Chow Vegan

Buffalo Style Roasted Tofu

February 7, 2010 By chow 40 Comments

For this Super Bowl of weekends, I decided to make the snack of sports bars and fans everywhere – Buffalo Wings. But instead of wings, it’s roasted tofu cubes.

It’s amazingly simple and easy. I used the method for roasting tofu from Vegan Soul Kitchen then tossed in Buffalo hot sauce. That’s it.

So good and rich-tasting. It’s now my snack of choice for all sporting events. Bring on the Winter Olympics.

Buffalo Style Roasted Tofu
Serves 4

1 16-ounce block of extra-firm tofu
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Buffalo Sauce
1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Original Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
1/8 cup Earth Balance Soy-Free Butter

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine the oil, salt and paprika. Cut the tofu into cubes and gently toss to coat with the mixture. Place each tofu cube in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Roast for 15 minutes on each side.

In a wok, melt the butter. Turn off the heat and add the hot sauce. Stir to combine. Add the freshly roasted tofu and toss until throughly coated. Serve immediately with celery sticks and ranch dressing.

Ranch Dressing
Makes a little over 1/3 cup

1/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup Vegenaise or other vegan mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon granulated onion powder
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Chill until ready to use.

Lucy’s Cookies At Starbucks

February 2, 2010 By chow 12 Comments

You probably heard by now that Starbucks is stocking Lucy’s cookies in their stores. They’re vegan, gluten-free and nut-free.

I had to see for myself, besides I had a couple of Starbucks gift cards burning a hole in my wallet. So I walked into the nearest store and there they were, in the back, neatly arranged on a table.

Chocolate Chip was the first of three flavors that I tried, I didn’t care for it. I prefer my cookies to be soft and chewy. This was hard and crunchy. I was kinda disappointed as I know there’s other vegan cookies that come in a package that are nice and soft.

The next flavor, Cinnamon Thin were better. I was fine with it being a crisp cookie as it reminds me of a cinnamon graham cracker. It was great dunked in a glass of soy milk.

And the last one, Sugar Cookie tasted like the cinnamon ones but without the cinnamon. It too got dunked in soy milk.

All of the cookies were on the sweet side and very crunchy and crisp. I didn’t expect that, having never heard of Lucy’s before trying them. But the crispness is perfect for dunking in milk or coffee. If I ever need a sugar rush while enjoying a Starbucks coffee, I would get the Cinnamon Thin again.

Size of a cookie is about 2 1/2″ in diameter, $1.50 a bag. One serving size is 3 cookies (there’s 4 in a bag) for 130 calories.

The Veggie Grill Review

January 28, 2010 By chow 7 Comments

Deliriously happy to finally have the chance to eat at The Veggie Grill in El Segundo, I pretty much stuffed my face full. Since our whole group went to the all-vegan restaurant (a family first), I actually got to try quite a few items.

Chinese Chickin’ Salad, pictured above – I thought it was great, I usually don’t like getting salads in restaurants since I can make it so much better at home. But this was so nice and fresh tasting. And it wasn’t too heavy on the sesame-rice vinaigrette.

Mac n’ Cheese – I only had a couple of bites of this, but it was enough for me to say it’s yummy. I love how the Daiya cheese is all melty and creamy.

Uptown Nachos, pictured above – Also had just a few bites of this. Oh my gosh, it’s been forever since I’ve eaten nachos. It’s just like how I remember it. Another awesome winner.

Steamin’ Kale – No one else really ate this but I thought it was quite good. The kale was tender and the ginger-miso dressing went well with it.

Sweetheart Fries – Sweet potato fries, just as good if not better than french fries. But really the chipotle ranch that came with it, now that was to die for.

All-American Stack, pictured above – I only liked this okay. It may just be too much for one bite, what with all the onion rings, lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled veggie-steak pieces stacked on a really thick whole wheat bun. Or maybe it was because I wanted to eat those nachos instead.

The V-Burger – I had about a fourth of this. It was my nephew’s lunch, since he’s only 7, he wasn’t able to finish the whole burger. He likes it with just the bun, grilled veggie-steak burger and ketchup. I liked this burger better. Go figure.

Chocolate Pudding – Delicious end to a great meal. Smooth and sweet, with a nice chocolate flavor. You would never know it was vegan.

The decor is modern-looking, hip and clean. There’s outdoor seating, which normally would have been nice if it wasn’t for the threatening storm clouds. They have four locations, all in Southern California. If only there was a Veggie Grill in NoCal, I would for sure be a permanent fixture there.