was even vegan!!) and did it totally wrong, and it was inedible, and ever since then I have avoided trying to cook with it. I love the taste of it, and will eat it when I go out, but that's it! anyway, the other night I went to a friend's house for dinner and she made a baked eggplant dish with tomato sauce. we ate it over penne pasta with herbs, and I could not get over how amazing it was! I asked her what the key to cooking eggplant was, and she said that you needed to soak it in salt water for about 20 minutes.
so, today I went to Trader Joe's and bought an eggplant, a jar of marinara sauce, a bag of sliced mushrooms, and some frozen fire roasted peppers and onions.

I sliced the eggplant and let it sit in a bowl of salt water for about half an hour (my slices were really thick). I then preheated the oven to 400 degrees. to assemble the dish, I spread a thin layer of sauce in an 8x8 baking dish, then layered the eggplant (I slightly overlapped the edges to fit them all in the pan), mushrooms, and peppers, then covered everything with the rest of the sauce. I covered the dish with aluminum foil and baked for about 25 minutes.
while the eggplant was in the oven, I boiled a pot of water to make the pasta.

when the pasta was done I drained it and tossed it with a little bit of olive oil and italian seasoning.
basically, this dish is amazing and I can't wait to start experimenting more with eggplant!!

this meal cost less than $5 to make (all ingredients were bought from Trader Joe's), and makes at least 4 servings!

Spinach Pasta

Spinach Pasta

like always, I'm going to try to promise to get back on track with my recipes! I've been a little short on dough lately so I haven't been creating the most unique meals, but this is something I just whipped up.
I was watching "Everyday Italian" with Giada De Laurentiis (whom I normally CANNOT STAND) and she made a dish similar to this. I like watching her show, since a lot of italian foods can easily be made vegan. she used goat cheese and cream cheese for her sauce, and I obviously omitted the goat cheese. also, she used a few cloves of fresh garlic. I, being the terrible chef, did not have any on hand but I did have some freshly made garlic hummus. because I was omitting the goat cheese, I felt that this would also add more substance to the sauce.

what you need:

• fresh organic baby spinach (I used about 1/2 of a family size bag!)


• 1/2 c soy cream cheese (I used the non-hydrogenated tofutti kind)


• 1/4 c garlic hummus


• 2 c organic whole wheat penne pasta (or whatever shape you have on hand)

cook your pasta according to its directions. in the meantime, divide your spinach into two piles. throw one pile into the food processor along with the hummus and cream cheese. roughly chop the other and set aside until the pasta is done.
once the pasta is done, drain and add it back to your pot. pour the sauce mixture (it should be relatively thick... about the consistency of ranch dressing), and mix in the roughly chopped spinach. enjoy!


I'm starting classes again next week, so my goal this weekend is to make a few meals that I can freeze to have throughout the week. so far on the menu is stuffed shells, pierogies (I made some yesterday and have a ton of filling left!), and an asian tofu stir-fry!

Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

(I served these with a side of roasted potato slices seasoned with garlic and montreal steak seasoning!)

I was watching the show Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee the other day and I was inspired by a dish she made. she was making party snacks, and for one of them she made her version of a Mexican pizza. she used beef and other ingredients, toasted them lightly in a skillet, and then baked them.
I wasn't sure if these were technically quesadillas because they're mostly filled with beans, but wikipedia confirms that they are quesadillas.

This recipe makes 2 pizzas/quesadillas. If you're serving them with side dishes, these could easily feed 3 people.

What you need:

• 4 8-inch flour or corn tortillas


• 1 can refried beans


• 2 slices vegan cheddar cheese (I use Tofutti brand*, which IMO is the best!)


• 1/2 cup salsa


• mild banana pepper rings


garnish:

• 1 avocado, sliced


• vegan sour cream


• salsa


• hummus (yes, I LOVE hummus with Mexican food!)

preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. heat the refried beans and salsa in a small sauce pan.
2. in the meantime, slice/tear your cheese slices and melt a little butter in a skillet over low-medium heat.
3. once the beans are heated, spread a generous amount onto a tortilla. top with cheese and banana pepper rings, and then top with a plain tortilla. carefully transfer to the skillet, and cook on each side until golden.
4. repeat process with second quesadilla. place both onto a cookie sheet, and bake for an additional 10 minutes so that everything inside gets nice and melted.

cool for about 10 minutes, then cut into triangles with a pizza cutter. garnish with salsa, avocado, and hummus, and enjoy!

