Todays vegan lunch: Ezekiel sprouted grain tortilla wrap with hummus, avocado, tomatos, lettuce, cilantro.
Tag: vegan
Restaurant Review: Red Basil Thai Bistro – Utah
If you’re looking for a good Thai restaurant on the south-west side of Salt Lake, check out Red Basil Thai Bistro on 9000 South and 1600 West.
Their review on UrbanSpoon show that most patrons enjoy the curries… I have to agree that their curries are better than their noodle dishes. I’ve previously eaten at Red Basil Thai for a business lunch and the Pad Si Ew… it was ewwww and I won’t get it again. It was toooily and not flavorful enough.
For dinner, their Pad Thai was pretty good. I’m glad that my friend, Becki, ordered with extra veggies because it added fresh crispness to the noodles.
The Massaman Curry with chicken was really flavorful with the perfect creaminess. (VEGAN TIP: When your dinner companion wants meat, just go with it and eat around the meat. Makes for more comfortable dining experience.)
The Tom Kha Soup was loaded with yummy veggies and tofu chunks… perfect way to keep the winter chill away. This was one of the better tom kha’s that I’ve eaten over the years.
What I don’t like about Red Basil Thai Bistro: Their service is slow. It was great for a leisurely
paced dinner out with friends, but the slow service bugs for a quick business lunch. Apparently other people have this same problem too, according to UrbanSpoon.
Product Review: Coconut Bliss Ice Cream
First coconut milk ice cream… holy yummy Batman!
Recipe: Amazing Salad
Todays lunch: Green spring mix, toms, sweet bell pepper, quinoa, avocado, dijon balsamic dressing, chia seeds.
Recipe: Cauliflower white bean soup
One of the best parts about eating vegan, is healthy soup. I love having soup on hand and usually cook one soup per week which allows for yummy left-overs throughout a busy week. This soup is great to make ahead and freeze some for future use, if it lasts that long!
Yield: 4 quarts
INGREDIENTS:
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Organic No-Salt Seasoning
1 tablespoon black pepper, use 1 teaspoon if you don’t like heat
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, use 1 teaspoon if you don’t like heat
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cup carrots, sliced into 1/4″ rounds
4 stalks celery, sliced into 1/4-1/2″ pieces
2-32 oz containers of vegetable stock, I used Rachael Ray’s
5 medium red potatoes, 1/4″ dice
2-15 oz. cans low-sodium white beans, rinsed
2-14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, or 2 lb fresh diced tomatoes
DIRECTIONS:
On medium-high heat, water sauté onion and garlic. Add broth and all other ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Using high-powered blender, blend 1/3-1/2 of soup to a creamy consistency. (RECOMMENDATION: Allow the soup to cool for at least 30 minutes before blending because it will explode out of the blender and make a huge mess, trust me. Usually I’ll cook the soup in the morning and allow to sit on the stove top to cool down. Then, at lunch time, I’ll blend.) Add the blended portion back to the rest of the soup, with the bay leaves, stir and heat through. If you aren’t going to eat immediately, then don’t reheat. Put in your containers for freezer or refrigerator.
Serve with green salad for a hearty vegan meal. Bon appetit!
Recipe: My favorite hummus recipe
This is by far my most favorite hummus recipe – from the Fat Free Vegan website. I love this recipe because it is:
1) Easy to make.
2) Tastes great.
3) Makes the right amount to last for a week.
Of course, I have to Jennifer-ize every recipe, so below is my version, which is even easier than the first one. Keep in mind that I don’t like to use salt, so if you prefer add salt instead of the no-salt seasoning that I use… Several people have enjoyed my recipe and didn’t realize there wasn’t any salt.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, 1 drained
- 2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- Fresh lemon juice of one lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon organic no-salt seasoning
DIRECTIONS:
Dump all ingredients into a high-powered blender and purée and until smooth. On my BlendTec, that is two blendings using button #5. Scoop into a resealable container and store in the refrigerator. Best if used within one week (if it lasts that long!).
SERVING:
Serve with fresh cut-up veggies like celery sticks, sweet small peppers, carrot sticks. Pita chips have a lot of refined carbs, but pita chips are yummy! Instead of pita chips, perhaps use tortilla chips. Everyone loves this recipe, so make extra if serving at a party (left overs are a bonus for the chef!).
Restaurant review: Eatery 1025 – Utah
I have found a new restaurant with all sorts of vegan and vegetarian love coming out of the kitchen… Eatery 1025 in Bountiful. Based off recommendations on UrbanSpoon, my friend suggested Eatery 1025 and I’m more than delighted that we went there for our business lunch!
For appetizer, Susan enjoyed the bruchetta with arugula and fennel. Messy just the way bruchetta is supposed to be. The balsamic drizzle allowed for a pop of earthy-tartness among the veggies. Wow.
For main meal, she tried out the cobb… Overflowing with chopped goodness. Before I became vegan, I always ordered cobb salads-hard to not fork a grilled chicken morsel!
