A Bounty Of Farmer's Market Food, Fun & Fresh Finds!

Getting Local With It: Sesame Garlic Tempeh with Bell Organic Spinach, Wymotaotes and Laziz Hummus on a Whole Wheat Roll from Rudi's Bakery

Okay, So The Roll Isn't Actually Local, 
But From Colorado. You Got Me! 

    I used to think the farmer's market hype was overblown, the first time I went, a few years ago, I wasn't impressed because the market had more of a festival feel and there were way more products, food vendors and crafts than farmers.  And the farmers I did see weren't organic. Instead, I decided to go the CSA route. I researched and found the awesome Bell Organic. Organic and local so my values wouldn't be compromised.  Since then, I thought the farmer's market to be an extraneous affair since I get a weekly share of venerable veggies from the Bells.

     Oh Boy! Oh Girl! Was I wrong. The special one and I (and our little dog, too!) decided to give the farmer's market a go this year. I wish you could've seen us. We hit the ATM up not once, but twice. (Apparently, you only get hit with ATM fees once per day when visiting the same ATM!) Our bag was overflowing with goodies. We've been going back each week now.I'm addicted now.
     Here are some of my awesome vegan finds. I'll have a post up soon about one of the food vendors, Rambling Rose, in a few days. But before, here are my tips, take your dog, he/she wants to go, too! It's a super dog friendly place and it's is a great way to socialize your dog. Bring cash, most of the vendors accept cash only, a few of the vendors do accept plastic, but you don't want to be caught wanting something and not having cold hard currency. Take UTA's Trax, there's a stop on the Blue/Green line at the Planetarium that's maybe a block away from Pioneer Park. One more thing, bring a big appetite not only are the food vendors awesome, but most of the packaged food and even some farmer's gives samples. That's how they won us over! 

     Oh, and if you're not familiar with it. It's a weekly affair every Saturday from 8 am until 1 p.m in Salt Lake City's Pioneer Park, 300 South and 400 West, right by the old Union Street location. Starting August 8th, they're also open on Tuesday from 4 p.m. until dusk. I haven't been on a Tuesday, but it's more of a farmer focused ordeal than the one on Saturday. Got it? Good, now we can move on to the goodies!

                  Woodyatt Cherry Farms

Cherries! Cherries! Oh Me! Oh My! 

     Few things in life sounds a magical as a cherry farm. Well, unless it was a cherry, peach and ginger farm. But what's not to love? They have montmorency tart cherries in six ways til Sunday. They have them dried,  cherry juice, concentrate, pie filling and even jam. If you thought of it, they have it. Plus, this sweet old man (we call him grandpa cherry) runs the whole show. He's the one who won me over, sprinkling dried cherries in my hand as I walked by. Plus, the montmorency tart cherry is being researched for all kinds of health benefits like helping gout and arthritis. Reportedly, the melatonin helps you sleep better, too. I mean who doesn't want a glass of cherry juice at night? Usually located on the North west side of the park. They're so old school, they don't have a website or facebook, but someone made this cool video. To be honest, this makes me like them even better.

                        Butcher's Bunches

The Apricot Peach Ginger Featured on Sprouted Cinnamon Raisin Toast

     Get your jam on with Logan's Butcher's Bunches. Not only are they award winning, taking home Utah's Best in 2010 and Utah's Healthiest food in 2001, but those delectable delights feature 98% ingredients from local sources. Oh, and they come in awesome flavors so it'll be a hard time choosing. As far as I can tell, just two flavors have diary in them. The other vegan friendly  flavors include "Sunbeam 4 You" which has whiskey from Park City's own distillery High West. The "Back in Black" has Orem's award winning and crazy expensive Amano chocolate in it as well as what must be a nod to the always awesome AC/DC. Well, with Butcher's Bunch, Brian Johnson might need that hearse cause the jams are to die for. Butcher's Bunches is usually found on the east side of the park, every other week. They're also found throughout the valley. Each jar costs $8 beans, but they do a three for $20 deal that got me. How can you have just one jam? Follow them on facebook or visit their site: http://www.butchersbunches.com/

 Laziz Authentic Lebanese Hummus

Hummus: Doing The Chickpea Dance

     I would be lying if I knew what the different between Lebanese Hummus and others out there. What I noticed was a strong tahini flavor and a subdued garlic flavor. For a garlic lover like me, Laziz has more of a mellow flavor, but is still awesome. It's a great replacement for vegenaise on sandwiches and packs a much stronger punch. It's hard to give up the infamous vegenaise, but this just might do it. Not to mention their commitment to organic ingredients and a post consumer recycled plastic container. Sustainable and succulent, now that's what I'm taking about. Rumor has it that the owner would like to open up a Lebanese vegan cafe someday, just another excuse to buy his hummus and help make that happen. Usually found on the west side of the park every other weekend. Follow on facebook.

