Peace By Pastries

Breakfast is the Bestest!

2009-12-17T18:48:00.007-06:00

Well it's been a while since I posted...I've had a cold for a few days, but I'm feeling much better now and ready for blogging!

This past weekend was another edition of the KC Vegan Crawl. At my underground restaurant, which I am now doing on Saturdays btw, I served breakfast....because it's the best meal EVER!
One of my favorite breakfast meals is Breakfast Burritos, so that's what I served! These burritos were big and delicious and perfect for a chilly Saturday afternoon! They were whole wheat tortillas stuffed with scrambled local tofu, homemade seitan sausage, shredded Follow Your Heart vegan cheddar, and organic spinach!! So goooood! I also made some Homemade Salsa to go with them. On the side, I served Garlic-Roasted Local Potatoes, which rocked! It's just not breakfast without potatoes. Am I right or am I right?!And, since it's just not a meal without dessert.....DOUGHNUTS!!! Maple-Glazed Sweet Potato Doughnuts, to be exact! These were my first ever homemade fried doughnuts! I have made baked ones before, but there's just something soooo satisfying about a hot, fresh fried treat. mmmmmmm.
I used a modified version of one of my grandma's recipes for Glazed Potato Doughnuts, and they turned out perfectly! I just have to share a recipe, because people ate them up faster than I could make them in my little Fry Daddy! So great! These have been veganized and kinda healthified for your pleasure....make these asap! You don't necessarily need a deep fryer; you can use a large pan or wok for the frying. Go! Vegan Maple-Glazed Sweet Potato Doughnuts
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 cup soymilk, scalded
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
1/4 cup vegan sugar
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup mashed sweet potatoes (I used local sweet potatoes, and they were perfect)
2 Tbs flaxseeds, ground and whisked together with 1/4 cup water
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 lb powdered sugar
6 Tbs water
1 tsp maple extract
1 Tbs vanilla extract

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Set aside until the yeast forms a foamy layer on top of the water. In a large bowl, combine the scalded soymilk, shortening, sugar, and salt. Whisk together, and then set aside to cool until lukewarm. Stir in the proofed yeast, mashed sweet potatoes, and flaxseed mixture. Mix until just combined. Sift in the flours, 1 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and then knead until you have a smooth, satiny dough. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and turn over the ball so the top is lightly greased; this will prevent the dough from drying out. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll to 1/2" thickness. Using a 3" doughnut cutter, or biscuit cutter and a mini round cookie cutter, cut out your doughnuts until no more dough remains. This should produce about 3 dozen doughnuts and doughnut holes. Place cut doughnuts on lightly greased cookie sheets. Cover and let rise for another hour to double in size.
While these are rising, whisk together the powdered sugar, water, and extracts to make the glaze; whisk well until no clumps remain. Set aside.
Heat oil in deep fryer or large pot, to 375 F. Fry each doughnut for 1 minute per side, until lightly browned and puffed. Drain on paper towels or newspaper. Drop hot doughnuts into glaze, then set on cooling rack until glaze has set.
Serve warm with coffee or hot cider for an out of sight wintertime experience!!!! Yields: 3 dozen doughnuts/holes.

Now quit reading and go make some doughnuts!

Vegan Cookies Have Invaded My Cookie Jar: Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

2009-12-11T21:12:00.004-06:00

Vegan cookies have officially invaded my cookie jar. Well, they would if I actually had a cookie jar!! My current life goal is to make all the recipes in VCIYCJ by Isa and Terry. Last week I made the Spiced Sweet Potato Blondies, this week, it's the simple and perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies. Mmmmmm....

Is there really anything more beautiful than warm, homemade chocolate cookies...straight out of the oven and dying to be devoured with a tall glass of cold soymilk...and then to share them while snuggling under a cozy blanket? I think not! Go make these. Now! If you don't have the book, you can find the recipe at theppk.com. Seriously, go!

Sunday Funday!

2009-12-09T19:00:00.008-06:00

This past Sunday was filled with snow flurries, tasty food, and beautiful friends. In case you haven't read some of my past posts about Kansas City's Sustainability Sundays. Basically, every Sunday my friend, Dane, and I serve up vegan, locally-grown food from our houses--underground restaurant style--and talk about sustainability. It. is. awesome. We have great people come out to eat and support the cause! I serve lunch and Dane serves up dinner, so we each get a break from cooking for one meal. It's a good thing.

There was even a special guest at my lunch this week: Miss V from the blog Miss V's Vegan Cookbook! She is another KC vegan blogger, but you've probably already checked out her blog. If not, then you should!!! I was so glad to have her join in the food and festivities! Yay Miss V!

Lunch this week was one of my favorite meals: Arepas! These plump little tortilla-like cakes are stuffed with black beans, fried plantains, and Latina Shredded Seitan (actually a tester for Terry Hope Romero's Vegan Latina cookbook!). I served them with Garlic-Lime Braised Local Greens and avocado. So, so flavorful and goooooood.Dessert was suuuuper exciting....because it was the first recipe I have made from Isa and Terry's Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar!!!!!! I was so excited to get this cookbook and I was NOT disappointed! At all! I made the Spiced Sweet Potato Blondies and let me just tell you that these are perfect. There's really no other way to say it. I even got to use local sweet potatoes in them! yeah! Everyone was sooo in love with these! I used walnuts and vegan butterscotch chips in mine, and served them with a lil' scoop of So Delicious vanilla ice cream! omg.omg.omg.For dinner, Dane served up Peanut Noodles with Broccoli, and some fresh cucumber. Sweet, salty, spicy, and awesome! Dessert wasn't photographed, aka I forgot, was also fresh and tasty...chocolate-peanut butter dipped pineapple! What a treat!On another note, I just have to rave about a sandwich I put together last week, what I am deeming The Thanksgivingwich!!! This fantastic monster of a sandwich was full of all my Thanksgiving leftovers: sliced Seitan Faux Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, Creamy Onion Gravy, and Sauteed Greens, all between locally-made Farm to Market Bread! Heaven in a sandwich for suuuure. Now if I had only saved some stuffing to pile on it....nah, too much. :)

KC Eats: Blue Koi!

