I’ve been staying at my mom’s little exposed brick studio on the Upper East Side which means a tiny dormitory fridge that opens the wrong way and a Holly Hobby stove wherein your butt is touching the counter behind you when you try to cook. All of this translates to very little cooking and lots of dining out. And since I’m a visitor in your fair city it also means that I’m often not footing the bill. And that means Candle 79 twice a day. Just kidding. Kind of. But when you have to share a futon with your mom don’t you kind of deserve it?

Candle 79, Mustard Something Tempeh, Wild Mushrooms, Horseradish Potato Puree, etc

 It’s stupid to get the hummus at a fancy restaurant, but I can’t resist the smoky hummus at Candle 79. You can’t beat smearing roasted garlic on grilled flatbread. Color me stupid.

This is Candle Cafe, not Candle 79. And it took every ounce of willpower not to order the Cajun Seitan Sandwich. Instead I went the wholesome 80s healthfood route with the make your own plate option. Grilled tempeh, buckwheat soba, aduki beans and steamed greens with two sauces. It hit the spot. (PS I actually took my friend out on this one, so I’m not THAT much of a cheapskate.)

This was Hangawi. I’d never been because for some reason, removing your shoes in a restaurant seems so high maintenance. I love their sister spot, Franchia, but the food here was pretty lackluster. I even heeded my friend’s advice and made sure to order only items with the spicy icon. This was the Spicy Mongolian Hot Pot. Neither spicy nor Mongolian nor…well it was in a hot pot.

My agent took this pic, and I like the pic. I didn’t like that the Pear Delight (or something) was nothing but a sliced Asian Pear. No joke! It was 7 bucks, and sliced in a really cool way, but not a 7 dollar way.  I would definitely return to Hangawi for the beautiful atmosphere, but I’ll order the surefire avocado bibimbap.

This was the surprise hit of my trip. From Gobo (the uptown locale), Grilled Oyster Mushrooms and Asparagus. Perfectly seasoned and charred. I’m all over it. 

The Benedict at Counter. A creamy sauce over a mushroom sauce over scrambled tofu over an English muffin. Not too shabby! (But mine is better.)

Chocolate Hazelnut ice cream at Stogo. Oh, and hot fudge sauce! The hand model is one Terry Hope Romero. The ice cream is simply sublime.

The stogo case, they’re great about letting you have tastes!

And of course some cheap eats at Food Swings. This is my MO: Steal some of my friend Amy’s hot wings and mac, order a chicken caesar for myself. No one gets hurt. And yay for Food Swings new ownership - a bathroom and non-disposable plates! PS Amy update your goddam blog! 

But it hasn’t been all mooching.  We also gave away some cookies and bookies at Book Expo America.

Terry, me, cookies and brunch. My infamous stupid photo kissy face!

Terry kissing Cookies

We met Fran Costigan! How cute is she!

And I gave back at the Moo Shoes Vegan Brunch launch party.

 Lots of minimuffins ready to for the grabbing hands

Sausages on toothpicks what what

Herbivore shirts, books and pumps

The Discerning Brute discerns a muffin

I’ve still got a little over a week here. This weekend I’ll be slinging BBQ seitan at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary Jamboree, so be there if you can. Other than that I look forward to reading in Central Park and wandering aimlessly around the city.

In case you somehow missed this, come have a sausage and a pink grapeefruit mimosa on us tonight.

Remember Hands Across America? Well, this is just like that, except with brownies and without all that icky hand holding and Liza Minnelli. The World Wide Vegan Bakesale is a loose knit network of vegans across the world holding bakesales for whatever they want. It’s a great chance to introduce people to the goodness that is a vegan chocolate chip cookie, plus make new friends and cute sparkly signs.

There’s still time to organize one in your area, or check out the list of participants and join on in.  I had a chance to talk to friend and bakesale coordinator Gary Lowenthal about the event. Well, I emailed him some questions anyway.

PPK: Is there any bakesale in particular you wish you could attend? Don’t wanna make you play favorites, but did anything make you really wish you could be there?

Gary Lowenthal: I wish I could fly to all of them, preferably in a jet pack, but a conventional plane would do. So many bake sales – well, really, all of them – are awesome for their own reasons. I suppose if I had to pick just a few (that’s the best I can do), it would be the ones that are not in big cities and are put together by individuals who just want to participate, have a vegan bake sale, and raise money for a good cause. OTOH, there are some bake sales in Australia and New Zealand, and I’ve never to those places before, so that would be cool. Maybe next year!

What do you plan on baking?

