What's for Dinner: Bagels with White Bean Spread | V, SF

The weather is warming up, and I've been tiring of warm soups and cozy roasted beans. As the air gets warmer, I've been thinking more and more about fresh summer recipes.

This one fits the bill. It's a balanced meal with plenty of veggies, some protein and some grains. And it's oh so fresh.

White Bean Spread

Makes about 2 servings (enough for two bagels)

Ingredients

1 C white beans

1/4 C rice milk

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbs. parsley

1/2 tsp. dry oregano

pinch salt

Step-by-Step

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until you achieve a smooth texture.

All you've got to do is spread this white bean concoction on top of a toasted multi-grain bagel. Top it off with sliced onion, tomato, avocado, and clover sprouts. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.

Grocery Adventure: 4/27/13

I've been terrible about posting lately, and for that I am sorry. But I've got some goods for you today!

Here's my grocery diary. I spent less than $80 this trip! I decided to use some of the extra to buy a little basil windowsill garden and a dozen mason jars. You'll see why soon. :)

Meal Planning: April 27 - May 11

Breakfasts - Weekdays

1. Oatmeal squares with almond milk (x8)
2. Instant oatmeal (x10)
3. Applesauce cups (x6)

Breakfasts - Weekends

1. Vegan breakfast scramble with cheezy herb biscuits
2. Blueberry flax pancakes with strawberry topping

Lunches - Weekdays

(As usual, a lot of leftovers)

1. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with carrots (x10)
2. Assorted vegan soups (x5)

Lunches - Weekends

1. Bagel sandwiches with white bean spread
2. Chickpea salad sandwiches & vegan potato salad
3. Quinoa rice bowls with lemon tahini dressing

Dinners

1. Macaroni and cheeze with green beans
2. Cashew fried rice and spring rolls
3. Creamy vegan broccoli soup
4. Quinoa tabbouleh salad
5. Baked potatoes with black bean chili
6. Lentil loaf with mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, and brussels sprouts
7. Gorditas with black beans
8. Falafel pie
9. Vegan pho with spring rolls
10. Enchiladas with creamy avocado spread
11. Mashed potato pot pie
12. Mushroom lettuce wraps
13. Couscous with roasted chickpeas and green beans

Meal Planning: April 13-27

Breakfasts - Weekdays

1. Rice cakes with tahini or nut butter (x10)
2. Instant oatmeal (x10)
3. Oatmeal squares with almond milk (x5)
4. Orange with toast and nut butter (x5)

Breakfasts/Brunches - Weekends

1. Flax waffles, yogurt, and fruit
2. Vegan breakfast scramble with vegan cheesy biscuits

Lunches - Weekdays

(As usual, leftovers fill up a lot of this section)

1. Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches with carrots (x10)
2. Assorted vegan soups (x5)

Lunches - Weekends

1. Sweet potato black bean quinoa soup
2. Gorditas with black beans
3. Quinoa tabbouleh salad

Dinners

1. Vegan macaroni and cheese with roasted green beans
2. Enchiladas with refried beans and spanish rice
3. Cashew fried rice and spring rolls
4. Coconut lentils with curried root vegetables
5. Creamy vegan broccoli soup
6. Twice baked potatoes with chili
7. Couscous with roasted chickpeas and broccoli
8. Lentil loaf with mashed potatoes, gravy, and brussels sprouts
9. Lemon dill rice with chickpeas
10. Pesto linguini with broccoli
11. Vegan vegetable chowder
12. Falafel pie
13. Vegan sushi with miso soup
14. Vegan pho and spring rolls

Grocery Adventures: 4/13/13

Co-Op Market

Coconut Aminos - $4.99

Organic Coconut Oil - $5.99

Lemon - $0.59

Dairy-Free Sour Cream - $4.29

Earth Balance Puffs - $4.49

Toothbrush - $3.09

Cabbage (0.86 lbs./small head) - $3.43

Dry Garbanzo Beans (1.62 lbs.) - $2.25

Garbanzo Flour (0.63 lbs.) - $1.00

Spinach (0.11 lbs.) - $0.66

Total - $31.05

Fred Meyer

Orange Juice (gallon) - $2.50

Instant Oatmeal - $1.49

Vegetable Broth (2) - $3.98

Frozen Vegetable Medley - $1.34

Frozen Lima Beans - $1.04

Limes (2) - $0.78

Jalapeno (0.14 lbs./2) - $0.13

Carrots (1 lb. bag) - $0.89

Hass Avocados (2) - $1.56

Radishes - $0.50

Rutabaga (0.37 lbs./1) - $0.37

Cilantro - $0.69

Vine-Ripe Tomatoes (0.92 lbs/3) - $1.35

Basil - $3.99

Total - $20.51

Safeway

Rice Cakes - $1.25 (rewards card savings $1.04)

Sesame Crackers - $2.00 (rewards card savings $0.69)

Apple Juice Jug - $1.52 (rewards card savings $0.30; store coupon savings $0.97)

