Veg Out: Jasmine Rice

New Thai? Balmy weekend? Following visits to Sawatdee and Circles, I was compelled to try the newest Thai restaurant, Jasmine Rice on 16th Street. Yes, I was seeking heat.

But I didn't quite get what I asked for.

For a Sunday night on opening week, the seats were full at Jasmine Rice and the kitchen wasn't ready for a deluge of diners. Our server apologized about the wait and explained that they were understaffed and were out of a few items (we scored the last order of spring rolls and the last of the tofu). Understandable, and I'm sure they'll be better prepared in the future.

Now on to the food. Our appetizers came out quickly enough. Crispy Spring Rolls went over well with our table, but the Golden Triangle Tofu wasn't thrilling, flavor-wise. My Lemongrass Soup was impressive, fragrant, spicy, with vegetables that were tender with just enough snap to them. This soup would be so soothing on a chillier day.

One thing I noticed when we finally received our entrees was that all our dishes and the soup all had the same vegetables.  This is a minor peeve of mine, because I always think of it as uninspired and corner-cutting. Or maybe they were running low on the veggies for the various entrees?

Either way, I think I have to return to Jasmine Rice on a slower day after they get in the swing of things. I was pretty let down by my Pad Thai, which was too sweet, and not spicy at all. I had asked for spicy, so had Mr. Vedge, and I don't think we were taken seriously. Resulting in bland dishes..that were cooked well and would have been so much better with some heat. Our table also ordered a Massaman Curry and a Red Curry. The red curry was the spiciest of all and the one I enjoyed the most. The Massaman appeared to be missing a key component: potatoes.

It's hard to compare any place to Circles, as there is just nothing else like it here in Philadelphia. Jasmine Rice is like a lot of other Thai restaurants in Philadelphia, with a nicer setting and very reasonable prices. I'll be returning for lunch and begging for no mercy just to see what they can do a second time around.

Morning Sketch.

I was shooting my last summery berry vegan yogurt parfait. 

Smoky BBQ Sweet Potato Chips.

It all started with smoked salt. We were picking out apples at the Fair Food Farmstand in the Reading Terminal Market when I lost my husband. He was over in the corner entranced by smoked salt.

And so that's how we came home with Hickory Smoked Sea Salt from the Maine Sea Salt Company and Smoky BBQ Sweet Potato Chips were born.

I was a BBQ potato chip fanatic as a child. The sweet mesquite burn on your tongue after eating too many and the golden dust on your fingertips after polishing off a bag are things that you don't forget. While I don't eat many potato chips these days, I do eat a variety of chips:

Mainly beet, carrot, sweet potato, and kale chips. My White Beet Chips were so well received that I didn't think chip baking could get any better...

Until I added BBQ spices and smoked salt to some organic sweet potatoes and walked away...

Smoky BBQ Sweet Potato Chips

2 sweet potatoes, peeled
1-2 tbsp oil (I like coconut or sunflower)
3 tbsp taco seasoning (chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, pepper)
1 tsp hickory smoked sea salt, ground

Use a mandoline to slice your sweet potatoes on the thinnest setting. If you like them thicker, you can go up a notch, but you will have to bake them longer. Bake on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, turning the sheet halfway through so that they don't burn. Sprinkle with more salt after baking if you like. 

This should make a large bowl of chips, but I end up eating half the batch by the time I take photos...oops.

They taste like the BBQ chips that I remember and they even sorta look like them, too...now I have to kid test them, but I'm pretty sure they will get some orange-dusted thumbs up.

Fall for Vegan.

Bread Soup at Koo Zee Doo.  It's back! We pester Carla Gonçalves about the possible return of the Açorda every chance we get and she just gives us her mysterious smile and says "Soon." Well, we finally had it for the first time since April last night. We order it without the egg and cheese and it is simply phenomenal with its base of Carla's hearty bread, fantastical mushrooms, and garlicky greens. It's the best stuffing you'll ever have.

Organic Lentil Salad with Chickpeas and Vegan Cherry Scone at Le Pain Quotidien. Two of LPQ's fall seasonal specials happen to be vegan and I've happily agreed with both of them. I often opt for LPQ for lunch because they have clearly labeled vegan options and are one of the few organic restaurants in the area. Are there more exciting, exotic places to have lunch? Sure, but LPQ has some of my favorite meal salads and that's often exactly what I want. Oh, and vegan pastry!

Date Caramel Granola Bar, Pure Fare. It's not every day that you think of the granola bar as a decadent, juicy venture. But this "date caramel" bar is gooey, generous, and studded with plump apricots and precious seeds. There's nothing dry or boring or granola about it...it makes me miss my school days when I lived on granola bars that were a tenth as grand as these.

Carrot Everything. You already know I've gone back to pumpkin but I must say that carrot is my favored fall-colored ingredient right now. This Carrot Cashew Miso Spread from the Clean Start Cookbook, which is full of healthy recipes by season, is easily my go-to appetizer. It's shown here with a Curry Dip (also in the book) and both are highly addictive. If you have any cocktail hangouts coming up, give these a go in your Vitamix or food processor.

