"Beef" with broccoli, a simple Stir Fry

This is a stir fry I created with ingredients I already had at home. It was nothing too special but tasty. I started off by slicing thin slices of homemade seitan, using this recipe. The results were good but in the future, I think I will add some whole wheat or chickpea flour to the vital wheat gluten since I prefer a more tender rather than a chewy, rubbery consistency. I used a very small amount of olive oil to heat the seitan slices and then added about 2 cups of frozen stir fry vegetables which were a combination of broccoli, mushrooms, onions and water chestnuts. For the stir fry sauce, I used several tablespoons of vegetarian (vegan to be exact) "oyster sauce". I don't know if it really mimics the taste of oyster sauce. This sauce is mainly made from mushrooms (oyster mushrooms?), water, and seasonings. I found this at an Asian market where I was also able to pick up some other vegan staples at very reasonable prices. I suggest paying one of these a visit to pick up some interesting vegan finds.

"The Leaf" restaurant - Rawd (Rod) rawks (rocks)!!!

I am blogging today to review one of my favorite vegan restaurants called "The Leaf" , located in Culver City (Los Angeles), CA. The food is not only vegan and organic, but RAW!!! It's hard to believe that a restaurant could serve such delicious food WITHOUT relying on any cooking elements. The photo at the right is beautiful and untouched. This dish is called the "Trinity Sampler" and tasted as delicious as it looks. Click on the photo for an enlargement and you can see all the beauty. Beneath the colorful melange of organic vegetables, lay a trio of croquettes, dehydrated to perfection. I won't go into detail of each croquette but each is covered with their own signature raw sauces. My favorite is the "veggie sunburger" which is red "lump" on the right. This is also accompanied by their yummy house shoyu dressing. Visit the website and read all about it. I could eat this everyday!! The owner/chef, Rod (pronounced RAWd.. hehe) Rotondi does an incredible job in both his culinary expertise as well as presentation. I really love his desserts, especially the "oraweo pudding". It is a raw and vegan version of the commercial black and white sandwich cookie we all used to once love. His appetizers are all amazing as well. I eat there regularly, trying to sample everything there. I hope he adds more items to his menu soon. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy what they already offer and every visit is a pleasant experience.

"The Uncheese Cookbook" by Joanne Stepaniak

"The Uncheese Cookbook" is also one of my favorite vegan cookbooks. The author is a culinary "genius" when it comes to simulating one of the most cholesterol and fat laden commercially made products available. Although these recipes may not exactly taste like cheese, they are great accompaniments to meals and makes excellent sandwich fillings as well. Most of the ingredients are "easy to find" with the exception of nutritional yeast and agar. Nutritional yeast can be found in health food stores or places such as "Whole Foods" supermarkets. There is no substitute for nutritional yeast (not to be confused with brewer's yeast). It adds flavor and nutrients. Agar can be found in the aforementioned places and Asian markets as well. Agar has no flavor and can be replaced with arrowroot or cornstarch in recipes although it will change the texture of the end product. You will have more of a sauce like consistency rather than a solid.

My favorite recipe in this book is the Colby Cheeze. I use the arrowroot instead of agar and it makes a great sauce for "macaroni and cheese". I also love the Tofu Ricotta and Cold Cheeze Dip. I find that some of the recipes that are bean/legume based, tend to taste more like hummus. I have a preference for the ones that are mostly made of tofu. I would also recommend decreasing the amount of nutritional yeast in most of the recipes. I would highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who is either vegan, allergic to dairy, or someone who just loves food.

My Malshi (Maltese Shih Tzu mix), Tammy

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful!!!!

Scrambled Tofu

This is "scrambled tofu" from the cook book "Vegan With A Vengeance" by Isa Moskowitz. For those who are not familiar with this book, I suggest go order one now. If you are a vegan, you are probably already know about this book. I made the recipe exactly "as is", however I pressed the tofu for an hour (I'm glad I did) and used less cumin (I'm not a big fan). Go add the optional grated carrots because the vegetables are so yummy and well seasoned! I think I'll go make another batch right now!!