Great vegan eats in the rain

Most people know that there are a number of great vegan restaraunts, and vegan friendly restaraunts in Portland.  We haven’t had the oppotunity to visit too many since we moved back, but tonight we decided to go out with our friend Darren and enjoy some good vegan food.

Red and Black Cafe

This is one of the oldest worker owned restaraunts in Portland with a menu that is not only vegan but made with locally grown, organic produce.  In addition to the great menu options this cafe holds numeruos events and community happenings (see their calendar for events).

They have salads, soups and sandwiches as well as amazing cupcakes and other alternating desserts.  They also serve bowls with different seasonal veggies, noodles and grains (quinoa and the like).  In addition to their eats Red and Black Cafe also has kombuch- ON TAP! As well as number of locally brewed beers that are very resonably priced.  And if you’re in need of a little pick-me-up you can always get a cup of portland crack, aka stumptown, freshly brewed. 

Website: http://www.redandblackcafe.com/

400 SE 12th Ave ·

Portland, OR, 97202

(503) 231-3899

Vegan::$::Cash Only::M-F 7:30-1130, Sat&Sun 8-11 

On to dessert…

Sweetpea Baking Co.

Sweetpea Cookie (image courtesy of sweetpeabaking.com)

This place is amazing.  I had never been here before but had seen there stuff at New Seasons.  Man oh man.

Sweetpea Cupcakes (image courtesy of sweetpeabaking.com)

They have cupcakes, and cakes as well as the moistest brownies I have ever tasted, cookies, scones and other baked goods.  And did I mention they are all vegan?  I know vegans always say this but really, they truly do not taste any different than those made with eggs, milk and the like, so omni’s don’t fear.

They also serve stumptown coffee, freshly made sandwiches and some veggie bowls (veggies, rice and beans) and claim to have an excellent all you can eat sunday brunch ($10) that we have yet to try.

Not only do they have all these great food items that are also dedicated to making it possible for everyone to enjoy their products, so they welcome questions or requests from those of you that have food allergies.  They also offer cooking classes (which I have not yet determined the cost of).

For a full listing of their baked goods as well as more info about their history and the classes they are currently offering check out their website: http://sweetpeabaking.com

Vegan::$-$$::CC Friendly::M-F 7-8, Sat 9-8, Sun 9-5

 

Vegan chili cheese burgers and shakes at Orean

The Orean burger (image courtesy of oreanshealthexpress.com)

This place is a well kept secret in Pasadena offering great vegan fast food.  The prices are reasonable and yes, it is acutally fast and vegan- making it AWESOME!

 My personal favorite is the chili cheese burger which is a hand made vegan burger covered in chili and smothered in vegan cheese, topped with all the fixin’s (sprouts, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, etc.) .  Whenever I get this burger I tell myself that I’ll only eat half but inevitably I eat the whole thing because it’s so good that I can’t put it

Orean's soy ice cream (image courtesy of oreanshelathexpress.com)

down, leading to a painfully full food coma- which never seems to stop it from happening all over again.

They also offer things like smoothies that are INCREDIBLE, chicken (vegan) burgers and air fries (amazingly seasoned fries that aren’t deep fried).  They have a couple of things that aren’t great like some of the breakfast burritos but other than that it is totally worth the trip out to Pasadena.

Visit their website for a full menu, as well as more pictures and prices of all their food.

Website: http://www.oreanshealthexpress.com/ 

Orean’s air fries

Orean’s Health Express

817 N Lake Ave ·

Pasadena, CA

(626) 794-0861

$::Vegan::CC Friendly::9:30-9

An old favorite

Oatmeal raisin cookies

This is an adaptation of a recipe that is in an old Betty Crocker book that my mom has.  It’s a classic with a few additions that’s sure to please. 

This recipe is also one that you can alter to suit your own wants/ needs in a cookie.  Subbing brown sugar for the white will make the cookies more sweet but will give them an added flavor.  You can also add things like coconut or different fruit if you’re feeling daring. 

The recipe that is posted is not vegan but you can easily sub the eggs for the equivalent amount of egg replacer or applesauce.

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c vegetable shortening

2 eggs

6 T molasses

1 1/2 c sugar

1 3/4 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

2 c oats

1 c raisins

1/2 c chopped nuts (optional) 

Makes about 3 dozen

Preheat oven to 400.  In a large bowl mix together the shortening, eggs and molasses.  Slowly add in sugar and keep mixing.  Mix together (or sift if you’re really channeling Betty Crocker) the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.  Slowly add this in to the bowl with the shortening and molasses and mx until everything is combined.  The dough will be very dry but don’t worry.