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  Pop Art Popcorn

Rosemary Truffle Popcorn

     Rosemary Truffle Popcorn. Those three words should be enough to drop your computer or fancy phone and head out on a sojourn to find this stuff. It's that amazing. A recent study found that popcorn contains a boatload of antioxidants, even more than berries. I know it's crazy! And I just thought I was being lazy cause I would throw a handful of kernels into the air popper and get a quick snack. This stuff is so good that it's more than just a snack though it's an art. Just to prove it, they get two pictures. Yes, they're that good. I would give them four, but the other two flavors have cheese in them. Maybe we'll get a vegan cheese flavor someday. Added points for using organic corn, GMO free oil and mostly organic spices. Seriously, what could be better than this? Usually found on the east side of the park, but also can be found at Cali's Natural Foods and best of all (and the best move theater in the valley) Salt Lake Film Society. Just go watch the best movie I've seen in a decade, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and open up a bag. You'll thank me later.  If you ask nicely, I might even send you a bag or just visit their page and order a bag yourself. Follow on facebook or check out their website: http://www.popartsnacks.com. 

Thai Coconut Curry Popcorn

I Can't Decide Which One Is Better. Can You?

 Mountain Town Olive Oil Company

18 Year Old Balsamic Vinegar

     There's a few things I learned in life. The first and perhaps most important is that life is too short to drink crappy beer. After tasting this balsamic vinegar, I'm going to include balsamic vinegar to the list. This stuff is just amazing. It has this thick, almost maple syrup consistency and the flavor is mind blowing. I thought I was splurging buying a bottle of organic 5 year old from Napa Valley Naturals. This stuff blows away anything I've tasted. It's so good you don't even need oil to drizzle on salads, a great way to cut some calories without sacrificing taste. Plus, you might develop a salad eating addiction, just so you can have an excuse to break out the bottle, as if that's a bad thing. In the future, I want to make some kind of balsamic ice cream or sorbet, like the winner of the last Chopped Round. I am a little nervous outing myself, because I stop at their booth each week and try the different varieties. Everything from blood orange olive oil to lavender balsamic vinegar, they never stop amazing me. Usually found on the East side of the park, near Butcher's Bunches and Pop Art so bring a big bag. They also have a storefront in the Gateway and Park City as well as  mailorder on their website. Follow on facebook to find out about their awesome flavors. 

 Terrapin Station Smoking Company  

Applewood Smoked Pistachios

     Smoked nuts? I've had smoked almonds before that make an excellent gravy from Vegan Brunch, but these things are just damn smoking! Sorry, I couldn't resist. Seriously, those nuts are beyond nutty! Okay, I'll stop. I'm not sure what it is, but smoking really makes everything awesome. Plus, they add their own spice rub, which adds to the smoky flavor. The cashews even have jalapeño added to them It's like have a perfectly spiced campfire in your mouth. Now, if only I could figure out if you put the whole pistachio in your mouth to suck out the spice or crack and just eat the meat. Currently, I'm on the former, but might need another bag for more research, right? Usually, located on the north side of the park, just a couple of booths down from Woodyatt Cherry Farms. Visit their website: http://www.terrapinstationsmokinco.com/

                  Wood Fired Jalepeno Cashews

Notice The Bag Is Nearly Empty...

 Grandma Sandino's Sicilian Sauce

Vampires: Beware!

      There was a sign asking, "Do You Love Garlic"? Ummm, Yes, please! Then there was another that said vegan and dairy free. Woohoo! No more playing twenty questions! From there, it was like following the yellow brick road, but instead of rainbows and unicorns was this sauce. And I wasn't disappointed. They must know it, too. I mean their tag line is, You'll Love It Or Else. What food comes with a promise followed by a threat. If you love garlic, you won't need to find out what they mean by "or else". It's so good I'll even forgive them for misspelling vegetarian on the bottle. Plus, it comes with an awesome bottle ala Dr Bronner's with all kinds of writing on it. Fun to read while fending off vampires. Usually located on the east side of the park, near Butcher's Bunches, Pop Art and Mountain Olive Oil. Visit their website: GrandmaSandinos.com or follow on facebook. 

  Fresh Goji Berries (D&L Enterprises)

Go! Go! Goji Power!

     Goji Berries are that mystical berry that I see in the store, but only rarely bought. The price tag is what generally keeps my away. Not to mention that they're generally dried, which gives a bark like consistency. Fresh ones are completely different. Come to think of it, I've never had a fresh one, but after getting one sample I bought a pack. Fresh goji berries have a nice tang to them. I haven't done anything exciting with them, but just pop some in my mouth and chomp away, reaping the awesome health benefits from them. Apparently, they grow well in the Utah/Wasatch region. I thought they were some mystical fruit only found in Tibet, but a friend schooled me saying he had a bush in his front yard. I've only seen them once at the market on the northside near Terrapin Smoking Co, Woodyatt Cherry Farms, so hopefully they'll be back because I'm running low. I might have to resort to goji bush hunting, if they don't reappear. Who's with me?