Rice Milk - $2.29

Almond Milk (half gallon) - $1.49 (rewards card savings $0.20; store coupon savings $1.50)

Sweet Onion (0.57 lbs./1) - $0.74 (rewards card savings $0.11)

Leek (0.31 lbs./1) - $0.62

Navel Oranges (3 lb. bag) - $2.49 (store coupon savings $1.50)

White Mushroom (8 oz. container) - $1.79 (rewards card savings $0.20)

Total - $16.69

Winco

Chips - $1.78

Applesauce - $1.98

Onion Soup Mix - $1.24

Shiitake Mushrooms (0.42 lbs.) - $3.18

Lentils (0.82 lbs.) - $0.65

Yam (0.81 lbs./1) - $0.79

Walnuts (0.19 lbs.) - $1.27

Sprouts - $1.88

Corn (2 ears) - $0.64

Cucumber - $0.48

Ketchup - $0.89

Bean Sprouts - $1.68

Ginger (0.06 lbs.) - $0.12

Oyster Mushrooms (0.19 lbs.) - $1.33

Broccoli (1.19 lbs./3 heads) - $1.52

Total - $19.43

Rosauers

Baby Bok Choy (0.77 lbs./3) - $2.30

Brown Sushi Rice (0.61 lbs.) - $1.21

Total - $3.51

GRAND TOTAL - $91.19

What's for Snacking: Warm Tortillas & Nut Butter

Tonight I had a craving for a warm snack. I just bought some fresh pecan butter at Andy's Market when I was in Walla Walla, and I was really craving warm flour tortillas slathered in the stuff.

Since I don't eat soybean oil, store-bought tortillas are almost always out of the question. So I sought out to make my own.

Vegan, Soy-Free Flour Tortillas

Makes about 10 small tortillas

Ingredients

2 C flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

4 Tbs Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread

5/8 C water

Step-by-Step

1. In a food processor with dough blade, combine flour baking powder and salt.
2. Add in buttery spread tablespoon by tablespoon, pulsing it into the dry ingredients.
3. Pour in water and turn on food processor. Process until the dough turns into a ball.
4. Separate dough into 1 to 1.5-inch diameter balls. Flatten with rolling pin or fingers.
5. Cook in a dry non-stick skillet over high heat.

After my tortillas were made, I added a layer of pecan butter or almond butter and sprinkled a little bit of hot chocolate powder. Delish!

What's for Dinner: Mongolian Noodles with Burmese Tofu | V, SF

This was my first time making Burmese (soy-free) tofu. Either I made it wrong, or it's going to take some getting used to. It's a little mushier than soy tofu, but it has a nice flavor.

To try it out, I paired it with my Mongolian noodles recipe from my cookbook (subbing coconut aminos for the soy sauce) and did a basic dry-fry with a marinade.

Maybe Burmese tofu isn't meant for marinades, or maybe it's just naturally a little mushy. I'll try again and we'll see.

The overall taste, however, was pretty yummy. Now to get the texture right!

Review: The Garden Cafe (Walla Walla, Wash.)

I grew up in Walla Walla, a sweet little town perfect for the vegetarian. The huge population of vegetarian and vegan Seventh Day Adventists in the area makes it economically viable (even economically wise) for restaurants to cater to the veg-minded. There's even a mostly-vegetarian grocery store* in College Place (the town next door that might as well be part of Walla Walla).

The Valley, known for its luscious wines and juicy sweet onions, has been home for a few vegan restaurants over the years. They've all come and gone. Let me say this: I hope The Garden Cafe is here (or there, rather) to stay. I made a quick stop on a recent visit to town, and I was delighted with what I got.

After about 10 minutes of deliberation and hassling the clerk for her opinion, I chose a scrumptious meal of aloo curry over brown rice. This tasty rice bowl was topped with the freshest veggies one could hope for: spinach, cucumber, tomato, onion, cilantro.

The curry itself makes you feel healthy as you eat it. No kidding. Complete with peas, chickpeas, potatoes, and a slightly spicy sauce, this dish was both filling and refreshing.

I had my whole (mostly omnivorous) family with me, and everyone loved their food. My dad got the house-made veggie burger (pictured below), which looked mouth-wateringly good. (I would have tried it, but my dad had them slather on the peanut butter. He loves peanut butter. So do I. He loves it on burgers. That's where we differ.) The hubs had a vegan Reuben made with Tofurky (I couldn't try because soy makes my tummy mad). 

My mom and sister both had The Garden's fiesta quesadilla made with Daiya cheese. I did try that baby, and oh my heck was it good. The cheese was perfectly smooth and creamy. That coupled with the crisp freshness of the tomatoes and olives made for a party in my mouth.

The absolute best part of the meal, though? The juice. We're talking fresh-squeezed deliciousness. I spent about $9 on my 16 oz. juice, more than my food cost. And it was worth every single penny. I started with their apple juice base and had them add some kale, ginger, and lemon.

The waitress set my green juice concoction down in front of me, and my family all looked at me like I was crazy. But I drank that thing. Boy, did I drink it. And it was good (as green things usually are, once you try!).

