Growing up, my mom would always make lugao when I was sick. I knew it only as lugao - and it was comforting, warm, satisfying. It was not until I was a little older when my culinary vocabulary expanded with congee at dim sum and the "rice porridge" for the layman. Now, unfortunately and to my mother's dismay, I can never savor my mom's lugao as I have shunned all meat, including chicken. One day, maybe I'll test and see if I can make lugao with seitan or chicken-style tofu, but it'll probably never be how my mom made it.
Through my prying and whining, I cornered my mom one day to teach me how to make lugao and adobo. "It's simple!" she said, "it's so easy!" She did not give me accurate measurements, but just visual examples of the sizes for each ingredients:
Lugao
1-2 tbs canola
approx. 1 tsp ginger, minced
1 small yellow onion, minced
1-2 defrosted chicken breasts (optional- or add veggies)
Water
1/2 cup white rice
1/2 cup sticky rice
In a medium/large pot, fry the ginger and onion in the oil. Add the chicken. When fully cooked, add water to cover chicken, add rice and simmer until desired thickness.
Adobo is a Filipino classic. When I think of Filipino food, I think of adobo, pancit, and lugau. You can make adobo with okra instead of chicken...I've so far tried it with chicken-style seitan, which did not turn out okay.
Adobo
oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 chicken breasts, defrosted (optional - you can use okra)
patis (fish sauce) (optional)
vinegar (I hear from my Aunty Flory apple cider vinegar is the best)
1-2 bay leaf
(4-6) whole peppercorns
Fry garlic in oil. Once brown, add defrosted chicken. Add a little patis, stir, add vinegar. Do not stir. Let it boil and then half-cover and lower the heat to let it simmer. Add the bay leaf and peppercorns. Let it simmer until the sauce thickens and the meat is tender. Stir.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Easy Mushroom side dish
This is good with or without the wine. But it's a favorite amongst my friends.
What you need:
sliced mushrooms
salt
pepper
chopped garlic (you can even use garlic powder)
shallots (if you have any)
Italian seasoning (or just oregano)
wine
Put a medium saucepan on top of medium heat and add olive oil. Add shallots/chopped garlic if using any. Add mushrooms, seasonings. Saute until mushrooms sweat and reduce size. Add wine and enjoy!
What you need:
sliced mushrooms
salt
pepper
chopped garlic (you can even use garlic powder)
shallots (if you have any)
Italian seasoning (or just oregano)
wine
Put a medium saucepan on top of medium heat and add olive oil. Add shallots/chopped garlic if using any. Add mushrooms, seasonings. Saute until mushrooms sweat and reduce size. Add wine and enjoy!
Indonesian style satay seitan
I miss chicken satay. It was one of my favorite things to eat and I felt always connected to something of my father's culture when i ate it. It looked soooooo good when I went in July...but oh well. Luckily, Fatfreevegan.com has a recipe for BBQ Seitan that i decided to convert into satay. I had Gado-Gado instant peanut sauce in the freezer, and diluted it with hot water and kecap manis.
Seitan:
1 cup vital wheat gluten
3 tbs nutrional yeast
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
3/4 cup water
2 tbs tahini
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs kecap manis
1 packet Gado-Gado peanut sauce OR any peanut butter
hot water
kecap manis
Preheat oven 350F. Mix first dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a seperate bowl. Mix together. Knead for 5 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes. Grease baking pan. Roll seitan flat and cut into long strips. Bake for 25 minutes. While the seitan is baking, mix the peanut butter sauce with hot water (to desired texture) and add a little kecap manis. Preheat and grease your griddle. Once baked, cut the seitan strips into further bite size chunks and skewer. Brush peanut sauce mixture onto one side of the skewered seitan. Lay brushed side onto grill. Brush top side with sauce and flip over. Serve with rice and bawan goreng on top.
