Chow Vegan

I don’t have cancer. I’ve never had it and I hope I never get it (or anyone else for that matter). So why am I reviewing Kicking Cancer in the Kitchen: The Girlfriend’s Cookbook and Guide to Using Real Food to Fight Cancer? Because you are what you eat. The authors, Annette Ramke and Kendall Scott, both battled cancer and survived to tell their story – eating a plant-based, whole foods diet may help to fight and prevent cancer.

The first part of the book covers their personal stories dealing with cancer and offers support, guidance and resources. Including tips and advice about healthy lifestyle changes and dealing with treatments all written in a conversational tone, it’s like getting advice from a close friend.

The second part has recipes for fighting cancer with specific benefits listed out, from helping with immune boosting to fatigue fighting to mood balancing. Most are vegan recipes with a few vegetarian ones that can easily be made vegan. Using food as medicine doesn’t mean you’re stuck with bland, boring food.

I started off with Baby Bok Choy with Shiitakes, Pumpkin Seeds and Gojis (page 227). I’ve been eating gojis also known as wolfberries since I was a kid. It’s funny that nowadays it’s like a new thing that people are crazy about when it’s been around Chinese cuisine for ages. I like the flavors, but I did cut back to half of the tamari called for in the recipe.

Jello is the quintessential food when you’re sick, in or out of a hospital. It’s also the fun, jiggly finger food of children everywhere. As soon as I saw the recipe for Juicy Jello (page 307), I had to make it. Even if I had to pay Whole Foods $8.99 for a small package of agar-agar. I tried to get the agar-agar cheaper from the Asian supermarket but I couldn’t find any that didn’t have sugar in it. The glistening cubes with fruit is exactly as I remembered but better.

Next is Curried-Tofu Breakfast Burrito (page 211), I’ve always wanted to make my own frozen breakfast burritos but just never got around to it. Reviewing this cookbook got me off of my bum. The flavor of the curry is good and even better after a night in the fridge or freezer. It’s a great basic recipe to start, I’ve since made it again adding potatoes, peas, cauliflower and mushrooms.

Tempeh Hash Over Collards (page 209), another breakfast recipe, another winner. Easily made in the oven, it warms you up and gets you going in the morning.

Edamame Hummus (page 288) didn’t come out as smooth as it could have. I only have an itty-bitty mini food processor that sometimes doesn’t feel up to the challenge of blending various ingredients. So the hummus is a little more chunky that I would have liked but the taste is all there.

The Key-Lime Custard Pie (page 299) is very similar to other vegan cheesecake recipes I tried but without the baking. Bonus points for not having to mess with the oven to get a slice of this delicious sweet-and-sour treat.

Oatmeal-Carrot Cookie Smoothie (page 195), it’s hard to believe but it really does taste a lot like an oatmeal cookie. Yum. Eating healthy and beating off cancer has never been more tasty or easy.

Oatmeal-Carrot Cookie Smoothie
Makes 18 ounces

1 large carrot, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons rolled oats
1 cup Almond Mylk or store-bought
1 large banana
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
3 large ice cubes
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoon dried coconut, shredded and unsweetened

For less powerful blenders, grate the carrot. Add all ingredients except coconut to a blender and blend for one minute or until mostly smooth. Pour into individual glasses and sprinkle shredded coconut on top.

Kendall’s Tasty Tip: If you like your smoothie a little thicker, try adding more ice or use a frozen banana.

From the book Kicking Cancer in the Kitchen by Annette Ramke and Kendall Scott. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

Disclosure: I received the book free of charge from the publisher to review. The opinions and experience with the book 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.

Tweet

Visiting one’s hometown is always a slightly weird experience – you get the “remember-back-when” mixed in with the “oh-that’s-new.” A new to me restaurant is the Rooster Creek Tavern, located in the downtown village of Arroyo Grande, CA (a town halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast). There’s an actual creek behind the storefronts with a swinging bridge and real live roosters and chickens freely roaming around the creek and parking lot area.

I’ve notice the restaurant months before but when asked, there wasn’t anything vegan on the menu. I remember thinking that’s too bad.

Too lazy to drive all the way to San Luis Obispo during this last trip, I looked for some place a little closer that could accommodate the diets and tastes of the whole family and gave the Rooster Creek another look-see. This time it looked much more promising, they must have updated the menu since that first inquiry.

I can only confirm the Veggie Paella is vegan – smoked tofu, bell pepper and onion in saffron veg broth with saffron rice. I didn’t ask about any other items. It’s just nice to not always be stuck with a veggie burger when eating out.