2009-12-05T21:46:00.008-06:00

So I have blogged before about some amazing places for vegans to eat in Kansas City...Blue Koi is one of the restaurants I have mentioned for its great vegan selection. But until last week, I hadn't even eaten there myself! Well, I went once and now I'm totally hooked!!! The staff is extremely knowledgeable about which items are vegan or could be made vegan, which makes me immediately feel at ease when I sit down to order. Also, tons of the menu items are already labeled vegan, which is even better!! The prices are in the 10-15 dollar range for an entree, but TRUST me on this, most of them are good for two meals. And I can eat a lot! So really, it's like 5 or 6 per meal...not too shabby considering this is some flippin' amazing, all fresh and homemade, pan-Asian food!!
I have now gone to Blue Koi twice in two weeks, and I plan on going much, much more!
On my first trip, I went with my friend, Chelsea...who is awesome btw :)

I got the Vegan Delight: a noodle soup in a sweet miso-ginger broth with carrots, cabbage, daikon, mushrooms, tofu knots, rice noodles, and fried tofu. Holy moly this was extremely flavorful, very mild in spice, and warming to the body and soul. I am in love with this dish. Perfect.Chelsea got the Ants on a Tree with Tofu: rice noodles stir-fried with tofu, cabbage, mushrooms, other veggies, and a spicy soy-based sauce. So, so good. It had a nice balance of heat, saltiness, sweetness, and savoriness. mmmm.....For our dessert, we split the Sesame Balls, the only vegan dessert Blue Koi currently has. It is basically a little mochi ball stuffed with red bean paste, coated in rice flour and sesame seeds and deep fried. So many good things all in one little ball!!! Then, to go even more over the top, they give you their Sweet Plum Sauce to dip them in. Seriously like an Asian version of a jelly donut. I could not get enough!! And for being fried, they were not greasy at all! So light and airy and absolutely delicious. Best dessert from a restaurant I've had in quite a while! On my second visit, which was for lunch today, I took my mom since she had never been to Blue Koi before! Crazy!

She got the Tofu with Braised Mushrooms: Wheat noodles topped with a saute of mushrooms, fried tofu, and a savory soy-based sauce, topped with cilantro and scallions and served with a garnish of house-pickled cucumbers. So delicious. She was very, very pleased! Not spicy, but very flavorful and salty and goooood.

For my meal, I ordered the Tofu with Black Bean Sauce! I seriously think I almost passed out this was so wonderful!! It is fried tofu cubes (which were huuuuuge!), red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and fresh jalapeno stir-fried with a spicy and sweet black bean sauce. Served with perfectly sticky and fluffy all at once rice. yum. Just so, so, so many awesome flavors all together and perfectly executed. Not too greasy or sticky or any -y that it could have been. Divine is all I can say!! It made perfect leftovers for dinner tonight, too! Bonus!!
If you're ever in Kansas City or live nearby, Blue Koi is definitely a place you should check out! I don't think you'll be disappointed. Ever. At all.

Super Sustainability Sunday

2009-11-30T17:52:00.010-06:00

Yesterday's Sustainability Sunday, aka the KC Vegan Crawl, was so great! Tons of people came out for tons of great food!
It was even more super special because I busted out the Fry Daddy! yessssss!

For lunch, I served Homemade Black Bean Burgers topped with braised chard and garlic, caramelized onions, and homemade chipotle vegan mayo, all piled onto a homemade Cornbread Burger Bun, courtesy of Melisser from The Urban Housewife blog!! I served them with Sweet Potato Fries...that were actually fried! yeah! The chard, onions, corn in the burgers, and sweet potatoes were all locally-grown, too! Even better!I got some of those adorable little red diner baskets during my trip to Denver, at a thrift store, so I served the burgers and fries in those! How cute, right?!

Dessert was Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from Isa and Terry's Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World! I had leftover homemade local pumpkin puree from Thanksgiving's pumpkin pie, so this was an obvious and amazing use for it! I used my own Cinnamon Buttercream recipe for the frosting, and this turned out to be one freakin amazing little cupcake!

Then last night was Dane's turn to whip up some more vegan goodness!
There was a great turnout, so tons of people got to share in the yumminess!

For dinner, Dane served a Rice, Bean, and Veggie Burrito topped with Sweet Potato Butter and Sauteed Local Bok Choy. On the side were Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Ginger-Brown Sugar Baked Local Radishes. So much good fooooood!

Dessert was Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches--with Strawberry-Sunflower Seed-Oat Cookies and Homemade Vanilla Vegan Ice Cream. There was also a Vegan White Cake for a birthday cake!There were a couple of peeps' birthdays this week, so we celebrated them all together with some tasty vegan cake!Now for some random pics of people having good food and fun at Sustainability Sundays! Dane, cooking it up in his kitchen...It also happened to be a moustache party as well, so those of us who didn't already have a natural moustache drew one on...like the lovely Chelsea here!
More food and good times to come next Sunday for sure! KC Vegan Crawl baby! It's gettin out of control big!! yay!

Thanxgiving Part 2: Anatomy of a Pumpkin Pie

2009-11-28T22:13:00.006-06:00

So I am of the belief that Thanksgiving just cannot be without pumpkin pie. Call me crazy, but it's just how it is! This is my recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Pie, made with local pumpkin. I am sure you could use canned pumpkin puree, but it really just wouldn't be the same!!

I'll also give you a brief step-by-step on making the puree. Hopefully you'll try this for your next fall/winter celebration!

Step 1: Buy 1 medium or 2 small pumpkins from your local farmers' market.

Step 2: Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds/stringies.

Step 3: Roast pumpkin at 350 F for 1 hour until soft.

Step 4: Remove the "meat" of the pumpkin from the skin and puree until smooth in a food processor.

