April 7, 2010

emily

April 7, 2010 - .  

slightly different breakfast taco: flour tortilla (mission brand), diced potatoes browned in olive oil then sauteed with cooked black beans, minced jalapeno, green onion, cumin, salt, and pepper, topped with spinach and salsa huichol; grapefruit

leftover scraps of flatbread and tortilla with weird hummus; raw green beans and carrots; small navel orange

tortilla samples (white flour and southwest) and one medjool date at heb

paneer curry with peas from the last issue of bon appetit: i think it’s currently in their web recipe archive, but i won’t link to it because i think they only keep the last few issues’ worth of recipes on there. i substituted tofu for paneer and ate it using a whole wheat tortilla from heb as chapati. i’ve had four different kinds of tortillas today- one at every meal!

small coffee at flightpath (half medium-roast, half house decaf); dark chocolate covered assortment from my easter package (…wrapped in a tortilla?)

late night snack stop at heb (second time today!): thai curry, mequite bbq, and black pepper cashews, dried apricots, and dark chocolate toffee almonds, all from bulk aisle

April 4, 2010

katherine

April 4, 2010 - .  

half a slice of multigrain toast with peanut butter

coffee from Cherrywood Coffeehouse

potluck brunch at Emily’s friend’s house: fruit salad that we brought (avocado, kiwi, strawberry, apple, tangerine, lemon juice); vegan cinnamon roll (recipe from don’t eat off the sidewalk); chocolate chip scone; zucchini frittata (with potatoes, tofu, etc); home fries; Simply orange juice. So many people brought vegan food, even though no one else was vegan! We brought the lamest vegan option by far. People in Austin are awesome.

on plane from Austin: salad with iceberg lettuce, shredded carrot, shredded cabbage, and no dressing; pretzels (from previous flight). On this flight, in addition to the salad (with optional cheese dressing), they were serving chicken sandwiches and Twix bars. It was listed as a “snack,” not a meal, which might be why they didn’t have any other options (vegetarian, kosher, vegan, etc) even though I signed up as vegan when buying the ticket. However, someone who flew a few days before said they announced that Continental might be stopping all “special diet” options on flights (perhaps just international) starting April 1st. I need to find confirmation of this.

on commuter rail from Newark: vegan tres leches

on NYC subway: everything bagel

(travel rule: it is important to eat a different thing on every form of transportation that you take, particularly things that are sort of gross to observers, such as tres leches that has been thrown around in your suitcase all day)

dinner: Bedouin Tent leftovers (pita, hummus, baba ghanoush, stuffed grape leaves, kalamata olives, chickpea salad, lettuce)

a couple bites of Kim’s Magic Pop

chocolate cake with creamy peanut butter frosting and Mambas on top (thank you Michael!)

April 3, 2010

katherine

April 3, 2010 - .  

breakfast: cornflakes with soymilk (some of which was homemade at Emily’s house); dry tangelo slices; half an oatmeal cookie; espresso from a coffee shop; some sips of Stacey’s soy latte from the same coffee shop; an everything bagel sample

Tecate Light sample with lime from H-E-B

picnic lunch at park: whole wheat tortillas from the H-E-B tortilleria; grandma’s hummus; carrot; apple; grapefruit

another portion of oatmeal cookie at some point

lemon and vanilla twist vegan soft-serve cone from Toy Joy

picnic dinner while watching the bats under the bridge: take-out from Mr. Natural [carrot salad (carrot, pineapple, coconut, raisins); milanesa (breaded and fried wheat gluten, with salsa ranchera); nopalitos (cactus and potato in a sauce); tofu pipian (fried tofu in a curry); tofu and sunflower seed tamale); Shiner Bock, Hefeweizen (which has honey), Kosmos, Blonde, and Light

while watching West Virgina vs. Duke at Barfly’s: Shiner Bock; strong gin & tonic with lime ($2.50!)

at party: shot of whiskey after requisite arm wrestling match; more than an entire can of Jungle Joose; perhaps a few sips of PBR (I’m not totally sure about this)

snacks while being kept up by Joose until like 5 or 5:30am: cold leftover mac and cheeze with collards; grapefruit poppyseed cookies (which Emily prepared and baked in what seemed like 3 minutes), some perhaps with Ricemellow Creme

emily

April 3, 2010 - .  

