Dining In - Macaroni & Cheese

Vegan Macaroni & Cheese - VegNews

This tops the list as the best vegan macaroni and cheese recipe I've tried to date! It's got a yummy bread topping and creamy "cheese" sauce with a little kick from cayenne pepper. What's even more incredible is that there is no soy cheese or nutritional yeast anywhere to be found in this recipe. How can that be? The potatoes and cashews blend together nicely to create a very creamy thick sauce with a cheese flavor. The carrots give it a subtle orange color. Though it requires a few more ingredients and three kitchen appliances it didn't take too long to prepare. I'll be making this again for sure as my go-to mac 'n' cheese recipe. You can find the full recipe on VegNews, using this link. 


8 oz. elbow macaroni pasta
1 tablespoon sea salt

4 slices bread, torn in large pieces
2 tablespoons & 1/3 cup Earth Balance margarine
2 tablespoons shallots, peeled, chopped
1 cup red potatoes, peeled, cubed
1/4 cup carrots, peeled, chopped
1/3 cup onion, peeled, chopped
1 cup water
1/4 cup raw cashews
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika (for topping)

Cook elbow macaroni in heavily salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a food processor pulse bread pieces and two tablespoons margarine until crumbly. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 12 x 9 casserole dish.

Combine potatoes, shallots, carrots, onions, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes, until vegetables are fork tender.

In a blender combine cashews, garlic, salt, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, cayenne. Add in cooked vegetables with the water. Blend until smooth.

Toss pasta with sauce. Pour into baking dish. Cover with breadcrumbs and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake for 30 minutes until bread topping has browned.

Dining In - Potato Pancakes

Potato Pancakes - VegNews

The holidays are here, why not celebrate them all with vegan cooking! There are a few great Jewish delis in my neighborhood and this inspired me to try a vegan-friendly latke recipe. I found this VegNews recipe from an article called "Top 12 Vegan Recipes of 2012". The results were better than I expected. These little potato pancakes came out moist and flavorful. The hardest part was walking away from the plate... They were even better when served with apple sauce and Tofutti sour cream. Here's the full recipe. 

1 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and grated
1 yellow onion, grated
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 ground black pepper
Canola oil for frying

Take grated potatoes and place in a large colander over a bowl or the sink. Squeeze to remove excess liquid then place in a large bowl. Mix in onion, parsley, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper until combined. My potatoes started to turn pink, but this goes away when you cook them.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Take a scoop of potato mixture, about 2 tablespoons, and flatten into a pancake. Place into oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides, watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove from skillet and place onto plate with paper towels to soak up excess oil. 

Serve immediately or keep warm in oven. 

Dining Out in Boston - True Bistro

True Bistro - Somerville, MA

Crispy Artichoke - True Bistro

My family and I had the chance to try True Bistro recently for my belated birthday dinner. There are only a handful of 100% vegan restaurants in all of Boston and so far this is the only "fine dining" one I've discovered in the city, making it a very popular place. They don't take reservations so the only way to avoid a long wait is to arrive earlier in the evening (or morning, if you're going for brunch). 

I was eager to try the whole menu, since for once I could eat everything on it! With the help of my family, we did get to taste a wide variety of dishes. We ordered a bottle of Riesling that everyone enjoyed and even jotted the name down for reference. For appetizers, we had the Crispy Artichoke and House Made Ravioli. The Crispy Artichoke was the favored dish, served with baby spinach, harissa, Israeli cous cous, lemon, and dukkah. Though small, it was fresh and had great flavor, the fried bits of artichoke did the trick. The Ravioli, with sweet potato and galangal filling with lemongrass coconut cream, were good, however the cream sauce was overpowered by the lemon flavor and it was a little too sweet to start off a meal. 

Phyllo Triangles - True Bistro

For entrees, we ordered four different dishes - Red Curry with Tofu, Phyllo Triangles, House Made Tagliatelle, and Roasted Squash. The winner? The Phyllo Triangles! Good thing there were two orders of this at the table. It was presented beautifully and came with two triangles stuffed with caramelized onions, swiss chard, seasoned tofu, and sorrel cream. My dad, who was skeptical and disappointed before the meal about the lack of meat on the menu, really enjoyed it. The one to pass on? The Tagliatelle was too simple and bland compared to the other dishes. 

