1st Recipe of the Year: My Favorite Noodles. Plus End of Year Eats!

End-of-the-year eats. I headed to New York with a lovely new friend that I found through Twitter and Lithe Method. Someone who enjoys raw food, wellness, green juice and Lithing as much as I do? I'm just glad we met before the year's end and decided to spend a day soaking up the sun and sipping our greens as we wandered around eating, browsing, and chatting.

We began at One Lucky Duck to snap up juices and snacks before heading to Angelica Kitchen for a quick lunch of pantry plates and combo dishes. Restored, we hit the shops before stopping into Organic Avenue for some items to take home. Not bad for a vegan raw crawl, right?

Already blissed out, we sat down to dinner at Pure Food & Wine.

I had my eyes on the raw burger (from the lunch menu but available during dinner if you want it). This was my kind of burger. Portabella Hempseed Burger, sprouted manna bread, Lapsang smoked cashew cheese, house mustard, pickled onions, kraut.  (Photos taken with Galaxy Nexus).

She wisely chose the raw lasagna, which is easily one of the best dishes at Pure. For anyone stuck in a winter tomato rut, this will give you hope and get you through until summer.  I plan on attempting the lasagna soon (the recipe is in the owner Sarma's second book, Living Raw Food).

We made the commitment to dessert, the smartest decision one can make at Pure. The food was even better this time, but I always find the dishes so intricate and exciting, often more flavorful than the cooked versions I've had elsewhere. Regular pad thai is great, but raw pad thai? Different and glorious in its own way. Vegan lasagna? Often bland and heavy. I'll take the raw version any day.

On with the desserts. She chose the Frozen Black Forest Shortcake and I stuck with my old favorite, the Mint Sundae. I also tried a glass of Sparkling Sake.

In  a cacao haze, savoring the last few bites of sundae..I was tuckered out. My new soulmate pretty much declared it her favorite meal of all time.

Back in Philly for New Year's Eve, Mr. Vedge and I had quite a meal to look forward to - dinner at Vedge. For the past two years, we have gone to Horizons for the NYE tasting menu. It's the only thing you can convince me to do on December 31st. It never ends in regret, unlike so many NYE decisions. Once again, fantastic.

If you are going to drink sparkling wine, Vedge is the place to do it. You can totally atone for any bad champagne you drank over the past week by resolving to try the bubbly here. They even have a Sparkling Shiraz on the menu, which was strange and wonderful.

Course No. 4...paella: tofu, squash, leek.

The last thing we ate in 2011: Course No. 5: cheesecake, berries.

Entranced by the cheesecake?  This was arguably the best version yet (although I do have a thing for the citrus take that is currently on the menu).

I woke up feeling 100% amazing. Then proceeded to make sesame noodles. My first recipe of the year:

My Favorite Noodles


3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp tamari
2 heaping tbsp sunflower seed butter (or peanut butter)
1 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ginger powder
sesame seeds to top
1 pkg green tea soba noodles (or regular soba)


Combine ingredients and mix with cooked soba noodles. Chill before serving.


Makes 4 servings.

Holiday Leftovers.

The healthiest and happiest holiday yet...

Lots of vegan family dinners (you all are amazing!) including Tofu Kale Lasagna from the Clean Food Cookbook, Christmas dinner at Han Dynasty (spicy noodles and all manners of tricked-out tofu, plus Spicy Crispy Cucumbers and Pea Shoots with Garlic), everyone eating tempeh and raw vegan truffles and vegan coconut milk nog. I have so much to be ridiculously grateful for. A healthy family is a hard gift to top.

Some inspiring gifts...New Balance Minimus sneakers, Tata Harper Starter Kit, Priti NYC non-toxic nail polish, macro camera lens, new teacup.

macro coffee being brewed in chemex

daikon winter rolls at Vedge

vegan Ethiopian veggie combo w side of foule at Almaz Cafe

Chocolate Chai Smoothie.

Tea or smoothie? Sometimes it's hard to decide if I want a steamy coconut milk chai latte or a cold rush of cacao and banana to start my day. Especially with confusing weather patterns here in Philly. It's like spring outside. To update my chocolate maca smoothie I decided to spice it up with strongly steeped chai. I made this the night before. The chai flavor really came through, but remember to make it strong!

