Luciana's Vegan Kitchen · Vegan Cooking, Stories, and Insane Ramblings

Asheville Road Trip

June 28, 2009 in Restaurants, Travel | 2 comments

I’m still here, although I don’t know if anyone is still reading! I’m planning a new strategy to post more often. We’ll see how long it lasts!

In any case, the husband and I rented a house for an extra-long weekend in Asheville at the end of June. We visited the Biltmore Estate, which really has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Their servants lived in better conditions than some disadvantaged people in this country. We also hiked, shopped, saw some great live music, and of course, we ate and ate.

Asheville is a small town in southwestern North Carolina, near the borders of Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee, and they have a big concentration of vegetarian and vegan food, a vibrant music and arts scene, and the entire community seems to really be focused on sustainable living. There are quite a few all-veg restaurants, and most of the non-veg restaurants have a veg-friendly option or two that isn’t just a bread sandwich or iceberg lettuce salad. Since we were only there for five days and four nights, it wasn’t possible to eat everything, but we tried.

We ate at the Laughing Seed Cafe for several of our meals, but everything there was so tasty we had to stop ourselves from going for every meal. We were also kind of worried that the waitstaff would start to recognize us and think we were strange…not worried enough to stop us from going three times, though.

In addition to the meals pictured below, we also stopped at Rosetta’s Kitchen, the Mellow Mushroom for an amazing pizza with Cheezly, and a picked up a few things to eat at our rental house from the local health food stores. I was excited just to see Earth Balance available for bagels and such, but there was free Earth Balance in one store’s cafe to put on items purchased in the bakery. Whole Foods, take notice!

One day for lunch, Carl had a tempeh sandwich with black bean spread and I had the Mercury Not Rising–a really deliciously seasoned seitan sandwich with dill sauce. We both ordered the fries which came with onions and jalapenos mixed in:

We went for dinner another day, and Carl had a random assortment of fries, salad, and sloppy joe tofu, and I had the pasta of the day – Korean barbecued tempeh and Asian slaw over udon noodles in a garlic scape pesto. It was as good as it sounds.

Then, we went for Sunday brunch and I had the brunch platter which was biscuits and gravy, homemade seitan sausage, homefries, and tofu scramble, and Carl had a lentil flour omelet stuffed with asparagus and almond cheese, in a red pepper sauce.

Horizons in Philadelphia

April 20, 2009 in Restaurants | 2 comments

Well, our oven is broken, I have a nasty cold, and it’s the time of year where I’m tired of winter food, but it isn’t quite time for spring and summer produce yet, so meals have consisted of a lot of packaged food and soup. I have tested a couple of recipes, but I only have a photo for one of them. I know, so many excuses.

My husband, C* and I took a trip up for Philadelphia a few weeks ago to see a Death Cab for Cutie show, and eat at a couple of restaurants. Our first stop, the night of the show was Horizons. I’ve wanted to eat there for a while, since I’ve heard lots of good reviews. It’s nice to be able to order anything off of the menu, and not worry about whether the ingredients are vegan. I suppose I can’t really complain too much because the DC are has a nice (and ever-expanding) variety of vegetarian restaurants, and restaurants that offer vegan options. Horizons is nice, though, because everything on the menu is vegan, and it’s a little more upscale, so it’s a rare treat.

I had a mojito, to start, and yes, it really was that big. While we were waiting for our appetizers, the server brought us some focaccia and herbed olive oil. I had to stop myself from eating too much bread because I wanted to save room for the meal, but it had a wonderful flavor and texture. I didn’t want to lug my DSLR along, and all I have are camera phone photos, so sorry for the lack of quality. I took photos of everything, but some of the photos are just too blurry to share.

Giant Mojito!

Focaccia and Herbed Olive Oil!

We ordered two appetizers, the Jamaican BBQ Seitan, and the Vietnamese Bruschetta. They were both really good, but everything about the seitan was amazing. I don’t know how they create seitan that has the texture of pulled [not-vegan] barbeque, but if I could have taken a bucket of the stuff home with me, I definitely would have. It was cooked perfectly, with little charred bits here and there, and the sauce was incredible. We wished we’d gotten another order to go. I wish I was eating it right now. The seitan didn’t arrive with the big smear of sauce, C* was just a little too excited and grabbed some before I could snap a photo.

Amazing Seitan!

Delicious Bruschetta!

