Where to Treat Vegan: Ipanema - Richmond, VA

It seems that all roads lead to Richmond these days and I will most certainly be making a trip there soon. Last month when I was visiting Tangier Island I stopped by Richmond for dinner and a treat. You may remember last year's Somewhere New in Richmond when I went to Ipanema and split a piece of pie with my friend Compton.

This time around I wanted all the treat to myself! Ipanema has a daily list of their vegan dessert offerings and this time I went for the Mocha Chocolate Cake and a glass of wine - I was feeling particularly decadent.

After a day of touring and riding the ferry it was nice to curl into the booth at Ipanema under the soft yellow lights and eat a treat while doing a crossword. The icing was sweet but not overly dense and the cake was moist. I'll be real - I ate this cake and then bought another for the road. I STILL need to go back for dinner - expect an update of that in the next few weeks.

Ipenama

Location:

917 West Grace Street

Hours:

Mon - Fri 11am - 5:30pm
7 days a week 5:30pm - 11pm

Where to (Tr)Eat Vegan: Taza Chocolate Factory - Somerville, MA

Sometimes a girl needs a treat. Lots of them. Every day. I'm trying to talk my taste buds out of craving sweets before and after every meal but well...girl's just wana have fun. I'm not a chocoholic or anything but I can tear through some brownies or a chocolate bar when given the chance so I was super pleased to fall upon Taza while I was staying in Somerville. The chocolate factory happen to be right in my friend's backyard practically and because I was there during Halloween weekend I got to partake in the Dia de los Meurtos celebration at the factory.

Know what's great about Taza? This stone ground, certified organic, bean to bar goodness is all vegan! Yay! Plus their process leaves the nutrients of the chocolate intact. That's right I said nutrients and chocolate together. Here's what they have to say: Our chocolate contains many of the vitamins and minerals that are essential to good health, including iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and the vitamins A, B1, C, D, and E. And chocolate has more magnesium than any other food." That's all I need to hear.

For only 5 bucks a person, with one dollar of that going directly towards Sustainable Harvest International you can tour the factory and see chocolate being made on their vintage machines. If you live too far away you can take a virtual tour but you'll miss out on the free chocolate samples.

In March Taza and Cotton Tree Lodge in Belize will be introducing Chocolate Week. A whole week of exploring chocolate from the tree to your chocolate bar..and did I mention it's in Belize? Yeah...

They also have recipes on their website. I seriously want to try their guajillo chili chocolate mexicano cupcake recipe!

Vegan Mofo: The Best Fried Rice and Chocolate Avocado Pudding

One of my favorite things to make is fried rice. It's easy, it's tasty and it's filling. The oils that I use in my fried rice were originally gathered by Alicia Silverstone in the Kind Diet but we differ on ingredients to go in the rice. This dish is great because it's customizable. You don't need to measure things, you don't have to follow a set of ingredients, just keep tasting till it tastes right! As with a lot of Asian dishes, I have found, a lot of knowing when the dish is done is based on smell. If you want your fried rice to have a saltier flavor, add more tamari till it smells salty. If you want it to be more vinegary add more vinegar until it smells like you have enough. Personally I prefer more salt to vinegar but to each his own.

Fried Rice for 2

1 cup basmati brown rice, cooked
3 organic carrots, sliced into rounds but not peeled
1/2 red onion, diced
1 portobella cap, cleaned and sliced
toasted sesame oil
brown rice vinegar
braggs liquid amino or tamari
(also consider things like peas, kale - which should be added at the same time as the rice, cabbage, daikon, adzuki beans or water chestnuts)

1. Heat about two tablespoons of toasted sesame oil in your cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and mushrooms. Sautee until the onions are getting translucent and the carrots and mushrooms have taken on a darker, saturated color - about 3 or 4 minutes.

2. Add the already cooked brown basmati rice. Stir the veggies and rice together to mix. Start adding your vinegar and tamari a little at a time. I tend to do about 1-2 tablespoons worth of tamari first, then about a teaspoon of vinegar. Taste.

3. Let the rice and veggies keep cooking until the carrots are soft but certainly not mushy. Keep seasoning as needed. I would guess that I use roughly 3 tbsp of tamari and perhaps 2 tsp of vinegar in all. Serve hot topped with sesame seeds, shriracha or just as is!

For dessert I have been somewhat obsessed with avocado pudding lately. I don't remember where I first saw it but I jotted down the ingredients from somewhere and then just finally got around to making it. SO GOOD!



Oh were you expecting a picture of it? I ate it all....