Dessert was discussed before the meal began so no matter how full we were I insisted. We ordered three desserts - The Pumpkin Cheesecake, Death by Chocolate Cake, and the Napolean. The Pumpkin Cheesecake was perfection and my favorite of the night. It had a pecan crust and bourbon and brown sugar cream. The Death by Chocolate, though highly rated by Yelp reviewers was my least favorite. I should have known by the name, but the chocolate was just too rich for me and it was very dark giving it a more bitter taste. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake - True Bistro

House Made Tagliatelle - True Bistro

House Made Ravioli - True Bistro

Red Curry with Tofu - True Bistro

Death by Chocolate Cake - True Bistro

Overall it was a delicious meal and the waitstaff did a great job, however our entrees did take a little while to come out after we had devoured the appetizers. They acknowledged my birthday and gave us the chocolate cake on the house! I'll be back for sure. I've heard great things about brunch here so I hope to give that a try soon!

True Bistro

1153 Broadway Street

Somerville, MA 02144

True Bistro Website

Dining In - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Vegan Cookie Dough Truffles - Chef Chloe

This is one of the BEST desserts I have ever made or eaten! That is a bold statement coming from someone with an intense sweet tooth. Besides the fact that these are indistinguishable from the real thing and don't come with a risk of salmonella, there is something else about them that makes them so mouthwatering...maybe it's the salty sweet combo, or the perfect bite-sized portion, or the crunchy chocolate coating. Whatever it is it doesn't matter, I just want a constant supply of them all to myself!

It seems that everyone who's tried these vegan cookie dough truffles feels the same way. For the number of times I've made these, I have never heard a single complaint, only requests for more and for the recipe. Hardly anyone can believe they are vegan. At one point I was making a batch of these every other week for various events! With the holiday season here, I'm back at it. You can find this recipe on Chef Chloe Coscarelli's website, it was posted before her cookbook was published!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ball

1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup mini dairy-free chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life Brand found in the Stop & Shop Natural Foods section)
10 to 12 oz. dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips (for outer coating, I use vegan chocolate chips from Whole Foods)

Line 1 large or 2 regular sized baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl use a mixer or handheld mixer to combine margarine, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and water. Add in flour slowly until well combined. Remove from mixer. 

Add in mini chocolate chips and fold in until evenly distributed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Naked Cookie Dough Balls!

Roll dough into 1-inch balls and line up on parchment-covered baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and put in freezer for 15 minutes. 

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in a small bowl in the microwave. Give it a minute to cool off, without allowing it to harden. Using a spoon, coat each cookie dough ball completely with the melted chocolate and put back on baking sheet. 

Keep refrigerated until serving and store leftovers (if there are any!) in the refrigerator.

Note: The original recipe says this will make 45 balls, but I don't think I've ever made them small enough to make that many, oh well. 

Dining In - Pineapple Not-So Fried Rice

Pineapple Not-So Fried Rice - Chloe's Kitchen

A creative spin on traditional Chinese fried rice, this version packs a more exciting flavor with raisins,  curry powder, coriander, cashews and pineapple. Chloe photographed this recipe in her cookbook served in a pineapple boat to keep with Thai tradition, which I thought was a fun idea, but when cooking for two on a weekday night it wasn't worth the effort! This made a lot so prepare for a larger group as a side dish or for 3-4 for a full meal. You can find this recipe and others in Chloe's Kitchen (buy your copy here).

14 oz. extra firm tofu (the Trader Joe's variety is 15 oz. so use a kitchen scale or eyeball it to reduce by 1 oz.)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 cups diced pineapple
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, sliced
Sea salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce
3/4 cup cashews (roasted, not raw)
1 carrot peeled and shredded or 1/2 cup pre-shredded carrot
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 raisins
3 cups cooked jasmine rice

Soy Sauce Marinated Tofu

1/4 cup vegetable broth

Start by pressing the tofu, as described in some of my other recipes to remove excess water. Cut into small 1/2 inch cubes. In a bowl toss with soy sauce and sprinkle more if needed to coat each cube. 

