Snack Time.

Snacks are almost law in my life. Working 20 feet from the kitchen on most days, I always schedule a technology break and find myself playing with food again.

Another thing I make time for? Photography. If you're dehydrating kale nachos, then you've got time to take a pretty photo.

My Kale Nachos and OCG Juice (Orange-Carrot-Ginger). Dehydrated kale chips with a zesty cashew cheese (nutritional yeast, cayenne, lemon).

Bento Box from Lithe Foods - those crispy chic peas are addictive and yes, I'm a sucker for fly packaging. Had to snap it.

A giant bowl of summer fruit with Silk Pure Coconut Milk, some overnight oats, and a dusting of cinnamon makes a kicky breakfast, but it's an energizing afternoon lift if you need one.

Cool Lunch for a Hot Day

The sushi bowl at Pure Fare. Spicy (that's hot sauce on the side but the dressing has wonderful edge) and filling. Mix it all up and it's actually a lot more fun to eat than sushi. Picnic couture.

Baked Asparagus, Fresh Avocado, Shredded Carrots, & Pan-Cooked Tempeh over Brown Rice. Topped with Toasted Nori and a Citrus Cilantro Scallion Dressing

The Kropotkin Sandwich at Grindcore House. What is it about Field Roast on a sandwich with Vegenaise and roasted red peppers that makes you feel like an Anarchist Princess?

Cool vegan food for hot vegans...

Summer Getaway.

You know you're mad for someone when you can travel with them without making each other crazy. Generally I have my vegan and fashion to-do list and he has serious cocktail research to conduct. And we intersect on these notions, of course.

I steal his food. He finishes my drink. We 're always looking for the perfect hat. 

Sometimes, getting in each other's way is the thing to do. Happy Summer, wherever you go.

Horizons: The Next Course.

The rightful topic of conversation amongst food lovers in general and my fellow vegans around town has drifted to the closing of Horizons and opening of their New Restaurant where vegetables will reign in September.

I'm excited. We should be. People need to do new things, even if we love what they're already doing.

So I'm thinking back on my very favorite restaurant in the entire world, which has been serving me for too-many-and-yet-never-enough years. I've been on quite a few dates there (part of my dating process was the does-he-appreciate-Horizons test), celebrated a birthday or two, spent the last two New Year's Eves counting down the courses, had a raw tasting menu that I'll never forget, and so on. I've come to know that the staff and the owners are the people you should trust your evenings to.

Dinner over the weekend...Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup and Crunchy Korean Seitan Tacos (plus salad, mushrooms, and beignets as well):

So stop by between now and July 2nd (closing night) and wish them luck on their exciting new venture.

Coconut Creamsicle Smoothie.

Sometimes I drink my dinner.

By that I mean a dinner smoothie. 

Frozen pineapple and fresh citrus are getting some major play in my blender these days. But I crave these summer smoothies later in the day rather than first thing in the morning.

This tropical blend of vanilla, pineapple, orange and coconut yogurt tastes exactly like a Creamsicle, except it's amazing for you and can totally pass as a light dinner if you're not too hungry (although drizzling in some coconut oil or a spoonful of cashew butter would make it more substantial). It comes out bright, frothy, and yes, creamy, courtesy of that yogurt.

California Love. 2-in-1 Strawberry Party.

California knows how to party. Philadelphia knows how to play baseball.

Evidence: California Giant Berry Farm sent me a berry party-in-a-box containing 8 packages of juicy reds and all I had to do was create a recipe for the Giant Fans of Baseball Blogger Challenge.

So please take a moment and vote for my recipe on the contest page. For the challenge, the goal is to represent our hometown baseball team in a berry dish. I came up with 2 berry-loaded recipes for the challenge.

I know there are quite a few healthy eaters on the Philadelphia Phillies and Citizens Bank Ballpark is known for its veggie food offerings (although we did drop from #1 to #2 for that distinction) like Crabless Crab Cakes and Vegan Chicken Sandwiches...

I thought about making a veggie burger or vegan dog loaded with berry ketchup or grilled balsamic strawberries & onions. Which got me thinking about dishes like Pasta Salad. A pasta salad with a healthy, sporty side.

Game on. I put together a muddled strawberry dressing for my wheat pasta, served on top of salad greens, with basil (strawberry's one true love) and cubed tempeh. Bases loaded.

Berry & Basil Loaded Pasta Salad

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp celery seed
sea salt
lots of pepper
2 - 3 strawberries, chopped
1/2 cup strawberries, chopped
1 bunch of basil, chopped
4 oz tempeh, cubed (I buy mine ready-to-eat from Rhapsody Tempeh or Lightlife) 

Boil your pasta, drain, and rinse with cold water. Combine red wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard and spices. Pour into pint glass. Add 2 - 3 strawberries and muddle in pint glass. Drizzle over pasta and fold in chopped berries, basil, and tempeh (pre-cooked and chilled). Chill for 30 minutes.