Our group, Compassion for Animals, is having two bake sales. For one of the bake sales, I’m making the “Big Gigantoid Crunchy Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies” from VwaV, because it says right in the description that they flew off the table at a bake sale, and nobody got hurt. For the other bake sale, I’m thinking cheesecake, because it’s a real eye-opener when people taste their first bite of vegan cheesecake.

What is the most unexpected place for a bake sale?

I don’t know if this one is finalized yet, but we recently had a signup from Lagos, Nigeria.

What kinds of causes are people supporting?

Local animal shelters and rescue groups, a free spay / neuter mobile clinic, a women’s resource center, river cleanup efforts, and – still in the works – funds to help a friend who was diagnosed with brain cancer. The fundraising going on for these and other local causes is one of the goals and most fulfilling parts of the WVBS. Also, some participants are donating proceeds to well-known animal advocacy groups such as Vegan Outreach, and some groups are using their bake sale to raise money for their group.

I didn’t think you were much of a baker. Have you been baking a lot? Any advice for people who may not be that comfortable with a whisk?

I’m not a great baker! But I think nearly anyone can turn out great-tasting baked goods: Get all your ingredients out on the table, follow the directions, and stay calm. For klutzes like me, I recommend starting with cookies and muffins. Those seem almost foolproof. I also dog-ear the “tips” pages in cookbooks. I’ve really enjoyed baking for our “warm-up” bake sales – and seeing people’s reactions - and from the various online sources we link to on the web site. Ironically, I’m so busy right now with the WVBS, I’ll have more time to bake once it’s over.

Did you lay awake at night dreaming of the bakesale before deciding to actually do it?

The idea came to me in a blinding flash last November. But the original concept was roughhewn, and my colleagues at Compassion for Animals refined it. Then I put it off for a couple months. In February, I decided, “Let’s build a web site and email some groups and individuals to see if they want to participate.” Then I posted on the Post Punk Kitchen Forums and the rest is history.

If you don’t have a pizza oven, the grill is the next best heat source for the kind of pizza that might get written up in New York magazine as like, the best ever and “I can’t believe you never heard of this place!” A crisp exterior with a chewy and airy bite that’s just this side of burnt - to me that is pizza perfection. I’ve learned my way around the grill over the years, after many misfires resulting in folded, ripped and otherwise no-fun pizza crusts, so here’s a couple of things I picked up. Any standard pizza crust should do, I use the one from Vegan With A Vengeance.

Lana showcases a rather toast-shaped pizza with grilled zuke, avocado and pesto

First off, forget about circles. In fact, forget about any shape you know. Instead of thinking your crust looks deformed think “rustic” and your grilled pizzas will be a different kind of perfect everytime.

Preheat the grill to medium heat. Throw some cornmeal onto a large cutting board, then press and roll the dough into a free-form shape. If you’re grilling it’s a safe bet that it’s warm outside, and so your dough is going to be floppy. It helps to keep the dough refrigerated until ready to use, that way it doesn’t flap in the breeze like so much laundry on the line when it comes time to grill it. I keep the dough kind of thick, too. It’s just easier to handle that way.

Brush some olive oil onto the top then carefully, but not too carefully, flip the crust onto the grill oiled side down. If you try to flip the dough and it immediately starts folding over or sticking, then stick it back into the fridge, cutting board and all, for just a few minutes.

Cook for about 5 minutes, rotating with a spatula once in awhile for even heating. It should be nice and dark with a few grill marks on the bottom. Flip the crust and add the toppings.

It’s important not to go too crazy with the sauce and toppings, you don’t want a soggy pizza or a droopy crust - it’s not a hammock, it’s a pizza. Shut the lid if you’re using cheeze, but if it still doesn’t melt, pop it in the oven broiler for a few.

The lovely Emiko with a pizza so bright she had to wear shades. 

For toppings I love to use whatever is seasonal, right now that’s asparagus, zucchini - we even have some early summer peaches!

Peaches, kalamata olives, garlic and herbs from my garden

Grilled asparagus, toasted pine nuts, homemade sausages, fresh tomatoes

Oh, and before I get barraged - the cheeze is a mix of Teese and Cheezly, both available at FoodFightGrocery.com.

Now get out there and you go grill!

You know that party guest that shows up 2 hours early and then you don’t have time to put your make up on and they won’t stop talking about their irritable bowel syndrome? Well, that is the exact opposite of Vegan Brunch arriving early.

I’ve put up a bunch of samples recipes for you to check out; Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes, Puttanesca Scramble, Pumpkin French Toast, Herbed Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits and Smoked Almond Gravy. I hope that you guys have as much fun cooking from it as I did creating it. Let me know if you’ve got it and what you think so far. You can pick it up at Amazon, but Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe is having a sale right now, too!

