Saturday, December 25, 2010

Footsyrolls!

Alright girls, these are a must have for the girl who loves her high heals (aka me).  I first read about Footsyrolls on Healthy Bitch Daily-  the blog of Kim Barnouin, co-author of Skinny Bitch.  Footsyrolls are the modern girl's best friend, and while there are other designers who make a similar product, they are the only company that I am aware that make these shoes in a vegan friendly design.



Here is how they work.  Footsyrolls are flat shoes that roll up and fit in your purse.  That's right ladies, no need to head to work or dinner in your treacherous heals...now you can just put them on when you get there.  GENIUS!  Footsyrolls come in different colors and texture.  Joe got me a pair for Christmas last year in the black patten and now I am hooked.  You will be too, I promise.



Footsyrolls are fun, stylish and practical.  They range in price from $19.99 to $30 and they even have Footsyrolls flip flops that roll up and fit in your purse.  Perfect for when you get your pedi!  They also all come with a little pouch to carry them in.  To visit the Footsyrolls site, click here!  Happy shopping.


Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Szechuan Tofu Stir-Fry

I will be honest, stir fry is a stable for me.  It is quick, easy and can be really nutritious depending on what you put into it.  Last night my friend Allison came over and I decided to whip up this stir fry because I only had about 20 minutes to prepare something after getting home from the gym.  Like I said, quick and easy. 


Szechuan Tofu Stir Fry
Ingredients:

1 red pepper, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 green pepper, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 red onion (medium sized), sliced to 1/4 in thick slices then cut in half through the middle
1 zucchini, I cut these into 3 section then down the middle and the a small dice
3/4 cup of button mushrooms, sliced thin
1 can of water chestnuts (I buy them already sliced), drained
3/4 cup of Moyashi bean sprouts (you can buy these in the produce section near the salad)
1-2 gloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of EVOO
1 tablespoon of  Earth Balance
1/2 block of tofu (about 6 ounces), drained and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 tablespoon of Safflower oil
2-3 tablespoons of red pepper (depending on how hot you want it)
1/2 tablespoon of black pepper
Tamari Sauce to taste (I use a good amount, but I don't use salt in this recipe)
Toasted sesame seeds
1 cup of dry Basmati rice

In a medium sized pot, bring 1 3/4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of EVOO and a dash of salt to a boil.  Stir in the Basmati rice, cover and reduce heat to low.  You won't need to check this again for about 15 minutes.

Put 2 tablespoons of EVOO into a skillet and add the zucchini, peppers and onions.  Saute for about 3-4 minutes.  Then add the mushrooms, water chestnuts and garlic.  Add the Earth Balance.  Saute for another 3-5 minutes until everything starts to brown a little.  In the meantime, in a small skillet, add the Safflower oil and tofu.  Cover and saute on medium-high heat.


Next add the red pepper and black pepper to the veggies and make sure they are all coated well.  Then begin adding the tamari sauce.  I start by adding about 1-2 tablespoons.  Turn the heat down to medium and cover, stirring often.  Move back to the tofu, and make sure to keep it moving.  You want to make sure you brown it evenly on all sides.  Keep it covered when you are not moving it.  This helps it cook faster, but also prevents your stove from being covered in oil.


Uncover your veggies and taste.  I usually end up adding a little more tamari here.  Then add the toasted sesame seeds (I like a lot, but totally your call) and the Moyashi bean sprouts.  Turn to low and leave uncovered.  You want the sprouts to remain firm and not get mushy, so you want to throw them in at the last minute, just before your meal is done.  This allows them to pick up the flavor, but not get slimy.  Stir everything really well and simmer for about 2 more minutes.

Uncover your tofu, it should be lightly browned.  Keep the heat up and add some sesame seeds and some tamari.  Toss vigorously and make sure you are coating all of the tofu.  Keep on the heat for about one more minute.


Uncover your rice and give it a good stir.  It should be pretty fluffy.  Put some rice on each plate.  I then combine the tofu and veggies and serve them over the rice.  Nice and easy!

Like I said, you can do many veggie variations.  I often add broccoli, baby corn, carrots, cauliflower, you can pretty much add any of the veggies you have in the house.  I also make stir fry with all kinds of sauces from teriyaki to black bean.  This dish is totally versatile and you can be so creative with it!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Spicy Corn Chowder

Yesterday was the first snow of the year here in Boston.  The weather outside had me craving a thick and warm soup after working late.  Joe was on hand to be my sous chef for the night, so I decided to try this corn chowder recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance.  For those of you who don't know Isa Chandra Moskowitz, you should check out her online website, The Post Punk Kitchen for some amazing recipes. 


Spicy Corn Chowder with Crostini
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of EVOO
1 large red pepper, diced
1 medium yellow onion, 1/4 inch dice
2 carrots, halved and then cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced (if you want don't want it to be too spicy, use just 1)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Some black pepper to taste (I used a decent amount)
1 teaspoon of salt
4 cups of vegetable broth (Isa uses 3 cups, but I used 4 and eliminated the soy milk)
3 cups of corn kernels (she recommends fresh ears of corn, but I used frozen corn)
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 bay leaf
Pinch of all spice (Isa uses Cheyenne, but I didn't have any)
Lime juice to taste
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
 *Isa recommends also using 1/4 cup of plain soy milk, but I didn't.   The chowder came out tasty and creamy without it, so no need for the extra fat.  But totally your call!


