Chow Vegan

Lentil Loaf From New Frontiers San Luis Obispo

June 2, 2011 By chow 8 Comments

I was down south for a day and stopped by New Frontiers Natural Marketplace in San Luis Obispo to check out their new store location on Los Osos Valley Road (the old Circuit City spot). It’s sooo much nicer compared to their old location on Foothill; it’s all shiny and new. And it’s huge! The feel and vibe now is very much like a Whole Foods.

The grocery section has many of the products that I’m used to getting including Daiya, bulk foods and what looks like a nice produce section. The pricing seems to be similar to Whole Foods, but there’s also sales that make some things a bit more affordable (at least on the day that I was there).

Since I was going to be in the area for such a short time, I only got prepared food from the deli/hot food section. There was a few vegan items including the Vegan Lentil Loaf for $7.49. I haven’t always been a fan of lentils but the loaf was savory and tasty. Well-seasoned, not too salty, and looks kinda like a slice of cake – I would totally get it again.

I didn’t get a chance to try anything else. Besides the deli, I skipped by a sushi bar, bakery, gelato bar, pizza station, a stir-fry station, and of course a salad bar. You would be skipping around the store too if you knew how deprived SLO had been of a store like this.

Sunny Side Up Tofu “Egg”

May 29, 2011 By chow 16 Comments

For breakfast today, I made a vegan version of a sunny side up “egg”. I stumbled upon this method of cooking tofu quite by accident. Too lazy to properly steam silken tofu for dinner one night, I instead just microwaved it on top of rice. It came out looking kinda like fried egg whites to me, but without all the oil.

Pondering over what to use for the yolk, I decided to go with the Easy Breezy Cheezy Sauce from Appetite for Reduction. It’s a great combination – the neutral tofu “white” with the flavorful cheezy sauce “yolk”. And a little bit of black salt (kala namak) sprinkled on top for a bit of eggy taste.

For once, laziness pays off.

Sunny Side Up Tofu “Egg”
More of a method, rather than a recipe

Use only fresh silken tofu, I get the tofu custard from Hodo Soy Beanery, available at various San Francisco Bay Area farmers markets. I wouldn’t use the vacuum-sealed type of silken tofu for this, it’s fine for other recipes. But in this recipe, the tofu has to be good enough for me to eat plain as is.

Using a large shallow serving spoon, kinda scoop/skim the tofu as one layer onto a plate. Place in the microwave, and reheat on the plate setting. (This works in my microwave, you may have to try a different setting or time on yours. Basically, it’s done when heated through and you see the air pockets.)

Transfer to a serving plate, it will be very delicate. It’s easiest to just slide it off onto the other plate. Use a paper towel to absorb any extra liquid.

Carefully place a dollop of Easy Breezy Cheezy Sauce on top of the tofu, it’ll slowly spread out into a circle shape with a little encouragement from the spoon. Sprinkle black salt (kala namak) all over to taste.

Serve with skillet home fries, a slice of bread with extra cheezy sauce for dipping, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Disclosure: This post also contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase of anything.

Vegan Food Roadshows at Costco

May 22, 2011 By chow 9 Comments

Guess what I saw at Costco the other day? Bolani!

You’ve probably seen them at any number of SF Bay Area farmers markets, they’re those baked stuffed flatbreads by East and West Gourmet Afghan Food. They also make the very yummy sauces to go with the flatbreads. I’ve written before about their spinach bolani in detail here.

They were doing a “roadshow” at Costco – giving out samples like there’s no tomorrow. Two packs of bolani for $8.99, the sauces come in 3-pack combos for $11.49 (At Whole Foods, the bolani is $5.79 for one pack and the sauce is $4.99 each). Everything is vegan except for the Garlic Mint Cheese, make sure you look at which combo pack has what.

They’re going to be doing the roadshow thing at various Costco locations in California through the end of the month, but I couldn’t find a schedule of where they’re going to be next. I’m hoping they’ll become a regular Costco item.

Strolling down the aisle towards checkout, there was another vegan food roadshow. What are the chances of that happening? This time it’s earnest eats with their baked whole food bars. I have to admit I’ve never heard of them before trying a sample.

They’re good! Whole foods, minimally processed, no preservatives or artificial ingredients and baked with almond butter – the taste and smell were great.

They were offering three flavors at the roadshow – almond trail mix (my favorite), apple ginger, and cran lemon zest. $10.89 for a box of twelve, they can mix and match the flavors for you. They’ll be a regular item at Costco stores in SF Bay Area and in the LA area starting in June.