Spicy Tempeh and Black Bean Burritos with Lime And a Winner

First, the important stuff: The winner of The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook is … Tanya! Congratulations! And thanks to everyone who participated. I wish I had copies to give each and every one of you.

Now for the recipe, oh, and a little back story about how this recipe came about. We have a little coffee shop/restaurant in town that serves a black bean burrito with lime that is quite good. Around the time they first opened, I wasn’t eating a whole lot of beans, especially black beans. For some reason, they just didn’t appeal to me. It was as if my body was telling me, “Girl, you’ve eaten enough beans in your life. Take a break.”

At first the people at the restaurant were more than happy to substitute tempeh for the beans, and I was happy to pay a bit more to get it that way. But after two or three times, they said they couldn’t do it anymore, even when there weren't even any other customers around, so I said, “Okay, hasta la vista, baby.”

Eventually, my desire for beans returned (funny thing, that was just about the same time I’d heard Dr. McDougall give his “Fat Vegan” talk), and I decided to make my own black bean and lime burritos with tempeh, too! The spinach was an afterthought, and is completely optional. In fact, Mark prefers his burritos without the spinach. But they’re tasty either way. This recipe will make 6-8 large burritos.


Ingredients:

2 12-oz packages tempeh
4 Tbs soy sauce
3 Tbs lime juice
½ tsp chili powder, more or less, depending on how hot your chili is, and how spicy you want it (I used chipotle chile powder)
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cayenne

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 tsp lime juice, or to taste
1 10-oz package spinach leaves (optional)
1 large, ripe avocado

1 package large flour or gluten-free tortillas

Directions:

Place tempeh in a steamer basket and steam for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool, before cutting. While tempeh is cooling, combine soy sauce, lime juice, and spices in a large bowl and gently whisk together. When tempeh has cooled, cut into ½-inch chunks, and add to marinade. Gently mix to coat, and let stand for 10-15 minutes, turning, occasionally.

Place a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add marinated tempeh, and turn occasionally to heat on all sides, for about 7 or 8 minutes. Add black beans, lime juice, any remaining marinade, and spinach if using, and stir to combine. Cover skillet, and allow to heat through.

Cut avocado into thin slices. Soften tortillas on a dry non-stick griddle or frying pan. Spoon tempeh and bean mixture down center of a tortilla, place several slices of avocado on top, and roll up, folding in sides as you go. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbookby Neal Barnard, MD and Robyn WebbBook Review, Recipe, and Giveaway!

It's a no-brainer: Wanna be healthy? Go vegan! But the truth is, it's very easy to eat an unhealthful vegan diet: Just load up on refined flour and sugar, oils, and heavily processed foods, and you'll be on the fast track to becoming an unhealthy vegan. Sadly, it's a mistake newbie vegans often make. Instead of embracing whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, many seek to replace their unhealthful omnivorous diets with vegan versions of their favorite junk foods.

Now don't get me wrong: I'm not saying that there isn't a time and place for veggie burgers, non-dairy milk beverages, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream. (Dear readers, you know how much I LOVE my coconut milk ice cream!) But to eat more healthfully, we need to choose whole, organic fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains as the centerpiece of our diets. And having a collection of plant-based recipes that offer us simple and delicious ways to prepare these foods is essential.

When I heard about Dr. Neal Barnard's latest book, The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook: 125 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Jump-Start Weight Loss and Help You Feel Great, it sounded like just the kind of book to get anyone started on the fast track to achieving and maintaining vibrant health. Turn to the very first page of the book, and you'll read, "This book holds the culinary secrets to lifelong health." It's a promise that was fulfilled in the pages that followed.

Let me share a few words about the book's authors: Dr. Neal Barnard has long been one of my heroes and a dear friend. A clinical researcher, prolific author, and founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), he has worked tirelessly for decades as an outspoken advocate for health, nutrition, and higher standards in research. Dr. Barnard is also president of The Cancer Project, a nonprofit organization advancing cancer prevention and survival through nutrition education and research. He generously provided the foreword to my first book, So, Now What Do I Eat? and was instrumental in helping me with the breast cancer prevention legislation I worked on in New Jersey back in the 80s.

Robyn Webb is an award-winning nutritionist, cookbook author and teacher, who has been a passionate advocate of cooking well and eating wisely for most of her life. Because of health problems within her own family, mostly notably diabetes, Robyn learned early on the importance of a balanced, healthful approach to eating. She is an active member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and serves currently as the past chairman of the Cooking Schools and Teachers section.

The bulk of the book contains simple recipes for eating healthfully and enjoying every bite. But it also includes many thoughtful tools that will help you revolutionize your kitchen and your life, easily and effortlessly. You'll learn the science behind making health-promoting food choices and how to make your foods fit your health and weight-loss goals. You'll discover all the essentials for stocking a vegan kitchen and even a recipe for making your own vegetable broth.

Many recipes include a wonderful little "Did You Know" sidebar, with tasty tidbits of information about the dish or one of its ingredients. I learned a lot of neat little culinary morsels from reading these boxes! For example, did you know that you can use your rice cooker to cook quinoa or that you can use chickpeas to make brownies? Nutritionals are thoughtfully provided for each recipe, and I noticed immediately that the recipes in this book are consistently low in fat and calories (even the desserts!) But after tasting several dishes, I quickly learned that they are also high in flavor!

