LA vegan restaurants test positive for non-vegan ingredients

[Green Leaves's Vegan Quesadilla is overloaded with casein according to tests]

Earlier this week Quarrygirl posted the findings of Operation Pancake, their investigation to figure out whether LA-area vegan eateries serve foods containing casein, egg, or shellfish. With painstakingly cautious screening, they discovered that chosen dishes at seven out of 15 eateries contained non-vegan elements.

The tests—true-to-life egg, casein, and shellfish screening kits that function type of like pregnancy tests and are utilized in the foods industry—offered 5 outcomes: invalid, bad, good, higher, and overload. (The screening procedure is type of complex, so I recommend reading the weblog for particulars.) The single restaurant whose foods tested overload for something is Green Leaves Vegan, exactly where the quesadilla consists of casein. Quarrygirl hilariously excerpts an image of the menu, which claims the quesadilla consists of “casein-free (non-dairy) melted vegan cheese.”

Here’s a chart (via Quarrygirl) detailing the results:

While disappointed by the results, I can’t say I’m terribly surprised. Recall a time in December, when Rudy asked readers to call bullshit on restaurants that misrepresent non-vegan food as vegan. Reading his post, my first thought was of Quantum Leap, where the sauerkraut is laden with honey and the buns occasionally contain whey depending on the brand, reported my favorite (and ex-vegan) waitress. Le sigh. Is there no place for vegans to go where they don’t have to read every label or interrogate every employee? At least we have the 10 restaurants that passed Quarrygirl’s test.

Never having been to that most glorious fair-weather land, I don’t know any of these places. But I bet you do. So tell us, what does this mean to you? How will it affect your dining routine, if at all?

Popularity: unranked [?]

Incoming search terms for the article:

• chart of non vegan ingredients

Udon Noodles with Sesame Crusted Tofu

An real recipe tonight! Our nearby Sobey’s just started carrying udon noodles so I believed I would whip up a fast noodle dish. We all believed it was quite great and the sesame seeds had been a good touch. Should you are towards the frying of the tofu, you can just toast the sesame seeds and add them to the dish together with the sauces. The rice vinegar caught my eye in the cupboard whilst I was assembling some elements and I’m glad it did. I truly require to utilize it much more simply because it adds a good brightness to the dish without having becoming overpowering.

INGREDIENTS
- udon noodles (I used 3 175g pkgs (i.e. those small packages you seen in Asian grocery stores))
- 1 pkg tofu, cubed
- 1/3 cup sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- oil for frying
- 1 small red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 small orange pepper, thinly sliced
- 1″ piece of ginger, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced

METHOD
1. Cook noodles according to the directions on the package.
2. Place tofu in a bowl and add sesame seeds. Toss until most of the seeds are stuck on the tofu (you don’t need full coverage here). Add cornstarch and gently toss until tofu is coated. If you still have some seeds in the bottom of the bowl, dump the tofu out on a cookie sheet and roll the cubes in the excess seeds.
3. Fry tofu in some oil over medium heat until nicely golden. Turn regularly to brown all sides. You don’t need a lot of oil here. Start with a relatively thin layer and add more as needed. Remove tofu from pan/wok and drain.
4. Add peppers, ginger and garlic to the pan (there should be just a bit of oil left) and stir fry for 3-4 mins, until softened and fragrant. Add noodles to the pan/wok and fry for a min.
5. Add vinegar, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce and mix well. Add tofu and mix well. Cook until sauce thickens/soaks into the noodles. Adjust flavours/wetness to your liking by adding more of any of the three ingredients.
6. Remove from heat. Garnish with green onions. Serve.

CONTEST UPDATE
There is still time to win a copy of The Vegan Dad Cookbook! In one day a staggering 340 people have correctly identified the mystery utensil and been entered into the draw. One measly cookbook seems so small in light of all those entrants. Maybe I should offer copies of the e-book as well . . . .

