The Vegg...

The Vegg is now at Sidecar, so I had to try it out. It must have made an impression because it forced me to blog :).

The Vegg is a powder that you mix with water to create a vegan egg yolk. Their site has some pictures of user made recipes. Some have instructions, some don't. Overall, there isn't much info about the Vegg from the makers of Vegg. The packing is very generic & reminds me of the generic craze in the 80's with the black & white basic labeling.

The instructions say to mix the small bag of Vegg with 1 liter of water. Then it will keep for 2 weeks. That seems very impractical to me. I measured it out into a smaller portion, which I will refer to as the mini Vegg.

A mini Vegg has the same Vegg:water ratio as the bag's instructions:
1 tsp Vegg
50 ml water, which is just shy of 1/4 cup.

Rather than making a mess with the food processor for such a small amount of Vegginess, Andy whisked it for about 1 min. That seemed to work, though I will eventually try the food processor method to see if it gets thicker - not that it wasn't thick enough.

I wanted to see how the Vegg tasted by itself with tofu, so we made a basic scramble:
1 block of tofu (around 14 oz)
2 mini Veggs
black pepper
salt

Crumble the tofu in a frying pan, add Vegg, and heat. season with black pepper & salt.

It was pretty good, but could have used another mini Vegg. After I had eaten 1/2 of it, I sprinkled with a small amount of nutritional yeast, black salt, cayenne & cumin and it was amazing. I think it was mainly upping the black salt content.

Anyhow, I hope you all have the opportunity to try out some Vegg action :).



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Here's a pic of the out of control hat that I crocheted for The Judge. He doesn't wear it that often, but he likes it a lot because his purring increases when it's on.

Maui, baby! part 1

As you probably figured out from the title, I went to Maui. Woohoo! I was there at the end of April/ beginning of May. Once in a while I can still feel some of the aloha relaxation vibe coursing through my veins - despite the current yuck weather in Seattle.

In this post I'm going to talk about the health food stores I went to, tacos and other random stuff. I didn't take a lot of pics because most of my time was at the beach and I don't bring a camera there or a towel. That way I don't lose anything.

This is my 2nd time to Maui and I even love arriving at the airport after a 6 hr flight and waiting for luggage. That's because it's an open air airport and the warmth of Maui and the sight of palm trees is immediately felt as you exit the plane. Do I care that I have to wait for luggage / rental car bs? nope.


Down To Earth
I always stop here right after the airport. DTE is an all vegetarian health food store that has a rocking hot bar (almost all vegan), salad bar, deli, and smoothie bar. Not to mention all of the new products you will find in the grocery section. Most important thing: stock up on mangos so that there is always a ripe one to eat at bfast.

Here is my plate from the hot bar. A month+ later and I only remember that every bite was fantastic. Note that I typically detest hot bars / buffets because the food just sits around all day - so my "fantastic" isn't easily earned.

Mana Foods
49 Baldwin Ave, Paia
If you plan on going to Paia (and you should), coordinate it around one of your grocery shopping trips. I love the vibe to this store, I wish it were in WA. They have lots of vegan stuff here - I'm sure you're even bound to find something new to you. There are even some freshly baked vegan treats like banana bread here - 2 thumbs up.

Farmer's Market Store
3636 Lower Honoapiilani Rd, Lahaina
This store has lots of vegan grocery basics. The hot bar is ok, but not as good as DTE. The smoothies are ok, but nothing super special. They do have a really nice sign for the smoothie bar.

Iao Needle State Park
A beautiful and impressive place to visit, but a quick one. The hike part is really short, but I can imagine that making a trail on this terrain would be really difficult. So make this a quick detour on your way to Paia (assuming you're staying in West or South Maui).

Giant Banyan Tree in Lahaina
Southern end of Front St, Lahaina
This is all 1 big connected tree. It's not easy to get a great pic of the whole thing, so I went w/ a panoramic shot. click on it and you should get a better view.

Maui Tacos
Many many locations in maui
taco taco buritto taco taco
I love this place and ate here more times than I can count. They have a good salsa bar - my fave was the hot pineapple salsa. Basically they have vegan tacos, burritos and enchiladas where you can vary the fillings. pinto, black bean, potato, rice, lettuce - you get the idea. They also had a chimichanga on the menu, but I didn't even dare to ask if I could get it veganized.

potato tacos & pineapple salsa



Las Pinatas
395 Dairy Rd Ste J, Kahului
Only 1 location, but worth it. I'm not sure if their tacos are vegan or not, but they have a vegan kitchen sink burrito that is AWESOME. The salsa bar is ok, but not as good as maui tacos.

to be continued... in about a month or so given my current rate of blogging.