Wilkerson Farms

Just Eat It: Roasted Beet!

   One of the few farms that are certified organic (there's also an organic garlic grower that I found last week), they are located out in Orem and grow a lot of root vegetables, like beets and varieties of potatoes, such as yukon and red. They also had some awesome greens, like kale and the intriguing purslane, which has loads of Omega 3s. Since I'm running pretty full with my CSA from Bell Organic, I tend to supplement my share with random things like beets that I used in the last round of Vegan: Chopped. Last week, I saw a box of apricots, too! Usually located on the North East corner of the park. Really friendly, folks. Please support them! 

Wyomatoes    

One Tomato, Two Tomato, Three!

     Coming from the East Coast, Jersey tomatoes were all the rage. I mean they have a point. They are pretty delicious, but maybe that's because tomato flavor has been on a downward slope over the past couple of years. I mean, someone even wrote a book about the downfall of the modern tomato. Out in the west coast, I mainly serve up the heirloom varieties that I get in my CSA, but these Wyomatoes are perfect substitute until those heirlooms start showing up. They might even start an east coast/west coast feud over who grows the best tomatoes, New Jersey versus Big Piney, Wyoming. Choose your side wisely. Now if Barry Estabrook had one of these, he might not have written a book. Best of all, the tomatoes are organic and they used to sell blemished ones for just $2 a pound. Too bad, I haven't seen them in the past few weeks.

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Chopped Vegan Round Deux: Just Beet It!

Orange Zest and Beet Ice Cream In A Toasted Coconut And Crispy Brown Rice Coating, Topped With Mango Coulis

Photograph Taken By The Special One!

     Is it just me or is there just one ingredient that makes this competition difficult? In Round Uno, it was the bittersweet chocolate. This time it was the beets. The previous installment, I danced around it, shaving some chocolate over the dish. Now, I wanted to pull the beets from the ground per se and take it on full force, so I went with the orange zest and beet ice cream. I made several homemade ice creams before (cake batter, pumpkin & green tea) but wanted to get a little wacky with the flavors, which is why I bought Jeni's book, hoping the veganize the recipes inside. The beet ice cream makes sense since I'm residing in Utah. Here, in the Beehive State, we take our beets seriously. I bet you don't believe me but there's even a school football team named the Beetdiggers. There's probably some historic story that goes along with it, but I haven't been here long enough to here it.

Jordan Beetdigger Logo

I Tell No Lies

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      Anyway, I was hoping for some beets from my CSA, but I missed the pick-up this week. So I headed to the downtown farmer's market and got some glorious organic and local beets from Wilkerson farms in Orem. One of my newest and greatest finds at the farmer's market, along with fresh goji berries. I'll be doing a post some about the awesome farmer's market finds and some great eats sometime this week, I promise!

Mystery Ingredients: Beets, Mango, Coconut and Crispy Rice Cereal

No Secrets Here!

     I was nervous about making the beet ice cream, but apparently I'm (or Isa is) pretty hip since NPR just aired a story about how awesome beets are with some great recipes, like a beet smoothie. Me? I've always loved beets, especially roasted beets. They add great flavor and color to salads. But ice cream, I bet (beet?) you're asking have I gone to far? No way, jose! The beet ice cream had a great flavor and went awesome with the orange zest. The toasted coconut complimented the flavors as well and the crispy rice gave that I'm kinda like a jimmie, but not as colorful texture. I learned from Vegan Brunch that coulis is just a fancier way of saying sauce, so that's why it's not just a mango sauce. Originally, I started out with the brown sugar mango coulis, but ended up shelving it because the brown sugar took away the bright yellow color that I wanted. Since I adapted the recipes from other places, I'll post them below.

Beet Ice Cream Ala Mode

Gotta Love Ice Cream That Color!

Beet Ice Cream Ingredients:

adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home

2 medium roasted beets, peeled

2 cups soy milk

1 TBS, plus 1 teaspoon tapioca starch (corn starch is okay, but make sure it's organic so it's GMO free!)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/4 Cup (One can) of coconut cream (the full fat stuff, dessert is not the time to go on a diet, folks)

2/3 Cup sugar, plus 2 TBS of sugar

2 TBS light corn syrup

zest of one organic orange

Directions:
Wrap the scrubbed beets in tin foil and set them in an oven at 400 degrees for one hour. Once slightly cooled, peel the beets and put them in the food processor with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Set aside. Now take 2 TBS of the soy milk and mix with the tapioca starch in a separate bowl. Place the rest of the into a pot and bring to a boil, boil for a few minutes, being careful not to burn it. Remove from the heat and gradually mix in the starch and bring back to a boil until thickened, about 2 minutes or so. Then, mix in the orange zest and the beet puree and put into the fridge for at least two hours to chill. Then, place into your ice cream machine and follow directions.

