A Shortcut to Cobblers

I've been subscribing to Vegetarian Times for about a year now, which I get about every 6 weeks or so. I absolutely LOVE the magazine. It's not only got some great recipes (both vegetarian and vegan), it also includes tons of fun and useful information. One of my favorite sections is the Carrot & Stick section where VT points out the good and wrongdoings of various organizations. For example, a "Carrots to" story would be Whole Foods eliminating plastic bags at all of its stores, and a "Sticks to" story would be the FDA approving milk from rBGH- (recombinant bovine growth hormone) treated cows while it's banned in Europe and Canada. Another favorite is the last page of the magazine, which is usually just a page of "fridge notes" giving great tips about general things to better your life and the globe, such as the tips VT gave during a holiday season on how to have an eco-friendly gift-giving holiday. VT is such a great, resourceful magazine. I just wish there were more magazines like it.

In the most recent issue, VT featured one of my favorite fruits: mango! They gave 5 incredible recipes on creative dishes that use mango as the centerpiece, from mango salsa to mango-teriyaki tofu. The last item of the feature was a Mango and Pineapple Crumble, which made my eyes sparkle. If you haven't heard me rave endlessly about the cobblers by Cobblermania, you're missing out. I've never been a fan of cobblers, but since I've first tried Cobblermania's cobblers, it has completely opened my mind and taste buds to the magical world of baked fruit desserts. VT's mango crumble seemed like a quick and easy way to make a cobbler-like dessert, so I thought I'd give it a try. Just the smell of warm sweet brown sugar infused with the tang of mango and pineapples baking in the oven is itself worth the minimal time and effort.



Mango and Pineapple Crumble
Serves 6

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup plus 3 Tbs. packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
5 Tbs chilled vegan margarine, cut into pieces
1/2 cup raw pecans, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs unsweetened shredded coconut
3 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 8-inch-square glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, oats, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp allspice, and salt in medium bowl. Add 4 Tbs. margarine, and rub with fingertips until mixture forms coarse meal. Press together until mixture begins to form moist clumps. Stir in pecans and coconut.

Combine remaining 3 Tbs brown sugar, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp allspice in large bowl. Add mangoes and pineapple, and toss to coat. Transfer to prepared baking dish; dot top with remaining 1 Tbs margarine. Sprinkle oat topping over mango mixture.

Bake 40 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and juices bubble. Cool 10 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt

I absolutely can't wait to share this with you. It's probably one of the best desserts I've had in awhile (other than Cobblermania's cobblers) --- So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt.

I've actually tried this once before, but that was before I had a food blog. I just came back from a long overdue trip to Whole Foods, and I'm having So Delicious' new line of dairy-free and soy-free yogurt made with coconut milk in Passionate Mango flavor. After trying it for the second time, more than a month since the first, I am again pleasantly surprised by the product. The silky texture and subtle sweetness of the coconut milk complements wonderfully with the tanginess of the passion fruit and mango.

If you like coconut, you've got of give this a try. I have not tried the other flavors, but I'm sure they are equally "so delicious." ;)

Temporary Hiatus

Staying responsible to my readers (a whopping 3, I believe), I just want to give you a heads up on this tiny break of posting. Last and this week have been quite hectic as I'm moving out of my apartment and bidding farewell to my bf, all while staying until midnight at work. All my cookery blogging tools (i.e., pots, pans, dishes, camera, etc.) are currently packed into moving boxes. Once I am completely moved out of my apartment (by August 31 at the latest), I'll be back on my feet and continuing my vegan cookery journey.

Meanwhile, if I can figure out how my camera works now that I lost my Director of Photography (my bf), I will post some pictures of food that I've had in restaurants in the past week. Until then, here's some food for thought:

Did you know...

• Meat production causes 20% of the common water pollution related to consumer expenditures and uses about 860 million acres of land in the United States alone
• One hamburger causes 55 square feet of rain forest destruction and 12 pounds of livestock feces and other pollutants
• More than 100 species of food fish have been driven to full or near extinction due to long lines that can span 80 miles, with thousands of hooks and huge nets that destroy the ocean floor and drown everything in their way
• The average American will eat 1100 animals in his or her lifetime
• Approximately 68% of all deaths in the U.S. are caused by diet-related diseases
• The average American consumes about 50% more protein than the recommended daily amount
• Excess animal protein, which is often high in saturated fat and cholesterol, raises blood cholesterol levels, and can contribute to heart disease, kidney disease and osteoporosis
• Nuts and legumes (e.g., beans, peas, lentils, and peanuts) are excellent sources of protein and fiber---a 3-ounce serving of tofu has 6 grams of soy protein for soft tofu and up to 12 grams of soy protein for the firm varieties