Slowly add in the oatmeal, one cup at a time mixing as you go.  Add in the raisins and the nuts (if you want them) and finish mixing it’ll be tough but you can do it!

Drop rounded spoonfuls on to a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until they just start to turn golden brown.  Cool and enjoy. 

 

 

Breakfast for dinner

Hash is one of those things that unless you are an avid corned beef lover you probably have never had it or don’t know exactly what it is, but who knows coming from the vegan I could be totally wrong about that.

This recipe for has is simple and made for a great “breakfast for dinner” meal that satisfied the omnivores and vegans among us.  The use of sweet potatoes adds a taste of fall and is an adaptation of from Williams Sonoma.

Sweet Potato Hash

2 med sweet potatoes, peeled (or not) and cut in to 1 in chunks

2-3 med russet potatoes (or new potatoes), peeled (or not) and cut in to 1 in chunks

1 med yellow onion, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp olive oil

1 green onion, chopped (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Serves 4

Put the potatoes in a medium sauce pan and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are just tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain potatoes and cool.

Sweet potato hash, served with a poached egg

In the mean time put the onions and red pepper in a large frying pan with oil and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes.  Add potatoes and cook for about 10 more minutes on medium heat.  Flattening potatoes in to one layer, turning and repeating until potatoes are crisp and red peppers and onions are done.

To serve: put a helping of hash on everyone’s plate, for the vegans you can serve it up just like that or add a slice of marinated tofu (the morning tofu goes great with this).  For the omnivores the original recipe suggests serving poached eggs over the top.  Either way this is a sure crowd pleaser.

Breakfast of Pirates

Everyone knows the saying about breakfast but sometimes I just don’t feel like cereal or toast or whatever.  One good solution to this problem is the homemade breakfast cookie or breakfast bar.  These are great because you can make them

The breakfast bar

ahead of time, cut them and freeze them to heat as you need.

The recipe below can easily be adapted to include (or exclude) things that you like (i.e. different/no nuts, different fruits, no coconut, pureed pumpkin or carrots-strained baby food works well for this, instead of applesauce, etc.).

 

Blackbeard’s Breakfast Bars

Ingredients

1/2 c white flour

1 c whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c rolled oats

1/4 c wheat bran

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Blackbeard overseeing the production of her pirate breakfast bars (no I'm not a crazy cat person)

 

 

1/4 c coconut flakes

1/2 chopped dried fruit (I used peaches and raisins)

1/3 c chopped nuts (optional)

2 Tbsp molasses

1 1/4 c applesauce (unsweetened) 

1/4 c flax seeds

1 tsp vanilla extract

Makes about 12 bars

Add wet mixture to dry mixture, mix until combined.  Oil a 9×13 pan and press mixture in to pan. making sure that it is evenly spread.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool slightly, cut, remove from pan  and cool completely.

Incredible birthday dinner

One of my favorite things about my birthday is going out to eat with my family and friends.  This year I wanted to try something new that would make everyone happy.  We asked around and one of our good friends recommended Aladdin’s Cafe.  I was a little hesitant because I am a HUGE fan of the Nicholas but our friend (who has been a devout Nicholas patron for years) assured me that we would be pleasantly surprised, which we were- THIS PLACE IS AWESOME!

Aladdin’s Cafe

It has some of the best baba ganoush I have ever tasted, smokey and fresh.  The vegan mezza is a little smaller than that at the Nicholas (doesn’t include lentils with rice or garbonzo bean sides) but it does come with mouth-watering stuffed grape leaves. 

Interior of Aladdin Cafe (image courtesy of aladdincafe.com)

The tabouli and hummus are excellent, as is the bread, which is thinner than we are used to (which turned out to be a good thing after my third or fourth helping).  The greek salad was great and they are sensitive to vegans and vegetarians, everything on the menu is marked and the wait staff is friendly and willing to make substitutions and answer questions that you have.

The meat eaters of the group could not stop raving about the lamb, they said that it was much better than the Nicholas (sorry guys), and had incredible taste and tenderness.

Another plus- they have beer!  Domestic and imported.  As well as an extensive baklavah selection and Turkish coffee.