Since in my mind, there are few foods more beautiful, sweet, rich, and juicy than fresh pineapple, the recipe for Tempeh Burgers with Pineapple Salsa caught my eye. The tempeh is first bathed in a tasty ginger-citrus marinade, then pan-seared and topped with a delightfully fresh and fruity pineapple and mango salsa.



Mixed Vegetable Curry with Whole Wheat Couscous blended together two of my favorite spices, coriander and cumin, with a medley of colorful vegetables. The little brown bits you see are zereshk, (European barberries), which are like tiny, sour, currants or grapes. They are high in vitamin C and added an interestingly sharp contrast to the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and carrots.



What I really liked about the Udon Noodles with Shiitake and Button Mushrooms is that this dish is quite tasty either hot or cold. And it's so simple and quick to prepare, you won't get overheated in your kitchen making this dish, even on a day as hot as the day I made this:



Following is the for recipe Udon Noodles with Shiitake and Button Mushrooms from The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Press. Copyright © 2010.

Ingredients:

1 8-oz package udon noodles
1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 Tbs black bean sauce
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 small carrot, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
1 cup thinly sliced button mushroom caps
1/4 cup mirin
1 Tbs soy sauce
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tsp chopped toasted almonds

Directions:

1. Cook udon noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat 1/4 cup broth in a large skillet over medium heat. Put in the garlic, onion, and black bean sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Add the ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the carrot and cook for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the mirin and cook until it evaporates.
4. Add the remaining 1 cup broth and the soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Gently add noodles and toss to combine.
5. Serve noodles topped with scallions and almonds.
Note: In the photo above, you'll notice that I added a cup of spinach and 1 cup of shelled edamame to the recipe.

The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook is the perfect book for anyone who wants to eat more healthfully and deliciously. It has become a cherished addition to my own collection of vegan cookbooks, and I will be buying many copies to give as gifts to family and friends. Right now, I have an extra copy of The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook to give away to one lucky reader*, who will be selected at random. To enter to win this wonderful book, please follow these three simple steps:

1. Follow this blog. (There's a link in the upper left corner of this page.)
2. Leave a comment on this post. (Receive an extra entry if you tell me what your motivation for becoming vegan or your inspiration for exploring a vegan diet is!)
3. Unless you know that I already have it, please include your email address in your comment, so that I can contact you when you win!

If you'd like to earn extra entries, you may do so by either tweeting about this contest or posting it to your facebook page with a link back to this post. Thank you for visiting, and good luck!

*Contest is open to all entrants with U.S. postal addresses.

A Few of My Favorite Things and A Winner!

I was admiring my growing collection of cookbooks this morning and decided to snap this photo to share while announcing the lucky winner of the free copy of The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East. It's by no means my complete collection, and I realized after shooting it, that most notably missing are The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook, Nonna's Italian Kitchen, and Vegan Soul Kitchen, three more of my highly cherished go-to books.


 Did you happen to notice how The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East is cleverly wrapped in shades of saffron just like a Tibetan Buddhist monk's robes? I just love that!


And the winner is ... Amanda of Amanda's Domestic Adventures! Congratulations! And hearty thanks to everyone who entered the contest. Do get yourselves a copy of The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East.  You will love it!

P.S. Have you heard about Giveaway Scout? It's a search engine that allows users who subscribe to receive updates on the latest giveaways. It sounds very interesting. I must check it out!

Book Review and Giveaway: The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray

As soon as I heard about The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East, I couldn't wait to get my hot little hands on a copy. But wait a minute ... did I hear that right? 150 Asian-inspired recipes I can prepare in 30 minutes or less? Am I dreaming? A sharp pinch and a quick skim through the book's 200+ pages of recipes for delectable dishes from Afghanistan to Viet Nam, tells me that I am holding the key to much more than curry in a hurry; it's more like accelerated culinary nirvana.

Indian, Thai, and Iranian foods are among my favorite cuisines and hold a very special place in my heart and at my table. I own several wonderful cookbooks that exclusively feature recipes from these far-away lands. But to have just one book filled with near- and far-Eastern Asian recipes that can be prepared in as little time as it takes to get take-out is nothing short of a godsend.

I am already a huge fan of the authors' best-selling book, The 30 Minute Vegan. Could they possibly outdo themselves with another collection of 30-minute recipes? The minute I honed in on the recipe for Vanilla Cardamom Rose Lassi on page 38, I quickly realized they had.


I suppose it would have been lovely to sprinkle a few rose petals on top, but I couldn't resist placing this rose bud on Mark's glass for an extra touch of romance. Not that this beverage wasn't already romantic. The most enticing ingredients combined to create a creamy drink that was intoxicatingly fragrant and passionately luscious. I substituted So Delicious Coconut Milk Kefir for the coconut milk yogurt suggested in this recipe, with palate-pleasing results. "Suggested" really is the key word in ALL of this book's wonderful recipes. In both 30-Minute Vegan books, authors Reinfeld and Murray encourage readers to experiment, tweak, and otherwise have fun playing with the recipes. While many authors invite readers to create their own recipe variations, in an almost magical way, Reinfeld and Murray truly inspire such creativity.

Like a mystery novel page-turner just waiting to be devoured, Taste of the East excited my curiosity and taste buds. With dishes like Tibetan Dumplings, Tempeh Vegetable Korma, and Arame Lotus Root Sauté, it was agonizingly difficult choosing the next recipe to sink my teeth into. Thoughtfully, Taste of the East is organized by country of origin, not only by course, so you don't have to wait to get to the end of the book to get to the dessert recipes. Within each section, the recipes are listed in the order you'd find them on a menu, from appetizers to desserts. Each section starts with a glossary of ingredients unique to the country's cuisine, and sprinkled throughout the book are helpful boxes with Thoughtful Chef's Tips and Tricks. (What do you do if you tear your nori in the middle of making a sushi roll?) Highly useful appendixes include Preparation Basics for everything from toasting spices, nuts, and seeds to roasting tofu and tempeh.