I said Pumpkin French Toast!

I always say that I’m not a raw person but that isn’t exactly true. When I’m in SF I’m practically tethered to Cafe Gratitude and one of the best meals I had in LA was at Cru. Brooklyn used to have a hole in the wall (almost literally) restaurant where I would enjoy soggy dehydrated pancakes. Yeah, I said soggy and enjoy in the same breath.

I think I just don’t have the patience for the preparation techniques, like dehydrating and spiral slicing. And while raw is all wonderfully healthy, I’m not positive that cooked spinach is going to kill me, despite the wacky emails I get from time to time. Luckily for us vegans, raw food is almost exclusively free of animal products and so that opens up a whole world of experimentation. I love, for example, using soaked cashews to create creaminess. In fact, many of my favorite vegan desserts have been raw. I’m just not into that vegan cheesecake, loaded with telltale, groan-worthy tofutti and confectioner’s sugar. My favorite cheesecake from Cafe Gratitude contains coconut, dates and Irish Moss. So gather your ingredients and…wait. Irish Moss?

Yeah, so I wanted to make a minimum hassle recipe that was easy enough to create from ingredients you could procure from any health food store. I scoured the internet for hints on how to go about it and I decided on my beloved soaked cashews and coconut oil. The oil is solid at room temperature so ensures that everything stays together. No special equipment needed, this cake came together in a snap. The only prep you need to do is to remember to soak the cashews in advance. Also remember that the cake will need at least 4 hours to set.

The end result was a really, really rich and creamy cake. And you’ll believe me when I say I am not rich-dessert phobic, but the cake really does serve 16. It’s got plenty of strawberry flavor and a little tang from the lime. It needed a little extra strawberry blast at the end, so I threw together a quick strawberry sauce. The crust was modified from the Cafe Gratitude desserts cookbook. I Am Pilfering. To melt your coconut oil place it in a small covered container and place that in a bowl of very hot water. Melt it right before using so that it doesn’t solidify.

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

Serves 16

Crust
1 cup pecans
1 cup almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped

Filling
3 cups raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight (or at least 3 hours)
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (alcohol free is preferred for raw desserts)
32 oz strawberries (reserve 9 for decorating), hulled and halved - about 4 cups
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted

Raw Fluffy White Frosting Recipe
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked overnight
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (alcohol free is preferred for raw desserts)
1/4 cup raw coconut oil, melted

Strawberry Coulis (Coulis is a fancy word for pureed sauce)
2 cups chopped strawberries
3 tablespoons agave syrup

Lightly grease a 9 inch spring form pan with coconut oil and set aside.

To prepare the crust, pulse nuts and salt in a food processor fit with a metal blade. When nuts are fine crumbs, add the dates and pulse until the dough holds together when squeezed between your fingers. Firmly press crust into the bottom of prepared cake pan. Set aside.

To prepare the filling, pulse cashews in food processor until crumbly. Add agave, water, lime juice and vanilla and puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to make sure you get everything. Feed the strawberries through the top of the food processor and puree until incorporated. The filling should turn a pretty pink. With the processor running, add the melted coconut oil in a steady stream.

Pour the filling into the cake pan. It will look like a smoothie and you’ll think no way it will set, but it will! Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to set. Make sure it’s level so that your cake doesn’t come out wonky. Let set for at least 4 hours.

Prepare the frosting in basically the same way as the cake. Pulse the cashews in the food processor until crumbly. Add the water, agave and vanilla and blend until smooth. With the food processor running, stream the coconut oil in through the top until combined. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until set, about 2 hours.

Prepare the sauce when you’re close to serving. Just mash the strawberries up with the agave until it’s all red and syrupy.

To assemble
Release the cake from its springform prison. Use a mini scoop to place 8 mounds of icing around the perimeter of the cake and one in the center. Slice the tops off the reserved strawberries and gently smush them upside down into the frosting mounds. If you don’t have a mini scoop, just use a spoon and make them as pretty as you can, they’re gonna get smushed anyway.

To serve, place some Strawberry Coulis on the plate and serve the cake over it. Dig in!

Summer is fast approaching and that means fresh local fruit and simple baking that gets me out of the hot kitchen fast. Which reminded me, I had some peaches left over from the end of last summer still in the freezer. I know, you shouldn’t use frozen fruit that is 6 months old. But, whatever, I took a chance and they were just fine!