 Carrot-Ginger-Jalapeno Soup, a new favorite

The entire menu at Vedge. Look forward to it. And if you want to know when they're opening, if you follow me on Twitter you'll know the moment I do.

Philadelphia Cocktail Contest: My Favorite Competitor.

I'm entirely biased here, but I'm rooting for this guy as the winner of the Philadelphia Cocktail Contest.

The winner was decided last night and sealed into silence until the November issue of Philadelphia Magazine spills out.

Until then, my one-sided photo shoot with Josh Phillips, who went up first during the evening cocktail spree. Which lasted three hours. I know because I killed that time at the Franklin a few blocks away, got to know some of the friendly critters that hang out at Rittenhouse Square afterhours, and then wandered over to steal him away for a second. He solemnly told me they had another drink left and that it would be 45 minutes.

Luckily, his proud parents (gotta give them credit for nurturing Josh's passion throughout the years) were making vegan scallion pancakes a few blocks away, because they are that cool, and so I went to join them.

Fit Hip Healthy Trunk Show at Lithe Method.

Put me in a room with a bunch of clothes, vegan snacks, and ladies of Lithe Method, and I don't even know where to start. It's Candy Land for me. Kale Salad Land? A board game that Lithe Children would play.

Last night's Fit Hip Healthy Trunk Show featured designer Bela Shehu of NINO Brand and Lithe Wear Studio + Street along with Lithe Foods samples and serious discounts. Faux leather leggings, the always glowing Lauren Boggi and the alluring Bela Shehu, walnut pate, meeting new Lithers, it was all a delicious mix for me.

Lithe Foods included kale salad, walnut pate, vegan mousse on banana chips, and vegan cheesesteak wraps...

One of my favorite pieces from the NINO rack was this gray jacket - the fabric was soft and warm, the sleeves were dramatic, and the clingy cut was something I could live in.

Perusing the collection with Bela...

Can't get enough gray...

Josie Scarpelli McIntyre, a fellow Lither that I met for the very first time in person, at right, with a friend. Josie, who is currently camera shopping, took many of the photos above, and let me play fashionista. Thanks, Josie! Looking forward to many raw food and aperture settings discussions with you!

I finally decided on a Lithe Wear tank (could be worn under a blazer before and after class) because of the cool gray color and the sexier low back. Lithe Method has done amazing things for my back. I never thought that having a sculpted back would be so important to me, but it makes a huge difference in how you carry yourself and how fit you look and feel. Every Lithe class helps. This tank will remind me to stand a little taller.

Thanks to the Lithe Team for a happenin' night of fierce fashion, fit food, and friendly faces.  

Philadelphia's Signature Cocktail.

My husband Josh Phillips (you know him as Mr. Vedge, my vegan heartthrob) has been named one of five finalists in Philadelphia's Signature Cocktail Contest presented by Foobooz and Philadelphia Magazine.

The contest is on Tuesday, September 20. This could not be happening at a more exciting time for Josh, as he's currently applying to Cornell for the one year hospitality program with plans of operating a multi-restaurant company.  I have never met a more passionate man. His concoctions have been the source for so many conversations and connections, and we never let someone leave our home without a proper drink, even if it's just a filtered water with  filtered water ice cubes in a tall beautiful glass.

It's usually something harder, though. So cheers to him. Now here's a peek of his cocktail entry, along with the recipe:

Pumpkin Chia Breakfast Pudding.

Am I the biggest fan of chia pudding out there? No. It gets my okay, but I wouldn't eat it daily. I take a spoonful of chia in my oats, but the texture is still working on me.

Today, I changed my mind completely. The fix was simple: I added pumpkin and oats to cut the chia "gel" feel that I find a bit slimy. The result? Creamy rather than gelatinous. More pudding-like and decadent. Because chia pudding on its own does not tide me over, I added a banana to bulk it up. Incredible. But maybe that's because I practice pumpkin anything...

If you are a non-believer of chia pudding, then this recipe may be the revisit you need.


Pumpkin Chia Pudding

1-2 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt and nutmeg
1/2 cup almond milk
3 tbsp pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp agave or maple syrup
1 tbsp dried cranberries

Combine chia, oats, and spices. Stir in milk, pumpkin, vanilla, agave, and cranberries. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add a bit more milk if mixture looks too thick. Refrigerate for an hour or overnight.

To serve, spoon on top of a sliced banana and drizzle more milk on top.

Makes 1 serving.

Fall Collection

Just a few shots taken at Fashion's Night Out last night. I got an early start in Soho and made it to most of the places on my list, although I did lose half an hour waiting in line at Helmut Lang for a performance from Best Coast and Death & Co. cocktails while everyone else was trying to hunt down the Kardashians.

Courtney Love was holding it down on Mercer Street, barefoot, having a phone conversation while cameras descended. Meanwhile, the Kardashian event got shut down because of an out-of-control crowd. I almost lost my camera lens, but the scene could not even approach the menace of a Philly Flash Mob.