cornflakes with raisins and almond milk; grapefruit

storebought flatbread; whole wheat tortillas from the heb tortilleria; grandma’s hummus; carrot; jazz apple

take-out from mr. natural: carrot salad (carrot, pineapple, coconut, raisins), milanesa (breaded and fried wheat gluten with salsa ranchera), nopalitos (cactus and potato in a sauce), tofu pipian (fried tofu in a curry); shiner bock, hefeweizen (contains honey), kronos, blonde

gint & tonic at barflys

almost a whole can of jungle joose; whiskey; sips of pbr as joose chaser

cold leftover mac and cheeze; grapefruit poppyseed cookies (another shot at perfecting my recipe except we didn’t have any lemons), some with ricemallow creme

April 2, 2010

katherine

April 2, 2010 - .  

breakfast(s): half a lemon poppyseed “scone”; coffee from Cherrywood Coffeehouse; half a leftover blueberry pancake; banana; a few bites of Stacey’s green popcorn

lunch from Veggie Heaven (Austin, TX): portions of Protein 2000, Lucky Number 7, a yam dish, and brown rice

mint cookie vegan milk shake from Toy Joy

samples at Central Market: clementine, magic pop with peanut butter, coffee, soy chocolate gelato

tangelo slices

dinner: macaroni and cheeze from Robin Robertson’s 1,000 vegan recipes (one version with regular elbow macaroni, one with quinoa elbows; both with collard greens); mead (made by John’s friend… contains honey); Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale; Shiner flight, including the Bock, Lite, Blonde, Kosmos, Black, and Hefeweizen (the Hefeweizen has honey)

oatmeal creme pies, made with homemade oatmeal cookies and Ricemellow Creme

April 1, 2010

katherine

April 1, 2010 - .  

breakfast: lemon poppyseed scone baked by Emily (delicious!)

2nd breakfast at Kerbey Lane (Austin, TX): coffee; vegan blueberry pancakes with maple syrup; tofu scramble (with nutritional yeast); soysage with a couple sauces (verde, enchilada)

popcorn samples and snacks from Cornucopia: kettle corn, green corn (tasted like Veggie Booty), curry, vanilla, and green apple

a couple spoonfuls of Ricemellow Creme (or “fluff,” as Stacey calls it)

dinner at The Parlor: pizza with vegan cheese, vegan sausage, and artichoke hearts; tap PBR in a pitcher

lemon vanilla twist vegan soft serve cone at Toy Joy

Great Divide’s Titan IPA (vegan according to Barnivore) at the Alamo Drafthouse while watching Hot Lunch Time Machine

emily

April 1, 2010 - .  

same breakfast taco; grapefruit

coffee from java city (kona blend); apple; snacks at edible book fair: pita, spinach artichoke hummus, roasted red pepper hummus, crackers, baby carrots, grapes, honeydew, strawberries, blackberries, fig newmans

one kernel each of popcorn from cornucopia in the following flavors: green corn (savory and garlic-y), kettle corn, vanilla, and green apple

same pasta salad as yesterday; small navel orange

pizza at the parlor: vegan cheese, vegan sausage, and artichoke hearts; pbr from a pitcher; lemon vanilla twist soft serve at toy joy

March 25, 2010

emily

March 25, 2010 - .  

toasted pecan-walnut bread

multigrain tortilla with baba ganoush, pan-fried chickpeas, spinach; carrot sticks; small navel orange; cinnamon teddy grahams

coconut red lentil soup, brown rice, steamed collard greens; fireman’s 4 blonde ale

cubano (espresso + cinnamon) soft serve at toy joy

sweet potato fries with spicy chipotle dipping sauce and another fireman’s 4 at kerbey lane cafe

March 24, 2010

emily

March 24, 2010 - .  

grapefruit; walnut pecan bread

multigrain tortilla with baba ganoush, chickpeas pan-fried in olive oil, spinach; carrot sticks

jonathan apple; mareblu naturals pecan trailmix crunch

roasted butternut squash, quinoa, collard greens, coconut-peanut sauce from 1000 vegan recipes. i’ve only made two things from this cookbook so far, but both have been excellent; i licked the bowl of the food processor after making this sauce! i won’t post the recipe but i’ll give you a hint: coconut milk, peanut butter, green onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, sriracha (subbed for cayenne)

dried pineapple

decaf soy latte at flightpath. super cute, quiet, and they don’t charge extra for decaf OR soy milk

small navel orange

March 19, 2010

emily

March 19, 2010 - .  

more weird eating due to sxsw:

toasted homemade cinnamon raisin bread with peanut butter; anjou pear

tortilla with black beans, raw suncheeze (recipe from the cookbook of casa de luz, a vegan/macrobiotic restaurant here- do you think i can post that?), avocado, spinach, salsa huichol; small navel orange

too much free magic hat almost pale ale at the french legation museum. verdict: disgusting. do not drink this beer. at some point i started mixing it 50/50 with izze sparkling grapefruit, which was also free.

