Chow Vegan

Did you know you can eat beet greens? Yeah, those greens on top of beets. I had no idea. Apparently, you can also eat carrot tops. I haven’t tried that yet but the beet greens are delicious. The taste is similar to spinach; I actually like the beet greens better, as it’s a little bit sweeter.

These baby beet greens look like miniature swiss chard, which is a close relative, belonging to the same family. The stems are so tender, you can eat the whole thing. They’re also highly nutritious, rich in calcium, iron, magnesium and vitamins A, B6, C, E and K.

Sautéed Baby Beet Greens
Serves 2 as part of a meal

6 ounces baby beet greens
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Wash the beet greens in several changes of water. Drain and set aside.

Heat a wok or sauté pan to hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the wok. Add the garlic and sauté for several seconds. Add the beet greens and season with salt. Sauté the greens until wilted and tender. Plate and serve.

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Walking by the pizza station at the San Mateo Whole Foods, I saw to my astonishment that they had a little sign that read Vegan BBQ Chicken Pizza. I don’t know how many times I’ve walked by before and there was never anything remotely vegan.

I asked to be sure, that the whole pizza was vegan, not just the bbq chicken part. They answered in the affirmative; it has a thin whole wheat crust and Gardein chicken.

I thought the “chicken” pieces seemed a little dry and didn’t really add all that much to the pizza. The flavor came mostly from the bbq sauce. But I liked the onions and how it wasn’t really greasy at all.

I can’t say for sure I’ll get the bbq chicken pizza again (if it’s regularly available), as I prefer my pizza to have a combination of different vegetables. I’m hoping that the next time I walk by, they’ll have a different flavor or better yet a selection of vegan pizzas slices.

Today’s the day to pick a winner and the lucky number is 27.

Congratulations Miki! Shoot me an email with your mailing address and I’ll get the cookbook out to you.

Thank you to all of you who entered. I really enjoyed reading about your favorite cookies, especially the ones I haven’t heard of before. In case you’re curious, chocolate chip was the most favorite cookie followed closely by some sort of variation on the oatmeal cookie.

I had just taken out a batch of roasted tofu from the oven when I thought maybe I should try it with that new olive oil I got in the mail. I had received a complimentary bottle of Kenzoil from the manufacturer and was debating what to do with it.

I must admit I wasn’t sure what to expect when I was first contacted to try the stuff. I mean, come on, it’s a bottle of oil with herbs in it. As it turns out, Kenzoil is delicious as a dip for tofu. I also sprinkle a little on white rice as I didn’t have any bread to dip and that’s tasty as well. The flavor is subtly of basil and garlic with just a hint of spiciness.

Besides the fresh basil and garlic, I believe it’s those spices that put it over the top and makes it so different and special. I noticed how the label doesn’t list exactly what the spices are, it must be a secret recipe.

It’s all-natural, vegan, raw, dairy free, gluten free and nut free. Not to mention low sodium, no vinegar, no sugar and no preservatives. Just like I would make at home if I had the time and if I wasn’t so lazy and if I knew the actual recipe.

Fortunately, Kenzoil is available online and in some Midwest stores if you happen to live out there.

I’ve been dying to make something with the Vietnamese Extra Fancy Cinnamon I picked up from Penzeys Spices. Every time I get a whiff of it, I want to bake something. Something easy but healthy, I decided to try a baked version of banana tempura.

I used the batter-baked method from The 30-Minute Vegan. Dipping and breading each individual slice is definitely the way to go, I got a lot more crumb coverage on each piece.

Baked banana tempura isn’t exactly like regular tempura – it’s a lot lighter and there’s not a ton of batter. The bananas come out warm and a little melty inside with a bit of a crunch on the outside. You’ll have to eat it right away otherwise you’ll lose the crunch (it’s still good just not crunchy). Dusted with cinnamon, it’s heaven on a plate.

Baked Banana Tempura
Serves 2

2 small to medium size bananas
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Ground cinnamon for dusting

Batter
1 1/2 tablespoons ground flax meal
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet.

Combine batter ingredients in a bowl and blend well with a whisk. Set aside. Place bread crumbs in a bowl or plate and set near the batter bowl and baking sheet.

Peel and cut the bananas crosswise into 3/4″ slices. Give the batter a quick stir and then place a banana slice into the batter, coating well. Then into the bread crumbs, making sure it’s totally covered. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with each banana slice.

Bake for 4 minutes, flip over and bake another 4 minutes. Arrange on a serving dish and dust with cinnamon. Serve immediately.

Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar Giveaway!
Don’t forget there’s only a few more days to enter the giveaway here, it closes on Saturday, December 12, 2009.

I can’t bake. I know it. You know it. Even the oven knows it. But after I received a review copy of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, I just had to give my favorite cookie, oatmeal raisin, a try.

It didn’t start off well. I bought the wrong kind of quick-cooking oats, somehow I missed the smaller “steel cut” type on the package. Of course, I didn’t notice until I had already mixed up all of the wet ingredients and just poured in the oats and started mixing.

After recovering from flashbacks of other ill-fated attempts at baking. I dumped everything into the garbage and headed back to the store.

I got the correct ingredients this time, after double-checking the labels on everything. Mixed up a batch and started plopping them on the baking sheet. Shoved the whole thing in the oven and prayed the entire 10 minutes that they were in there, that all would be well when they came back out.

Lo and behold, I actually made a cookie! Thank goodness for small miracles. It’s been ages since I enjoyed a freshly baked cookie hot out of the oven. It’s so good!

To celebrate, I’m giving away a copy of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar so you too may enjoy freshly baked goodies, with or without noobie drama.

The cookbook includes 100 recipes organized by type – from drop, wholesome, bar, fancy to sliced and rolled cookies. There’s also a very handy section in the beginning covering ingredients, tools, substitutions and troubleshooting.

To enter, complete the following:

1. Subscribe to chowvegan.com via RSS reader or email.

2. Leave a comment in this post that you’ve done so and tell me what is your favorite cookie. Comment must be made by midnight PST on Saturday, December 12th; one entry per person. Giveaway is open to US mailing addresses only.

One winner will be randomly selected from the comments received and announced on Monday, December 14th. Good luck!