Chow Vegan

Thanksgiving Leftover Stuffing Cupcakes

November 26, 2016 By chow 7 Comments

Now that the big day of feasting has come and gone, what to do with all the Thanksgiving leftovers? Oh sure, you can just plop it onto a plate and reheat in the microwave. But why? When you can transform that plate o’ leftovers into cute and fun Thanksgiving leftover stuffing cupcakes. It’s really not that much more effort for a much nicer presentation. The hard part of making everything is already done, from this point on, it’s all assembly. And easy assembly at that.

The only leftovers I had left were stuffing and mashed potatoes, apparently I’m a glutton and already finished off the rest of the vegan fixings. But if I had anything extra left, I would add on top of the stuffing base, bits of Field Roast Stuffed Celebration Roast, perhaps a spot of greens or even a dollop of cranberry sauce. Top with mashed potatoes and then toss the whole shebang into the oven for a bit and voilà, Thanksgiving leftover stuffing cupcakes.

Quite the savory cupcake even with just stuffing and mashed potatoes. So easy, a recipe is barely needed. Here’s what I did:

Thanksgiving Leftover Stuffing Cupcakes

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a muffin tin pan. Spoon stuffing about half way up, packing it down into the well. Add any other Thanksgiving leftovers as desired. Top with mashed potatoes using a spoon for a smoothish top or a fork for a ragged top with peaks. Pop into the oven for about 15 minutes or so until warmed through and slightly browned on top. Serve with leftover gravy and/or sprinkle with chives or green onions as desired.

Build Your Own The Counter Vegan Burger

November 16, 2016 By chow 8 Comments

The Counter Vegan Burger

Scarfed down The Counter vegan burger after a much needed retail therapy session (I actually did need to shop for new clothes, the therapy part was just a bonus).

A make your own custom burger chain restaurant, you decide on the protein, sauce, toppings and style – bun or salad bowl. I got the house-made vegan veggie patty with Just Mayo, mixed greens, pickles, grilled onions, and tomatoes. No cheese. On a ciabatta bun, the only bun marked vegan on the menu.

Pretty decent veggie patty, it held together fairly well and wasn’t overly mushy or anything. I got the smallest size at 1/3 lb. There’s also a bigger size at 1/2 lb and the biggest at 1 lb for a whopping 1000 calories.

Never seen veggie patties in different sizes before. I’m curious if anyone has ever ordered the larger ones. While the third pounder at 330 calories was plenty for me, it would be fun to see a humongous The Counter vegan burger. Maybe to share or if I’m not planning to eat for the rest of the day.

My burger tweaks for next time: I’ll get both mixed greens and lettuce for a bit more of the green stuff. Since the grilled red onions were only lightly so, it was a little too raw for my taste. So no onions for me on future burgers. The table also got an order of shoestring french fries to share. Much more cost effective than everyone adding a $3 side of fries to their individual meal.

There’s quite a few locations near me, The Counter in San Mateo and San Jose are both near major shopping centers. Perfect if you get the munchies while out shopping as there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Annie’s Cinnamon Rolls

November 6, 2016 By chow 8 Comments

Annie's Cinnamon Rolls

There’s nothing like the smell of cinnamon wafting through the house on a bright, sunny morning. Or biting into a fresh-out-of-the oven cinnamon roll with its crisp golden exterior and gooey, pull-apart, fluffy interior. But how is this possible when I’m no baker?

Annie’s Cinnamon Rolls in a can. You know, the kind of ready-to-bake dough that pops out of the can (’twas a popular item as a kid, Mom isn’t much of a baker either).

I found the can of cinnamon rolls in the refrigerated section at Target. Unwrap the can but instead of hitting it on the counter, you “pop” it open by pressing a spoon against the seam.

Can of Annie's Cinnamon Rolls

At first I thought it was odd to have 5 rolls inside. Then I saw nestled at the bottom in the sixth spot, the bag of vanilla icing to swirl on yourself. At 340 calories each, they’re just about the right size, not too big and not too small.

Baking Annie's Cinnamon Rolls

When asked, the company doesn’t make any vegan claims on Annie’s Cinnamon Rolls. They don’t contain any animal products but are made on shared equipment that also processes milk ingredients. No artificial flavors, preservatives, hydrogenated oils or high-fructose corn syrup.

It does have palm fruit oil though, which some consider to be not vegan. At the time, I had no idea there was even a palm fruit oil controversy or the complexity of it all. I’m still learning and reading about the issue and the different viewpoints…