Chocolate Chai Smoothie


3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup strongly steeped chai (in hot water or in heated almond milk), I let it steep for 10 minutes, or you can also use 2 bags instead of 1.
1 banana, frozen in chunks
1 tbsp cacao powder
1/2 tbsp maca
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
Dash of sea salt, cinnamon

Blend and sip. Makes 1 serving

My current favorite chai is the Hazelnut Chai by Zhena's Gypsy Tea. Addicted!

In case you have not had enough treats yet this month...Here's a holiday candy-cane-died Magic Bar from Sweet Freedom Bakery that I picked up yesterday. Incredible, and there's my chocolate for the day.

All Wrapped Up at Blackbird Pizzeria. New Items!

Blackbird Pizzeria. I love a few slices of Blackbird pizza, but I rarely order sandwiches. Why? I'm more of a wrap fan. The wrap is one of my preferred lunch vehicles. I love how ingredients are truly married inside instead of just piled on a regular sandwich. If the wrap is prepared correctly, you tend to get more filling than base, while with a sandwich, the bread takes center stage and the filling can get lost...Wraps. They're more fun. They defeat leftovers.

So when Blackbird tweeted about their newest additions - Chickpea Tuna Wrap, Grilled Vegetable Wrap, and Lemon Pepper Tofu Wrap, I made a lunch run to give these wraps their close-up...

Another new addition is the Chickpea Parm Sandwich, which is not available on a wrap for logistical reasons, but I will definitely go on a sandwich bender to try out this delicious-sounding thing in future times.

Behold:

 

As far as flavor goes, both of these wraps are tasty for different reasons. If you like cool, creamy wraps made with hummus or vegan chicken salad, the Chickpea Tuna is a winner. There is a serious amount of onions but it totally works here and adds tons of flavor to the laidback chickpea spread. 

 If you prefer wraps that are grilled and veggie-based with more crunch, the Grilled Vegetable is the better choice, with those killer mushrooms and sharp broccoli rabe and peppers. I really enjoyed all of the veg going on here and it varied more with each bite compared to the Chickpea Tuna.

It all depends on your mood. The tofu wrap and chickpea parm will make it so hard to choose.  

Veg Out: Tashan.

Our table at Tashan should have been a very easy table to please.

1. We all deeply enjoy and are enthusiastic about Indian food.

2. Two of us are Tiffin regulars.

3. We love food and want to have a good time.

4. We all read the 3 bell review and were even more excited about our meal there.

Well, our experience was not as smooth. When you're paying a certain price point for your meal, you expect a higher level of service. Remembering simple details is important. If you have a table of 4 vegans and 1 non-vegan, make a note and communicate that with your runners. It wasn't even our dietary specifications (which we had to re-iterate throughout the meal), it was the overall inattentiveness and forgetfulness that resonated throughout our poorly paced, rushed meal. All of dishes we ordered came out at the same time. We could have eaten and left in 5 minutes.

Except our naan was delayed because we had ordered two baskets, one vegan and one regular. It did not appear until after we had finished our food and miscommunication between the server and her two runners and the kitchen. Then dessert service took forever and we were left waiting for tea and the two coffees we had ordered arrived by the time the tea-drinkers had finished. We had to ask 3 times to see a tea selection. One of the coffee cups was still wet inside, so that sugar had crusted and stuck to the bottom, rock hard. Dishes were not explained and one of our party almost took a bite of paneer thinking it was potato in the darkly lit room. We had asked for no paneer in the dishes. Not once did our server ask how anything was and I'm sure she overheard some of our complaints and yet she did not ask about our experience or make any attempt to smooth it over.

Considering the wonderful vegan meal for 5 that had been delivered flawlessly with a flick of the wrist at New York's Junoon, Indian dining at some of its finest, we were left feeling cold.

Considering that we could have wandered a few blocks away to Circles for the city's best thai, at a fraction of the price and received much better service in a much more modest dining room, we were left feeling cheated.

Considering that the food at Tashan was very promising and flavorful and inspired in a fun setting, that the service could so cloud our meal was striking.

If you do make the trip to Tashan, some of the dishes we enjoyed best: Clay-baked Potato Chaat (a nice delivery system for sampling the chutney), Aloo Tikki, and the Gol Gappa (shown), durum puffs filled with potato and drizzled with mint-cilantro water.

Orange Cashew Cream Stuffed French Toast.

Tart. Vegan. Wholesome with sprouted wheat bread and organic raspberries. I only buy organic raspberries because they can be very high in pesticide residue otherwise. This stuffed french toast is light and bright, no post-brunch sugar and cream comas necessary.

