Vegan Options in San Francisco

On our latest trip to San Francisco, I had some great vegan food.  I was the only vegan in our traveling group, so we tried to find places that appealed to all of us.

Johnny Foley's Irish House satisfied us all.  We had a great waitress who helped me with my selections.

This was a terrific spinach and endive salad with sour cherries, red onions, toasted almonds, and a sherry vinaigrette.  I ordered the small portion for $6 but it was very large.

I also had the Vegetarian Irish Stew.  It was incredible and large!  It consisted of a potato mash, portabello mushrooms, asparagus, barley, mint, cauliflower, onions, boiled potatoes, broccoli, and vegetable broth.  Really delicious.  This large portion was $15.

Everyone in my group was happy with their meals.  Foley's is a bar atmosphere.  Wednesday through Saturday nights, they have dueling pianos.  They have entertainment the rest of the week also.  Johnny Foley's is located at 243 O'Farrell Street. 

Here is a link to their home page:  http://www.johnnyfoleys.com/

Ladies Card Night - Vegan Style

My buddies came over for our monthly card night.  They brought some great vegan goodies.

Patty brought this fantastic corn and avocado salsa from Weight Watchers.  Seriously good!

Grilled Corn and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

• 3 medium corn on the cob, grilled, cooled to room temperature*
• 1/2 cup(s) scallion(s), white and green parts, chopped
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper(s), cored, seeded and minced**
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 medium avocado, ripe, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, from 1 medium lime
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, minced

Instructions

• Break each ear of corn in half; place flat end on cutting board and using a sharp paring knife, slice kernels off cob (to watch a video of this technique, click here). Place kernels in a medium bowl; add scallion, jalapeno, red pepper flakes, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate if not using right away.
• Just before serving, stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro. Yields about 1/4 cup per serving.

Notes

 *To grill corn, remove husks and silk and coat with cooking spray. Grill over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned in spots.

**Don't touch seeds with bare hands.

You can make this recipe with 1 1/2 cups of frozen, boiled or steamed corn that has been well-drained.

If you want more info on Weight Watchers, here is a link:  http://www.weightwatchers.com/plan/www/index.aspx

Leslie made a fantastic salad of sliced cucumbers, carrots and vegan salad dressing.

Danielle brought great vegan cookies from Whole Foods.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps are Vegan

I love the Tofu Lettuce Wraps at P.F. Changs.  Vegetarian Times had a recipe in their January 2009 issue.  I changed it a little to make it easier and to my taste.  The recipe calls for low-sodium soy sauce.  This is important.  I used regular soy sauce once and had quite the headache.  Here is my version.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

1 T. sesame or vegetable oil
1 T. minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. extra-firm tofu
1 8-oz an water chestnuts
3 T. low-sodium soy sauce
3 T. hoisin sauce
2 t. sriracha or red chile sauce
1 large carrot, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup peanuts, finely chopped
2 heads of butter lettuce or iceberg

Drain the tofu and pat dry.  Slice and chop into very small pieces about at 1/4" or smaller.  Set aside on a paper towel to drain a little more more.  Drain and chop the water chestnuts to the same size as the tofu.

In a large skillet, add the oil and then saute the ginger, garlic, tofu, and water chestnuts for about 5 minutes.  Add the soy sauce, hoisin and sriracha.  Stir to coat the tofu and cook a couple more minutes.  Remove skillet from heat and add the carrot, green onions, cilantro, and peanuts.  Stir and transfer to serving bowl.

Fill a lettuce leaf with a couple spoons full of tofu mixture.  Eat.

Easy Vegan "Chick'n Piccata"

It's so easy to have a quick meal thanks to Gardein.

"Chick'n" Piccata

2 pieces of Gardein's Chick'n Scallopini
2 T. olive oil
1/4 cup white wine or vegetable broth
1 T. capers
1 t. minced garlic
2 T. lemon juice
salt
pepper

In a frying pan, saute Chick'n in olive oil for 2 minutes per side.  Remove the Chick'n to plates.  To the pan add white wine, capers, garlic and lemon juice.  Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until sauce reduces to half it's original volume.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour over Chick'n.

Serves 2

"Rice" Restaurant in Ventura

I really like Rice Thai Cuisine in Ventura.  It has quite a few dishes which can be veganized but I couldn't resist the Drunken Noodles for a second time. Tofu and veggies - Yum!  And only $8.

My meal also came with soup and salad.  The only disturbing part was that it is vegetarian soup but the cook on this day used chicken broth.  I tasted it and had to question the staff.  They asked the cook and he admitted it but I was still sad about the whole thing.  Hopefully, they will be more vigilant in the future.

My friend had a great eggplant dish.

Here is a link to their website:  http://www.riceonmain.com/.  They are located at 387 East Main Street, Ventura, CA  93001.

Sugar Bear's Cupcakes in Ventura

Sugar Bear's features a vegan cup cake on the weekends.  It's different each day and delicious!

Friday, they had a chocolate cupcake with orange frosting!

