Back in the (New York) Groove

Alright, first off, I am NOT listening to Ace Frehley right now. Just clearing that up. I did however, have a bit of a Throwback Thursday (on a Friday) moment this morning, and decided to check up on this blog that I abandoned 3.5 years ago. Whaaaat?! Crazy how time flies. Perhaps you'll be happy to know that I have decided to resume writing. Perhaps you don't really care. Either way, I am doing this because I realized that, A) 'I am a fairly decent writer', and B) I'm a fairly decent cook. I grew overwhelmed before due to the frequency of my posts, but I think that one or two new updates /week in conjunction with other social media will suffice. So, to welcome this blog as officially Back In Business, I am going to start with a list of some things that have grown to be tried and true favorites of mine over this bit of time. Think of it as a mid-2014 recap:

Beyond Sushi- all vegan, super tasty sushi in NYC; they have been in business for about two years now, and I can't rave enough about them. No fake fish products are used; only creative veggie combos.  They catered the cocktail hour at my wedding and the sushi flew off of the trays. Highly recommended if you are in the East Village or Chelsea Market area for lunch or dinner.  They also have a great blog here.

Homemade coconut milk ice cream. Don't worry, pictures and recipes will be coming soon.


The Juice Press- I know, I know. We all can make juice at home, but sometimes, you just need a good juice when you are out and on the go. Made with a Norwalk,  these are some of the best tasting juices I have had, ever. They are not pasteurized, and are heavy on the things that are truly good for you. My favorite kick-starter is the Mother Earth, a combo of dandelion, lemon, kale, chard, parsley,   cucumber, and ginger. Not for the faint of heart. Good for your liver. And dare I say... Better than   coffee?

Black chickpeas. Just like regular chickpeas, except black. Which we all know is more bad-ass than beige. I also feel like they have a meatier bite to them. They look great in all sorts of dishes (black hummus, anyone?) and have a slightly different nutritional profile due to the darker color. For more information on this, a decent article can be found here. Worth seeking out in your local grocery or Indian market, where they will most likely be labeled as Kala Chana or Bengal Gram. 

My new 11 cup food processor. I know... many people own these. I did not until a few months ago. Want shredded cabbage in less than 30 seconds? All I have to say is: Yes please. 

Two new cookbooks, by two great vegan bloggers: 
Isa Does It!- The new offering by Isa Chandra Moskowitz- easy, quick, and tasty meals. Sooo good!
Oh She Glows cookbook- the first book from Angela Liddon, focusing on healthy and innovative recipes, many gluten free options, and more. 

So there you have it. My first foray back into the blogosphere. Signing out for now kids. 
Christina

Getting Back to Bean Basics

There tends to be debate over time/convenience/cooking meals quite often on message forums and even within your own home. Many of us lead busy, multi-tasking filled lives that do not allow for proper meal preparation, nutrition, or even just sitting down to eat at all. I find that the act of sitting down to eat a meal in the evening, whether it be at 7PM or at 9:30PM, is relaxing and rejuvenating at the same time.There is certainly something to be said for preparing a meal and enjoying the final outcome- you created it for yourself and family/friends; it was your desire to provide without the ruling hand of someone else leaning over you. Even after a long day at work, the act of cooking can be something that calms us, inspires us, and brings us back to homeostasis. I placed a picture of chickpeas (and an awesome skull shot glass) at the top of this post for the following reasons: 

a) to show that it is easy to master a task that is viewed as unattainable by some

b) to encourage you to adopt more basic, homespun, wholesome elements into your cooking process. 

Recently I became involved in a discussion on a message board regarding cooking beans and fitting it into a weekly/nitely dinner schedule. Many people on the board felt that cooking beans took too much time to invest in on a day to day cooking basis, even though the cost was considerably less expensive for organic dried beans, the taste and texture superior to canned, and added BPA and other chemicals non-existent (I don't need to tell you about BPA's, do I?) . Now allow me to offer up a bit of reality: Frank and I both work full-time jobs and engage in other outside activities as well. Granted we are only providing for the two of us, but time is still a precious commodity. And yet after a whole winter of talking about it last year, we managed to incorporate cooking dried beans into our weekly dinners this year. Here are some time-saving tips and ideas for you to incorporate punk-rock kick-ass home cooked beans into your schedule:

-We buy our beans in bulk, and for organic beans, they are less expensive and fresher than the non-organic Goyas that sit on the shelves for months at a time. Fresh dried beans will cook in very little time, especially with a nice long soak. We soak the beans from the morning when we leave for work (so 7:30), or if we remember, the nite before. This gives the beans at least a solid 10 hours of soaking time. With this amount of time, even chickpeas cook up for us in under an hour.

-Many people will cook beans in a pressure cooker; if that works for you, great. We live in an apartment in Brooklyn, and while decently sized, apartment dwelling keeps unnecessary owning at bay. Thus, we cook them on the stove, the boring way. Stove top cooking is greatly benefited by the use of a cast iron pot that will maintain even heat.

-Cooking beans in bulk and freezing for future use or using them throughout the week is a great way to maximize time. Conversely, if the thought of cooking 2 pounds of beans scares you, or you are the menu-planning type who also leads a busy schedule, figure out a day that is most convenient for you to cook your beans. Some people prefer weekends, etc. That way, when you need the beans later in the week for a quick meal, they are there.

-Start cooking your soaked beans either when you get in from work (you aren't going to start cooking right away, are you?!) or as you start prepping your vegetables, etc for your meal. Most beans do not need to be added until the end of cooking a dish anyways. 

