From the monthly archives: March 2010
What a delight to find Caserta Vecchia on a nice spring-I-don’t- want-to-go-underground-to-the-subway-yet walk after work. It quickly made my list of things to do. Caserta Vecchia, named after a medieval village in Italy, offers cashew-based vegan cheese substitution on all their pizzas. Again, indicating the coolness of a neighborhood.
Cinnamon cake in shape of a donut from Terri.
Novice slice from Slice.
Vegan Mozzarella from Tillman’s.
Here is my latest breadmaker creation: Black Forest Pumpernickel bread. How cool does that sound? It makes me think that the bread absorbed the deep and dark evening in the forest, that small trolls had been stomping about it, imprinting their little foot paths into the porous exterior. But perhaps if more knew the etymology of “pumpernickel”, less would enjoy this bold rye bread. Basically it translates to goblin fart in German. Oh, those Germans.
Do you remember these packaged cookies? I sure do. I loved them as a child. My mom used to bring them home from her job. I devoured them slowly, breaking off portions of each of the three cookies’ circumferences. I placed each piece on my tongue, like communion. Years later I found my high school cafeteria stocked them and so I partook again. A pack in 10 was fresh but that didn’t matter. They were just as good stale.
Flash forward many, many years later, the chocolate chip cookie is still my favorite. Unlike the masses, the pleasure I receive from the chocolate chip cookie is in the area of the cookie between the chocolate chips. Sure, the chips are essential but… chocolate is easy. I never have to look very far for a good chunk of chocolate. Getting the cookie right is another story. Too much sweet, too crisp a crunch, too chewy a softness, too dark a pale brown and you’ve got hundreds of ways to mess it up. This being the case, I have a critique for every vegan packaged chocolate chip cookie out there, though I, of course, partake on occasion. (If you must know, it is Uncle Eddie’s that have won my highest praises as they know the value and utmost importance of quality sea salt.) But then this morning at my usual coffee spot I grabbed a The Essential chocolate chip cookie from Cindy Klotz. I have had one of these before but as I broke off portions of the cookie’s circumference this time… magic. The cookie tasted exactly like a Linden’s. Had it been half its thickness I would have been totally convinced. Nostalgic vegan make-overs are almost caught up with my past… Someone needs to get on the Boo Berry a.s.a.p.
Just because he is the cutest cat ever.The search continues, in intervals of 12. What is all this burger-eating leading up to? My decision on who makes the best vegan burger in New York City, of course. It is forthcoming.
The Organic Grill‘s Organic Grill Burger (East Village)
Pro: Very tasty, housemade, great fixings, a very good vegan burger
Con: Mushy but more good-mushy
Good Health Burger‘s Tex-Mex Burger (Midtown East)
Pro: Flavorful and yummy
Con: mushy
Metro Diner‘s House-made Veggie Burger (Upper West Side)
Pro: Hearty is an understatement, lentils, diner fries
Con: Bun ain’t the greatest
Enid’s Homemade Veggie Burger (Greenpoint)
Pro: housemade, tasty, good texture
Con: a little salty
Dojo‘s Soy Burger Dinner (West Village)
Pro: Carrot-ginger dressing, nostalgia
Con: mushy is the name of the game
Life Cafe‘s New Garden Burger (East Village)
Pro: Housemade, location-location-location
Con: Pita, mush
Counter‘s East Side Burger (East Village)
Pro: Hearty, delicious, potato bun
Con: A bit crumbly and pricey
Curly’s Vegetarian Lunch‘s Basic Burger (East Village)
Pro: Great all-around
Con: Bun a bit tough
Choice‘s Vegetable Burger (DUMBO)
Pro: Tasty, well-dressed, good value
Con: Questionable bun
Nature’s Grill Cafe‘s Veggie Burger (Cobble Hill)
Pro: Eh.