Confused about some vegan food terms? Check out Real Food Daily's menu (a chain of organic vegan restaurants in Los Angeles), which includes a pretty complete list of vegan terminologies: http://www.realfood.com/glossary.htm

Vegan Food Pyramid (click to enlarge)

Animals are friends, not food

"Ciao" on Spicy Italian Sausage

Since I am a self-taught vegan cook, I get my ideas and inspiration from various sources such as other food blogs, vegan cookbooks, cooking classes, cooking shows, etc. Today I want to share one of my favorite and most helpful websites called Everyday Dish. The website is ran by Julie Hasson, a vegan chef and cookbook author. The site has everything from cooking shows to a food blog, to a marketplace where people can buy vegan cookery-related stuff. Of course, my favorite section is the cooking show, where Julie demonstrates how to cook tons of delicious original vegan dishes such as kimchi, crepes, tofu scramble, cookies, salad, and noodles. She also has guest hosts sometimes who have cooked a variety of vegan dishes like cobbler and bread. The blog is basically a written version of the show and includes beautiful pictures of the cooked dishes. Whether you are an inspired beginner cook or are just curious how versatile vegan food is, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out this website. You will be pleasantly surprised at how creative vegan food can be.

I am sharing/promoting this website simply because it has worked very well for me. Recently, I made a dish created by Julie called Spicy Italian Sausage (click on the link for the show or here for the recipe). What I loved about these vegan sausages are not only because they are super delicious, but also because you can spice up all kinds of Italian dishes with these. I have used the sausage in slices for pasta, patties for Cutlet Parmesan, and crumbles for pizza. I absolutely love this recipe! Also, they were quite popular with my omnivorous boyfriend, so I would highly recommend this dish for your next party where you may have non-vegan guests.



Spicy Italian Sausage
Makes 8 links
(altered from original recipe to cater to my pantry)

2 1/4 cups Bob's Red Mill vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour
2 tbsp granulated onion
2 tsp coarsely ground pepper, preferably freshly ground
3 tsp ground smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp grounded rainbow pepper
2 1/4 cups cool water
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce

In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Whisk together the water, garlic, olive oil and soy sauce and using a fork, gently stir into the dry ingredients. Stir just until ingredients are mixed. If dough mixture is too dry, you can add another tablespoon of water or as needed.

Scoop 1/2 cup dough mixture at a time and shape into logs. Place logs on piece of aluminum foil and roll up, twisting ends. Place sausages in steamer and steam for 30 minutes. Once sausages have cooled, remove from foil and refrigerate until ready to eat. After cooling, the sausages may feel a bit dry on the outside. Don’t worry, as they will soften and firm up considerably after chilling.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Cutlet Parmesan
Serves 4

1/4 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup plain soymilk
2 tbsp cornstarch
Panko breadcrumbs, plain
Vegan mozzarella or Parmesan cheese, optional
4 cutlets (Everyday Dish’s Spicy Italian Vegetarian Sausages)*
1 pound whole wheat angel hair pasta
1 jar marinara sauce of your choice

Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

On a large plate or pie dish, mix together the flour, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the soymilk and cornstarch until smooth. On a large plate or pie dish, add panko breadcrumbs.

Working with one cutlet at a time, lightly coat each side of cutlet with seasoned flour. Next, dip the cutlets into the soymilk mixture, coating cutlets on both sides. Finally, coat the cutlets with the panko breadcrumbs, making sure to coat both sides well. Repeat with remaining cutlets.

Place a large cast iron or other skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon or two of oil to skillet, tilting pan to spread oil in an even layer. Add cutlets and cook until lightly browned and crisp on the bottom. Flip cutlets over, cooking until lightly browned and crisp on the other side.

Pour hot marinara sauce on top of cutlets. Place slices of Mozzarella cheese, if using, or sprinkle vegan Parmesan cheese on top of sauce. Place skillet under broiler until cheese is golden (and melted if using Mozzarella) for several minutes. Watch carefully so that cheese doesn’t burn.

Remove skillet from oven and serve over cooked angel hair pasta. Sprinkle additional vegan cheese and oregano, if desired.

*Instead of shaping the seitan dough into sausages, shape the dough into patties and steam for 30 minutes. Refrigerate cooked and cooled patties overnight.