* if you live in Philadelphia, Tofutti brand slices can be found at the Natural Food Market on 20th and Walnut. it took me the LONGEST time to find these. Whole Foods, TJ's, Acme, Superfresh, and Shoprite DO NOT carry them.

vegan enchiladas

these came out surprisingly amazing, despite the gross picture (but how do you make an enchilada look good anyway?!). this was the second time I'd tried making enchiladas- the first time I followed a recipe online, and this time I used what I had learned as a starting point but doctored these up to my liking.

tip: I'm a fan of making quick and healthy vegan meals. the first time I made vegan enchiladas, I made my own enchilada sauce as per the recipe I was using. however, this time around I found that buying a bottle of enchilada sauce not only was a lot easier, but probably cheaper.

what you need:

• 1 pound extra-firm or firm tofu


• 1 jar salsa


• 1 jar enchilada sauce


• 1 cup water


• 3 tbsp water mixed with 1 tbsp cornstarch


• tortillas (corn or flour)


• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast


• 1/2 cup vegan sour cream + a little extra


• 2 tsp cumin


• 2 tsp garlic powder

* preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. thoroughly drain the tofu and crumble very fine in a mixing bowl.
2. add the salsa, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp cumin, vegan sour cream, nutritional yeast, and a bit of salt and pepper. combine well.
3. in a separate bowl, add the enchilada sauce and water. after thoroughly mixing the cornstarch and water, add that to the enchilada sauce (this is to stretch the enchilada sauce). add 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp garlic powder. mix well.
4. in a non-stick baking dish, spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce.
5. place a tortilla on a plate. scoop tofu mixture down the middle of the tortilla, top with a dollop of sour cream, and roll up like a crepe. set in pan, and continue doing this until your pan is full of enchilada rolls.
6. thorougly cover the enchiladas with the rest of the sauce (you want to make sure you coat all of the enchiladas to prevent drying out/burning).
7. cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30-45 minutes.

super easy fried tofu

I have to admit, I am not the best at cooking tofu. there really are only a handful of tofu dishes that I think I'm good at making (meaning, I can stomach them). I love tofu, it's just that I can never seem to get it right!
I just went to the "multicultural" shop on the corner. that place is insane. they sell everything from tofu to chinese fruits and vegetables to tortillas and other spanish staples, to curries and every type of rice noodle you can think of! anyway, I grabbed ingredients for my next few meals (enchiladas, coconut curry, and fried tofu).

here's the first of my tofu dishes!!

what you need:

• cornstarch


• garlic power


• salt


• pepper


• frying oil of your choice (I use canola, but vegetable or grape seed would be good too)


• frying pan or deep fryer

all of the measurements are approximate. you really can't mess this up! I probably used about 1/2 cup of cornstarch, 1 tsp garlic powder and a few shakes of salt and pepper.

1. mix cornstarch and spices in a bowl.
2. heat oil in a pan or in a deep fryer. I used a pan, and filled it about 1/2 an inch full.
3. while oil is heating up, press/drain the tofu and cut into desired shapes.
4. coat tofu pieces in cornstarch mixture, being sure to get all sides. when oil is hot enough, carefully place tofu into oil and fry until golden brown (flipping occasionally).

you need to have some kind of dipping/coating sauce. I was going to make sweet and sour, but the corner shop didn't have rice vinegar so I just used some of my trader joe's soyaki sauce and it was divine :)

Restaurant Review

Cafe Ole

147 N 3rd St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 627-2140

I've never spent much time in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, but since I began an internship at a boutique there I've been discovering a ton of awesome new places to eat and shop. Last week my boss asked me to pick up lunch for us at Cafe Ole, about a block and half from the shop. I'd never been there before and didn't really know what to expect. It was around noon, and the place (which is very small) was packed with people grabbing lunch. I skimmed the menu and noticed that there was a lot of mediterranean food (things like hummus plates, greek salads and wraps, etc) but also items with a european twist like grilled cheese on panini. I ordered the house special lentil soup for my boss, which comes with a side of pita bread, and the "vegan wrap" for myself. My boss raved about the soup, and I LOVED the wrap. It started with a spinach tortilla, which was then coated with homemade hummus and filled with roasted veggies- red peppers, portabella mushrooms, and onions- and then topped with fresh baby spinach and garbanzo beans. It was very good, and our total came to just under $10.
Despite the fact that it was busy, the service was quick and attentive, and the person who helped me (who I learned was the owner) was very sweet. I felt that if I were to visit at a slower time, it seemed like it could be a very relaxing setting.
Along with their extensive lunch items, they also have all sorts of tea and brew La Colombe coffee.
In addition, they offer free wifi for guests.

Product Reviews

It's been too long, I know I know. I have been busier than you could ever imagine, but I (of course) have made time to try a couple new products to share with you!


(photo taken from here )

First off, dessert. I first tried Trader Joe's Soy Creamy ice cream in vanilla for making fruit smoothies. However, I went to TJ's the other day and decided to take home the Cherry Chocolate Chip flavor. I'm not a huge cherry fan, but I loved the vanilla flavor and wanted to try something different. Basically, it's cherry flavored soy ice cream with cherry and chocolate chunks in it. And, it is TO DIE FOR. oh my god. I could eat this all day long!! First off, it's super super creamy and is perfectly sweet. It doesn't have any weird after taste like (in my opinion) So Delicious soy ice cream does. And, it's chock full of chocolate chunks so you get some in every bite. You must try this!!