Step : Place pumpkin puree into a cheescloth or thin towel. Put the cloth into a strainer set over a bowl and allow to drain overnight. This helps to achieve the right thickness/consistency of the puree.

Step 6: Make pie crust, poke with fork all over. Or open package of premade crust and poke with fork all over.

Step 7: Make pie filling.

Pumpkin Pie Filling (for 1 pie)
2 cups pumpkin puree

1 box silken tofu

1 cup sugar

2 Tbs molasses

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger powder

2 Tbs arrowroot whisked together with 1/4 cup non-dairy milk

In a food processor, puree the silken tofu until smooth. Pour into a large bowl and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Gently fold ingredients together until well combined. Pour into unbaked pie crust of your choice, preferrably homemade!

Step 8: Pour pie filling into pie crust and bake at 350 For 1 hour. Cover with foil for the first 30 minutes, then remove foil halfway through baking. Step 9: Allow to cool at room temperature overnight or for at least 6 hours to allow the middle to "set."

Step 10: Slice pie, and enjoy....even better, of course, with a little vegan whipped cream or ice cream!

Thanxgiving Part 1: The Spread!

2009-11-27T17:36:00.011-06:00

I love, love, love Thanksgiving! Some of my favorite foods are served at this feast and it is always so much fun to cook for hours and hours and see everyone's delighted faces at your hard work! This year, I went all out and made eeeeeverything from scratch...even the faux turkey! Over the next few days, I'll be posting some of the recipes, so as to not overwhelm in one post, so keep an eye out for all my Thanksgiving recipes!!

The Spread: Homemade Seitan Faux Turkey with Savory Onion Gravy, stuffed with Apple-Sage Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes with Chives (my grandma made these vegan for me! with chives from her own garden!), and Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts...

The garlic, bread for the stuffing, apples, chives, and brussels sprouts were all local!The Seitan Faux Turkey RoastI also made Candied Ginger Cranberry Sauce!! I'll give you my recipe below.

Candied Ginger-Cranberry Sauce
3- 12 oz. bags fresh cranberries Juice and zest of 2 lemons Juice and zest of 1 orange 1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped 3 cups water 1/2 cup sugar 2 Tbs brown sugar or molasses 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1/2 tsp salt

In a large saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the ginger and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes. Add the chopped ginger and let simmer for 15 more minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Remember to remove cinnamon stick before serving. Serve warm or chilled. Best made the day ahead of time to let thicken and enhance the flavors!

My grandma made vegan Mashed Potatoes with Chives for me! Thanks, granny! You're awesome!Local Garlic-Roasted Brussels SproutsSavory Onion Gravy! I love gravy boats!!And because Thanksgiving is just another word for pie: Pies!!!

First is a Pecan Pie, made with locally-grown pecans!! Check out that homemade crust, ya'll!! It was superb, if I do say so myself :) The recipe for the pie filling came from Bryanna Clark Grogan's Vegan Feast Kitchen, because it's amazing! The pie crust is my own creation. And then there was Pumpkin Pie! The recipe will be coming tomorrow, along with a step-by-step on doing the pumpkin puree from scratch! The pumpkin is local, from the farmers' market, and the pie crust is the same as the pecan pie above. This is even better with a big dollop of vegan whipped cream, of course!!

Sundays Are For Love.

2009-11-23T14:05:00.012-06:00

Yesterday was so awesome!! The Kansas City community really came out and supported local and sustainable foods! The meals hosted by both Dane and myself were very successful....and delicious!! For my lunch, I served up some veganized Italian foods, while Dane's dinner was a potluck this week! Fun fun fun!

Lunch!
I served Roasted Vegetable Lasagna for the main dish, and it was great! Layers of whole wheat lasagna noodles, homemade cashew ricotta, homemade marinara sauce, and roasted local veggies!! The top is Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella. Taaaaasty!I served the lasagna with a Caesar Salad--homemade dressing AND croutons, too! The bread for the croutons came from a wonderful local bakery here in KC, Fervere! Yeah!Dessert was Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti from Veganomicon. This was a huge hit!! Probably because these are some amazing cookies!! Duh!

Dinner!

Now, onto the potluck! Everybody brought amazing dishes, all vegan, too! Here are some highlights:

Dane made an Apple Pie, with local apples, of course

A lovely salad with ALL local, freshly-picked veggies! Also, local bok choy with red chilis!Yes, there was a Tofurkey! Two, to be exact. These things are so surprisingly good! We topped them with some pomegranate seeds! Yum.

I made a Shepherd's Pie! The bottom has homemade seitan and lots of local veggies, the topping is mashed potatoes...made with local potatoes! I loooooove this dish; it's just so wintery!Our friend, Adam, brought some Roasted Potatoes, with onions, garlic, and rosemary!
Vegan Pumpkin Pie!

Awesome siblings, Chelsea and Matt Huff, making some Cranberry Chutney! delish!!
There was even some awesome Rosehip Tea!Everyone sharing in the yums...Our gracious host, Bryce, who makes pretty much anything possible because of his big heart and hospitality! The potluck was at his house! Thanks, Bryce!!

Jim Button is enjoying a tasty Pumpkin Bisque....
The spread...including my Cinnamon-Chestnut Bread Pudding, and Harvest Bread (from Fervere Bakery) with agave whipped Earth Balance! Yes!Adam Brumback, showing his love for the food and the people!
More amazing people around amazing foods...And the lovely Chelsea Ringler! Always a Sustainability Sunday supporter!! Yeah, there was even organic soda. haha!

Neil, digging into the goodness.
Everyone got soooo full and sooooo happy! :)

And everybody helped out, which made it even more amazing!!

Including Emily Lodigensky...

A good...no, great....time was had by all!! Let's hope next Sunday is even better!

Yay food and yay sustainability!!

Buffalo Seitan Wraps and Another Lovely Sunday!