Orange Cashew Cream Stuffed French Toast 

6 slices sprouted wheat bread
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (1 orange)
3 tbsp flaxmeal
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 pint organic raspberries for filling
orange zest and cinnamon for garnish

Citrus Cashew Cream

3/4 cup cashews, soaked for 2 hours or overnight
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
drizzle of lemon and orange
orange zest

Blend cashews first in high-speed blender with 1/4 cup of filtered water to start. Add in other ingredients and continue to thin with another 1/4 cup water or as needed. Keep blending until mixture is smooth and creamy. Store in fridge until ready to use. You can make this ahead of time as it keeps for a few days.

Combine milk, orange juice, flaxmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Dredge both sides of bread in mixture and let sit for a few minutes. Melt Earth Balance or coconut oil on skillet and cook french toast 3-4 minutes on each side on high heat.

To assemble, top 1 slice of toast with generous dollop of cream and raspberries, and top with another slice of toast.

Serves 3. I like to fry up some tempeh bacon on the side.

Don't Cross My Heart. New Lululemon Gear.

New gear! I've been holding out for new fitness clothing. Lately I've just been less than enthused by all of the strange yoga harem pants and tutus and things that I can't really justify buying and still look at myself honestly in the mirror without wondering when it all went wrong...

In true geek fashion I was overly disappointed that the Galaxy Nexus phone isn't launching today. I was so frustrated in fact that all I could do was count all of the cute dogs in Rittenhouse and try on the latest from Lululemon to right my mood. Verizon, we are NOT good.

Instead of that new phone of all phones, I found solace in soft-and-cozy tech fleece lined Run: Turn Around Tights in Heathered Deep Coal. I don't even run outside! But I do speed walk to classes and the gym, and in this suddenly brisk weather, my thinner crops just won't suffice. These pants fit snug and make my legs look even longer. They have reflective dots on the bottom that I wasn't thrilled with at first, but who knows, maybe they'll be handy when I'm walking back in the dark from class. And best, they are reversible! A feature I always look for in Lulu pants, because you get more mileage out of the look. They are the same coal on the other side, minus the striped waistband. Not that different, but I'll take it.

The Smoky Rose Rehearsal Bra that I tried on with the pants paired so well that I added it to my little black void that can sometimes be filled with pretty things. Oh, dark! I'm so bitter about the Nexus. I haven't tested out how supportive it is yet, but it's designed for dance, which is good enough for me. I usually look for light-to-medium support but I'm guessing this would not be great for someone that's more generously endowed than I. 

Lastly, I tried the Cross My Heart Tank (not on the website yet). The newest tanks fit much much better and seem more flattering. The Hot N Sweaty Tank is another good one, but I wanted a top with better coverage since I have so many lighter tanks like Power Y Tanks and Cool Racerbacks. I have been sweating hard and I'm loving the results. I also chose this tank because it looked a little more fun, layered, and different with the straps and back details. There is a bra closure inside.

FAB FAUXHAWK ROUND! If I was a chef you know my hair would look like this. Gray steel.

Raw Frosted Gingerbread Cake Balls.

Just when I thought I'd fallen into the arms of mint chocolate, ginger showed up again and reminded me why I love its warming spiciness, especially this time of year. These "cake balls" are ginger-loaded and amazing for you, so feel free to indulge on a couple with a cup of tea, because this is a holiday treat that will stand by you.

I've been playing around with raw nut-and-date-based dough ball recipes lately, but this one is my favorite, and it's based on this Raw Spice Dough Truffles with Carob Glaze recipe from the always-inspiring twins over at Pure2Raw.

Since I didn't have mesquite, lucuma, or carob powder on hand, I made a few changes to the recipe and it really did taste like two holiday treats shacked up and got happily healthy together: Spice cake and gingerbread. 

Here are my adjustments:

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup almond meal

pinch sea salt 

1 tbsp cacao powder

2 tbsp molasses

1 HEAPING tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1-2 medjool dates, pitted and soaked in water for a few minutes

Pulse together first 4 ingredients in food processor. Add in dates and molasses and pulse until mixture comes together. Scoop into balls.

For the glaze, I used cacao and confectioners sugar:

1/3 cup coconut oil, liquid
1-2 tbsp confectioners sugar
2 tbsp cacao powder


Whisk ingredients together and dip dough balls in. Cool in fridge until shell hardens. Makes 10 cake balls. 

They tasted more like cake balls to me (like the ones sold by Sweet Freedom Bakery) and are a really satisfying, low-sugar treat that I plan on making again for Christmas.