Roasted Beet

So Delicious, Watch Out! Beet Ice Cream is Here!

Mango Coulis Ingredients:

1 cup of chopped mango

2 TBS fresh squezzed organge juice

1/2 teaspoon of tapioca or corn starch

1/4 teaspoon of vegan secret spice aka tumeric (optional, but not really)

place everything into a small pot over low to medium heat and stir, making sure the starch coats everything. stir occasionally and heat for 10-15 minutes. place in the fridge to cool. Note: this makes about a cup, which isn't a lot if you're serving for friends so you might want to double or triple it. 

now to assemble everything, take a scoop of the ice cream aand roll into each parts toasted coconut and crispy rice cereal. and topp witht eh coulis and feel special that you're serving a dish with the word "coulis" in it! and just as a note and to earth balance up the judges, cooking with beets is messy business. I ended up with beet juice over my Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary "Eat Kale, Not Cow" shirt, which is exactly why I need that apron, just saying. Not that I'm trying to influence the vote or anything...

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Chopped Vegan Style: This Is How We Do It!

Pistachio Toasted Coconut and Mint Crushed Tempeh with a Drizzled Blackberry Mint Reduction, Lemon Mint Sugar Snap Peas and Mojito Black Eyes Peas, Topped with Shaved Bittersweet Chocolate

Vegan Chopped Competition

     Just one short year since I started this thing and I'm entering a cooking competition. That's just how I roll. But before I began and no matter how this turns out, I want to thank some people. Of course, my mom for showing me how delicious vegan food could be in the first place. Kevin & Brett of veganbrew.com for inspiring to cook with their awesome meal ideas, even if their site is lacking in updates. Beth for being my arch-nemesis (and sending me award-winning cupcakes) in our informal cooking competition and telling me about this awesome competition. The special one for allowing me to cook for her and try out new meals, not to mention cleaning up my mess! Thanks! Most importantly, however, I wanted to thank Isa. It was her cookbooks, specifically Vegan Brunch, that really made me a believer in cooking. And now, she's the reason, I'm entering this competition. Thanks, Isa! 

     Mystery Ingredients: Blackberries, Mint, Black Eyed Peas, Bittersweet Chocolate 

Organic And Fair Trade Ingredients!

    When the ingredients were announced, I must have bite my nails down to the cuticle. I was so nervous thinking about how to combine everything into one entrée. It happens whenever something "creative" is required. I've had some practice combing different recipes together for what would be an awesome meal, like THIS and THAT. After some brain simmering, I had that aha moment. The results? I was definitely impressed by how everything went together. The blackberry mint reduction went perfectly with the crusted tempeh.
     The biggest question mark was how the black eyed peas would work as a rice replacement to serve the tempeh over. Needless to say, even I was impressed. It's exactly what I expect when I go out to a meal, but sadly only Vedge/Horizons (I'll post my review soon! I promise!) exceed that expectation. Since I adapted some of the recipes, I'll post them below in case you want to give it a whirl. As for getting to the 40 minute mark which this comes right up against, I switched out tofu for tempeh to avoid the pressing and used one of those food choppers to save time on chopping because I take forever with a knife.You'll also have to be quick and have three burners and a stove going at the same time! I also made blackberry mint mojitos to serve with the meal as well, but this took outside the 40 minute time, but it's worth it! Oh, and I had to use jam that I acquired from the farmer's market, instead of the fresh berries that I wanted. To be honest, the plating and picturing taking took me over the 40 minutes, but plating and photographing doesn't count, right?

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Pistachio Toasted Coconut & Mint Crusted Tempeh

Adapted from Mark Reinfield's 30 Minute Vegan

Ready To Be Cooked

Ingredients: 

8 ox box of tempeh ( I recommend Turtle Island's/Tofurkery

1 tbs Shoyu, Soy or Tamari (I used Shoyu)

1 tbs Toasted Seaseme Oil (don't substitute!)

1 tbs Water

Tahini Marinade:

2 tbs Tahini

1 tbs Shoyu, Soy or Tamari

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbs water

Crust:

1/2 cup pistachios

2 tbs toasted shredded coconut

2 teaspoons cornmeal

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon seal salt (I recommend Realt Salt from Redmond, Utah)

1/4 black pepper, freshly ground

1/4 teaspoon dried majoram

2 tbs chopped fresh mint

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Now, slice the tempeh in half, then hold the blocks up again and slice those in half so you have four equal sized blocks. Place them on a cookie sheet and combine the marinade of oil, soy sauce and water and brush onto the tempeh cakes. Let stand for 5 minutes, flipping sides. Now, prepare mix the marinade ingredients together and set aside. Place the tempeh into the oven for 6 minutes, per side. It should have a nice carmelized color when it's ready. When it's cooking, prepare the crust. Use the food chopper (or a knife if you have the time) to chop the pistachios. Combine everything else. Now move onto getting the Black Eyed Peas together. When the tempeh is ready (12 minutes), dip both sides into the marinade and then into the pistachio mixture and then cook for 5 minutes each side. 