I ordered the Pacific Rim Grilled Tofu, which came with edamame mashed potatoes and trumpet mushrooms in a miso broth, and C* ordered the Pan-Seared Peppercorn Tofu, which came with creamed leeks and mushrooms, and some sort of Israeli couscous pilaf with tiny seared tomatoes. Both of our dishes were just indescribably delicious. Everything tasted very fresh, and was well-prepared, and perfectly cooked. The meal was rich and satisfying without being overly greasy. My tofu tasted like it had been prepared on a charcoal grill, but I didn’t think to ask at the time because I was too busy eating. I usually avoid mushrooms at all costs, but I had some of the creamed mushrooms and leeks from C’s plate, and could have eaten a lot more. We also ordered a side of sauteed spinach with a lemon-garlic aioli, which was also cooked perfectly, and I’m picky about spinach. There is nothing worse than a pile of overcooked, grassy tasting, mushy greens.

We were in a hurry to get to the show, so I ordered the Cherry Pie Cheesecake to go, and didn’t get a photo of it, but it was one of the best vegan cheesecakes I’ve had. The crust was tasty, it was creamy, tangy, just firm enough, and topped with lots of sweet, dark cherries. I can’t wait to go back.

Chewy Double-Chip Oatmeal Cookies

March 18, 2009 in Cookies | 6 comments

I’m obviously not going to be hired to name recipes anytime soon, but this is the best description I could think of. These cookies stay nice and chewy, even the next day, and contain both chocolate and butterscotch chips. I was looking for something to enjoy with a nice, cold glass of chocolate soymilk that I’d been craving for about a week. I also knew that I wanted to use the vegan butterscotch chips I scored from my visit to bazu, and that I wanted a semi-healthy, chewy oatmeal-based cookie. After searching through a few recipes, I came across this lovely recipe from Celine, of havecakewilltravel.com, which I adapted to meet my particular craving.

I decided to use white whole wheat flour, since it has a milder taste than regular whole wheat flour, yet still has a good deal of fiber. If you don’t have it, or can’t find it, I would suggest whole wheat pastry instead of regular whole wheat flour. I used almond butter since it has a more neutral taste, and dark brown sugar since I wanted a deeper toffee flavor. Then a shot of whiskey, just for fun, although I like to think it amped up the butterscotch flavor. If you can’t find vegan butterscotch chips (I’ve heard they’re available on the east coast at Price Chopper and Food Lion), just use 1/4 cup each of chocolate chips and pecans, or 1/2 cup chocolate chips if you don’t do nuts.

Chewy Double-Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup rolled oats (quick or old fashioned, not instant!)
3 TBS natural almond butter
1 TBS canola oil
2 1/2 TBS non-dairy milk (I used almond)
1 TBS whiskey
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 TBS chocolate chips
3 TBS vegan butterscotch chips
3 TBS coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 425°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then add the oats and stir to combine. In a medium mixing bowl, vigorously whisk the almond butter, milk, whiskey, brown sugar and vanilla extract until smooth, then add the flour mixture and stir until combined, and fold in the chips and pecans.

Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet, flatten slightly with moistened fingers and bake for 7 minutes, or until barely golden. The cookies will look slightly underdone, but will firm up quickly as they cool. Let cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to a rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 1 dozen cookies.

Curried Israeli Couscous with Currants

March 11, 2009 in Dinner | 1 comment

Another tester for Joni and Celine’s upcoming cookbook. This came together really, really fast, and was very tasty. I served it with some soy chicken that I baked in sesame/agave glaze with some other spices, and sesame garlic green beans.

Garlicky Kale, Lentils, and Tempeh Bacon over Quinoa

March 3, 2009 in Dinner | 2 comments

Try to contain yourself. I’m actually posting twice in a month, and I’ve actually written a recipe, if you can call it that. I’d been dreaming about something smokey, with tempeh, some sort of bean or lentil, and greens over a grain, and since I generally always have greens, beans, grains, and some sort of tempeh in my pantry and refrigerator. This dish comes together really quickly; dinner was on the table in about 45 minutes, which is great if you’re like me, and can’t decide what to make some evenings until you’re ravenous.

When I make this again, I’ll add lemon zest to the quinoa, and some toasted pine nuts to the greens mixture. It’s very tasty as is, but I think the extra elements would take it over the top.