The paella is cooked to your spicy level, I went with medium. It came out piping hot, just perfect for the extra chilly weather. It was so warming, I had to take off my jacket.

The flavor is good, but I didn’t really taste the smokiness of the tofu and kinda wish there was a few more pieces. I normally request no bell peppers as they’re not my favorite by a long shot. But I’m actually getting better about having them in my food. I’ll eat them nowadays if they happen to be in a dish. And if they’re any color but green. But I won’t guarantee I’ll eat all of them on my plate (there was a lot as you can see). Now, that’s real progress.

Related Posts
Klondike Pizza Arroyo Grande
Eclair Bakery Arroyo Grande

Tweet

Can you spot the pasta in this picture?

Is it right there in the bowl? Nope, that’s not it. It’s really King Oyster mushrooms (also known as trumpet mushrooms), thinly sliced to resemble the flat ribbons of pappradelle noodles, there’s no actual pasta in the entire dish.

At John Bentley’s, a very nice, upscale restaurant in Redwood City, CA serving seasonal New American cuisine, there’s only one entree on the menu that could easily be made vegan. It was this dish, Trumpet Mushroom “Pappardelle”.

So simple and good. I loved it so much, I had to recreate it at home. I have no idea if this is how the restaurant makes it. This is my homemade version.

For long “noodles”, I used the largest King Oysters I could find. It’ll seem like a lot of mushrooms, but it cooks down quite a bit. For the sauce, I adapted the recipe for Tomato Marina from Ani’s Raw Food Essentials.

Unlike real pasta, the mushroom “noodles” is very light. Serve it with soup, salad, or garlic bread.

King Oyster Mushroom “Pappardelle Noodles”
Serves 2 as part of a meal

4 Large King Oyster mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
6 Kalamatas olives, sliced
Fresh basil for garnish
Couple tablespoons of tomato sauce

Make the tomato sauce and set aside. Wash and slice the mushrooms thinly into the shape of a long, flat noodle. Heat a sauté pan to hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook until just tender. Transfer to a bowl, add a couple tablespoons of the tomato sauce. Gently toss to coat. Add the olives and toss again. To serve, garnish with the basil.

Tomato Sauce
Makes about 1/2 cup
1 cup tomatoes (use cherry or roma)
1 small Medjool date
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Pit and finely chop the Medjool date. Cut the larger tomatoes in half or quarters. Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor until chunky smooth.

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.

Tweet

It took me almost a year to finally mosey on over to Lyfe Kitchen in Palo Alto. You know, that healthy fast-food place, started by former McDonald’s executives and Art Smith with consulting vegan chef Tal Ronnen. I’ve already reviewed their Sweet Corn Chowder when it was available at Costco so I was looking forward to dining in their actual space.

I was actually pretty excited to try Art’s Unfried Gardein Chicken with roasted vegetables, cashew cream and dijon vinaigrette. While it was quite tasty, I couldn’t help thinking it wasn’t much different than eating the frozen Gardein stuff at home. At this point, I’ve tried almost all of the retail Gardein products at least once so maybe I’m no longer dazzled by it.

I also got the Vegan BBQ Flatbread, whole-wheat crust with sweet corn, roasted onions, agave BBQ sauce and Daiya cheese, which I liked well enough except that the BBQ sauce was a tad too much on the sweet side for my taste. But the crust was nice and thin, just the way I like it.

There’s many other vegan dishes I would like to try for next time, like the Kabocha Squash Risotto made with farro and steel-cut oats or the Gardein Sausage and Mozzarella Ravioli.

Most of the menu is under 600 calories (I’ve heard some people grumble about small portions. They’re actually normal-sized portions but when you’re used to or expect huge portions, it might seem small and pricey). There’s also meaty food and gluten-free options.

The space itself is open and airy with a patio area in the front and a herb garden inside. Ordering is done at the counter, if you’re the type to be overwhelm by a large selection of vegan options when you’re used to just one or two, you may want to check out their menu online beforehand. Grab your own water and silverware before picking out a seat. Servers with your food will find you by a hi-tech buzzer.

For those of you in Southern California, their second restaurant is set to open in Culver City in February 2013.

Related Posts
Asian Box Palo Alto
Patxi’s Chicago Pizza Palo Alto
Garden Fresh Vegan Cuisine Palo Alto

Tweet

I had a crabby holiday. Really crabby.

