Day Thirteen - Improv Sunday

So I've been doing this vegan thing for quite some time now. Thirteen day, in fact. I'm pretty much a pro/expert. I could probably write a book or something. Obviously. So this morning I decided to try making this "tofu scramble" I'd heard about. It's supposedly similar to scrambled eggs. I looked at a few recipes and seeing that I didn't have quite the right ingredients, I did what any expert does. I figured I could fake it. Yep, it is clear I have no need for silly recipes. I'm super skilled in the kitchen now that I've made three recipes. I need tumeric? What? Pshh. And so Improv Sunday began.

Masterpeice #1 - Hashbrowns
1 pealed potato
1 spoon of flour
1 dash of salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Grate potato and mix in rest of ingrediants. Pour small amount of oil in hot frying pan. Put potato mixture on top. Brown both sides on medium heat. Own those hashbrowns. Rock on!

Masterpeice #2 - Tofu Scramble
1/2 pkg of firm tofu
1 splash of almond milk
3 dashes of cumin
1/8 c. onions
some oil
1 take out pkg of soy sauce
whatever spices you first grab when you open the spice cabinet

Squeeze tofu with some paper towels. Crumble into bowl. Add rest of ingredients except oil and onions and gently toss. Saute onions until brown or clear or you get bored. Add tofu mixture to pan. Cook on med-high heat until liquid is gone. Toss on top what ever you see in the kitchen. BAM! You rock!

So it all looks yellowish. The hashbrowns were great. The tofu had less flavor. Maybe I did need some more veggies, or some turmeric...

Day Twelve - Tofu or not tofu? That is the question.

I finally got around to mixing up a new recipe. This one is not too bad. I'm not the biggest fan of raw recipes. It taste better to actually cook something. But this is good for a summer sandwich. And tofu is pretty much the coolest stuff ever.

BBQ Tofu Salad

1/2 lb. firm tofu (preferably herbed tofu)
1/2 cup green peppers, diced
1/2 cup Spanish onion, diced
2 Tbsp. cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 cup whole-kernel corn
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 cup barbecue sauce


• Wrap the tofu in clean towels and gently squeeze the water out. Dice into ½-inch cubes. Dice the green peppers and onions. Chop the cilantro into small pieces. Combine these ingredients in a large bowl, being careful not to break the tofu cubes.
• Combine the cumin, corn, vegan mayonnaise, and barbecue sauce in a small bowl. Mix well.
• Gently combine the tofu mixture with the dressing.

Makes enough salad for 6 sandwiches

Day Eleven - RFD = Really Freaking Delicious

So I just got back from dinner. My good friend, Liesel, told me about this place in Santa Monica that was completely vegan and organic. After several lackluster experiences with vegan options at other restaurants, I was interested to see how an actual vegan restaurant would compare. Thus, we spent our Friday night at Real Food Daily (www.realfood.com). I had seen it before and never realized it was a vegan place. They are committed to serving quality food sans animal product. They also have a bakery connected to the restaurant. Holy uneaten cow! Some of the best food I've ever had! The entire menu is organic, vegan (duh, and yay!) and frequently gluten free. Even the baked goods don't use animal fats or white sugar.  I had a hard time choosing from the lengthy menu. It all sounded so good. We finally decided to get two dishes and a salad and split them.

Caesar Salad

Fettuccine Alfredo

Supreme Burrito

I should probably note that it all looked so good, I forgot to take pictures until we were half way through. The portions were generous and the presentation was colorful. A feast for the eyes! The caesar salad dressing was rich, but not over heavy. It came with croutons that were sweet and tasted like they were made from pumpkin bread or something. Unexpected and it totally worked. The alfredo with spinach fettuccine and veggies was rich and creamy and dairy free! It came with a few slices of divine garlic bread. The burrito was HUGE! There were bean, rice, and avocado inside, as well as tempeh bacon (it actually tasted like bacon).  And it came with a big salad that we didn't even touch because we were so full! We also got some "milk" shakes, that tasted like my mom's homemade milkshakes. Mmmmm.