2009-11-16T17:16:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was so wonderful! Lots of great people and great food were shared to make yet another fantastic KC Vegan Crawl! I am constantly astounded at everyone's support of Sustainability Sunday happenings!!

Onto the food! Where would we be without it!?

The star of the lunch on Sunday was the Buffalo Seitan Wrap: homemade chick'n style seitan dredged in a homemade spicy buffalo wing sauce wrapped up in an organic whole wheat tortilla with homemade vegan ranch dressing, organic red onion, tomato, and spinach. Oooooh they were so delish!! The cool ranch juxtaposed against the spicy buffalo seitan was divine.

And for the side dish, I made some Spiced Potato Wedges! Local potatoes tossed in olive oil and spices, and baked until nice and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside! Yum! Man, potatoes are a perfect food. GOSH. I also made my Kickin' Ketchup for the dipping of the potato wedges. I love to dip, what can I say?!And you know I gotta have dessert!! I made my Oatmeal Cream Pies, because I just wanted and needed and craved them. I think everyone was happy with my decision...so perfectly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg for the fall, with that dollop of buttercream-style filling for a little naughty indulgent touch. I think I can declare this my new favorite dessert! There, I said it! :)

I was so very pleased with how yesterday went...now it's time to get crackin' for the next sustainability shindig!

Things I Thought I'd Never Eat Again Part 1: Pimento Spread!

2009-11-11T19:54:00.003-06:00

Every once in a while, I want to start writing about things that I eat that I never thought I would have again, since I'm vegan and all. This will be the first post in the mini-series!

Today's item was Vegan Pimento Cheeze Spread!! The recipe is a tester for Bianca's (of Vegan Crunk) upcoming Cookin' Crunk cookbook. If you aren't familiar with pimento cheese, it's basically a spread made of Velveeta, pimento peppers, and mayonnaise. And it is totally better than it sounds! Very creamy, tangy, kinda sweet. Perfect on nice soft bread for a lunchbox treat or to dip celery and carrots into as an after school snack. I served my spread on locally-made Farm to Market's Grains Galore bread, which is super soft and nutty and tasty! I brought some sammiches to my mom at work and even took along some coleslaw for the side dish, and she provided some Cozy Shack chocolate soy pudding! A perfect little office picnic! So fun!

This Week in Sustainability...

2009-11-09T20:59:00.007-06:00

Yesterday's Sustainability Sunday was a HUGE success! Dane and I both had tons of people come out to our supper clubs, and the KC Vegan Crawl made yet another mark on the midwest! Yay!

At my place for lunch, I made everyone's favorite: Brunch!!

My Lemon-Ginger Scones! A big, big hit! The recipe is here...I highly recommend it. I even got the lemons at the Farmers' Market!For the main event, I served up cakes 'n eggs, vegan-style!! Awesome Whole Grain Pancakes, Scrambled Tofu with Local Greens, and Local Homefries, featuring both yukon gold and sweet potatoes.

To mix it up a bit, I gave my guests a choice of different pancake toppings: Plain (Earth Balance and Maple Syrup), Homemade Pumpkin Butter, Cinnamon-Baked Apples, Chocolate Chips, or, for those with a savory tooth, Spicy Seitan Chorizo!

Here's my plate-- I topped mine with both the pumpkin butter and baked apples, being the little glutton I am. Did I mention ALL the produce and tofu used were local? Well, they were! The savory option: Pancakes topped with homemade Spicy Seitan Chorizo Crumbles, drizzled with agave nectar and sprinkled with sea salt. Holy moly this was one tasty plate o' food!!Then, for dinner at Dane's place: Gumbo and Rice! Food for the working folks, for sure!! Tons of okra, Anasazi beans, tomatoes, garlic and more in a delicious, spicy broth, topped with fluffy white rice. I think all the vegan Southerners would be proud!!And there was homemade bread: Whole Grain and French Baguettes!! BREAD!!And, since no meal is complete sans dessert: Depression Cake!! Dane found a recipe for cake from the Depression era, when things like eggs and milk were scarce...so it was already vegan and tasty and cheap to make! Yes!! He jazzed it up a bit with a Cranberry-Orange Glaze, and it was just too good!
Thanks to everyone who has been coming out to the Vegan Crawl!! Hopefully we'll just keep growing and growing! There will be more delish food to come, ya'll!

Cashew-Cardamom Baked Apples

2009-11-07T18:46:00.003-06:00

Maybe it's my affinity for German stuff, but I gotta say I just loooove baked apples. Love 'em. And this just happens to be the perfect time of year for all things apple and baked. Cool!
My friend, Anna, and I made these for a potluck last week and they were a real hit!! And for those of you who can't handle the wheat, these are gluten-free! These are, of course, best when made with fresh, local apples from the Farmers' Market! Cashew-Cardamom Baked Apples (makes 12)
12 medium-sized apples...preferably local!
1 cup cashew butter
2 Tbs maple syrup or agave nectar
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp cardamom powder (or use up to 1 tsp if you are a true cardamom lover! haha)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1 pinch white pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegan margarine, such as Earth Balance

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
Wash and core the apples and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the cashew butter, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined. Carefully spoon 2-3 Tbs of the mixture into each emptied out apple, until they are full of the cashew butter mix. Set on the cookie sheet.
In a small bowl, combine the margarine and brown sugar. Sprinkle over the top of the stuffed apples, covering each evenly.
Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate pan and cook for 10 more minutes. You want the apples to be soft, but not mushy or burned. The topping should be nicely melted and caramelized. Let cool for 10-20 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Saucy!

2009-11-05T21:36:00.003-06:00

Just a short post about a few things I've made lately!

There's so much pumpkin at the Farmers' Market...what better to make than Pumpkin Butter?!?! Nothing, that's what I say! Local pumpkin...hooray!
I based the recipe on my recipe for Sweet Potato Butter from last fall, but with a little different spice blend. I used 1 Tbs cinnamon and 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice for the seasonings, and simmered it with an extra cinnamon stick. It's so fantastic! Great on toast, muffins, waffles or whatever needs a little touch of fall lovin! Yum!