AND . . .
Have I mentioned the shad flies before? Every year at this time shad flies descend on our fair city. They rely on fresh water for their reproductive cycle, and because we live by a big lake we have learned to coexist. When we woke up this morning they were coating the house. It’s pretty crazy to walk downtown and see thousands and thousands of shad flies covering just about everything. They are very docile and don’t munch on the greenery, and kids love playing with them (did I mention they were docile?).

Popularity: unranked [?]

Strawberry Sauce

I purchased a half-flat of strawberries a couple of days ago. They had been beautiful–deep red and completely ripe. And then I started consuming them. This kind of a disappointment! I’d say that 3 of each and every four had been either bland or downright sour. But the sweet types had been small punches of happiness. Nevertheless, it wasn’t really worth plowing via the sour berries for the occasional sweet 1.

The answer? Strawberry sauce! Cooking the strawberries and adding a small sugar turns even bland and/or sour berries into some thing fantastic. The recipe measurements are really forgiving–it’s truly 1 of individuals “a bit of this” and “a pinch of that” compositions. But here’s what I did:

3 cups strawberries, trimmed and halved (or quartered, should you choose)

2 tablespoons sugar or agave syrup (I utilized sugar)

a splash of lemon juice

a pinch of salt (to improve the sweetness)

Place all elements inside a sauce pan more than reduced heat. Cook till the strawberries start to fall apart and every thing is really a large, bubbling mess. Taste for sweetness. If required, carry on simmering till the sauce is decreased for your favored thickness.

Carried out! You are able to refrigerate it and serve more than ice cream. Pour it more than shortcake or perhaps a large slice of vegan cheesecake. Or, following my instance, you are able to consume it straight out of the sauce pan having a giant spoon.

Popularity: -1% [?]

Mustard Glazed Tofu with Daikon and Shiso, Bok Choy, Jasmine Rice, Ramen

Now that the Kent Farmers Market is in full swing, we’ve been getting some great produce from the vendors — in this case, the bok choy, which was steamed, seared in a wok and topped with sesame seeds.

We dug deep into the cookbook library for the mustard glaze (adapted from “Japanese Cuisine” John D. Keys / 1965)

Mustard Glazed Tofu with Daikon and Shiso

Mustard Sauce

3 tbs. sherry
2 tbs. tamari
1 tbs. agave
1 tbs. mustard*

Whisk together, reserve.

* We used mustard seeds, ground with a mortar and pestle. But if you want to use Dijon mustard out of a jar, we won’t tell anyone.

Shredded Daikon

1 small daikon, shredded on a box grater (yields about 1/2 cup)

1 tsp. mirin
2 tbs. rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. tamari
2 tbs. water

Whisk together the mirin, rice vinegar, tamari and water. Add the daikon to a small bowl and pour the mixture over the shredded daikon. Stir to incorporate and let sit for 30 minutes. Reserve.

Tea-Smoked Tofu

16oz. of tofu cut into 8 squares
1 tbs. oolong tea

1 tbs. canola oil
1 tbs. tamari

Add the oolong tea to the bottom of the prepared smoker box. Alternately, use a foil lined wok with chopsticks inside, used as grates. Here’s an old shot before we had the smoker box to demonstrate.

Smoke the tofu squares with oolong tea for 25 minutes.

In a wok, add the canola oil on medium-high heat and fry the tofu until golden brown on both sides. Add the tamari and toss the tofu to coat evenly.

Pour the reserved mustard sauce over the tofu, and continue to cook and turn the tofu until the sauce reduces to a glaze.

Plate the tofu and garnish with grated daikon and shiso leaves.

Still working on the ramen — Liz scored some water chestnuts to add, and the broth inched closer to our son’s ideal version.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Sourdough Bread

Finally I’ve created a productive sourdough bread! Following repeated failures (and I do imply repeated), the wild yeast gods have lastly smiled upon my kitchen area. My guess is the fact that the weather is now a lot much more favourable to create a sourdough starter. My prior attempts had been in the winter when the typical temperature in my kitchen area was about 18 degrees Celsius and the outside temperature was so ridiculously reduced that completely absolutely nothing could survive. The past week, nevertheless, have been hot and sunny and hovering close to 30 degrees. The end outcome: sourdough bread!

