Monday, September 23, 2013
Being a (vegan) food snob
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Tastebud salsa of joy
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Dumpling-sized review-: dim sum on the Danforth
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
(Road)Avocado: delicious food in the jungle
One of the things I will be making (one of these days!) is a condiment I discovered at the homestay in Ecuador's Amazon jungle. There were a dozen of us in my tour group; and I was the only vegan but there were two vegetarians as well. I was warned by the tour company that I might have trouble with vegan food at the homestay, but I ate far better there than during the (very expensive) Galapagos tour. One day at the homestay they even served us all pancakes--which I was assured were vegan! With every meal, there were two bowls of "sauce" on the table. We put it on eveyrthing and raved about how delicious it was. I asked our guide, and he said it was tomatoes, onions, lime juice, water, salt and chilis. That's it! And it was soooo delicious. It added zing to my vegan vegetable soup and jazzed up my rice and beans. And I've never appreciated delicious vegan food as much as the delicious vegan food I was given when I was in a jungle, far, far away from a convenience store.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Jackfruit joy
I got the recipe from Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day, which is one of those cookbooks I just like to flip through and daydream about. The amazingness of this particular sandwich makes up for the weird texture and look of jackfruit, which to me, kinda looks like canned brains. Disregard this, and make it anyway. Or make it for Halloween and pretend you're a zombie: braaaaiiiinsssss...
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Musings: healthy and/or vegan
Well, gentle reader, that is a good point. But I was really interested in VegNews' link to accidentally vegan foods, because I have been saved many a time by Oreos' accidental veganity. (The photo shows my airplane meal on flight back to Ecuador in the spring. Dinner of champions!) And I was surprised/annoyed/confused to see so many people who were surprised/annoyed/confused to see so much junk food in the list. "These foods are so unhealthy! They shouldn't be on a list of vegan foods. Because I conflate healthy with vegan even though anyone with a basic knowledge of venn diagrams can prove me wrong." But I think this goes back to my issue of terminology: plant-based does not equal vegan. While many people eat plant-based diets for health reasons and call themselves vegan, they "cheat" because, well, everyone cheats on a "healthy" diet. But they call themselves vegan, and then every single non-vegan on the planet has a story that goes something like, "I know this vegan, and one time she ate a bacon sandwich with dolphin meat and unicorn tears sprinkled on top. So you must bacon-dolphin-unicorn sandwiches, too, right???"
And when someone tells a story like that, we say, no, meat/dairy/egg/tears aren't vegan, we don't eat them; while no one can be perfect we do the best we can; and no, I"m sorry, while I appreciate that your cookies only have a small amount of rendered pork fat, I won't be having any, thank you.
So these people who are vegan for health reasons turn into healthy plant-based-diet police and verbally crap all over VegNews' very helpful accidentally vegan foods link. Because my way of living is the only way to live, right? If I'm eating vegan for health reasons, everyone else must be doing the same thing, right??
Sigh. Such is human nature. Incidentally, would you like a full-of-fat-and-sugar vegan cupcake?
Thursday, September 12, 2013
(Road) Avocado: Popped dinner in Ecuador
In my last post on Ecuador, I mentioned that their dining involves something unique to their county. Want to take a moment to consider what that might be? In a hundred moments you wouldn't even guess, but go right ahead. It's popcorn.