Origins A Perfect World Moisturizer

For months I had been using a moisturizer from Lush with so-so results. My skin is pretty normal but errs on the dry side, and when I don't moisturize my skin tends to break out. The product I was using from Lush didn't seem to absorb well, and left my skin a little greasy. So, I decided to take a gander at Origins. The associate pointed me to this moisturizer, and it was a little more expensive than the one I was using but I gave it a try anyway. The very first night I used it I was blown away. It smells great and has a totally different texture than the moisturizer from Lush. It was much thicker, and didn't leave my skin feeling greasy at all. I use it at night after washing my face, and in the morning before applying my makeup and it's absolutely fantastic.
I would also recommend the Modern Friction scrub which I have found is rated one of Origins' best products for a reason... after one use your skin will look much, much healthier.

Potato Pancakes

Potato Pancakes


I looove potatoes, as you've probably noticed. after making my pierogies I had a decent amount of left over potatoes (I used 3 large instead of 3 medium; in my recipe I posted I recommended using 3 medium!) and decided to whip up some potato pancakes for dinner.
tips:
- what you need for potato pancakes is mashed potatoes, a little flour, a frying pan, and a little oil or margarine.
- you can make fresh mashed potatoes, but I've always found that leftover, refrigerated mashed potatoes work best.
- you want the potatoes to be on the dry side, or else they won't fry up properly which is where the flour comes in. depending on how moist your potatoes are, I'd start with a tsp of flour and add on from there. thoroughly mix the flour into the potatoes, and if you're able to form a slightly doughy pancake in the palm of your hand that doesn't fall apart too easily, you're set.
- you need to have your frying pan or skillet on medium to high heat before you put the pancakes into the pan. this ensures that they fry quickly and evenly, and don't fall apart.

- fry the pancakes for about a minute on each side, or until they are as brown as you'd like. when they're piping hot they're still a little fragile, so be careful when removing them from the pan. once they cool off they'll be stiffer and a lot easier to handle.

I ate a few of the pancakes with a salad of baby spinach and romaine tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette and some steamed veggies.

Pierogies

last night I took my first stab at making homemade pierogies! and, amazingly enough, they came out much, much better than expected.
basically, to make pierogies you need to make mashed potatoes and dough. you will also need a pot to boil the pierogies, as well as a skillet to sautee the pierogies after they've been boiled.

filling:

• 3 medium potatoes, washed and cut into chunks (I used red potatoes with the skin on)


• 3-4 garlic cloves (I like a lot of garlic, so you can definitely add less)


• 1/4-1/2 cup soy milk (I found that leaving the potatoes a little on the dry side worked best)


• 1 medium onion, minced


• 1-2 tsp margarine


• salt and pepper to taste (I started with 1/2 tsp each)

dough:

• 1 cup flour


• 1/4 cup water


• 1 tsp olive oil

1. fill a large pot with water and turn to high heat
2. wash and cut the potatoes, and dice and mince the onion and garlic
3. boil the potatoes until they are tender, and at the same time sautee the onion and garlic in a skillet
4. once the onion and garlic are done, pour them into a bowl along with the drained potatoes, milk, and margarine. I used a potato masher to combine all the ingredients, but you could also use a hand mixer.

dough:
combine all dough ingredients in a bowl. once fully combined, knead the dough on a cutting board lightly dusted with flour. roll the dough out thin, but not TOO thin. you want it about 1/8-1/4 inch (you want it thin enough that it cooks well and isn't too doughy, but not so thin that it tears when you fill it with potato mixture. using a cookie cutter or the top of a glass, cut out circles. I made mine about 3 inches across, but you can make them whatever size you want. once you have all of your circles cut out, scoop a small amount (depending on the size of your circle, 2 tsp-1tbsp) of the potato mixture onto the center of the circle. fold over, pinch the edges lightly with your fingers, then press down with the tines of a fork for a nice detail.

once all of the pierogies are assembled, the cooking process is SO EASY. add the finished pierogies to the boiling water. they cook very quickly; the rule of thumb is that when they begin to float, they're done. you'll notice that they are now shiny.
remove pierogies from the boiling water and place in a skillet on medium heat with 1 tbsp of margarine. sautee until the pierogies turn golden brown, and serve!



the finished product:

Potato Lentil Soup

Potato Lentil Soup

when you have a craving for something ridiculously easy, surprisingly hearty and full of carbs, this is the soup for you!
while shopping at Trader Joe's one day I saw that they sold pre-cooked vacuum sealed brown lentils in the refrigerated section. I was intrigued by these, and bought a pack. seeing as how they're pre-cooked, they only need to be heated up. I felt that lentil soup (beans alone) souned a little boring, and needing to use up some potatoes, this recipe was born.

what you need:

• 1 package (or can) pre-cooked brown lentils


• 1 container vegetable broth


• 4-5 medium red potatoes; washed and peeled


• 1/2 of a medium white onion, diced


• olive oil


• salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic pepper to taste

1. heat a soup pot. add a small amount of olive oil, and on low heat sautee the onion until transluscent.
2. once the onion is cooked, add the vegetable broth and potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks). add seasonings and bring to a boil.
3. once potatoes are almost done (prick with a fork), add the lentils and cook 5 more minutes until lentils are warm.

