I recently was sent some items from Oh Nuts! an online distributor of bulk products such as nuts, candy, dried fruit and chocolate. They were kind enough to send me the Raisin Nut Mix, Veggie Chips and Dried Apricots.
The Raisin Nut Mix and the Dried Apricots were great. We brought them on our cruise with us to snack on. The Raisin Nut Mix was the perfect balance of dried fruit, seeds and nuts and we ate it right up. The apricots were different than I usually buy (i usually buy unsulphered) but these were still good. Nice and juicy.
Mustard is one of my favorite condiments so when Dulcet Cuisine said to pick a few things and they would send them to me I went straight for the mustards. Dulcet Cuisine makes sauces, cooking spices & rubs, mustard and ketchup, however these aren’t your standard sauces, spices, mustards and ketchups they all have a little flare with added flavors. Like their exotic ketchups which come in Mild Indian Curry, Peppery Moroccan, and Sweet Orange Chili – don’t they all just sound delicious?
As I said I am a huge mustard fan so of course I went for their Moroccan Mustard and Madras Curry Mustard (they also have Sweet Chili Orange Mustard and Creole Mustard). Now I have been trying to come up with a creative use for them besides just spreading them on my Tofurky sandwich or veggie burger (which is an easy and delicious way to enjoy them) so I decided to checkout the Dulcet website and look at their recipes. This great resource has all of their sauces, mustards, ect listed with a variety of recipe ideas for their use. Under the Moroccan Curry there was a recipe for a bean dip which was basically beans, the mustard and orange juice – this combination sounded great to me so I used the orange juice and mustard as a base and created a dish of Sweet and Spicy Moroccan Mustard Glazed Tempeh & Green Beans:
Ingredients:
1 large naval orange, juiced
1-8oz pkg of tempeh, sliced
2 handfuls of green beans
1/2 c vegetable stock
1 T olive oil
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/3 c Dulcet Moroccan Mustard
1 t agave nectar
1 t chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste
In a large sautee pan place the tempeh and pour the vegetable stock over, turn the heat to high and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Whisk together the mustard, agave and chili flakes.
Add the oil, red pepper and onions to the pan, turn the heat the medium and sautee until the vegetables are soft. Add the green beans and the mustard mixture to the pan and let cook for 7-10 minutes, until the sauce has reduced. Add salt and pepper to taste.
*I served mine over kasha.
The mustards I tried were great and I am excited to try other products by Dulcet.
This sparkling hibiscus drink is full of vitamin c and has a great sweet flavor – not flowery like you’d expect from hibiscus. There are 6 different flavors of Ooba: Hibiscus and Hibiscus with the following- Lime, Orange, Vanilla, Pineapple and Blackberry. I tired the original, lime and orange. Although they are all great, I really enjoyed the lime. The flavor was sweet but not too sweet like sugary fruit juices (also there is not high fructose corn-syrup or artificial sweeteners). This drink is actually very refreshing and although I wouldn’t have it every day it was a great replacement for my normal afternoon coffee and actually gave me a lot more energy and didn’t have the 5pm caffeine crash.
I’d really like to try the other flavors, especially the vanilla it sounds very intriguing. So check out the Ooba sight for more info and check out their adult beverage recipes (I think I might have to try the Ooba Margarita sounds so good.)
My husband I decide that we would runaway for the weekend and after he got out of work on Friday we headed to Connecticut – and then NYC for the day on Saturday. On our way down to Connecticut we decided to stop for dinner in Northampton, MA and had one of the best meals. I had heard from another blogger that Paul and Elizabeth’s was the place to go in Northampton for some great vegan eats; it is not vegan however most the menu is- also there is no “walking animals” served at their restaurant…i.e. they only serve fish and shellfish, and vegetarian items.