Mojito Black Eyed Peas

Adapted from Kathy Hester's The Vegan Slow Cooker

Ingredients:

1 Can Black Eyed Peas ( I recommend Eden Organic or Fig Foods, both are BPA Free!)

1 small onion, maybe a cup or so

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup rum

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1-2 teaspoon of veggie stock powder

1 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste

Juice on lime (2 tbs of lime juice)

zest of a lime

1/4 cup of mint leaves, plus more for garnish, if you wish.

Chop up the onion and pour everything else into a pot and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes or until everything else is ready. You're just trying to reduce to liquid. Now that this is set, move onto the blackberry mint reduction sauce.

Just What Summer Ordered!

Blackberry Mint Reduction Sauce

The Perfect Couple, Mint And Blackberry!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of blackberry jam (I used Utah's Weeks Berries of Paradise)

1/2 cup of packed mint, the more the merrier

3/4 cup vegan beef broth (I used Edward's & Son's Not-Beef)

1 tbs of balsamic vinegar (optional, I forgot it and then added it afterwards and liked it without)

1 teaspoon of corn or tapioca starch 

mix everything together and simmer for just a few minutes until the mint wilts or until everything else is ready. Now move over to the sugar snap peas.

Meal With Mojito

A Very Minty Meal

Sauted Lemon Mint Sugar Snap Peas

From Bell Organic

Ingredients:

1 bag of sugar snap peas from your CSA (or 1lb from the farmer's market)

3 tbs of fresh chopped mint

juice and zest of a lemon
3-4 green onions

olive oil for cooking

salt and pepper

sugar, maybe 1/2 teaspoon

heat up the oil over medium heat, throw the sugar snap peas in and toss to coat. sprinkle with some salt, then some sugar. cook for a minute or two. Turn off the heat then throw in the mint and the lemon juice/zest and toss to coat. 

One Dirty Kitchen

Controlled Chaos, I Say!

Now plate everything up, make it look pretty top it all with a beautiful sprig of mint and a few bodacious blackberries and then shave some bittersweet chocolate over the tempeh and beans. now eat and enjoy! hopefully, you exhibited more controlled chaos than I and ended up with less burns! I have lots to learn before taking stone from master, Isa! 

Just Two Burns

Battle Scars!

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Scraping By With Garlic Scapes!

Garlic Scape Walnut Pesto with Braising Mix, Soy Curls, Whole Wheat Rotini Pasta and Lemon

Pesto Pasta Power!

     I love Bell Organic. Not only are they the nicest people in the world, but they grow the best produce in the Wasatch Front. And just like the name implies, it's all certified organic! Last year was my introduction to joining a CSA through Bell Organic. Not only did I get an education of in the wide world of veggies, but I learned about and fell in love with new plants, like arugula. Now, I can't get enough of this spicy salad green! 

Soy Curls and Braising Mix

What More Could You Ask For?

      I feel pretty confident around greens. When collards are in the bag , I'll be making citrus collard greens with raisin redux. Green beans means pad prik king will on the menu. However, every now and again, the Bells like to switch things up with a curve ball.  Last year, I had a choice between kohlrabi or beets. Feeling adventurous, I went with the kolrabhi (I ended up making THIS). This year, garlic scapes appeared, along with a recipe for the garlic scape pesto. Garlic scapes are these snake like plants that resemble a more curvy, less rigid green onion. The taste is a much milder version of bulb garlic. Unfortunately, I didn't grab a photo before grinding them up so I'll have to rely on the internets. 

Garlic Scapes

Photo from Floyd The Guy (floydthefoodguy.com)

     While the original recipe called for chicken and Parmesan cheese, I decided to veganize it with soy curls. I've already written about how much I love soy curls. Quick, easy to use and versatile, they are my go to for making meals. Plus, I have a 12 lbs box that I'm cooking myself through. Yup, I don't mess around. For the Parmesan cheese, I went with the Galaxy foods one, however I bet it would be amazing with the new Parmesan cheese alternative from Parmela, It got a glowing review from Vegnews saying it was "dead on".

Whole Wheat Rotini Pasta

No Semolina Flour Here!