Rice Noodle Soup

"Pho" (pronounced "fuh") is a Vietnamese noodle soup. I've never had the dish before, but learned of it from my sister a couple of years ago. I'd been told that traditionally Pho is not vegan (or even vegetarian) so I thought I'd never have it. Because I've never had the dish before, this was inspired by the concept of Pho, and is a VERY loose interpretation on a rice noodle soup based dish.

I actually decided to make this dish one day while walking through my neighborhood and happening upon a small asian grocer on 15th and tasker. since I'm always looking for new places that are closer to my apartment to buy groceries, I decided to take a gander. while I will admit there were many things I did not recognize, the store did have some great staples. while there I picked up some green onions, pho rice noodles, cabbage, and peeled garlic.





what you need:
1 container vegetable broth
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 head of medium to large cabbage, washed and rough cut
4-5 whole green onions (green and white parts), chopped
1-2 tsp Braggs liquid aminos
salt, pepper, sesame oil, and creole seasoning to taste
olive oil for sauteeing onions and garlic
rice noodles

1. sautee the garlic and onions in olive oil (enough to lightly coat soup pot; 1-2 tsp)


2. once garlic and onion are done, add the cabbage and sautee for about 30 seconds. make sure you rapidly stir the ingredients to keep them from sticking.


3. add a small amount of the vegetable broth and the salt and pepper. keep stirring and cook until the cabbage is mostly done.

4. pour in the remaining vegetable broth, and creole seasoning, sesame oil, and Braggs to taste.

5. boil for 5-10 minutes to allow all flavors to combine.

6. prepare your bowl of noodles (add as many of the dry noodles as you'd like to a bowl)


7. when ready to serve, turn off the soup base and immediately ladle OVER the noodles that were set aside in the bowl. the heat from the soup base will instantly cook the noodles in the bowl.


and, I served this with a hot cup of green tea!


enjoy!

Restaurant Review

Mi Lah Vegetarian
218 S. 16th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102

A few weeks ago a new vegetarian restaurant opened up RIGHT around the corner from where I work. I had been anticipating their opening for months, and I gave them a visit their opening week. The restaurant's name is Mi Lah Vegetarian, and I was really scared that it would be ANOTHER vegetarian Chinese restaurant (because we have so many of those here!!). I was pleasantly surprised when I checked out both the lunch and dinner menus. While many of the items have Asian influences, there is still a great deal of diversity.
On my first visit I tried the barbeque tofu and eggplant pizza, which is a grilled flat bread crust covered in seasoned tofu, eggplant, bbq sauce, and fennel. The portion size was very large, and it tasted AMAZING. I had ordered it to go, and when I got back to work to eat it I was only able to eat half and I saved the rest for dinner.
As far as the ambiance, the restaurant is very clean and has a small seating area (both tables and a bar) on the first floor, and additional seating upstairs. The kitchen is an open kitchen behind the bar, so you can see the chef preparing your food. The menu states that "Most items are available vegan and most are available without onions or garlic", so I will be sure to ask if what I want can be made vegan when I return.
As for pricing, the lunch menu ranges from $6 (for soup) to $12 (for entrees). I still haven't gone for dinner, but the entrees range from $14-$17 and the appetizers $6-$8. Some dishes on the dinner menu I would love to try are "cumin roasted fingerling potatoes with spinach, tempeh, black beans, and avocado corn salsa" and "organic red curry polenta cake with braised spinach and lime coconut cilantro cream sauce". mmm!

Mi Lah is open monday-saturday from 11am-3pm for lunch, and from 5pm-10pm for dinner.