I ordered the Grilled Tofu Kebabs which were marinated and broiled tofu and vegetables on a skewer on a bed of brown rice with a garden salad. My husband ordered the Vegetarian Plate which was one of the specials for the night and it came with a big bed of bok choy, kale, onions and tofu with rice croquettes on the side. We also started with a small bowl the Sweet Potato Coconut Soup which was creamy and delicious. At first glance you might look at the menu and say wow prices are a little higher (around $12-15 a dish) however the meals a huge – enough for 2 – and the food is amazing. I unfortunately forgot the camera in our car so I didn’t get any photos but I am sure that on my next visit I will make sure to get pictures of their delish food.
On Saturday we headed into the city to wander around meet up with old friends and had planned on staying the night however life happens and we weren’t able to- which meant missing VegFest ….I guess there’s always next year. After walking for about an hour we finally made it to our first destination- Peacefood Cafe on 82nd and Amsterdam. It is this great little spot that is open from 9am -10pm and has breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with baked goods, coffees and juices.
There were so many things that we wanted to order and had the hardest time deciding however we finally came to a decision and got the Raw Key Lime Pie, Macaroon, Apple Ginger Soy (it had juice of an apple and some ginger topped with steamed milk- amazing), a Panini of Pan-seared French Horn Mushrooms with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, artichoke aioli, mint & basil pesto and we ordered a Tempeh Avocado sandwich with baked marinated tempeh, creamy avocado, pickled radishes, shredded carrots and cilantro. We loved the Raw Key Lime Pie it was delicious and had a great key lime sauce on it, however the macaroon it was okay (but I think I make a better one). As for the 2 sandwiches the Panini was the winner it was warm and creamy and delicious. The temeph sandwich was okay but my husband and I both felt it was a little salty and that there were too many pickled radishes on it which just over powered the sandwich. I do however love this place and after seeing other peoples orders there is so much more I want to try.
We spent the remainder of our day wandering around the city and meeting up with friends. We met up with my bestie at this great little coffee shop in Soho called Ground Support on West Broadway across from Seven for All Mankind and next door to Anthropolige. We didn’t get any coffee because I had already had some that morning but it smelled amazing and Cate loves it there. After that we stopped in at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum Shop (which for all you vegans out there is just around the corner from Babycakes and down the street from Moo Shoes) this shop and museum is one of our favorites in the city and has a great selection of books and gifts. My husband picked up a great T-shirt from here as well as a book and I got a new vegan bag which I love. It was great too I asked the girl if it was leather and she was like I don’t know lets google the designer and see what their site says and to my luck the bags are all vegan faux leather (and I know you all are wandering well who makes it then? and i forget…there is no tag in the bag). We also stopped at our favorite candy shop in Chinatown Aji Ichiban which has a variety of Asian treats and are all labeled with their ingredients.
Before we left the city we met up with my friend from high school and went to Chennai Garden one of our favorite Southern Indian Restaurants. We had amazing food and the best part is everything that has dairy in it is labeled so you know which items you can order- oh and the place is all vegetarian. We always go with a dosa- this time the gunpowder one which was amazing and we went with a curry as well the Malki Kofta (not usually vegan but here it was! love it). We were so hungry I didn’t get any shots in but you can find pictures here from my last visit.
Our last stop before we headed home was in New Haven CT at Claire’s Corner Copia for breakfast Sunday morning. We had a great breakfast too- I ordered a coffee and Tofu Scramble with whole wheat baguette and Neil got an orange juice and the Pancakes with bananas. Our meals came and we dug in they were great. Mine wasn’t the best scramble i’ve had but it was good and the baguette was amazing with it. My hubz pancakes where really incredible – they were whole wheat and had cinnamon in them and topped with bananas and real maple syrup. Claire’s has become a favorite stop of ours and it’s all vegetarian with vegan items clearly marked and many dishes they can make vegan- and trust me their menu is huge!
Overall great trip but of course never long enough.
Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together and pour over the tempeh, making sure it is evenly coated
Bake 20-30 min or until tempeh has browned and marinade has been mostly absorbed
Potato Croutons:
2 small potatoes, diced
salt and pepper
1 T olive oil
Toss the diced potato with salt, pepper and olive oil.