Con: No buns in the place (how late 90s), mush-fest, frozen patty, slow & packed
Loving Hut‘s Loving Hut Burger (MSG area)
Pro: tasty dressing & veggies, good flavor
Con: processed soy science meat product, bun too thick/dry
New York Burger & Co.‘s Mediterranean Veggie Burger (Chelsea)
Pro: Separate grill/spatula, nice flavor
Con: mush-fest, the rest of the menu
A few years back I did my student teaching in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Reveling in the fact that I needn’t join the morning straphangers with a trip into Manhattan, I day dreamed during my quick walk to to N. Henry that I was employed by my fieldwork school, that I had gotten my certification, completed my degree and had my first classroom. This was an important time in my life. I had, after 5 years, bid farewell to an cozy office job in order to student teach, and had just ended a 6 year relationship. I was planning my 2-month stint in Thailand and compiling my graduate school applications. I have vivid memories of feeling invigorated with living, like I was finally getting to where I wanted be. I casually and contentedly strolled to my placement each morning, occasionally picking up a morning bagel to spread with the tofutti I had stashed in the mini-fridge. So, years later, it was nice to stumble back into that bagel spot, Brooklyn Bread, on a lunch break from my current teaching job in Carroll Gardens and realize I had been there before. Ok, so my knowledge of this part of Brooklyn is limited. I had no idea I now worked so close to where I did my day dreaming years ago… and I had no idea that Brooklyn Bread had such delicious sandwiches! I speak of the The Vegetarian Special. Grilled portabella mushrooms, artichokes, grilled zucchini, roasted peppers, arugula and Tuscan olive oil on their delicious fresh bread. Besides its perfect combination of taste and texture, the colors pay homage to the old school Italian cluster in the neighborhood.
A neighborhood can be accurately judged by the quality of their… Thai lunch special! So Em Thai Kitchen confirms the wonderfullity of Carroll Gardens. With big lunch portions and the inclusion of two, yes, two appetizers in their cheapo lunch special ($8), it is a great deal indeed. But more, they offer seitan as a choice for their standard dishes. Of course I rarely get anything but a big pile of broad rice noodles in sweet soy sauce and Asian broccoli: Pad See Ew. Better still, this is two lunches. After three scrumptious and delicate little dumplings and two sturdy spring rolls, I boxed up most of my entree and ate it the next afternoon. That is $8 well spent. Em also gets pluses for ample people watching (and natural light for food photos) on Smith street and a table set-up that caters to the lone eater. 
Of course I have to pay homage to my go-to for a quick and easy bite, Park Natural. I rather enjoy the vegan macrobiotic bento box and an original Synergy kombucha beverage. It’s kind of like my super value meal except, with my usual Greens+ bar, it runs me about $11 or so. Eeek. Park Natural is a great little health food store which supplements my regular grocery shopping/food errand running just a couple of blocks from my school. The meal always causes quite the stir with on-looking colleagues back in classroom, although here it rests calmly on my vintage fabric-dressed teacher desk.
With a slew of produce from Fresh Direct panting in their plastic bags in my refrigerator, tonight I was in “use it or lose it” mode. This mode refers specifically to my disgust of food waste, my want for efficiency and my need to make lunch for the week. With the weather crappy and the roommates gone, the kitchen was mine. Here’s what I made:
Roasted tomatoes. I can live off roasted tomatoes. This is my favorite form of the tomato. I slice some plum tomatoes thick and long and roast them slow at 300, swimming in olive oil and the rotating seasonings of my fancy. This time it was the standard salt and pepper along with rosemary and some parsley for some complementary color.
Roasted zucchini. My second favorite vegetable to roast. Zucchini is quite unstunning in its natural form. But roasted, its texture is like a tender fleshy eggplant. It also sucks up flavor real well. Topped on warm thick bread and you got the beginnings of an amazing sandwich.
Almond and kale pesto. Absolute deliciousness. I processed a huge bunch of blanched kale with some olive oil, nutritional yeast, tons of garlic and ample nutritional yeast for a big tub of the stuff. Pesto is one of my favorite things to whip up because it dresses up so many foods so nicely. Paired with Vegenaise, it is an absolutely perfect sandwich spread. With that in mind, I thought I’d put the pesto not just on the bread but in it!
Yes, polishing off my first bag of bread flour, it was time the week’s bread selection: Kale pesto bread! Besides the beautiful specklings of green throughout, this loaf marks big progress in my breadmaking experiences thus far. Last week’s olive French bread was far from finished so I have to slice ‘er up for croutons. My breadmaker is spoiling me.
Last but not least, beet greens. Trimming these leaves in preparation for my roasted beet sandwiches later in the week, I sauteed up these lovelies to up the greens intake for the week.
Above all, feed them well. (Vegan white cheese pizza with cashew ricotto dollops, tempeh roll and veggie meatball hero from 3 Brothers)
Stock your pantry with friendly items. (Pineapple hot fudge soy ice cream sundae with sliced banana)
Buy a separate vegan-only grill for the Grill. (BBQ-grilled tofu with roasted Brussels and crispy fries)
See also: How to Date a Vegan Food Blogger, Part 1: Out n’ About
The bright blue looks odd with winter sticklings in the foreground. Cruising weather. Blanched kale. Woman with colors.
The darling buds of March.
I’ve seen this set of graphs all over the internet (i.e. numerous times in the What’s Hot section of my Google reader). And I am happy about this. It makes me feel more normal. Not that “normal” is an aspiration of mine or anything. But feeling normal is a different story.