In the spirit of sweetness, (and because I have absolutely no problem with eating dessert first), I dove straight ahead into these two enticing recipes—Mango Custard Pudding from China and Black Rice Pudding from Thailand.


If you like coconut milk, you'll love these desserts. Both were decadently rich, creamy, and sweet.

After satisfying my sweet tooth, it was time to explore more serious fare. Inspired by the red lentil dal I enjoyed so much at Ananda Village a few weeks ago, I decided to try the Indian Dhal and paired it with the recipe for Coconut Spinach Rice.


Agonizingly difficult-to-choose quickly transformed itself into incredibly delicious-to-eat. And true to the book's title, once I had all of the ingredients assembled, both dishes went from stove to table in 30 minutes.

Next, I wanted to become reacquainted with a dish I'd only eaten once many years ago. Indonesian Gado Gado is a delightful medley of both raw and cooked vegetables served with a sassy peanut sauce dressing. Although the dish is traditionally made with cooked potatoes, I used yams instead, which together with roasted tempeh, red cabbage, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, red onions, scallions, tomatoes, and cucumbers created a vibrantly delectable fusion of flavors. The dressing blended peanut butter, coconut milk, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, maple syrup, and tamarind paste together and was the perfect accompaniment.


To get my Thai on, I decided to try a dish I've never had before, Sweet Soybean Sauce With Noodles, better known as Pad Siew. This simple dish made with a soy-sauce marinade and stir-fried vegetables is surprisingly tasty. Among the ingredients is a fish-free sauce (the recipe is in the book!) which substitutes for the traditional fish sauce used in many Thai dishes. It's an optional ingredient in this recipe, but I really do think it added a little pizazz to my Pad Siew. And I appreciate having an alternative to fish sauce on hand for all of my other Thai cooking.


Whether you want to impress your friends and family with your cooking prowess or you just enjoy eating great Asian cuisine, get yourself a copy of  The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East. It will inspire and delight you and awaken the creative culinary genius within you.

Right now, I have an extra copy of The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East to share with one lucky reader*, who will be selected at random. To enter to win this fabulous book, please follow these three simple steps:

1. Follow this blog.
2. Leave a comment on this post. (Receive an extra entry if you tell me what your favorite Asian-inspired dish is!)
3. Unless you know that I already have it, please include your email address in your comment, so that I can contact you when you win!

If you'd like to earn extra entries, you may do so by either tweeting about this contest or posting it to your facebook page with a link back to this post. Thank you for visiting, and good luck!

*Contest is open to all entrants with U.S. postal addresses.

Vegan Waffles with Blueberry Topping

Did you notice the change from "Coconut Milk Kefir" to "Cultured Coconut Milk"? No matter the name, it's still the same delicious drinkable "yogurt." And I love how creative foodies keep finding new ways to enjoy So Delicious. So I was delighted when a reader alerted me to Jenna Nichols' /Endeavors in Domestic Art blog, and asked me to veganize her recipe for waffles made with So Delicious Coconut Milk Kefir. (Ooops! I mean Cultured Coconut Milk!) I had just half a bottle of the vanilla flavor on hand, so I tried making them this morning for breakfast. By the time I landed on Jenna's post, another reader had already suggested veganizing the recipe by using Ener-G Egg Replacer and Earth Balance in place of the eggs and butter. That's exactly what I did, and it worked perfectly!

Jenna's gorgeous photo of her waffles with blueberry topping inspired me to go out to the garden and grab a handful of blueberries so I could make a delicious topping for my own waffles. Thank you for the inspiration, Jenna! And thank you, Helen, for letting me know about Jenna's wonderful blog and recipe. These are my waffles, and what follows is my vegan version.


Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached wheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp evaporated cane crystals
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cup So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk (I used Vanilla flavor)
3 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 4 TBS water
4 Tbs Earth Balance Buttery Spread, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Lightly coat waffle iron with canola oil or spray. Whisk together egg replacer and water and set aside. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together and combine well. Then add wet ingredients and mix to thoroughly combine. (Batter will be on the thick side.)

Spoon about one fourth of the batter onto the waffle iron and cook until ready. Repeat with remaining batter. Makes 4 thick waffles.

Blueberry Topping Ingredients:

2 handfuls blueberries
2 Tbs freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 Tbs evaporated cane crystals
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 dashes of cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Heat all ingredients in a small saute pan over medium heat, stirring frequently
until blueberries turn dark in color and begin to release their juice. If you prefer a thicker topping, you can add 1 tsp arrowroot towards the end of cooking time. Serve over waffles.

I think this dish would make a sinfully delicious dessert served with Purely Decadent Made with Coconut Milk Vanilla Bean ice cream! How do you enjoy your waffles?

Red, White, and Blueberry Parfaits

Summer is my favorite time of year in Oregon. Sweet, juicy peaches and nectarines tempt me at the Saturday Farmer's Market. And just in time for the 4th of July, my raspberry and blueberry bushes start bursting with life!


And while I can eat fresh, ripe berries by the bucketful, it's also sweet fun to create pies, muffins, scones, cakes, pudding, and ice cream with them. So for a tasty close to our weekend barbecue, I'll be serving these delectable little parfaits. You'll want to make the mousse and cashew creme ahead of time, so they have time to chill. Enjoy!