In a stockpot saute the onions, peppers, carrots and jalapenos in the EVOO over medium heat for about 7 min (until the onions are translucent, but before they begin to brown).  Add the rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and saute for another minute.  Next add the broth, corn and potatoes with the bay leaf and all spice.



Cover and bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Uncover and simmer for another 10 minutes to reduce the liquid even more (I turned the stove up to medium for this.


Remove the bay leaf and transfer half of the soup to another pot.  Using an immersion blender, puree half of the soup until it is smooth and then transfer it back to the stockpot and mix well.  Then add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and stir in well.  Finish it off with lime juice to taste (I used about 1 tablespoon) and simmer for 5 minutes.  Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.


Crostini
This is a super easy thing to throw together to finish a soup meal.  I took half a loaf of baguette and cut it down the middle (like a sub roll).  I then cut those pieces in half again so I had several long pieces of bread.  I drizzled them with EVOO and put a little salt and pepper on them and then broiled them for about 2 minutes until they began to brown.  Voila! Awesome to dip in soups!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Penne with Vodka Sauce

Yesterday I did Christmas with my "nieces" in Winthrop.  Before heading over I prepared this dish for supper and it was relatively quick and easy.

Penne with Vodka Sauce

Ingredients
3 tablespoons of EVOO
1 medium yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
1/2 cup of Daiya cheese
1/2 cup of pine nuts- toasted and chopped fine
1/2 cup of vodka
1/2 cup of marinara sauce (I used my own, but you can use any chunky one)
2 teaspoons of dijon mustard
2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
3 tablespoons of Earth Balance

BONUS
I added the following ingredients to up the nutritional value:
1 cup of button mushrooms sliced thin
1 bunch of Broccolini
1/2 cup of white wine
2 tablespoons of EVOO



I started by dicing the onions very fine.  I sauteed the onions in the three tablespoons of EVOO for about three minutes until they became translucent.  I then added the minced garlic and cooked for another 2 minutes.

In the meantime I added all of the other ingredients from the top list (except for the Earth Balance, Daiya and marinara sauce) to the food processor.  Before adding the pine nuts, I toasted them in a pan and then ground them really fine. 

I next added the onions and garlic to the food processor and pulsed the mixture until it was really smooth.  As the mixture was blending, I gradually added the marinara sauce.  Once everything was blended really smooth, I transferred the the mixture to a medium sauce pan and brought it to a medium heat.  I gradually added the Earth Balance over the next ten minutes to assure that they melted and blended evenly.  You will need to stir often to prevent the sauce from getting clumpy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

As the sauce simmers, take another skillet and add two tablespoons of EVOO.  Slice the button mushrooms really thin and add them to the oil.  Cook them for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat.  Add the 1/2 cup of white wine (I used a dry Savignon Blanc). Turn up the heat and cover for about 2 minutes.  Stir the mushrooms (they should have started to brown) and then add the Broccolini. Reduce the heat back to medium and cover, cooking for another 3-4 minutes until the Broccolini is tender.

After you have boiled your penne to a perfect al dente, transfer it back into a large sauce pot.  Add the Broccolini and mushroom mixture and mix will.  Then add the sauce and coat everything well.  Plate and garnish with fresh Italian parsley and some sprinkled Daiya.  This goes great with my vegan garlic bread.

Oh, and here are the lovely Izzy and Mirelli!


Peace O'Pie

After volunteering on Saturday, Joe and I went to Peace O'Pie in Allston for some delicious vegan pizza.  Yep, you heard me right, there is a vegan pizza place right here in Boston.  This was my second time coming to this restaurant and each time it seems to get better and better.

We started with cheesy bread sticks which were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  They were gooey and garlicky and all around perfection.  The marinara dipping sauce was so fresh and chunky.  I had an organic Steaz Teas with Agave and Joe had Maine root beer.  Yum.

Peace O'Pie offers so many options it is ridiculous.  You can get regular sized pizzas, but Joe and I opted for personal pizzas so we could get exactly what we wanted.  Check out the amazing menu here.



For my pizza I had Canadian Bacon and Onion.  When it first came out I was a little concerned because the the fake bacon look a little scary.  I am not a big meat substitute kind of girl, but I wanted to try something new.  After that first bite, I was in love.  OMG this pizza is amazing.  And this coming from a girl that lives in the North End, where some of the best pizza in the country is made. 



Joe had the Peppy- pepperoni, mushrooms and onions.  I had a bite of this too and it was out of this world.  Joe, who is a carnivore, also loved this place.  He said that the pepperoni tasted just like the real thing.



Peace O'Pie offers so many great options.  You can opt for regular pizza dough, but they also make gluten-free and whole wheat options as well.  All of their ingredients are organic and many are locally bought.  They use Daiya cheese.  You can find a description of Daiya in this post.



Peace O' Pie is great for more than just their scrumptious food though.  During the renovation of the building before the restaurant opened, the owners used eco-friendly building materials including sustainably produced bamboo counter front, a countertop made of 100% recycled office paper, and ceiling tiles with 65% recycled content.  They also compost and use compostable, biodegradable packaging and supplies.

Peace O'Pie also offers some retail options too.  While there I purchased a 1/2 pound of Daiya cheese for $5, some Sjaak's Peanut Butter Cups.  They also offer amazing vegan desserts and on Sunday's they do a whole vegan brunch.

Basically, they had me at hello.  This is one of the few Boston establishments that openly respects animals, the earth and their customers.  I can't wait to go back!