I finally got to check out Fare, a new restaurant in the art museum area. They have several vegan dishes on their menu, and almost anything can be veganized by omitting a dairy component or substituting vegan cheese. I am always looking for a place to take omnivorous friends and family where I can eat a decent meal as well. Fare appears to be off to a good start.
I was very excited about trying the pink peppercorn raw cashew “cheese” with sunflower sprout salad. It was very good. The cashew cheese was thick and creamy and just a bit tangy. It came with four pieces of toasted baguette for cheese-spreading purposes. The sprout salad was very nice as well, dotted with orange segments and unsweetened coconut bits. I would get this dish again. Unfortunately, this dish is where my great experience at Fare began and ended.
I shared a few small plates with my dining partner. The lentils, potatoes, peas, raisins in red wine tomato sauce was lovely, warm, and hearty, but nothing special. Definitely something I'd whip up almost any day of the week with some CSA veggies. The olive oil braised baby artichokes with english peas was nice, but also..nothing special. With this dish, I made the mistake of subbing vegan cheese for the cheese that was supposed to come with it, thinking it would be melted. It was just some daiya sprinkled on top. I do not find cold daiya to be particularly appetizing.
I noticed that most other tables received hummus and bread, but I wasn't sure if that was complimentary or something you had to order. I thought maybe I missed it on the menu. After reading some reviews of Fare, it seems like our server just forgot to bring it to us. Maybe a bit of a bummer, but I can't quite complain about not getting a complimentary item!
My main dish was...far from the highlight of the meal. The spicy barbecued seitan was simply a pile of mushy steamed seitan smothered in sauce, with a blob of tasteless polenta and a pile of broccoli rabe. The broccoli rabe was the only appetizing component of this plate. The seitan needs to be sauteed or grilled before plating to give it some texture. Also, cooking the seitan with some of the sauce would thicken the sauce up a bit and intensify the flavor. The polenta was probably fat-free and sodium-free and all sorts of healthy, but you've got to replace the oil with some flavor somehow.
I'd recommend the cashew cheese plate because it's an original menu item here in Philadelphia. For the rest of your meal, I'd head elsewhere. At least for now.
-beka
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
CSA
It is so nice to be back home after being away so much lately! Honestly, having a CSA share was stressing me out more often than not until recently. Sometimes the portions are very generous, and it can be hard to keep up with everything. I try very hard not to waste food, so I become incredibly disappointed with myself when it happens. I recently started getting in a groove, planning meals, and giving away any vegetables I know I won't use or that I know will perish before I am able to tackle them. I have been winning so hard lately.
I do have a dirty secret, though: Beets. I love beets and I seriously have about 5 bunches of beets, greens removed, waiting to be used. I am so thankful when I receive a vegetable that is less perishable than others. I put it to the back of the fridge, and then this happens. I have way too many of them!
As summer wears on, my meals seem to get more and more simple. I don't think that's a bad thing. In fact, I think my body might appreciate it. I used to have a raw friend who is really into eating mono-meals and I think of her every time I eat a bunch of tomatoes or mango or kale.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about veganism as a lifestyle and as a diet. I'm so thankful that veganism is so easy and healthy for me because a pure plant-based diet is something I feel very strongly about. My CSA share has been a fun new challenge that has made me even more excited about all the vegan food possibilites. With so many fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds and grains to mix and match, I never, ever see myself tiring of vegan foods. Thirteen years and counting, bitches! (that's for you, Jobes)
Some more CSA meals...
Baked Peaches. Sliced up some beautifully ripe peaches and tossed them with a little brown sugar, cinnamon, earth balance, and flour. Baked for a half hour. So perfect.
Sungold tomatoes. I've been eating them plain.
Tomato sandwiches. OK, maybe this is a weird Beka-sandwich. Sliced tomatoes with onion, olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baguette. The key to this sandwich is pressing it until the juices have soaked through the baguette.
Cucumber-tomato salad. Super-simple mix of cucumbers, tomato, onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and oregano.
Watermelon slices. Best snack ever.
Salsa. Tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime! I might even throw some corn in there too.
I do have a dirty secret, though: Beets. I love beets and I seriously have about 5 bunches of beets, greens removed, waiting to be used. I am so thankful when I receive a vegetable that is less perishable than others. I put it to the back of the fridge, and then this happens. I have way too many of them!