Avocado Pudding

2 ripe avocados
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp lemon juice
6 tbsp carob or chocolate powder

1. Put it all in a blender. Blend. Eat.

This dessert is so simple and so tasty. Everyone I have made it for, and I have made both carob and chocolate, agree that it has so much more complexity and character than your standard pudding, while still satisfying that fat-kid desire to finish (or start) the meal with a Snack Pack.

Where to Eat DC: Sticky Fingers

This Sunday a few of my girlfriends and I spent the day in DC. First stop - Sticky Fingers Bakery!. This sweet sweet piece of sweet shop isn't just about goodies - they have sandwiches, soups, and best of all - weekend brunch! French toast, pancakes, breakfast burritos, biscuits and gravy - and everything is gloriously vegan. And after you have stuffed yourself with yummy food, don't forget your dessert. Ever heard of a little thing called Cupcake Wars? Sticky Fingers is competing this year!



The only problem with this place - seating is seriously limited. This wouldn't be such a bummer if dummies didn't sit around with empty plates in front of them playing on their iphones or chit chatting. But, that's what happens. They sit, ignoring the "hey if you're done, move on and make room for others" sign. They sit, ignoring me pointedly staring at them with my plate full of chili and grilled bacon and cheese sammy. Ok - mini rant over. But be prepared to eat standing up or take it out.



Despite this place being smack across the street from a Target and a Giant, stepping into Sticky Fingers is like stepping back into a 50's style cafe. The decor and retro kitchen appliances definitely add to the charm of this place.



Sticky Fingers is at 1370 Park Rd NW, Washington DC 20010. Hop the green line and get off at the Columbia Heights metro stop. Open 7 days a week.

Vegan Pecan Pumpkin Muffins

Mama Lori was kind enough to make these little treats for me the other morning. USUALLY I'm not a big fan of having bumps in my muffins unless its of the chocolate variety. But, to my surprise and delight (I get excited about my tastes maturing) I really enjoyed these. And I enjoyed them even more the next day when they had developed that slightly tacky texture on top. You know the texture I'm talking about? No?



She presented the muffins to me in this delightful and very familiar little tin. I picked this tin of cookies or biscuits as they are called out for Lori while we were in Paris. I've talked about La Cure Gourmande in previous posts. Love their design work.

Makes 12
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs (egg replacer plus water)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 to 1 tsp cloves
1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/3 cup water
chopped pecans

1. Prepare the vegan egg replacer according to the package. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Mix together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and spices in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl beat together the sugar, oil and eggs. Add the water. Add the dry mix.
4. Fold in the chopped pecans and pour into muffin tins.
5. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Serve with pumpkin butter or a bit of maple syrup!

Coast to Cote Week 34

Pang: I had another photo shoot with the Slough's for their fall family portraits over the weekend. The weather couldn't have been more perfect really. In between shots, Haiden stretched out his hands towards me as i snapped a quick photo. Kids are so cute!

Lacey: This past weekend I went to New York for the weekend with my old room-mate Brittney. We've done a bit of a traveling together and I feel like maybe we are getting better at balancing each other's moods and itineraries. Our activities for the weekend centered mostly around museums and food. The first day we went to the MET and checked out the Roman statues and the Egyptian exhibit. We ate at Candle 79 that night (which you must check out!) and were rewarded with amazing food, free drinks and Alicia Silverstone in the building! The second day we went to the Natural History Museum to see the butterfly exhibit (they were flying so close to my head, I was a little creeped out) and then that evening before jumping (or rather pushing and shoving our way) back onto the bus we stopped at Babycakes - an all vegan bakery around the corner from the bustop in Chinatown. Alicia Silverstone's book had tipped me off to this place as well and we were not at all dissapointed. The treats were great, Morrissey was playing and the girls were dressed as pin up 50's girls with their hair up in scarves and their lips painted red.

Inspiration and Hunger Pangs

I have often been told by readers of my blog "reading your blog makes me so hungry!" Well recently I have stumbled upon and started reading some blogs that make me just flat out drool. Im absolutely one of those types of people who will buy a cookbook or follow a blog based on pictures alone - and these three blogs certainly pulled me in with their admirable snapping ability but low and behold they furnish us with tasty recipes to boot! Take a look and see what I'm talking about.
(the pictures below are pulled from the blogs I am featuring - permission was granted beforehand and the artists retain all rights)

1. 6bittersweets


I saw this picture a little while back while browsing on flickr and instantly fell in love. And what?! She has a blog to go with these lovely little treats? This self described avid baker is also practically a neighbor! Alright she lives in the neighboring state (VA) but whatever! While bittersweet tends to lean towards the sweeter side of life she also likes to cook - I am anxious to see what veggie fare she will cook up in the future - but for now I will gaze longingly at the mojito cupcakes that currently grace her blog.

