Chow Vegan

Swung by the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco over the weekend and tried the organic, vegan donuts from Pepples. That almost didn’t happen as the person working the kiosk was not there when I walked by the first time. It took three tries before she was back at her post. At least the donuts were worth the doubling back.

Pepple’s offers quite a selection of flavors from new to old standbys, the price ranges from $2-3 each or $13 for a half-dozen. I got Salt Caramel (new to me) and Blueberry (an old favorite). But after opening my bag of donuts, I see something missing. Where’s the hole?

Fortunately, these hole-less donuts (or maybe they’re just humongous donut holes) aren’t missing any flavor or taste. The Salt Caramel has a nice balance of salty and sweet. You can see the giant sea salt crystals on top, it goes well with the rich coconut caramel. The Blueberry has a beautiful color inside, not a super strong blueberry taste, but still good.

Both were very cake like and don’t seem as greasy as other donuts. Next time I would like to try the Orange Creamsicle and/or Green Apple. With donut flavors like this, you know there has to be a next time.

Vegan cookbooks nowadays are such an embarrassment of riches. There’s so many out there – the latest one that I’ve received for review is The Happy Herbivore Cookbook by Lindsay Nixon.

To be honest, when I first saw the recipe for Baked Tofu Parmesan, I thought how different can it really be from the Crispy Baked Tofu that I’ve already been making for so many years. I was surprised and delighted with the results.

It totally tasted like parmesan, with the tofu it’s more like a chicken type of parmesan (but I bet it would be just as good with eggplant). I served it up on a bed of spaghetti squash.

The secret seems to be the vegan parmesan. Early on, I must have tried a brand that was not that tasty and was a little turn off by it. But the flavor and texture of Galaxy Nutritional Foods Vegan Grated Topping “Parmesan Flavor” is quite good. The tofu just by itself seems like any other baked tofu. But combined with the marinara sauce, vegan parmesan and spaghetti squash – it’s delicious.

Flipping through the rest of the cookbook, the recipes cover many of the same types of dishes as other vegan cookbooks as well as dishes that I already make and love. But it’s always interesting to see how other people make their version of a certain food. And as with the Baked Tofu Parmesan, it’s possible to learn something new.

To see for yourself, I’m giving away a copy of The Happy Herbivore Cookbook.

To enter the giveaway:
Leave a comment in this post with the dish or food that makes you the most happy. Comment must be made by midnight PST on Monday, April 4th; one entry per person. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.

One winner will be randomly selected (using random.org) from the comments received and announced in a new post on Tuesday, April 5th. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be randomly chosen. Prize awarded is the cookbook that I received from the publisher (approximate retail value $19.95). I did not drool on it.

Official Rules:
Open only to U.S. residents age 18 and over. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received. Void where prohibited by law. Any tax is the sole responsibility of the winner. Winner releases Chow Vegan from any liability arising out of participation in this giveaway or the acceptance, use or misuse of the prize.

Disclosure: I received the cookbook free of charge from the publisher to review. The opinions and experience with the cookbook expressed herein are my own. There was no pay to say.

This post also contains Amazon links, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on any of the links and make a purchase of anything.

Too tired or too lazy to make your own Baked Mushroom Calamari? There’s now Vegan Calamari from Sophie’s Kitchen. I found it in the frozen food section at the Cupertino Whole Foods (only select locations in Northern California have it).

I thought it was yummy, kinda chewy like calamari but not really seafoodie tasting. The texture though is very similar. Of course it doesn’t compare to the baked king oyster mushrooms. But it’s pretty good for something that’s frozen and took 10 minutes to heat up. It’s best to cook it a little longer than the 6 minutes as directed on the package, it makes it a bit more crispy.

It’s main ingredient is Konjac powder, a plant native to Asia and grown in China, Japan, Korea and India. In Japanese cuisine, it’s made into noodles. It’s also used as a vegan substitute for gelatin. And it’s the same stuff used to make vegan shrimp that you see in Chinese vegetarian restaurants sometimes or at the Asian supermarket.

The Vegan Squid Rings are basically the same as the Vegan Calamari but naked (without the breading). So it’s more of an ingredient than a heat-and-serve kind of thing. I went with an antipasto type of calamari salad – combining the flavors of marinated fresh veggies and salty olives with the chewy texture of the squid.