The good people at PCRM put the graphs together in response to the 2008 Farm Bill (or what should be called the “Factory Farm Bill”) that got a nod from President Obama recently. So what’s the problem? Besides the fact that Mr. O pledged to cut funding to these monstrously powerful agri-powers-that-be (meat and dairy) and balked under pressure, one cannot help but see a huge disconnect here. With 73.8% of federal subsidies going to the meat and dairy industries, how can fruits, vegetables and grains make their way into more Americans’ homes and our schools, cheaply? With the meat and dairy industries running the show, how can we Americans afford to eat more healthfully, following the guidelines set by the federal government?! So meat and dairy stay cheap, despite their huge price tag (environmentally, health-wise, ethically, etc.) and vegetarian food stays expensive. And vegetarian food stays weird in the eyes of most Americans. The meat and dairy industries continue to profit. The ass-backward Western medicine industry continues to profit. Pharmaceutical companies. Fast food. Plastic surgery. Carbon footprints. Greenwashing. GMOs. The never-ending short cuts perpetuate. Our asses expand, the Earth turns to shit, billions of sentient beings are mass-produced to die and millions of other animals say, “You’re vegan? What do you eat?!” Certainly not what I’m being fed, thank you very much.
I have been ingesting far more calories than I need these days, in light of my sedentary lifestyle. Weekends of horrendous weather don’t help either. Catching up…
I headed to the East Village’s cramped lil’ Kosher counter staple, B&H Vegetarian Restaurant, after the person who answered the phone earlier told me their veggie burger was vegan. A bit obsessed with my veggie burger field reporting, I was quite disappointed to learn it contained eggs from the informed friendly counter guy who then pointed out the only vegan option in the place, besides soup. Ok, the vegetable soup is below. But wait, back to the counter guy. The next best thing to getting a vegan meal is finding a waiter who knows what’s vegan, declaratively, who saves you an upset stomach. That’s my silver lining. 
So the soup was okay, even though I couldn’t enjoy any bread dipping like my friend across from me did with her stack of soft challah. My entree was just eh. It was veggie chili over brown rice, something I could have made ten times better at home. But B&H isn’t fine dining! And had it not have been for my hope for thorough burger reporting, I wouldn’t have gone in, like I hadn’t during the 17+ years prior of perusing the East Village’s eateries. The vegans and the Kosher folk have some common ground when it comes to food. Especially in the cream cheese department, thank you very much New York City bagel joints. But it would be against spiritual law to mix meat up with all B&H’s dairy however, it has a ton of poultry (egg).
I have sung grand praises of Bone Shakers before. Okay, like a million times before… but I can’t stop. Bone Shakers, In the words of David Cassidy, in fact, while he was still with the Partridge Family – I think I love you. You’re my kind of eatery. And now you have cheddar and sage biscuits?! I… uh.. made cheddar biscuits too (look here). Don’t we have a lot in common?
And here is their delicious French Toast. They do what they do perfectly. Quality from stern to bow. Fresh, thick crusty bread that’s innards are soft and “eggy”, subtle cinnamon, real maple syrup, EB, topped with fresh fruit: an ample portion at a good price served with a smile by gals with beautiful forearm tattoos. My only suggestion starts with a “B” and ends with an “A”. Not Beatlemania but banana!
I did make some things on my own too. Finally perfecting an olive-infused French bread with a mix of whole wheat, dark rye and bread flours, my bread machine did me good. He fizzled and popped; he rattled and knocked; finally he just stopped. I sliced my 2 lb loaf and dipped it in some olive oil and fine fig balsamic vinegar . Ah, I was transported from Olive street to a balcony off the Mediterranean somewhere. 
Having a ton of ripe bananas to use, CandyPenny and I whipped up some of my intestine-scraper muffins with the remains of my neglected pantry. Said bananas, pecans from when I intended to make molasses-pecan rolls, frozen black cherries from when I made the pineapple upside-down cake, golden raisins from when I made the golden raisin semolina bread, and sliced almonds back from when I made my Christmas cookies. If only I could have added the arugula.
It rained all day and all night. Weather so bad it was humorous. Weather so bad I g0t my morning coffee delivered with my lunch and fresh-squeezed juice.
In the evening, I somehow rationalized leaving my apartment and met other bold travelers. We all screamed with the angry gusts and taxi splashes. Bad weather in New York City is much like an earlier-than-7am walk, a cause to share a smile with strangers.
Dunkin’ Donuts welcomed our loitering polka-dots and did not enforce their restriction of sitting for periods longer than 15-minutes.
Sometimes you eat just for shelter.
I’ll gladly deposit an hour of this night into my daylight savings bank.
Vegan Reporting By Location