Full menu at www.aladdinscafe.com

6316 NE 33rd Ave
Portland, OR 97211-7208
(503) 546-7686

$$::CC Friendly::Vegan/ Omni::M-F 11-9, Sat 12-9

A wonderful side

Couscous- oh lovely couscous.  Here is a simple recipe for this side but you can alter it adding or subtracting any veggies that you would like.

Tomato Couscous with Veggies

Ingredients:

Couscous (picture courtesy of superspark.files.wordpress.com)

3 1/2 c H2O

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 c couscous

1 1/2 c cherry tomatoes, halved (or other tomatoes chopped and seeded)

1 small cucumber, seeded and chopped

6 mushrooms, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 c cooked chickpeas, if canned rinse them

1/2 c fresh basil, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper, to taste

Serves 6

Bring water and salt to a boil.  Mix in couscous, turn off heat and cover for 5-10 min.

Saute mushrooms, onions and garlic until onions are translucent, about 5-7 min.  Place in a bowl, mix in garbanzo beans, basil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Cool and add tomatoes and cucmbers.  Mix in couscous and serve.

Identity Theft

This is **not** posted by Maddy or Alex, so don’t hold them accountable for anything you might find offensive within this post. THANKS.

Personal Cakes – Greatest Invention of the [Probably Different] Century

These are the best vegan cupcakes I have ever had. They are also the only vegan cupcakes I have ever had – take that as you will. However, I have made them with both white flour and a mix of white and wheat, and I liked them both ways. With white flour, they’re very sweet. They taste pretty much exactly like the batter (SCORE). When I split the flour 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat, they had a nuttier taste, which is also nice.

Masterfully Crafted Cupcakes

This recipe makes JUST BARELY 22 cupcakes – kind of tricky, I don’t know why that happens – but if you want to do the math to end up with 24, GODSPEED!

1 TB apple cider vinegar
JUST UNDER 1 ½ cups plain soymilk
2 1/8 cups flour – like I said, all white or 1/2 and 1/2 are both good
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 1/8 cups sugar
½ cup oil
1 ¼ tsp. vanilla extract

FROSTING: 1/2 c margarine, 1.5 tsp. vanilla extract, 2+ cups powdered sugar, a bit of soymilk (vanilla for even sweeter frosting), maybe 1/3 c cocoa powder if you want (add a pinch of salt if you do that) – frosting is easily tweaked depending on how sweet or fluffy or not that you want.

Preheat to 350º. Prep your cupcake tins how you like, spray or grease or with liners, and set aside.

Make faux buttermilk with apple cider vinegar (add first to measuring cup) and soymilk (fill until equals 1.5 cups total). Stir this well and forget about it for the moment.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk “buttermilk” with canola oil and vanilla. Add wet to dry and mix, but not too thoroughly. Keep it fluffy.

Pour mixture into tins. I think 15-20 minutes should be good. The first time I did it, it took more like 12. If I recall correctly, the mixture with wheat flour took longer, but it was also a different oven, so who knows… I’d go with ye olde toothpick trick.

Let them cool a bit in the tins, take them out, cool on a rack, FROST THEM. You can pretty much mix the margarine and vanilla, then add powdered sugar until it’s as fluffy as you want. Add a dash of soymilk to make it wetter if need be. Alternately, a nice (albeit non-vegan) option is to just drizzle a cupcake with plain yogurt. It balances the sweetness nicely.

Delightful Granola

This is pretty high calorie (but has a lot of protein), what I usually do is put it on top of a dull cereal.

This recipe makes about 10 cups. When my dad makes it, he doubles it, and we eat like kings for many days.

Masterfully Crafted Granola

5 c (about 1 pound) regular rolled oats
1 c cashews (pieces, sliced, or slivered)
1 c almonds (same deal)
½ c firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons freshly grated orange peel
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½-3/4 c.  butter or vegan equivalent, melted
1/3 c maple syrup
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
½ c  golden raisins
½ c diced dried apricots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together first 7 ingredients in large bowl until well combined. Pour the melted butter and syrup over all and mix to distribute evenly.  Press mixture into a greased 10 x 15” baking pan.

Bake until mixture is golden brown and sticks together, about 30 min. Let cool.  When completely cool, break into chunks and stir with raisins and apricots.  Store in airtight container or freeze.

