veggie beef and squash empanadas

The main course of our Argentine Christmas dinner, in Maryland: homemade empanadas, some stuffed with veggie ground beef, and others with spiced butternut squash. Not pictured: mote provenzal.

sugarplums

Fantastic sugarplums, courtesy of Sandy. Made from chopped dates, dried figs, prunes, dried cherries, raisins, grated coconut, chocolate, and sugar.

BBQ nuggets

Crisp tofu nuggets with barbecue sauce, from the vegan fast food joint Veggie Bite, in Chicago. Tasty, and healthier than your average nugget!

Vegan diablos

Vegan diablos: handmade corn tostadas topped with "scrambled tofu," seitan chorizo, beans, rice, and chipotle sauce. From the Handlebar in Chicago. My only peeve: cubed tofu does not = scrambled tofu, no?

lemon meringue pie

Vegan lemon meringue pie, from Karyn's Cooked in Chicago. The lemon part was smooth and tasty, the meringue was good too but more like whipped cream than meringue... harder to replicate I suppose.

tofu and carrot flautas

A tofu and carrot mix stuffed inside corn tortillas, fried crisp, and topped with soy sour cream. With guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa verde, mixed greens and refried black beans on the side. From Karyn's Cooked in Chicago.

Smoked spinach lasagna

Smoked spinach and tofu ricotta lasagna, with grilled bread on the side, from Karyn's Cooked in Chicago.

vietnamese three color bean drink

Coconut milk, sweet red beans, and sweet yellow mung beans, from White Lotus in Toronto. Delicious!

chili paratha

Grilled paratha bread sauteed with onions, peas, and peppers in a rich chili sauce, from Madras Cafe in Toronto. The bread is so dense and tender that it was like fake meat!

rice with quinoa

Rice and quinoa with carrots, peppers, and onions, in soy sauce - a Northern Argentina invention.

sesame eggplant with agave ginger cashews

Eggplant with sesame tomato lime sauce, topped with toasted sesame seeds and agave ginger cashews.

tofu scramble, homefries, banana nut pancakes

North American brunch in Argentina, homestyle:
- Tofu scramble with tomatoes, basil, and sweet red pepper
- Homefries with mushrooms and peppers
- Banana nut pancakes (sauce pictured, pancakes not)


Plus juices, fruit salad, buena onda...

Corn Cream

If you wanna see some typical brazilian food, check here, for the The 30's Vegan Brazilian Food that I love!

Corn cream, a really yummie example!

polenta pie

Baked polenta pie topped with sliced tomato, mushrooms, and garlic, and assorted herbs. My first time making polenta from scratch - piece of cake! (or pie in this case)

POMx Tea

Refreshing teas that helped get me through the afternoon without keeping me up at night.

Full disclosure: POM Wonderful provided me with these samples.

mushroom ceviche, potatoes & guacamole, yuca fries

Mushroom ceviche and mashed potatoes with mustard seeds, topped with guacamole, with yuca fries and roasted red peppers on the side. From Entre Indyas in Salta, Argentina.

wine ice cream

Amazing dairy-free ice cream from Helados Miranda, in Cafayate, Argentina. Clockwise from the top, cabernet (red wine), torrontés (white wine), tuna fruit, and peach. They all tasted exactly as they should - as if having a sip of wine or a bite of tuna fruit or peach. Don't try too much of the wine flavors before driving - they pack a punch!

quinoa salad

An amazing salad of quinoa and oh so much more: apples, cucumbers, carrots, onions, raisins, lentils, barley, and parsley, with curry powder and paprika sprinkled on top. From the fabulous Entre Indyas in Salta, Argentina.

tuna fruit

Tuna fruit - the fruit from cactus. Just be careful not to chew the seeds!

quinoa soup, andean potatoes, mote provenzal

More Andean food from Tilcara, Argentina! This time from El Patio restaurant. Quinoa soup, mote provenzal (with garlic and parsley), assorted roasted Andean potatoes (each tastes different), and salad.

Andean potatoes, quinoa, beans, mote

Roasted potatoes (some of the dozen varieties that grow in the Andes), quinoa, beans, and mote (a type of corn). All from La Chacana, a restaurant in Tilcara, Jujuy province, Argentina.