Seitan:
1 cup vital wheat gluten
3 tbs nutrional yeast
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
3/4 cup water
2 tbs tahini
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs kecap manis
1 packet Gado-Gado peanut sauce OR any peanut butter
hot water
kecap manis
Preheat oven 350F. Mix first dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients in a seperate bowl. Mix together. Knead for 5 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes. Grease baking pan. Roll seitan flat and cut into long strips. Bake for 25 minutes. While the seitan is baking, mix the peanut butter sauce with hot water (to desired texture) and add a little kecap manis. Preheat and grease your griddle. Once baked, cut the seitan strips into further bite size chunks and skewer. Brush peanut sauce mixture onto one side of the skewered seitan. Lay brushed side onto grill. Brush top side with sauce and flip over. Serve with rice and bawan goreng on top.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Late night chocolate craving...
leads to me searching through chowhound and finding Isa from theppk's recipe for chocolate pudding cake only a little different from their website. I think this is from their published book, but I made it on a whim with some minor adjustments because I ran out of cocoa powder and only had Ghiradelli hot cocoa mix. Close enough. It turned out pretty good warm and outstanding cold. It was also good scraping the bits a couple days later with some peanut butter.
Hot Cocoa Pudding Cake:
(A)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cups sugar divided (but the real recipe calls for 1 cup, but since the hot cocoa mix has sugar, I subtracted some)
1 cup hot cocoa mix (divided)
(B)
1/2 cup soy/almond milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
(C)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup rum
Boil water. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease pan and line with parchment paper. Mix dry ingredients (A) with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup hot cocoa mix. Add (B) to (A). Pour mixture into pan. Add (C) on top. Place pan on larger cookie sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
It comes out like cake and pudding mixed up altogether. It's yummy and quick!
Hot Cocoa Pudding Cake:
(A)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cups sugar divided (but the real recipe calls for 1 cup, but since the hot cocoa mix has sugar, I subtracted some)
1 cup hot cocoa mix (divided)
(B)
1/2 cup soy/almond milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
(C)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup rum
Boil water. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease pan and line with parchment paper. Mix dry ingredients (A) with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup hot cocoa mix. Add (B) to (A). Pour mixture into pan. Add (C) on top. Place pan on larger cookie sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
It comes out like cake and pudding mixed up altogether. It's yummy and quick!
Banana over banana bread!
After a couple tries, I think this is my favorite vegan banana bread recipe, which I derived from Fatfreevegan's blog but I omit the dried cherries and use vinegar instead of lemon juice:
(A)
3 ripe bananas, mashed
a splash of apple cider vinegar
4 oz applesauce
(B)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Optional: chopped walnuts
Preheat oven 350F. Grease loaf pan. Mix A in one bowl, B in another. Add B to A. Fold in walnuts or any other ingredients such as dried fruit or chocolate chips. Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
(A)
3 ripe bananas, mashed
a splash of apple cider vinegar
4 oz applesauce
(B)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Optional: chopped walnuts
Preheat oven 350F. Grease loaf pan. Mix A in one bowl, B in another. Add B to A. Fold in walnuts or any other ingredients such as dried fruit or chocolate chips. Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
My new favorite recipes that will surely be staples!
Vegweb.com posting of the "Outrageously Easy Big Bread"
Recipe submitted by Colleen on VegWeb
"Outrageously Easy BIG Bread" (adapted version)
Ingredients):
2 packs of yeast
warm water
2 cups hot water
sugar
salt
6 cups all-purpose flour total (split in half - 3 cups in seperate bowls)
1/3 cup vegetable/corn oil
Directions:
Pour warm water into a small bowl and add the yeast, but DO NOT STIR. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, pour hot water over the vegan sugar and salt, then stir with a wooden spoon to completely dissolve. Combine 3 cups flour with the water mixture. Pour the oil on top of the dough mixture then add the yeast mixture on top of that, but DO NOT STIR. Top with the remaining 3 cups of flour and mix well. At this point, the dough should be pliant and moist, but not gooey. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside to rise for at least 45 minutes.
On a lightly floured cutting board or countertop, divide the dough into half. Kneading is optional at this point. Make dough into desired shape. Some ideas: breadsticks, breadrolls, bread loaf, focaccia.
Cover the dough with a moist towel and set aside to rise again for another 45 minutes (or longer).
After the dough has risen the second time, preheat the oven to 375 and bake for exactly 23 minutes.