I also made a tester sauce for Terry Hope Romero's upcoming Vegan Latina cookbook: Fresh Gazpacho Salsa Dressing! It's just what it sounds like...a combo of gazpacho, salsa, and dressing all in one! I made it a few weeks back when I still had fresh, local tomatoes and bell peppers, so it was perfect for showcasing the last of the summer goods. In fact, all the veggies in this were local! Woo! This went great with tacos, chips, salads, and arepas, too! Cuz a good sauce can really go with just about anything!

Something Sweet from Sweet and Sara!

2009-11-04T19:58:00.005-06:00

I was just boppin around Whole Foods the other day and what did I find?! There were a whole pile of Sweet and Sara's Cinnamon Pecan Marshmallows, just calling my name!! These are sooooo so soft and pillowy. zomg. The cinnamon and pecan flavors both shine, and there is a little streusel-like topping on the top that gives a little crisp in addition to the crunch of the pecan. Soft and crispy and crunchy? Now that's a treat I can get into! I might even go so far as to say I like these better than the original!! I still can't decide. I guess it doesn't matter, because they are both just so wonderful! These were just made for cool fall nights, girl (or guy) talk, and a mug of cinnamon tea....

Tis' World Vegan Day! Let's Eat!

2009-11-01T16:01:00.002-06:00

Well the Vegan Month of Food is over, but there's another reason to celebrate: today is World Vegan Day! I celebrated with the same way I celebrate every Sunday: with a big vegan dinner at my house! The underground restaurant was hoppin' today, which makes me super happy. There was lots of love going around, and even more delicious, comforting food.

The spread: Vegan Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, and Braised Brussels Sprouts or Greens. It was awesome!! The loaf was a perfect autumnal twist on the classic hippie lentil loaf: Carrot-Lentil Loaf with Pumpkin-Tomato Sauce. This was my entry for this week's Iron Chef Challenge, for which the secret ingredients are carrots and pumpkin. This was really filling and satisfying, and was a great nod to the fall weather upon us!!For dessert, I served Local Apple Crisp a la mode!! I didn't use a recipe, just something I threw together...I need to try and remember what I did, because it was really freakin' good. I'll share it when I do ! :) This is the ultimate fall dessert, in my opinion!! The a la mode was with Nada Moo Maple Pecan Ice Cream! I hadn't tried Nada Moo brand before, and I was soooo impressed. The maple flavor was amazing and it was creamy and not too sweet and very delicious! I want to try more of their flavors now! Nada Moooooooooo!! I love you!

Happy World Vegan Day!! Spread the word and the love!

Vegan MoFo: No Tricks, Just Treats! Pumpkin Cupcakes!

2009-11-01T01:06:00.007-05:00

So great to have Halloween as the last day of Vegan MoFo!! I could think of nothing better on a beautiful fall day than pumpkin. Specifically, the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from Isa and Terry's Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World!! These are so fantastic!! Everyone at the bonfire I attended loved them a lot, too! I even made my own liners out of parchment paper, to give them that candy-wrapper look on Halloween.For the frosting, I made my own Cinnamon Buttercream. Not really the same as the recipe in VCTOTW; similar, but more to my taste. Either way, you can't go wrong with cinnamon and buttercream!

Happy Halloween and happy end of Vegan MoFo! See you tomorrow on November 1st for World Vegan Day!! Do something special :)

Vegan MoFo: Local Apple Cuppie!

2009-10-28T21:12:00.003-05:00

My Vegan MoFo Day 28 entry is a bit overdue! For last week's Iron Chef Vegan Challenge, the secret ingredients were apples and peanut butter....two of my absolute favorites!! The entry was due on Sunday, but I got wrapped up with the whole restaurant thing and totally forgot. woops!

So it's better late than never, right?! I made Local Apple Cuppies with a Peanut Butter Shortbread Crust. A little piece of heaven! A cuppie-- mini like a cupcake, but it's a mini pie--is something I kind of just made up one day, but I'm sure it's been done before. Either way, they're pretty cool and mess-free and tasty!
Aren't they adorable?!Gotta fill the insides super full of local cinnamony apples, of course!Slice it in half and share it with a friend...or just take a pretty picture and eat it all yourself!

Vegan MoFo: Sustainability Sunday!

2009-10-27T18:36:00.009-05:00

Welcome to Day 27 of Vegan MoFo (month of food)!! The KC Vegan Crawl, aka Sustainability Sundays, was hoppin again this past weekend! Lots of great peeps came out to support sustainable, delicious vegan foooooood!

At my supper club, it was Oktoberfest 2009!! All German food all the time!

For the meal: Homemade Vegan Brats with Braised Local Cabbage and German Potato Salad (all local veggies, too!). Of course, there was lots of Organic Kraut to be had!!

For dessert: Apfelkuchen! For all the English speakers, that's German Apple Cake! I got my recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking and it turned out soooo great! I am in LOVE with this warm, cinnamon-y, moist cake. Love.See, Dane loves the German-ness...And Anna reeeealllly loves the German-ness!!And for the second leg of the vegan crawl, at Dane's place....more local food gooooodness!

Spaghetti Squash Saute: local sketti squash with onions, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, and olive oil. So many good things all at once!!Lima Beans in Tomato Sauce: lima beans. simmered in tomato sauce. what more could you ask for?! yum!Pomegranate Tart: pomegranates, blackberry jam, and pineapple in a dense, buttery tart crust. I think it actually might be a pan-dowdy due to how it's made and such, but whatever. Just words.Then we all carved ourselves some local pumpkins!! Perfect ending to a lovely, autumnal Sustainability Sunday! Here was my creation....totally fitting to my personality. ha.

Vegan MoFo: Denver, Part III

2009-10-26T16:33:00.007-05:00

It's Day 26 of Vegan MoFo aaaaand it's the last post about Denver! You know you had a lot of good food on a trip when you need three posts to talk about it! Let's do it!