Sugar Bear is located at 451 East Main Street, #8, Ventura, CA  805-641-9944.  They have started at webpage:  http://sugarbearscupcakeshack.com/

4th of July Vegan Food Ideas

Here are a few of my past posts with their recipe links.  I'm thinking about cooking some of them up for the 4th of July festivities.

http://speakvegantome.blogspot.com/2011/02/convenient-vegan-food.html

http://speakvegantome.blogspot.com/2011/02/wasabi-potato-salad.html

http://speakvegantome.blogspot.com/2011/02/fancy-pasta-salad.html

http://speakvegantome.blogspot.com/2011/02/roasted-jalapenos.html

http://speakvegantome.blogspot.com/2011/03/roasted-cauliflower-salad-with-caper.html

http://speakvegantome.blogspot.com/2011/03/fruit-salad-with-twist.html

http://speakvegantome.blogspot.com/2011/03/avocado-chimichurri-bruschetta.html

http://speakvegantome.blogspot.com/2011/04/chef-chloes-vegan-beach-cookies.html

Vegan Stuffed Shells!

I have always loved stuffed shells!  So now I make them vegan and they are still fabulous.

Below is my basic recipe but sometimes I just roast whatever vegetables are in my fridge.   Mix them with some Daiya cheese and stuff the shells.  It's nice that it comes out a little different.  Try squash, asparagus, etc.  It's always good.

Well, I have tried including a tofu "ricotta" and I did not care for it very much.

Jumbo Stuffed Shells

1 package Jumbo shells
2 T. vegetable oil
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced or chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 package of your favorite vegan sausage
16 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
2 T. fresh basil, chopped
2 cups Daiya cheese
30-40 oz. pasta sauce

Cook the jumbo shells according to package directions (you really only need about 20 shells).  Drain and set aside to cool.  In hot oil, saute mushrooms until liquid is released and cooked away.  Add the onion, green pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Saute until onion is translucent.  Break/crumble the sausage and add to pan.  Saute another couple of minutes.  Add tomatoes, parsley and basil.  Cook until heated through.  Remove from heat.  Stir in 1 cup of cheese.

Pour pasta sauce into glass baking dish.  Sauce should be about 1 1/2 inches deep so adjust for whatever type of baking dish you are using.  Fill cooked shells with mixture.  Arrange shells, filling side up, in pasta sauce.  Sprinkle each shell with a little of the remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.

The Boathouse in Santa Barbara

Great location and atmosphere at the Boathouse Restaurant in Santa Barbara.  However, there aren't many vegan options.  The tacos on the menu can be veganized and there is a mixed greens salad.  The special of the day was a portabella mushroom sandwich and was easily made vegan also.

I loved the palapa created outside for dogs.  There are water bowls and heavy duty hooks to secure your dog.  An employee even went out to add a little more palm fronds for this doggie because the sun was shifting.

The Boathouse at Hendry's Beach is located at 2981 Cliff Dr, Santa Barbara, CA 93109, (805) 898-2628.

Roasted Radishes! Really!

I find fresh radishes a little boring.  But, roasted radishes are like candy!

Apparently, roasting radishes is nothing new.  I had never heard of it until I saw the idea at Saveur:  http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Roasted-Radishes-1000079387   I can't wait to try it mixed with other vegetables over asian noodles.

Simply clean the radishes, chop off the ends and cut them in half.  Put them in a bowl with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  Mix to coat evenly and then spread on a cookie sheet.  Roast for 40 minutes or until they get a little carmelized.  Delicious!

Mexican Style Noodle Casserole - Spicy and Vegan

I saw this new product at the grocery store and just had to make something with it.

Upton's Chorizo Seitan is already spiced and crumbled.  I had some poblano peppers in my refrigerator so I made a noodle casserole.  It turned out so good.  Total comfort food!  If you can't find this product, substitute any spicy "sausage" that you enjoy.

Spicy Noodle Casserole

4 cups large macaroni
2 T. vegetable oil
2 large poblano peppers, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
8 oz package Upton's Chorizo Seitan
24 oz jar of pasta sauce
2 cups Daiya Mozzarella Style Cheese

Cook the macaroni according to package directions.  Drain the noodles and pour into large mixing bowl.  In a large frying pan, saute all the peppers and onion in oil until soft.  Pour sauteed vegetables into mixing bowl.  Break the seitan into crumbles and cook in the same frying pan for a couple of minutes.  Pour seitan into mixing bowl.  Add the pasta sauce and cheese to bowl and mix well.  Spray a large glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Pour mixture into baking dish and cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Eating Vegan on United Airlines

The vegan selection on international flights is terrific!  But domestic flights always have the same slop.  It's awful. I know, it's hard to complain when you get lucky enough to fly first-class, but seriously why bother with this meal.  It is a scoop of really bland grains, with a scoop of mushy vegetables mixed with more really bland grains.  The fruit was cooked to blah.  At least there is a little salad and bread.  Wouldn't it have been easier just to saute some vegetables in olive oil and serve it with rice.  This meal seems like a lot of work for nothing.  Really horrible.

Here are a couple of the great options on international flights:

Sauteed Vegetables with Rice

Great Salad!

The tri-colored pureed veggie slices in the top left corner of the salad were delicious.

