Chow Vegan

I came across Annie’s Bunny Grahams at Whole Foods the other day. They were on sale and calling my name. So the little chocolate chip ones came along home with me. Only the Chocolate and the Chocolate Chip Bunny Grahams are vegan.

Once home they promptly got dunked in a nice cold glass of soy milk. I only had a small handful, that was more than enough for me for one sitting.

I only wish their Cinnamon flavor was vegan (it has honey in it). That’s the flavor I fondly remember from childhood – dunked and swished around in milk until it was just the right softness – not too crunchy and not so soft that it fell apart.

Looking at the nutrition label, one serving is 30 bunnies for 140 calories. That’s a lot of bunnies. Granted, they’re small, only about an inch in length.

But still, I doubt if I’ll ever eat 30 at one time, I’ll stick with just eating a few and enjoy the memories without the calories.

I thought now would be a good time to make something out of the cookbook Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, seeing as Isa invented VeganMoFo. I’ve heard so much about the chickpea cutlets, that had to be without a doubt the very first thing I was going to try.

It’s incredible! I only wish I tried it sooner, I had no idea what I was missing. I feel like I’ve been living under a rock or something.

I baked them up and served them with green beans and garlic bread. They’re unbelievably good and so easy to make. It’s savory and meaty and so much better than any of those frozen veggie patties I’m used to eating.

I’ve made it a couple of times now, once following the recipe and another where I tweaked it a bit. I used tamari instead of soy sauce and it came out darker in color; I also made it flatter and thinner. I liked it both ways.

I see more tweaking in the future, not that the recipe needs it but because it’s so versatile. And I’ll be making a batch for the freezer so I can kiss those store-bought patties good-bye.

Related Links
To learn more about the authors, click here. To check out the cookbook, visit your local library, bookstore or Amazon (tons of reviews over there).

I’m on a quest to make a version of salt and pepper tofu that isn’t fried. Inspired by the recipe for Rosemary-Roasted Tofu Cubes in Vegan Soul Kitchen, I changed up the spices and threw it in the oven.

It’s good but I think it can be better. Next time I’ll roast the tofu but without the salt and pepper seasonings and instead make a sauce in a wok, then mix in the tofu. That might be the way to go. Stay tuned for version 2.0.

Salt and Pepper Roasted Tofu
2 to 4 servings

1 pound firm or extra-firm tofu
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon freshly grounded black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 stalk green onion, chopped

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the tofu into cubes.

In a bowl, combine the seasonings and oil, then mix well. Add the tofu and gently toss to coat the tofu with the mixture.

Place each tofu cube in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping each cube over about halfway through. Sprinkle with the green onions before serving.

Related Posts
Rosemary-Roasted Tofu Cubes
Chinese 5-Spice Baked Tofu
Crispy Baked Tofu

After eating the Crumbed Sensation at the Loving Hut, I was hoping to find something similar in the frozen food section at the Asian supermarket. I picked up Vegetarian Mock Golden Fish Nuggets; sadly it’s not quite the same.

They have a different texture. It reminds me of veggie chicken nuggets but with a slightly different flavor and a crescent shape.

The texture is not as smooth as the Loving Hut ones. The breading is excellent though, after heating them up in the oven, they came out quite crispy. Ingredients include wheat and soy protein, wheat flour, seasonings, oil and breadcrumbs.

Overall, I thought they were just okay. But you never know until you try and there’s lots and lots of vegan/vegetarian things to try at the Asian supermarket. Go see.

Hang onto your seats for a full blast of vegan culinary delights for the month of October. I took the plunge and sign up for VeganMoFo (Vegan Month of Food). This year it’s being hosted by kittee over at Cake Maker to the Stars.

For my inaugural post, I’m going with my new favorite way to eat kale. Crispy, crunchy kale chips! I’m sure you’ve seen it all over the internet by now. And for good reason – it taste good and it’s good for you. A great snack that’s perfect for those salty crunchie munchies.

Super easy to make. There’s quite a few kale chip recipes floating around but I like going with the long strips instead of the small chip size pieces. They’re just more fun to eat. The recipe I used is from Bon Appétit.

So with snack in hand, I’m now all set to peruse the many mouth-watering posts that’s sure to come on this first day of VeganMoFo.