Raspberry Mousse Ingredients:

2 12.5-oz. packages silken tofu
2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (thawed frozen raspberries will also work)
3/4 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
3 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

In food processor, whip tofu until smooth. Add berries, agave nectar, and vanilla and blend for another minute or so. Pour into a container with lid, and chill for at least 1-2 hours before serving.

Cashew Creme Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Using a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth and fluffy. Chill before serving.

When ready to serve, assemble parfaits by layering raspberry mousse and cashew creme. Top with fresh blueberries. Makes 8 servings.

Vegan in Sacramento

Whenever I make plans to travel to a new city, the first thing I want to know is how vegan-friendly it is. With a big, beautiful Whole Foods store, (where I was very naughty and indulged in a decadently rich Sweet and Sara Smore), a fabulous food co-op, a handful of vegetarian and vegan restaurants, an impressive collection of ethnic restaurants and seemingly more Thai restaurants per capita than any other city I've ever visited, it's safe to say that Sac-Town is very vegan-friendly. Several small vegan companies are also based in Sacramento, including V-Dog and Sun Flour Baking Company.

While winter seemed to drag on into summer here in Oregon, (my husband reported that it was as gray, wet, and chilly as any winter day), I got to unabashedly enjoy bright, sunny, breezy and balmy 85° weather in Sacramento. After checking in at my hotel, I made my way to Au Lac Veggie restaurant to check out their vegan Asian fusion fare. Vibrant aromas wafted into the parking lot from the kitchen—a good sign, for sure. Au Lac is simple and casual, and the prices are startlingly inexpensive, with entrees ranging in price from $5.95 to $7.95—about what you'd expect to pay for street food, not at a restaurant! Most of the dishes rely on soy-based meat analogues, something I have been avoiding of late (although there are dishes made with only vegetables), but I figured that once in a blue moon, it wouldn't kill me. I also wanted to avoid anything deep-fried (Orange Veggie Chicken Nugget sounded enticing), so I decided to try the Veggie Chicken Vegetables (#29).


The sauce was delicately seasoned and flavorful and the texture of the mock chicken was surprisingly pleasant. Sadly, I often find the food at Asian vegetarian restaurants to be drenched in salt and oil, but joyfully, this dish was neither excessively oily nor salty. It was quite delicious and left me feeling healthfully satisfied.

My dining companion, Laurel, ordered Veggie Beef Broccoli. I didn't taste her dish, but the broccoli looked as though it was cooked to perfection, and I could only imagine that the mock beef was as good as the chicken.


Being the Thai food freak that I am, I had to try at least one Thai restaurant during my visit. With so many to choose from, I would have been taking a shot in the dark honing in on one. Fortunately, my friend, Alicia, already had a favorite and brought me to Takieng in the Fair Oaks neighborhood. The decor was very pretty, with wood accents throughout.


It's been awhile since I've enjoyed Peanut Curry, so after asking all the right questions, (read the comments section of the previous post), I chose the Pra-Ram Curry with Tofu.


It was lunchtime, and I didn't think I could eat all that tofu and cabbage. But it tasted so yummy, I almost finished the entire dish!

Sugar Plum Vegan Cafe opened its doors about three months ago in a cute little Victorian house on K Street in downtown Sacramento. I couldn't wait to check it out and invited Alicia to join me there for dinner.


Once inside, we couldn't help but get all googly-eyed over the display case that showcased some very scrumptious-looking cookies, cupcakes, pies, macaroons, and other assorted pastries and confections. (Can you say "Whoopie Pie"?)


Alicia eyed this gorgeous California Chop Salad that Walker brought out of the kitchen. Without even so much as peeking at a menu, she decided on the spot that this was what she wanted to order.


I had a much more difficult time deciding what I wanted. Choosing between the Baha Street Tacos made with portobello mushrooms, cabbage, and guacamole or the Sweet Potato Avocado Panini seemed almost impossible. I finally decided on the Sweet Po and Avo, and my only regret was that I promised Alicia that we'd share our dishes. This was one yummalicious sandwich, and I wanted it all for myself!


Imagine sweet potatoes, avocado, Daiya vegan cheese, tomato, and roasted onions bathed in a poppy seed aioli and served on grilled ciabatta, and you'll begin to have some idea of how incredibly delicious this sandwich was. I could have eaten three of them over the course of the weekend and never grown tired of them. It was that good! I'm determined to come up with a vegan poppy seed aioli recipe, so that I can recreate this incredible sandwich and enjoy it at home.

I never did make it to Andy Nguyen's Vietnamese Restaurant in Rancho Cordova (a must-visit restaurant, according to a several reviews I've read), but on my way out of town I did make it to Noble Vegetarian. This unassuming Vietnamese restaurant serves up tasty vegan food with friendly service at modest prices (entrees are $8.95 or less) making it another Sacramento vegan treasure. Since the temperature reached a sizzling 95° at about 5 PM the day I left, I decided I didn't want anything hot, so I ordered the Prawns Perfection Roll and Taste of the Tropics Salad.

The little rice paper rolls filled with veggie prawns, noodles, and greens were served with a tasty peanut sauce.


The salad was made with jackfruit, peanuts, more prawns, sesame, mint, coriander, and wonderful little fried onion shreds in a very light citrusy dressing.


This was a filling and refreshing meal, and a most pleasant end to a wonderful culinary adventure. If you visit Sacramento, bring your appetite. You'll both be treated to some very tasty vegan cuisine. What's your favorite vegan-friendly city?