Glaze for hard crust by brushing every 10 minutes with water
Serves: 2 huge loaves
Preparation time: Two and a half hours
I deleted some extra directions, but this is the recipe at its simplest. This was the first time I made this bread and I was able to make 4 breadsticks, a loaf of bread, and dinner rolls in a round pie pan.
For the breadsticks, I brushed the dough after a couple minutes in the oven with olive oil and sprinkled with oregano and parmasen cheese. YUM!
The next morning, with the bread loaf, I made vegan french toast by soaking slices in a mixture of vanilla almond milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, 2 egg equivalents/replacers and cooking them on coconut oil.
For lunch, I made Seitan Sandwiches:
I chiffonaded fresh basil from my new basil plant, added it to Veganaise, and chopped up my homemade seitan. I topped toasted slices of my bread loaf with this mixture and it was pretty good!
Basic Homemade Seitan (taken from a website that I forgot - sorry!!!):
2 cups vital gluten flour
garlic powder
ground ginger
1 1/4 cup water with rosemary & seasoning or vegetable stock
3 tbs soy sauce
(optional) 2-3 tbs sesame oil
Mix powder ingredients in bowl, mix liquids in a seperate bowl. Add powder mixture to liquid bowl and stir vigorously. Knead 10-15 minutes. Let rest for a couple minutes. Knead again for 10-15 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes. Cut into desired pieces. Simmer for 30-60 minutes in water/rosemary or stock. Test for texture, usually when they float they are done.
You can keep it in the stock in the fridge or freeze it for the future. YUM!
Recipe submitted by Colleen on VegWeb
"Outrageously Easy BIG Bread" (adapted version)
Ingredients):
2 packs of yeast
warm water
2 cups hot water
sugar
salt
6 cups all-purpose flour total (split in half - 3 cups in seperate bowls)
1/3 cup vegetable/corn oil
Directions:
Pour warm water into a small bowl and add the yeast, but DO NOT STIR. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, pour hot water over the vegan sugar and salt, then stir with a wooden spoon to completely dissolve. Combine 3 cups flour with the water mixture. Pour the oil on top of the dough mixture then add the yeast mixture on top of that, but DO NOT STIR. Top with the remaining 3 cups of flour and mix well. At this point, the dough should be pliant and moist, but not gooey. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside to rise for at least 45 minutes.
On a lightly floured cutting board or countertop, divide the dough into half. Kneading is optional at this point. Make dough into desired shape. Some ideas: breadsticks, breadrolls, bread loaf, focaccia.
Cover the dough with a moist towel and set aside to rise again for another 45 minutes (or longer).
After the dough has risen the second time, preheat the oven to 375 and bake for exactly 23 minutes.
Glaze for hard crust by brushing every 10 minutes with water
Serves: 2 huge loaves
Preparation time: Two and a half hours
I deleted some extra directions, but this is the recipe at its simplest. This was the first time I made this bread and I was able to make 4 breadsticks, a loaf of bread, and dinner rolls in a round pie pan.
For the breadsticks, I brushed the dough after a couple minutes in the oven with olive oil and sprinkled with oregano and parmasen cheese. YUM!
The next morning, with the bread loaf, I made vegan french toast by soaking slices in a mixture of vanilla almond milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, 2 egg equivalents/replacers and cooking them on coconut oil.
For lunch, I made Seitan Sandwiches:
I chiffonaded fresh basil from my new basil plant, added it to Veganaise, and chopped up my homemade seitan. I topped toasted slices of my bread loaf with this mixture and it was pretty good!
Basic Homemade Seitan (taken from a website that I forgot - sorry!!!):
2 cups vital gluten flour
garlic powder
ground ginger
1 1/4 cup water with rosemary & seasoning or vegetable stock
3 tbs soy sauce
(optional) 2-3 tbs sesame oil
Mix powder ingredients in bowl, mix liquids in a seperate bowl. Add powder mixture to liquid bowl and stir vigorously. Knead 10-15 minutes. Let rest for a couple minutes. Knead again for 10-15 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes. Cut into desired pieces. Simmer for 30-60 minutes in water/rosemary or stock. Test for texture, usually when they float they are done.