As summer wears on, my meals seem to get more and more simple. I don't think that's a bad thing. In fact, I think my body might appreciate it. I used to have a raw friend who is really into eating mono-meals and I think of her every time I eat a bunch of tomatoes or mango or kale.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about veganism as a lifestyle and as a diet. I'm so thankful that veganism is so easy and healthy for me because a pure plant-based diet is something I feel very strongly about. My CSA share has been a fun new challenge that has made me even more excited about all the vegan food possibilites. With so many fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds and grains to mix and match, I never, ever see myself tiring of vegan foods. Thirteen years and counting, bitches! (that's for you, Jobes)
Some more CSA meals...
Baked Peaches. Sliced up some beautifully ripe peaches and tossed them with a little brown sugar, cinnamon, earth balance, and flour. Baked for a half hour. So perfect.
Sungold tomatoes. I've been eating them plain.
Tomato sandwiches. OK, maybe this is a weird Beka-sandwich. Sliced tomatoes with onion, olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baguette. The key to this sandwich is pressing it until the juices have soaked through the baguette.
Cucumber-tomato salad. Super-simple mix of cucumbers, tomato, onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and oregano.
Watermelon slices. Best snack ever.
Salsa. Tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime! I might even throw some corn in there too.
Monday, July 18, 2011
More CSA
CSA life is getting better. Here are some things I've made with my CSA share:
Roasted Portabella Mushrooms. I used the Veganomicon recipe, and it was incredibly flavorful and delicious. Used these in a salad and on a pizza.
Roasted Beet and Fennel salad with Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette. Used a couple Veganomicon recipes, and threw in the roasted beets. I call roasted beets "nature's candy" because they're so beautiful and sweet.
Zucchini Pizza. I made a basic pizza dough (recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance...used it probably a hundred times, it is perfect and foolproof, use it!) and a super-simple marinara (large can crushed tomatoes, a little olive oil, lots of garlic and a little onion, fresh herbs, simmered for 20-30 minutes). I sauteed the zucchini rounds until tender and assembled the pizza, finished with a bit of follow your heart mozzarella, caramelized onions, and kalamata olives. Honestly, I don't think I'll do zucchini pizza again. I was hoping it would work as well as eggplant, but it was a little strange. Very wet and mushy in some spots. Maybe I should have breaded it.
Kale Salad with Cherry Tomatoes. Recently, I was finally able to watch my friend Sarah make her famous kale salad. Seriously, she has saved many a potluck by being the person who brings the veggies. I tried to remember what I could, and tossed my bite-sized kale pieces with onion, garlic, a spoonful of vegenaise, a sprinkle of salt, and a generous squeeze of lemon. I believe she puts walnuts and raisins in there sometimes, but I was not so fancy today.
Steamed Broccoli. With Earth Balance and fresh cracked pepper. Sometimes you just have to keep it simple.
Coleslaw. Not very exciting, but very exciting to not be turning the oven on.
Corn on the cob. Simple again, with Earth Balance and pepper. But that's the only way, right?
-beka
Roasted Portabella Mushrooms. I used the Veganomicon recipe, and it was incredibly flavorful and delicious. Used these in a salad and on a pizza.
Roasted Beet and Fennel salad with Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette. Used a couple Veganomicon recipes, and threw in the roasted beets. I call roasted beets "nature's candy" because they're so beautiful and sweet.
Zucchini Pizza. I made a basic pizza dough (recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance...used it probably a hundred times, it is perfect and foolproof, use it!) and a super-simple marinara (large can crushed tomatoes, a little olive oil, lots of garlic and a little onion, fresh herbs, simmered for 20-30 minutes). I sauteed the zucchini rounds until tender and assembled the pizza, finished with a bit of follow your heart mozzarella, caramelized onions, and kalamata olives. Honestly, I don't think I'll do zucchini pizza again. I was hoping it would work as well as eggplant, but it was a little strange. Very wet and mushy in some spots. Maybe I should have breaded it.
Kale Salad with Cherry Tomatoes. Recently, I was finally able to watch my friend Sarah make her famous kale salad. Seriously, she has saved many a potluck by being the person who brings the veggies. I tried to remember what I could, and tossed my bite-sized kale pieces with onion, garlic, a spoonful of vegenaise, a sprinkle of salt, and a generous squeeze of lemon. I believe she puts walnuts and raisins in there sometimes, but I was not so fancy today.