You can't watch a ball game without a beverage, but I'll take a tequila and mezcal cocktail over a beer any day...

Strawberry Swing

1 oz. Reposado Tequila

1 oz  Joven Mezcal

.5 oz Aperol

.5 oz 1:1 Strawberry Syrup

1 Basil Leaf, Slapped

Add all ingredients except the basil, stir vigorously, strain into cocktail glass.

Garnish with basil leaf.

Thanks to California Giant for the California berry love. Don't forget to vote and try my healthier salad and sips when the Phils are on. A liquor-soaked basil leaf will put the spirit back in any game.

Bar Crawl.

If you must succumb to a bar this week, I have two current, haunting picks.

At left is an exfoliating vegan soap bar from Wembe Amazonian Soul. The Green Blue River Blend smooths and soothes any rough soles and makes your feet softer than a baby's. There are blends for all of your body needs, all priced under $10. [photo via Wembe]

To the right we have the finest chocolate fix I can think of, the type of bar that steals away any notions you had of just having one bite. I discovered this chocolate at Organic Avenue a few months ago and have been inhaling it ever since. Most special to me, though, is the Cacao & Coconut Chunky Bonbon and the consistency is like deep, dangerous fudge. I have a hard time believing that the entire bar is only 140 calories and 4 grams of sugar. Which easily makes it a healthy dessert habit. [photo via fine & raw]

If it means cutting out a glass of wine or two to budget for these, well, you know the bar that I would choose.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread, Vegan and Gluten Free.

Banana bread is good...

But it's no zucchini bread. Or Vegan, Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread that I could eat every day all summer long.

Get your veggies in and stay hydrated with this water-based squash. It's plentiful and cheap during the summer season...all the more reason to bake with it.

There's something about the less-sweet, every-bit-as-moist, subtle flavor of a fresh zucchini loaf. Especially when still warm and gooey.

I could not find a recipe that I liked. Time to experiment.

I did decide to make this gluten free because my favorite zucchini bread is GF, so I know I like it that way (that's the zucchini loaf at Sweet Freedom Bakery if you want to try this before committing to an entire loaf -- it's divine).

So what could I do? I adapted this from a recipe for gluten-free banana bread. Instead of bananas, in went 1.5 cups of zucchini. Did I want to adjust the agave nectar? Truthfully, banana bread is just so sweet. I wanted something that would be less dessert-like, so I kept it at 1/2 cup, which I think still counts sweet-bread-worthy.

Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

2 cups gluten-free all purpose baking flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup almond or rice milk
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)
1/4 cup vegan chocolate or carob chips

Shred your zucchini using a microplane.

Mix together dry ingredients. Add agave, milk, coconut oil, and vanilla and stir until combined. Fold in your zucchini and chocolate chips.

Lightly oil a loaf pan and spread your batter in.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, rotate, and then bake for another 10 minutes. Remove when toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 1 loaf.

Bonus: This bread packs in almost 4 grams of fiber per slice. 

Meet the Makers Trip: Part II

Catch up on Part I here...

Part II of my Philly Homegrown trip started at Greensgrow Farm in Fishtown, where Mary Corboy welcomed the group with a pop-up cafe in the back of the farm. (That's Mary, below). She told us the story of the farm and what's next, now that it's a wildly popular and well-embraced resource in the neighborhood. Just stop by on a Saturday around 11am, and this place looks like an outdoor festival - Lots of young couples loaded down with baskets and sun hats, little kids running around excited about vegetables, dogs everywhere, and people sharing recipes and techniques in conversation.


Every time I visit, it's even busier and the selection is even better. I used to come years ago for ingredients when visiting my family (they live a block away) so that I could prepare veggie meals at their house. 


I had already eaten breakfast so I snacked on some strawberries and had green tea. I'm not a Bloody Mary person (gotta watch the Worcestershire sauce) but they did look stunning with the fresh vegetable skewers.

We made our way to Marathon Farm in the Brewerytown neighborhood, where we learned that half of the vegetables grown would be sold to the neighborhood for below-supermarket prices, with the other half being sold at cost to the Marathon family of restaurants in Philadelphia.


The idea is to bring fresh food into a neighborhood that does not have access to it. So far, the response has been positive, and the farm will start selling to the neighborhood this Saturday.

Naturally, we headed to Marathon on the Square for lunch. I filled up on chilled cucumber soup (it's on special today! spicy and refreshing!) and vegan tofu scramble (excellent!), and many of us were served veggies that were just picked from the farm. You can order the local greens as a side, too.