Vanilla and Chocolate Shakes

All of it was just really good food. Yes it's vegan and organic, but it was flavorful, rich, complex, and AWESOME! Liesel and I liked it so much we both bought the Real Food Daily Cookbook. Even though we were stuffed, it didn't make us feel that "I really shouldn't have eaten that last bite" blahness that can happen after a big meal. Even if I don't stay vegan after this month, I'm definitely going back to RFD. Four billion stars!

Day Ten - PIZZA!

My roommate ordered pizza the other day and I really, really wanted some. I've wanted non-vegan food a little over the past ten days, but oh man! Pizza! One of the reasons I'm going vegan now is so I can take advantage of all the vegan resourses here in Los Angeles. There are several vegan pizza places, or I should say, places that have vegan pizza options. One was close enough to get delivery and they had vegan brownies. Happy Thursday to me!

Behold! The Vegan Pizza

 

 

Vegan brownie? What the what?

In theory, I was craving pizza (this blog is slowing turning into my "cravings journal". Tomorrow I will be writing about pina coladas and bubble gum. Don't judge). ANYWAY, pizza. While this particular mushroom, spinich, and tofu cheese pizza was okay, it wasn't really pizza. Or maybe I just wanted a greasey, cheesy old school pizza. It wasn't bad, but "meh." The brownie wasn't special either. As good as any pizza place does brownies.

Lessons Learned: Get vegan baked goods from a bakery. And keep looking for a good vegan pizza. Maybe in Hollywood...

Day Nine - I'm the kind of Vegan that wears clothes.

While chatting with my roomie Allana (Hey! What's up, girlfriend?) or it could have been Angie (Yo yo, my sistah!) or maybe Annita (Hi, girly! Hugs!), she mentioned the new "wear your own fur" PETA ads. Talk about shock factor (and shameless shout outs)! But seriously, I don't get how nudity helps the animals. There are pleanty of animal-free options for clothing. Here are some T shirts that get a message across (hopefully less annoying, too). The message is "I don't have to choose between naked or fur".

Day Eight - Sometime a girl just needs her cookies

Oreos are vegan. I get the reduced fat kind so I can eat more.

Day Seven - "Exciting" food

Today's attempt at culinary prowess of the vegan kind is from PETA's recipe database. It is full of "exciting" words like "tempeh", "kombu", and "braising liquid." And by exciting, I mean "full of potential for error due to my lack of specialty food vocabulary." So here is the quick guide to this recipe:

Tempeh: A soybean cake. Don't worry if I looks a little moldy. Evidently, it just looks like that. Yeah, I know, weird and kind of gross.
Kombu: a dried seaweed used for soup stock. Afterward, it will be squishy and slimey. Like it's fresh from the sea.
Braising: cooking something, usually meat, by boiling it in a liquid

Ok, so once we understand the exciting parts of the recipe it's fairly simple, but time consuming.

Quinoa and Tempeh Tabouli

4 cups vegetable stock
1 piece kombu
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 Tbsp. crushed black peppercorns
1 pkg. tempeh, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped cauliflower
1/4 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. malt vinegar
1/2-1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste


• Combine the vegetable stock, kombu, minced garlic, chili powder, ginger, and peppercorns in a medium stockpot over medium-low heat to make a braising liquid.
• Add the tempeh and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Put the quinoa in a fine sieve and place under cold running water, gently rubbing with your hands, for a few minutes, until the water runs clear.
• In a small pot, combine the quinoa, water, and 1/2 cup of the prepared braising liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the quinoa is translucent and all the liquid is absorbed.
• In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, tempeh, vegetables, oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss gently to coat.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

There was one more thing. Quinoa. It probably taste great and stuff, but I just made some couscous instead. Final verdict: pretty good. Could have done with out the raw onion. The tempeh has a nice nutty flavor. I don't know what the kombu did, but I totally braised. Exciting indeed.