From the Watercourse Bakery, the all-vegan bakery in Denver:

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls! Can you believe it?! I must recreate this pastry!The Scout Cookie! Caramel-Coconut-Pecan Cookie drizzled in Dark Chocolate. Just like the Girl Scout Samoa Cookies you know and loved. Perfection.

Then, for our last lunch in Denver, we obviously had to eat at Watercourse Foods!

I had the Juan Wrap...sliced seitan (subbed for the usual cheese), cilantro pistachio pesto, grilled sweet potatoes, and sauteed mushrooms and onions. Out of this world good. Pesto!!! For my sides, I got the Southwest Quinoa Salad and Mixed Greens with Miso Tahini Dressing. I was elated. But sad this would be my last meal here for a while.
My dessert was the HoHo Cupcake, a take on the classic by Hostess! Rich chocolate cake with vanilla cream filling, vanilla icing, chocolate ganache, and some chocolate chips!! One of the best cupcakes I've ever ever ever had!!! Sarah got the BBQ Seitan Sandwich...sliced seitan, bbq sauce, and coleslaw on those awesome homemade buns...with sides of Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, and Steamed Kale. Holy cow so good! Sarah's dessert was the Apple Pie! So cinnamon-y and juicy. Flaky, buttery crust. Love.
Our friend, Wendy, got the Chocolate Layer Cake a la mode with Cherry Ice Cream! Chocolate and cherry are soooo perfect together!! What more could you want?!

I'm sad to have to wrap up my posts about Denver, since the food was so fantastic. But there are more places to visit and foods to eat/love/crave/write about. Let's go get 'em!

Vegan MoFo: Denver, Part II

2009-10-24T21:06:00.010-05:00

Hey! It's back to food on Vegan MoFo, Day 24! I am going to post the second of my three-part series on eating vegan in Denver, Colorado! I cannot emphasize enough how much delicious food there was!! I ate a. lot. in Denver. Totally worth it!

First off, I went with my friend and fellow dietitian, Sarah. She is awesome and went to all the vegan spots with me! She's an omni, but it's a slow conversion process :) But this girl knows good food, which I guess is why she hangs out with me! haha

Here we are at a local Denver bar, getting our dance on. We don't really drink, so dancing is what we do at bars! There were some awesome local musicians playing and really funny Denver natives dancing with us. Too much fun! I'm the one with the glasses, btdubs. And here we are at the American Dietetic Association Conference. The (kind of) reason we went to Denver in the first place. Besides to eat at good places and see cool stuff. But I guess we wanted to learn about nutrition and stuff, too!

Now for some foooooood! One night, I went with another friend named Sarah, who lives in Denver and is a baker there (woo hoo!), to go play bingo at a bar named Sputnik. Her boyfriend came with us, too. He's a sweetheart. Anyway, it was an adorable little dive hipster place with TONS of vegan options on their menu! The late-night special was their awesome Sweet Potato Fries and choice of dipping sauce...we got the Vegan Wasabi Mayo! Yuuuuum! Spicy in my nose and yummy in my mouth. All at the same time.
Another night, the Vegetarian Resource Group-- which promotes all things veganism and is awesome-- had a vegan dinner at the Mercury Cafe, a beautifully decorated and gorgeously "crunchy" natural foods restaurant. It had really dim, romantic-y lighting, so pics were tough to get. The food was delish, though! A must for dining vegan in Denver!!

The entree: Linguine tossed with Olive Oil, Local Spinach, Tomatoes, and lots of Garlic!

The dessert: Chocolate Cake with a Chocolate Ganache Frosting. Kind of vegan-y tasting (I know they don't all taste that way of course! hello!) but I loved it! Mmmmmm.

On yet another night, Sarah (the one from Denver) and I ate at City O' City. It's a hip/casual/cafe/bar atmosphere, and is owned by the same people as Watercourse Foods. The food is more bar-style, and very amazing!!

We shared the Spinach Salad, which had candied walnuts, apples, miso tahini dressing, and our addition of tempeh bacon bits. zomg. I love this salad!

For our main dish, we split a pizza. Because pizza is just awesomely awesome! We got the La Michelle Pizza, made up of their tasty homemade crust, fig sauce (!), fresh rosemary, sundried tomatoes, capers, and our vegan option of cashew ricotta. Probably one of the best pizzas I've ever had. Very gourmet and very good! If you go here, get this pizza, ya'll!For dessert, we got a nosh from the attached Watercourse Bakery! How convenient! We got the Apple Crisp Bar. Mouth-watering apples combined with tons of cinnamon and a crispy, dense, buttery crust. Love.

One afternoon, Sarah, Carrie (another dietitian from MO) and I had high tea at the Brown Palace Hotel. Very fancy schmancy hotel, very fancy high tea. I got Vanilla Rooibos tea and it was just delightful! I felt like a princess, I must admit. They did too...

There are still more Denver pics to come! Be prepared!

Vegan MoFo: Fun Food Stuff

2009-10-23T19:30:00.004-05:00

I am currently having issues with my camera. aka it's broken! so...here's some good clean food fun to satisfy all your Vegan MoFo needs in the meantime! Enjoy!

Favorite Food Movies:
Supersize Me
Food, Inc.
Soul Food
Ratatouille
Chocolat
--For more food-related movies, check out this site.

Favorite Food Songs:
Come On-A My House, by Rosemary Clooney
Peaches, by the Presidents of the United States of America
Free Cake, by Dadbot
Hey, Good Lookin', by Hank Williams, Sr.
Eat It, by Weird Al Yankovic
--For other good food songs, check out this site.

Favorite Food Holidays:
National Cupcake Day, October 18
National Blueberry Pancake Day, January 28
National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, April 2
National Hot Fudge Sunday Day, July 25
National Sandwich Day, November 3
(Doesn't include World Vegetarian Day, of course!!)
-- For all the food-related holidays, seriously go here!