If you put the beans up to cook when you get home, you can do whatever you need to do to unwind, and by the time you start dinner, they should be done. How easy is that? Not only did you just listen to your newly purchased She & Him record, but you have food too! Beans are pretty low key if you allow them to be. And they totally dig records.

-If you are intimidated, start with quick-cooking no-soak beans like lentils, black-eyed peas, and split peas.

So now! Go cook some beans!

Pop Art Stuffed Peppers

The winter here has been a bit bogged with mundane slumps and wretched snowstorms, which I am sure many of you are familiar with. How does one escape from winter? We could say vacation in exotic locales, listening to tropicalia music, or we could even say reading a fantastic book (I Am Not Sidney Poitier, by Percival Everett comes to mind), but I am a firm believer that colorful, exciting food helps as well. Hence, stuffed peppers. But not any stuffed peppers. Pop art. They are boldly colorful and just as flavorful, and in a winter where peppers have been at times 4 dollars/pound and tomatoes are reaching the throes of $6/pint, this warming south western-tinged dish is a breath of fresh air. The dish is even prepared a bit exotically by using a stovetop steaming for the peppers, which is perfect for a weeknite dinner for Frank and myself.  Serve with a contrasting green vegetable and perhaps a dollop of your favorite non-dairy sour cream for extra flair.

Pop-Art Stuffed Peppers

3-4 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers (3 if super big, 4 if normal-sized)

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. marjoram

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cumin

1-2 chipotle peppers, depending on your heat tolerance

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 cup quinoa

24 oz. stewed or canned tomatoes (preferably golden tomatoes for contrast- ours were frozen from our CSA)

1 1/4 c. pinto beans

Directions for peppers: 

Cut peppers in half, either into long boats or into cups. If cutting into cups, leave stem tip in so pepper remains sealed. 

Trim out membrane and seeds, and place facedown in a 12-inch skillet filled with water. Steam over medium heat until crisp-tender, roughly 20-25 minutes.

Directions for quinoa filling:

In a medium sized dutch oven, steam saute onion and garlic until soft. 

Add in spices and chipotle, toasting for 1 minute. 

Stir in quinoa and tomatoes, bring to a boil, and then lower heat to simmer until liquid has been absorbed. The tomato liquid will act as a water substitute in this recipe; if you need more liquid add in water by 1/4 cup until quinoa is soft. When quinoa mixture has finished cooking, stir in beans to heat through.

To serve:

Using tongs, remove pepper halves from pan, and place in a colander to drain of excess water. Move peppers to a cutting board, and spoon filling into each pepper half. Place 2 halves on the most colorful plates you own alongside a green of your choice.

On Re-Discovery

Bear with me while I get a bit philosophical for a few minutes. The following story can be viewed as both a concrete and metaphorical tale, so read wisely. I think that I can safely count myself in as part of the 'It's a Vegan Cookbook, OMG!' crowd. I tend to limit my purchases to a few significant ones per year rather than buying each and every book that comes out, but you get the idea, I'm sure. So now, I am going to tell you the story of World of the East Vegetarian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey. I purchased this book at least 3 years ago, and up until this past month, do you know how many recipes I had made out of it? One. YES, one very good dish. Now it's not as if these recipes are particularly demanding time or technique-wise (I have cooked more from the Millennium book than this one), or that they even require a hefty amount of exotic ingredients (one well planned trip to the Indian grocery should take care of your needs). No, it's just that I was *intimidated* by the idea of cooking "exotic" cuisine, even though I love love love it so very much. The recipes in this book are not part of my Italian roots, and they are not strictly the Nouveau Contemporary Vegan that has risen in the past 15 years. These are dishes filled with culture and heritage that I am unfamiliar with. I should not be cooking them, I should be cooking Italian!

So now I ask you all: how many of you have purchased a book, or on a larger scale, a more significant item that simply sits on your shelf because you feel intimated by the prospect that it presents? Whether it be technique, requirements, cuisine, time etc etc, I feel that we have all done this at some point. Why does this happen for you, and how do you come to change this realization? (Now if you really would like to get philosophical, apply this to your daily lives, and one element that you lack / ignore / find intimidating. How can you work through this?)

After hearing me complain about wanting to utilize this book more in my cooking so that I can learn and experience everything from it, Frank finally made the bold statement that we should work to cook one dish per week from it. What a novel idea! And guess what? We have survived! From Creamed Eggplant to Okra with Tomatoes, each dish that we made from the book has been delightful. Now, when we have extra of a particular vegetable, we include WOE into our option searching. And along with this re-opening of a cookbook has come an opening of the mind.

Mushroom Basil Barley Risotto topped with Pine Nuts and Carmelized Onions

One of the many things that I love about barley is its seem-less entry into turning itself into a lovely risotto. Sometimes you just need something that is a bit more hearty and stick-to-your-ribs, and other times, you just want to avoid white rice. This recipe came out of desiring both. It was cold and we wanted to feel comforted. This my friends, is where barley steps in. Pair it with some hearty porcini mushrooms and a liberal dose of basil; top with carmelized onions and pine nuts for extra flair, and you have a one bowl feast. The result was very delicious. But before the recipe comes to you, a bit of history and nutrition about our humble grain barley. Barley, for those of you who don't know, has been with us since the beginning of time. Before there were refining mills and cross-pollinated strains of god knows what, many people relied on barley as both a food source, and of course, a beverage source (mmmm, beer).The grain is often thought to be the first cultivated grain in our civilization, and according to Pliny, was the food of the gladiators until the rise of Rome. Those in ancient Greece fermented beverages that were made of barley and used in ceremony and ritual. (source). Barley most likely fell out of fashion with the rise of wheat, and thus, the middle and upper classes. In more recent times, barley was considered to be peasant food, while wheat was the grain of choice for those who were prosperous. But here's a little bit more to chew on: one cup of cooked barley provides a quarter of your daily fiber requirements, is high in protein and iron, and is a great of calcium, magnesium, selenium and phosphorus. So onward and upward with barley! In this recipe a simple grain is turned into the most elegant of meals, pleasing the highbrow snob in us all.