I followed the recipe in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice and will once again admonish all home bakers to get a copy of this book. I also took the advice on Peter Reinhart’s baking blog to use pineapple juice for the first two days of the seed culture (read the full post to find out why). Here is my seed culture. The tape indicates the initial amount in the measuring cup, and you can see how much it grew. After dishing off some extra starter on a fellow home baking enthusiast, I proceeded to make a basic sourdough loaf and a New York Deli Rye. My one mistake was leaving the dough too wet, which is why the loaves spread out more than I would have liked, but I was happy with the results of this first try. The sourdough has a nice flavour, not too strong, and the rye loaf (an onion rye) is absolutely divine. I made reubens tonight, of course.

Popularity: unranked [?]

FIELD ROAST COOKBOOK STILL IN PROGRESS– LATEST SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS

This is my Field Roast Bobotie, a fruity, spicy South African-style grain meatloaf, which turned out really well. I have been veganizing this recipe for years, as my stepsons’ late mother was from South Africa. The origins of Bobotie (you can listen to the pronunciation of this word here) can be traced back to the influence of the Cape Malay people on South African culture.

A little history about this dish: “The first group of Malaysian state prisoners landed on the shores of South Africa from Java and the neighboring Indonesian islands in the late 1600′s. Many more followed in the years 1727 until 1749. Not only did this proud and attractive people bring with them the Moslem faith and fine architecture, they also brought with them a unique cookery style, introducing exciting mixtures of pungent spices that has had a heady influence on traditional South African cuisine. Indeed, the Malay-Portuguese words such as bobotie (a curried ground beef and egg custard dish), sosatie (kebabs marinated in a curry mixture) and bredie (slowly cooked stews rich in meat, tomatoes and spices) are integral in our cookery vocabulary.” Source

Earlier this week I made an Indian-style version of the Field Roast Grain Meatloaf:

I served it with spicy Indian-style roasted red potatoes, Indian-style braised kubocha squash, and braised greens with garlic and chile. I glazed the loaf with a spicy tamarind-ketchup sauce, and served it with mango and ginger chutney.

I also made some Indian-style kofta kebabs and patties with the grain meatloaf mixture and they were both delicious!

Forming the koftas on bamboo skewers

The koftas before steaming

The koftas after steaming

The patties before steaming

Steaming the grain meatloaf and the patties in an electric skillet (not shown is the dome lid)

The browned kofta kebabs on spicy quinoa and bulgur with peas, with masala cauliflower.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Fresh Fruit “Cake”

Here’s a fun way to serve fresh fruit – turn it into a “cake.” It makes a pretty presentation, it’s easy to make, and makes a refreshing summertime dessert.

For the main part of the “cake,” I sliced off the top and bottom of a small round seedless watermelon. I then placed a plate on top of the watermelon about the same diameter as the pink part of the fruit and used the edge of the plate as a guide for my knife to cut away the rind. This left a pretty pink cylinder of delicious watermelon.

I then placed the watermelon “cake” on a plate and decorated it with blueberries, strawberries, and kiwi slices. I think it would also look pretty with sliced starfruit and blackberries – maybe next time!

Popularity: unranked [?]

Lorna Sass’ “Short-Cut Vegan: Great Taste in No Time” cookbook review

Quinoa-corn Salad With Basil © 2009 Andrea’s easy vegan cooking

When Lorna Sass offered to send me a cookbook to review, I was delighted, because I’ve always been a fan of her work. When she started publishing her cookbooks, “vegan” was still considered an fairly odd cooking style, so all the book titles used the word “vegetarian.” When I first discovered “Lorna Sass’ Complete Vegetarian Kitchen” was totally vegan, I snapped up a copy, and it’s become a tried and true reference at our house. We’ve learned through experience that her recipes always work. This has been especially helpful to my husband, as he learns to cook. He’s not an intuitive cook (he describes himself as a developing cook), but he can follow a recipe, so when recipes are good, his cooking is good. I like that! We actually own four of Lorna Sass’ books.