*~*~*~*~*~*

On a side note, this weekend Max and I went on a small weekend getaway in San Clemente/Laguna Beach. I can't believe I've never been considering I've been in LA for the past 15 years. Anyway, we drove down there and first stopped at Fashion Island (overrated in my opinion) for lunch, then we went to Crystal Cove State Park, a long strip of beach. After, we checked into our bed and breakfast at the Always Inn, where we met the most hospitable hosts you'll ever meet (they gave us complimentary champagne and red wine). For dinner, we stroll the Laguna Beach nightlife and found a Mediterranean restaurant, which had a pretty appetizing bulgar salad (sorry, forgot to take pictures because we were too hungry). Next day, we walked to the San Clemente beach by our bed and breakfast and took some amazing pictures of the beach. The water was absolutely beautiful and so blue that it blended with the skyline.

Crystal Cove State Park

San Clemente Beach

I would definitely suggest a mini weekend getaway in or around Laguna Beach. It is like a resort down there (reminded me of Hawai'i). It was so relaxing to be by the beach and breathing the therapeutic salt water. I definitely needed that little escape before I get back into my hectic life.

Yummy Tom Yum in My Tummy

This past weekend I went to a Pan Asian restaurant in Santa Monica called Buddha's Belly (refer to previous post) for a friend's birthday. If you remember, I got the anti-climatic tofu steak, but I failed to mention that what really caught my eyes that night was my friend's dish. My friend was sitting across from me, and she ordered the Spicy Tom Yom Koon Thai Ramen Noodle Soup. It looked and smelled soooooo good... Basically, it is a hot and sour soup (I absolutely heart Chinese hot and sour soup, by the way). After salivating from looking at her contently devour that bowl of noodle soup, I was determined to make a vegan version when I get home.

There are various types of Tom Yum. The one she had was with shrimp, which is (I think) is the most common version. Traditionally, Tom Yum is just a soup with seafood and mushroom, but I loved the idea of turning it into a bowl of noodle soup, especially because I am a noodle connoisseur. Below is my rendition of a Tom Yum Tofu Ramen. Since it was my first time making this ethnic dish, I have posted what I would do the next time I cook it again. Of course, feel free to tweak the spices according to your own preferences.



Tom Yum Tofu Ramen
Serves 4

5 cups vegetable broth
1 stalk lemon grass
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 Thai green chilies, sliced (remove some seed for less spiciness)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ramen noodles
6 oz. (1/2 package) firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 canned mushroom
1 cup broccoli
1/2 lime
2 tablespoons vegetarian fish sauce (or substitute with lite soy sauce)
1 tablespoon vegetarian Thai chili paste (nam prik pao)
cilantro for garnish

Pour stock into a big pot and cook over high heat. Cut the lemon grass stalk into 1-inch pieces, and use the back of the knife to pound the flavor out. Drop the lemon grass into the broth.

Add garlic, chilies and lime leaves (stems removed) to the broth. Bring to a boil and continue cooking for 5 minutes, or until broth is fragrant.

Meanwhile, boil a pot of water and cook the ramen noodles for just a few minutes. Raw ramen cooks pretty fast, so you don't want to overcook it. It will get too soft and soggy if you do, especially if it is going to be served in broth. Drain and set aside when cooked.

Going back to the soup, add tofu, mushrooms and broccoli. Cook for another 5 minutes and turn off heat.

Put a handful of cooked ramen into a serving soup bowl and pour the soup over the noodles. Since it may not be common sense that the lemon grass is inedible, you can take out the lemon grass and the lime leaves for a more "friendly" noodle soup.

Add some vegetarian fish (or soy) sauce, as desired. For a spicier and more savory taste, add the Thai chili paste. Since I didn't have a vegetarian version handy and was too lazy to make my own nam prik pao, I just used a Thai garlic chili paste. I added about 2 tablespoons to the whole recipe to get the desired spiciness (I love spicy food).

Before serving, squeeze a bit of lime juice as desired and place some sprigs of cilantro on top for garnish.


Both Max and my roommate really enjoyed the noodle soup. Of course I did too. It's perfect for clearing your sinus. I love the tangy, spicy taste of the stock. I'm going to play around with the spices and the ingredients the next time I cook it. I may even use soy shrimp... yum...