Mushroom Basil Barley Risotto topped with Pine Nuts and Caramelized Onions

2 large red onions, sliced into thin half moons; water for deglazing pan
6 c. water
1 10 oz package porcini (baby bella) mushrooms, stems removed and reserved, caps diced
1 1/2 c. barley
1tbsp olive oil
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
black pepper and salt to taste
1/4 c. pine nuts

Directions

For the onions:
We are going to caramelize onions a la Mark Bittman (whom I adore). In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, place onion slices and a dash of water. Cover and let sit for about 7 minutes, or until onions begin to brown on one side and sugars caramelize on the bottom of the pan. When this happens, add about 1/4 c. (I eyeball it) water to the pan, swishing and scraping with a rubber spatula to de-glaze. Do this as needed until the onions are sufficiently caramelized. I find that once you de-glaze the pan, you are golden (ha ha ha, I have been quite pun-laden lately), and the rest takes about 5 - 10 minutes. Easy and tasty! When finished, cover and set aside.

For the barley:
Place 6 cups of water and mushroom stems in a sauce pan or a large tea kettle (I find that my kettle is great for this!). Heat until significantly warm; turn off heat and cover.

Following this, place oil in a medium-sized casserole, preferably cast-iron. Heat oil and add barley, stirring to coat each grain and toasting a bit. Add mushroom stock 1 cup at a time, stirring for a majority of the time to release the starches in the grain. As the liquid is absorbed, add 1 more cup stock. After adding the fourth cup of liquid, stir in chopped mushrooms and cook down. Depending on the tenderness of your grain (yes, you should taste it), you may only have to add one more cup of liquid; others may have to add two. Whatever the verdict is, add the fresh basil in after you have added your last cup of liquid. The idea is to let the basil wilt and infuse its flavors into the dish. Taste again and season with black pepper and salt to your liking (you may notice that I never really cook with salt- and if so, it's just a dash. Too much salt is not good!).

When the risotto is finished, place into serving bowls and top with a healthy dose of caramelized onions. Garnish with pine nuts for extra Gladiator Goodness and supreme upper echelon points.
PS I always promise music as part of the cooking experience, and while Frank and I listen enthusiastically while cooking, I rarely discuss it. While making this meal, I do believe that we were listening to the delightfully challenging and catchy RAM, by Paul McCartney. Released in 1971, it was his second post-Beatle LP, created largely with Linda, and leading into Wings. All Music describes it as 'humble' 'organic' and 'ramshackle'. I call it, catchy, ragged, and almost reeling in the power that it manages to give off to the listener at times. RAM feels like a proper follow up to later Beatle material, while being slightly less abstract in its musical tendencies. The album is a definite investment for those, who like me, are all about the Beatles together and solo, but really really dislike Wings and Ringo.

Spicy, Hot, and Damn Good

As we all know, the throes of winter and January blues have descended upon us all, due to this explanation. I grew up in Rochester, NY, where temperatures of 0 and below are pretty common every winter. Unfortunately, this weather every year did nothing to increase my tolerance for it. Even though it is a 'balmy' 25-30 degrees here in New York in comparison to the arctic temperatures present in other parts of the country, simply walking for 10 minutes in this weather makes your toes go numb, your fingers unable to bend and your poor mouth longing for something warm to be promptly placed inside of it. So dear readers, that is where I come to the rescue. No, I won't fly out of the sky with a piping hot bowl of soup to hand to you on the street, but this is pretty close. Prep time excluded (and it's not long), this takes about 30 minutes to have on the table, and will warm up your mouth and body with spice and nutrition.I had been thinking about making a vegan tortilla-esque soup for a while, but since there are no refined flours on the menu for January, this has turned into a lovely Mexican Vegetable Soup. Onwards and upwards!

Mexican Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
1 large red onion,
diced 3 cloves garlic,
minced 2 jalapeno peppers, diced (we left the seeds
in rather than using chili powder or cayenne, but use your judgement)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp coriander
1/2 Tbsp cumin
black pepper to taste
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
7 cups water (2 cans worth)
1 can 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed
3 ears of corn, or 1.5 cups frozen
8 oz frozen or fresh summer squash, diced into quarters

Directions:
In a large pot, saute onion, garlic, and jalapeno over med-high heat using either water or olive oil. When soft, add in all spices and cook for
another 2 minutes.

Add in tomatoes and 2 cans of water (the easiest way to measure out water and get the extra tomato in the can!), beans, and corn. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes to allow flavors to come together.

If using frozen squash (we received ours from our winter CSA share), thaw in a colander under running water and add to the soup. With the frozen squash, the soup really only needs to cook for another 5-10 minutes or so; just enough to warm everything up to your desired temperature again. If using fresh squash, add to soup and cook until tender-firm, roughly 15 minutes. Remove from heat, taste for seasoning, and enjoy!