Set oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Place in one layer on baking sheet and cook for about 45 minutes, flipping a few times during cook time. Remove from oven. 

Heat canola oil in a large skillet and cook onions until soft, add salt for seasoning. Now add in garlic, curry, coriander, chili-garlic sauce and continue cooking. After a few minutes, add in cashews, carrots, raisins, peas, tofu, jasmine rice, vegetable broth, and diced pineapple. Cook long enough so that all ingredients are heated. Add more salt or seasonings if needed. Done.

Dining Out in New York City - Red Bamboo

Creole Soul Chicken - Red Bamboo

In my search for a great vegan restaurant in New York City that was a little more casual but still had high ratings I discovered Red Bamboo. Located in the West Village, it's a small, popular place that features an eclectic mix of Asian, Caribbean, and Southern American cuisine. Unfortunately they don't take reservations, but it was worth the half hour wait for a table. This is a good one if you're dining with carnivores since there are many familiar "meat" dishes on the menu and the flavors are so good anyone would like it. It actually took some convincing for my boyfriend to realize this was a meat-free place. 

I ordered one of the most popular dishes, Creole Soul Chicken, a generous serving of rosemary seasoned panko breaded soy chicken nuggets with a delicious, sweet, barbecue-like sauce alongside a scoop of sweet corn mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy and steamed vegetables. As I write this I have a strong craving for more! I hadn't even realized it, but I had yet to try vegan mashed potatoes. These potatoes were a great first impression of how yummy they can be! The chicken was crispy and flavorful, the sauce complimenting it perfectly.

Sweet and Sour Chicken - Red Bamboo

My boyfriend went with the Sweet and Sour Chicken, battered soy chicken with onions, peppers, pineapple, lychees and carrots coated in a tangy sweet sauce served with brown rice. Another great option and another huge serving. He was definitely satisfied and though not a fan of fake meat thought this was close enough to the real thing. 

Despite my efforts to reduce mock meat consumption, in New York City it's a challenge since so many of the vegan-friendly places serve it in the most scrumptious ways. Red Bamboo topped that list. They offer a handful of vegetable entrees as well, so you don't have to go with fake meats, but I would say just do it. You won't regret it!

Red Bamboo

140 W. 4th Street 

(Between 6th Ave & MacDougal)

New York, NY 10012

Red Bamboo Website

A Very Vegan Thanksgiving

This may be a tad bit delayed, but I hope it's relevant for any new vegans who find themselves preparing for a meat and dairy-free Thanksgiving next year!

This year marked my first ever vegan Thanksgiving! I have a lot to be thankful for this year, and making a transition to a vegan diet is certainly on the list. I passed on turkey for the first time this year, but there was a bounty of other delicious vegan-friendly dishes and they left me just as satisfied. In fact, even being overly full I noticed I had more energy post-meal than previous years! The extra glasses of wine didn't help, but I didn't feel quite as weighed down by the feast. 

My vegan menu consisted of dishes made by my vegan cousin and myself:

Walnut Pâté with Melba Toast
Stuffing
Homemade Seitan Pot Pie
Butternut Squash with Toasted Almonds and Brown Sugar
Thyme for Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
The Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Zucchini Sandwich Cookies

My First Vegan Thanksgiving

Dining Out in New York City - Terri

I've visited New York City twice so far as a vegan and it's such an adventure! To have numerous choices for places to dine is overwhelming, in a good way of course. I used Yelp and a couple VegNews articles to help me find restaurants, from a quick bite to fine dining to dessert. 

Terri, in Flatiron, had great reviews and is 100% vegan - woo hoo! It's quick and convenient (like a Subway) rather than a sit-down place, with only a few seats available. I would suggest this place for a takeout lunch. The menu has a variety of sandwiches, wraps (both can be made gluten-free), salads, smoothies, and baked goods. 

