Thanksgiving: Now more than just Tofurkey

This year for Thanksgiving I decided to forgo the traditional Tofurkey and instead made my own version of some of my favorite Crif Dogs.




This little guy is my version of the Tsunami. Tofu dog wrapped in tempeh bacon, topped with pineapple, green onion, and teriyaki sauce.








This one is my favorite :-) This dog has tempeh bacon, tofutti, and avocado with a McClure's Spicy Pickle on the side.




Don't forget, Crif Dogs are deep fried!

Overdue

I've had many ideas for this blog over the past few months, and haven't bothered to post any of them. Maybe this post will just be a highlight for some of the things I've been meaning write over the past few months.

In June, I spent a few days staying with a friend in Raleigh who is probably pretty much opposite of vegan. But because she is a good hostess, and my friend she said that I could invite people over for a small party and include vegan treats. In the end we compromised and I said it was fine if she made jalapeno poppers too and even tried really hard not to make grossed out faces towards the bacon. In preparation she looked up many vegan recipes that also wouldn't involve too many crazy ingredients and came across this chocolate cupcake recipe. No weird health-food store ingredients necessary (not that I'm opposed to those), and it is damn tasty. We paired it with this frosting recipe. Damn. Tasty.

One night she also made me a dish called Christians and Moors. I don't have the recipe, and its just black beans and rice anyway. I just wanted to let you know that I went to Raleigh and ate Christians and Moors. Raleigh is hardcore like that.

In more recent news, being too lazy to go to the food coop I ended up creating a tempeh bacon and asparagus sandwich for dinner one night. Lucky for me it turned out well. More specifically it was lightly cooked asparagus, LightLife tempeh bacon, veganaise, and picante pepper mustard. The mustard I picked up on a trip to the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, WI, in case any of y'all are mustard enthusiasts. Here is the result:

Maybe sometimes laziness can result in good things.

Vegan Flea Market Finds

In celebration of finishing grad school I hit up not one, but TWO flea markets on Saturday. This weekend the Brooklyn Lyceum was hosting a craft fair. While I didn't end up buying any crafts, I did partake in a lovely vegan cherry danish. I honestly don't think I've had a danish the the past couple years, so I was excited to try this vegan version. When I ordered my danish the women asked if I needed it wrapped up, and I was like "No, I'm having it now." She appreciated my enthusiasm. So I want to give a little press to bakesalery for satisfying my pastry craving. If you're interested, their goods are available at various flea markets or on etsy.

Once I was done at the Lyceum craft fair, I went to visit my old friend the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene. I hadn't been there since last summer, so a return to this outdoor flea was a great way to greet the return of summer. At Brooklyn Yard last year I made the acquaintance of Asia Dog: asian inspired hot dog creations. I was definitely excited to run into them at the flea on Saturday. While they are not all vegan, they do have great options. My favorite has been The Mash: jalapeno ketchup, spicy mustard, and potato chip crumbles on a veggie dog. Yum. They also got a shout out this week on New York Mag's approval matrix. A little lowbrow but brilliant.

In other news I almost jumped up and down for joy this morning at the food coop when I saw that they just started carrying the previously unavailable daiya cheese shreds. Hooray!

Noodle Bar

My Saturday evening was spent at the Momofuku noodle bar. I have to admit that I am not 100% sure this meal was entirely vegan, since this isn't a vegan restaurant. To me, it's worth it to be able to enjoy my life, rather than fret over every single thing I eat. Otherwise I think I don't think my friends would ask me to dinner any more.

Here's my super yummy shitake steamed buns.




And my main course, ginger scallion noodles. Plus Lone Star beer :-)

Leftovers

What's better than a freshly home-cooked vegan meal? Vegan leftovers! Tonight's dinner was an epic combination of vegan leftovers that I felt I needed to share. My idea was inspired by a potato sandwich at the Roebling Tea Room that I didn't order because of wealth of animal products included in it.

This weekend I happened to have some leftover mashed potatoes, made with earth balance and soy milk as well as bit of tofu, perfect for frying. I fried up the tofu, using curry power and cumin as the spices. Then I heated up some mashed potatoes and put the it all between two slices of grain bread. Here's the result:



Overall my creation was filling and quite yummy. However, I may not have added enough curry powder for the flavor to come through. Next time I'll probably add some rooster sauce or Texas Pete for some extra flavor. Anyone else have ideas for fun leftover combinations?

Coming soon: The results of a recent thrift shopping trip to Williamsburg.

Moroccan Stew

I got this recipe from the internet, and the person who posted it got it from one of the Moosewood cookbooks. I tried it for the first time a couple weeks ago, and I have to say, it was pretty delicious. Also, I didn't have any saffron. I made a half recipe and it still fed me for 4 meals.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 cup chopped green beans
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups cubed fresh tomatoes
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 13 ounces can artichoke hearts, drained and halved (reserve the brine)
• 1/2 cup pitted black olives, halved
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.
2. Add the thyme, potatoes, green beans, bell pepper, and tomatoes and cook on medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the vegetable stock and the artichoke brine and simmer, covered until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Stir in the halved artichoke hearts, the black olives and a pinch of saffron.
5. Continue to simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
6. Add the lemon juice, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6

Let me know what you think!

Two Things Even Omnivores Can Appreciate

Any one who has met me more than five minutes has heard me talk about the Park Slope Food Coop. The Coop is the reason why when looking for a new apartment I kept my search to a 15 minute walking distance radius to the block of Union Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. It is the largest member-run food cooperative in the country and I've even taken friends there as part of their visit to Brooklyn. Trying to shop there on the weekends or after work is an exercise in not punching or yelling at strangers. I love it. They manage to pack the closely set shelves with nearly anything you could need, including t-shirts, yoga mats, local produce, bulk coffee, and wool socks. However, I can shop with a good conscious because of their attempts to provide organic products that make the least footprint on the environment. Seriously, I love it. They also have available many of my favorite vegan alternatives, such as Follow Your Heart vegan sour cream and cream cheese, soy yogurt, and dark chocolate. And to add to the wonderfulness the prices are a fraction of other stores since most of the labor is provided by the members. In this city of over 8 million people, the Coop makes me feel like part of a community. I just wanted to let you all know, so you could hopefully love it at least a fraction of the amount I do.

Something else everyone should know about is Angelica Kitchen. It is an exclusively vegan restaurant and has been in the East Village since 1976. Of course I had heard of it, but I finally ate there for the first time a week ago. The food was incredibly good and I think my omnivorous friend Brian quite enjoyed his veggie chili. I had one of the specials of the day, which honestly I don't remember what it was called, except it was a ragu, and a cup of curry lentil soup. It was delicious, and perfectly portioned, and did I mention delicious? For all of you not living in the city, they have their own cookbook in case you want to try some of their creations on your own. Even though I'm stuffed from dinner, I'm kind of hungry again just thinking about it.

Introductions

Hello world.

The Value Vegan is my attempt to find my blogging purpose. This will be my space to write about the trials and triumphs of trying to stick to my vegan values. I'll also throw in a post or two about my other hobby, thrift and flea market shopping. I have a few things to work out with the layout, but for now, this is it!

Coming soon: my first real post.

hugs,

Sarah