part of a tangerine; raw revolution bar in cashew agave flavor

small navel orange; back to nature cripsy oatmeal cookie with blackberry preserves on top

tortilla chips, guacamole, chili, cornbread, and margaritas at a friend’s

bands i saw today: dengue fever, anni rossi, mayer hawthorne & the county, toro y moi, dam-funk (almost the whole set while waiting in a nearby bathroom line), woods, billy bragg; a 6 or 7-piece band all wearing completely red jumpsuits and red capes and a variety of headgear playing “final countdown” featuring fiddle which i heard while ducking into a bar to use the bathroom; many other accidental hearings

March 18, 2010

emily

March 18, 2010 - .  

weird eating due to south by southwest:

cornflakes with raisins and almond milk

really good coffee at a friend’s house, beans from anderson’s

spinach salad at home slice pizza (spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, red onions, garbanzos, dijon vinaigrette); fresh squeezed lemonade; new belgium ranger ipa

sips of a lone star tall boy at the mohawk; celery; raw revolution bar, cashew agave flavor

celery and peanut butter

coconut red lentil soup from 101cookbooks; dried pineapple

dried mango and berry mix (last of a huge bag from costco; this stuff is awesome); republic of tea’s chocolate pecan red tea

bands i saw today (is it okay if i use this blog to keep track of that too? i’m putting links for the best ones): yellow fever, frightened rabbit, carolina chocolate drops, smith westerns, pattern is movement, brazos, bowerbirds, generationals, sharon jones and the dap kings, dengue fever, freelance whales, holly miranda, the xx, hello wheels (note band members), so many other bands on the street and overheard from inside bars all over the place

March 4, 2010

emily

March 4, 2010 - .  

banana oat bar (see yesterday’s); coffee from my favorite beans from the bulk section at central market

pita with grandma’s hummus, fava bean puree, pitted black olives, spinach; texas sweet orange

corn flakes with raisins and soy milk; dried mango

white bean soup with kale and sun dried tomatoes; rosemary garlic bread (links to recipes in a previous post); pitted black olives

$2.50 gin & tonics at barflys

February 21, 2010

emily

February 21, 2010 - .  

miso-asparagus soup, grapefruit

peanut butter and strawberry conserve on toasted homemade beer bread; baby carrots; dried mango

lone star at chicken shit bingo (a decidedly not vegan activity)

tons of indian food at swad. i had little amounts of so much stuff i’m not going to try to list it all

coconut haystacks, dark chocolate sour cherries, dark chocolate almonds, chocolate covered ginger, all from the bulk bins at whole foods…

February 3, 2010

emily

February 3, 2010 - .  

oatmeal with almond extract, dried cranberries, diced bartlett pear, slivered almonds, and agave

whole wheat pita, the mediterranean chef‘s grandma’s humus (this is hands down the best hummus i’ve ever had! on their website they call it “the best humus ever” and it’s totally true. it’s something about the spice blend and i can’t figure out exactly what makes it so good–unfortunately, since it’s $5 for a 9-oz container at central market. i want to figure out what makes it sooo good so i can recreate it myself for cheaper!), pitted kalamata olives from central market’s olive bar, baby carrots

house coffee at bennu; mareblu naturals trail mix crunch; dried mango

a peanut-ginger-sesame cookie from mi madre, who got the recipe out of veganomicon. marcy, i think you would love these cookies. thanks mom!

leftover okra from the ethiopian meal, reheated on the stove with crumbled tempeh; kale and plantain, steamed and then lightly pan-fried in olive oil, sea salt, and browned garlic

a bunch more sesame cookies; republic of tea chocolate pecan red tea

February 1, 2010

emily

February 1, 2010 - .  

grapefruit; spelt blueberry muffin from freezer; twining’s sunset rose rooibos tea

tiny gala apple and 365 organics creamy peanut butter

hide bread with horseradish hummus and spinach (see previous posts); warmed applesauce

leftover mesir wat (i’m going to be eating this for days) with a little avocado on top; beer bread from the freezer; steamed kale with sea salt; heirloom navel orange. the mesir wat developed a thicker texture and more complex flavor in the fridge overnight and turned out pretty delicious, so i’m going to include the recipe here

entreefirst, the berbere spice blend:

  • 1 tsp cumin seed
  • 1/2 tsp fenugreek
  • 4 cloves
  • 1/2 tsp peppercorns
  • 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ginger powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1.5 oz dried new mexico chiles, seeded/stemmed OR 1.5 tbsp paprika + 2.5 tsp red pepper flakes (i used the latter)

toast the whole spices until fragrant, let cool 5 mins, and grind in spice/coffee bean grinder (along with new mexico chiles if using). mix in remaining.

the whole spice blend will be used in this recipe for 8-12 people:

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, minced
  • 2 tsp garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp ginger, minced
  • spice blend (about 4 tbsp)
  • 4 c red lentils, rinsed
  • 12 c water (less if serving immediately, because it won’t have time to get un-soupy)
  • 3 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste

saute onion in oil until translucent. add garlic, ginger, saute 1 min. add berbere, stir. onions should be beginning to caramelize. add remaining, bring to boil, then simmer, uncovered, until lentils are soft and desired consistency is reached (longer for thicker).

ibarra mexican hot chocolate (found in the mexican dessert aisle at fiesta) prepared with water instead of milk. it wasn’t very creamy but for some reason the idea of using soy milk did not appeal to me (especially our homemade soy milk which is pretty grainy and not very creamy). i might try using almond milk or rice milk in the future, but the water version is still delicious.

January 29, 2010

emily

January 29, 2010 - .  

oatmeal with dried cranberries, pear, slivered almonds, almond extract, and agave

spelt blueberry muffin

hide bread with spinach, horseradish hummus (see previous posts… why did i make so much hummus? there’s still like half left)

there’s this restaurant within the whole foods here that is all vegan, mostly raw, mostly versions of usually non-vegan non-raw stuff (e.g. tuna salad, pizza, cheese spread). i had half a slice of raw vegan cheesecake and i wrote down the ingredients because it was really delicious and really expensive ($7 for the slice) and i want to attempt a recreation for less expensive. ingredients: cashews (soaked overnight i imagine), macadamias (in the crust), coconut oil, lemon juice, agave, water, medjool dates (in the crust), coconut (shredded, in the crust), vanilla, sea salt. i’ll let you know (of course) if i piece this together into a recipe. we also put fresh organic blueberries on top and brought coffee made from beans from central market (panama, i forget which brand, but it wasn’t anything special)

beer bread (see previous for recipe), split pea soup, steamed kale with sea salt; pink cara cara orange

republic of tea’s chocolate pecan red tea, sold exclusively at central market

January 25, 2010

emily

January 25, 2010 - .  

breakfast burrito with amy’s traditional refried beans, fried potatoes, roasted tomato salsa, baby spinach, avocado in a mission tortilla; grapefruit

whole foods everything bagel with homemade horseradish hummus and baby spinach; heirloom navel orange

coffee at bennu; dried pineapple and papaya

brown rice, black beans, steamed red chard, steamed plantains, sriracha

purely decadent coconut milk ice cream in vanilla bean flavor (it’s the same brand as soy delicious), with vivani 100% organic dark chocolate + green tea bar, melted in the microwave in a tiny bit of soymilk and drizzled on top

January 23, 2010

emily

January 23, 2010 - .  

breakfast burrito with amy’s traditional refried beans, fried potatoes, spinach, avocado, salsa huichol; grapefruit

finished off the leftover dal, livening up the last serving by adding avocado and sriracha (click here for an interesting nytimes article about sriracha)

leftover bennu coffee and kim’s magic pop (video about kim’s magic pop). i have this new thermos which is totally amazingly leakproof. this is great because i usually want about half a cup of strong-brewed coffee shop coffee; when it’s in my thermos, i can take the rest home and microwave it later instead of wasting it, and i also get two different caffeine buzzes for my $1.50!

gala apple

i made my favorite salsa for a potluck and also brought kumquats and dessert: nadamoo (local company, vegan/gluten-free ice cream made from coconut milk, brown rice, and agave) in coconut flavor with mangos, strawberries, and fresh mint on top. other people made guacamole, mexican-style rice, and a delicious salad with several different kinds of citrus mixed with red onion and mint. i also had two IPAs and can’t remember the name of either!