What, you ask? Why, this post my friends! Between the holidays and traveling and moving and starting a new job, my world has been hectic to say the least. So in order to get back into the swing of blogging life, I have decided to offer up to all of you a re-cap of the culinary highlight created in my kitchen over the last bit of time. Some come from my head; due to time, most from books; and some are a combination of both... but the main key is that they are all tasty super-vegan winners. So, without further ado...

Celeriac-Apple White Bean Pie
Adapted from Asparagus White Bean Quiche from Veganomicon, subbing celeriac for the vegetable, thyme and sage for spice and adding sliced apple on top. Mmmm Mmmm.

Chickpea Cutlets, Brussels Sprouts and Mashed Turnips with Chickpea Gravy
The vegan version of meat and potatoes, with a side of greens. If you have not made mashed turnips (we used CSA turnips), they are delicious!

Chickpea Pancakes with Cardamom Spiced Cabbage
The cabbage comes from Robin Robertson's Vegan Fire and Spice. Simple, but one of the many tasty options Frank and I discovered this year for our CSA cabbage. The chickpea pancake recipe comes courtesey of the Indian Culinary Institute and is delightful. You can find it here on Not Eating Out in New York, a great blog that, while not completely veggie-minded, offers cost cutting/calculation tips and plenty of adaptable recipes.

Spicy Bolivian Cabbage and Potatoes
The final cabbage dish! A quick and easy recipe from Vegetarian Times that tastes as good as it looks. Use purple potatoes and green cabbage (maybe even a yellow or orange pepper instead of red) for extra color contrast. You can find the recipe here.

Cranberry-Ginger Scones
A beaut of a scone! The basic dough recipe was adapted from Vegan with A Vengeance. I then added in 1 cup of sliced fresh cranberries, subbed brown sugar for regular sugar and used ground ginger in place of the spices. I place non-crystalized candied ginger on top. These were the hit of the weekend when I made them.

Christmas Cookies!
And lastly, a fine way to cap off the holiday season. This is the selection that I sent to Frank's office, on a groovy Cynthia Rowley for Target plate that I bought millions of years ago but still love. Anyways, back to the matter at hand. The majority of these cookies came from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, the latest offering from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Allow me to say, woah! Everything was incredible and once you get into cookie-baking mode, easy to take on for an afternoon. Starting with the second cookie on the left, we have: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pillows, Linzertorte Thumbprints, Magical Coconut Bars, and Pignoli. The Linzertorte Thumbprints call for hazelnut butter, which I made in my food processor (soon it will be a Vita-Mix!) with a little bit of elbow grease, and it definitely paid off. Frank, his co-workers, and my co-workers all gave these cookies thumbs up. The first cookie on the left is one of my 'staple cookies', a veganized recipe from Better Homes and Gardens called Cardamom Snaps. This cookie pleases everyone from aged 6 - 100, so beware of cookie stalkers knocking on your door at all hours of the nite. You can find that one here.

There you have it! A round-up of the top notch recipes I have made over the last month or so. I highly encourage you all to try these if you have not done so yet, or go back to them if you already have. I tend to find that I make recipes from books only once, but all of these are repeat offenders in the best way possible.

On Nutrition, part 1: Omegas and Sound Eating

Most of you, I am sure, are well aware of the benefits of a vegan diet. However, it seems like there tends to be more emphasis on the amazing wonders of vegan junk food, and not so much on the basic elements. Now I am absolutely in no way what-so-ever saying that your food has to be bland and boring and tasteless, or that you should be cooking out of a vegetarian or vegan book from the 1970's (or even 15 years ago). What I am saying is that that more emphasis should be placed on the nutritional sound-ness of a meal. Incorporate some form of green into your main dish. Try to eat from as much freshly prepared food as possible (I know this may be hard for some of us- believe me, it gets hard on my end too at times!) Enjoy dessert or baked items on the weekends rather than every nite.

This morning while I was drinking my daily cup of coffee at work, I stumbled upon an article proclaiming the health benefits of Omega 3's. However, it also decried the abundance of Omega 6's in the SAD, due to the change in animals' diets. The author called Omega 3's spring fats, because they are abundant in green vegetables, and Omega 6's fall fats because they are abundant in seeds, nuts, all things we use to fill ourselves up with. While the article is written from an omnivorous point of view, I feel that it is important to know what you are putting into you body and how your body processes it, and leafy greens of all sorts are highly emphasised. Vegans certainly do not eat fat-fed animals, but almost all of us eat greens and seeds/nuts. This is simply telling you which is better for you, what you can eat more of, and why. Frank and I eat some form of green with our dinner every nite. Whether it be incorporated into the dish, sauteed with garlic or chili and liquid smoke on the side (especially brilliant with collards), or as a huge bowl of salad, the green element is always there. And! Would you believe that Broccoli Rabe is better for you than Kale? Yes, you heard me right. For a break down of leafy green nutrition, check out the following information, courtesy of Nutritiondata.com:
Broccoli Rabe
Kale
Collard Greens
Spinach
Broccoli
Swiss Chard
Cabbage