What are some of your favorites?? Lemme hear 'em!!

Vegan MoFo: Denver Part I

2009-10-21T10:40:00.013-05:00

Welcome to Day 21 of Vegan MoFo!! Sorry for the hiatus....I've been on a trip in Denver! The American Dietetic Association had their annual conference there this year, so I got to go and learn about current research and hot topics in nutrition with other dietitians from around the country. It was lots of fun!! My friends, Sarah and Wendy, who are also dietitians, came to Denver, too! They were champs and went to all the veg restaurants with me :)
The best part was the awesome food I got to eat while I was in Denver! There are a lot of pics to show, so I'm going to post them in two parts...here's part I!

Watercourse Foods!!! This was by far the best place I ate in Denver. Everything on the menu was vegan or could be made vegan! So hard to find! Everything was delicious beyond belief, there was great service, and the prices were very reasonable. I got addicted. And ate there a lot. Here's some of the meals there!! Banana Bread French Toast...topped with Candied Walnuts,
Sliced Bananas and Strawberries, and Real Maple Syrup. Good gracious. This was sweet, but not overpowering, and the banana flavors rocked my socks off!

A side of Tempeh Chorizo...So spicy and flavorful!

Sarah got the Tempeh Burger...with grilled onions and BBQ sauce! So goooooood. She got a side of coleslaw and a side of sweet potatoes, too. Yum!

One night of our trip, we took an adventure to Boulder! I hadn't been there before, so we had to check it out. For dinner, we went to Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant. It was more upscale than the casual Watercourse, and it was awesome. The other girls got non-vegan entrees, so I'll just show you what I had.

Our complimentary homemade bread, with olive oil-balsamic vinegar for dipping. Loved it.

Our starter: Raw Collard Wrap, with Sunflower Seed Ricotta and Basil Pesto. This was so refreshing and delicious!

The insides. mmmm.

The entree: Jamaican Jerk Tempeh with Forbidden Black Rice and Sauteed Chard. This beautiful dish was garnished with a coconut-plantain sauce, balsamic reduction, a tart berry relish, and a crispy fried plantain strip. So many awesome flavors and textures came together to make this dish truly delicious. I was disappointed with how mild it was, since I love spicy food, especially with Jamaican food. But maybe that was just me.

The next day, it was back to Watercourse Foods! Yes, I became a bit obsessed :)

Biscuits and Gravy! Seriously the best biscuits and gravy I've ever had. Vegan or not. I could have eaten about a dozen of these!!

The biscuits had shredded carrots and zucchini INSIDE them! That gave them a really nice sweet flavor and moist texture. Looks like I will have to try that at home!

To go with the B&G, a side of scrambled tofu. Very, very good tofu. And it came with their homemade salsa....bonus!

On yet another trip to Watercourse (hey, it was close to our hotel!), I got my favorite thing I had there: the Buffalo Tofu Sandwich! It was a BIG block of fried tofu that was coated in a buffalo sauce and topped with coleslaw, all on a homemade bun!! It was awwwesome! I got sides of steamed kale and grilled sweet potatoes. Heavenly.

Look at this bite! The homemade buns had either sweet potato or pumpkin in them, not sure which, but it gave them a sweetness and color that was amazing. So soft and pillowy.

Dessert was a Maple-Pecan Cupcake. I loved it! It was almost too sweet and had TONS of frosting on it, but the maple and pecan flavors were really nice. I guess there's no such thing as too sweet when you're on vacation!

And I just can't have dessert without coffee! I got an Americano, and it was amazing! Really rich and smooth flavor that was a perfect compliment to the sweet dessert.

There will be more to come! As you can tell, Denver has some awesomely delicious vegan food!

Vegan MoFo: Lemon Ginger Scones!

2009-10-15T15:57:00.009-05:00

It's Vegan MoFo Day 15 and it's time for this week's Vegan Iron Chef Challenge! The ingredients this week were lemon and ginger. I just happen to love both of these things a lot!
As soon as I learned what the secret ingredients would be, I instantly knew what I would make: Lemon Ginger Scones! It just sounded delicious and I adore scone-making. I just winged the recipe and it turned out great! You should definitely try this one on a cloudy afternoon, and it will surely brighten your day. It did for me!

Vegan Lemon Ginger Scones (makes 8 big scones)

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 Tbs baking powder

2 Tbs sugar

1/4 tsp ginger powder

Zest of two lemons

1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening

3/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, such as Earth Balance or Spectrum Spread

1/2 cup soymilk

Juice of two big lemons--approx. 1/2 cup

1/2 cup crystallized ginger, diced small

Lightly grease a cookie sheet. In a mixing cup, whisk together the lemon juice and soymilk, and set aside to let curdle a bit.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, and ginger. Stir to mix well. Cut in the shortening and margarine, until they are in pea-sized pieces or the mixture looks crumbly. Slowly pour in the soymilk mixture and stir until just combined, being sure to not over-mix. Fold in the lemon zest and chopped ginger until fully incorporated.

Chill this mixture for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 375 F. When dough is ready, turn out onto the baking sheet and form it into one large circle. Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 triangles, as if cutting a pie or pizza. Make sure each scone is separate from one another enough so they won't cook together completely. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, slice along the already-made cuts, and place back in the oven for 15 more minutes. Scones will be ready when golden brown on top and firm to the touch. These are fairly dense, crunchy scones, so they will continue to firm up after baking. Allow to cool for 10 more minutes on the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling or serve immediately. These are really great slathered with Earth Balance and drizzled with agave nectar!! Even better with a nice cup of Earl Grey tea!

Vegan MoFo: Vegansexual?

