Candle Cafe Goes Frozen!
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| The Miso-Stir-Fry Isn't Pictured Because It's M.I.A. |
With the recent closing of Philadelphia's Horizons, it's a toss up between Blossom, Millennium or Candle 79 for the best veg restaurant in the country. You can vote for your favorite as well as Union Street Eats for best vegan street cart and Cakewalk Baking Company for best vegan bakery in Veg News 2011 Veg Awards HERE, not that I'm trying to influence the vote or anything. Even the prizes from a vegan Caribbean Cruise and a Vitamix look awesome! Did I mention I saw Woody Harrelson dinging at Candle Cafe? So maybe a celebrity endorsement is enough to buy your vote.
Already, I've been a fan of The Candle Cafe Cookbook especially their recipe for cornmeal crusted tempeh. Since I'm sandwiched between the two coasts, I was excited to see Candle Cafe expanded to the freezer case. I know, I'm being lazy, but there are some days that cooking just isn't an option, especially with the summer heat. I plan on updating more cheater day ideas in the coming days. So Stay tuned (or bookmarked, is that the proper internet lingo?). Tofu Spinach Ravioli
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| Cheesy, Tomatoey, and Deliciousy! My Favorite! |
There are four flavors miso stir-fry, vegan macaroni and cheese, seitan piccata with lemon caper sauce, and tofu spinach ravioli. For the cheese varieties, I'm pretty sure they're using Daiya, but the ingredients list doesn't mention them specially. Each are $5.99, feature organic ingredients and, of course, are vegan. Though, right now at the Trolley Square Whole Foods in Salt Lake, the entrees are on sale for $4 until 8/16 (and you might find some with a $1 off coupon still left on them). Honestly, I'm not sure I would pay full price for these, but if you're stuck at work, these would make lunch something to look forward to so this sale is a reason to stock up.
Seitan Piccata With Lemon Caper Sauce
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| With Brown Rice And Spinach, Included In The Entree. |
The tofu spinach ravioli is my favorite followed by the Seitan Piccata, which is the best nutritionally speaking, except for the high sodium (around 37% DRV) found in all of them. My only complaint is that the corn strach isn't organic so it might be genetically modified since something like 97% of corn is a GMO. I'm waiting to hear back from the company. Oh, you might also find some of Candle Cafe's desserts in the refrigerated section. I haven't tried them, because I've been too busy consuming Cakewalk treats, but they're on my to-eat list. Red reviews of them from the Vegan Junk Food site. Part 1 and Part 2.
Vegan Marconi and Cheese
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| Spiral Pasta! |
Seitan Piccata With Lemon Caper Sauce (Packaged)
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| Photo Taken Right After Coming Out Of The Oven. |
Tofu Spinach Ravioli (Packaged)
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| Photo Taken Right Out Of The Oven. |
. One of the best parts about this and their other cook book (
), is that they include variations with each recipe, which was good because Whole Foods was out of Collard Greens that the recipe called for. The variations for this recipe call for kale or swiss chard, which turned out well since the kale was on sale. So now I just need to find a recipe for mustard greens and I'll be done with one resolution. The recipe came together really easy (and in much less time than the 30 minutes stated) and had a great taste that didn't overpower the kale. I might double to ginger and leave the spines on for a more crunchy texture.
. I've been to both Candle locations and they're both impressive. Living out West, I don't have the opportunity to eat there often so the cookbook is a good way to get my fill. Though my local Whole Foods does carry their 3 of their 
and that works well.