Whole grains, and a variety of them, are also usually a part of our meal. These too, are very high in Omega's and other fantastic minerals, most notably, calcium. I used to eat far less grains back when I was single, but even then it was the miraculous quinoa (which is actually a seed) for it's health benefits. Over the last year, I have added to my brown rice and quinoa regime the likes of black rice, millet and wheat berries, and also brought back bulgur and barley. Most of these are incredibly inexpensive in bulk, especially millet (which is very high in Omega 3's) and wheat berries. At Whole Foods in Union Square of all places, organic millet is $1.19 / pound and wheat berries are 0.89 cents /pound! Soak them when you leave the house in the morning, cook them as you are preparing the rest of your dish, and you have yourself a grain that cooks in the same amount of time as rice. Once again, the break-down:
Barley
Brown Rice
Millet
Bulgur
Quinoa

I know that this may seem like a lot to take in all at once, and I hope that this has helped to put a new twist on some things for everyone reading. I really like to get to the nitty gritty behind my passions, and this is definitely one of them. Being a healthy vegan while still enjoying my veganism is very important to me and should be to you as well. Now I say to you, be creative with these items and more! I have only focused on what I consider to be the basis and staples of most meals, so they are yours for embellishing as you wish. As I noted above, collards are delicious cooked with a bit of chili powder and liquid smoke. Stick them on the side of a black eyed pea Texas caviar, or stuff them into tofu omelets. Brussels sprouts taste amazing when cooked with a bit of sesame oil, Chinese 5 spice powder and roasted peppers. Broccoli rabe is wonderful with lots of garlic and cherry tomatoes mixed in. And so on and so forth... the kitchen is yours to take on!

Not Meat and Not Potatoes

'What?' You may be asking. 'Not meat AND not potatoes? And to that, I reply, 'Oh yes'.

Meat substitutions are fairly common in the vegan/vegetarian diet, but so are potatoes in all of their potato goodness. So what stands in their place when you decide you would like a break from them? Turnips. Ah, the almighty turnip. They were a part of our CSA share last week, and basically inspired the whole meal.

'Why not make mashed turnips and gravy, with brussels sprouts and a 'meaty' side?', I questioned out loud to Frank. The reply was very much in favor of such an idea, so that's what I did. Now I must say that I relied on old cookbook friends to help me along with parts of this meal, simply because I'm not a vegan meat and potatoes type of eater, and neither is Frank. In fact, as we were eating, I realized that I only eat these types of meals at holiday tables.

The turnips from the CSA were so fresh and delicious that all I did to them was boil and puree with a bit of almond milk. No peeling, no oil, no butter, no seasonings... and very very good. You may have to alter this based on the freshness of your turnips, but I highly recommend that you go out RIGHT NOW and get yourself some. You will like them. If they are good enough for Peter Cottontail, they are certainly good enough for you.

The meat and gravy were culled from Veganomicon and Vegan With a Vengeance. The ever-popular chickpea cutlets were used as our meat analogue of choice, and, because Frank and I are cooking for my family at Thanksgiving, we gave the Punk Rock Chickpea Gravy a spin. It's amazing! On its own, on turnips, and on chickpea cutlets, it is quite the gravy.

Be prepared to spend some time putting this meal together; I recommend a cold damp day with records like Rockpile's Seconds of Pleasure on the turntable. Simple, yet catchy and brilliant. Just like the meal itself.

Exotic Foods # 2: Kohlrabi

This week in our CSA haul we received kohlrabi. Now once again, one has to ask, 'what do I do with kohlrabi aside from putting it in a salad?' Well the answer my friends is... not too much, but enough. Whether you are creative and decide upon your own treatment or simply let Epicurious be your guide, you can find a smattering of kohlrabi recipes that will prove to be vegan and/or vegan-izeable. But first, a fine nutritional word on our humble kohlrabi. According to learninginfo.org, kohlrabi,

'... is a good source of thiamin, folate, magnesium and phosphorus, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, copper, manganese and especially vitamin C. One cup of raw kohlrabi contains 140% of the RDA of vitamin C'.

Not too shabby, right? For those of you who are still skeptics, a detailed breakdown that is pretty impressive looking can be found here.

Feeling a bit un-inspired with this vegetable, we took on the task of making Sauteed Kale and Kohlrabi the finished product from the September issue of Gourmet Magazine. The recipe calls for a traditional garlic and olive-oil treatment of the kale, but brings in a splash of lime juice, zest, and pistachios for brightness. The kohlrabi, while left raw, is warmed when the hot kale is mixed in the bowl. We have greens with our meal just about every nite, and are always looking for new ways of working with them. Unfortunately at times, it is hard for both vegans and omnivores alike to come up with new dishes that hit home. Greens, no matter how mild or strong, are difficult to season properly without either over-seasoning with something like garlic or under-seasoning and making everything bland. While the dish was okay in our eyes, we were not terribly struck by it. When I was able to taste it, the kale-lime combination was great, and the kohlrabi really picked up the flavor of the citrus as well. However, I felt that more lime would have been the key to really make everything pop. This means that you have to try the dish with MORE lime and let me know how it is! Frank and I paired this dish with quinoa, to make it into a complete 'k' sounding meal. Say it with me: Kale, Kohlrabi, and Quinoa. The complete recipe, ripe for modifications, may be found on the Epicurious website: Sauteed Kale and Kohlrabi.

Our finished product looked a bit like this:

Vegan Mofo: The New York Vegan 100

There have been different '100' lists floating around for about a year now, but Melissa Bastian of New York in Green, created her own Vegan 100 for our humble city, New York. Being a New Yorker myself, I decided to post it all here for you, with additions of my own at the bottom of the post.

Melissa says this:
'Like the other vegan lists, these are foods that you simply must try (whether or not you're vegan, really). This list actually also incorporates some eating experiences - settings and such. But the main difference? These are in New York! Get it? See? It's regional.