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Oh, I suppose I should give you a glimpse of The Judge making sure the canola bottle is clean enough for the recycling bin.

Just a quick one - bake sale, trivia night FUN

Hey all! I'm finally over my cold. started working out last week, getting back in the groove of things and BAM! I woke up to massive shoulder/arm pain this past Sunday. will it ever end? I'm sure it will, but right now, I'm taking drugs at night, icing throughout the day and whining like a baby to Andy. It does feel slightly better, so I'm hoping I'm good for this weekend.

side note: I had to turn off anonymous commenting because some stupidheads are making lame-o viagra/spammy type comments. I tried comment moderation, but it's not worth wading through all that junk.

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Here is a calendar of some of the things I'll be up to, that y'all could be up to too.

Vegfest shift: Sunday, April 11th: volunteering at Vegfest for their AM shift w/ Andrea. Then in the afternoon at the NARN table for an hour or so. vegfest is also on Saturday. if you go, stop by the NARN table and check it out!

In prep for the NARN table, I put a ton of Why Vegans inside seattle vegan restaurant guides. How, w/ my shoulder issue? By very carefully laying down in my la-z-y boy only using my left hand. w/ my right arm imobilized.

Chocolate Shoe Box: Saturday, April 17th from 11 am - 2 pm. The grand opening of one of my awesome friend's vegan shoe and chocolate store in Seattle, The Chocolate Shoe Box. Woohoo!

Vegan Bake Sale: Saturday April 24th: I'm coordinating another vegan bake sale at Sidecar for the Pigs Peace Sanctuary. If you want to bake (I'll send good karma your way - well even if you don't, I will send it), please email me: seattlebakesale [at] hotmail [dot] com.

This is part of the worldwide vegan bake sale. If you're not in Seattle, check out their site, and see if there is a sale near you.

Sidecar

5270 B University Way NE, Seattle
Both Sat & Sun 1 - 8 PM

Here's the poster I designed. And yes, the food pics are things I've made ;).

NARN Trivia Night: Saturday May 22nd: I'm coordinating a Trivia Night fundraiser for NARN. Should be a blast! I'll even be reading a round of trivia :). In case you didn't already know it, NARN is Seattle's animal rights org and they do awesome things like vegan outreach, protesting, and many other things to support the animals/raise awareness. Trivia night starts at 8 PM. Click here for more info & to RSVP.

Another one of my creations. Somehow my posters have a certain vibe to them.
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There are many more fun NARN fundraising events that I'll be working on this year. stay tuned. I'll also be doing other events w/ them. Come check them out, you'll be glad you did. Their event calendar has tons of things on it, something for everyone. If you're shy and want a buddy to hang w/ let me know and we can go together.

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I have no idea why I waited so long to try Vegan w/ a Vengeance's Phad Thai recipe. It's spot on! And fast! Since it's just the 2 of us, I prep for a full batch, cook 1/2 one night, then the other 1/2 the second night. they are not kidding when they say you have to make a full batch in 2 wok sessions. It makes a mountain of phad thai deliciousness.

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Here's the obligatory cat pic section. Yeah, I know some of you skip all the blathering and scroll straight to the cat/Kobie pix. feelings not hurt :).

Who is more demented? The groomer, the groomees or the photographer? Tubs is styling because he can groom both worms (Peepa, The Judge) at once. Yes, part of his grooming is to "nibble" on their dirty ears (pic 2 & 3).

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PS. I've had all the typing my shoulder can take tonight. I'll be a checking your blogs out tomorrow and Friday. gotta limit myself, sadly.

Thrill 'o the Grill

Earlier this month, Andy & I took Thrill of the Grill, a vegan cooking class at PCC. It typically takes a lot of nagging to get Andy to take cooking classes, but not when it's taught by Dawnula Koukol. She really knows her stuff and she is really funny, a good combo in my book.


Chickpea and Potato Fritters with Cilantro Relish. Wow, these were great. Super crispy on the outside and potato deliciousness on the inside. The relish went perfectly with it.



Tempeh and Nectarine Skewers. Grilled fruit with tempeh, need I say more? The main ingredients of the marinade were vinegar, mustard, ginger, chipotle.