I liked both products well enough to get them occasionally, both were $3.99 each. Besides the calamari, Sophie’s Kitchen also has Vegan Shrimp, and Vegan Breaded Fish Fillet. I figured the shrimp is probably close to what I’ve already had before but I would like to try the fish fillet sometime.

Vegan Calamari Salad
Serves 2-4

1 package Sophie’s Kitchen Vegan Squid Rings
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Handful of kalamata olives, pitted and halved lengthwise
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly grounded pepper to taste
Flat leaf parsley to taste

Thaw the vegan squid rings according to package directions, cut into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine the garlic, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the squid pieces, onion, tomatoes, olives and parsley and toss well. Chill for 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

Long jealous of other people’s bountiful gardens, I’m sad I can’t have my own garden (no place for it and the HOA rules won’t allow even a small balcony one). So when BTTR (it’s pronounced as “better” and stands for Back to the Roots) offered me a chance to grow mushrooms from an indoor kit, I was all over it.

It’s easy enough to set up the kit but for some reason I couldn’t get anything to grow the first go around. A couple of weeks later, on my second attempt with more frequent misting than the two times a day requirement, little pinheads of oyster mushrooms finally popped up.

Once those pinheads appear, the mushrooms really start to grow and fast too. In the photo sequence above, on the left is day 1. After 3 days, one small pinhead appeared. 5 days later is the photo in the middle, 24 hours after that is the photo on the right.

The oyster mushrooms that grew, looks a bit different that the ones in the product brochure. Instead of a cluster of mushrooms, mine just grew longer, sorta like king trumpet mushrooms with the big stems and all. Still, they taste amazing, so fresh and delicious.

Much to my surprise, after returning from a trip, I found mushrooms growing (see above photo) all by itself. No misting or anything, just sitting on the window sill. I thought it was all done with growing mushrooms but this happened twice after two different trips.

The soil used to grow the mushrooms is 100% recycled coffee grounds from Peet’s Coffee. Afterward, it’s rich compost for plants (when it’s done growing mushrooms for real), closing the recycling/sustainability loop.

Retail price for a kit is $19.95 to grow up to 1 lb/crop. Even though I can get fresh oyster mushrooms for a cheaper price at the local farmers market, it was fun to mist the little baby mushrooms and watch them grow. Not everyone is lucky enough to live in the SF Bay Area, in which case, nothing beats the freshness of growing your own.

Disclosure: I received the BTTR mushroom growing kit free of charge from the manufacturer for review. The opinions and experience with the product expressed herein are my own. There was no pay to say.

There’s so many tempting recipes in Appetite for Reduction, I can’t seem to put the cookbook down. The thought of trying any one of those 125 recipes follows me around all day like a little puppy. Besides the 2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma, here’s what I’ve made so far:

• Pad Thai Salad (pictured above) – one of my favorite Thai dishes but in a refreshing salad form. The Peanut-Lime Dragon Dressing that goes on it, totally makes the salad. The dressing is a little bit on the thin side. Blending it in a mini food processor, some of the liquid leaked out, but none of the flavor. I’ve been using the dressing on all sorts of other things.
• Easy Breezy Cheezy Sauce – so easy to make. I had it with butternut squash ravioli, but really I could just eat it by the spoonful.

• Scallion Potato Pancakes (pictured above) – it’s hard to find a good rendition of scallion pancakes in restaurants, usually they’re way too greasy. So it’s nice to be able to make a baked version at home out of potatoes. It doesn’t taste exactly like the ones made out of flour but it’s still very tasty.
• Cranberry-Cashew Biryani – not really a brown rice eater, but I like it in this recipe. The yummy flavors helped a lot.

I really liked cooking from this cookbook, I think you’ll like it too. So I’m giving away a copy of Appetite for Reduction.

To enter the giveaway:
Leave a comment in this post with your worst vegan junk food addiction (because you know, acknowledgment is the first step). Comment must be made by midnight PST on Monday, February 21st; one entry per person. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.

One winner will be randomly selected (using random.org) from the comments received and announced in a new post on Tuesday, February 22nd. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be randomly chosen. Prize awarded is the cookbook that I received from the publisher (approximate retail value $19.95). I did not drool on it.