January 22, 2010

emily

January 22, 2010 - .  

spelt blueberry muffin (see previous posts); texas valencia orange; twinings red bush tea

toasted everything bagel from whole foods’ bakery; leftover dal + spinach. i need to get back into cooking-for-one mode so i don’t continue to end up eating the same thing for a week!

house coffee at bennu

leftover quinoa and black beans tossed with freshly steamed chard and plantains; shiner bock (vegan according to barnivore). click here to read about steaming plantains.

sidein my experience, the most common way to prepare plantains is slicing and pan-frying. this is a lower-fat alternative based on preparation of a certain kind of banana found in southeast asia that gets really sweet when steamed. i boiled water in a pot, sliced the peeled plantain in thick slices into a steamer basket, and let them steam until each slice was tender all the way through–just a few minutes. the longer they steam the sweeter they get. eat them plain as a snack, seasoned with sea salt (brings out the sweetness), sprinkled with brown sugar, or tossed with lightly seasoned beans, grains, and/or veggies. this time i added beautiful organic red chard to the pot to steam with the plantains, waited until both the chard and the plantains were intensely colored, and used them to liven up some leftover black beans and quinoa, along with a sprinkle of sea salt. note: steamed plantains do NOT make good leftovers because they get very slimy.

peanut butter blondies from vegan cookies invade your cookie jar, substituting dark chocolate chips for the peanuts sprinkled on top; homemade soy milk

January 18, 2010

austin hotspots

January 18, 2010 - .  

i’m back in austin and thought i’d do a little bonus post about some of my favorite vegan hotspots here.  i don’t eat out very often here, and in the 3 months i’ve lived here i’ve been to a bunch of places that are great for vegans, which i want to mention since i probably won’t make it back to all of these places soon.  also handy as a guide for where we can go when you all come visit me.  here’s a list of where all i’ve been so far:

restaurants:

  • casa de luz. vegan, macrobiotic, organic, and all-you-can-eat.  the menu changes at every meal, including weekend brunch, so you don’t know what you’re going to have until you get there, but you can look at past menus on the website to get an idea, and it’s always good.  this is my favorite restaurant in austin.
  • mr. natural. tex-mex, cafeteria-style, mostly vegan including a case full of delicious-looking desserts.
  • mother’s. really nice atmosphere and good food; about half the menu is vegan. i had a great bbq tofu sandwich.
  • el chile and el chilito. right around the corner from me in cherrywood, el chilito is a taco stand with good vegetarian burritos (you don’t even have to ask for no cheese or sour cream because those actually cost extra) and great salsa.  el chile is its sister sit-down tex-mex restaurant where i had veggie enchiladas in red sauce, hold the cheese.  good place to take parents!
  • kerbey lane cafe. open 24 hours; ask what the vegan pancake of the day is. i had the blueberry and they were great.
  • cheer up charlie’s. just converted from trailer to restaurant. i’ve actually only had their raw chocolates, but the lunch menu looks great and supposedly they have a vegan barbecue/dance party every saturday at midnight.
  • counterculture. trailer with picnic tables. i enjoyed the bbq jackfruit sandwich, but they were out of several other things from their small menu, so that was kind of disappointing. go early.
  • clay pit. pretty good indian food, none of the curries are made with ghee. i didn’t ask specifically about the naan, but it didn’t come all slathered in butter, which made me feel okay about eating it.
  • titaya’s thai cuisine. not the best thai food i’ve ever had, but they had vegan items specified in the menu, asked if i wanted eggs in my pad thai (fortunately, since i had forgotten to specificy), and offered brown or white rice with the curries.
  • aster’s ethiopian restaurant. there are a couple others in austin and i have yet to compare, but aster’s is pretty good and has a reasonable lunch buffet.
  • veggie heaven. this place seems to get great reviews, but i was honestly a little disappointed.  i had a stir fry which i felt i could have made myself. i think the thing people rave about it some deep-fried, saucy, soy protein thing that sounded reminiscent of the taste of nirvana at the mandarin in oberlin, which brings back some bad memories of lying on the couch with a tummy ache after an uncontrollable gorge..

grocery stores:

  • fiesta. interesting produce, great world cuisine sections, adequate bulk section, best prices.
  • whole foods. the flagship store is in austin. vegan everything, lots of it made in-store.
  • central market. like a smaller whole foods; excellent bulk section.
  • wheatsville co-op. i actually haven’t been here yet! but i’ve gotta go try the popcorn tofu po’ boy from their deli, i’ve heard it’s great.

other:

  • hey cupcake. cupcake trailer with at least one kind of vegan cupcake everyday. i had the vegan banana walnut, which was great although i had been hoping for something chocolate-y. you gotta take what you can get.
  • daily juice. excellent juice, assorted vegan snacks. i think there’s one location with actual food.
  • green cart. no longer a trailer, now a catering company which provides 3 kinds of vegan wraps (and 1 vegetarian wrap) to coffee shops and grocery stores around austin. i’ve had green cart wraps at bennu.
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