Chow Vegan

About a month ago at Whole Foods, I tried a sample of Alkemie, a new dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, raw ice cream. I also met co-founder and executive chef, Daniel Clary; he’s a really nice guy.

Of the three flavors currently available, I like the Vanilla Bean the best and purchased a pint. It’s smooth, creamy and rich-tasting. You get the full flavor of the vanilla, without a strong coconut taste like you do with coconut-based ice cream. But it does have a hint of cashew. Probably because it’s made of raw cashews, coconut cream and agave nectar.

Dark Chocolate and Mint Chocolate are the two other flavors. I’m not a big chocolate eater so I didn’t buy either one of those.

Daniel mentioned that they’re working on 2 new flavors, coming out in the spring. Maybe a coffee or a fruit. With all sorts of crazy flavor ideas in his head, he’s still deciding on what flavors to do next.

Since I was distracted with the sampling and the chatting, some guy mistakenly made off with my shopping cart. I had to go track him down.

At $5.99 a pint, it’s definitely at the high end of premium ice cream, vegan or not. But you get what you pay for – handcrafted, batch-churned, organic ingredients and no refined sugars.

At this price and for this quality, I’m setting a guard to watch over my ice cream. No one is going to “accidently” make off with it.

Besides the sporting events at the Olympics, I like seeing the cultural side of the host city. Earlier in the week, I saw a blip about Vancouver’s Japadog, a very popular hot dog street cart with a Japanese twist.

Basically it’s a hot dog in a bun, but topped with Japanese condiments for a whole new fusion taste adventure. The “Japa Style Menu” includes some of the interesting items below. And they’re available in veggie style too.

• Terimayo – Beef hot dog with teriyaki sauce, seaweed (nori), fried onion, Japanese mayo
• Oroshi – Bratwurst with grated daikon radish, green onion, special soy sauce
• Okonomi – Kurobuta (pork) sausage with fried cabbage, Japanese mayo, bonito flakes, special Okonomiyaki sauce

Seeing as I’m not going to be in Vancouver anytime soon, I decided to go DIY. I made the Terimayo as that’s their most popular offering and the one that sounds the best.

I used jumbo sized veggie hot dogs for a better dog to bun fit. I think Japadog grills their hot dogs but I didn’t have a grill available so I just went with the boil in water method.

Took the hot dog out of the water and made a few slits in it. Heated up teriyaki sauce in a saucepan, then rolled the hot dog around until well-coated. Placed the hot dog and whatever sauce left in the pan on a toasted white whole wheat bun. Topped with sautéed onions, wasabi mayo and shredded toasted nori.

It’s actually really good, no wonder locals, tourists and celebrities are lining up to eat at Japadog. The flavors work well together, balancing the salty sweet of the teriyaki sauce with the kick from the creamy wasabi mayo.

Although I’m not a big hot dog eater, I just might have to try other DIY flavor combos. Perhaps a Vietnamese version with spicy mayo, pickled carrots and daikon, cucumbers, cilantro and mint?

I never got the whole concept of cupcake bakeries, probably because I wasn’t able to try any of them. But now that Sprinkles in Palo Alto has a vegan version of their red velvet cupcake, I just had to see what all the fuss is about.

Since I haven’t tried red velvet cupcakes or cake before (I know, I’m so deprived), I wasn’t even sure what exactly is red velvet. Sprinkles describes theirs as “Southern style light chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting.” The dairy is substituted with soy milk, tofu-based cream cheese and pure coconut oil.

After one bite, I gotta say, it’s divine – so moist and fluffy! Rich tasting with a beautiful red color and creamy frosting. The “V” on top is for vegan red velvet and is hard as a rock. I think it’s candy but I didn’t eat it as I was already floating around the room happy as can be on a sugar high.

Freshly baked, it’s everything you can ever desire in a cupcake. At $3.25 each, it’s well worth the price for the baking-impaired such as myself.

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is this Sunday. Traditionally, there’s feasting to be had on the eve of the new year. On the actual new year’s day, a vegetarian dish, Buddhist’s Delight or jai is served.

Certain dishes symbolize certain things. Dumplings for prosperity. Noodles for long life (make sure not to cut the noodles). Dried bean curd (tofu) for wealth and happiness. Mixed vegetables for family harmony and serving items whole to represent family unity and togetherness.

Appetizers
Stuffed Tofu Puffs with Chili Garlic Sauce
Deep-fried tofu puffs stuffed to overflowing with a potato-carrot filling, steamed and then topped with a chili garlic sauce.

Cream Cheese Wontons
Baked cream cheese and spinach wontons, a delightful concoction of east meeting west.

Main Dishes
Mock Chicken
Kinda looks like roasted white chicken, but it’s not. Bean curd sheets rolled with a mushroom filling and steamed. I could eat the whole thing by myself.

Roasted Tofu with Leeks and Black Bean Sauce
Golden roasted tofu cubes tossed in a savory black bean sauce. Lucky me. I mean you, lucky you.

Asian Styled Seitan and Vegetable Stew
Seitan chunks braised with potatoes, carrots and daikon, seasoned with star anise. A red-colored dish to ward off evil spirits.

Cantonese Style Vegetable Chow Mein
Baked crispy noodles topped with a medley of stir-fried bok choy, snow peas, bean sprouts and mushrooms. Remember not to cut the noodles.

Side Dishes
Vegetarian BBQ Pork Fried Rice
Rice stir-fried with veggies and bbq veggie pork (another “red” item to keep away those evil spirits).