Thanksgiving

this thanksgiving I wanted to be more proactive in the menu selection so that I would have more to eat than corn (my mom usually does all of the cooking). we had thanksgiving in my sister's small apartment in manhattan, and it was a bit of a challenge because of the small kitchen and her lack of food/basic ingredients! the night before I left for NY I baked a pumpkin cheesecake. Well, I baked two- one as a test, and because it came out so good, another to bring to NY. this was my first time baking a vegan cheesecake PERIOD so I was pretty skeptical, but absolutely blown away by the results.


recipe here

for me, it's just not thanksgiving without green bean casserole. however, being that the traditional "homemade" version (ie the kind that utilizes canned cream of mushroom soup) is not vegan, I hadn't had it in a few years. then I stumbled upon this recipe, and again was skeptical, but my whole family loved it. I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms so I diced them into tiny chunks.
I did make a couple of adjustments to the recipe because I forgot to bring a couple of items with me to NY. one was the cayenne pepper, but my sister's roommate had a bottle of siracha hot sauce so I used a few drops of that. also, I used canned green beans (2 cans) instead of fresh and omitted the bread because again, I didn't bring any!
recipe here

since my father and I are the only two who like sweet potatoes, I just baked two whole sweet potatoes, sliced them open lenthwise, and smothered the insides with margarine, brown and white sugar, and cinnamon, and baked for another 5-10 minutes.

I also made mashed potatoes for the rest of the fam:

6-8 medium sized red potatoes (washed, peeled and quartered)
2 tbsp margarine
1 tbsp garlic hummus
plain soy milk
vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

1. boil potatoes until soft when stuck with a fork
2. drain and transfer to a bowl and mash
3. add margarine, hummus, salt and pepper, and keep adding soymilk as needed until potatoes reach the consistency you like

we also had corn and cranberry sauce, but those aren't too exciting :)

Restaurant Review

Teany
90 Rivington St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 475-9190

Last Tuesday I was in New York and my sister took me to a vegetarian cafe called Teany. She had told me a lot about it previously, so I was very interested in trying their food!
When we entered the cafe I immediately loved the atmosphere. While it is very small and the tables were spaced very close together, I liked the simple yet funky decor and the kitschy tea-inspired knick knacks. After seating ourselves we were given menus and water, and shortly after asked if we were ready to order. As we were still looking over the menus, we asked for a couple more minutes. However, it seemed as though the waiter completely forgot about us (and they only had a few other patrons), and my sister had to flag him down.
We both ordered the lentil chili; hers with cheddar cheese and mine with vegan cheddar. We both ordered smalls, but the soup came served in a good sized coffee mug. However, upon first taste we noticed the soup wasn't even hot-- maybe lukewarm. Even though we felt terrible doing so, we brought the waiter over and told him our soup was cold, and he took it back and microwaved it and added more cheese. I really shouldn't have ordered mine with cheese, because the vegan cheddar wouldn't melt (as most vegan cheeses don't melt), and I was stuck with grainy orange chunks in my soup. As far as the lentils, they seemed a little over- or maybe under- cooked. I've made lentil soup many times, and these lentils were a little hard. The spices were spot on, however.
We also ordered sandwiches. Raquel got grilled cheese, and I got an edamame hummus sandwich that consisted of wheat bread, hummus made from edamame, alfalfa sprouts, avocado, and tomato. The bread was fresh and soft, however I was not a fan of the edamame hummus. I had never had it before so I'm not sure if this is a fault of theirs or not, but it was very grainy and had little to no flavor. I understand that they used edamame instead of garbanzo beans, but I thought they would add some spices to the hummus (like garlic). Instead it was just very bland. Sprouts and tomatoes have very light flavors too, so in general it was a very bland sandwich. I ate half of it and took the other half home (and the picture above is from the leftovers).
We also ordered a drink that was some type of sparkling cranberry juice which was very good. I was not very impressed by the food that I ordered, but Teany does have a good number of items that can be made vegan so I would like to give them a second try. Also, they have a separate tea menu that consists of 98 different teas, so I would again love to go back to try a few of those!

Pancakes

a couple of weeks ago I treated myself to pancakes. I used the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance, and added the optional cinnamon, which I had never done before, and it greatly improved the taste and color of the pancakes. I topped them with a heaping scoop of Earth Balance, organic maple syrup, and some strawberries. The strawberries were frozen organic strawberries from Trader Joe's that I thawed in a pot on the stove and added a teaspoon of sugar to create a little strawberry sauce. this breakfast was to die for!!
I don't feel like posting the recipe, since it's not mine and I didn't alter it, but if you don't have the book and would like to see the recipe, let me know :)

Sandwich and Smoothie Night

I'm trying to eat healthier. As a vegan I don't think I really eat that badly, but I have a problem with eating complete meals. I eat a little here and there but never full meals. After work yesterday I went to Trader Joe's and bought some of my favorite food items -- a bag of ripened avocados, extra garlic hummus, herbed focaccia bread, and some frozen fruit (mangoes, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries). When I got home, this is what I made:

Avocado and Hummus Sandwich

• 2 slices focaccia bread (or any bread you have)


• 1 small avocado, cut into small chunks


• 3 tbsp hummus


• a couple pinches of mung bean sprouts

The herbed focaccia bread from Trader Joe's isn't sliced, so the first step was to slice the bread! Then I cut open the avocado, pitted it, and cut it into small chunks. I then slathered the bread with hummus, and topped it with the avocado and mung bean sprouts.