Steamed Broccoli. With Earth Balance and fresh cracked pepper. Sometimes you just have to keep it simple.
Coleslaw. Not very exciting, but very exciting to not be turning the oven on.
Corn on the cob. Simple again, with Earth Balance and pepper. But that's the only way, right?
-beka
Friday, June 24, 2011
C!S!A!
This summer, I signed up for a half-share from Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA. This is my first time participating in a CSA. It has been a challenge at times, but it is has been really fun to figure out how to eat everything. I love the surprise of what I'll be getting each week. Spring/early summer has not surprisingly yielded many lettuces and kale and scallions and garlic scapes. I'm pretty tired of what I've been receiving because it feels like the same thing every week, but I know this is just the beginning.
Here are some things I've made with CSA goodies:
Garlic scape hummus with cucumber rounds to dip with
Red Curry with tofu, yellow squash, scallions, and cilantro
Kale chips with lots of garlic salt and nutritional yeast
Butterhead salad with homemade creamy ranch
Collard rolls with tempeh, scallions, and peanut sauce
Strawberry compote on waffles
Strawberry rhubarb crisp (x2!)
Things that will be happening soon: Caramelized onions on pizza, raw shredded beets with goddess dressing
More to come!
Maybe one day I will post a picture.
-beka
Here are some things I've made with CSA goodies:
Garlic scape hummus with cucumber rounds to dip with
Red Curry with tofu, yellow squash, scallions, and cilantro
Kale chips with lots of garlic salt and nutritional yeast
Butterhead salad with homemade creamy ranch
Collard rolls with tempeh, scallions, and peanut sauce
Strawberry compote on waffles
Strawberry rhubarb crisp (x2!)
Things that will be happening soon: Caramelized onions on pizza, raw shredded beets with goddess dressing
More to come!
Maybe one day I will post a picture.
-beka
Friday, March 18, 2011
24 hours in NYC
Wild Ginger.
This was my first time eating at Wild Ginger. Their mostly-vegan menu contains many Asian delights. I decided to go with bibimbap. I've only had bibimbap once before at the NYC vegan Korean restaurant HanGawi. Wild Ginger's version is a lovely combination of rice, chickpeas, kimchee, mango salsa, sprouts, and avocado. It also contains of a large amount of seaweed salad that I cannot seem to stomach. HanGawi's bibimbap is definitely the more Beka-friendly of the two, but it is also like $13 more than Wild Ginger's version. And my Wild Ginger bibimbap came with a super-salty pumpkin soup. I thought everything was lovely and flavorful, but nothing particularly special. Also, they use non-vegan soy cheese. Who the hell does that anymore?
Foodswings.
This place is pretty much what you should expect from a vegan fast food joint. It is not fancy or healthy or even particularly fresh, and I'm fine with that. I think it is pretty safe to say that most of their menu is frozen. After we ordered, I think I heard a microwave door open and close several times. One time, I took a bit of a corn dog that was still frozen in the center. I even dared to get a salad there once, and it was actually pretty OK. Still, I think it is safe to stick with anything fried here. This time, I tried the faux fish filet sandwich. It was awesome. A huge, tender bun with three crispy fish sticks, tartar sauce, lettuce, tomato, and a slice of orange tofutti cheese. Totally into it. I also got a buffalo drumstick, which was crispy, spicy, saucy, and delicious. I was a little sad it didn't come with the usual dipping sauce, though. Thankfully, I was able to drown my disappointment in my milkshake. I chose The Tank, which consists of chocolate ice cream, peanut butter, and cookies. Fuck yes.
Lula's.
Often the last stop on any NYC trip due to its walkable distance from the chinatown bus, I was not about to break tradition. After sampling espresso (strong and a little gritty), mint chip (lovely!), and butterscotch (so creamy and perfect!), I decided to go with a cone of Butterscotch and Rocky Road. Dudes, the Rocky Road was so full of marshmallow chunks and almond bits suspended in a light, fluffy, milk-chocolatey cashew-based ice cream. Lula's blows my mind every time.