Thai "Chicken" Wrap - Terri

I ordered the Thai "Chicken" Wrap, since I'm a big fan of those flavors. It was delicious and came with fake bite-sized chicken, peanut sauce, lettuce, carrots, and peppers on a whole wheat wrap. The "meat" itself is chewy and soft, not quite as good as Gardein, but still tasty. I also ordered a smoothie, The Brazilian Bombshell (great name, right?). It's made with acai, cherry, blueberry, mango, banana, soymilk (or almond milk), and agave. It's hard to make a bad smoothie if you stick with the basics, so this won me over, as well. Finally with no room left in my stomach I succumbed to a chocolate cupcake that was calling my name.  I am so very glad I did. This was by far the best vegan cupcake I've had! The chocolate cake was moist and delicious. The vanilla buttercream frosting was incredibly sweet and had an authentic buttery taste to it. It was rich and sugary and everything a cupcake should be. The bloated belly and stomach pains were worth it. 

Brazilian Bombshell - Terri

Terri is a bit on the expensive side (the smoothie was over $6), but what isn't in NYC? I wish I was here longer so I could try more of the menu, but three items in one meal was all I could handle. 

Chocolate Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting - Terri

Dining In - Go Picnic

GoPicnic Hummus & Crackers Ready-to-Eat Meal

Nutrition Facts

When I'm at Target, I'm like a kid in a candy store. It's overwhelming. I always come home with more than I originally planned to buy. My recent trip was no different. The Target near me has a grocery section with prices that beat out my nearby supermarket. There are fewer options now being vegan, but I did find a new product on the shelves that got me excited. GoPicnic reminds me of the packaged snack boxes they sell on JetBlue flights, so I got one to take with me the next time I travel.

Labeled vegan right on the front of the package, the Hummus + Crackers variety contains separately packed snacks: Wild Garden hummus dip, Crunchmaster multi-seed crackers, Sweet Perry Orchards Power Play tasty seed blend, Sweet Perry Orchards Baja Blend fruit and nut mix, and Professor Zim Zam's extraordinary treats dark chocolate with sea salt for dessert!

On a recent trip to New York City I gave this a try. Sadly the hummus was not great. It was too acidic and bitter. The other snacks were fine and I especially liked the little bit of chocolate with sea salt. Overall, my excitement for this was not met with the taste I was hoping for, but I appreciated the convenient packaging and that it was labeled both vegan and gluten-free.

Check out the GoPicnic website for more product details. 

Dining Out in Boston - Grasshopper

The No Name - Grasshopper Restaurant

Although I passed by this place many times throughout college and since then, I never tried it until becoming vegan. Located along Allston's "Vegan Way" it's not the easiest place to pick up takeout at as it's next to an intersection with busy street parking, but I plan to stick with takeout for now due to the not so cozy ambience for dining in. However, I must say the staff here is very friendly and fast! Also, I recently learned that the Boston Vegetarian Society hosts a monthly educational seminar at Grasshopper, giving it some street cred :)

Takeout from Grasshopper

Grasshopper offers a large Chinese menu, with options like lo mein, dumplings, stir-fry, and all of it is vegan! Based on Yelp reviews, the only dish I've tried is The No Name so I can't really speak to the rest of the menu options. The description for The No Name reads battered gluten in a sweet and sour sauce served with assorted steamed vegetables and topped with sesame seeds, also comes with a side of brown rice atop a very small salad. This is a huge serving for about $13 and is really meant to be shared or saved for leftovers, as I do. 

When I crave junk food like back in my college days, this is the sort of meal that would satisfy me (except for the gluten-belly bloat after). I have to admit it's not the best quality food and part of me questions if it's that much healthier than regular Chinese food, but it is nice to have once in a while and I would recommend you give a try. 

Grasshopper

1 North Beacon Street

Allston, MA 02134

Grasshopper Website 

Dining In - Zucchini Cookie Sandwiches

Zucchini Cookie Sandwiches - Speedbump Kitchen

While not a traditional flavor for the holidays, these zucchini cookie sandwiches were super sweet, delicious and unique at our Thanksgiving feast. I had a hard time figuring out the best name for them. The author of the recipe calls them zucchini sandwich cookies, I thought they were more like whoopie pies because of the cake-like consistency. As far as the taste, I loved the cinnamon and brown sugar flavoring and thought the cream cheese based frosting blended perfectly with it. My only complaint was that these were a little mushy and fell apart when you picked them up - best eaten with a plate and fork! you can find the original full recipe here on Speedbump Kitchen. 