You can keep it in the stock in the fridge or freeze it for the future. YUM!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Bland meals in-transit to Jakarta
I've been looking forward to my trip to Jakarta for a while. The food there is so amazing and I love the different tropical fruits that they have. Everything is different there.
But so far, I've had to endure the most blah vegetarian meal - I think people they were trying to play it safe or something but oh my gosh a little imagination goes a long way.
For dinner, the "vegetarian meal" was actually a few sliced boiled new potatoes and steamed squash. I was soooo hungry too and disappointed I tried to take a bite of a potato but just couldn't stand the blandness. I inquired if they had any extra Indian meals and luckily after three times asking (three times always the charm) I got one and oh was it so much better.
But so far, I've had to endure the most blah vegetarian meal - I think people they were trying to play it safe or something but oh my gosh a little imagination goes a long way.
For dinner, the "vegetarian meal" was actually a few sliced boiled new potatoes and steamed squash. I was soooo hungry too and disappointed I tried to take a bite of a potato but just couldn't stand the blandness. I inquired if they had any extra Indian meals and luckily after three times asking (three times always the charm) I got one and oh was it so much better.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Cafe La Vie
Went to Santa Cruz to stop by the Patagonia outlet, for lunch and to hang out on the beach. The beach never happened, but it still was a good day. I bought a cool "synchilla" sweater and for lunch we went to this semi-raw place called cafe la vie. I was soooo hungry!
We ordered these raw rolls which were basically thin strips of cucumbers and carrots wrapped together with a mandolin-sliced zucchini. It was accompanied with a peanut-coconut sauce which was pretty good.
I ordered the burger. I liked the fake meat but my bf was impressed with the sprouted wheat bun. He was even happier when his pizza came out with the same kind of dough. The pizza was interesting - with chopped up olives, sundried tomatoes, and onions. (I had it for lunch the next day at work and microwaved it and it still was good!!!).
For dessert, I think Cafe Gratitude is a lot better, but this place had good presentation. We ordered their chocolate pie which the waitress asserted they just made. It was garnished with a broken yellow flower, with it's pollen sprinkled on top. My bf instantly got an allergic reaction after he ate it. (He's allergic to everything!!!). The yellow flecks tasted grainy and had hints of honey. The contrast of dark chocolate with the bright yellow flower and pollen was more pleasant than eating the pie.
I think I would stop by here one day, but i'm sure Santa Cruz has a lot more to offer.
We ordered these raw rolls which were basically thin strips of cucumbers and carrots wrapped together with a mandolin-sliced zucchini. It was accompanied with a peanut-coconut sauce which was pretty good.
I ordered the burger. I liked the fake meat but my bf was impressed with the sprouted wheat bun. He was even happier when his pizza came out with the same kind of dough. The pizza was interesting - with chopped up olives, sundried tomatoes, and onions. (I had it for lunch the next day at work and microwaved it and it still was good!!!).
For dessert, I think Cafe Gratitude is a lot better, but this place had good presentation. We ordered their chocolate pie which the waitress asserted they just made. It was garnished with a broken yellow flower, with it's pollen sprinkled on top. My bf instantly got an allergic reaction after he ate it. (He's allergic to everything!!!). The yellow flecks tasted grainy and had hints of honey. The contrast of dark chocolate with the bright yellow flower and pollen was more pleasant than eating the pie.
I think I would stop by here one day, but i'm sure Santa Cruz has a lot more to offer.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Searching for an un-Torfurky vegetarian sausage place
I'm always looking for some good vegetarian sausage places...they are the undeniably best complement to some cold brew. My favorite place was "World of Sausages" on Market in the Castro, but alas, one day we drove over and found it closed indefinitely. It was so upsetting - they had a great variety of beer, sausage, and instead of the usual Tofurky flavors (Italian sausage, Kielbasa, and Beer brat), they also had chicken (which I think was also Tofurky, but I've never seen those at the supermarket).