2. Bakers Royale is next on the list.



Naomi at Bakers Royale makes my list because this self taught baker makes the cutest treats around. I have absolutely no patience to make my food look adorable or perfect but I have a huge amount of respect for people who do. Her pictures inspire me to wait just a few minutes more before chomping away at my creations to take a second to try to spruce the food up for the camera.

3. I have saved my favorite for last - the talented Celine S over at have cake, will travel. Why is she my favorite? Well just look at her work!



Not only are her images amazing but its all vegan and she even give us the recipe. Well...not always actually. But she has her reasons:

At the moment she is taking photos of burgers for a book she and Joni Newman are working on together. It doesn't come out until next summer but you will want this. Don't believe me? Try this on for size. Celine just posted a picture of a "masa masala burger in sweet potato bun on top of brown basmati rice, green peas and red lentils in tangy tahini dressing." Can't imagine what that looks like (but I bet you are drooling over what it SOUNDS like) take a peak at her flickr and prepare to be hungry!

In the meantime....looking for a new cookbook? I know I always am! Lets get her 500 Vegan Recipes Book!

I hope you all enjoy these blogs as much as I do!

Vegan Oreo Cupcakes

So recently I bought myself the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World book...and I love it. These were my first project from the book and I can't wait to try more. I took a cupcake over to my brother who is deathly afraid of the word vegan and even HE loved it. Just a few days later we made a double batch together (its hard to bake with him because he eats them all before they can get frosted!). So...vegans and non vegans alike will love these and I highly recommend the book and I will keep you posted on further experiments!

Vegan Oreo Cupcakes
Makes 12

1 cup soymilk
1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (I like lemon juice myself)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped oreos

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and line your muffin pans (I did big ones the first time and minnie the second time)
2. Whisk together the soy milk and lemon (or vinegar) in a big bowl and let it sit for a few minutes. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract and beat until the mixture is foamy. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, the cocoa powder and the salt. Add in two batches to the wet ingredients and beat until there are no large lumps. Add the oreos.
3. Fill your liners and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Move the cupcakes to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Oreo Frosting
1/4 cup non-hydrog shortening
1/4 cup non-hydrog margarine (Earth Balance is a good one and they come in baking sticks!)
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 cup plain soy milk
1/2 cup crushed oreos

Beat the shortening and margarine together until fluffy. Add the sugar and beat 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and soymilk and beat 5 more minutes. Add the oreos. Spread!

Apple Crumble

I can't say enough good things about Love Soup. Except for this. There are no pictures! Regardless, I love this book and would reccomend it to anyone who loves simple, healthy, delicious food.

I have made this recipe for Farmhouse Apple Crumble several times now and each time it has been met with the happy sounds of people scraping their plates. I've made slight changes to the recipe after trying it her way - but really this recipe is quite a gem.



Farmhouse Apple Crumble

For the Apples
3-4 apples (I use a mix of Granny Smith and Pink Lady)
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup raw or brown sugar

For the crumble
6 tbsp cold vegan butter spread
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup raw or brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats

1. Preheat the oven to 375
2. Cut each apple into thin slices, removing the seeds and peel as you go. I cut each apple in half and then make 4 slices with each half. In a small bowl, combine the sliced apples with the lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. Use your hands or a spoon to coat the apples with the other ingredients. Dump the apples into a casserole dish.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, rolled oats and brown sugar and mix well. Cut in the butter. You can use a pastry knife here or your hands (use your hands! its more fun). After the mixture has come together and can form a loose, sticky ball, start taking little handfuls and dropping them over the apples, making sure to cover all holes and gaps for a uniform soon-to-be crunchy top.
4. Pop the crumble in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until its all bubbly and golden. Serve hot or room temperature.



Mes amis français m'ont demandé pour la recette, donc voila! En français maintenant! Ça c'est le crumble de pomme que j'ai fait plusieurs fois pendent que j'étais en France.