I opted for another appetizer as my main dish: Hummus with pita and veggies. The roasted tomato hummus was creamy with just the right amount of texture. Fresh and crisp bell pepper, cucumber and carrot sticks were a welcome coolness to the hot summer lunch. The pita wedges were plentiful. Just the right amount of hummus to match.
Mike the waiter… fab is all I can say about this hot-headed, funny chap. He made the lunch even that much more fun. He treated us to a small bit of creamy veggie soup. I can’t remember what was in it, but there was ginger and a bit of chili oil suspended on top. The kale chip added crunch and texture. For my first bite at Eatery 1025, I knew that we’d hit a home run with this lunch choice.
At the end of our lunch, Fab Mike suggested the vegan chocolate mousse. Holy dark chocolate, Batman! One bite and I was done. Luckily Susan enjoyed a couple bites too. If someone wasn’t vegan, I don’t think they’d know any better. With slices of fresh pineapple, I couldn’t think of a better way to end a perfect meal. For the record, I had more than one bite of the mousse…
Bumped into Chelsa the head cook… She’s a veggie magician with eyes that sparkle while she talks about her food creations. If you get a chance to meet her, you’ll see what I mean.
Yeah, I’m in love and want to go back to find out what new delicacies will come from the swinging kitchen door.
Go. Support local. Experience the explosion of yumminess in your mouth. Eat vegan. Feel good.
Recipe: Garden Vegetable Marinara
Overwhelmed with too many veggies in the garden? Try this recipe for enjoying a marinara today… and freeze to enjoy later in the year.
Ingredients:
2 lb. fresh garden tomatoes rough chop – I used yellow pear, cherry, Roma, early girls and heirloom varieties
2 bell peppers, diced
4 clove garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 zucchini, cubed
2 yellow crook neck squash, cubed (Note: Use any squash variety)
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon no-salt seasoning
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (Note: Omit if you don’t like spice)
Alternate ingredient: Add veggie sausage cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 cup water (Note: You may want to add more water. I prefer a chunkier marinara)
Directions:
On medium high heat, water sauté garlic and onion for 3 minutes. Turn heat down to medium, add veggies, 1 cup water and spices and cook for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and use high-powered blender to rough chop 1/2 the marinara mixture. Return blended mixture to pot with bay leaves. Continue cooking for 15 minutes. Serve immediately over your favorite pasta – I used a rice quinoa pasta.
For freezing: Allow mixture to cool on stove top. On one-gallon sized bags, use marker to write down the marinara and date. (Note: Allow ink to dry before moving bags.) Fill bags half way and freeze. Defrost in fridge when ready… it’ll be a little bit of summer in winter later on and a great way to use the garden bounty today!
Restaurant Review: It’s Tofu – Utah
Meeting a business associate for lunch, so I checked UrbanSpoon for vegan/vegetarian options near her office. I love using UrbanSpoon for vegan/vegetarian restaurant ideas. I found a new place called It’s Tofu – offering Korean dishes with veggie and meat options. Hooray!
I enjoyed the Hot Stone Pot with tofu. I opted to add brown rice for $1 extra – well worth it. The veggies included carrots, bean sprouts, zucchini, and mushrooms. The pot is actually hot, so I had to mix the ingredients right away – otherwise it’ll burn on the bottom. With a chile sauce that I added periodically through the meal, it was yummy! I will absolutely get this dish again.
The Korean traditional sides of kimchi, potatoes, radish and spicy cucumber slices. The waiter will bring more of the sides as desired. I had some extra radishes… love the tart vinegar flavor.
Great lunch. Great spot for a business meeting. Fresh ingredients. Perfect portion size. Great wait staff. Reasonable prices.
Recipe: Turkish Princess vegan cookies
One of my favorite snacks is dried apricots with raw peanut butter. Whenever I’m eating that treat, I feel like a “Turkish Princess”… So, it dawned on me – why not use that as a base for vegan cookies?! Chewy, sweet, crunchy, a bit of spice from the clove…mmmm! These turned out really yummy!
Yield: 4 dozen
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup raw peanut butter (I used Adam’s)
3 ripe bananas with lots of brown spots
1 cup NOTG
1 cup diced apricots
1 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoon chia seeds
2/3 cup chopped cashews
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon clove
4 cups rolled or quick oats
Note: I think that you could easily substitute other dried fruit too.
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Using large mixing bowl, mash bananas with fork, add NOTG and peanut butter, mix thoroughly. Add cinnamon, clove, apricots, cherries, seeds, and cashews and mix thoroughly. Using one cup at a time, add oats. Ultimately should be a lumpy mixture that sticks fairly well, but not too sticky – if too sticky, you won’t be able to get off the spoon or roll into balls in palm of your hand. Add more oats if needed – about 1/4 cup at a time. Using the palm of your hands, roll into balls, place on parchment lined pan and bake for 15 minutes. Cool on rack… wait a few minutes to eat so that you don’t burn your mouth.
How do you say bon appétit in Turkish?!