For breakfast, I was served a fantastic spinach/veggie eggless "souffle" with roasted potatoes on the side.  It was terrific but I forgot to get a picture.

Kind Kreme Vegan Ice Cream

Yum!  Kind Kreme has fantastic choices of vegan ice cream.  We visited the Sage Organic Vegan Bistro in Echo Park.

We had Chocolate with Almond Butter and Ginger/Coconut/Carrot.

You can find this location at 1700 West Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles (Echo Park).  Here is their web link: http://www.kindkreme.com/echopark.html

Mediterranean Tortilla Pizza

This is an easy and quick snack or appetizer.

Mediterranean Tortilla Pizza

1 large tortilla, flour or whole wheat
1/2 cup hummus
5 ripe/black olives, pitted and sliced
4 green olives, sliced
4 artichoke quarters, roughly chopped
3 pickled jalapeno rings, chopped (optional)

Place the tortilla on a cookie sheet and spread with hummus.  Top with the rest of the ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the tortilla is crispy.  Cut like a pizza and serve.

Cru Restaurant in Los Angeles

My friend, Danielle, and I had fabulous food at "Cru" in Los Angeles.  It is located in the Silverlake area at 1521 Griffith Park Avenue.

And we had a lot of food!

The Raw Nori Hand Roll contained cashew rice, teriyaki coconut filet, pea shoots, sprouts, watermelon radish, enoki mushrooms and a wasabi aioli. $10

The Rissole was sweet potato croquettes over apricot chutney with a chive oil garnish. $9

The soup of the day was Zucchini, Kale & Basil.  This was over-the-top good! $4/cup and $6/bowl

Danielle had one of the specials - Quinoa Risotto with Cauliflower.  $14

I had the Raw Pizza which was "Italian sausage," marinated shitake mushrooms, truffle marscapone and salsa pomodoro on a raw handmade crust.  $16

Cru is a little pricey but spoil yourself if you can.

Here is their website: http://www.crusilverlake.com/

Another Costco Vegan Find

This Texas Caviar from Costco happens to be vegan and can be used in a variety of ways.  It's advertised to be used with pita bread but it is just as good on a salad.

Here it is with mixed greens and avocado.  It doesn't need any extra dressing.

Vegan Meetups in Ventura - Making Sushi

Meetup groups are great for getting together with like-minded people.  I love my meetup group in Ventura and our fearless leader Bianca. We have gone to restaurants, had pot-lucks, and combined nature walks with eating.  This is the link if you live in the Ventura, California area:  http://www.meetup.com/vegan-416/.  If you aren't local, you can still go to meetup.com and search for a vegan group in your area.

Bianca taught us how to make vegan sushi.

Since then, I have made it serveral times for myself or cocktail parties.  The sushi rolls can be made earlier in the day and then sliced into bite-sized pieces right before the party.  Here is one of my versions:

First, make the sushi rice.  I found that getting the right rice was a huge issue.  I tried to use other types of rice and ended up with chewy mush.

I used Alton Brown's recipe from his "Good Eats" TV show.

Sushi Rice

2 cups sushi or short grain rice

2 cups water, plus extra for rinsing rice

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Place the rice into a mixing bowl and cover with cool water. Swirl the rice in the water, pour off and repeat 2 to 3 times or until the water is clear.

Place the rice and 2 cups of water into a medium saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and heat in the microwave on high for 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer the rice into a large wooden or glass mixing bowl and add the vinegar mixture. Fold thoroughly to combine and coat each grain of rice with the mixture. Allow to cool to room temperature.

On this day, I chose to use asparagus, avocado, red and yellow pepper, and cucumbers.  I rubbed the  peppers and asparagus with a little oil and then roasted them in the oven first.  Cook to your preference - undercooked and a little crispy or fully cooked and soft.

Now it is time for the fun!  Place the sushi mat on your counter with the bamboo sticks horizontal to you.  Place a nori sheet on top.  Wet your hands with water and then grab a handful of sushi rice.  Smoosh it onto the nori from the bottom to about two-thirds of the way up.  Spread it all the way to the side edges.   Top the rice with your favorite veggies.  Arrange the fillings in the middle of the rice and extend to the edges.

Clean your hands and then start rolling.  Pick up the front edge of the sushi mat to get the roll started and then go ahead and roll the nori sheet by itself.  Before finishing the roll, dip you finger in water and wet the last strip of nori so that it will stick to itself.  Finish the roll and use the sushi mat to squeeze it into a tight roll. 

Some of my rolls came out a little square.  Some rolls had rice on one side and veggies on the other.  But eventually, it all works out.  Make it for yourself a few times first.  It still tastes good even if it isn't beautiful the first time.

Mix a couple tablespoons of wasabi powder with just enough water to make a paste and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Serve your sushi with bowls of wasabi, pickled ginger, soy sauce, or spicy "mayo."

Spicy mayo is just a mixture of Vegenaise and Siracha sauce.  Go easy on the Siracha.

Supplies needed include: Nori sheets, sushi rice, rice vinegar, kosher salt, sugar, veggies, wasabi powder, soy sauce, sushi making mat.