Chow Vegan

Rice Cooker Vegan Frittata: A Guest Post at Vegan Miam

October 12, 2014 By chow 6 Comments

Guess what? We’re going for a visit today! I’m so excited to be guest blogging over at vegan miam, one of my favorite blogs. Rika + Doni travel the world over searching out the very best in vegan eats.

From Paris to Thailand and points in between, they make me want to pack my bags and hop on a plane. Back home in Oregon, they cook up delicious meals such as Gochujang Tofu Pickled Cucumber Bowl and Taco Beer Flatbread Pizza with Roasted Corn Poblano.

Today, I’m sharing a vegan frittata made in a fuzzy logic rice cooker, let’s click on over for a visit and the recipe.

The Veggie Grill Mountain View

October 4, 2014 By chow 9 Comments

I finally got around to eating at the Veggie Grill in Mountain View that opened earlier this year. I’ve been down to the Southern California one in El Segundo a few years ago. I loved it then and I still love it now. In the interim, they’ve expanded their menu and they have a number of interesting new items.

Buffalo Wings, while good (I think they’re just Gardein Chickin’), weren’t quite as exciting as the below cauliflower bites.

Crispy Cauliflower – fried panko breaded cauliflower florets tossed in a sweet and spicy, orange sauce. I got the sauce on the side as well as extra buffalo sauce. If you’re going for something fried, this is the thing to get.

Bombay Bowl – roasted veggies, super grains, kale, cannellini beans, almonds and topped with a green curry coconut sauce. Not the most photogenic of bowls but flavorful and filling. I wish I had asked for the sauce on the side as I couldn’t eat it all in one sitting.

The “Crab” Cake Sandwich was exceptional – crispy “crab” cake, spiced tartar sauce, pickles, tomato, lettuce and red onion on a wheat bun with Yukon Gold fries. I don’t know where they get the crab cakes from but they’re really good.

And the Carrot Cake was fluffy with big strands of carrot and the cream cheese icing wasn’t overly sweet, just the way I like it.

It’s pretty quick too, I usually get my food in about 10-15 minutes or so after ordering. Super friendly people and very helpful with menu suggestions if you’ve never been or are unsure.

There’s only two other Veggie Grill locations in all of Northern California, one at Santana Row in San Jose which I haven’t been to yet and the other that just opened in Corte Madera. If only there was one closer to me, I would be eating there all the time.

Stir-fried Lettuce

September 28, 2014 By chow 7 Comments

Have you ever tried cooked lettuce?

No?

You’re probably thinking, no way, it’ll be like when the lettuce leaf on a hamburger gets all warm and limp. Yeah, I don’t like that on my burger either. But what I’m talking about is cooking lettuce on purpose. Stir frying lettuce Chinese style.

While the cooking brings out the sweetness, the lettuce ribs retains some of its crispness. In Chinese cooking, there’s hardly any food that’s raw.

I have to admit as a kid I thought it was strange when my mom cooked up lettuce but it’s actually quite good. Back then, only iceberg lettuce from the supermarket was available. Nowadays, I use romaine from the farmer’s market.

I usually make it one of two ways, either with fermented bean curd (Chinese cheese) or a simple sauce. Either method is super quick and easy. And if you have a lot of lettuce that needs to be eaten up, it’s a great way to go as it cooks down quite a bit.

Stir-Fried Lettuce

1 medium head romaine lettuce
1/2 teaspoon oil
1 green garlic or garlic clove, minced
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
Salt to taste

Sauce
1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon rice wine
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Cut the lettuce into approximately 2-inch lengths. In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat a wok on high, when hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the wok. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for a few seconds. Add the lettuce and cook until it begins to wilt about a minute or so. Stir in the sauce and salt to taste and continue cooking for another 30 seconds until the leaves are just wilted. Serve immediately.

Fermented Bean Curd Variation
1 to 2 cubes fermented bean curd
1/2 teaspoon oil

In a small bowl, mash the fermented bean curd cubes in a bit of water and set aside.

Heat a wok on high, when hot, add the oil and swirl to coat the wok. Add the lettuce and cook until it begins to wilt about a minute or so, then add the fermented bean curd water mixture, stir to mix thoroughly and cook for another 30 seconds until the leaves are just wilted. Serve immediately.

Other Greens
Stir-fried Yu Choy Sum
Stir-fried Amaranth with Garlic
Sautéed Spinach