On my search for my next favorite sausage place, one to replace that empty spot in my stomach, I've gone to a couple decent places:
Rosamunde
545 Haight St (Fillmore) Lower Haight
It's popular and they have an amazing selection...for meat-eaters that is! Yes, if you are out-and-about with a meat-eater and need to go somewhere for some crazy sausages (like duck with figs, lamb, wild boar, and I've also seen pheasant with Goji berries once...whoa that's pushing it (sorry, Goji berries are nasty!)) and regular type of sausages of pork,etc. Rosamunde is the place to go...they have all sorts of crazy types of sausages and their right next door to Toronado, so they let you bring your sausages there for some beer food. They unfortunately only have one type of vegan sausage, a Tofurky sausage. It's a good place to go with meat-eaters. Plus they have some gnarly wasabi mustard that makes me cry.
Gestalt
3159 16th St (Valencia) Mission
This is one of my newest favorite bars lately. They have like 20 beers on tap, a bunch of meat sausages, and a couple Tofurky sausages with the option for vegan rolls. But the BEST thing about this place is that they sell steins (liters) of their beer for $8. Pints are $4 so you might as well go all the way...right??!?! Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout. Sam Adam's Summer Ale. On tap. And the place is very kickback and low key - staff is very nice, they'll tell you about the beer and let you taste it. Okay, okay, I'm digressing from the sausages too much...but this place really hits the spot when you are thirsty and can settle for a Tofurky sausage with your beer. My friend actually liked the Tofurky one BETTER than the real chicken one she got. I forgot which one it was, but that says something. Crowd is catered to bikers in the city (they have a big section to park your bicycle. This does fill my thirst, and conveniently can fill my stomach too.
Underdog
1634 Irving St (17 Ave) Inner Sunset
We went to this place on a whim. There was an advertisement in the Natural pages book that I got trying to search for the nearby Cafe Gratitude...It also had a coupon. We called before and asked what type of sausages they had and the lady made it seem like they had different types of vegetarian sausages -not Tofurky...but low and behold, once we arrive, we find out they are Tofurky. Oh well. They have tator tots and interesting posters on the wall - "Ultimate Rock-Paper-Scissors" and a timeline of "Asian American history." Overally, this place was aight and clean and everything, but I'm not sure I would purposely go back.
Bottom line, I'm glad there are places that cater to vegetarians/vegans, but I will have to continue to search for some good vegetarian sausages that you can't find at the store. Rest in peace World of Sausages.
On my search for my next favorite sausage place, one to replace that empty spot in my stomach, I've gone to a couple decent places:
Rosamunde
545 Haight St (Fillmore) Lower Haight
It's popular and they have an amazing selection...for meat-eaters that is! Yes, if you are out-and-about with a meat-eater and need to go somewhere for some crazy sausages (like duck with figs, lamb, wild boar, and I've also seen pheasant with Goji berries once...whoa that's pushing it (sorry, Goji berries are nasty!)) and regular type of sausages of pork,etc. Rosamunde is the place to go...they have all sorts of crazy types of sausages and their right next door to Toronado, so they let you bring your sausages there for some beer food. They unfortunately only have one type of vegan sausage, a Tofurky sausage. It's a good place to go with meat-eaters. Plus they have some gnarly wasabi mustard that makes me cry.
Gestalt
3159 16th St (Valencia) Mission
This is one of my newest favorite bars lately. They have like 20 beers on tap, a bunch of meat sausages, and a couple Tofurky sausages with the option for vegan rolls. But the BEST thing about this place is that they sell steins (liters) of their beer for $8. Pints are $4 so you might as well go all the way...right??!?! Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout. Sam Adam's Summer Ale. On tap. And the place is very kickback and low key - staff is very nice, they'll tell you about the beer and let you taste it. Okay, okay, I'm digressing from the sausages too much...but this place really hits the spot when you are thirsty and can settle for a Tofurky sausage with your beer. My friend actually liked the Tofurky one BETTER than the real chicken one she got. I forgot which one it was, but that says something. Crowd is catered to bikers in the city (they have a big section to park your bicycle. This does fill my thirst, and conveniently can fill my stomach too.
