Category Archives: food porn

Food Porn! Camera vs iPhone edition

i have to admit; i’ve been taking few pictures with a real camera as of late because of my iPhone. my iPhone is always around whereas my camera is not, and my iPhone automatically streams images to my computer, whereas my phone does not. i guess this means that i either need to keep my camera plastered to me, or be satisfied with the lower quality for the sake of convenience that the iPhone gives. either way, on to the food!

nori battered tofu and oven fries, vegan tartar sauce

these still need plenty of tweaking. it’s essentially “fish and chips” done with nori stuck to tofu before being battered. i used club soda in lieu of beer, but for the next run i’m going to use a sorghum beer that i like- the batter was thin in the flavor department. i’m also going to flake a little nori in to the batter instead of sticking a large sheet to the back of squares of tofu- nori is so synonymous with sushi to my tastebuds, and warm sushi is weird, so too much nori = weird hot sushi impostor.

tofu benedict

i think i already posted this but with pics from my phone. YUM.

seasoned oven fries

tofu scramble

brunch for dinner is a regular thing over here.

now for the iPhone food pics

chickpea salad in a collard wrap

the insides!

i always liked tuna fish with extra mustard, potato chips, and pickles and i like my chickpea salad the same as well. for the salad i mashed chickpeas with finely minced celery and onions, a little veganaise, and a little mustard.

spanish rice of sorts

i still suck at ‘long-hand’ spanish rice, so for this i roasted grape tomatoes and tossed them, juices and all, with brown rice that had been cooked with vegetable stock, coriander, and garlic. it was super delish.

enchiladas

yum! i stuffed these with leftover beans from my ‘beans and rice’, roasted sweet potatoes, and sweet corn.

 

 

Random Dinners, aka explanatory food porn

hi! i’ve been busy this month planning The Hive Salon’s birthday party but i scrounged up a few decent pictures of dinners that i’ve had, and the random ingredient notes that accompanied them!

grilled portobellos and steamed veggies

portobello caps marinated in red wine and balsamic vinegar before grilling on a cast iron pan. cauliflower roasted with coriander, salt and pepper, steamed green beans and peppers, mashed sweet potatoes, and creamy onion gravy. to make the gravy i cooked down two minced yellow onions, and then pureed them before adding to equal parts vegetable stock and almond milk. i seasoned the sauce with a little dijon mustard, white wine, salt, and pepper. simple!

polenta, greens, grilled tofu, walnut mushroom mix

this was a more labor intensive meal- but so delicious! i made some polenta with vegetable stock and a pinch of turmeric to intensify the color, and poured it into square 9×13” cake pan to cool. after it firmed up i cut it into squares, brushed it with oil and then grilled them. i topped them with steamed kale, grilled tofu, and mushrooms that were cooked down with caramelized onions, walnuts, and thyme. while i did all the busy work i let a bottle of fig infused balsamic vinegar reduce by half, and then spooned it over the top.

potat

potato spinach leek soup

this was super easy as well. cube up 2 1/2 lbs russet potatoes and reserve half when done. to the pan add 3 large thinly sliced leeks, one large diced white onion, and a few cloves of garlic. cook until soft and add 4 cups vegetable stock. toss in 3-4 handfuls fresh spinach, and puree with an immersion blender. add 1-2 tbs nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, and a teeny bit of thyme/rosemary, or if you’re a fan, dill. don’t season too much or you won’t taste the leeks! now, add the rest of the potatoes back to the pan and add enough almond milk to reach your desired consistency. serve with fried leeks on top for crunch (rolled in chickpea flour).

yay! if you didn’t see my last post, i’m on instagram posting damn near everything i eat at Jendo612, and i pin on pinterest under thehivesalon!

just made these babies and they are tasty as hell!

Food Porn! Modern Times Cafe Edition

if you didn’t already know, this is one of my favorite stops in the good ol’ 612.

tofu bagel sandwich

veggie sausage, tofu scramble, greens and veggies piled on a vegan jalapeño bagel.

gluten free vegan voyeur melt

the voyeur melt on GF bread. tempeh, avocado, basil veganaise, grilled peppers, onions and mushrooms. heavenly with a side of garlic fries.

Vegan Treats @Birchwood Cafe!

Hey folks, this just in from Facebook via the birchwood cafe:

“IF we had a bakery case webcam with a gluten free channel, today’s star would be vegan CHOCOLATE gluten free donut, co starring BLACKBERRY V,GF donut with a special guest Valentine’s Day appearance by vegan, gluten free petit heart shaped mini cake. But we don’t so you’ll just have to take my word for it”

holiday or no holiday, you better get up and then get on down, james brown style,  on those beauties.

Food Porn! The gluten free edition

mega salad

 

crispy tofu tacos

Crispy Tofu Rub:

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp chipotle powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp menudo spice blend

1 tsp corriander

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbs masarepa or fine cornmeal

mix well in a shallow pan

slice extra firm tofu into desired shape, dredge in season blend and bake at 375 for 5-8 minutes per side or until crispy and firm.

vegan migas from the modern times cafe, w/side kale, duh!

raw not-chos from the ecopolitan

raw "chilli cheeze" burrito from the ecopolitan

my flavor flav!

raw eco-sausage pizza from the ecopolitan

as you can see, we were too busy devouring our dinner to take proper pictures.

gluten free vegan doughnuts from the birch wood cafe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gluten free vegan doughnuts from the birchwood cafe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok, so i don’t like doing negative review posts, but if you remember me going gaga a few months back over a donut shop…

the love didn’t last long. the donuts and service just kept declining so i stopped buying them. and then i decided to go gluten free and figured i’d never love another doughnut/donut again. then i discovered the birchwood cafe! i am in LOVE! they have gluten free vegan goodies everyday, they’re reasonably priced, presentable, and they taste good! the rest of the vegan menu is so-so, but the daily specials are where it’s at.

