Blueberry Scones

It's time to start planning New Year's Day brunch!

senegalese fried tofu & plantain gnocchi

Senegalese crisp-fried tofu (in lieu of fried chicken) over fried plantain gnocchi and baby bok choy, with dijonnaise sauce
From A Bistro, in Brooklyn.
One of the tastiest meals I've ever had... honest!

kale & kasha latkes

A tasty Hanukkah experiment - kale, kasha, and potato latkes
(not pictured: horseradish topping)

breakfast tacos

for lunch!
a roadside treat on a recent trip to Austin, Texas.


fried potatoes, beans, peppers, and onions


the fried avocado special on the right!

Indian cauliflower greens

Don't throw out those cauliflower greens! Just cut the leafy parts off of the stalks and sautee them for around a half hour with your favorite seasonings, and they're really tasty.
These greens were added to fried onion, garlic, mustard seeds, fenugreek, urad dal, salt, whole red pepper, and a dab of brown sugar, then sauteed till soft.

veggie pita

I apologize for the horrible photo (the restaurant was lit with bright red lights!) but this pita sandwich was too good to not post. It's from Pita Saha, a great little student joint here in Syracuse. Their menu clearly lists which sandwich fillings and sauces are vegan (along with vegan appetizers like stuffed grape leaves, salads, spinach turnovers, etc.)

I got my pita with all the veggies: lettuce, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, and some other ones I'm forgetting, and I asked for plenty of tahini sauce. This really hit the spot, and for a shade under $4 was a great reward after a long day of research and writing in the library.

Watermelon with Bittersweet Chocolate Shavings

On the eve of an ice storm, I want to remember this summertime dessert courtesy of Vegetables Italian Style, by Viana LaPlace. Watermelon pieces are mixed with brandy and sugar and then chocolate shavings are sprinkled on top.

indian and japanese acorn squash

Two different ways to bake all those winter acorn squashes:

Indian acorn squash, stuffed with fried spice mix: cumin seeds, brown mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried chili peppers, garlic, salt, and brown sugar. (I'd probably add onions next time to give the stuffing more body)


Japanese acorn squash, stuffed with garlic, ginger, and onion/shallots sauteed in oil, and sauce of rice wine, soy sauce, veggie fish sauce, and sugar.

the best part about vegan pecan pie...?

... no scrambled egg taste! happy thanksgiving, everyone!

white asparagus with garlic and lemon

a simple side: white asparagus topped with fried garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice

peach upside-down cake

made with peaches frozen from the summer. Recipe here: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/08/peach-upside-down-cake.html

bok choy with peanuts & shallots

A quick and tasty meal: stir-fried bok choy topped with fried shallots, garlic, peanuts, and an impromptu indonesian sauce (kecap manis, kecap sambal, and a bit of brown sugar)

falafel & eggplant sandwich

Some recently rediscovered food porn from the summer: an amazing loaded falafel sandwich from Paris's Rue des Rosiers (aka falafel street)
falafel, hummus, cucumber, lightly pickled red cabbage, melt-in-your-mouth fried eggplant, and tahini
Perhaps the best falafel in the world? (something I don't say lightly...)

jam cookies

With almonds, oats, whole wheat, and maple syrup as sweetener, these easy-to-bake cookies are practically healthy enough to pass as breakfast. Go ahead, have 2!

Recipe here: http://theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=47

halloween food

Just had to post these two dishes from our Halloween party:

seasonal sushi, some with green rice and some with white/wild rice combo, some with sweet potato filling, and some with cooked radish dyed pink with beet juice (these resembled tuna rolls!)

LindyLoo's bloody finger cookies- these are delicious! Recipe here

salad for dinner

Sometimes you just want a big ol' salad for dinner, ya know? Local organic red leaf lettuce, organic carrots and cucumber, walnuts and cranberries, garbanzo beans, red pepper from the garden, locally made pita bread

tapas: paella, mushrooms & torte

Vegan tapas from BiOasis restaurant in Barcelona (some forgotten summer eats).


veggie paella


roasted mushrooms with cilantro dressing


veggie torte

Watermelon Gazpacho

From Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons. Farewell, sweet summer....