Thai Me Up and Feed Me Jackfruit!

I'm food-cart loco. That's all there is to it. To a foodie like me, the explosion in gourmet street food is the most exciting thing to come along since sliced bread. It's not only the logical response to feeding hungry diners in a struggling economy. Eating at food carts is also fun, fast, and connects us more intimately with the person who prepares our food. And now I can indulge in my weakness for Thai food with delicious meals that cost half of what they would in local area restaurants! Welcome to Eugene, Drumrongthai!

This vibrantly colorful food cart is parked at one of the best spots in town. Situated on a pie-shaped piece of property along one of Eugene's busiest East-West thoroughfares at 6th and Blair, it's pretty hard to miss!


Drumrongthai is owned and operated by two of the most charming people you'll ever meet. Chef A, and his sister O, (yes, these are their names!) serve up delicious Thai cuisine in a spirit and atmosphere of pure joy. Their friendly, smiling faces immediately make you feel very much at home in their little corner of the world.


Smack dab in the middle of this very busy street, Drumrongthai succeeds in creating its own unique ambiance with intoxicating sounds of classical Indian music playing and the romance of hanging flower planters, and water bowls filled with leaves and fallen flower petals placed on tables and fence posts.


There are sixteen items currently on the menu, which is quite a wide variety for a little food cart. Chef A was careful to guide me to those dishes that can be prepared vegan. He thoughtfully explained how many Thai restaurants use chili sauce that contains shrimp paste in their curry dishes, passing them off as vegan, even though they are clearly not. He said that he plans to soon make his own chili sauce free of shrimp paste, so that he can offer a vegan option on most, if not all of his dishes. He also plans to expand the current menu to include tempeh dishes and a variety of curry specials.

O offered me a Thai iced tea made with coconut milk, instead of dairy. It had just the right amount of sugar, and was brewed to perfection. (Sometimes Thai iced tea can be too strong or overly-sweet.) So now, I was really excited to taste the food.

I thought I'd start with the most basic dish possible—Pad Thai, but without the egg, of course. I also asked A to leave out the crushed peanut, as for some reason, it never seems to heighten my enjoyment of this dish. Knowing that there are as many ways to prepare Pad Thai as there are Thai chefs, I couldn't wait to taste Chef A's take on Pad Thai. In my own home, I have prepared several versions of this Thai classic. You'll find one of my recipes here. Chef A's Pad Thai was delicious! Packed neatly in this to-go box, it's hard to tell, but the noodles were bathed in a tasty "tamarindy" sauce and laced with tiny slices of delicately fried tofu. I was pretty impressed with the portion size, too. It was nice to feel satisfied for $6.50.

I couldn't wait to return and try something else. This time I ordered the Sweet and Sour with tofu, and was treated to a dish that was as vibrantly colorful as the cart itself, and as tasty as any Sweet and Sour I've eaten anywhere.


I look forward to trying many other dishes at Drumrongthai, including the Thom Ka coconut soup, Vegetable Delight, and Cashew Stir Fry, as well as all of the new dishes Chef A will create. Now that the weather finally seems to be getting nice here in Eugene, it will be wonderful to enjoy this delectable food outdoors. Drumrongthai is open daily from 11 AM to 8 PM, and closed on Sundays. If you love Thai food, you'll definitely want to check out Drumrongthai.

Earlier in the day, I had stopped at Sunrise Asian Market to pick up a few staple items and eyed this enormous fifteen-pound jackfruit sitting proudly on a shelf. I never knew a jackfruit was that big! This baby was about eighteen inches across from end to end. At $1.99 per pound, it would have set me back close to thirty bucks.


Since I'd never tasted jackfruit before, I decided to be conservative and paid the $2.49 per pound pre-cut price for a much smaller, but still impressive slice that set me back a little over eight dollars. (Crazy expensive? Yes! But it still doesn't beat the little $13.00 dragonfruit I once spied at a local natural foods store, but couldn't bring myself to purchase.) I really wanted to add jackfruit to my small, but growing list of exotic tropical and sub-tropical fruits that I've enjoyed—cherimoya, zapote, durian, and rambutan.


I soon learned that figuring out how to eat a jackfruit was an experience all on its own. I'm told that when a jackfruit is very ripe, the fruit literally just falls away from the fibrous tendrils that hold it in place. But since it's impossible to find a fresh, fully ripened jackfruit in the U.S., I had to dig my hand in and tear the firm fruit away. Inside the bits of fruit there are large seeds, which can be cooked and eaten.


The fruit tasted like a cross between a pineapple, a mango, and a banana. Not as sweet as any of them, but perhaps that's because it wasn't fully ripened. Nonetheless, it was a yummy ending to a delectable Thai meal.

Moo-Shu Noodles

I'm really enjoying playing with all of the fun recipes in Supermarket Vegan. There's a recipe for Quick Moo Shu Vegetables, which is typically served with hoisin sauce and thin tortilla-like flour wrappers called moo shu pancakes.

I decided to skip the pancakes and make my Moo Shu with rice noodles, instead. You could use any kind of noodles—lo mein, cellophane noodles, even flat pad thai noodles, or you could use small flour tortillas for the pancakes. I also added several ingredients like sugar snap peas and water chestnuts to add interest, texture, color, and flavor. Bean sprouts would also be nice, but you can use any vegetables you like. The secret to this flavorful dish is in the simple, but savory sauce.