Should you feel the urge (and I hope you do), copy this list and just go ahead and tell us. Have you eaten it / been there / done that? Do you want to? Would you do it again? For my fellow New Yorkers, or those who live close enough to get into town reasonably often, answer away and please put a link to your answers in the comments! To those who just love to visit, answer as well, and maybe this list will be a good reference for the next time you get over this way. Even if you've never been here, tell us how it all sounds to you!'

The ones I have eaten are in red, for clarity (and flair...). So without further ado... here we go!


1. cornbread at Angelica's Kitchen -Mmm, the Angelica's Cornbread is the best. And it's not even corn! I have made it :)
2. the Zen slice at Viva Herbal (2nd Ave) - Oh yes.
3. lemongrass seitan on rice vermicelli at Lan Cafe - I have only been to Lan once and did not have this.
4. cake batter soft serve ice cream at Lula's Sweet Apothecary - - What?! No. Grrr.
5. Vegan Treats' Peanut Butter Bomb cake - Yes... it happens to be Frank's favorite.
6. the "Penny Lick" at Penny Licks - Sadly, no. I deprive myself of dessert.
9. coconut tofu soup at Pukk - no again...
10. camarones y coco at Vegetarian Paradise 2 - I will not try something vegan that I never liked omni.
11. crab rangoon at Red Bamboo - see above.
12. medu vadi at Madras Cafe - Mmmm... Madras...
13. dinner at Hangawi - It was supposed to happen, but it has not happened yet.
14. wings at Foodswings - I've had them fried and grilled, but I'm much more all for the grilled ones. There are better though...
15. vegetarian combo at Awash - I have never been to Awash. Someday.
16. nutmeats from Bonobos - Mmmm.... Bonobos... one of the best go-to staple restaurants of all time. The sundried tomato Macadamia nutmeat is superb.
17. sunflower lentil pate at Sacred Chow - I have only had the breakfast sandwich. It was tasty!
18. white chocolate wonderful peanut butter from Peanut Butter & Co. - Amazingly sinful.
19. Sweet & Sara marshmallows with toasted coconut - too expensive for a random treat, and I'm not a huge marshmallow fan.
20. ginormous lollypop from Dylan's Candy Bar - I am afraid of going in there and being eaten by children.
21. seitan scallopini at Blossom - For my birthday! Excellent!
22. baked veg meat bun at Buddha Bodai - No. As you can see, I don't eat out much.
23. Thanksgiving dinner (prix fix) at a vegan restaurant - No, I Thanksgiving is always at someone's house.
24. fresh apple cider at the Union Square Greenmarket - Oh yes.
25. "turkey" salad from Sunen Foods - No...
26. red sonjas at Mundo (in Astoria) - I have not been to this restaurant, but if they have vegan items and I happen to be in Astoria, then I will try it.
27. sausage roll from Vinnie's on Bedford - Grrr... I say every time that I am going to try it, but I haven't. Get a Vegan Farmer's Daughter pizza and don't tell me that I didn't warn you.
28. a dragon bowl at Bliss on Bedford - The best simple comfort food ever is the one at bliss and the one at Angelica.
29. a Red Bamboo soul chik'n sandwich purchased at the Bamn Automat - have not been to the Automat.
30. ravioli of the day at Caravan of Dreams - We ate at Caravan during a recent raw detox, so no ravioli
31. spaghetti squash spaghettini at Counter - Counter is not liked by Frank, so now I have never had this dish.
32. some teeny tiny ridiculously overpriced "entree" at Pure Food & Wine- Intrigued, but scared of spending 200 dollars.
33. ramen at Souen on 6th - have never been.
34. dumplings at Franchia - no...
35. the vegan panini at 'sNice - Yes. Very tasty.
36. chocolate hazelnut ice cream at Stogo - I have tried it in sample form... that counts, right?
37. a falafel pita with way too many crazy toppings at Maoz - Falafel is dangerous, so now I have not.
38. black sesame sweet tofu (soft serve) at Kyotofu - no... I'm boring...
40. an Ess-a-Bagel bagel with their tofu cream cheese - Not Ess-a-Bagel. The bagel store on Bedford or on Metropolitan. Multigrain everything with sundried tomato cream cheese will blow your mind.
41. brunch at Curly's Vegetarian Lunch - This was a staple for a while... we all liked it.
42. grits and a sake bloody mary at Old Devil Moon - missed out before they closed. Plus, I don't do grits.
43. peanut butter and banana sandwich at Think Coffee - Nope.
44. bad service with an attitude at Kate's Joint - Oh yes. Can we say 2.5 hours to spend in there, 1.5 of it waiting, for a meal for three?
45. Melissa Bastian's veg lasagna and red velvet cupcakes - I have never had Melissa's. But I've made my own, and I like them.
46. a fig and almond cake purchased at Dean & Deluca, the big one on Spring Street - no, but I like figs AND almonds.
47. pulled sugar candies from Papabubble - I still have not ventured in.
48. bean curd and broccoli from a Chinese takeout place that has lightup pictures on the wall of its main entrees - slightly frightening to me.
49. a plate of goodness from Veggie Castle - I've been here how long? Too long? Yes. Veggie Castle? No.
50. beers at the Brooklyn Brewery - It's 10 minutes on foot from me! Yes, all the time!
51. seitan satay sticks at Tien Garden - I think Frank has ordered them. I definitely know their amazing sauce.
52. zucchini fries at the Organic Grill - The menu to here turned me off because they have too many eggs on it.
53. Sake lemonade at Goodbye Blue Monday - I have never been because it's annoying for me to get to, even if it *is* technically in my neighborhood.
54. lhasa momos at Tsampa - no...
55. dinner with 4 course vegan - not yet, but soon.
56. a burrito from Benny's - Yes, they are quite great!
57. a vegan meal at one of Flushing Chinatown's veg restaurants - Yup. Before Macca at Citifield.
58. a pleasing experience at House of Vegetarian - Not yet
59. shark fin soup at Vegetarian Dim Sum House - A) I have not been. B) see answers to veggie seafood questions earlier on.
60. rice at Rice - Yes.
61. omusubi at Oms/b - No, I did not even know about this place.
62. pakora at Seva - Have not been.
63. bread from Balthazar bakery - Mmm... yes, I have had their bread. It's amazing.
64. Vegan Drinks at Angels & Kings - I say I'm going every month, and then I never do.
65. something accidentally vegan at Zen Burger - Once again, have not been.
66. the vegetarian appetizer combo plate at Bread & Olive - I used to pass by there all the time, does that count?
67. that funky triangle of tofu sitting in soy sauce from a bodega salad bar - GROSS.
68. Entenmann's individual apple pie (the kind in a little paper pouch) - Yes, but not for years now.
69. fresh fruit and/or vegetable juice from a juice cart on the street - Not from on the street...
70. knishes at Yonah Schimmel - One of my favorite Old New York experiences.
71. the "Elvis" (peanut butter and banana) at Papa's Empanadas - kill me, that sounds amazing...
72. a soft pretzel from a cart on the street, with mustard - Ufnfortunately, I have tried a bit someone elses'. Horrible.
73. nuts for nuts! - no.
74. sorbet from Caio Bella - Mmmm... very good.
75. cornmeal crusted tofu at Spring Street Natural - Oh yes! It was fantastic.
76. mango slices that have been arranged on a stick to look like a flower in bloom - I have always wanted to walk around with a mango bouquet...
77. zeppoli from a street fair - not since I was a kid, and never in the city.
78. funnel cake in Coney Island that you watched them fry - no.
79. pommes frites from a paper cone - no.
80. the Mexican chocolate milkshake at Curly's - I did not even know they served this... it's been a while
81. the Bandeja Paisa at The V-Spot - Yes! Well a bite of someone else's, anyways. It was great!
82. an accidentally vegan falafel, rice, and chickpea platter from a Halal food cart - no/
83. Thai iced tea at Pukk - not at Pukk, but at Wild Ginger. Excellent.
84. ice cream cookie sandwich at Stogo - not yet.
85. V-Spot empanadas purchased somewhere other than V-Spot - I had my first taste for free at the Veggie Pride parade.
86. pasta with marinara in Little Italy - A very good thing...
87. Quinoa pasta at V-Spot - not yet...
88. a slice of vegan cake while waiting for a band to start playing in the basement of Cake Shop - I haven't had the cake, but I've seen the bands and had the coffee. All in all, a good experience.
89. your breakfast on the subway - Sometimes... if a Larabar or Raw Revolution counts.
90. a picnic in Central Park - I have done that with just me.
91. dark chocolate bark from The Chocolate Room (Park Slope) - no.
92. black coffee from the bodega- One of my strict rules: No Bodega Coffee.
93. a soy hot chocolate from Oren's Daily Roast - Have not been.
94.mango maki at Tanaka - see above.
95. dim sum at Buddha Bodai - no...
96. pierogi in or from Greenpoint - Considering that it's my stomping ground, yes! Sauerkraut and Shroom are the best! And they should never cost more than 3.50 or have nasty preservatives in them.
97. a cheeseless pizza or Siciliana from Rizzo's -no.
98. marzipan from a bakery in Astoria - Not from Astoria, but from Fortunato Brothers! Best coffee, marzipan, and sorbet around.
99. a soy latte from the Starbucks on Roosevelt Island - I have actually worked there, so yes.
100. lunch pieced together from the salad and hot food bars at the Food Emporium beneath the 59th Street Bridge - not that FE, but one close by


