Tofu Feta

Hello!

Lately, Caitlin and I have been enjoying tofu feta, a vegan substitute for my favorite goat cheese. The recipe is really simple, so I thought I would share!

You'll need:

• 1/2 Block of Firm Tofu
• One lemon
• 1 Tsp Soy sauce
• 2 Tsp Salt
• 2 Tbsp Nutrtitional Yeast

Now, the soy sauce and the yeast are optional, but I really think they add to the flavor of the tofu as a whole.

1. Juice the lemon.
2. Mix lemon, soy sauce, salt, and yeast together in a long flat dish or Tupperware.
3. Add water. You should only add enough water so that when the tofu is added, it will be completely submerged.
   
4. Crumble tofu into the liquid mixture.
5. Refrigerate overnight.
6. Drain tofu.

The longer you can drain the tofu, the better. Also, I add the salt and soy sauce to taste, so these numbers are very flexible. I love this recipe because I really really missed feta! We used it to make Greek salad, but it would work most times as a feta substitute, including in spanokopita (I apologize if that is misspelled!)

Au Revoir,
Chelsea

Restaurant Review: Candle 79

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to have my delightful Aunt Edith come into town. She treated us to dinner at Candle 79, a vegan restaurant on the upper east side, and by far the best food I've eaten in New York City. My aunt, who is not a vegan, said it was one of the best meals she'd ever had-- not vegan meals, just meals!

We photographed the event, so I thought I would share some of the artistic food they served us. If you want to see better pictures (I'm certainly no photographer), you can visit the official website: http://www.candlecafe.com/

I ordered homemade ginger ale, one of Candle's many gourmet drinks. It was a perfect compliment to my meal, full of gingery deliciousness, as well as hints of mint and lemon.

As a little pre-appetizer, the house sent out bread with avocado butter.


We then got three (yes, three) appetizers. First, we had hummus.
The classic has been dressed up with olives, an entire head of roasted garlic, and red pepper. After this, we worked on dumplings.
The dumplings were garnished with sesame seeds and chives. They were divine, but nothing compared to the appetizer "dujour," which we couldn't resist:
Curried vegetables, in a phyllo cup, with chutney on top... I would go back just for this, if it was on the permanent menu!

For dinner, I ordered ravioli (what can I say, I'm too lazy to ever make vegan ravioli myself!)
The black-brown stuff on top was really crunchy and delicious (I have a suspicion that it was garlic, but don't hold me to that). Combined with onions, spinach, and tomatoes, the ravioli were definitely a superb blend of flavor.

I was, however, a bit jealous of my aunt's entree. She ordered honeyed seitan.
She let me try some (for the sake of the article, of course), and I was pleasantly surprised by the savory texture and flavor of the dish.

My lovely Aunt let me talk her into dessert.
This first one is chocolate mousse with peanut butter, served over raspberry syrup and chopped nuts.
Finally, I present to you my favorite dish aesthetically. This is a totally raw dessert-- a parfait with nuts, cashew cream, and raspberry ice cream. Instead of a cookie, there is an impossibly thin slice of pineapple.
Ah, how delightful. This post has been painful--I'm so hungry now!-- but hopefully you will enjoy the pictures! I whole-heartedly recommend this restaurant for any one that can scrape together the money.

Chelsea

Birthday Lunch!

Chelsea made me lunch for my birthday! Let's see...we started with slices of french bread and an herb-infused olive oil and a delicious greek salad. Chelsea made feta cheese out of tofu! It tasted exactly like feta cheese! Maybe if she's feeling generous she will post the recipe later ;)

And then we made a stir-fry! This is John Jay broccoli at its best. Chelsea also had some gorgeous purple potatoes and Indian spices! I added a heap of Garam Masala (I'm obsessed) so it turned out quite spicy. And delicious.


Oh! And Chelsea brought Kombucha for both of us :) Thank you dear!

Vegan Birthday Cupcakes!

Thank you Kristin!

Yes, it was birthday on Thursday. And, yes, I have an amazing sister who baked me vegan red velvet cupcakes! And let me tell you, these were INCREDIBLE. I have no shame in admitting I ate four (possibly 5....I stopped counting) the night she gave them to me.

She said the recipe was adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (a classic!). She even substituted some of the oil for applesauce! I think it made the texture a little denser and chewier, which was definitely a positive. I'm dreaming of cupcakes now...