Ingredients:

8 oz. rice, buckwheat, or wheat noodles
6 large shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes, drained, and sliced thin (reserve water)
1 tsp toasted (dark) sesame oil
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 16-oz bag shredded coleslaw mix
1 8-oz bag shredded carrots
4 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
1 8-oz can water sliced chestnuts, drained and rinsed
1 8-oz package Thai-style baked tofu, cut into very small cubes
1 6-oz package sugar snap peas
1/2 cup hoisin sauce (I use Sun Luck brand)
4 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce

Directions:

Prepare noodles according to package directions. Rinse in very cold water, drain, and set aside.

In a wok or large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add the coleslaw, carrots, and scallions along with a little of the reserved mushroom water and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add water chestnuts, tofu, sugar snap peas, noodles, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce and cook, stirring until heated through, about 5 more minutes. Serve with additional hoisin sauce, if desired.

Dairy-free Lavender Vanilla Shake and a Contest Winner!

This morning's post is short and sweet. Heartiest congratulations to Helen, who won a copy of Donna Klein's wonderful book, Supermarket Vegan. I know you're going to love it! Thanks to everyone who entered the contest.

In pursuit of all things lavender, I came across a recipe for honey-vanilla lavender milkshakes. My veganized version uses agave in place of honey and So Delicious Creamy Vanilla ice cream.

 The sprigs of Spanish lavender pictured above were snipped from my garden to beautify this photo. They are not what I used to make lavender-infused agave.
I recommend getting the best culinary lavender you can get your hands on. It makes all the difference in the world. These creamy shakes will make a delicious addition to all of your summer cookouts. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup agave nectar + 2 Tbs water
3 heaping Tbs culinary lavender flowers
8 scoops So Delicious Creamy Vanilla ice cream, softened for about 10 minutes until slightly melty at the edges
1/2 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage (I used Vanilla)
1 very ripe banana
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Do ahead: Mix the agave, water, and lavender flowers in a small saucepan over medium heat, until the agave is liquified, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to sit for about an hour. Strain the mixture into a small bowl or jar, pressing the lavender, to release all of the liquid. Cover and set aside at room temperature, until ready to use. (Up to five days.)

When ready to prepare shakes, place ice cream, milk, banana, lavender, and vanilla in a blender. Blend on low, and gradually increase to medium speed until blended thick and creamy. Pour into two tall glasses and serve.

Book Review and Giveaway! Supermarket Vegan: 225 Meat-free, Egg-free, Dairy-free Recipes for Real People in the Real World by Donna Klein

So many vegan cookbooks, so little time ... When I first heard the title of this new book, I thought, "what a great idea!" As a food coach and author of So Now What Do I Eat? The Complete Guide to Vegetarian Convenience Foods, my readers know that I'm all about making it as easy as possible for people to transition to a vegan diet. Visiting clients at their homes and taking them shopping has shown me that many people feel overwhelmed by the prospect of adopting a plant-based diet. When I help someone clean out their refrigerator and pantry of all products containing animal ingredients, we're often left standing in the middle of a kitchen with bare cabinets, an empty fridge, and a pile of food in boxes or garbage bags on the floor. Later, when I take them to their local natural foods store and introduce them to healthier but unfamiliar ingredients, they seem confounded by the strangeness of it all. So what a great idea to be able to say to someone that everything they need to prepare a bounty of healthful, delicious, plant-based meals is sitting right there in the ordinary surroundings of their local supermarket!

Supermarket Vegan is filled with a tantalizing array of appetizers, soups, stews, salads, wraps, noodle dishes, and desserts showcasing international cuisine from the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. With dishes like Greek Buglur-Stuffed Peppers with Mint, Cellophane Noodles with Scallions and Chow Sauce, and Curried Eggplant Black-Eyed Pea Stew, and Avocado Tostadas there's something wonderful to tempt everyone's palate.

As I do with any new cookbook, I sat down and read through every recipe before choosing which ones I wanted to sink my teeth into. If I have one criticism of this book, it's that most of the recipes are fairly high in fat. But that is easily remedied by cutting out half the oil called for in any given recipe or by eliminating the oil completely. I did this with several recipes without compromising taste, as with this gorgeous recipe for Hawaiian-Style Sweet and Sour Roasted Pineapple and Bell Peppers.


Pineapple and coconut intermingled beautifully to create a dish that was distinctly Hawaiian. I added marinated tempeh and served it over a bed of steaming jasmine rice to create a meal that was delightfully nourishing and satisfying.

One evening I read off some of the recipes I'd bookmarked to Mark. Buddhist Hot-and-Sour Soup with Tofu appealed to him, because there was a chill in the air, and he very much enjoys having soup on a cold and blustery day. I loved the rich brown broth that was achieved by combining soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and black bean sauce, and was thoroughly delighted to discover that yes indeed, my local supermarket did carry the latter two. To make the soup a bit heartier so that we could enjoy it as a main course, I added cellophane rice noodles, scallions, carrots, and water chestnuts. We both agreed that it was one of the tastiest soups we'd ever had.

Donna's recipe for African Cabbage, Carrot, Potato, and Chickpea Stew sounded equally tantalizing. Cumin, turmeric, and red pepper delicately seasoned this stew and allowed the flavor of the gently cooked vegetables to take center stage.