THE END. I am going to add the following in:
Iced Coffee from Caffe Capri on Graham Ave
Hemp Latte at Beaner Bar on Graham Ave
Green Juice with a wheatgrass shot added in from Earthmatters
Borscht in Brighton Beach
Beer on the LIRR or out of a paper bag during Siren Fest at Coney Island
Any meal / dessert at Rockin' Raw on N. 8th
Raw pizza from Adelina on E. 17th st
the vegan carrot raisin cookie from the Union Square Green Market
vegan rugelach from Lily's homestyle bakery
Going into Sahadi's, spending 30 dollars, and walking away with nuts, olives, etc to last for months
Dinner at Vatan
Peanuts, chips and salsa, Lone Star, and bands at Rodeo Bar
Vegan White Russians
Bella Vegan Milkshake from Foodswings
Bread from Sullivan St. Bakery (better if you've made their no knead yourself, right after it appeared in the NYT)
Juice at Liquiteria post Yoga To The People yoga session
Pickles, Sauerkraut and pickled green tomatoes from Guss' on Orchard
Eating only 1 brownie from Babycakes

Squash Dish #2: Apple Pumpkin Risotto with Carmelized Onions

Every time there is a vegan *something* in a decent not-necessarily vegan magazine, word gets around. Doubly if it happens to be by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, whose name and recipes you have seen on this blog at least a few times. To close off the final pieces of Minneapolis, I found the latest issue of BUST magazine at The Wedge and promptly added it it to the grocery haul due to news of a Moskowitz recipe in its pages. Well, allow both Frank and I to tell you first hand: it rocks. Warm, satisfying, perfectly spiced. wow. We used a beautiful pumpkin from the CSA and substituted barley for the arborio rice, just to get in a bit more fiber. It was the perfect meal for a chilly, damp October day.Tomorrow Frank and I are going to jump into the throes of making vegan sugar skulls to give out to my piano students for Halloween. Pictures and dirty details to follow...