To my regret, I did not make it over to the MooShoes event and when I finally made it to Stella McCartney in the Meatpacking District, the event had changed to "Invite Only." I found the crowd in Meatpacking to be much more intoxicated, given the later hour, with as much of a dance party as you could have with guests immobilized by their footwear.

The highlight of my night was visiting the new Z Spoke by Zac Posen. Amazing line. Also running into a photographer who was offended that I did not know his work. He liked my outfit and the conversation went downhill from there. How am I supposed to know which rock stars you capsulized 20 years ago?

Hope you enjoyed this brief fashion intermission...back to a healthy lifestyle and vegan recipes with some of my fall must-eats coming soon! How I survived...

Veg Out: Circles Newbold

I did it. I made it to Circles Newbold for the explosive and undeniable flavors that I had only known through legend.

Was it everything I wanted and more from Thai food in Philadelphia, a scene that's booming but mostly underwhelming?

We sat in the BYOB dining room and watched as our order was delivered to us from Circles' takeout op across the street, which houses the kitchen. Covered in trays and still steaming as it was set before us.

Massaman Curry with Tofu: We ordered it regular hot, told that if we wanted "Thai hot", our server would bring us some additional spices. Rock on with it.

The heat was just right for  me, the curry was slightly sweet and comforting with a fall spice background and tender vegetables. It was still very hot, but nowhere near as hot as the pad thai.

Pad Thai with Tofu: While I found the curry easier to eat, the pad thai was by far the most exciting and challenging pad thai I've encountered. I ordered regular hot and my mouth was on fire the entire time. I immediately started to sweat and after a few bites, started alternating between the curry and the pad thai just to relieve the mouth burn.

As hot as it was, I found it to be lighter and more refreshing than the typically heavy, oily pad thai in Philadelphia. The tamarind announced its arrival right away, and the cabbage and mangoes served with it were most welcome.

We powered through half of it and took the rest to go, finding that it was less spicy and still amazing as the next day's leftovers.

Vegetable Dumplings: I blame the majority of my mouth burn on the veggie dumplings, which seared the roof of my chops, creating a vicious playground for the spices that would enter it. When cool enough to eat, I still found the interior to be gummy. I do prefer steamed dumplings (these were fried) and this was my least favorite dish. Although the batch we had could have been off...

Seitan Satay: SEITAN LOVERS, this is it. By it, I mean that if you are a fan of Rich Landau's grilled seitan, then you will enjoy this expertly grilled satay and the peanut dipping sauce that finishes it. We were both sold on it and we are gravely serious about our seitan.

ReAnimator Coffee: Always a good time. Especially with spice.

Inside, Circles was a scene for Date Night, as other heat-seeking couples filled out two-tops around us in the dining room. We immediately agreed to come back and to order delivery, eager to sample the other curries and dishes on the vegan-conscious menu.

For everyone who recommended Circles to me, we understand each other.

Vegan Green Tea Cupcakes.

Rashada Siojo, owner of Old City's Siojo Salon, is a queen of all trades.

The do-it-all entrepreneur works magic in the salon chair, creates her own herb-infused scrubs for Siojo treatments, follows a plant-based diet, swears by wheatgrass, and she also happens to make a killer vegan cupcake.

I learned all of this during a recent manicure at Siojo (yep, she rocks nails, too) and my eyes lit up when she mentioned a vegan green tea cupcake that she used to sell to Remedy Tea Bar (along with other vegan goodies). I spent a lot of time at Remedy before they closed and knew about their vegan cache. Of course I couldn't leave without asking Rashada if I could share her green tea cupcake recipe with you all.

The green tea flavor is complex, delicious, and not too strong. These are not your conventional cupcakes. They're earthy, seductive, modern. Stylish enough to be the centerpiece at any tea party,  New York Fashion Week event, or political debate.

Thanks to Rashada for helping me discover my new favorite cupcake. To make mini cupcakes like I did, simply reduce the baking time from 20 minutes to 17 minutes. I topped mine with crystallized ginger.

Get thee over to Siojo for the yoga facial, the amazing pedicure that I experienced here, or one of the many services that the talented team offers.

Rashada's Vegan Green Tea Cupcakes


1/2 cup of soy milk
2/3 cup rice milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup canola oil (I used melted coconut oil)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3-4 teaspoons matcha green tea powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup granulated raw sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat soy milk on stovetop, remove when it starts to boil, and stir in green tea powder. Let steep for 5-10 minutes. Whisk all wet ingredients, then sift in the dry products. Bake for 20 minutes, let cool, then add the green tea glaze icing.

Green Tea Glaze

2 tbsp of vegan margarine
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon matcha tea powder (found in most Asian markets)
1-2 tablespoons rice milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract and a few drops of vanilla extract

Whisk with a fork, beat to fluff. Add wet ingredients last. Let sit. Glaze cooled cupcakes and enjoy!


Makes 1 dozen regular or 2 dozen mini cupcakes.