      Just one more tip before I post the recipe. It does call for extra-virgin olive oil, something that I skimped on. I went with walnut oil because I was out of olive and had it in the cupboard. It's about what you have, folks. So don't judge me! Plus, I was using walnuts as the base, so in my defense, I thought it would complement it. It wasn't bad, but it would have been banging with some organic unfiltered cold-pressed olive oil. More modifiers make it more better, right? Even plain ole extra-virgin oil would have been better. Just learn from my mistakes or at least stock your cupboards better.
     Oh, one final tip, if you're lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe's pick up these spices below, the lemon pepper and south african smoke, they go perfect with everything, especially this pesto. My mom showed me the light on my last visit and I was able to smuggle some back to our Trader Joe's less state. Now I'm just crossing my fingers that they will last until the end of the year when we'll get our own Salt Lake Trader Joe's! I'm craving some of that cookie butter, too! 

Lemon Pepper and South African Smoke 

Trader Joe's Awesome Spice Grinders

Garlic Scape Pesto with Braising Mix, Soy Curls, Whole Wheat Rotini Pasta and Lemon Recipe (adapted from Bell Organic)

Ingredients:

1 lb pasta, choose your favorite shape, silly. whole wheat or regular

10 large garlic scapes

1/3 Cup nuts (walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, or pistachio)

2-3 TBS vegan parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt (I recommend Real Salt from Redmond, Utah)
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3 Cup extra-virgin olive oil (try not to substitute)

4-6 oz of Soy Curls, rehydrated and drained

1 bag of Braising Mix, preferable from Bell Organic (though you could get away with a bunch of another bag of greens, like Bok Choy, Collards, Arugula or even Kale)

1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon Italian herbs, your choice.

1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

Lemon Pepper or Smoked Grinders from Trader Joes (optional, but not really).

     Directions:
     Okay, now start boiling the water. Throw some salt in and cook the pasta according to the directions. But really, you can cook pasta, right? You could use the leftover water to hydrate the soy curls, if you wanted to be ecologically conscious. Next get out the food processor or if you're like I used to be, thinking that I could just use a blender for everything, you can get away with that, too. You're life will be easier with a food processor, though. trust me. Well, unless you have a high-powered blender like a Blendtec or Vitamix. Anyway, throw the garlic scapes (I didn't even cut them up), nuts, vegan parmesan, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 pepper and get crazy. Blend until smooth. This will be your pesto. Love it embrace it.

     Now, get out a large cast-iron skillet (another worth while investment, trust me) and heat that sucker up. Saute the braising mix and hydrated and drained soy curls together until the greens are wilted, maybe 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle some salt, red pepper flakes and the Italian herbs while it's cooking. Once, it's done combine it with the pasta then combine that with the pesto and then juice a lemon into the mixture. Depending on your level of pesto loving, you could just use 1/2 to 2/3 cup of the pesto and freeze/save the remaining pesto or be like me and just use it all. Choose your own adventure, folks! Top it with some tomatoes, a sprinkle of more vegan paremsan and a twist or two of the grinders. Enjoy and share!

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If I Was A Dinosaur, I Would Be A Donutosaurus!

Chocolate Glazed with Jimmes!

There Is No Such Thing As "Spinkles" Period.

     It's true. Not only do I have a mouth filled with sweet teeth, but I have a donut affliction. If I see a donut, I must eat it. Consider me a sommelier of vegan donuts or if we were back in the mesozoic era a donutosaurus. If you doubt my donut worthyness, check out my credentials. I've written about Seattle's award winning Mighty O's, San Antonio's Vegeria, and New York's Cinnamon Snail. If there's a vegan donut, I've had it.  Sadly, I've had Allentown's Vegan Treats and Las Vegas's famed Ronald's Donuts, but without documentation. So, you're just have to trust me. Well, I had them all except for Portland's Voodoo Donuts. Anyone want to fund a fact finding mission to Portland so I can complete my training? Anyone? I do take deliveries as well, just in case you're wondering.

Dun-Well's Donut Case

Donuts Galore!

     I know I'm starting out with Chocolate Glazed with Jimmies. Normally, I don't like holey donuts. I mean donuts are so good why waste any space with nothing? Let's eat more donut with stuff inside. However, that's how good Brooklyn's Dun-Well Donuts are. I mean they went head to head with traditional donuteries and New York Daily News voted them the best donut shop in the entire city. That just impressive. And continues the trend of vegan bakeries beating traditional ones. Chef Chloe, Sticky Fingers, Mighty O, and Cakewalk have all bested traditional bakeries to take home prizes from Cupcake Wars to Salt Lake City Weekly. It's not just baking, but grilling, too. Vegans took home prizes in a grilled cheese competition. 

Jelly Donut

A Donut Complete!

     Right as we were ordering, the person in front got that last peanut butter and jelly donut. I was flabbergasted. That was the donut my host Brett @veganbrew.com recommended. So I had to settle for the jelly donut, which I thought was going to be the best, especially since the jelly is some local made jam that I can't recall. But I kept coming back to the chocolate glazed. It had this buttery flavor and the chocolate was subtle enough to not overpower everything else. Plus, it had jimmies on it. Don't believe the lies, there is no such thing called a "sprinkle".Jimmies make everything better.