French Toast

French Toast served with fruit, Earth Balance margarine, and maple syrup at ABC Café in Ithaca, New York.

sweet and sour cucumber salad

Sugar and vinegar make it sweet and sour, everything else makes it super refreshing!
From Nancie McDermott's Real Vegetarian Thai

roasted mini vegetables

baby eggplant, summer squash (zucchini), and tomatoes, roasted with an italian herb vinaigrette and served over couscous
the squashes were yellow and green, the eggplants red and orange (they're on the left), and the tomatoes an orangey red. they were all too pretty to pass up, but I now understand why we don't usually eat eggplants till they're purple...

cranberry muffins

A vegan clerk at a certain coffee + donut chain told me the "low fat cranberry muffin" there is vegan. (She also said it isn't actually low fat.)

white nectarine

Just for Renate: Another plain produce post! Here's a white nectarine that we saw in the market just this once this summer. It looked, felt, and smelled wonderful, but tasted like a pretty normal nectarine. I would buy it again, though, it was just so pretty.

apples

Freshly picked at a local orchard. You can't beat the taste, the fun, or the price.

red velvet cake

100% vegan and delicious
from Smooch cafe in Brooklyn, and enjoyed in the park (hence the slight messiness)

smoothie

making good use of some late summer produce: peaches, raspberries, orange juice and soymilk.

squash blossom tostadas

squash blossoms lightly sauteed with garlic and topped with cilantro, on tortillas tostadas
in the background: guacamole and black bean tostadas

veggie" fish"

Sheets of fried tofu stacked like millefeillle into little sticks, wrapped in seaweed, served with veg and sauce. From Cafe 668 in Toronto.

mango salsa with wonton chips

mmmm! From Cafe 668 in their new location. Diced mango, water chestnuts, almonds, red peppers, celery, shredded coconut and wonton chips to scoop it with!

mushroom pepper & carrot cilantro spring rolls

The mushroom spring rolls had black rice noodles, shitake mushrooms, cabbage, black pepper, and a bit of soy sauce.
The carrot cilantro ones had white rice noodles and cabbage.
Not pictured: tamarind and peanut dipping sauces.
Also not pictured: surrounding summer picnic perfection on Governor's Island in New York.

sweet sticky rice with mango

sweet purple rice topped with mango and coconut cream. best. dessert. ever. (from Lao Village restaurant in Syracuse, NY 208 W Genesee St, (315) 435-8151)

jerk beans & roasted plantains

A Caribbean meal: beans and spinach flavored with homemade jerk seasoning, topped with roasted sweet plantains.

tofu steak with rhubarb cherry sauce

The tofu was marinated in olive oil, black pepper, and a bit of red wine vinegar and soy sauce before baking. Rhubarb cherry sauce adapted from Everyday Food recipe: cherries, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, onion, rhubarb, sugar, nutmeg, and salt and pepper.
Served with roasted carrots and celery on the side.

black-eyed peas with greens & corn

black-eyed peas sauteed with collard greens, pickled jalapeños, slivered carrots, onion, garlic, and lots of salt and pepper, with fresh corn on the cob on the side.
a great summer meal!

Airplane Snack!

vegan biscotti on a United Ted flight - happy surprise!

roots!

A very rooty veggie dinner: salad (romaine, bell pepper, cucumbers and turnips with a vinaigrette), oven-roasted potatoes, roasted beets served atop beet greens.

Wedding cupcakes

One final wedding shot: Chocolate, Coconut and Italian Orange & Vanilla Cupcakes courtesy of So Goode 4 You Vegan Bakery in Baltimore, Maryland.

chocolate chip cookies

Wheat-free. So good, and so easy to make: click here for the recipe (courtesy of the PPK)

mac & cheese

From the "New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook"

Dinner at Red Bamboo

Red Bamboo Soul Cafe, West Village Location (140 West 4th St., NY, NY 10014)

Top Row, left to right: roti appetizer with curry dipping sauce, calamari appetizer, unagi don
Bottom Row, left to right: Philly Cheesesteak, Fish and Chips, Sweet 'n Sour Chicken

Everything was wonderful, especially for a faux fish lover like me! Our party agreed that the sweet 'n sour chicken was especially good.

Mediterranean zucchini boats

More wedding food: zucchini stuffed with tomato, onion, parsley, and raisins.
Prepared by Dionysus' Kitchen catering.

pigeon peas & rice with tropical fruit

More wedding food: A twist on beans & rice, with tropical fruit and lime cilantro dressing.
Prepared by Dionysus' Kitchen catering.

mashed potato martinis

One of the appetizers at Josh & Renate's wedding! (last month in Baltimore)
Mashed purple potatoes with caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, olive oil, fresh chives and scallions (not pictured: vegan tofu aioli), served in martini glasses during the cocktail hour.
Prepared by Dionysus' Kitchen catering.
We'll post some more pictures from our totally vegan wedding dinner soon...

vegan brunch!

Funk'n Waffles restaurant, in Syracuse NY. This brunch included: waffles, french toast, sausage, tofu scramble, fruit salad, hash, and really good coffee.