Zucchini Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) Earth Balance margarine

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons water

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup shredded zucchini

Filling

4 oz. non-diary cream cheese (Trader Joe's This is Not a Tub of Cream Cheese)

1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat together the stick of margarine with the two sugars. Add in vanilla and water.

In a separate medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients - flour, cinnamon, baking soda and powder,  and salt. Add this to the wet mixture and beat until well-combined. Remove bowl from stand mixer or if using handheld mixer put it aside. Add in oats and zucchini and mix by hand. 

In 2 tablespoon-sized spoonfuls drop the batter onto the prepared pans. Leave some room in between. You can make 10-14 of these cookies depending on how you size them - remember you'll have half as many full cookies as you do zucchini cookies since you need two for each  (I only ended up with 10 and cut the cookies in half for serving). Bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely before frosting. 

To make the frosting, beat together the margarine and cream cheese first. Then add in powdered sugar and vanilla and mix completely. To stiffen a bit while waiting for the cookies to cool you can move the frosting into the refrigerator. 

Assemble the cookies by spreading a generous spoonful or two of frosting between two zucchini cookies. 

Dining In - The Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole

The Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole - Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen

Since I transitioned to a vegan diet in March of this year I had never experienced a "cruelty-free" Thanksgiving until now, but becoming vegan didn't stop me from enjoying some of my favorite dishes of the season. Check out my Thanksgiving post (coming soon) for details on my vegan meal! 

Green bean casserole is a staple at our Thanksgiving meal and I was excited to try this dairy-free version. The name convinced me. I'm not a big fan of mushrooms, but I still very much enjoyed the flavors of this dish, especially the bread topping. My family dug right in and gobbled it all up! This is another recipe that I must give credit to two different sources - the original version and the vegan version. The vegan version I found on Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen blog, despite the name this is sadly not fat-free. The original version came from A Veggie Venture. 

Green Beans:
2 quarts of water
1 tablespoon salt (or a little less, if this is too much for you)
1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, trim ends and cut into 1 inch pieces

Sauce:
10 oz. button mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon dry sherry
3/4 cup soy creamer (I used Silk brand)

Topping:
1 1/2 slices of multi-grain bread
1 tablespoon Earth Balance margarine
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper

3 oz. (1 can) French's French fried onions

Boil salt and water in a large pot and add in green beans. Cook for about 6-8 minutes then drain, rinse with cool water, drain again. Set aside.

Spray a large skillet with canola oil and heat on medium-high. Add in mushrooms, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are soft, reduce heat to low-medium. 

In a small bowl, mix together vegetable broth and flour. Add this mixture to skillet. Add in sherry. Simmer for a few minutes until the mixture thickens, stirring continuously. Add in soy creamer and continue cooking for about 5-10 minutes, until mixture thickens more. 

In an oiled casserole dish mix together the sauce and the cooked green beans. 

For the topping, use a food processor and blend together the bread slices, margarine, salt and pepper until crumbly. Pour into a small bowl and mix in French fried onions (without snacking on them!). 

Cover the green beans with the bread and onion topping. Preheat oven at 425 degrees and cook for about 15-20 minutes. 

Dining In - Amy's Gluten-Free Non-Dairy Burrito

Amy's Gluten-Free Non-Dairy Burrito

Vegan Burrito with Organic Beans & Rice

This has quickly become my go-to lunch in the office. I found these at my local Stop & Shop in the frozen food section within the natural foods section. While I'm not allergic to gluten, if given an easy choice I'd rather avoid it. Amy's makes this same vegan burrito with gluten (and a few more calories). This one contains a gluten-free tortilla filled with organic rice, pinto beans, vegetables, and a mild Mexican sauce. It doesn't have much spice at all really, but it still has a nice Mexican flavor from the tomatoes and beans. 

Just a couple minutes in the microwave and you have a satisfying, healthy, light meal. It may be small, but the fiber in the beans will fill you up. Not to mention, it's only $2.79, can't beat that for a lunch you can still feel good about! I'm hooked.

Nutrition Facts - Amy's Gluten-Free Non-Dairy Burrito

Check out this product in more detail and others on Amy's Website.