Official Rules:
Open only to U.S. residents age 18 and over. Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received. Void where prohibited by law. Any tax is the sole responsibility of the winner. Winner releases Chow Vegan from any liability arising out of participation in this giveaway or the acceptance, use or misuse of the prize.

Disclosure: I received the cookbook free of charge from the publisher to review. The opinions and experience with the cookbook expressed herein are my own. There was no pay to say.

This post also contains Amazon links, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on any of the links and make a purchase of anything.

Eating vegan doesn’t necessarily mean healthy eating (shocking, I know). Sure there’s fruits and veggies galore, but there’s also plenty of vegan junk food to go around, not to mention high fat, high sodium and any number of highly processed vegan food. I’m guilty of eating all of these things.

But then, I received a review copy of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s latest cookbook, Appetite for Reduction. Hallelujah.

There’s so many yummy sounding recipes, covering a range of cuisines and dishes complete with nutritional information for each one. Having never really cooked Indian food before, I decided to make the 2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma – a rich, creamy, mildly spicy curry with vegetables.

Super easy to make and so flavorful and it only took about 30 minutes. Can you tell I used an orange cauliflower? Also known as “cheddar” cauliflower, it’s just like a regular white one except it has extra beta-carotene (hence the brilliant orange color and 25% more vitamin A).

2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma
Serves 4

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small red onion, quartered and sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 pounds cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
1 pound zucchini, cut on a bias in 1/4-inch slices
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut on a bias in 1/4-inch slices
3/4 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Extra chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if needed. Add the garlic and ginger, and sauté for another minute.

Add the broth to deglaze the pan. Mix in the spices and salt. Add the cauliflower, zucchini, and carrots. They won’t be completely submerged, but that’s okay. Cover the pot and turn up the heat to bring the broth to a boil. Let boil for 7 to 10 minutes, until the veggies are tender.

Add the peas, coconut milk, agave, and cilantro (if using). Taste for salt. Turn off the heat and let the flavors meld for about 5 minutes. Serve the korma in bowls over rice, garnished with cilantro.

From the book Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2010.

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase of anything.

Forget Valentine’s Day candy. How about little bite-sized morsels of ice cream covered in chocolaty goodness? You know I’ve always had a thing for mini food. Almond Dream Bites are basically a non-dairy, gluten-free version of a bon bon with no trans fat or highly refined sugars.

Spot-on and so very good – the almond milk ice cream has a smooth and creamy texture. The taste is just like vanilla ice cream with a hint of almond flavor. The chocolate covering is rich with a really nice crunch. It’s everything you would expect in a frozen novelty treat.

One serving is 15 pieces for 230 calories; about three servings in a container. That’s a lot of bites. I usually only eat about five of them at any one time, as that’s more than enough for me. So if I did my math correctly, that’s only about 77 calories, not too bad on the waistline.

Currently on sale at my local Whole Foods for $3.49 until February 15th, regular price is $4.29. There’s also a $1.00 off any two Dream beverage or frozen products coupon on their website. I’ll definitely be stocking up.

Related Links
Cherry Jubilee Ice Cream From The Vegan Scoop
Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream Review
So Delicious Ice Cream Sandwiches

For some reason I always seemed to consume more snacky types of food when I’m on holiday. It must be the season. My newest snacky snack is the raw flavored kale chips from Rhythm Chips.

The kale chips are air crisped at a low temperature so they’re nice and crunchy. Vegan and gluten-free too. Basically, it’s just kale flavored with a blend of fresh veggies, nuts, juices, herbs and spices.

I haven’t had nacho flavored chips in a long time, but the taste is very similar and it’s so much healthier. It’s amazing to have the nacho taste without the scary long list of chemical sounding ingredients and artificial flavors.

Unlike the extra long kale chips that are baked in an oven, these are much smaller as they have to fit in a bag. There’s some big chunks, pictured above, but at the bottom there’s also all the smaller broken-off pieces (good for sprinkling on other foods).

Besides the Zesty Nacho, there’s also Bombay Curry and Kool Ranch, neither which I’ve tried yet. Two servings in a 2 oz. bag, at 106 calories per serving. The sodium isn’t too bad, about 187mg per serving.

Available at Whole Foods, they retail for about $5.99. Kinda pricey, but there’s also a $2.00 off sticker right on the package which can be used immediately, bringing the price down to $3.99.