Our guide told us that in pre-Columbian times, the people who lived in what is now Ecuador didn't make bread. They cooked food in pots over fire, so they made a lot of soups--even now my guidebook says Ecuador is known for its soups. So they popped corn and had that with their soups instead of bread. It was served as an appetizer in many restaurants, and served alongside soups and ceviches. In the photo, they served me ceviche with three things on the side--popped corns, roasted corn kernels, and plantain chips. Delicious! And only in Ecuador.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Breakfast of vegans, in a tortilla
One is avocado on toast, which I've described here before but will again, because it's so freakin yummy. At The Jane Hotel in NYC, which is where I've stayed the two times I've visited, the hotel resto Cafe Gitane has an amazingly vegan-friendly menu. One of their breakfast items is avocado on toast, so I of course ordered it several times during my week there the first time I visited on vacation.But they don't just open up some ripe avocados and schmear it on toast--no no, they add things to it...in a way that makes you realize that the whole is wayyyyy greater than the sum of its parts. Whole-grain toast, fresh avocado spread into a perfect little pyramid, a drizzle of olive, sprinkle of salt, picnh of chili flakes and squeeze of fresh lime juice. This thing is like open-faced heaven. I will make avocado and toast like this for the rest of my life.
The second NYC meal I am reminded of is the breakfast burrito at 'Snice, a veg cafe also in the West Village. Their version has crumbled tofu and black beans, but it was so delicious it inspired me to devise my own when I got home. I usually make mine with cubed tofu (cubed tempeh is pictured), and I lean towards a Mexican-ish spice blend when left to my own devices, so I do that. But I also add some chipotles--because they're awesone, duh--and red peppers and greens if I have them, to up my nutrition first thing in the morning. And because I seriously a freak about the breads I eat, I prefer to get a sprouted tortilla instead of those fluffy pale things most grocery stores carry--the sprouted ones are full of fiber and also have more texture. And now this breakfast burrito has become a tried-and-true favourite. Just like avocado on toast.
Um, brainwave: avocado in my breakfast burrito??
Sunday, September 8, 2013
(Road) Avocado: family pancake breakfast
The first recipe I found called for flax seeds--which were nowhere to be found. I looked high and low in the kitchen and could not find any. So I googled "vegan fluffy pancakes" and found this recipe. And they were in fact fluffy, as promised! And since my parents live in the Land of Maple Syrup, there was plenty of delicious real maple syrup to eat with the pancakes. It was a good breakfast.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
(Road) Avocado: Let it bean!
I'm at my parents place for the weekend. As a vegan, this means I either eat "the sides", or I cook. So I made pancakes this morning, and I'll make dinner tonight--but last night my brother surprised me by making us all a super-simple and super-delicious red sauce and pasta for dinner.
He tells me it's a recipe from Jean-Christophe Novelli, an amazing celebrity chef who he may have a slight crush on. He makes it all the time and people like it so much he shares the recipe with them. It is one of those awesome recipe that is incredibly simple but also incredibly flavourful. And frankly, it's always a treat to not have to cook dinner and just be eating the same food everyone else is eating.
My brother says to make it with heirloom tomatoes, but he says he has made it in January with crappy winter tomatoes and it's also find. The vanilla bean is unexpected but it seems to add depth and round out the flavours.
You can Google the recipe, but basics are:
Slice as many tomatoes as will fit in a sauté pan in half, and seat a few minutes until soft. While they are searing, add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of sugar. When tomatoes are soft, squish with a potato masher or back of a spoon to release the juices. Slice a vanilla bean in half, remove seeds and add seeds and the pod to the tomatoes. (When we were cooking last night, my brother's said at this point to add the vanilla and let it be. "Let it bean?" Eye roll.) Continue cooking over low heat to simmer. (The original recipe also calls for star anise but my brother doesn't like it.) Cook until thickened to a paste and add roughly chopped garlic, fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Cook for about ten more minutes to infuse flavours. If it's too sweet, add a touch of vinegar to balance it out. Serve with your favourite pasta.
Friday, September 6, 2013
(Road) Avocado: small-town vegan pastry
Today is a road trip day. I packed myself in a car with two other adults and a baby and we headed off. At the obligatory Canadian road-trip stop--Tim Horton's--I did the obligatory vegan ingredient check. I figured I would be left with the same options as usual: bagel with peanut butter, or oat cakes. (And incidentally, who the fuck actually eats oat cakes? I've never seen anybody eat one, but they are at every single store. SRSLY.)