Lemon Lavender

Kriss Kross Donuts Will Make You Jump!

     For my third donut, I went with lemon lavender which had this perfect clean lemon taste with a burst of lavender. You wanna know their secret? It's in the criss-cross glaze. It'll make you jump! Jump! What's even cooler then they're glaze layering technique is the atmosphere.

 Dun-Well Inside

Cool Retro Feel

     Dun-Well Facade

     Walking into Dun-Well's is like taking a time machine to the 1950's. Well, not that I know, but it's how I imagine it would be. The inside has this cool retro feel, much like Lula's. Tea hanging in clear jars and vintage posters lining the wall make up the interior. Even the shop workers wear bow-ties!. To top everything off, they serve the donuts to stay on these cool wooden coasters. Oh, and even better they're right across the street of the Montrose L train station. 

Wooden Coasters

I Can't Confirm Or Deny That There Was A Donut Here!

Donut On  A Wooden Coaster

There May Or May Not Have Been A Jelly Donut On This As Well!

     I washed them down with some delicious iced coffee and we were off to see the king of late night himself, David Letterman with Florence and The Machine as the musical guest! The only thing that I'm sad about is that they do serve Lula's ice cream. As if that's not enough they make a donut sundae. Yup, that's right, a donut sundae. I'm just disappointed in myself for not getting one. I'm sorry to let you down, too. But cheer up, there's also next time, right? 

Making Donuts Disappear!

Caught Powder Handed! There's No Denying It!

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Hot On The Trail Of The Cinnamon Snail

General Tso's Haberno Apricot Glazed Seitan Sandwich with Arugula

Overheard Somewhere Near Midtown New York City:

Guy: What's this Cinnamon Snail? (looking at the line to order)

Girl: Do they really serve snails?

Guy: Oh, not if it's vegan.

 Now picture that conversation in a thick Staten Island accent. Yes, there is a difference. 

      I'm not sure what it is with food from a truck, maybe it's the quintessential american meal, trucks and fast food. Or maybe it's the garage band theory when the most passionate chefs are working to prove their worth. No matter what it is, I can't get enough. Seabirds was my first truck love, which inspired Salt Lake City's best restaurant (wheeled or not) Union Street Eats, and now the famed and great Cinnamon Snail, hands down the best food I ate in the city! I know I have a tendency to use the superlatives, but, look, I'm not alone. Mobile Cuisine just nominated the truck as the top influential vegan food truck in the country. See, I have back up! Plus, how cool of a name for a restaurant is Cinnamon Snail! (Spoiler: It's what they call a cinnamon roll. Oh, those creative, East Coasters!) 

The Cinnamon Snail in Action

Look At That Dessert Window!

     On a recent visit to the big apple Cinnamon Snail was on my mind  after a VegNews article on Food Trucks, but I thought Hoboken was a little too far to travel given the cornucopia of food choices. Luckily, my great hosts had a Cinnamon Snail calendar that lead me to the journey. Not only did they tell me, they come to New York City, but one of the calendar photos had a picture of a donut. This was just an ordinary donut but a creme brulee donut! Needless to say, we got some shut eye and a late start to the day and then headed to midtown to stalk Cinnamon Snail. Well, I didn't have to work to hard to pick up it's scent, my great host Brett @ Veganbrew gave me perfect directions that lead right to the truck. 

Creme Brulee Donut

After Some Warming In The Oven!

    With menu items like ancho chili seitan burger, maple mustard tempeh sandwich, the hardest part was what to choose. Well, the entrees anyway. I was nervously watching the stack of creme brulee donuts shrink to just two! A cold sweat ensued and then the lady in front order of me order one! Oh, not I might not get the famed donut! But alas, I got the last one (and a box of other donuts)! Perfect timing if you ask me. In other news, I decided to go with the special of the day General Tso's special and the special one got a Lemongrass Five Spiced Seitan sandwich, which looked just like mine. I paired mine with some Artisan Passionfruit ginger ale from Bruce Cost. This guy literally wrote the book on ginger. My hero. Swoon! 

Cinnamon Snail in Action

Box O' Donuts

Creme Brulee, Smores and Boston Creme!

     Ordering food from a truck isn't a bad deal when you can go back to your home or office, but new york city is lacking in benches. Luckily, we walked a block and found half a street that was converted into an outdoor area, complete with table and chairs. Pretty cool, though it was a bit weird eating with cars driving so close by. The second thing I learned is how hard it is to photograph a sandwich, especially with rain drops percolating from the sky. The third thing I learned is how delicious Cinnamon Snail is. Wow, this was an awesome sandwich and organic, too. I just wish I could have went for breakfast or another stop. Hopefully, they get picked up by the Food Network so we'll get another visit in Salt Lake! If you're headed to the Big Apple, make Cinnamon Snail one of your must visits. Just be sure to follow on twitter or facebook to get their current location. Oh, and it's cash only so hit the ATM before following the snail trail. If you're not convinced just gander at one of last week's special: Panang curry grilled tofu with marinated greens and Thai chili roasted coconut and peanuts served open face on a chili butter grilled tortilla. Now will someone overnight me one? Please? I would settle for some recipes.