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, it’s a local holiday tradition to have crab on the table for Thanksgiving or Christmas. This year, I found Sophie’s Kitchen Vegan Crab Cakes in the frozen section at my local Whole Foods. On sale no less, on top of that, I also had a coupon.

With all of the activity going on in the kitchen, the crab cakes were quick and easy to heat up. I prefer it baked to pan-fried. The texture was good, and it tastes best with a little tarter sauce or some sort of aioli. Though, like their other products, it doesn’t really taste like seafood.

The base for Sophie’s vegan seafood products is konjac root (a plant native to Asia), making it soy free and gluten free. I’ve tried quite a few of their products now, my favorites are the Breaded Vegan Shrimp and Breaded Vegan Calamari with the crab cakes coming in close behind. I usually only get them when they’re on sale, automatically making them a once in a while treat.

In case you’re wondering what’s that purple thing on my plate, it’s purple yam. My mom picked it up at her local farmer’s market. Baked, they have a nutty, slightly sweet flavor but not as sweet as an orange-colored sweet potato.

Related Posts
Sophie’s Kitchen Vegan Calamari Review

Tweet

Queued up next in the cookbook review department is The 30 Minute Vegan’s Taste of Europe by Mark Reinfeld. A vegan tour of cuisine classics from Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, UK and Ireland, Greece, Germany, as well as a section on Europe Fusion. With a 150 recipes, where to begin?

First stop, Italy, Frittata with Artichoke Hearts and Sun-Dried Tomatoes (page 42). I was a little worried when the skillet with the frittata went into the oven as it was so full. As it turned out, no worries on any spillage, it shrinks down and fills the kitchen with a delicious aroma while it’s baking. I went with the recipe variation and added mushrooms and zucchini to pack in the goodies.

Next is the United Kingdom, home of the Welsh Rarebit (page 140), also known as Welsh Rabbit, and has nothing to do with little bunnies. It’s a savory sauce of melted cheese and beer over toasted bread slices. A beautiful Cheddar cheesy color, until the beer hit the pan and turned it into brown gravy color. But the flavor more than makes up for it.

Having never cooked with beer before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised I really liked it. Beer-Braised Greens (page 189, in the Germany section) is another beer recipe that turned out great.

Next to the recipes, there’s beer or wine recommendations. That along with a very helpful and knowledgeable Whole Foods beer guy made the beer selection easy and painless, especially for the clueless such as myself.

A goal in reviewing this cookbook was to only make recipes I’ve never tried before. Ever. That went out the window when I wound up short on time on the day I was planning on making gnocchi (I didn’t say the goal was written in stone).

There’s a little clock icon on recipes that might take longer than 30 minutes, the gnocchi was one of them. I ended up making Penne Pasta with Toasted Walnut Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes (page 22) but with spaghetti noodles instead of penne. It’s just your basic pesto recipe but I do like the many variations listed.

Getting back on track in the UK with Ginger Brew (page 153). A non-alcoholic take on ginger beer, it’s refreshing and bubbly. I made the raw version – quicker and easier than cooking down the ginger syrup.

Next is Germany for Apple Strudel (page 203). Although the recipe for the dough looks simple enough even for me, I did the quick and easy filo dough route. It was my first time using the frozen dough, so probably not as neat and tidy looking as it could have been, hence no picture. But still easy to whip out.

Then it’s off to France for Vegan Bouillabaisse (page 65). Any mention of bouillabaisse always reminds me of the scene from the Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr movie, An Affair to Remember, “Order the bouillabaisse. lt’s superb. Merci mille fois. Pas de quoi. Oh, shut up.”

The vegan version is superb too. Briny, not so much like seafood but more of a seaweed taste. It reminds me a bit of miso soup or Chinese seaweed soup but with Mediterranean flavors.

Last stop, Greece, for Baklava Roulade (page 179). I think I’m getting the hang of working with filo dough. Even though it’s not a 30 mintue recipe, it was actually pretty simple and easy to make. Since it’s not smothered in a sticky syrup, it’s very light tasting.

