Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Great Pumpkin





















The most haunting thing about Halloween is pumpkins. These delicious winter squash are everywhere and resistance is futile. At the store pumpkins never seem big enough (with the exception of my neighbor's frighteningly huge jack-o-lantern above which still scares me), but once I get home I realize that my eyes are clearly bigger than my stomach. I instantly panic and start brainstorming every pumpkin recipe I can think of. Puree is really versatile and can be frozen so it's kind of my go-to thing. About a month later I'm haunted once again by all the pumpkin in my freezer. My cranberry pumpkin muffins are always a hit but this year I came up with a killer pumpkin ravioli inspired by a package of wonton wrappers and a block of tofu kicking around my fridge.





















Whip up a batch of Cashew Ricotta from the Veganomicon and add your left over pumpkin puree. No measurements required but keep it fluffy. Add a whole head of roasted garlic if you want. I did.





















Place a giant glob of filling onto a wonton wrapper. Don't hold back. The fatter the ravioli the better.




















Moisten the edges of the wonton with water and cover with another wonton.





















Pinch the edges closed - you don't want them breaking open.





















Boil in lightly salted water. They only take a couple minutes.





















I topped mine with a red sauce JJ's mom gave me. She made it with tomatoes and basil from her garden - so good. Caesar Salad with Roasted Garlic Croutons from the Veganomicon was a perfect pairing. No such thing as too much garlic for me.





















It's all about the pumpkin-y filling.





















I made a pot of espresso to keep with the Italian theme...





















...and got the brilliant idea to make affogatos. Scoop some Soy ice cream, make espresso, pour. Voila - impromptu Italian dinner!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Wham BAM, Thank You Ma'am!

When Vegetarian Haven took their seitan burger off the menu I began my quest to find a replacement for what was my favorite veggie burger ever. I never expected to find it at regular burger joint, but I did at a little place called Bamburger. The burger starts off simple with lettuce, tomato, red onion and a choice of white or whole wheat bun. There's a huge list of toppings and dipping sauces, some free, some for a small charge, that let you create the perfect personalized burger. And a good number of them are vegan: avocado, sauteed mushrooms or peppers, olives, jalapenos, pickles and even grilled pineapple to name a few. I decided to go for a simple pile of onion rings on top of my burger the first time I was there and have been doing that ever since.





















This is the way it comes - with killer fries.





















This is the way I do it. A little ketchup, mustard, and fries right on the burger. Don't knock it til you try it!

The staff are awesome. They have a binder on hand with a full ingredient list and can confirm any vegan inquiries in a flash. Whenever I get a burger craving, BAM - I'm there!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Double Dragon

I love the Dragon Bowl at Fresh. I can't decide if it's the perfectly grilled zucchini and tomatoes, the savory marinated tofu steaks, or the velvety miso gravy that makes me crave this dish most. When I want a Dragon Bowl I have to have one. I feel this way about a lot of the dishes at Fresh, and have unintentionally worked my way through almost the entire menu, but I took this particular bowl a step further. I got my hands on a copy of their cookbook and made my own.





















Delicious Dragon Bowl from Fresh. Nom.



















Refresh - the cookbook that reveals the secrets of deliciousness.





















My version of the Dragon Bowl. I know I sort of super-sized the portion but this dish kicks ass.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Oh Baby, How could I forget the Cakes?

On Sunday I wrote about MooShoes and completely forgot to mention the best part of the experience - Babycakes is around the corner! (Big thanks to meansoybean for the reminder). Babycakes is a funky little vegan bakery that has all kinds of treats - all natural, gluten-free, sugar-free - you name it. I fell in love with the place as soon as I saw the Susy Homemaker over in the window. Babycakes is awesome overload. I wish I had snapped more shots of all the retro cool stuff about the shop.


















Choosing what to order was one of the more difficult decisions I have ever had to make. Everything looks amazing. I finally decided to go with the classics: a chocolate chip cookie, a brownie, and a chocolate donut. They take delicious to a whole new level.





















A friend of mine had been to Babycakes L.A. and came home raving about them so I'd been dreaming about trying one of their donuts for weeks before our trip. Now I dream about going back...