Middle East Feast

Tonight I decided to make a mini feast and use as much produce from the garden as possible.  I also had a hankering for some Middle Eastern food and so I decided on falafel and all the sides that go along with it.  I will post all of the recipes that I used but don’t feel like they have to be made together they are definitely ok on their own.

All recipes serve 4 with leftovers

Tabouleh

serves 4 (with lots of leftovers)

Tabouleh (image courtesy of energyplusonline)

Ingredients:

2 C Bulgar

1 med cucumber, seeded and chopped

2 med tomatoes, seeded and chopped

8 green onions chopped

2 C parsley (flat leat), chopped

1/2 C mint, chopped

3-5 Tbsp lemon juice (more or less, to taste)

1-2 Tbsp Salt

1-2 Tbsp Olive oil

1 garlic clove, chopped

Pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and taste, adjusting the lemon juice and the salt to suit you.

Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 small onion, chopped

4-6 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp cumin

3-4 Tbsp tahini

1 tsp Braggs or soy sauce

Juice of one lemon

1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar, optional

salt to taste

Hummus and pita (image courtesy of thenibble.com)

Place the garbanzo beans in a food processor and set aside.  Put onions in a frying pan and saute in a little olive oil over medium heat, just until slightly translucent about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant- be sure not to burn it. Add onions and garlic to food processor and blend until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients and continue to blend until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust as needed.

 

 

Baba Ganouj

Eggplant (image courtesy of Skidmore College)

This is an eggplant dish that is eaten much like hummus but has a different taste and is wonderful with falafel and all the fixin’s

Ingredients:

2- 1lb eggplants

3-4 Tbsp tahini

Juice of one lemon

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.  Halve eggplants and place them on a rimmed cookie sheet that has been generously coated with olive oil, place in oven.  Cook until eggplants are very soft, about 30-40 min.  Allow eggplants to cool slightly, scoop eggplant out of skin into a food processor.  Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.  Taste and adjust.

Falafel

Ingredients:

2 C chickpeas (canned is fine, just drain and rinse well)

Falafel (image courtesy of mediterrasian.com)

1 med onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 C parsley, chopped

1/2 fresh coriander*, chopped 

1 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp baking soda

black pepper

dash of cayenne

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400.

Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth.  Spread mixture out in a baking dish and let sit out, uncovered for an hour to dry. 

Test mixture by rolling in to a 1 in ball.  If the mixture still feels too dry add a little flour (chickpea flour is best but white flour will work also).  Add flour a little at a time checking the dryness as you go.  When dry enough to roll in to balls roll out and place on a cookie sheet that has been oiled with olive oil.  Place falafel about 1-2 in apart and press down slightly with the back of a spoon to flatten.  Cook for 10 min or until bottom begins to brown, flip and cook for 10 more min.

If you are feeling like you need a little more oil in your life you can also deep fry them but test one first before you throw the whole batch in to be sure that your oil is at the right temp.  Canola or vegetable oil is best for frying these.

 

*Fresh coriander is cilantro

More from the garden

Image courtesy of epicurious.com

This recipe is another fall favorite that uses up some of those gargantuan zucchini that are ripe this time of year.  I changed some of the spices to make it a little more exciting and also added some summer squash in addition to the zucchini, which shouldn’t really change the flavor but will make the bread  a little more veggieful.

If you have any overgrown or slightly over ripe squash or zucchini this recipe is perfect, just cut out the spots and use ‘em up no need to worry about the looks here.  However, in order to keep that tell-tale green speckled look to the bread make sure to leave the skins on the squash and the zucchini, this also keeps more of the vitamins and nutrients in the veggies.

Zucchini Bread

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2C flour (you could also do 1/2 wheat)

1tsp cinnamon

dash of cayenne

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg

1 C sugar

1 med zucchini shredded ~ 1C

1 small summer squash, shredded ~1/2C

Zucchini bread with pecans

 

1/4 C oil

1/2 C pecans toasted (or walnuts) optional

Makes one loaf

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease an average loaf pan, lightly.

Mix flour, cinnamon, cayenne, ginger, baking soda, salt, baking powder & nutmeg in a bowl.  Ina separate bowl mix together the egg replacer, sugar, zucchini, squash and oil in another bowl.  Add the zucchini mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until combined- it will be lumpy.  Mix in nuts (if desired).

Pour mixture into loaf pan and place in center of oven.  Bake for 50-55 min. or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.