I didn’t get to the Spain and Portugal section or to the Europe Fusion. But I’m sure I’ll be back soon, there’s many more recipes bookmarked and just waiting for a visit. Below is a tasty souvenir from my trip through the cookbook, generously brought to you by the publisher:

Frittata with Artichoke Hearts and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Serves 4 to 6

14 to 18 sun-dried tomatoes (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 (12.3-ounce) package silken firm tofu
10 ounces extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon wheat-free tamari or other soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup quartered artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons chiffonaded fresh basil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
1/2 cup grated vegan mozzarella-style cheese (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in 1 cup of hot water until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain well, and chop into small pieces.
2. Meanwhile, place a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place the oil, onion, and garlic in the pan and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Place the tofu, soy milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tamari, vinegar, turmeric, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes in a food processor and process until creamy.
4. Transfer to the sauté pan with the remaining ingredients, including the artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes, and mix well.
5. Place the pan in the oven (if you are not using an ovenproof pan, transfer to a well-oiled 9-inch pie dish) and bake for 20 minutes. For optimal flavor and if you have more time, bake for an additional 10 minutes and allow to set until firm, about 5 minutes, before serving. Serve warm or cold.

Variation
Add 1 cup of diced mushrooms, peppers, or zucchini to the sauté pan after the onion has cooked for a few minutes. Cook for an additional 3 minutes before adding the ingredients from the food processor.

From the book The 30-Minute Vegan’s Taste of Europe by Mark Reinfeld. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2012. www.dacapopresscookbooks.com

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.

Related Posts
Mango Gazpacho From The 30-minute Vegan
Baked Tempura From The 30-minute Vegan

Tweet

With Halloween just about here and pumpkins everywhere, I made pumpkin lasagna cupcakes. Basically, it’s the same recipe as my vegetable lasagna cupcakes but instead of tomato sauce, it’s pumpkin puree. Spicy pumpkin puree.

Have little ghosts and goblins not into spicy? Just tweak the seasonings. I made a batch there were half spicy and half not spicy. It’s easy to do when lasagna is cupcake style.

Pumpkin Lasagna Cupcakes
Makes 12

24 wonton wrappers
1/4 cup of your favorite cheese

Pumpkin Filling
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha hot chili sauce or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable Filling
2 ounces shiitake mushrooms, washed and thinly sliced
3 baby yellow squash and/or zucchini, peeled, washed and sliced crosswise
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Tofu Ricotta
8 ounces firm tofu with water squeezed out and crumbled
10 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine the pumpkin, ginger, and soy sauce. Season to taste with the salt and pepper and Sriracha sauce. Mix well.

To make the vegetable filling, heat a wok or sauté pan to hot. Add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds, add the squash and cook for a minute or so then add the mushrooms and cook for another minute until the vegetables are tender. Place in a bowl and set aside.

Next, make the tofu ricotta. Crumble about 3/4 of the tofu in a bowl, add the basil, olive oil, nutmeg, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until smooth but still slightly lumpy. Crumble in the remaining 1/4 tofu, mix to combine and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Lightly coat a 12 cup muffin pan with oil. Layer a wonton wrapper in each cup, gently pressing down on the bottom and up the sides of the cup.

Divide the tofu ricotta in half. Using the first half, distribute evenly on top of each wrapper. Layer the vegetables next using the same distribution method. Top with the pumpkin then cheese.

Place a wonton wrapper on top but going in the opposite direction. Repeat the layers of the ricotta, vegetables, pumpkin and finally a sprinkling of cheese on the very top.

Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until the wontons wrappers are golden. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before serving.

Variation
For a non-spicy pumpkin filling:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

Related Posts
Baked Spicy Pumpkin Wontons
Vegetable Lasagna Cupcakes

Tweet

On a recent trip down south, I picked up lunch at Sal’s Sandwiches & Beer in downtown San Luis Obispo, CA. As always, I’m deliriously happy to see vegan options on the menu.

I got the Just As Good! – vegan turkey, vegan salami, vegan cheddar, sprouts, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, vegan mayo, dijon mustard on a wheat roll. Comes in full or half size. The sandwich for the most part was good; the bread could be better.

Coming from the SF Bay Area, it’s hard not to compare Sal’s to Ike’s Place – from the menu of meat, vegetarian and vegan sandwiches with fun and interesting names down to the lollipop that comes with your order. The space is nicer though with its sidewalk seating, high ceilings, and dark colors for that cool, hip look.

It looks like they’ve since updated their menu – I’m bummed the Just As Good! is now listed as being on a honey wheat bun. Not sure if that’s the same bread as always, but why have vegan fillings on what sounds like a non-vegan bread? Next time, I’m going the custom-build-your-own-sandwich route and have it served hot. And I’m double-checking the bread options.

Related Posts
Bliss Cafe San Luis Obispo
Lentil Loaf from New Frontiers San Luis Obispo

Tweet