Chow Vegan

San Francisco’s Underdog

January 27, 2014 By chow 7 Comments

I’m at the point where I only eat vegan hot dogs when traveling or on some sort of excursion. It’s the same with veggie burgers. There was a time when I ate them at home but now I reserve them exclusivity for eating out just so I don’t get tire or burnt out eating such things. Plus, it makes it much more of a treat.

Last time was last year when I tried the vegan frankfurter at AT&T Park during a Giants game. This time, this year, it’s right before going to the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.

Located close by on Irving Street between 17th and 18th Avenue is Underdog: The First Organic Hot Dog Joint. It’s a teeny-tiny spot serving both meaty and vegan hot dogs and sausages. You can kinda see how small it is, the red in the photo is the front door and window and that’s the entire width of the space inside. Outside, there’s a large mural on the side wall. Looks very San Francisco-ish, no?

From at least a half dozen vegan options to choose from, I got the Vegan Smoked Chipotle Sausage on a toasted wheat bun with grilled onions and a side of baked tater tots. The sausage tasted like it’s from Field Roast, which you know is good. The taters could have been just a tad more crispy. But overall, it was just the thing to fill me up before going to gawk at museum paintings.

All of the condiments are organic and you just help yourself. I piled on handcrafted sauerkraut, relish and ketchup after I snapped the photo. Sides are organic too, those that are vegan include coleslaw, potato salad and chili.

To drink, Underdog has a selection of homemade sodas along with bottled or canned organic juices and sodas. Pictured is the homemade mango vanilla soda served in a mason jar with a paper straw. I don’t normally drink sodas but I’ll make an exception for homemade.

Super friendly and they do their best to be a socially responsible business from recycling to using sustainable and biodegradable products. And they donate a portion of their profits to local charities. They may be the underdog but they sure are kicking butt.

Vegan Cream Cheese and Coconut Bacon Bagel

January 18, 2014 By chow 13 Comments

In the midst of the busy holidays, I managed to cook up a batch of coconut bacon for the first time. After trying a bag of Phoney Baloney’s Coconut Bacon, there’s no way my wallet was going to survive that addiction.

Especially not when it’s so easy to make at home. I actually made it while visiting at my parent’s house, everyone was wondering what I was making and why did it smell like bacon. Although all of the little kids came sniffing around, not one would touch the coconut bacon. The adults all liked sampling it but I don’t see anyone giving up regular bacon anytime soon. Oh well, more for me.

I used the recipe from Fettle Vegan but halved it as my parents have an extra small built-in wall oven. A full baking sheet pan doesn’t even fit, just a half sheet and there’s not much clearance on the sides. It’s a little like baking in a toy oven but with coconut bacon as the treat.

What’s its Name Beet Soup

January 3, 2014 By chow 8 Comments

I didn’t set out to make beet soup. It’s just that sometimes my fridge can be so bossy, telling me what to make for dinner.

Fridge: Hey you, yeah you. You gotta cook the beets.
Me: Uh, I don’t really feel like eating them right now.
Fridge: They’ve been sitting around for awhile; they won’t last much longer.
Me: Oh, I didn’t realize that, I guess I should make something with them.
Fridge: Dumb ass.

Besides the beets, I threw in a bunch of other vegetables that I had lying around so the fridge doesn’t get all snippy about those too. It has far more ingredients than in a more traditional beet soup recipe. But with such a beautiful red hue, I’m still calling it beet soup.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – William Shakespeare

Me: Who’s a dumb ass now?
Fridge: Shut up and eat your soup.

Beet Soup
Makes 6 servings

1/2 medium head cauliflower
1 large sweet potato, about 13 ounces, peeled and chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 medium beets, peeled and chopped
1/2 small white onion, chopped
1 large or 2 small red potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 teaspoon olive oil
Plain soy yogurt for garnish
Handful of parsley, chopped, for garnish

In a soup pot, heat the oil until hot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the sweet potatoes, carrots and celery, sauté for a minute or so. Add the cauliflower, red potatoes, beets and sauté for another minute.

Add the vegetable broth, stir to mix well. Cover and increase the heat to bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the soy milk and corn and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. To serve, top with a bit of the yogurt and parsley if desired.