A Visit to Torrance, the "Real" Little Tokyo

Due to the "high" demand (2 to be exact), I am writing my second post moments before I pass out and say goodbye to my delicious weekend. Unexpectedly, this weekend has turned out to be quite an adventurous food experience. On Saturday night, Max and I went to a dinner party at Buddha's Belly to celebrate a good friend's birthday and going away. I've been to the one in Hollywood twice, but it was my first time at the newly opened Santa Monica location by 3rd Street Promenade. Even though I was pretty excited to go to Buddha's Belly before getting there (because of my unwavering love for Asian food), I was still pleasantly surprised by the abundance of vegan selections on the menu. After a difficult internal debate, I decided with a bit of uncertainly on the Tofu Steak.

Tofu Steak

To be honest, I was not extremely impressed with the dish. What I liked the most was the sauce, which was a thick spicy soy sauce with a twist of zest. But given the interesting description of the entrée (check the menu on the restaurant website), I expected something more visually stimulating than what I saw. I guess the most disappointing part was the lack of vegetables, but then again, what should I have expected other than 3 blocks of tofu from an entrée called "Tofu Steak"? Still, I like my veggies.

Although my entrée at Buddha's Belly was sub par, it was still more memorable than my hit-or-miss home cooking/experiments, so I wouldn't hesitate to consider it a part of my scrumptious weekend. However, what I had today was even more unforgettable. Max and I went to visit my brother today in Torrance. The population of Torrance is primarily comprised of Japanese and Koreans. It is also where many Asian companies are headquartered, such as Toyota and Honda. My brother works for a company that many (if not all) vegans know. He works for Morinu, the wonderful company that produces the silken tofu that we vegans cannot live without.

We met up for lunch, where my brother took us to a Japanese restaurant called Sen Nar. Since Torrance is my brother's territory, I gave him the liberty to order for me. He ordered A LOT of food for us. Here's what I had (don't judge): mixed spring salad with sesame dressing, cold tofu with soy sauce, potato croquet, cold soba noodles with soy dipping sauce, and sansai (mountain vegetable) udon. Yeah, I know. It was a lot of food, but c'mon, it was a special visit. And, yes, I ate everything, with no shame. Then, we went to an amazing bakery that my brother's friend works at called Chantilly. Of course, everything was made of cream since that's what they're famous for, but I did manage to find 2 vegan desserts. Here's one of them:

Grapefruit Geleé

The other one I had was similar but has kiwi and tangerine instead of the grapefruit. What I was most impressed with was not so much the taste but the presentation. Like everything Japanese, all the desserts were beautifully presented. I loved the little cups that these jello came in. I'm going to keep it to put some pudding in, if I ever make some.

As you can see, I had a really palate-satisfying weekend. To top it all off, the last thing I had this weekend was a Japanese potato snack called Jagarico. If you click on the link, it's the bottom left corner one (in blue, original flavor). As a food curiouso (yeah, I just made that word up, but I'm sure you know what it means), not a lot of things impress my palate, but this little potato stick snack was, frankly, mind-blowing. All I can say is track down the nearest Japanese grocery store to you and buy this snack. You won't regret it, trust me.

It all starts with love...

To commemorate my first Blogger post, I will like to dedicate this post to my absolutely wonderful boyfriend, Max. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even have created this blog in the first place. It was him that inspired me to express and share my passion for vegan cooking on the internet. He is my lover, my motivator, and my soul-mate. Besides, I figured that I'd introduce him early as he will be the head photographer of my dishes that I will be posting on this blog. So everyone please give him a warm welcome.

In addition to the fact that Max is the sole initiator of this food blog, I have to even give him total credit for giving me the drive to write my very first post. And here's why:





Aren't these the most beautiful roses you've ever seen??? I was completely floored when I got them. I started the day today like any other day. In the middle of my monotonous workday, I got a call from the company mail room saying that there are flowers delivered for me. Initially I thought it must've been a mistake. No one knows my work address. So I went to pick them up suspiciously and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was really addressed to me. I tactlessly rip open the message card taped to the top of the box as I was walking back to my office. Once I pulled it out (took me about 5 minutes), I stopped in the middle of the walkway and held my breath. It was the sweetest and most loving note I've ever got, written by Max. So what was the occasion? It was exactly 7 months since the first day we met. The roses, the card and his thoughtfulness really took my breath away. That was more than enough reason for me to get off my lazy butt and write my first post.

Now that you know a little of how crazy I am about my boyfriend, I can't wait to share with you my passion for vegan cooking. Welcome to my blog, and I hope you will find it entertaining, informational, and delicious.