Stout Seitan Skewers. I loved these. Especially the mushrooms and pineapple because they are my faves.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Maple-hoisin Tempeh with Plum/Apricot dipping sauce. I love a good summer roll. They make such a refreshing snack. If you haven't made these before, they are easy and I'm sure you can find the recipe online. For me, the key herbs are cilantro, mint and basil.

The dipping sauce was very sweet/tart. I thought it went well w/ the roll, but I could also imagine it on vanilla soy ice cream, or maybe in a big glass :).

Dawnula, if you're reading this, I'm begging you to do a class on vegan breakfast / brunch foods, baked goods, appetizers or sandwiches.

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I hope Tubs is comfortable, because he doesn't look like it. Lately I've seen him doing strange contortions. Do you like my piles of clean laundry in the background?

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I'm soooo hungry right now. Too bad I couldn't eat jpg's for dinner.

Worldwide vegan bake sale & some restaurant reviews

I'm coordinating the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale in Seattle this weekend. If you're not in Seattle, check out their site because the sale is happening all over the globe. Here are the specifics of the Seattle sale:

Where: Sidecar for Pigs Peace
5270 B University Way NE, Seattle

When: June 20 & 21 -- 1PM - 4PM each day

Why: To raise funds for the Pigs Peace Sanctuary by stuffing yourself w/ tasty vegan treats.

There are lots of bakers baking many delicious treats, so please stop by and grab something. I'll be making baklava and some other stuff. Hells yeah!

All proceeds go to the Pigs Peace Sanctuary. Here is some info that I gleaned from their site, but really you should look at their site and check out the cute pig pics.

Pigs Peace Sanctuary is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing a safe home for unwanted, abused or neglected animals in need and is committed to spreading the message of compassion and respect for all animals.


Questions about the sale? email seattlebakesale@hotmail.com


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NARN Bingo was lots of fun. David, the guy reading numbers, had me laughing the whole time. I'll post the pics of what I made for 2 of the prizes soon-ish. you know me :)

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Eastsiders, I am one of you! There isn't a lot in the way of exciting vegan food on the eastside, but there are a few spots. Preets is one of them. It's a veg indian restaurant located in downtown Redmond and it has lots of vegan options. They give just the right amount of food so you leave satisfied, but not uncomfortably stuffed. Though leftovers aren't an issue as long as I remember my tupperware.

Cauliflower Pakoras, mostly eaten because as usual, I forgot to take a picture at the beginning.

Their samosas are really really good.Clockwise from the top. Corn flat bread hiding underneath a roti (be sure to specify no ghee), Aloo Gobi (potatoes and cauliflower), Sagwala (spinach), Carrot Pickles/Onion/Jalapeno, and Rice.

Note that you have to order the rice separately, not a huge deal, but annoying to have to order after the fact.

The carrot pickles are so good and I always eat my jalapeno. Plus if you go w/ Andy, you get his pickles :). Did that sound dirty?
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I went to Squid & Ink in Seattle a while back. There were some hits and misses (fries & frosting) here, but overall, it's worth going back again.

Fish & Chips. The breaded tofu fish was really good. The fries were not good, they were very firm on the inside and greasy (but not crunchy) on the outside - maybe the oil wasn't hot enough? I would like to give their fries a second chance at some point.
Monte Cristo. This was really good, but I was expecting the more traditional version where it is assembled, dipped in batter, then fried as one cohesive block of a sandwich. Then sprinkled w/ powdered sugar, and served w/ strawberry jam.

Carrot Ginger soup was good.
Clouds and hearts cake. This was very fancy looking. The inside of the cake was good, it reminded me of a firm, yet delicate wedding cake texture. The frosting wasn't very sweet, sort of like that grocery store crisco like frosting.

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The Judge was rolling around in the dried up grass clippings left behind by the trimmer. He doesn't mind getting dirty. Hmmmm...

They see him rollin', they hatin', patrollin', they catch The judge ridin' dirty. Hey, Sal, hopefully you get that song stuck in your head. It's in mine now.

The Judge is serenading all dino style. Just look at that neck stretch as he eats some triassic vines (ok, fine, it's me holding up some grass). Don't be messing w/ those dino teeth!

Now, I'm completely hungry. Time for something frozen for lunch. Trust me, I'd rather have pakoras and roti.

My favorite sautee ever

It continues to be super hot here. I have to force Kobie to come in and cool down for a few hours during the day. I think it will only be around 65 on the day of the 3k walk, so that will be ok. Right now it's a bit overcast, so Kobie and I are going to run some errands before the sun really comes out. Doggie doesn't like to miss his car rides.