Garlicky Kale, Lentils, and Tempeh Bacon over Quinoa

serves 4-6

Kale and Lentils:

2 tsp olive oil

3 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 cup chopped onion

1 package Tempeh Bacon Strips

1/4 cup white wine or water

1 1/2 cups cooked lentils (I used French Green Lentils, but really, any lentils that hold their shape well after being cooked would work)

1 large bunch of kale (I used Dino Kale), rinsed very well, and chopped or torn into bite sized pieces

1/4 cup golden raisins (optional, if you simply must leave them out)

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Quinoa:

1 cup uncooked quinoa

generous pinch of salt

scant 2 cups water

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat for a few minutes, then add the tempeh bacon and sautè for about 5 minutes, until the tempeh is nicely browned. Add the garlic and onion, and cook, stirring constantly, for 5-10 minutes until the onion is just lightly browned and fragrant. Add the wine or water, and stir to deglaze the pan. Add the lentils, stir, then add kale on top of the mixture, reduce heat to medium-low and cover the pot while you prepare the quinoa.

Heat the uncooked quinoa in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until just lightly toasted. I learned this method from bazu over at Where’s The Revolution. It is much, much easier than rinsing, and works just as well. Add the water and salt, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook about 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed and the “little tails” appear. If you’ve never made quinoa before, you’ll see what I mean when it is fully cooked.

Add raisins to pot containing kale and lentils, and gently fold in the kale and raisins. Add the balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and stir again to combine. Cover the pot and let simmer for about 20 minutes, checking occassionally and adding additional liquid if the pot becomes too dry. I usually need to add about 1/4 cup of extra liquid, depending on how much water is clinging to the leaves of the greens.

When the quinoa is done, pile some on a plate with a generous helping of the greens mixture, and enjoy.

Breakfast Scramble

February 27, 2009 in Breakfast | 2 comments

The silver lining of being unemployed are weekday breakfasts like this. Scrambled tofu with swiss chard and peppers, a toasted english muffin with apricot jam, a vegan sausage patty, and mixed organic berries.

Peanut Butter Blondies

January 29, 2009 in Uncategorized | No comments

A tester from Celine and Joni’s upcoming cookbook, 500 Vegan Recipes. Spread with a little apricot jam, these are a really yummy breakfast, or anytime treat.

Random Pictures of Cookies

January 13, 2009 in Cookies, Random | 3 comments

I’m currently working on moving my main blogging over to another domain, mostly because I’d like to post about more than just cooking. I’ll keep this one for recipes and such, but I think another blog would be more appropriate for posting craft projects, photos and reviews of restaurant meals, and other random day-to-day things that don’t necessarily happen in my kitchen. I also think that I’ll feel less pressure to have recipes, something which has been keeping me from posting as often as I’d like in this blog, because I feel guilty calling it my kitchen, then not actually posting about anything having to do with it.

Well, these cookies were baked in my kitchen. They are test recipes for Isa and Terry’s upcoming cookie cookbook. Fudgy shortbread and delicious blueberry bars.

I’m back!!

December 11, 2008 in Breakfast, Restaurants | 2 comments

Apparently, there is a Worpress application on iPhone, which will make it much easier to blog on the go. In fact, I composed this while speeding through the streets of DC. Just kidding!! I’ve also decided that every post doesn’t need to contain a recipe, and every photo doesn’t need to be composed and perfect. As much as it kills me, it’s the only way I know I’ll actually blog on a regular basis.

This blog is about food. Good, vegan food. I started this to start writing more, and to connect with my fellow foodies, vegan and not. To show, like so many others out there, that vegans eat more than tofu and wheatgrass.

Speaking of which, these little babies are cinnamon rolls from Great Sage in all their gooey, sugary glory. Carl and I brunch there so often that the staff now know who we are. Pretty soon, we’ll be on a first name basis because we will definitely continue to eat there a lot.

What you don’t see is the zucchini and spinach quiche, roasted potatoes, and salad I consumed before this photo was taken. Burp…

Away, but not forgotten…

November 11, 2008 in Random | 3 comments

Things got a little hectic at work, and most of my meals lately have consisted of cereal, fruit, soup, and sweets. Not much blog-worthy cooking has been happening lately. I haven’t forgotten about my blog, though, and even though I sort of blew it with Vegan MoFo, at least I did start this thing.

Stay tuned…for something.

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Asheville Road Trip

One day for lunch, Carl had a tempeh sandwich with black bean spread and I had the Mercury Not Rising–a really deliciously seasoned seitan sandwich with dill sauce. We both ordered the fries which came with onions and jalapenos mixed in:

We went for dinner another day, and Carl had a random assortment of fries, salad, and sloppy joe tofu, and I had the pasta of the day – Korean barbecued tempeh and Asian slaw over udon noodles in a garlic scape pesto. It was as good as it sounds.

Then, we went for Sunday brunch and I had the brunch platter which was biscuits and gravy, homemade seitan sausage, homefries, and tofu scramble, and Carl had a lentil flour omelet stuffed with asparagus and almond cheese, in a red pepper sauce.