-beka
This was my first time eating at Wild Ginger. Their mostly-vegan menu contains many Asian delights. I decided to go with bibimbap. I've only had bibimbap once before at the NYC vegan Korean restaurant HanGawi. Wild Ginger's version is a lovely combination of rice, chickpeas, kimchee, mango salsa, sprouts, and avocado. It also contains of a large amount of seaweed salad that I cannot seem to stomach. HanGawi's bibimbap is definitely the more Beka-friendly of the two, but it is also like $13 more than Wild Ginger's version. And my Wild Ginger bibimbap came with a super-salty pumpkin soup. I thought everything was lovely and flavorful, but nothing particularly special. Also, they use non-vegan soy cheese. Who the hell does that anymore?
Foodswings.
This place is pretty much what you should expect from a vegan fast food joint. It is not fancy or healthy or even particularly fresh, and I'm fine with that. I think it is pretty safe to say that most of their menu is frozen. After we ordered, I think I heard a microwave door open and close several times. One time, I took a bit of a corn dog that was still frozen in the center. I even dared to get a salad there once, and it was actually pretty OK. Still, I think it is safe to stick with anything fried here. This time, I tried the faux fish filet sandwich. It was awesome. A huge, tender bun with three crispy fish sticks, tartar sauce, lettuce, tomato, and a slice of orange tofutti cheese. Totally into it. I also got a buffalo drumstick, which was crispy, spicy, saucy, and delicious. I was a little sad it didn't come with the usual dipping sauce, though. Thankfully, I was able to drown my disappointment in my milkshake. I chose The Tank, which consists of chocolate ice cream, peanut butter, and cookies. Fuck yes.
Lula's.
Often the last stop on any NYC trip due to its walkable distance from the chinatown bus, I was not about to break tradition. After sampling espresso (strong and a little gritty), mint chip (lovely!), and butterscotch (so creamy and perfect!), I decided to go with a cone of Butterscotch and Rocky Road. Dudes, the Rocky Road was so full of marshmallow chunks and almond bits suspended in a light, fluffy, milk-chocolatey cashew-based ice cream. Lula's blows my mind every time.
-beka
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Memphis Tap Room, Khyber Pass Pub
Winter is in full-force right now, and like everything else, the Real Talk has slowed quite a bit. We have left our houses a few times, though. Actually, we even left South Philly!
I had heard great things about Memphis Tap Room's coconut bacon, so I couldn't wait to try it. The faux bacon comes in a club sandwich with thin slices of marinated tofu, mayo, tomato, and lettuce. You also get a generous pile of french fries. I highly approve of this sandwich. The flavors and textures work perfectly. There isn't a thing I would change about it, except maybe the size. See, the sandwich is a little flimsy compared to what one would normally expect from a club sandwich. I know this because it actually fits in your mouth. But, it is totally worth the $8 price tag.
Vegan Real Talk was very, very excited about trying out Khyber Pass Pub. I got the Seitan Po' Boy. The seitan was beautifully crisp, but there wasn't nearly enough in the sandwich. The bread was beautifully crusty, soft inside, with lots of shredded lettuce. This sandwich is a mustard+pickle lover's dream. The side of mashed potatoes was a warm and comforting accompaniment to my mostly-cold sandwich. I guess they'd be more accurately described as smashed potatoes. Whatever they were, they were skin-on (not normally my thing) and full of flavor. I am looking forward to trying the other two vegan entrees on their menu. It is so nice to have choices!
-beka
I had heard great things about Memphis Tap Room's coconut bacon, so I couldn't wait to try it. The faux bacon comes in a club sandwich with thin slices of marinated tofu, mayo, tomato, and lettuce. You also get a generous pile of french fries. I highly approve of this sandwich. The flavors and textures work perfectly. There isn't a thing I would change about it, except maybe the size. See, the sandwich is a little flimsy compared to what one would normally expect from a club sandwich. I know this because it actually fits in your mouth. But, it is totally worth the $8 price tag.
Vegan Real Talk was very, very excited about trying out Khyber Pass Pub. I got the Seitan Po' Boy. The seitan was beautifully crisp, but there wasn't nearly enough in the sandwich. The bread was beautifully crusty, soft inside, with lots of shredded lettuce. This sandwich is a mustard+pickle lover's dream. The side of mashed potatoes was a warm and comforting accompaniment to my mostly-cold sandwich. I guess they'd be more accurately described as smashed potatoes. Whatever they were, they were skin-on (not normally my thing) and full of flavor. I am looking forward to trying the other two vegan entrees on their menu. It is so nice to have choices!
-beka
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