But this time, it was like the heavens opened and showered vegan pastry over all the earth: the allergen guide showed no animal ingredients in the apple strudel. STFU, Mr. Horton's!! No really, it's true. So I asked my travel companions about a dozen times if they wanted a vegan apple strudel, and then I went and ordered one. And it was only eighty cents. Lord have mercy!!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
(Road) Avocado part 3: Polenta and Zen: Zen Kitchen in Ottawa
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
(Road) Avocado Part 2: La vida es Buena en Ecuador!
I love to travel. I grew up in a military family, so I think somehow all that enforced change seeped into my cells and somehow transformed into a desire to seek out new things.
However, as we know, travelling as a vegan can be tricky. So when I went to Ecuador with my mom earlier this year, a good third of my suitcase was food: instant soup, protein bars, shake'n'go smoothie powder, dried fruit... let's just say I brought a lot of food with me. But I brought a lot back home too, since I ate very well for most of my trip.
When we registered for the group tour (we went with GAdventures, by the way, and while this won't be a full-colour ad for them, I can't recommend them enough) we were told I may have trouble during the homestay part of the tour. I won't get into all of it quite yet--waxing poetic about all the delicious things I ate will definitely take more than one post--but the homestay portion was definitely not the hungriest part of my tour.
On my second day in Ecuador (my first day involved a challenging meal at a Chinese restaurant, normally a good option for vegans, in my experience, and "not much" egg), I had an amazing vegan ceviche. I knew about ceviche from Terry Hope Romero's Viva Vegan but my attempt at mushroom ceviche from that cookbook's recipe fell flat. I was delighted to have vegetable ceviche made with peppers, mushrooms, onions, cauliflower, tomatoes and more--served with thick ripe slices of avocado. Heaven! I had veg ceviche a few more times in Ecuador, and soon found it was usually served with a unique regional twist--but more about soon.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Movie Tueday: Gauc and 'shock
Bottleshock was in my queue/list/whatever they're calling this week because I watched it when it first came out, before the Star Trek reboot that also stars Chris Pine. Although apparently its reception wasn't as warm as my opinion of it, I enjoy this movie. This is partly because it hits upon another fandom I like, since it stars Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape in the Happy Potter movies. (If you can find an actor in this movie who also was in Star Wars, I'll send you a bowl of guac.)
In the movie, it is the 70s, and non-Old World wines are having a tough breaking new ground (seewhatIdidthere?). The snotty British wine connoisseur who owns a wine shop in France is sampling Californian wines to take back home for a blind wine tasting. Along with a delicious New World red, one of the winemakers brings him a bowl of guacamole--one of those giant mortar-and-pestle type guacs brought out in a mortar the size of your head and twice and heavy. The snob puts down his wine, bemusedly grabs a tortilla chip, dips it in the guac and eats it, his face soon changing to grudgingly admit its flavour--just as he is eventually won over by the New World wines he tries only in the name of fairness and fully expecting to be disappointed. Another scene showed the snob sitting at a mediocre bar in California, with a good half-dozen or more open wine bottles on the table in front of him, and as he remarks that the wines are all good, you can see his carefully constructed opinions shattering around him.
these scenes particularly stuck in my memory, inspiring me to write this post, because it reminded me of many things.It reminded me to always try new things, and by golly I do my best It reminded me that some of the best foods are the simplest, and that I need to throw away my preconceived notions. It reminded that even when I think my food choices alienate me, I can find foods--guacamole, dim sum, chickpea curry--that even my most determined omnivore friends and family will devour. And most importantly, it reminded me to buy some avocados and make some goddamn guacamole.