Muffins are my favorite way to bake something quickly using whatever I’ve got on hand. While I love those softball sized sunny-hued white flour and sugar numbers, I have a definite preference for the wholesome, healthy variety, especially for showcasing fresh fruit. These babies are made with spelt flour, providing a rustic, get-it-all-over-your-shirt crumb and a great wheaty flavor. And since we all hate overmixed, rubbery muffins, spelt flour is a great choice. It has such a low gluten content that the dangers of overmixing are diminished, making it perfect for the trepidatious baker. I also use applesauce for moisture, a lower fat content, and to keep the sugar to a minimum.

Got my mind on my muffins and my muffins on my mind

Does anyone else cool their muffins this way? Once they’re cool enough to handle, I gently give them a twist and flip them sideways to cool the rest of the way. I love that whiff of spice you get when you first lift the muffin up.

Brown Sugar Peach Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Muffin perfection with a hint of spice, lots of juicy peaches and a sprinkle of brown sugar on top. This recipe is plenty versatile, I can see using strawberries or mango and switching the spices up to suit your fruit.

2 1/2 cups spelt flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup almond milk (or soy milk)
1 teapoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups chopped peaches (leave skins on or not, whichever you prefer)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a muffin tin.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. Make a well in the center and add the applesauce, almond milk, vinegar, canola oil and vanilla. Stir with a wooden spoon until mostly combined. Add the peaches and combine until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.

Scoop batter into muffin tins, they will hold their shape a little bit if you use an ice cream scoop. The batter should almost fill the entire tin. Sprinkle one or two teaspoons of brown sugar on top of each. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick or butter knife inserted through the center comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes in the tin then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely, or just flip them up in the tin to cool, as shown above.

America was abuzz this past Wednesday as what appeared to be an angel flashed an ominous message across millions of TV screens: Vegans (Heart) Simon.

But who was this masked vegan? How did she get so pretty? And why were her graffiti skills so toy?  Oh, wait, I wasn’t masked. Bespectacled, maybe.

American Idol Parking Lot

As everyone knows, I am an American Idol devotee. Not for the beginning part, where they are mocking the barely cognizant, but I love the Cinderella story aspect of it, even though in truth I thought Cinderella looked better in rags. In any case, I like watching the singers go from average karaoke to rock star amazing. I get chills hearing them hit notes they didn’t know they could, watching their hair go from greasy to spiked, frizzy to flat-ironed. Just the whole thing. And so getting to be in the audience was pretty much the tits for me. And I am still hyperventilating from getting my vegan sign on TV!

To top it all of, Simon winked at me and blew me two kisses! I think they got me pregnant.

So did you catch it? And does anyone know if it’s online anywheres?

I’ve had my share of assed out portobello sandwiches. Over-seasoned, soaked through with too much vinegar and soy sauce, a few jaundiced pieces of lettuce, black gunk mucking up the bread, and oh! let us charge you 12 bucks for the privilege. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Portobellos should be juicy and succulent. What we want to do is coax that luscious flavor out, not hide it with condiments.

BBQ season is here so it’s a great time to learn to grill a portobello just perfectly. You  bite through the focaccia and have that juice spill out all over your face; a little char, slightly salty, complex and earthy.

And this burger works for the “plants have feelings” set, too. Even if you hate animals and hate vegans, it’s time to give up the burgers if you want to leave a little bit of earth to your children (OK, maybe you hate children, too.) There’s just too much evidence mounting against your free-will arguments. The truth is, your burger is ruining everyone else’s day. And with something as yummy as a portobello, well, there really is no excuse! Plus, look at the nutritional differences (nutritional info from my olive oil bottle and the internet.)
Hamburger plus a teaspoon of olive oil
Calories: 250
Fat: 18.5 grams (most of it the bad kind!)
Fiber: 0
Protein: 20

Portobello plus a teaspoon olive oil (the other ingredients are negligible, but adjust as you like)
Calories: 66
Fat: 4.5 (most of it the good kind!)
Fiber: 1.5
Protein: 2.5

So the only place where the burger is winning here is the protein content which you can easily compensate for with a side of quinoa salad. Not to mention that you don’t need 20 grams of protein at every meal. Do your own research, work it out. Don’t be part of the problem, be a part of the delicious, delicious solution.

Grilled Portobello Sandwiches
Makes 4

Grilling really brings out the juicy best in these portobellos, so I use the bare minimum of ingredients to let them really flaunt their flavor. A little (cheap!) chardonnay for depth of flavor, tamari for a bit of saltiness, baslamic for a touch of zest, and garlic for, well, it’s garlic! Choose firm, light colored mushrooms with fresh, healthy looking gills that spring back when you gently rub your finger across them. Don’t remove the gills, they are loaded with flavor and texture, not to mention they soak up garlic and marinade beautifully. Gently wash your caps before marinading and you are A-ok. Skip that anemic hamburger bun and go for a bready focaccia that can stand up to the portobello juices that are bound to make you lick your fingers.