2009-10-14T22:34:00.006-05:00

For Day 14 of Vegan MoFo, it's time for another post about vegan lifestyle, not just food.
If you are vegan/vegetarian or even read the news a lot, you have probably heard the term "vegansexual" or "vegesexual." If you're not familiar, it refers to veg people who will only date/marry/procreate with other veg men or women. Nooo it does not refer to people who like to "be with" fruits or vegetables. Just veg person and veg person. Anyway. This can be kind of a conflicting issue. On one hand, there are a lot of wonderful, loving people in the world who are not vegan. On the other hand, it seems only logical that one would want to date someone who shares their beliefs, ideals, and lifestyle habits. And if you are planning on marrying or committing to that person and have children, that makes those lifestyle choices even more important when getting paired up with a mate. I have only dated vegan men most recently, but I am not sure where I stand on this. I can't imagine going out with a guy to dinner and he has a plate full of dead animal flesh and pus-filled dairy cheese. Gross! And to think of kissing him after eating that?! Don't think so. But I'm not sure if it's being "too picky" to expect a partner to be a strict vegan like myself, or if it would be alright to compromise if they were just a vegetarian or, heaven forbid, a omnivore who is a good guy. This is tough.
This wave of vegesexuals and dating based on dietary practices has been in the news quite a bit lately, and not just in vegan news sources. While there is this VegNews article and others like them on the issue, more mainstream news have even talked about it. Check out this article in the New York Times wrote about this dating practice! We're famous, guys!

So, lemme know what you think! Are you vegansexual? Or do you date vegetarians or omnis even if you're vegan? Leave a comment on your practices and opinions! And don't be shy!

Vegan MoFo: The Vegan's 100!

2009-10-13T22:56:00.008-05:00

For Vegan MoFo Day 13, it's the Vegan's 100! This list is going around the blogosphere, kind of a "must eat" list for all the vegans out there, and I just wouldn't be a good foodie without filling one out! The bolded items are the ones I have tried...of course I want to try them all someday!

If you want to do this for your blog, copy and paste this list to the post, then highlight the things you've eaten or cross out things you would never eat. Feel free to comment, too!
Here it is!

1. Molasses--what a wonderful sweetener!
2. Cactus/Nopales
3. Scrambled Tofu--soooo much scrambled tofu...
4. Grilled Portobella Caps
5. Fresh Ground Horseradish
6. Sweet Potato Biscuits--this is a shame I haven't had these
7. Arepas
8. Vegan Coleslaw
9. Ginger Carrot Soup
10. Fiddlehead Ferns
11. Roasted Elephant Garlic--had other roasted garlic, but not elephant yet
12. Umeboshi--i'm in love.
13. Almond Butter Toast
14. Aloe Vera
15. H and H Bagel NYC
16. Slow Roasted Butternut Squash
17. White truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Freshly ground wasabi
20. Coconut Milk Ice Cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Orchard-fresh pressed apple cider
23. Organic California Mango (in season Sept-Oct only)
24. Quinoa
25. Papaya Smoothie
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet or Habañero pepper
27. Goji Berry Tea
28. Fennel
29. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
30. Radishes and Vegan Buttery Spread
31. Starfruit
32. Oven fresh Sourdough bread--my favorite is from Uprise Bakery in Columbia, MO
33. Sangria made with premium fruit and juices
34. Sauerkraut
35. Acai Smoothie
36. Blue Foot Mushrooms
37. Vegan Cupcake from Babycakes nyc--i'm proud of this one! i've had about 4 or 5 kinds!
38. Sweet Potatoes and Tempeh combo
39. Falafel
40. Spelt Crust Pizza
41. Salt and Pepper Oyster Mushrooms--i guess this is a thing...who knew?
42. Jicama Slaw
43. Pumpkin Edamame Ginger Dumplings--these, too, must be specific to somewhere. never heard of them, but they sound delish!
44. Hemp Milk
45. Rose Champagne
46. Fuyu (aka persimmons)
47. Raw Avocado-Coconut Soup
48. Tofu Pesto Sandwich
49. Apple-Lemon-Ginger-Cayenne fresh-pressed juice--used to work at a juice bar, so...
50. Grilled Seitan
51. Prickly pear
52. Fresh Pressed Almond Milk
53. Concord Grapes off the vine
54. Ramps
55. Coconut Water fresh from a young coconut--had this in Hawaii forever ago....yum!!!
56. Organic Arugula
57. Vidalia Onion
58. Sampler of organic produce from Diamond Organics--don't know of this place. i guess i should.
59. Honeycrisp Apple
60. Poi
61. Vegan Campfire-toasted S'mores--always with Sweet and Sara's Marshmallows!
62. Grape seed Oil
63. Farm fresh-picked Peach
64. Freshly-made pita bread with freshly-made hummus
65. Chestnut Snack Packs--what? sounds good, i suppose! i've had lots of roasted chestnuts!
66. Fresh Guava
67. Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies--had them sans oatmeal.
68. Raw Mallomar from One Lucky Duck, NYC
69. Fried plantains
70. Mache
71. Golden Beets
72. Barrel-Fresh Pickles--from one of my friends who makes his own pickles! i guess they were "jar" fresh! ha.
73. Liquid Smoke
74. Meyer Lemon
75. Veggie Paella
76. Vegan Lasagna
77. Kombucha
78. Homemade Soy Milk
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Lychee Bellini
81. Tempeh Bacon--TLT Sandwiches!
82. Sprouted Grain Bread
83. Lemon Pepper Tempeh
84. Vanilla Bean
85. Watercress
86. Carrot you pulled out of the ground yourself
87. Vegan In-Season Fruit Pie
88. Flowers
89. Corn Chowder
90. High Quality Vegan Raw Chocolate--never had the raw stuff. i like good vegan chocolate, though!!
91. Yellow fuzz-free Kiwi
92. White Flesh Grapefruit
93. Harissa
94. Coconut Oil
95. Jackfruit
96. Homemade Risotto
97. Spirulina
98. Seedless 'Pixie' Tangerine
99. Gourmet Sorbet, not store bought
100. Fresh Plucked English Peas

Well, I guess 62 out of 100 isn't so bad! I have a few new things to try, I guess!!