More Porn!

i guess there were more food pictures on my camera! enjoy!

stew!

delicata squash, kale, carrots, chickpeas, and leeks floating in a lightly seasoned broth

TLAT Salad!

TLAT salad, but with kale and smoky eggplant strips instead of lettuce and tempeh bacon. on the side are GF flax crackers with raw cashew cheese

4-part epic!?

tarragon and balsamic grilled portobello cap, roasted mashed sweet potatoes, grilled peppers and string beans. i marinated the portobellos in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, braggs, dijon mustard, and tarragon. i reduced the marinade with white wine to make a simple pan sauce.

 

Food Porn! The Post-Fast Edition

hello all! it’s been almost a whole week since i broke the fast, and i have to say, i’m doing pretty well food-wise. i’ve discovered that i may be sensitive to soy, or at least the consumption of fried tofu definitely contributes to breakouts. i also notice that wheat/gluten doesn’t digest nearly as efficiently as say, oats or quinoa. so for the time being, i’m keeping their consumption to special occasions, or ‘treats’. in other big news, i’ve only had 4 cups of coffee in the last 3 days! this is HUGE for me as i normally had a minimum of 32oz per day. yes, thats roughly 92+ gallons a year. i’ve been incorporating more whole/raw foods into my diet-instead of tempeh ‘bacon’ on my TLAT salad, i made the PPK’s eggplant ‘bacon’ instead. this has definitely been a positive experience.

but on to the porn!

juice!

i think this was carrot, ginger, apple and kale?

garlic chili stir fry with tofu from the king and i thai

my first ‘processed’ meal after the fast- white rice (replaced by brown when reheated) and tofu, and whatever it’s seasoned with.

orange scented rice pudding with raisins

my first “sweet”, leftover white rice turned into rice pudding. the recipe needs tweaking, and i think either arborio rice, or maybe even brown rice for more flavor?

raw tostadas from the ecopolitan

oddly, i ate a LOT of dinners out after the fast. the food from the ecopolitan was my redemption- light, nutrient dense, and raw. oh, and if its made with raw nuts and apples, dessert is healthy, right?

raw 'caramel' apple pie from the ecopolitan

i had a food date this past monday with one of my (only) vegan friends, bryan. with the hubby being out of town i really missed how eating out with other vegans means you can share everything on the table.

chickpea salad with mustard oil- gorkha palace

the chickpea salad came compliments of the house- i think it’s because we were obviously snapping pics of everything we ate :) the mustard oil gave it this savory-zippy kick, almost like wasabi/horseradish.

veggie pakora- gorkha palace

shredded cabbage, onions, and peppers breaded and deep fried?-yes please!

Aaloo Bhanta- potatoes and eggplant- gorkha palace

potatoes & eggplant cooked in a tomato-onion sauce- it was smoky-sweet!

Aaloo Bhindi- potatoes and okra- gorkha palace

this was some tasty, tasty okra. i noticed that almost all of the curries have potato in them. it must be for the midwestern clientele?

'lara bars'!

i LOVE lara bars, but i hate paying for them so i followed Amy’s lead and made my own! i quadrupled the peanut butter and jelly recipe and pressed them into a brownie pan. i think my bars got a wee bit too big- i think i could have easily gotten 12-14 from the one pan. easy!

 

 

birthday porn!

ahem, food porn.

cold bustin' juice

i had an awful cold so the hubby made me some super C juice to kickstart my birthday last week. we used 1 giant ruby red grapefruit, a lime, and a helluva lotta oranges. so, so good!

birthday brunch!

‘fronch toast’ vegan with a vengeance style, smoky ‘facon’, and broiled tater tots!

vegan stuffed shells

shells stuffed with cashew ricotta and daiya.

sexy close up

i didn;t write it all down, but heres roughly what i used:

1/2 c raw cashews, soaked overnight in water, drained

10oz extra firm tofu

2tbs nutritional yeast

juice of 1/2 a lemon

salt and pepper, dash each of onion and garlic powder

puree all of them until almost completely smooth, then fold in 1/2 bag of daiya. this filled 24 pasta shells.

Food Porn! JOOOOOOOZZZZZZZZZING!

this is a small blip compared to the last photo dump! we just got a hand me down jack la lane juicer from my parents- we plan on upgrading to an omega masticating juicer when we have the funds, but the JLL has been an awesome gadget to play with! we anticipate doing a 10-14 day ‘reboot’, ‘fat sick and nearly dead’ style this february so it’s kind of nice that we didn’t have to plunk a bunch of change down to start it.

carrot, ginger and lemon juice

avocado toast and coffee, my favorite breakfast

1/2lb kale, ginger, tangelo, honeycrisp, granny smith, comice pear

bangkok curry!