Following is the for recipe African Cabbage, Carrot, Potato, and Chickpea Stew from Donna Klein's Supermarket Vegan excerpted by arrangement with Perigee Books, a member of the Penguin Group. Copyright © 2010.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs peanut oil and/or extra-virgin olive oil (I omitted this and used vegetable broth, instead)
1 16-oz bag baby carrots
1 cup chopped onion
2-3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
8 ounces shredded cabbage (I used red and green)
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup water
2-3 Tbs tomato paste
1 tsp sugar, or to taste (optional)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large deep-sided nonstick skillet with a lid, heat oil (or broth) over medium heat. Add the carrots and onion and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes, adding the garlic the last minute or so of cooking. Add the potatoes, chickpeas, cabbage, broth, water, tomatoe paste, sugar (if using), cumin, turmeric, salt, red pepper flakes (if using), and black pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, an cook until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 20-30 minutes, stirring ocassionally. Serve warm over rice or couscous.

I'm very excited about sharing a copy of Supermarket Vegan with one of my readers. It's a wonderful resource for those of you who are just starting out on your vegan adventure and would make the perfect gift for someone you may know who is just starting out. Here's all you have to do to enter to win:

Follow this blog, and leave a comment here telling me why you'd like to win a copy of Supermarket Vegan. Please make sure to include your email address, so I can contact you when you win.

You can earn extra entries by following me on twitter (@vegiegail) and tweeting about this contest with a link back to this blog post. Stay tuned—I'll be choosing one lucky winner later this week. Good luck!

Spice Market Sweet Potato and Lentil Packets

I can't remember the last time I looked at a copy of Vegetarian Times. But I happened to notice the May/June 2010 issue sitting on a friend's desk the other day, and I couldn't resist skimming through its pages. This recipe for Spice Market Sweet Potato and Lentil Packets cooked in a curried ginger broth looked jumped out at me. Sweet potatoes and lentils gently cooked in a curried ginger broth sounded intriguing. It turned out to be simple to make, fun to eat, and absolutely delicious, too. The only change I made was cutting the amount of oil in half to significantly reduce the total fat per serving.

Ingredients:

2 cups sweet potatoes, finely diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced (1.5 cups)
1 cup fresh green beans, finely sliced
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 Tbs hot sesame oil (I used 1 Tbs)
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth
2 Tbs minced fresh ginger
2 fresh garlic cloves, minced (2 tsp)
1 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 cups cooked lentils, rinsed and drained or 1 15-oz can lentils, rinsed and drained
4 tablespoons prepared mango chutney (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 4 16-inch lengths of foil on work surface. Fold foil in half from short side. Unfold. Shape corners and edges of one half into semicircular "bowl" with 1/2-inch sides. Coat insides of foil with cooking spray.

Combine sweet potato, bell pepper, green beans, and raisins in medium bowl. Add oil, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Whisk together broth, ginger, garlic, and curry powder in small bowl.

Divide sweet potato mixture among packets; top with 1/3 cup lentils. Pour 1/4 cup broth mixture over lentils, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Fold ther half of foil over ingredients, and crimp edges in overlapping folds until packets are sealed. Transfer packets to baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes.

Transfer to plates. Let each person open packet carefully, because escaping air will be hot. Top with chutney if desired, and serve with basmati rice or quinoa. Makes 4 servings.

My Own Private VeganFest!

I could have stayed home Sunday and been depressed about not being able to go to WorldFest in Los Angeles. Instead, I decided to use such a springlike western Oregon day to create my own private vegan festival. I headed up to Portland and sampled some of the best vegan food to be found in Stumptown or anywhere else, for that matter.

First stop: Mississippi Marketplace—ten food carts that form an "L" shape around the German brew pub, Prost. It's located in the heart of the Historic Mississippi District at the corner of Mississippi and Skidmore.


At the apex of the "L" are three vegan food carts: The Ruby Dragon, The Sushi Tree, and Native Bowl.


Mississippi Marketplace is the vision of businessman Roger Goldingay, who according to an October 2009 article in The Oregonian converted "a dilapidated building and an abandoned lot into a food-cart center, a community gathering place, and an incubator for small artisan businesses focused on food and crafts." The entire cart space is constructed on eco-friendly, permeable asphalt with native plant landscaping. Cart-hoppers can enjoy their food at canvas-shaded tables or on Prost's expansive deck, where smiling waitresses serve eleven different imported German beers. (In winter months, a beverage purchase from the bar allows you to stay warm and dry and enjoy your food-cart meal indoors.)


The atmosphere at Mississippi Marketplace on this delightfully sunny Sunday was fun and festive, almost like a carnival or Oktoberfest in spring! I parked myself at Native Bowl, and just watched the action for a while, observing happy customers come and go. Julie Hasson and her husband, Jay, are Native Bowl's owner/operators.


I recently met Julie at the Portland Food Cart Festival, where we quickly became friends. I'm a fan of her online vegan cooking show, Everyday Dish TV, and I couldn't wait to visit Native Bowl and wrap my lips around some of her fabulously inventive vegan cuisine.

Each of her native bowls are a combination of fresh vegetables and grilled tofu or soy curls in flavorful sauces on a bed of jasmine rice. Wait a minute—soy curls? What the heck are they? The funny thing is, I'd heard this phrase when I visited another wonderful food cart in Portland last fall, Homegrown Smoker. But since I didn't order them at the time, I never bothered to ask exactly what soy curls are. But more about them a bit later ... Back to Native Bowl ... Julie explained that each signature bowl is named for a street or neighborhood in Portland: There's a Mississippi Bowl, a Couch Bowl, (for out-of-towners like me, it's pronounced "kooch" not "couch"), an Alberta Bowl, and a Broadway Bowl. How cute and clever is that? I couldn't decide which one to order, as they all sounded enticing. Julie thoughtfully gave me a taste of each of the sauces, which made choosing a lot easier. I went for the Mississippi Bowl, as I am a sucker for barbecue, and it contains a luscious combination of creamy ranch dressing and two different barbecue sauces!


