Chow Vegan

VeganMoFo: Izakaya Raka Review

October 22, 2009 By chow 5 Comments

Recovered from the depths of an iPhone are photos from a Father’s Day celebration back in June. I had forgotten all about them.

Dinner was at Izakaya Raka, a Japanese Tapas Bar in Grover Beach, California. Located south of San Luis Obispo, not far from the Monarch butterfly grove at Pismo State Beach. The restaurant itself took me awhile to find. I must have blinked and missed it the first time around when I drove right past it.

My poor navigation skills aside, Izakaya Raka really is a hidden treasure in this sleepy little town. Especially since they have a vegetarian specials section. I ordered the Eggplant Miso (first picture above) and the Appetizer Sampler: Broccoli Goma Ae, Kabocha Pumpkin and Lotus Kinpira.

And for my main entree, Vegetable Tempura Roll. All of it tasty and well-prepared. I’m sure I’ll be back to try some of the other veggie selections and to check out the butterflies. It should be right around that time of year (late October to February) when I’m going to be in the area again.

VeganMoFo: BBQ Yuba Ribs

October 20, 2009 By chow 23 Comments

Continuing on with more comfort food, I made BBQ yuba ribs. I don’t even remember where or when I first saw the original recipe. I just love that it’s made from yuba, also known as bean curd sheets. Served with potato salad and sautéed swiss chard, it really hits that down-home spot.

BBQ Yuba Ribs
Makes 4-5 servings
Adapted from the Un-Ribs recipe in Kathy Cooks by Kathy Hoshijo

1 6-ounce package dried bean curd sticks
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoon white miso
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup bbq sauce

Soak the bean curd sticks in water for a few hours until soft. Drain and squeeze out any water. Cut into 4-6″ lengths, if there’s any hard pieces (usually where it folds) cut those off.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a lightly-oiled piece of tin foil. In a large bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients except the bbq sauce into a smooth thin paste. Coat the bean curd sticks in the paste and place on the baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the bottoms are crisp and browned. Remove from the oven and mix with the bbq sauce. Place back onto the baking sheet in a single layer and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

VeganMoFo: Wear What You Eat

October 19, 2009 By chow 3 Comments

Over the weekend, I went to the Alternative Press Expo (APE) in San Francisco and picked up a couple of new t-shirts.

One is Stinky Tofu from Hamburgerpanda. I love tofu but I can’t say I’ve ever eaten stinky tofu. I just like the sad face. But is he sad that he’s stinky? Poor little stinky tofu. Maybe he would be happier if he was crispy instead of stinky. I know I would be.

Stinky tofu is made by marinating tofu in a brine of vegetables and allowing it to ferment for a few months. It’s different than the fermented bean curd that comes in a jar which I have eaten.

The other t-shirt is Orange Juicy from Piximix. Mmmm, juicy.