Asian slaw © 2009 Andrea’s easy vegan cooking

The book she sent me is a revised version of “Short-cut Vegetarian,” now more appropriately titled “Short-cut Vegan: Great Taste in No Time.” This is really more than just a collection of quick recipes, it’s a guide to setting up your kitchen with the supplies you need to create fast, healthy and delicious vegan meals. She gives detailed information on how to efficiently stock the pantry — shelves, freezer and refrigerator — with basic essentials. There is also helpful information on kitchen tools, food storage and food prep. She gives recipes for preparing flavor-enhancing condiments to have on hand, but also recommends store-bought equivalents if you prefer to take the easiest route. The recipes are an assortment of inviting combinations such as “Orange-Scented Lentil Ragout, “Cabbage and Potatoes in Mustard Sauce,” “Pasta With Broccoli Rabe and Olives,”and “Pineapple-Ginger Ice.” Each recipe is accompanied by personal commentary that expands and enriches it.

Moroccan carrot slaw © 2009 Andrea’s easy vegan cooking

Because it’s been so horribly hot here in the Midwest, we decided to try a few recipes that needed as little cooking as possible. All were colorful, delicious, healthy and easy to prepare. We sampled “Asian Slaw,” “Quinoa-Corn Salad With Basil,” “Moroccan Carrot Slaw” and “White Bean Gazpacho.” Three of them are pictured in this review.

The book does not contain food photographs, so you will have to use your imagination as to what the final dish looks like, but if you are looking for a collection of tasty and interesting vegan dishes that can be prepared in short order, you might consider “Short-Cut Vegan” by Lorna Sass.

Short-Cut Vegan: Great Taste in No Time

Overall Rating:

 

Total Customer Reviews: (12)

Seller: Amazon

Read what customers had to say....

Short-Cut Vegan: Great Taste in No Time (Paperback)

Overall Rating:

 

Total Customer Reviews: (0)

Seller: Amazon

Read what customers had to say....

Lorna Sass' Short-Cut Vegetarian: Great Taste in No Time

Overall Rating:

 

Total Customer Reviews: (16)

Seller: Amazon

Read what customers had to say....

Popularity: unranked [?]

Pasta Stir Fry with Beet Greens

We’ve gotten beets several times from our CSA and thankfully the greens have always been included. You can use beet greens in any recipe that calls for greens. They’re a little more delicate than kale or collards, though they don’t cook quite as fast as spinach. We got shiitake mushrooms once too so I threw together this stir fry one night and we had it with pasta.

1 lb. pasta, cooked
2 Tbs. peanut oil
1 carrot, sliced diagonally
1 bunch beet greens, sliced
3 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 spring onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. minced ginger
cilantro for garnish

For the sauce, whisk all this together in a small bowl:
1 c. veg. broth
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. maple syrup
1 Tbs. cornstarch

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large wok or skillet. Add carrot and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring frequently. Add beet greens and mushrooms and cook several more minutes until all the veggies are starting to get tender. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Stir in the sauce and cook just until it starts to thicken. Finally, add the pasta, mix well and turn off the heat. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Raw Food Thursday: Taco Salad

Raw Food Thursday 6/25

Taco Salad

The bowls were made using the same recipe as the red bell pepper tortillas. The differences were in the size of the tortilla — about 10″ across, much like the chimichangas and the use of a mold to shape the tortilla.

After the initial dehydration at 105F the tortillas were placed inside the mold and dehydrated for 2 hours further which set the shape. They were gently removed from the mold, which was flipped over, and then the tortilla was draped over the inverted mold and dehydrated for another 2 hours. This allowed the other side and base to dry evenly as well making for a crispy bowl.

The filling was red leaf lettuce, tomato, walnut taco filling (from RAWvolution), avocado, carrot and cashew cheese (on top). The greens were dressed in a lime and olive oil vinaigrette.

Popularity: unranked [?]