Minneapolis, Part 2

I believe that I left off after out fantastic adventure to Ecopolitan. Unfortunately for you all we did not do much more eating out, but we did explore the city a bit more and managed to throw together a fantastic parting meal at our friends' house. We were unexpectedly doused with about 4 inches of snow from Sunday evening into Monday morning, and thus our flight was pushed back until Tuesday morning. Sunday nite we went to the Twins vs. Yankees game, a monumental game since the Twins are moving into a new stadium next season, and Frank and I are *not* Yankees fans (and in fact, I'm not much of a baseball fan at all... I much prefer my old standby Buffalo Sabres). There were over 54,000 people there!

snow snow snow

Metrodome

Afterwards we went and ate at Sawatdee, but I have no pictures to prove it. However I will tell you that the hot and sour soup is some of the best that Frank and I have tasted- it is extremely spicy and vinegar-y and packed with a huge array of vegetables, from broccoli and cauliflower to cabbage and mushrooms. I highly recommend it!

Monday was spent enjoying our extra day exploring Minneapolis / St. Paul a bit more. Even though it's not food, I figure that this picture is appropriate because it's *almost* food:

Walker Sculpture Garden

Dinner Monday was an array of our left over grilled vegetables from Friday and a few fresh ones, all put together in a stir-fry with sesame noodles that Amanda made, and accompanied by miso soup. Very nice for a cold nite, and a great ending to a fantastic trip.

Grilled sweet potato, onion, eggplant and zucchini

Fresh vegetables to mix in

The stir-fry being, uh, stirred by Frank

Minneapolis Round-Up, Pt1

As promised, I am here to provide an overview of the trip that Frank and I took last weekend to Minneapolis. We stayed with his wonderful friend Jonathon. his lovely girlfriend Amanda, and their two dogs Newey (shaggy and black) and Sophie (adorable wiener who never grew to full-size). Newey is quite the ham and would pose for any picture. Sophie on the other hand...

Friday we did a bit of vintage shopping (as mentioned previously), and went to a fantastic co-op called The Wedge. Not only was it huge and packed with great selections, but their prepared food and bakery area was a vegan dream come true. For lunch, Frank and I had the avocado burritos and a side of Bengali greens. I wish I had pictures of these, but unfortunately, we ate them too fast! However, we did pick up some amazing dessert for later in the evening.

First up, the Black Forest cupcake. I am not a huge fan of chocolate cake, but this was moist, not too sweet, and the cherry/ganache combo was fantastic. Talk about a beauty!

Frank chose to be a little less indulgent and try the berry streusel pie. I am a huge fan of mixed berries, and after trying it, I wished I had ordered that instead. But never fear, he let me have two bites :)

We both decided to try the peanut butter balls, which as you see, look beautiful as well. While they were good- the Wedge mixes in soy protein and crispy rice cereal for texture- we both decided that we like my aunt's peanut butter balls better for their no-frills delicious-ness.

Saturday was spent at the awesome Pavek Museum of Broadcast, which, if you a nerds about records and music and recorded sound like we are, is a true treat. You can see anything there, from old Edison record players to news ticker machines and every sort of radio crystal and tube known to man. Our tour guide was an extremely knowledgeable man named Richard who answered all of our questions and them some. If you ever end up that way, go!

Ear food. Aka a wax cylinder record player.

Saturday evening we all went to Ecopolitan for an amazing raw dinner. Ecopolitan is pretty much *the* place for a decently priced, delicious raw/vegan meal, and I was very impressed. We started off with two appetizers, the Cashew Cheese Log and the special of the day, stuffed mushrooms. The cheese log, which was rolled in basil, olives, and sundried tomatoes, and served with balsamic onions and flatbread, was nothing short of amazing. The stuffed mushrooms were filled with a sundried tomato spread and dehydrated for warmth and texture. Also another winner!

Cashew cheese log

Stuffed Mushrooms

For dinner, we all ordered very different dishes, from salad with curry pate to Thai curried noodles. Amanda had the salad, which was topped with a huge scoop of curried pate:

Jonothan had an amazing-looking Red Avocado pizza, which was topped with tons of sprouts, pine nuts, etc etc. He gave it rave reviews all around:

Frank ordered thai curry noodles, which were delicious! The noodles were a combination of zucchini, daikon, and parsnip, topped with green curry, coconut, and pineapple.

I ordered the lasagna plate, which came with a side of the spiciest and tastiest kim-chi any of us had ever tried, and a piece of oat focaccia. I am not a fan of cooked lasagna because I find it too heavy, but this was just right, both in terms of size and density.

And lastly, for dessert, we all shared the parfait, which should really be called The Parfait that is As Big as Your Head. Fresh whipped fruit paired with a coconut- grain crumble- wow.

There's more Minneapolis in store, but I will leave you with the picture of that glorious parfait, which honestly, couldn't be a better way to exit.