Crumble de Pomme

Pour les Pommes
3 ou 4 pommes, enlever les pépins, peler, et couper (j'utilise un mélange de pommes rose et vert)
45 ml jus de citron
50 g cassonade ou sucre
1 cuillère a café de cannelle
1 demi cuillère a café de noix de muscade en poudre

Pour le Crumble
65 g farine (j'utilise de la farine complet)
150 g cassonade
50 g flocons d'avoine
90 g de margarine végétale (ou du beurre, comme vous voulez)

1. Préchauffez le four a 190 C
2. Dans un saladier mélangez la cannelle, le sucre, la muscade et le jus de citron. Ajoutez les pommes, mélangez tous et mettez-le dans une cocotte (c'est ca? en anglais c'est a casserole, mais je sais que ca c'est pas le même chose en français).
3. Dans un deuxième saladier, mélangez les ingrédients pour le crumble jusqu'à vous pouvez le mettre sous forme d'une balle. Mettez le crumble au dessus les pommes.
4. Enfournez pour 45-55 minutes, ou jusqu'à le crumble sois doré. Servez-le chaud ou temp ambiante.

s

Creep People Party! Oh I mean Crepe....

Right before my sad/happy return to America, Remi and his family and girlfriend agreed to teach me the French art of crepe making! Turns out the recipe is pretty simple but making a beautiful crepe is not!

We tried to different variations of crepe batter - one with milk and a touch of rum and one with half milk and half beer. I think it was pretty much unanimous that the beer batter was the more flavorful and enjoyable of the two - which surprised me as Im not too crazy about beer.

So here you have it:

Simple Crepes
(makes about a dozen)

3 eggs
250 grams of flour
1/2 liter of milk (or half milk, half beer)
1 soup spoon of vegetable oil
a pinch of salt
a shot of rum (exclude if you are doing half beer)

Put all your ingredients in a blender and blend until....well blended. The tricky part is mastering the wrist motion for getting the perfect crepe. You may have noticed in the pictures that my crepes have substantial craters and holes in them. Im a beginner, obviously.



Ryan is going to be buying me a late birthday present of a brand new crepe pan (this present seems like it has some selfish motivation, but I wont say anything because im thrilled to be getting it :) so I fully intend to be an expect come next February 2nd, which is the celebration of La Chandeleur in France. As with all religious holidays in France - there is a certain food eaten in celebration. February 2nd is the crepes day to be flipped and filled and stuffed into mouths.

In preparation for this occasion Remi's mom equipped me with a gold coin and instructed me to flip a crepe up into the air and catch it in the pan, while holding the pan. If I could do this successfully my family would prosper for the rest of the year. You're welcome family - I caught it.



Remi's mom gave me a little book of crepe recipes before I left and promised that when I come back to Limoges she will give me a confiture (jam) recipe book so I can make all kinds of tasty fillings for my crepes.

Look for more crepe posts in my future - sugary and salty ones and for sure some dairy-free and vegan ones. Gluten free for my friend Johanna? Lets see what we can do here...

Vegan Buttermilk Banana Cake

For those of you lucky assistants and friends that were at Adam's going away cookout, you probably got to try my non-vegan buttermilk cake. Well this is not the recipe for that and here is why - that milk and butter gives me a tummy ache! Plus I really want to learn to bake vegan - so I took the recipe I used for the non-vegan cake and made it vegan. Voila, the results!

My biggest concern in making this cake vegan was replacing the egg. Lets face it - those little guys do the job right. But! I read that you can use a banana and it will do mostly the same thing (comes out a bit denser but you will never hear me complain about a dense cake), but of course it will add the taste of banana. Well lucky me, I love bananas. I make banana bread like...like I love bananas.

Vegan Buttermilk Banana Cake

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (its almost healthy this way!)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted vegan butter spread, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 small banana, mashed well
1/2 cup vanilla soy buttermilk (almost a half cup of vanilla soy milk plus the juice of half a lemon - let sit for a minute)
1 cup vegan chocolate chips or carob chips
raw sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter and flour a 9 inch round cake pan, or a loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and the salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar together (cream it - in baking terms) with an electric mixer until it's fluffy. Add the banana, mix. With the mixer on low, beat in 1/3 of the flour. Add half the buttermilk. Beat in another 1/4 of the flour. Add the rest of the milk, then the rest of the flour. Mix until just combine. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spoon.
3. Scrape it into your prepared dish of choice and smooth the top. Scatter a small handful of raw sugar on top (or some fresh strawberries! I didn't have any).
4. Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out clean (25 to 30 minutes). Cool in the pan 10 minutes then put it on a wire rack.

Birthday (Cook)Books

Its the time of year again. Twice a year I can drop hints and to what exactly my little heart has been desiring. Lately, with anticipation of coming home and having access to full size kitchens, my food processor, and an oven, I have been pretty hooked on cookbooks. Here are a few I have my eye on.