Taiwanese Argentine buffet

A sampling from one of the many vegetarian Taiwanese buffets in Rosario, Argentina (this one on Rioja by San Martin). From left, stewed lentils, sweet and sour TVP, herbed TVP, and roasted veggies.

chocolate cupcake

From The Green Beanery in Toronto. As rich as it looks.

pho

Veggie pho (Vietnamese rice noodle soup), from Cafe 668 in Toronto.

yuca con mojo

Yuca with garlic and onion sauce, from Julie's Cuban restaurant, in Toronto.

tostones rellenos

Green plantain cups filled with guacamole, from Julie's Cuban restaurant, in Toronto.

korean mochi

Sweet and gooey Korean dumplings filled with red bean, black bean, and mugwort paste.

ethiopian brunch

The brunch combo from M&B Yummy vegetarian Ethiopian restaurant in Toronto. Clockwise from the top:
- Ful: fava beans served with tomatoes, onions, and green chili
- Injera and "beef" stew
- Butucha: vegan scrambled "eggs" made from chickpea flour
- Kita fir fir: bread fried with vegan butter and spices
- Kinche: sweet cracked wheat
And all of this for one person, allegedly!

Wedding Dinner

Chickpea and potato curry, green salad, black bean and mango salad. In the background: gazpacho, a fresh tomato (actually served as decoration in a bowl with basil, but I rescued it from being art and reclaimed it as food), and a cape cod (vodka & cranberry juice). The meal served at Bela and Jennifer's wedding. Congratulations!

Luckily I shared a table with the couple behind REC(ession)IPIES, who took photographing the meal in stride.

spicy tomato and potato pizza

Vegan slices from Toronto's Pizzaioli:

Vittoria: Herbed Tomatoes, Zucchini, Roasted Red Peppers and Spicy Tomato Sauce


Fredo: Yukon Gold Potatoes, Olive Oil, Fresh Rosemary and Oregano

purple aloo chaat

Purple potatoes mixed with cumin, chili powder, chaat masala powder, and chutneys, and topped with red onion, cilantro, and crispy noodles - adapted from this recipe.

radical reuben w/ mac & cheeze

Reuben Sandwich from The Chicago Diner: Sliced seitan, onions, peppers, sauerkraut, vegan Thousand Island Dressing & cheeze, on marbled rye. With a side of mac & cheeze. As tasty as it looks!

korean pancakes & appetizers

Pancakes from the Korean vegetarian restaurant HanGawi: kimchi mushroom, leek, and pumpkin (from left to right).


And an appetizer platter too: stuffed and fried shitake mushroom, grilled spicy rice cakes, and barbecue tofu. All absolutely amazing!

Summer Pasta

Yay Summertime! Pasta with zucchini, garlic scapes, and fresh parsley from our flower pots.

khaman dhokla

Khaman Dhokla: Steamed savory chickpea flour cake, topped with fried onions, mustard seeds, chili, and coconut. The Khaman Dhokla cake was made from a mix purchased in Jackson Heights, New York - really easy and tasty! And a silly name too! (in English at least)

okra with spring garlic & saba

Catching up on some spring eats - in this case okra sauteed with spring garlic and tomatoes, and topped with saba.

purple yam with ice cream

The dessert for our Filipino dinner: Sweet purple yam jam with vanilla So Delicious soy ice cream. So delicious indeed!!

mongo guisado, lumpia & banana sauce

A Filipino mini-feast, with veganized versions of:
- Mongo guisado: thick mung bean soup with homemade faux pork (marinated and crumbled tofu, broiled till chewy and almost crisp)

- Lumpia: Fried spring rolls stuffed with carrot, onion, faux pork, scallions, cabbage, pepper, soy sauce, garlic powder
- Banana Sauce, purchased in Jackson Heights, New York

abendbrot

Whole grain German bread, thinly sliced but ever so dense, with just as thin slices of herb tofu from Twin Oaks (a co-op!)
The bears stand guard diligently.

watercress salad with mushrooms & walnuts

Watercress with lightly sauteed crimini mushrooms and shallots, walnuts, and vinaigrette.

Sweet n Sout Lappa

Sweet n Sout Lappa combo at King's Café! Burdock balls, purple rice, soy nuggets, spring roll, salad. Also came with a small bowl of wonton soup, not pictured. All for about $15!

polenta with fava beans & asparagus

Fried polenta rounds topped with fava beans (lightly sauted in olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and lemon juice), with garlic roasted asparagus on the side. Yay spring!

cardone / cardoon

Salad topped with cardone - boiled then marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. It indeed tastes a bit like artichoke. We also tried coating it in cornmeal and frying it, and that was even better!