    Smores Donut

Like A Campfire, Only In Donut Form

     The donuts were dense and packed with flavor. Like children, I can't admit to my favorite, but if you twisted my arm enough I could be forced to squeal creme brulee. It's not my fought you forced me!    

     While we were eating, we got word that we scored tickets to David Letterman. I've been a fan since I was a wee lad so it was awesome to see the shows in person. Not only was that great, but Florence and The Machine were the musical guest. Our lucky stars were aligned. I was feeling so lucky, I played the lottery, but sadly I didn't win.

     With bellies full, we headed to the 9/11 memorial. It's really a beautiful memorial and didn't require any advanced tickets,unlike the plethora of signs that indicate otherwise. This was awesome, because we're the fly by the seat of our pants people.

9/11 Memorial

Freedom Tower

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Enter The Brotherhood!

Seitan Bacon Ranch And Margarita Pizza

The Best Of Both Worlds!

     I'm sure he's not English, but we should be looking into knighting or whatever the Long Island equivalent would be (maybe a parade?) for Jay Astafovic. He designed a menu that has quite possibly that best Italian restaurant that I've been too, even the New York Times have noticed. Italian vegan food is one of the most under served cuisine in the vegan world and Three Brothers Pizza Cafe comes out swinging. I've never seen a menu quite like it, pizzas, pastas, entrées and appetizing appetizers! It's like Philly's Blackbird Pizza but on steroids! 

 Mozzarella Sticks

My First Vegan Mozzarella Stick!

    And good thing, too! The special one and I arrived in the big apple to see Florence and the Machine at Radio City Music Hall with stomachs grumbling and luckily our gracious hosts heard our gurgling stomaches (the kale chips on the plane can only get you so far!) and suggested Three Brothers being that we were already close. They didn't need to say much more than vegan pizza, but we had no idea what we were getting into. Our server didn't either, she stopped taking our order after the pizza, but we keep going! I wanted the Dr Cow aged cheese plate, but unfortunately, they were out. Unless you order it online, Dr Cow doesn't make it out to my neck of the woods so I wanted to give it a try after Vegan Brew's awesome review. I settled for my first mozzarella stick, which usually are more melty inside but were still amazing. As you can see from above, they didn't last long! I had to guard this one just to get a picture!

Baby Spinach Salad    

The Grilled Portobello Makes This Salad

    Of course, we wanted to try everything so we split up to to sample as much as possible and we passed around our plates like communion offerings. Plus, Leftovers, aren't such a bad thing, right? I normally don't like portobellos. Maybe, it's years of crappy restaurants thinking vegans only eat hummus and portobello sandwiches, but this was awesome. The grill marks give it away, but it had this wonderful smoky flavor as well and looks like it was just picked that afternoon. I'm a mushroom believer again! Oh, and it came with a cashew cheese from Dr Cow's. It was a little grainy, but it had a nice funk to it. Now follow me as we march to the pizza! The seitan bacon ranch pizza jumped out at me, but our hosts suggested the Margarita pizza so we did halfsies! Wow, the seitan bacon ranch pizza came out with,maybe an inch or two high piled with toppings. You almost needed a spotter just to lift a slice! Taste wise it had this delicious sweet smokey flavor. The Margarita was the perfect companion with a clean and crisp taste of garlic, tomatoes and mozzarella. I definitely recommend this combination because more tastes are better than one.

Penne Alla Vodka

This Ain't No Ordinary Red Sauce!

     I know you're thinking that's all we ordered, but we kept going. With a bunch of  names like puttanesca, bolognese, scampi and marsala, I had to taste one of the entrees, too. The vodka and pasta as I called it spoke to me so I answered back and ordered it. While it might look like a regular sauce, this was a creamy delicious sauce that's hard to describe. I've never had anything like it, but I know yummy when I taste it! To top things off, you can even add grilled seitan, tofu or bacon to any of the pasta dishes for only $2. I mean how awesome is that. After all that it's hard to get excited for a seitan cheese burger, but it was home made and the french fries were perfect. I'm not sure if they offer dessert or not because we were stuffed and armed with doggie bags. I know you're disappointed in my sweet tooth, but we did manage to hit up Lula's several hours later for a some cake batter ice cream! 

Seitan Cheese Burger

Now That's A Burger!

     There now, can we start to the plans for a ticker tape parade for Mr  Astafovic. I just need another excuse to come back to sample the rest of the menu! Whose with me? 

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