I found Vegan Brunch when I was searching and copying recipes (a favorite past-time of mine, I have word docs for every type of food or meal). Obviously the thought of cutting out all dairy and eggs is a scary thought (eggs would be so hard for me!) but seeing books like this does spark my interest. I already have one of her recipes from the book, a vegan tempeh crab cake, which I am eager to try when I get home, so I really cant wait to see what else she has in here!



Also as some of your lucky lads and ladies might know, I love to bake. Some of you more intimate lads and ladies will also know that I am a total failure when it comes to cookies, except for these which turned out amazing (though a little wonky looking) and were finished in no time flat. So maybe I should try Vegan Cookies. Its worth a shot AND my favorite cookies are already vegan.



While we are at it lets to cupcakes too!



Another thing I miss about my kitchen back home is my crock pot. Thus, the Vegetarian Slow Cooker would be a welcome addition to my cookbook collection. I like that this book is split into types of food like Asian, Middle Easter, ect.



Another book that is divided like that, and which would be helpful when cooking for a certain someone who puts sriracha on everything is Vegan Fire and Spice.



Vegan Table is divided into dinners for two, special occasions, and feasts and then subsplit in each category into seasons. Pretty cool.



And last but certainly not least is Heidi Swanson's (of the wonderful blog 101 cookbooks) book Cook 1.0 which has gotten rave reviews. What I love about her blog/book, aside from the great food ideas, is that she is a photographer, so all the pictures are her own in the book. Inspiration.

Happy reading.

Banana Chocolate Chip Brownies

I've made these brownies several times now (with much success) but have never posted about them because...well gosh, brownies are like the hardest thing to photograph. But finally I just decided to post it anyhow.



I've been making so many banana treats lately that people must be getting sick of them but I never do! I have to hide my bananas though because people keep eating them thinking Im going to let them rot/throw them away.

Ingredients
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (divided)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 small very ripe banana, mashed

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325°F Butter a 9 inch square pan or a loaf pan (thats all I have but it makes nice thick brownies!).
2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt; set aide.
3. In a small saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Immediately remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Blend in vanilla. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and cool slightly. With a whisk or fork, beat one egg at a time in a small bowl then blend it into the mixture. Blend in mashed banana, then flour mixture. Fold in remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips save a few to throw on top. Spread in pan. Throw the reserved chocolate chips on top.
4. Bake about 45 minutes or until a knife stuck in the center comes out clean.
5. Cool completely in pan.

Cheerio Marshmallow Treats

Before I came to france I fell upon vegan marshmallows at the Common Market and bought myself a little bag and brought them with me. While cleaning out my pantry and fridge this week (I'm traveling next week!) I came upon the bag of mallows tucked in the back of the pantry where I had forgotten them and decided to use them.



Vegan Mallow Cheerio Treats
1/3 cup veggie spread (or butter if you prefer)
1 bag mallows
a splash of vanilla (just because I love it)
5-6 cups of Cheerios or whatever cereal you like

1. Melt the veg spread or butter in a heavy bottom pan. Add the mallows and stir until they melt and all the lumps disappear.
2. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla, then add the cereal a cup or so at a time until you cant get them coated anymore.
3. In a lightly oiled cake pan or casserole, press the mixture into the pan with a piece of wax paper until it is evenly spread.
4. Let cool for a few hours and slice and serve.


I should say that the Marshmallows made by Dandies were excellent. Melted just like mallows and taste amazing!

Also I wanted to address the fact that I haven't been posting many recipes. Aside from the desserts I eat, I have turned into a fruit and veg addict lately. When I eat out I tend to stray a bit but at home I have been really on top of getting a balanced diet and I haven't been posting about it for fear that no one will want to hear about it.



Here is an example of things I have been eating lately. Grilled cheese with a mix of goat cheese and cheddar (cheddar did you say? Oh yes I found some expensive cheddar but its not quite what I was hoping for but still good) pesto, sprouts (mix of alfalfa, leek, and lentil) and cucumber. Salad with spinach, red cabbage, pom seeds, sunflower seeds, grapes, dried strawberries, and golden raisins, and a banana for dessert.
Boring? I have never felt better honestly. The teachers at work like to tease me because they say that I am ALWAYS eating (which is true, I eat 4 or 5 smalls meals a day now) but then they peek into my tuperware and see only salads and pita chips and cheese and dried apricots and then they aren't so miffed as to why I dont weigh 500 pounds.
Anyhow, I have plans for the future for more exciting meals so look out for: Black Bean and Butternut Squash soup, Nutella Pound Cake, Orange Cranberry Sauce over toasted Quinoa, Homemade Gnocchi, and Veg Enchiladas with Black Bean Salad in the nearish future.