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

• 1 to 1 1/2 cup frozen chopped mango


• 1 cup frozen strawberries


• 1 scoop soy protein powder (I use Trader Joe's brand)


• 1/2 to 1 cup soy vanilla ice cream


• vanilla almond milk

add all ingredients to your blender. add almond milk as needed to keep the blades moving and until the smoothie reaches the right consistency. if it ends up too watery, add more fruit and blend again.

I finished the meal with a package of raw almonds (I accidentally bought a bag of TJ's raw almonds that were in individual packages... next time I'll make sure I just buy one large bag to cut down on plastic waste!)

Product Review

This week's product is yet another makeup product. I'm sorry, but looking my best also helps make me feel my best, and I absolutely love it when I find a vegan makeup product that does its job.
Last week I stumbled into Origins at the Bellevue (on Broad st. and Walnut st.) I'd actually never been in there, but seeing as how I work a block away I would always walk past and read their advertisements. I decided it couldn't help to take a gander, and I LOVED what I found!
I had always heard that Origins was a cruelty-free company (they do not test on animals) but I was unsure whether or not they had vegan products. When I walked in I saw a makeup counter and began asking the associate whether or not the items were vegan, and she didn't know but she pulled the packaging from the drawer and let me read the ingredients. Some of the products, including the mascara, said "contains no animal products or byproducts". Since I was in desperate need of a new mascara (the one I picked up at Whole Foods was not cutting it!), I bought the Full Story mascara in black. I immediately tried it when I got home, and I LOVE IT. I will never again buy cheap mascara from Whole Foods or Beauty Without Cruelty!



And, it only costs $13.50!

Tofu Scramble and Canadian Bacon

Ok, so everyone makes their tofu scramble differently, and this is how I make mine! Let me start by saying that for the longest time I was afraid of this dish. I had tried making it once from a recipe, and I hated the taste so I didn't try it again for over a year. A couple of months ago I went to a vegan friend's apartment for dinner. He made tofu scramble with "canadian bacon" slices on english muffins and pancakes. I loved every bit of the meal, and it inspired me once again to take a stab at tofu scramble.
So this is my recipe! I apologize for the lack of measurements, but use this as a base and experiment :)

what you need:

• 1 box extra firm silken tofu


• nutritional yeast


• earth balance organic butter


• organic ketchup


• bread of choice

spices: yellow curry powder, cumin, garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper
I pretty much use 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of the curry, cumin, and garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and a few sprinkles of the black pepper. I just eye the nutritional yeast, but it's probably around 1/4 cup.

preparation:
1. Heat the butter over low/medium heat in a skillet.
2. Silken tofu doesn't really need to be drained. Cut the box open, hold it over the sink and squeeze out any stray moisture. Set on a cutting board or plate, and cut the tofu into 1/2 inch - 1 inch cubes (like cheese cubes). You don't want to make the cubes too small, because the tofu will break up in the pan and you don't want a bunch of tiny chunks!
3. Add the tofu to the pan, stirring occasionally. Add all spices and nutritional yeast to taste.
4. Push the tofu to one side of the pan, and place one or two slices of Canadian bacon in the pan. It's already prepared, so you just need to heat it.
5. Remove from heat, and assemble tofu and Canadian bacon on bread of choice (bagels, tortillas, english muffins, etc all work great!)
6. Optional: drizzle with ketchup
<3 erica

Simple Pleasures

One of my small vegan joys is when a company takes the time out to label their items as being specifically vegan. It saves me a lot of time in the store not having to read the labels and decipher some of the ingredients. Two companies that I love for their makeup and bath products are Lush and Urban Decay.
For a while, I've been buying all of my moisturizers, face washes, shampoo, conditioner, etc. from Lush and the majority of my makeup from Urban Decay. Both companies are cruelty-free, and in addition both offer MANY vegan items. On their websites and in their catalogs (Lush) they label their items as being vegan, but it wasn't until recently that they took the time to label their items in the store. Gone are the days of me walking around Sephora with my handy Urban Decay vegan item list print-out! Lush has affixed "V" stickers to all the displays in their store that showcase vegan items, and all vegan Urban Decay displays in Sephora feature their classic vegan paw print.
(Lush Emotibomb)
All of that being said, try a Lush Emotibomb in your shower! I received a free one at the store the other day and gave it a try-- it was amazing!