Stir-Fried Yu Choy Sum
A simple stir-fry of chinese greens with just a bit of garlic. Keep it whole for that whole unity thing.

Dessert
Baked Banana Tempura
Not exactly a Chinese dessert but what a sweet and yummy ending.

Tangerines and oranges
Sweet, refreshing and symbolic of luck and wealth.

Wishing you health, wealth and happiness in the Year of the Tiger.
Happy Lunar New Year!

For this Super Bowl of weekends, I decided to make the snack of sports bars and fans everywhere – Buffalo Wings. But instead of wings, it’s roasted tofu cubes.

It’s amazingly simple and easy. I used the method for roasting tofu from Vegan Soul Kitchen then tossed in Buffalo hot sauce. That’s it.

So good and rich-tasting. It’s now my snack of choice for all sporting events. Bring on the Winter Olympics.

Buffalo Style Roasted Tofu
Serves 4

1 16-ounce block of extra-firm tofu
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Buffalo Sauce
1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Original Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
1/8 cup Earth Balance Soy-Free Butter

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine the oil, salt and paprika. Cut the tofu into cubes and gently toss to coat with the mixture. Place each tofu cube in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast for 15 minutes on each side.

In a wok, melt the butter. Turn off the heat and add the hot sauce. Stir to combine. Add the freshly roasted tofu and toss until throughly coated. Serve immediately with celery sticks and ranch dressing.

Ranch Dressing
Makes a little over 1/3 cup

1/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup Vegenaise or other vegan mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon granulated onion powder
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Chill until ready to use.

You probably heard by now that Starbucks is stocking Lucy’s cookies in their stores. They’re vegan, gluten-free and nut-free.

I had to see for myself, besides I had a couple of Starbucks gift cards burning a hole in my wallet. So I walked into the nearest store and there they were, in the back, neatly arranged on a table.

Chocolate Chip was the first of three flavors that I tried, I didn’t care for it. I prefer my cookies to be soft and chewy. This was hard and crunchy. I was kinda disappointed as I know there’s other vegan cookies that come in a package that are nice and soft.

The next flavor, Cinnamon Thin were better. I was fine with it being a crisp cookie as it reminds me of a cinnamon graham cracker. It was great dunked in a glass of soy milk.

And the last one, Sugar Cookie tasted like the cinnamon ones but without the cinnamon. It too got dunked in soy milk.

All of the cookies were on the sweet side and very crunchy and crisp. I didn’t expect that, having never heard of Lucy’s before trying them. But the crispness is perfect for dunking in milk or coffee. If I ever need a sugar rush while enjoying a Starbucks coffee, I would get the Cinnamon Thin again.

Size of a cookie is about 2 1/2″ in diameter, $1.50 a bag. One serving size is 3 cookies (there’s 4 in a bag) for 130 calories.

Deliriously happy to finally have the chance to eat at The Veggie Grill in El Segundo, I pretty much stuffed my face full. Since our whole group went to the all-vegan restaurant (a family first), I actually got to try quite a few items.

Chinese Chickin’ Salad, pictured above – I thought it was great, I usually don’t like getting salads in restaurants since I can make it so much better at home. But this was so nice and fresh tasting. And it wasn’t too heavy on the sesame-rice vinaigrette.

Mac n’ Cheese – I only had a couple of bites of this, but it was enough for me to say it’s yummy. I love how the Daiya cheese is all melty and creamy.

Uptown Nachos, pictured above – Also had just a few bites of this. Oh my gosh, it’s been forever since I’ve eaten nachos. It’s just like how I remember it. Another awesome winner.

Steamin’ Kale – No one else really ate this but I thought it was quite good. The kale was tender and the ginger-miso dressing went well with it.

Sweetheart Fries – Sweet potato fries, just as good if not better than french fries. But really the chipotle ranch that came with it, now that was to die for.

All-American Stack, pictured above – I only liked this okay. It may just be too much for one bite, what with all the onion rings, lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled veggie-steak pieces stacked on a really thick whole wheat bun. Or maybe it was because I wanted to eat those nachos instead.

The V-Burger – I had about a fourth of this. It was my nephew’s lunch, since he’s only 7, he wasn’t able to finish the whole burger. He likes it with just the bun, grilled veggie-steak burger and ketchup. I liked this burger better. Go figure.

Chocolate Pudding – Delicious end to a great meal. Smooth and sweet, with a nice chocolate flavor. You would never know it was vegan.

The decor is modern-looking, hip and clean. There’s outdoor seating, which normally would have been nice if it wasn’t for the threatening storm clouds. They have four locations, all in Southern California. If only there was a Veggie Grill in NoCal, I would for sure be a permanent fixture there.

Over the holiday weekend, I traveled to Southern California to visit with my brother’s family. While there, we got lunch to-go at Versailles Cuban Restaurant in Manhattan Beach.

Since Cuban food is better known for its meat dishes, I didn’t think there would be much for me to eat besides the typical rice and beans. Sure enough, there was just two vegetarian plates on the menu, both included rice and beans.

I got the Moros, Platanos Fritos Y Ensalada Verde plate – black beans and rice cooked together, fried sweet plantains, mixed green salad and some mystery root vegetable hidden underneath the salad. It’s sorta like a potato but it’s not. I never had it before.

Normally, I’m not a huge fan of beans but moros is delicious! It’s savory and flavorful with just the right ratio of rice to beans. I had no idea rice and beans can be this good.