From the monthly archives: May 2010
This past weekend was the Electrician‘s Memorial Day barbecue. Although a meat-heavy grill event (I was the only vegetarian besides a veg-curious 11-year-old girl), care was taken that I’d need not settle for a less than full plate of scrumptious bbq fare. But of course! The vegan-only grill saw as much action as the one with the ribs, franks and burgers! There were vegan sides a-plenty including grilled papaya and cole slaw & potato salad made from scratch with this thankful vegan’s dietary restrictions in mind. Below: With ease and deliciousness, Tofurkey beer brats and Amy’s Texas Burgers (not pictured) get their stripes.
It’s the meat analog that provides the texture, that nostalgic barbecue bite. But I am a gal who loves to pile on the fixins and pile up the sides. Here, notice the piles on my brats: ketchup, spicy brown mustard and relish along with a delicious impromptu pico de gallo the Electrician whipped up on-the-fly in a show of sudden and decisive force. The yummy salsa included chopped watermelon (!) along with the tomato, onion and a vinegar & spice blend unique to the minute it was prepared. Also on the plate below, that made-from-scratch vegan potato salad and red cabbage slaw. Just wonderful!
Adding some dainty pink veganess to the party, I took care of desserts knowing I needed to represent on the side of sweet… and on the side of vegan. I pleased the curious majority with my mini-cupcakes! I opted to whip up VCTOTW‘s basic chocolate mini and pipe ‘em with pinked buttercream and a blueberry. They were a big hit and I know for sure I squashed some pre-concieved notions of vegan desserts. Success!
And I did not stop there! I also brought VCIYCJ‘s Rice Crispy Squares. Though the heat merged them into one rectangular treat, I collected several “mmm”s off these babies. I also made peanut butter blondies, also from VCIYCJ. I have been wanting to make these for quite some time, ever since I found out the Electrician was a fan of peanut butter treats.
I have an unquenchable appetite for starches. Here are some recent good ones:
3 Brothers‘ Pizza Bianco, whose prices recently shot up way high
Onion rings from Jb’s Burger: nothing special, probably frozen, really freakin’ good
Amazing Vegan Tamales off Papacitosbrunch menu
A huge pile of rice noodles at Em Thai Kitchen. I heart Thai Thursdays.
I am going to try to milk the graduation thing much longer than today. Yeah, why the heck not? I’ll have it preemptively excuse my raucous behavior come Friday, when the official celebratory drinks are set, and use it to collect long complimentary comment strands on Facebook. I’ll accumulate kid-hugs from my class who are in the midst of their own educational cusp. And of course, graciously accept offers of my favorite foods from my Electrician, who understands that, to me, a dish is worth 1,000 words.
So post-ceremony, we picked up my favorite: Bone Shakers. Dressed like FBI agents, we were a bit out of place in the gritty bike cafe inhabited by the wireless huh-employed. I opted for the Rebel Cruiser, which I had never tried because the description reminded me of ‘Snice’s old barbecue seitan wrap which was dry and not too tasty. But, of course, Bone Shakers’s barbecue sauce-drenched tender seitan was amazing and the internal slaw, spot-on. The bread was a bit crispy but it add to the texture combination. Bone Shakers, you can do no wrong. Seriously.
Something in the baked goods display case caught my eye and was quickly added to the order. It was described as a creme brulee torte topped with chocolate ganache and marshmallows (the great Chicago SoyDairy‘s Dandies, no doubt). It was simply fabulous, tasting like a cross between a scooter-pie (an old non-vegan favorite of my childhood, a.k.a. moon pie) and a rich chocolate truffle. Not at all overly-sweet with a substantive and buoyant bite. Dandies were a perfect addition. Though perfect for sharing, I’ll have to share with myself later… maybe heating it up just a smidgen to blend all the yummy textures further. Here’s to being spoiled sweet.
Much to my delight, Gobo has a 3-course First Seating Prix Fixe during the week. I thought this was a quiet and tasty way to have the official celebratory dinner honoring my graduation from graduate school. But as a food blogger who decides to cook and bake based on the quality and quantity of natural light in her kitchen, a restaurant’s bad lighting can kind of put a damper on a dinner… kind of like how rain can put a damper on an outdoor graduation ceremony! But here it is nonetheless, my three courses, minus the disorientating cafeteria-like acoustics of Gobo’s dining space:
Course 1: Seitan Skewers w/ Green Tea Mustard Sauce
These grilled skewers were very tender and succulent–delicious. I have never had seitan with such a unique texture. It was a lot of “meat” for a first course, however. The green tea mustard and pickled cabbage accompaniment were great as well.
Course 2: Sesame Protein Nuggets braised in a sweet & sour sauce
This dish was my old stand-by when I used to hit Gobo more often years ago. Nowadays, in my old age, I find the sauce a bit too sweet and plentiful and I would have appreciated a bit of rice to sop it up inclusive in the dish’s price. The nuggets were definitely yummy but, given my course 1, I should have opted for less protein. Could it be I loved the melon-balled apple pieces, pineapple chunks and blanched brocoli best? 