The Garden's atmosphere was bright and cheery, but with a distinct laid-back feel. It's the type of place I would go to study if I still lived in Walla Walla. I was a little disappointed that at the end of my visit I couldn't find a recycling bin for my sister's soda can, but maybe I didn't look hard enough.

Pros:

Perfectly flavorful juice

Great use of fresh ingredients

Amazing flavor
Fair food prices
Cheery atmosphere

Cons:
Expensive juice (but worth it)
No recycling bin to be found (in a vegan cafe? C'mon people!)

*I need to tell you more about Andy's Market. This place is veg food mecca. Especially right now, during their Store-Wide Vege Sale (through March 31). Check them out. Now.

Review: Boots Bakery & Lounge (Downtown Spokane)

I've been a vegetarian (now vegan) living in Spokane, Wash. for almost three years now. I've been waiting, not-so-patiently for my city to get a vegetarian restaurant. I just wanted a place where I could go and order ANYTHING.

Boots Bakery & Lounge, which is, as far as I can tell, Spokane's only vegan restaurant (save for Method Juice Cafe), has been hanging out at it's Main Street location for about 9 months. Enough time to get pregnant and have a child. And I hadn't gotten my little hiney down there until Friday. My omni friends beat me to it! They've been raving since July.

Boots ended up being everything I had hoped for. Not only could I devour almost all of their savory choices (darn that no-soy!), but also could nom nom on a selection of sweet treats.

I started my meal with a priced-just-right trio of deli case savories: spinach basil pesto penne, roasted veggies, and a chickpea salad. Yum.

My iphone picture of my salad trio. SO GOOD (not the photo; the food).

The food was quite good. My favorite was the chickpea salad. It had the perfect fresh flavor and combined chickpeas and lentils in an interesting way. The tomatoes and spices added just the right element of richness to the dish. Let's just say that if someone wanted to make me this salad for lunch every day, I wouldn't mind.

The other two savories weren't amazing, but they were still good. The roasted veggies came to me a little oily (perhaps from re-heating), and the pasta could have used just a little salt. That said, I still left mighty satisfied and I will definitely be returning.

With my belly full (but not too full) of savory goodness, I headed to the sweet selections. I chose the most delectable no-bake cookie the size of my palm. I paired the cookie with a tasty caramel latte made with almond milk.

This is what really got me. The latte was one of the best almond milk lattes I've ever had. Let me say, you can definitely tell when the barista has experience in steaming non-dairy milk.

The cookie also tantalized my taste buds. It was chocked full of dried fruit, oats, seeds, and other nummy goodies.

This review is starting to get exceptionally long, so I'll try to hit my next points quickly: Customer service was awesome even before I went down. (I spent a few minutes that afternoon on the phone with the owner, Alison, verifying that there would be soy-free choices.) I will say that the in-store experience felt a little impersonal, but they were pretty busy when I was in.

The atmosphere inspires you to kick back and enjoy an early spring afternoon with homey furniture mixed with fresh decor.

Pros:

Yummy food (especially sweet options)

Fantastic vegan barista skills

Priced just right

Awesome atmosphere

Top-notch pre-visit customer service

Great options for allergy-ridden (soy-free, gluten-free, etc.)

VEGAN!

Cons:

Savory food could use some sprucing

Slightly impersonal in-store experience

What's for Dinner: Sushi & Soy-Free Miso Soup | V, SF, GF

So fresh. So tasty. This meal took a little bit to prepare, but I would say that I needed the break from studying. I also needed the energy that the raw vegetables afforded me.

Both of these super tasty recipes are vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free. Woopee!

Vegetable Sushi

Ingredients

1 C dry sushi rice, rinsed and drained

4 tsp. rice vinegar

2 tsp. sugar

2 carrots, peeled and julienned

1/2 cucumber, peeled and julienned

4 small red radishes, julienned

1/2 avocado, sliced

4 pieces nori (roasted seaweed)

Step-by-Step

1. Cook rice using thumb method (when you rest the tip of your thumb on leveled rice in the pot, the water should come to your first knuckle; it'll be about 1 C). Allow it to boil covered until rice has absorbed the water.
2. Let the rice sit for about an hour to cool, then mix in vinegar and sugar.
3. Assemble, roll and cut your sushi according to these directions.

Soy-Free Miso

Ingredients

3 Tbs. chickpea miso paste

3 C water

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

3 tsp. minced garlic

1 scallion, chopped

1/2 C chopped shiitake mushrooms

2 C chopped baby bok choy

1 C cooked cellophane noodles

1 Tbs. coconut aminos

Mung bean sprouts and sriracha for garnish

Step-by-Step

1. Stir together chickpea miso and a bit of water in a pot, ensuring that no clumps exist. Slowly stir in the remaining water and olive oil.
2. Add garlic and scallion to the mixture. Place over medium heat. Add shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy. Allow to cook until mushrooms are soft.
3. Add cellophane noodles and coconut aminos.
4. Serve topped with bean sprouts and a little sriracha.