Underdog
1634 Irving St (17 Ave) Inner Sunset
We went to this place on a whim. There was an advertisement in the Natural pages book that I got trying to search for the nearby Cafe Gratitude...It also had a coupon. We called before and asked what type of sausages they had and the lady made it seem like they had different types of vegetarian sausages -not Tofurky...but low and behold, once we arrive, we find out they are Tofurky. Oh well. They have tator tots and interesting posters on the wall - "Ultimate Rock-Paper-Scissors" and a timeline of "Asian American history." Overally, this place was aight and clean and everything, but I'm not sure I would purposely go back.
Bottom line, I'm glad there are places that cater to vegetarians/vegans, but I will have to continue to search for some good vegetarian sausages that you can't find at the store. Rest in peace World of Sausages.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Millennium rocks my world!
I came home from work excited to go to Millennium with my sweetie...but for some reason, he wanted to go try this hamburger joint he read about on some vegetarian blog that raved and raved and raved about Portland being the "Vegan Paradise." So he declines Millennium (the nerve) and finds out about Barney's (on 24th and Castro). They have a bunch of garden burgers/tofu burgers, etc...he becomes so engulfed with trying this out - he calls all their locations to find out if they have "vegan options" (they also have organic meat, turkey burgers, chicken burgers) and one response was "hey man we serve burgers!" I drive there, I find premium parking, we sit down, we ask the server what is vegan, I make my choice...then he goes "want to go to millennium?" Frustrated and hungry, I make a fit about how it was my original idea to go there and we wasted gas, etc to drive there. So, kinda mad, i drive to Millennium, turn into a one way street by accident in my madness (actually just without thinking trying to find parking).
ah, Millennium. It was BUMPIN' tonight!. Every single seat and bar stool was occupied. It was really busy, and since I had dessert at Cafe Gratitude and a beer at the brewery near it yesterday, I thought I shouldn't have ANY dessert. So to compensate, I would splurge on some cocktails. I got a strawberry mojito (muddled strawberries with mint, light rum, lime) and Brew got a mint julep (something he's wanted to try since watching "Thank you for smoking" (something I've wanted to try since reading "Great Gastby."
For entrees, I ordered the "Truffled Roulade" and Brew got the "Maple glazed Tempeh" - we ended up switching, and I joked that we have each other's taste (bc last night we had switched dessert - I didn't really like the mint cheesecake at Cafe Gratitude, and he had gotten the strawberry chocolate cake, so we switched). The tempeh was really smoky and at the perfect sweetness. It was served with horseradish mashed potatoes and asparagus. The Roulade was with lentils and charred broccoli. Brew said it was "complex" and like a "cinnamon bun." But i didn't really care for it - compared to the tempeh - which was off the chart!
What really stole the show was dessert. We had promised ourselves not to get dessert, but then last minute we decided that if there was something crazy and "gnarly" on the menu that we have never had, we would get it and the first thing we saw was tiramisu with chocolate stout ice cream. Imagine. Beer dessert. The best invention ever. My favorite dessert with my favorite pastime drinks. YUM!!!
in addition, the guy who was the bartender/waiter last time we went with my sisters (and who gave us a free dessert) was our waiter - he was really cool and nice. not as attentive as before, but then again, it was a really, really crowded Monday night!!!
(some lady near us had said "Monday nights are the new Saturday nights." - whatever that means.
Bottomline: Tiramisu with chocolate stout ice cream
On a scale of 1 to 10 (highest), I would give the entire meal a 12.
Until next time Millennium!
ah, Millennium. It was BUMPIN' tonight!. Every single seat and bar stool was occupied. It was really busy, and since I had dessert at Cafe Gratitude and a beer at the brewery near it yesterday, I thought I shouldn't have ANY dessert. So to compensate, I would splurge on some cocktails. I got a strawberry mojito (muddled strawberries with mint, light rum, lime) and Brew got a mint julep (something he's wanted to try since watching "Thank you for smoking" (something I've wanted to try since reading "Great Gastby."
For entrees, I ordered the "Truffled Roulade" and Brew got the "Maple glazed Tempeh" - we ended up switching, and I joked that we have each other's taste (bc last night we had switched dessert - I didn't really like the mint cheesecake at Cafe Gratitude, and he had gotten the strawberry chocolate cake, so we switched). The tempeh was really smoky and at the perfect sweetness. It was served with horseradish mashed potatoes and asparagus. The Roulade was with lentils and charred broccoli. Brew said it was "complex" and like a "cinnamon bun." But i didn't really care for it - compared to the tempeh - which was off the chart!