Sweet Potato Pie with Pear Glaze

Sweet Potato Pie with Caramalized Pear Glaze

I had a pear and a couple sweet potatoes I needed to use up, and this idea came to me. Originally I was going to make mashed sweet potatoes with the glaze, but a friend suggested I make it into a pie! I told her my basic idea and we were able to come up with this AMAZING pie this afternoon. Seriously, everyone who has tried it so far has fallen instantly in love with it.

pie:
• 2-3 large sweet potatoes
• 1/2 package firm silken tofu*
• 3 tbsp apple butter*
• 2 tbsp margarine
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1-2 tbsp plain soy milk
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 store-bought vegan graham cracker crust

caramalized pear glaze:
• 2 small or 1 large green pear
• 3 tbsp margarine
• brown sugar, white sugar
• cinnamon

* I used the Mori-Nu vacuum packed kind
* you could substitute cinnamon applesauce for this

Also, all of the measurements except for the potatoes and tofu are estimates; I didn't measure when I made this pie. add a little at a time and adjust the amounts to your taste!
preheat oven to 350.
1. poke holes in your potatoes and microwave on high 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.
2. once done, let potatoes cool. once cool, cut the potatoes lengthwise and scoop the insides into a medium size mixing bowl.
3. open the tofu and give it a couple good squeezes over the sink. add 1/2 the block of tofu to the mixing bowl.
4. add all other ingredients to the bowl. with a hand mixer, blend all ingredients together until creamy and all tofu lumps are incorporated. taste and adjust the ingredients to your taste.
5. pour into the graham cracker crust (btw, the mixture should be thick like pumpkin pie, if not add a little flour and mix again) and spread with a spatula. bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
6. let cool, and pour pear glaze over the pie. serve warm or cold.

to make the glaze (make the glaze while the pie is baking, so it's ready by the time the pie cools)1. peel and slice pears (small chunks)
2. add margarine to a small saucepan over medium heat. once melted, add pears and sugars (I didn't measure how much sugar I used and frankly I don't have a good estimate. start with a couple tbsp of each, taste it, and add more if necessary).
3. bring to a boil and reduce heat. continue to simmer over low heat until the mixture thickens slightly.
4. once the pie is done and has mostly cooled off, pour the glaze over the pie and serve!

Mrs. T's Lasagna

Mrs. T's lasagna

I was staying at my friend lauryn's house when her mom made this vegan lasagna to accomodate my diet. I watched her make is so I could recreate it at home, but I've slightly changed it. Anyway, I named the recipe "Mrs. T's lasagna" after lauryn's mom, Mrs. T!
Another bit of info: I recently took this lasagna to a dinner party and got rave reviews from those who tried it, none of whom were vegans!
what you need:

• 1 box lasagna pasta
• 1 jar marinara sauce
• 1 package firm tofu (the refrigerated kind)
• 1 cup chopped frozen spinach
• 3 large bell peppers (I used red, yellow, and orange)
• 1/2 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp basil

* at least an hour before you make this dish you need to drain your tofu. I do this by opening the container, placing the tofu block in a collander in my sink, and placing a bread plate with a heavy book or can on top of the tofu. this presses the water out of the tofu. flip the tofu over and press each side for 30 minutes.

1. bring a large pot of water to a boil. in the meantime, wash and cut bell peppers into thin strips. once water is boiling, add lasagna.
2. in a microwave safe bowl, microwave the spinach to defrost it. drain liquid.
3. in a blender or food processor, blend the tofu, chickpeas and spinach together. mix in the spices.
4. drain the pasta. take a large baking dish and pour a thin coat of sauce into it. on top of that, lay the pasta, covering the entire bottom of the pan. then, spoon the tofu/spinach/chickpea mixture onto the noodles, and spread with a spatula. layer sliced bell peppers on top of the mixture, top with sauce, and another layer of noodles. repeat this process until your pan is full, and cover the last layer of noodles with sauce.
5. bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Herb Roasted Potatoes

Herb Roasted Potatoes

This dish is SO easy to make, so when you need a good side dish there is no reason why you can't throw this together!
You need:

• 4-6 medium to large red potatoes
• 1 large onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 1 tbsp thyme
• coarse salt and fresh pepper to taste

tip: I often use dry rosemary and thyme, so I like to crush the herbs in my fingers first to release more of the flavor.

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. wash and cut the potatoes (the smaller the pieces, the faster they'll cook. I like to cut them to about 1 1/4 inch chunks) and slice the onion (thick strips), and place in baking dish.
3. in a small bowl, measure out the herbs. add the olive oil and mix. pour over the potatoes, and mix well.
4. sprinkle salt and pepper to taste over potatoes, place in oven and bake, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, for 20-30 minutes or until tender.

Chickpea Salad

Chick Pea Salad


This is my new obsession. Seriously, once I make it I can't stop eating it! This salad is quick, easy and is made of ingredients that most people usually have on hand making it super convenient. Also, it's great for you!