Course 3: Multi-Layered Chocolate Cake dusted with green tea
Wow, this slice was huge! Part of me thought the portions of the prix fixe courses would be adjusted in size but no maam. I could barely make a dent in my chocolate cake, especially as it was paired with a second glass of pinot grigio: not the most pleasant taste combinations. The piece’s remains sits patiently in my fridge for me to finish it. I think after this post I’ll hop to it!
When it comes to American Mexican food, the West coast puts the East coast to shame. Before Greenpoint, Brooklyn’s Papacitos stepped up to serve authentic and fresh Mexican with a street-food flare, if I wanted a veg-friendly burrito I had to settle for a million and one substitutions (No this, no that and no the other thing.”) or some thoughtless bland tempeh thrown into a dry tortilla and keep my mouth shut. Thank goodness I can enjoy a mission-style burrito not packed with recently-thawed cauliflower but with seitan asada, tofu sour cream and unquestionable beans! I heart Papacitos–for bringing some quality to the veg-Mexican options.
Since I first reported on them in 2008, Papacitos have stepped it up even higher, quadrupling their dining space, fine-tuning their menu and incorporating the much-loved Daiya cheese. And, of course, a Mexican joint is only as good as its chips and salsa. At Papacitos, expect a basket of oil-glistening chips and a cauldron of fresh, house-made salsa with all the bells and whistles.
I ordered the grilled quesadilla (anyone know why this takes the feminine form?), veganized and their vegan burrito (not pictured) to ensure I’d have plenty left over for work week lunch options. Portions and presentations were amazing but the Daiya needed a bit more heat to melt; it was cold and dry. It’s a new element to tackle, this incorporation of vegan cheese, and I’m sure eateries will soon master the melt. That being said, the quesadilla was even better the next day, nuked to perfection. 
Doubling my megapixel count, I am now the proud owner of a new digital SLR camera. I spent a whole morning getting to know its buttons and dials around the grounds of The Electrician‘s, who so generously bestowed it to me, in sly fashion, in honor of my graduation. Besides the 100+ pictures of warranty and directions paperwork, garden weeds and cats not sitting still, here are some of my favorite shots of day 1. 
What can I say? I am all about a morning batch of pancakes. As long as I can remember I have had it bad for flapjacks. From when my mom used to mix up the boxed kind when I was a peon, to my taking over duties for the household years later, to my early years on my own in Seattle, Washington where they were often dinner, to perfecting a fluffy and nutritious version of my own and sharing it with loved ones… pancakes are best enjoyed at my own table. Switching it up a bit, I opted to whip up the Vegan Brunch pancake recipe, having never tried it. They were light, fluffy and very different than my hearty usual, which was cut with wheat flour and some Millers bran. But they were oh-so good, kinda too perfect looking. But with a drizzle of agave, for lack of maple syrup, I could barely eat 1/3 of my plate. Could it be I like making pancakes more than I have the capacity to eat them?
See this food? I have eaten it and it has helped me to move from here to there to have me here typing this to you. See it? I put it in my mouth and chewed. Yeah, so what but: Have you ever paid attention to this process? Followed a bite from one side of your tongue to the other? Tasting texture. Mastication. This is no dirty word. Food touches our insides and all over, giving energy all about its path, starting first at our mouth. What else in the world to we ingest? Like fully and in abundance? Allowing it in. Allowing it everywhere. How is this not a big deal?
Tempeh roll at Dragonfly.
Sweet & sour seitan lunch special @ Em.
The Sag @ Bone Shakers.
All I could eat at Outback Steakhouse, on 5th grade class trip to DC.
Roasted veg sandwich @ the International Spy Museum in DC.
A big ass salad in the cafeteria of the Capitol Building in DC.
Pad Thai lunch special with summer roll and veggie dumpling @ Pad Thai.
I am the Budgie Baby
a parakeet in the kitchen
You’re my eyebrows
my need wipe down the table
since the sponge is already wet
He met you at a church dance
I met you after 3 before
barely making a peep
I know the world of why
in the creases ’round your eye
I know all the you in me
and now
the me in you.
Ms. CandyPenny recently tried her hand at making bagels from scratch, de la Vegan Brunch. In an effort to channel her spirit back to New York, I thought I’d give it a go myself.
Rise, rise, rise… is one of those words that starts to look misspelled when you type it several times.
Everything: Hawaiian red sea salt, caraway seeds, sesame and milled garlic
Cut dough
After the simmering bath, a plash of seeds
Holy smokes, I made bagels!
Aren’t they gorgeous?
And while my face is bloated with flour, here are some rye and saukraut croutons
Vegan Reporting By Location