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Neptune's Gift from the Veggie Works cookbook is my all time favorite sautee. It has lots of fresh veggies (In the pic, I forgot the kale) and dulse. The dulse adds a really nice salty sea taste to the dish and complements the tofu. I love dulse. The recipe says to put a huge chunk on top of the sautee and remove after cooking. I disobey and just crumble the dulse up all over the pan. Delicious dulse!

I have tried other sautees in this book, but didn't like them that much. I really need to branch out into other parts of the book, but every time I open it w/ that intention, Neptune's Gift calls to me and I put off trying new recipes. ~~~~~

Faline was hanging out in the shade of the blackberry vines and other picky growth in the cat cage. She is avoiding the camera on purpose. grumble.

This was taken a while ago when it was sunny out, but not hot enough for The Judge. He also demands to be under a blanket when he's inside. Don't have a blanket? No problem! He'll try to crawl into your pant leg or up your shirt. Not the least bit annoying.

Peepa is eating kobie's food right now. That cat will eat anything, even peanut butter and jelly.

Hillside Quickies Saturday Brunch

Somehow I'm about 5 posts behind. I have lots to blog about because I have been stuffing myself w/ really good food lately. In fact, I'm currently eating a vanilla glazed doughnut from Mighty-O's. I blame it on PirateWA because he was eating one when I went into PCC to buy a tomato.

The U District Hillside Quickies started serving brunch on Saturday (only) and it is really good. It all starts w/ a choice of beverage (bottomless if I rememeber correctly) and muffins. I hit the blueberry jackpot with mine. What you're looking at is not french toast. It's 2 super thick perfectly browned tasty pancakes coated in maple syrup. I'm still dreaming about them.

It shared it's plate with fruit compote and scramble. It was a really unique and delicious scramble. If you aren't a saltoholic, then ask them to use less salt.
Oh yeah! Of course Andy had to order the biscuits and gravy, and I was super crabby because we ususally split our plates. My crabbiness disappeared after my first bite. I hereby proclaim that Hillside has the best biscuits and gravy in Seattle, hands down.

Guava, I really hope that you are reading this right before a meal so that you are forced to whip up a batch of biscuits and gravy. And of course, tater tots.

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No pics, but I volunteered at the greyhound booth at the Puyallup farmer's market this weekend. The purpose of the booth is to promote greyhound adoption. Somebody stopped by with an Italian greyhound. They are so tiny compared with the kind you typically see in the US.

I should be getting my next foster soon...

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Now that the weather is much better, I love to lay around in the cat cage and knit whilst listening to books on tape. We're currently about 1/3 of the way through Wizards First Rule. We're also watching the TV series based on this book, The Legend of the Seeker. I have already read the book, but figured since Andy was so far behind with his reading that he'd never get to the book. Plus I like being confused with how the book differs from the TV show.

As you can see, the cats are just as leechy outside as they are inside. Poor Andy has to share his lawn chair with the likes of The Judge and Tubs.

Dear Vegan Assistant,

Yes, I am grouchy. Perhaps this wouldn't be so if you did your job and massaged my back instead of annoying me w/ that camera all the time. How is one supposed to enjoy life if the catnip bowl is half full?

Yours Truly,
Spotted Devil Cat

In Seattle, it's never too hot for soup

Ok, that's not quite true. there will be a few days this summer (maybe weeks?) where it will be too hot for soup. It has been scorching hot here a few days in April. Today, it's been heavy steady rain all day long. I'm blogging to fill time before the cat in the hat comes over and makes a bigger mess of the house.


Lately, I've been spending most of my time cleaning out the den. Soon it will become my exercise and computer oasis. I will be moving the computer to the den because I use it less. The other reason is so the living room will look less like nerd central with all of it's cables and computers.

Back on topic... I made 2 soups in April.

The black bean soup from the Real Food Daily cookbook. Ahhh-may-zing! It had tons of flavor and the jalapeno lime creme on top was great. I found the recipe on Amazon. I will try a couple more recipes and If I love them as much as this one, then I'll buy the book. This is my attempt at trying to avoid building a library wing filled with (more) neglected cookbooks.

I can't remember whose blog mentioned that they had made the ever so delicious Quinoa Soup recipe from Andrea's Easy Vegan Cooking. I thank you, mysterious blogger, and I also thank Andrea for sharing the recipe.