Monday, September 2, 2013
(Road) Avocado, Part 1: Veg Out in London, ON
And I was glad, because I had thoroughly enjoyed Veg Out. The menu was varied enough to be enticing, with a mix of comfort food--chili cheese fries--and healthy food, like soba bowl with veggies. For dinner, I absolutely had to get the crispy cremini and shiitake mushroom appetizer (pictured): I love mushrooms and anything deep-fried just has ny name on it. And yes, it was just as delicious as I thought it would be! I also got the bacon-mushroom melt, and whether it's because I didn't take picture or because it wasn't spectacular, I don't really remember it. But I was excited enough to also go back for dinner the next day!
I was there for a late dinner the next day, after the work event that I actually went to London for. I got the mushroom appetizer again, with a satisfying soy latte and this time the "fish" and chips (pictured). It was just as amazing as I hoped it would be! Almost creepily-similar battered and deep fried "fish", sinful fries and fresh and crunchy cole slaw. And I got a slice of the vegan cheesecake to go, for my train home ride to Toronto. All in all a wonderful and delicious trip to London!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Happy VeganMofo! And inspring alphabet soup
Happy VeganMofo! And more to come.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Fall in love with tofu, all over again
So we take it for granted: "Yeah, I use tofu, I know what to make with it, why try something different, I've cooked it a million times."
NO. Trust me, try this recipe: General Tao's tofu. I have no idea how fucking cornstarch turns tofu into a crispy fried delicious morsel, but it does. And it's easy! You can use your own favourite Asian-style sauce, like I did, and it takes maybe half an hour (longer if you don't have the rice made already), most of which is waiting for the tofu to brown . However it's so simple you'll want it everyday.
Confession: I made it for dinner last weekend, and then I ate it for breakfast AND lunch the next day too. Because once again I'm smitten.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
New Year's Carbolutions
I don't have anything against carbs. My general philosophy is to eat things that have been messed with as little as possible. So if I'm going to eat something that's already made and packaged, I want to eat something that's been processed less, if I can help it. So I usually buy non-wheat bread and pasta for home, and choose whole grains if it's an option when I'm eating out.
Accordingly, when I made today's All-Carb Dinner, I used kamut pasta. I did use white bread for the crumbs, but that's because I had some old sourdough bread that was given to me that I had to use up anyway. So I don't feel guilty, even though it was two kinds of carbs rolled up in delicious fat. And that's the way it should be! Eat good food, be full, and don't feel guilty unless you've done something horrible like poke kittens in the eye.
The All-Carb Dinner pasta dish I made tonight was Pasta con Aglio e Olio--pasta with garlic and oil. I had variations of this a few times while I was in Italy--let's face it, a vegan often gets simplest pasta on the menu by default. Some variations had tomatoes or parsley or chili flakes added. My extensive five minutes of googling tells me that adding the breadcrumbs makes this a Milanese version. (Don't be confused by the shallot and greens in my photo--they were for food styling only, because plain pasta makes for boring-ass photos.) In my opinion, it's the breadcrumbs that make the dish, although like many traditional homey foods, it's whatever version your mom/dad/gramma/grampa made for you that is truly authentic. For you cooking pleasure, a not-a-recipe follows. Vary it until you find your favourite, then tell your kids/your cats/the people who borrow your pepper mill that it's the only authentic version around.
A not-recipe for Pasta con Aglio e Olio
Add as many servings as you'd like of your favourite strand pasta to boiling water. Lower heat if it starts to boil over. While the pasta cooks, chop as much garlic as you'd like (I used four small cloves for one serving but that may be while I'm still single); and using the smallest holes on a metal grater, make crusty stale bread or lightly toasted fresh bread into as many crumbs as you can before you get tired. I used about a quarter cup to top one generous serving of pasta, but some recipes I saw called for a little over a third of a cup per serving. When the pasta is almost al dente, heat the oil in a frying pan. When hot, add the chopped garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, only until the garlic is white and fragrant. Add the breadcrumbs and fry for a few minutes to toast the crumbs. When the pasta is al dente, drain thoroughly and add to the pan, stirring to coat. Add chopped parsley or chili flakes if desired. Plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve.