Category Archives: restaurant

Insta-foodporn- Spring so far.

My ‘eat like I’m pregnant’ moment at The Seward Cafe. Hasbrowns Supreme, a Righteous Pancake, and a Tahini Almond Cookie, all while basking in the sunshine on their patio. I barely dented the pancake, lol.
IMG_7122

IMG_7121

IMG_7119

I’ve become a devotee of Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix. It seems like no matter what I do to tweak the recipe, they come out perfect every time. My secret is to add 1 tablespoon ground chia and 1 tablespoon melted earth balance to every 1 1/2 c dry mix. Then, I mix in whatever fruits or nuts my heart desires- chopped small- and add enough almond milk to make a smooth, slightly thin batter. I let it rest for 5 minutes, check the consistency, and start cooking. I ignore the suggested liquid amount on the bag- when it’s thick, the cakes get dense and never cook all the way through. These little short stacks were stuffed with bananas, cinnamon, and ginger, and were topped with white fig jam.
IMG_7073
Falafel! I always use Mark Bittmans recipe- essentially you soak chickpeas overnight and then grind them down with tahini, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, and coriander. A generous sprinkling of salt in the batter is crucial.
IMG_7058

IMG_7059

Tacos, of course!
IMG_7038

Spaghetti with Chickpeas and Spinach. I’m adding greens and legumes to just about everything I eat to ensure I have good iron and protein levels. I started with 2 cans of sauce, onions, garlic, and seasonings, and added 2 cups of chickpeas to it. Once it came up to a bubble, I added 1 1/2 cups of packed, finely chopped spinach to it, and continued to simmer the sauce until the spinach was tender.
IMG_6911

Tofu Benedict with Spinach. I’ve made this before, and its so, so good! The vegan hollandaise sauce is really rich, so I added extra lemon to it this time.
IMG_6918

Tempeh Chimichurri from The Post Punk Kitchen. The chimichurri sauce was so fresh and savory I found myself scraping the bowl over tacos days later. I served them with cachapas, black beans, and kale from Terry Hope Romero’s book Viva Vegan.

IMG_6800

All of this has made for a very happy vegan baby belly.

I found a new Mexican place!

Mexican food can be a hard nut to crack in my neck of the woods; there’s actually quite a few mexican establishments lining Central Ave NE, but verifying vegan friendly items in a cuisine pollenated with lard, pork, beef, and chicken stock as flavor enhancers can be difficult. Then Maya Cuisine opened, the 5 star reviews started popping up on line, and a lovely friend passed along the word that she knew the owners, and they made the staples with vegetarians in mind. No lard in the tortillas, no pork swimming in the beans, and no beef or chicken stock in the rice. I was sold!
I went for a fast dinner the other night with the husband, and we got 2 “Maya Plates”; a heap of rice and beans, with your choice of 3 single items- tacos, tostadas, or tamales. We had a savory tamale and a taco each, I had a sweet tamale, and he had a tostada. The tostadas and the sweet tamales were my favorite! I’ve never had a sweet tamale before, but mine was studded with pineapple and raisins and laced with coconut, making it like a cross between a dumpling and cake. Heavenly.
It’s definitely lunch counter style with plenty of seating, so no fancy dates. But the prices are perfect, and the service is fast and staffed by some lovely people.
IMG_6263
My only real complaint is the abundance of styrofoam and disposable paper products- none of our meal was on something reusable, besides the tray.
IMG_6265
Pina con Coco Tamale- the other sweet version had peaches and strawberries, which I’m dying to try!

Texas: The land of surprises and Vegan food. Part Two: Kerbey Lane Cafe

“y’all in for a real treat.” was said at least four times by our mustached, bean-pole of a server, Mot, and a treat it was. kerbey lane has, i believe, 6 locations in austin texas, and sports a menu that everyone can agree on; vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous diner foods served 24-7, with a focus on local and organic ingredients. kerbey lane reminded me of what i think a perkins, or similar chain would resemble if run by decent, sustainably focused individuals.

kerbey lanes easy to navigate menu

kerbey lanes easy to navigate menu

the menu was easy to navigate, and there was a separate gluten free menu as well.

migas done vegan

migas done vegan?

we arrived at 6:30 am, just in time to hit the early bird menu. it says ‘no substitutions’ on the bottom, but Mot, being the ever-amazing server laced with sugar as he was, got our early bird breakfasts upgraded to vegan for .50c. what a doll. 

vegan migas with verde sauce and cashew queso

vegan migas with verde sauce and cashew queso

i really should have turned the plate around. whoops. *ps, those are tortillas in the aluminum foil.

vegan breakfast platter

vegan breakfast platter

dan’s breakfast platter came with a short stack of cinnamon peach pancakes, tofu scramble, veggie soysage, and a side of verde sauce.

the meals were super filling- i barely finished half- tasty, and affordable to boot. and, i was able to down at least 5 cups of coffee. heaven. i love verde sauce, and i LOVE that it’s everywhere in texas. i also love the super original cashew queso that was served- it had a grainy texture, but it was grainy in a good way- and being that it was cashew based it had this nice, rich umami flavor to it. i could have mixed the two together and ate it straight up!

sadly, i dont crave sweets in the a.m., and the desserts all seemed to contain gluten, but here was the dessert menu.

Texas: A vegan paradise if you know where to look for it. First stop: Spiral Diner

i just traveled from Minneapolis to South Padre Island, Texas and it’s almost sad to say that as a vegan who avoids gluten, i found more accommodating restaurants along the way than i can  ever find at home! but, i should clarify; i wouldn’t expect such 5-star treatment just anywhere in texas, but i was fortunate enough to get to pass through Austin twice. even the Fort Worth area known as ‘cow town’ boasts one of my favorite places, Spiral Diner. it’s a cozy cute eatery that serves up simple, tasty vegan diner food. it was our first stop after exiting our plane before a 10 hour drive south.

new specials

new specials

dan went for the truck stop burrito and disco hash- a wise choice

country burrito, disco hash at spiral diner fort worth

truck stop burrito and disco hash at spiral diner fort worth

this place is super adorable

i ordered the quesadillas

vegan quesadillas at spiral diner fort worth

vegan quesadillas at spiral diner fort worth

these were bit too heavy on the daiya for my tastes, and the small order was actually quite filling; after my first few bites i declared them to be more like “stuffed nachos”. next time i’m going to split them with someone and get a side order of steamed greens.

tasty quesadilla toppers

tasty quesadilla toppers

never ending cups of Avoca organic coffee

never ending cups of Avoca organic coffee

i can’t eat somewhere new and not order dessert- especially on vacation! so, we split a creamy, salty little peanut butter cup.

the dessert case

the dessert case

we took two slices to go so that we’d have cake to eat at the wedding we were attending.

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.

Crazy For Cashews

oh cashews, how do i love thee? let me count the ways…

cashews kick ass, and lately i can’t seem to get enough of their creamy, protein packed flavor. it all started when the vegetarian times had a recipe for cashew goat cheese.  i can bring it anywhere, re-named as ‘savory cashew spread’ and it’s devoured almost instantly. then i discovered dr. cow’s tree nut cheeses; aged for 3 months, these cheeses develop the same sharp tang as traditional cheese, making them an insanely delicious pairing with crackers and wine. i’ve always wanted to re-create them, but aging? that seems a bit too complex for my decidedly amateur cooking skills. then, i found chef tal ronnen, his book ‘the conscious cook’, and his amazing recipe for cultured cashew, and macadamia nut cheeses. it’s similar in concept to the vegetarian time’s cashew cheese; you soak raw cashews and cream them, but before flavoring and setting the cashew cream, you culture it with store-bought probiotic powder -1 tsp per 2c cashews- for 16 hours, and then let it set up in the fridge. the result is incredibly reminiscent of cream cheese; tangy, velvety, and with a hint of sweetness. i’ve been making, and devouring his recipe weekly. it’s my favorite snack with slices of apple, cucumber, and gluten free flax crackers.

i’ve also been tinkering with using it as a base for faux-ranch dressing.

cashew ranch

next, i want to try making raw cashew cheesecake. i love the version they make at the ecopolitan, but i think culturing the cashews will add the backbone that it’s been missing!

raw cheesecake

Vegan Valentine’s Dinner

i’ve never gotten into valentine’s day, but the idea of a fancy 4-course dinner prepared by a touring vegan chef, in decidedly one of minneapolis’ most un-romantic settings? i’m in!

 

will you be going to the boneshaker benefit dinner?

 

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!