Looking almost too pretty to eat, Julie advises first-timers like me to mix everything up to get the most out of this dish. You can glimpse what mine looked like after a stir and several chopsticks-full, next to this little sign that was affixed to the table where I ate. Rabid reformed smoker that I am, I was very happy to see it.


How do you describe something that tastes so good that adjectives like delicious, delectable, and scrumptious just don't do it justice? I don't know, but all I can say about the combination of crunchy fresh vegetables, chewy soy curls, fragrant jasmine rice, creamy ranch dressing, and sassy barbecue sauce was enough to make me wish I lived in Portland so that I could eat at Native Bowl for lunch every day.

And if that isn't enough inspiration, here are two more gorgeous native bowls: the Alberta Bowl and the Broadway Bowl.


Okay, so back to soy curls ... Julie explained that soy curls are the clever invention of local entrepreneur Dan Butler. They're made from whole non-GMO soybeans and nothing else! Having moved away from fake meats containing isolated soy proteins, I was intrigued and enthused about soy curls. In the conventional processing of isolated soy protein, toxic chemicals like hexane (a solvent), are commonly used to release the oil. But soy curls are not processed with any chemicals. The texture of the soy curls in my Mississippi Bowl did not disappoint my taste buds, and in fact, far exceeded my expectations. They would be perfect in all kinds of recipes like fajitas, un-chicken salad, and chili, and they'd satisfy even the most hardcore omnivore's craving for something meaty in texture. I look forward to getting my hands on some soy curls and trying them in all kinds of recipes. You can learn more about soy curls, how to cook them, and where to buy them at ButlerFoods.com.


Lucky dog! Everyone can have a tasty treat at Native Bowl!
I was so full when I finished my bowl, I couldn't believe it when Julie offered me dessert: one of her Chocolate Cups a la Mode! (Think "death by chocolate" and you'll begin to have an idea of how amazing this tasted. In fact, I'm quite sure this is exactly how I want to die—while eating one of these.) It's a warm, melty, deeply rich chocolate cake topped with a scoop of Cherry Chocolate Chunk soy ice cream, and slathered in an incredible house-made chocolate sauce. You can't tell from the photograph, but what was in this cup was way beyond decadent. I thought I could only eat a spoonful or two, but remember that stupid Alka Seltzer commercial? Well, I'm gonna say it: I can't believe I ate the whole thing!


At this point you pretty much could have rolled me on out of there. But Jessica over at The Sushi Tree had something delicious to share. And anyone who knows me knows that I love really good vegan sushi. She proudly held out a plate with one of her Green Dragon Rolls, and well, I couldn't exactly refuse to taste it, could I? That would have just been rude.


The Green Dragon is a delightfully inventive mix of all sorts of yummy things like asparagus, daikon, sunflower seeds, avocado, cucumber, and cilantro that melted in my mouth. While I couldn't possibly eat a whole one of these generously sized rolls after all the other food I'd eaten, I had to take one to go. Even after the long ride home, the sushi still tasted so fresh and delicious, I wished I'd ordered more than just one for the road. (The idea of moving to Portland is becoming more appealing all the time.)

The farthest thing from my mind at this point was the idea of eating another morsel. But I had to see what kind of food was coming out of the beautiful little custom-wood-designed Ruby Dragon cart. The Abbott open-faced sandwich looked sensational, and I can't say I wasn't tempted to taste one. It's made with two huge slabs of curried tempeh dusted with a blend of sixteen Ethiopian spices, glazed with brown rice syrup, and served on toasted Dave's Killer Bread with home fries on the side. The Jade Forest Kale Salad looked equally tantalizing.

All three of these food carts offer world-class vegan food at bargain prices. (But hey, wait a minute, I want to move someplace sunny, not Portland!) For the time being, I do wish I lived closer, though.

Just two days earlier, I learned of a new vegan bakery in Portland, (well, new to me, it opened in October),Back to Eden Bakery Boutique. Julie encouraged me to visit, and I thought to myself, "could there really be another vegan bakery in Portland to rival all of the sweet decadence of SweetPea Baking Company? So before heading across the steel bridge to Powell's Books, I made my way to the trendy Alberta Arts District to find out.


Oh, if only I had room for some cafe au lait, a milkshake, or an Italian soda! Click on the pic below, and just look at all those yummy flavored syrup choices!


But with a case filled with delectable-looking cupcakes, cheesecakes, truffles, pies, and layer cakes, it wasn't going to be hard to find something wonderful to take home to enjoy later with a cup of tea. Choosing what to take, was going to be the hard part!


After several minutes of vacillating back and forth between this and that, I finally decided on a scrumptious-looking Strawberry Hazelnut Layer Cake and a Pumpkin Whoopie Pie with Strawberry Filling. They were both sinfully delicious. I've never tasted strawberry frosting or filling that were so sweetly fruity. It was as though fresh strawberries had somehow just morphed themselves into buttery sweet creaminess.


I made my way to Powell's, and after selling back a bunch of books I'd purchased the last time I was there, I scored a pile of Robert Silverberg books I haven't yet read. When I got home, I cracked the first one open, poured myself a cup of tea, and settled in for the evening.


The vegan food, the energy, the people, the books ... I really do love Portland! Especially when the sun is shining!