Spread on a sheet pan and place in a 350F oven for 30-40 minutes, until golden and crispy
Soup:
1 T olive oil
1 Lg onion, diced
1 lb new potatoes, skin on, washed and diced
1 C sliced carrots
1 Quart Vegetable Broth
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
1 Bay Leaf
1 C unsweetened soy milk
1/2 C nutritional Yeast
1 T yellow mustard
salt and pepper
In a large sauce pan heat the olive oil over med-high and add the onion. Sautee until the onion is soft and translusent
Add the garlic and carrots and cook for 3-5 min until the carrots begin to soften.
Add the potatoes and toss together for 1 minute.
Add the vegetable broth and bay leaf. Bring up to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer.
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaf. Stir in the nutritional yeast, mustard and sou milk.
With an immersion blender, blend all the ingredients together. (You can also use a regular blender to do this, however you will need to blend in batches)
Turn the heat back on to low and crumble in all but 2 of the tempeh bacon slices. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with crumbled bacon and potato croutons.
My hubz and I have been craving sushi for awhile now, however as well all know that because of the rice it can take a little extra time to prep- making this not a spur of the moment dish. However, if you have some pecans on hand suddenly rice is replaced with pecan pate and if anything is even more delicious!
My favorite recipe for this comes from http://glivng.com and is Vanessa Sherwood’s Recipe
Nori Rolls
with Pecan Paté, Spicy Miso, and Fresh Veggies (raw)
(http://gliving.com/nori-rolls-with-pecan-pate/) by GreenChef Vanessa Sherwood
For the pecan paté:
2 Cups Pecans
1/3 Cup Minced Red Onion
1/2 Cup Chopped Parsley
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 Teaspoons Nama Shoyu
2 Teaspoons Cold Pressed Sesame Oil
Place the pecans into a food processor. Process until you have small crumbs. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse chop in.
For the Rolls:
1 Normal Avocado, Sliced
Hand Full of Sprouts (I used cucumber instead because I was all out of sprouts)
1 Normal Red Bell Pepper, Julienned
2 TablespoonsDark Miso Mixed with 1/4 Teaspoon cayenne
Nama shoyu and wasabi powder for dipping
To Assemble:
Spread 1 teaspoon of the spicy miso on a sheet of nori. Smear 2-3 tablespoons of the pate evenly across the bottom third of the nori sheet leaving 1 inch of nori sheet exposed at the bottom. Top with cucumber(or sprouts) , red bell pepper and avocado slices. Make sure to lay the sliced vegetables horizontally to make the rolling easier.
Fold the bottom of the sheet up and over the ingredients tucking the edge under the ingredients and roll all the way up. Before you get to the end, you may want to moisten the top edge of the nori sheet with a little water and then roll shut. This will keep it from opening up.
Cut the roll in half (or in bite sized pieces) and put on a plate. Serve with some nama shoyu mixed with wasabi powder if desired.
I have been reading all these great Vegan Mofo post about Autumn Comfort foods which automatically made me crave squash, sweet potatoes and apple pie. One of my favorite fall, comfort food dishes is Mac and Cheese which was great especially paired with Hitachino Nest White Ale (beer).
Mac and Cheese with Zucchini and Mushrooms
1 Cup Soymilk
1/3 Cup Raw, Unsalted Cashews
1/2 Cup Nutritional Yeast
3 Tbs Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs Red Miso
1 Tbs Cornstarch
1 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Paprika
4 Cloves of Garlic
1 Large tomato, diced
Black pepper, to taste
1 box of short pasta (penne, rigatoni, ect)
2 zucchini, Sliced in half moons
8oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced in half
1 Tbs Olive Oil
salt and pepper
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Toss zucchini and mushrooms with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a sheet pan; roast for 35 minutes.
To make sauce blend soymilk, cashews, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, Earth Balance, tahini, red miso, cornstarch, lemon juice, dijon mustard, paprika, garlic, tomato and black pepper. Blend until smooth.
Cook the pasta, I like gluten free pasta or whole wheat. Drain the pasta and pour the sauce into the hot pan and slowly heat up; the sauce will thicken slightly. Add the zucchini, mushrooms, and pasta- toss to coat.