The rest of the group headed off to tour Philadelphia Brewing Company. I hauled my veggies from Greensgrow back home and later on, we cooked up a feast of grilled yellow squash, zucchini, two types of mushrooms, and couscous. We snacked on some gifts from Mary - a jar of pickled ramps and pickled fiddleheads. Best pickled anything I have ever had. Finished with red wine and fell into bed.

I spend my week working with what I know, but when it comes to the weekend, I am ready to learn new things, even in my own backyard. I was so glad to have a chance to talk to farmers and feel a little more connected to my ingredients. Thanks again to Philly Homegrown, Greater Philadelphia Tourism, and everyone involved in the tour.

As a Philadelphian, I must tell you that this city is growing big things.

Veg Out: Fare

I present to you Philadelphia's cashew cheese plate. It exists.

pink peppercorn raw cashew “cheese” with sunflower sprout salad

I never thought the time would come when I could order cashew cheese at a restaurant in my own city. Can I buy it online and have rounds of luscious cultured cashews shipped to my side? Indeed I have. Can I make this creation on my own, with this timely undertaking testing all will? I have gone there.

I don't know why I love it so much. It doesn't taste like cheese as I remember. Nor do I want it to. It's definitely its own thing. Salty, savory, tangy, mysterious. Spread on a cracker, backed by a swirl of red wine, it is such a good thing. It readily takes on flavors, tastes divine in a salad or on a flatbread, and I savor every bit.

In comes Fare Restaurant, which bills itself as an organic kitchen and wine bar, and while it strives to turn out healthy, "everyday fare", this Fairmount oasis happens to be anything but common.

Healthy eating is my passion. While it certainly is a hot topic in our country, and gathering steam in our city, I still find that it is not common or everyday at all to find beautiful, clean food prepared correctly and presented with enthusiasm. It's getting easier, as more and more restaurants are putting the garden back onto the plate.

My goal has always been to spread the word.

Fare is doing an excellent job of that so far.

soy beans, farro, radish, cucumber and pea shoots

Let's start with the beverages. Still or sparkling water, from in-house purification system, FREE. Organic wines, so hard to find in the city, priced low (starting at $5.50). Two things done right. There will be more.

The $9 Cashew Cheese Salad would easily be $19 in New York. Our salad course surprised us with how fresh and forward-thinking it was. I'd even call the salads risky. Why? How often do you see Americans readily consuming pea shoots and soy beans without grimacing as though they are being forced?

I also agreed with the delightful dehydrated crackers, and even though the pea shoots were a little difficult to tackle with grace, they were worth the effort. I watched my dining partner take on a mass of shoots and had it been our first date, I would have fallen all over again.

To his delight, the tempeh dish turned out to be BBQ Seitan with Polenta and Broccoli Rabe. Mr. Vedge has always loved seitan and calls it his gateway to vegetarianism (he has been eating vegan, and so have 3 of our family members recently) but tempeh is one of his current passions. Still, the seitan was smoky, seared correctly, and the side of polenta and greens on this vegan plate were clearly coming from a kitchen that understood its ingredients.

I'd love to know which seitan they are using...

The other vegetarian entree on the menu is a Griddle Cake Duo that consists of a Wild Mushroom Cake with Asparagus Salsa and Carrot Cake with Edamame Hummus. The Carrot Cake is vegan, and you could order two of the Carrot to veganize the dish, I was told.

I was so caught up in the smaller plates, however, that I voted for Millet and Cauliflower Mash, earthy and comforting, and Lentils & Raisins in Tomato Sauce, reminiscent of a lentil curry. The lentils, surprisingly, were the standout dish and I wish we had a better shot of them.

I believe that Philadelphia can be excited about lentils. And it's clear that Fare does, too.

The restaurant was full and I have a feeling that many people left with their appetites appeased. We tried the vegan dessert, an Apple Crisp with Oatmeal (without whipped cream), and while I believe it was intended to be served warm, it was actually slightly cold. Still, it was delicious, chewy oats, real apple that wasn't too sweet, and something I would gladly order again.  

I can't think of many places in Philadelphia that offer organic food in an environmentally-conscious space, with organic wine and appealing, nutritious food, that is approachable in price. But I can think of one.

UPDATE:

I enjoyed the food again on a second visit (tried the Mixed Green Salad, the Carrot Cakes, and had the Lentils) but as satisfying as the food was, the service was lacking in attentiveness and we were stranded at times. I hope that it improves, because the veggie food really is impressive.

The Carrot Cakes are quite large (think a decent-sized veggie burger with similar shape and texture) and I'd recommend that you split this entree.

I tried the Yellow + Blue Rose (Y+B wines are vegan-friendly and there are a few of them on the menu) and it wasn't my favorite...The Fleur de California Pint Noir is also vegan.