Tip: Save your portobello stems for gravy or broth.

4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed

For the marinade:
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced

For the sandwich:
4 nice sized pieces foccacia bread
A few handfuls baby arugula
Slices of sweet onion (like walla walla or vidalia)
Slices of tomato
A little vegan mayo

Place the portobellos gills up in a rimmed baking sheet.

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and spoon over the portobellos. Let marinate for at least half an hour, spooning marinade back onto the mushrooms every ten minutes or so.

Grease up your grill with olive oil and preheat over medium/high. It’s important to keep some oil nearby for brushing the grill through out the cooking process. You can use a grill brush for it, or a paper towel wadded up and grasped in your tongs. You can also use a spray bottle of oil.

Place the mushrooms gill side up on the grill. Close lid and let mushrooms cook for about 5 minutes, lifting the lid to baste shrooms with marinade every few minutes. Use tongs to turn the mushrooms 90 degrees to make cross hatched grill marks; cook for about 3 more minutes. Flip mushrooms over and cook for about 3 more minutes. Your cooking time may vary depending on the size of your portobellos and the temperature of your grill. You know the mushrooms are done when you press on the center with tongs (where the stem used to be) and it’s very soft and juicy.

Remove from heat and let rest for about 5 minutes. This lets the flavors develop a bit and the juices taste even yummier when they are just a little bit cooled down. You can use this time to slice your bread and prep the veggies.

Assemble sandwiches and sink your teeth in.

All this cookie excitement made me almost forget that Vegan Brunch will be out in just a few weeks! I’m going to share a few recipes with you over the next month and maybe even a video if I can get it together. I know today is Saturday but maybe you’ve got enough time to procure the ingredients in time for Sunday for one of my favorite brunch appetizers, Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes.

Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes
Makes 10
I love the succulent little pieces of tempeh you get when biting into this crisp, flavorful cake. Crab cakes are the inspiration here. I used to spend lots of time in Baltimore and back then pollution in the Chesapeake Bay was a big issue. I think it’s doing much better now and these cakes are a tribute to it. Update: Came to find the Bay is actually doing worse. All the more reason to eat tempeh instead of crabbies!

Make ahead: Make the entire mixture and the remoulade the night before. In the morning, form into cakes and pan fry.

For the cakes:
8 ounces tempeh (use the nori tempeh if you can find it, but plain soy tempeh is fine, too)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons Vegenaisse
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard (stone ground Dijon works, too)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup very finely chopped red bell pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspooon salt
fresh black pepper
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs, plus extra for dredging
Optional: 1 finely chopped nori sheet or 1 tablespoon kelp granules (if you like a little fishiness)

Oil for pan frying

For the remoulade:
2 tablespoons Vegenaise
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard  (stone ground dijon works, too)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons capers (try not to get too much brine)

Lemon wedges for serving

First we’re going to steam the tempeh to get the bitterness out and also to infuse some flavor with the soy sauce. Crumble the tempeh into a saucier or small pan in little bits. Add the water, soy sauce, oil and bay leaf. The tempeh won’t be fully submerged, but that’s fine. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let boil for 12 to 15 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated. Stir once during boiling.

Transfer contents to a mixing bowl, remove bay leaf, and mash with a fork. Let cool for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to hasten the cooling process. Make sure the tempeh is barely warm before you proceed, or the cakes may fall apart when you cook them. Add the mayo, mustard, hot sauce, vinegar, chopped bell pepper, spices salt and pepper, and mix well. Add the bread crumbs and nori and use your hands to incorporate.

Once you are ready to form the cakes, preheat a thin layer of oil in a heavy bottomed non-stick skillet (cast iron is great) over medium heat. Pour a few tablespoons of panko into a bowl. Scoop a little less than 1/4 cup batter into your hands and form into a ball. Flatten between your palms and then roll the sides gently with your hands cupped to smooth them. You should have ten 2 1/2 to 3- inch patties. I do them in batches of five. Press them into the panko to lightly coat. They don’t need to be thoroughly covered, just a little bit for some texture.

Fry a batch of five cakes for 4 minutes on one side and flip when dark golden brown. Fry for 2 minutes on the other side and transfer to a paper towel or paper bag to drain. Do your second batch and in the meantime make your remoulade by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Serve with lemon wedges.