What really stole the show was dessert. We had promised ourselves not to get dessert, but then last minute we decided that if there was something crazy and "gnarly" on the menu that we have never had, we would get it and the first thing we saw was tiramisu with chocolate stout ice cream. Imagine. Beer dessert. The best invention ever. My favorite dessert with my favorite pastime drinks. YUM!!!
in addition, the guy who was the bartender/waiter last time we went with my sisters (and who gave us a free dessert) was our waiter - he was really cool and nice. not as attentive as before, but then again, it was a really, really crowded Monday night!!!
(some lady near us had said "Monday nights are the new Saturday nights." - whatever that means.
Bottomline: Tiramisu with chocolate stout ice cream
On a scale of 1 to 10 (highest), I would give the entire meal a 12.
Until next time Millennium!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Cafe Gratitude makes the top 5!!!
The new contender for the top 5 vegetarian restaurants is Cafe Gratitude, but #1 is still Millennium.
580 Geary St, San Francisco (415) 345-3900
It's expensive. It's fancy. It's genius. It's worth it. I can't believe what they do is completely vegan...their flavors are so complex and have so much depth. My favorite dessert is the Chocolate Almond Midnight - I was in heaven when we went to Millennium for a friend's birthday and his birthday cake was a whole Chocolate Almond Midnight cake!
Chocolate Almond Midnight (found posted on Bayareaveg.org)
Makes one 8-inch cake; serves 12]
Cashew Crust:
1/3 cup unsalted cashew nuts
3 Tbsp. Sucanat (sugar)
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. sea salt
Chocolate Mousse:
2 cups (16 ounces) nondairy chocolate chips
24.6 ounces extra-firm low-fat silken tofu
3/4 cup Sucanat
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. sea salt
To make the cashew crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8-inch round springform or false bottom pan. In a food processor, grind the cashews until they resemble find meal. Add the Sucanat, oil, and vanilla. Process again until well combined. In a small bowl, stir the flour and salt together. Add the cashew mixture and mix into the flour, beginning with a spatula and ending with your hands. Press the crust into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until light brown and dry.
To make the chocolate mousse:
In a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate chips. In a blender or food processor, combine the silken tofu, Sucanat, vanilla, and salt. Process, then add the melted chocolate and blend for 2 minutes, or until very smooth and completely combined.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil the sides of the cake pan above the prebaked crust. Pour the mousse mixture into the pan and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then run a paring knife around the inside of the pan. Let the cake cool to the touch, refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Unmold just before serving.
Serve with raspberry sauce [2 cups fresh or 10 ounces unsweetened frozen raspberries, thawed; 1/4 cup Sucanat. In a blender, combine the raspberries and Sucanat. Then blend to a smooth sauce. Will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
In the #2 spot is one of my new favorites: Cafe Gratitude.
2400 Harrison Street, San Francisco
1336 9th Avenue, San Francisco
1730 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley
I like it because everything I have had is so impressive. How do they manipulate the flavors and textures??? They have amazing tiramisu. Their milkshakes are good (so far I've had the mint chocolate chip one and almond butter cup?). For appetizers, I had the nachos and samosas. The samosas were really good and spicy (they are as close as the real thing as i could possibly think raw ingredients can get). The first time I went, I got the pesto pizza?! and it was okay...but the second time I went, I got the sampler plate and that was good. I like Cafe Gratitude because I always feel satisfied and clean. The food is healthy and you feel healthy when you leave.
The #3 spot is Madeleine Bistro in Southern California:
18621 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana, CA 91356 (818) 758-6871
Seitan. Their seitan is so juicy with rosemary infused goodness. Anything with their seitan is good. I liked their beet appetizer dish - that was fancy and crazy. Beignets - french doughnuts are usually more square dipped in powdered sugar, but Madeleine beignets are round doughnuts with raw sugar served with spiced apple compote to dip in...yummy! It's a nice place, the only downside is that it is in the boonies of LA- so we only go really on the way to Woodland Hills to visit my family. The owner/chef is the guy who pretty much invented Real Food Daily's menu.