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Cats aren't always going to wait while you fiddle around w/ the camera. In this particular situation, the important thing was to capture the action. The Judge invaded Tubs' turf (on top of the cabinets).

He was groomed.

Tubs decided that he prefers his sanctuary to be Judge free, so he took off.

PIF 3 & some sun

Here are the people participating in the double PIF. Thanks so much for joining me, it should be really fun.

Please email me your mailing address at "sdcatvegan [at] gmail.com", so I can send you your PIF loot. Note that it will take me a couple of months to make it. I'm slow, but steady.

Wingraclaire
Sal
Beastmomma
Tejolote
PirateWA
Charlotte





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I had to try this mango & coconut cake when I read about it a while back on Sal's (Alien on Toast) blog. Hats off to you, Sal, for sharing such an amazing recipe!

It was so good, that I've made it twice now. One of these days, the cake will last long enough to try the frosting recipe. The second time I added pineapple and it was even more fantastic. The mangoes don't have to be perfect, so if you get a blah mango, this is the perfect way to use it.

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Believe it or not, it's been really hot and sunny the past few days here in the Seattle area. Of course, we're now back to gloomy weather, but the sun bolstered my mood and I will survive until the next burst of sun.

Now that it is warmer, Kobie will be fighting me tooth and nail to stay outside all day and night until bedtime. Which is fine except when he is really hot and needs to cool down. Stubborn doggie! Here is a pic that I took through the window of him sleeping on the porch.


Tubs is pinning down Chippy so he can groom him. lick, lick, lick, bite. The nosy Judge is watching.

Tubs took off and The Judge moved in. Mostly so he can see what I'm doing. That's what a pesky photographer's assistant does.

Rewind to Indian Cooking, Fast foward to next week, oops, rewind to the present, then pause...

I just got back from my sister's wedding in SC. I flew out on a red eye, which was a huge mistake because I didn't sleep at all on the plane and was coughing and run down the whole time. My body is still trying to figure out if it wants to get sick or not, so I'll just drift around today like a zombie.

I, Bethany, hereby promise never to take a red eye without ambien. It may be the stuff of the devil, but it is better than feeling horrible for days on end because because of no sleep for 2 days.

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I have about a kajillion pics to download off my camera and sort through before I can post the teensy amount of food pics I took in SC. So I will post about some fantastic Indian cooking.

I bid for and won a cooking class at a NARN auction. My friends, Suzanne and Anthony, very graciously let us have the class at their home.

Here's Nitin, the super chef and our instructor, chopping away. He gets major points for being nice to me while I pestered him.
Here is the base of the curry bubbling in the pot. It was a game of sitting and waiting for the oil to make its way to the top after each addition of an ingredient. This bit of info is what I was missing in my curry making. Here is the final curry before the potatoes were added. My plate before I devoured it. All of the pot tending was worth it. I'm pretty confident, thanks to Nitin's excellent teaching, that I can make this on my own. Thanks, Nitin!!! I see this curry base becoming Mattar Tofu in my near future...

For dessert after the delicious Indian food, we had this very lumpy and lopsided cake that I made for Suzanne's bday, which was the day after the cooking class. What can I say, I need to practice at making layered cakes. I've been hanging out in sheet cake (that stays in the glass pan) and cupcake slacker land for a while now. Long gone are the days of the layer cakes with shocking blue frosting with little frosting cats prancing around on the top.

In the cake below, each layer is 1 batch of the toasted coconut cupcakes from VCTOTW. I was a bit nervous on how it would taste because of the lumpy dryness of it, but it was good. FYI - if you're going to use whole coconut milk while baking, water it down because that is what the recipe is expecting. otherwise, you'll get a lumpy looking dryish cake :) ~~~~~

I also made Suzanne some Nusseken, which I gave her on Sunday, the day after her bday. I got the recipe from Mihl. I used pecans instead of almonds (because I didn't have any). They reminded me of really tasty mini pecan pies. Everybody agreed either through verbal praise or by eating lots of them. Many thanks to Mihl for sharing this recipe.

I only remembered to take a pic just before the last 1/2 piece was eaten. I promise that I dipped both sides.

(side note: I only used 1/2 cup + 2 tbs of margarine in the topping instead of 1 cup + 2 tbs)

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Here are some pics of The Judge and Sable playing.

Almost off the ledge.
Boo hoo hoo! quit head butting me!
Are you ignoring me? One big head butt that starts at the neck...
and works its way down Sable's leg...
Until The Judge's head is on the floor and Sable is using him for a head rest. Oh, the life of a dog.