What you need:

• 1 8oz can chick peas (aka garbanzo beans)
• 1/4 cup oil (flax, olive, etc)
• as much diced red onion as you like (I used about 1/4 of a HUGE red onion)
• as much tomato as you like (I used 1/2 of a HUGE tomato), chopped
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Basically, just drain and rinse your chick peas and pour into a medium size mixing bowl. Chop your onion and tomato, add to bowl and combine with all other ingredients. Chill and serve :)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
(influenced by the Betty Crocker Cookbook)
Ok, so I had a major craving for peanut butter cookies the other night, but I had just bought a bag of vegan chocolate chips so I decided to combine the two! I got a basic recipe from my mom's Betty Crocker cookbook for peanut butter cookies, veganized it, and added chocolate chips! The result was AMAZING. They were a huge hit at my omnivorous household :)
What you need:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (white)*
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar*
• 1/2 cup peanut butter*
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened*
• 1 egg**
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Not called for in the recipe is chocolate chips, however I added about 1/2 a cup (I like A LOT) of EnJoy vegan chocolate chips. Also, since I used all-natural peanut butter (made of only peanuts and salt) I thought my cookies might lack a little sweetness. Instead of adding more sugar, I added about 1/4 cup all-natural 100% maple syrup.

• Mix sugars, peanut butter, shortening, margarine, and egg (I threw them all into my mixer)
• Stir in remaining ingredients.
• Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours (I'm impatient, so I put my dough in a gladware container and threw it in the freezer for a little over an hour and my cookies came out perfect!)

Then:

• Preheat oven to 375
• roll dough into 1 1/4 inch balls, place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on top of each ball, and flatten balls with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern on each one.
• Bake until light brown, about 9-10 minutes.

* I used Wholesome Sweeteners Fairtrade Organic Sugar, Domino Organic Brown Sugar, Marantha All-Natural Organic Chunky Peanut Butter, Smart Balance Organic Vegan Margarine, King Arthur 100% Organic White Whole Wheat Flour** I didn't have any egg replacer on hand, and I don't really like using it anyway so I substituted 3 tbsp of Archer Farms Organic Applesauce

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers

(I made a single stuffed pepper for myself, however you can adjust this recipe accordingly to make more servings)

what you need:

• 1 large bell pepper (I used green)
• 1 small or medium onion (depends on how much you like)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 can organic diced tomatoes in Italian seasoning (drain most of the liquid)
• 1/2 cup instant brown rice (and enough water to microwave the rice)
• 1/4 cup marinara sauce*
• a few teaspoons Italian seasoning blend

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Fill a soup pot with a few cups of water, and turn on high heat until it begins to boil. Add cleaned pepper with top and insides removed to the pot, and boil for about 15 minutes until the pepper begins to soften.
3. While the pepper is boiling, dice the onion and garlic, sautee in a pan with a little olive oil for a few minutes until transluscent. Add the diced tomatoes and stir, heat thoroughly.
4. In a microwave safe bowl, add the Italian seasoning to the rice, add water and microwave (my rice called for 1/2 cup water) until done (3 minutes).
5. Add to the tomato/onion/garlic mixture in the pan and stir well.
6. Scoop the rice mixture from the pan into the pepper. Use any excess mixture to line the bottom of a small baking dish, set pepper on top, and bake 30-45 minutes or until the pepper wrinkles a little and changes color.

* I highly modified this recipe from a fruit-stuffed pepper recipe in The Vegetarian Times. The original recipe called for tomato juice but I didn't have any, so I used seasoned marinara and it tasted AMAZING.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Creamy Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
what you'll need (makes 3-4 servings):

• 4 large red potatoes
• 3 tbsp vegan butter/margarine*
• 4 tbsp vegan sour cream*
• 1/2-1 cup plain soy milk*
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

1. preheat oven to 250 degrees. peel garlic and lay on a lightly greased cookie sheet. bake for about 15 minutes, or until tender.
2. wash and chop the potatoes (the smaller the pieces the faster they'll cook). note: I like to leave the peels on my potatoes for added nutrients, however you can wash, peel, then chop if you'd like.
3. toss potatoes into a pot of boiling water. boil until tender, then drain.
4. pour drained potatoes into a mixer, or into a large bowl if you're using a hand mixer. begin mixing the potatoes and one at a time add the other ingredients until well mixed.
5. if you like your potatoes dense, cut back on the soy milk. for creamier potatoes add more milk and sour cream.

* I used Organic Smart Balance for the butter, Tofutti "Better Than Sour Cream" soy sour cream, and plain Silk soy milk.

Introduction

after a lot of thought, I've decided to move my current vegan lifestyle journal from livejournal to this blog. because most of the blogs I follow are on blogger, it will be easier for me to keep up with them and to connect with more people and communities.
curently, erica's vegan life is what I like to call a vegan lifestyle blog. it began as just a recipe blog, but I wanted to expand it (and have since) to include product reviews, restaurant reviews, and whatever I felt like including that pertained to veganism.
that being said, please excuse the appearance of this journal while I transfer my old entries to this blog!

erica