Meet the Makers Trip: Part I

Meeting the Makers...I was invited to attend a press trip for Philly Homegrown (remember the amazing mushrooms and Mystery Box they sent me earlier this year?) and spent Friday and part of Saturday with a bus full of food bloggers and writers from out of town. The itinerary was farm-centric: we'd be visiting the incredible farmers markets, farms, and farm-to-table restaurants, sampling some of the best food, drink, and culture that our region has to offer.

For Day 1, I met the group at the Four Seasons Hotel where they were staying for a rooftop garden tour. I had no idea that the Four Seasons was so energy-efficient, but it turns out they use turbines to produce 30% of the hotel's energy and enough hot water for the entire building. They also had quite a lovely garden that grows bigger each year and supplies a good deal of the food that is served at the restaurants and the bar.

From there, we were off to Mother Earth Organic Mushroom Farm in Landenberg. You've probably cooked with or eaten these mushrooms (I buy them at Whole Foods) and they are one of the first organic farms in the country. Over half of all mushrooms in the country come from this region.

We took a special tour of the mushroom house to see how these babies are grown - it's not easy! There are several stages just to prepare the "mushroom food". As for the smell that my husband grew up with (He's from Mushroom Country), I could not smell it much here but I did notice it later at another farm.

We headed to the Mushroom Cap in Kennett Square to learn a little bit about the local Mushroom Festival and then to Talula's Table for lunch. I've eaten vegan here before and knew I could expect something great - like this Grilled Eggplant Salad and a side of Green Beans with Mango & Nuts, as well as some of the delicious bread that they put out for us (all except for the Sourdough are vegan). For dessert, the table was brought platters of cupcakes, cream puffs, and cookies. I ordered a Rosemary Soy Latte, when one of Talula's super-staff asked if I was Kelly from Living on the Vedge and offered to bring me a vegan fruit plate with dark chocolate sauce. He was so nice that I couldn't say no, and I'm glad I didn't...because it tasted even better knowing a reader was looking out for me. Thank you!

We were supposed to meet Aimee Olexy, of both Talula's Table and Talula's Garden, which I was extremely giddy about, but she was unable to make it because of a school trip for her daughter that she had to chaperone.  Mom of the Year and Food Muse of the Year, done and done.

We made a quick stop at the Kennett Square Farmers Market across the street (vegan samosas! tempeh! guacamole! dairy-free naturally sweetened popsicles!, stevia lemonade!) and then hopped back on the bus for a trip to Va La Vineyard.

We  learned about these rogue winemakers who blend a variety of grapes and are not bound to any region restrictions because they don't sell in the state stores.  I had called ahead to find out if they had any vegan wines, but did not receive a response.  And then I found out that one of their fining agents is actually egg whites...

As you can see, that large V on the building had given me high hopes.

We ended up at Terrain at Styers, where I was immediately made aware that I would be returning and putting this on my list of favorite stores. We had snacks and iced tea in the cafe, after roaming the store which had a holistic beauty section that I could spend hours in, as well as cookbooks and all of the home goods that you'd ever need to throw dinner party after dinner party.

The team at Philadelphia Greater Tourism & Philly Homegrown put together such a fun tour that I was glad to be a part of - I don't get to spend much time in the surrounding counties and it was nice to meet other folks to see what they thought of Philadelphia and to show them the greener side of our city. Stay tuned for Part II, which happened a little closer to home.

Freestyle Wrap.

Every summer, I swap out regular wraps for Nature's wraps. Namely, collard wraps, lettuce wraps, and when the market doesn't have collards? Mustard Green Wraps. I thought it would be strange, perhaps too bitter, but the mustard flavor really shoots right out of these wraps, giving them a spiciness that I like even more than collards.

Though I do love my collards...It's easy to get hooked on the Skinny Skinny Collard Wrap from Lithe Foods. The almond butter dipping sauce is super and it's nice to have these available on days when I can't get to the farmers market for freshly plucked greens. 

I wanted to share with you my recipe for the mustard green wraps - only because it turned out so well that I will be making them all summer. Not only are they spicy and fun to make, they travel well.

This recipe is very leftovers-friendly. We had leftover grilled mushrooms from the night before and they were begging to be wrapped up. One last bunch of green grapes offered itself up for sacrifice, as if to balance out the horseradish-mustard bite with a burst of juicy sweetness. Instead of carrot, we ran a yellow squash over the mandoline. A refreshing twist.

Muscle Green Wraps

4 large mustard green leaves
Roasted red pepper hummus
1/2 block ready-to-eat tempeh (we like Teriyaki by Rhapsody), sliced into thin strips
Grilled or marinated mushrooms, sliced into thin strips
1/2 squash, julienned
Handful of grapes, sliced thin
Splash of apple cider vinegar
Pepper to taste

Spread hummus onto leaves and top with ingredients in order above, finishing with a splash of apple cider vinegar and fresh pepper. Roll it up and crunch away.

Makes 4 wraps.