Seasonal Recipes

Fall is my favorite time of year. It is when the leaves change brilliant red, yellow and orange, the air is crisp and refreshing and a variety of delicious vegetables and fruits come into season. With fall being the start of the holidays, there are plenty of opportunities to show off your seasonal cooking and baking skills.

Autumn is the time for some of my favorite fruits and vegetables: kale, broccoli, pumpkins and apples.

Kale is a hearty, leafy green and probably my most loved vegetable. There are plenty of dishes that can be made with kale, including vegan kale lasagna and chickpea and kale soup.

Broccoli is a fairly versatile vegetable as well and some of my favorite broccoli recipes include caramelized broccoli stuffed shells, broccoli and tofu in garlic sauce (my go-to Chinese dish) and vegan cream of broccoli soup.

Pumpkin is a great vegetable because it can be easily used in both entrees and desserts. For the main course, try pumpkin and peanut curry or pumpkin thyme rigatoni. Dessert can include anything from pumpkin pie brownies to vegan pumpkin cheesecake.

When it comes to apples, some amazing recipes include acorn squash and apple soup, apple waffles and the classic apple pie.

These are only a few of the many tasty recipes that can be made with kale, broccoli, pumpkins and apples, not to mention the bounty of other fall vegetables and fruits such as beets, artichokes and cranberries. The possibilities for cooking with fall friendly vegetables and fruits are endless, so better get started!

 

A Post in Which I Gush About Yummy Food

This past week I went up to Montreal to visit a friend. Not only is Montreal a beautiful city with a calm atmosphere, but it is also home to a bounty of vegan restaurants.

Lucky for me, Montreal’s first all-vegan restaurant, Aux Vivres, was only a ten-minute walk away (on St. Laurent) from where I was staying. It was so good I ended up going there three times in the five days I was in Montreal.

A street shot of Aux Vivres

On my first visit, my friends and I went there for dinner. It took me forever to decide what to order as absolutely everything on the menu is vegan-friendly. I’m used to much more limited choices!

I finally decided on the Dragon Bowl, which was delicious. The Dragon Bowl consisted of a salad with shredded vegetables, sprouts, toasted sesame seeds and their dragon sauce. I can’t tell you what exactly dragon sauce is, but I do know no animals were harmed in its making. I also added grilled tofu to the mix, as protein is important.

Not being able to resist, I went back with my boyfriend a day later to partake in Aux Vivres brunch menu. We both ordered the waffles and we were not disappointed.

The waffles and maple syrup they came with were all organic and mighty yummy. Not only was there maple syrup on them, but there was also cashew cream, vegan whipped cream and fruit. Accompanied with multiple cups of coffee with almond milk, it might have been the best breakfast of my life.

The last time I went back was to pick up something for Canadian Thanksgiving, which was this past Monday. I couldn’t resist buying half a cake of Gateau Fauxmage (quite the clever pun). It was a bit expensive, but totally worth it. I’ve never eaten vegan cheesecake before and I don’t think I’ll ever eat any moderately as good again.

Needless to say, I was reluctant to leave when the time came but I’m sure I’ll go back to Montreal to stuff myself at Aux Vivres again sometime in the future!

 

Vegan…Mainstream?

The fast food chain Chipotle is now offering vegan chicken at two of their locations in Los Angeles. This “chicken” is marinated in chipotle adobo sauce and then grilled. You can get it in a burrito with all your favorite toppings- black beans, rice, guacamole and peppers to name a few.

Though Chipotle is only experimenting with vegan chicken in select restaurants, it is quite significant that they are serving vegan chicken at all. Clearly, the movement to live in a more compassionate manner has gained some serious attention if a massive chain like Chipotle is willing to offer specifically vegan options.

Another burrito joint that offers a vegan alternative, and is closer to home for those who live outside of L.A., is California Tortilla. Their No-Meato Burrito comes with a variety of vegan deliciousness; guacamole and zucchini being two of my favorite toppings.

It is amazing to see that the vegan diet is finally being recognized by the mainstream. When you get down to it, companies only offer what sells, so there must be enough vegans out there to support major companies’ endeavors into animal-friendly dishes. It’s an exciting to time to be a vegan!

To find restaurants and stores that offer vegan food and goods near you, visit the Happy Cow Compassionate Eating Guide website.

Mac and Cheeseless

Growing up, box mac and cheese was my favorite food to eat. I especially

The lovely Cafe Green logo

loved the mac and cheese that came with shell macaroni because the cheese powder would get caught inside the shells and make them taste extra cheesy and delicious. Since making the switch from vegetarian to vegan almost four years ago, I haven’t tasted anything remotely like mac and cheese, as I’m not a big fan of soy cheese (yech!). A few weeks ago though, I ventured into D.C. with my boyfriend and we ate at Cafe Green, an organic, fair trade and vegan friendly restaurant. I decided to go wild and order their Mac N Cheese Soul Plate- it turned out to be the best dish I have ever eaten ever (well, definitely in the top ten!) and it didn’t include any real cheese or otherwise. If you can’t make it to Cafe Green yourself, I’ve gone to the trouble of finding the Best Mac and Cheese in the Entire World…Seriously recipe. Just follow the link and you will be tasting heaven in your mouth in no time!