Restaurant Highlight: Remedy Diner, NC

Hello hello!

I know, it's been a while. Sadly, the life of a college student leaves little time for updating blogs. So we've got a little catching up to do. Starting with this awesome restaurant my brother took me to when I visited him in Raleigh last weekend. The Remedy Diner is half vegan, half meat, basically. There were so many things to choose from! I was this close to ordering a burrito with spinach and potatoes and other awesomeness, but I just had to try the vegan sloppy joe. I mean, how often does one find a really quality meat-less sloppy joe? Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever even seen a quality meat sloppy joe. Oh well, mine was fantastic :)

The Joe was made with TVP, onion and peppers, and some pretty legitimate sloppy joe sauce. That's french onion soup on the side, too.


Here's Mike with the burrito. It was quite tasty as well.

Nutitional Yeast Gravy

As a vegan, vitamin B12 is an issue. B12 deficiencies cause fatigue, paleness, anorexia, mental confusion, delusions, paranoia, weight loss... (Vegetarian Voice, Volume 31 2009). This pesky vitamin does not occur in plants, meaning every vegan should be eating foods fortified with B12 (like nutritional yeast or soy milk!) or be taking a vitamin.
Vitamin pills are not always absorbed by the body, and are expensive! I opt to eat nutritional yeast gravy several times a day. This cheesy gravy is a wholesome food that leaves you feeling warm inside.

For the gravy, you'll need--

• 1 Cup Nutritional Yeast
• 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour (Use whole wheat!)
• 4 Tbsps of Oil
• 2 Cups Warm Water
• 1 Tsps Turmeric
• 2 Tsps Cumin
• 1 Tsp Hing (Onion or Garlic Powder work well, too)
  

Then, you ought to---

1. Heat the oil over medium high heat in a medium size saucepan
2. Add turmeric, cumin, and hing.
3. Slowly add the flour, stirring it carefully to properly mix. If the flour looks too dry, feel free to add more oil. The final consistency should be moist and clumpy.
4. Add the warm water slowly, allowing for the sauce to thicken eat time.
   
5. Cook until the sauce is thick and bubbly.
   
6. Remove from heat. Add the nutritional yeast and stir in. Allow to sit for a minute before serving.
   

Yields: 3 1/2 Cups of Sauce

This gravy is delicious in mexican food, on pizza, with macaroni (like mac and cheese, only mac n' yease), on a baked potato, or as a flavorful substitute in a casserole with gravy. The original recipe is from the New Farm Cookbook.

Enjoy!
Chelsea

Taquitos

Hello! I haven't updated in a while, so I figured I would post my latest concoction. Today, I made taquitos. They're are surprisingly easy, and work pretty well baked instead of fried. They're crunchy with a soft filling, which is all I ever really want in a food. I ate them with nutritional yeast gravy, my personal favorite cheese substitute.

For the taquitos, you'll need--

• Corn Tortillas (about 12)
• 16 0z Can of Vegetarian Refried Pinto Beans
• 1/2 Cup of Baby Bella Mushrooms
  
• 1/2 Cup of Onion
• 2 Tbsps of Olive Oil
• Spray Oil (Pam is the popular brand)
• 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 1 Tsp Cumin
• 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
  

Then, you ought to--

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat and add the spices.
   
3. Dice the onions and chop the mushrooms.
4. Add onions to the oil and cook for several minutes until they begin to brown.
5. Add the mushrooms to the oil. Cook for several minutes. When finished, the mushrooms should have darkened several shades.
   
6. Mix the refried beans, mushrooms, and onions together in a mixing bowl.
   
7. Microwave the tortillas, several at a time, for thirty seconds to soften them.
   
8. Place about three spoonfulls of the bean mixture in each tortilla, and roll into a thin cylinder. Unlike a burrito, the taquitos have open ends.
   
9. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and lay the finished taquitos on it. Spray them generously with the spray oil.
   
10. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the taquitos are lightly browned.
11. Bon apetite!
    

Taquitos are delicious dipped in vegan sour cream, guacamole, or alone. The filling is flexible; the second time I made them, I put mashed potatoes, carrots, onion, and mushrooms. They should be served with rice, or as a side.
The first time I made these, I left out the olive oil because I prefer to sweat vegetables rather than cook them with oil. Either way works.