#4 is Follow Your Heart in Sherman Oaks, CA (So Ca):
This place definitely has a place in my heart - I like the relaxed and low-key grocery store/restaurant. They have good breakfast/brunch/lunch food. I like the club sandwich (which I always confuse with a "BLT")
#5 goes to Real Food Daily (also in So Ca):
Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly hills
Salisbury seitan is always good (but once, and just once a server tried to give it burnt). But other than that, the RFD Burrito is consistently good.
580 Geary St, San Francisco (415) 345-3900
It's expensive. It's fancy. It's genius. It's worth it. I can't believe what they do is completely vegan...their flavors are so complex and have so much depth. My favorite dessert is the Chocolate Almond Midnight - I was in heaven when we went to Millennium for a friend's birthday and his birthday cake was a whole Chocolate Almond Midnight cake!
Chocolate Almond Midnight (found posted on Bayareaveg.org)
Makes one 8-inch cake; serves 12]
Cashew Crust:
1/3 cup unsalted cashew nuts
3 Tbsp. Sucanat (sugar)
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. sea salt
Chocolate Mousse:
2 cups (16 ounces) nondairy chocolate chips
24.6 ounces extra-firm low-fat silken tofu
3/4 cup Sucanat
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. sea salt
To make the cashew crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8-inch round springform or false bottom pan. In a food processor, grind the cashews until they resemble find meal. Add the Sucanat, oil, and vanilla. Process again until well combined. In a small bowl, stir the flour and salt together. Add the cashew mixture and mix into the flour, beginning with a spatula and ending with your hands. Press the crust into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until light brown and dry.
To make the chocolate mousse:
In a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate chips. In a blender or food processor, combine the silken tofu, Sucanat, vanilla, and salt. Process, then add the melted chocolate and blend for 2 minutes, or until very smooth and completely combined.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil the sides of the cake pan above the prebaked crust. Pour the mousse mixture into the pan and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then run a paring knife around the inside of the pan. Let the cake cool to the touch, refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Unmold just before serving.
Serve with raspberry sauce [2 cups fresh or 10 ounces unsweetened frozen raspberries, thawed; 1/4 cup Sucanat. In a blender, combine the raspberries and Sucanat. Then blend to a smooth sauce. Will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
In the #2 spot is one of my new favorites: Cafe Gratitude.
2400 Harrison Street, San Francisco
1336 9th Avenue, San Francisco
1730 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley
I like it because everything I have had is so impressive. How do they manipulate the flavors and textures??? They have amazing tiramisu. Their milkshakes are good (so far I've had the mint chocolate chip one and almond butter cup?). For appetizers, I had the nachos and samosas. The samosas were really good and spicy (they are as close as the real thing as i could possibly think raw ingredients can get). The first time I went, I got the pesto pizza?! and it was okay...but the second time I went, I got the sampler plate and that was good. I like Cafe Gratitude because I always feel satisfied and clean. The food is healthy and you feel healthy when you leave.
The #3 spot is Madeleine Bistro in Southern California:
18621 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana, CA 91356 (818) 758-6871
Seitan. Their seitan is so juicy with rosemary infused goodness. Anything with their seitan is good. I liked their beet appetizer dish - that was fancy and crazy. Beignets - french doughnuts are usually more square dipped in powdered sugar, but Madeleine beignets are round doughnuts with raw sugar served with spiced apple compote to dip in...yummy! It's a nice place, the only downside is that it is in the boonies of LA- so we only go really on the way to Woodland Hills to visit my family. The owner/chef is the guy who pretty much invented Real Food Daily's menu.
#4 is Follow Your Heart in Sherman Oaks, CA (So Ca):
This place definitely has a place in my heart - I like the relaxed and low-key grocery store/restaurant. They have good breakfast/brunch/lunch food. I like the club sandwich (which I always confuse with a "BLT")
#5 goes to Real Food Daily (also in So Ca):
Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly hills
Salisbury seitan is always good (but once, and just once a server tried to give it burnt). But other than that, the RFD Burrito is consistently good.
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