When Vegan Life Gives You Lemons

Slice the hell out of them, put this Lemon Tofu Bake into the oven, and walk away.

Inspired by the Beech Bake (beech mushrooms, corn, tomatoes, love) that Rich from Vedge Restaurant (opening soon!) prepared on the 10! Show this week, I immediately wanted corn and Old Bay seasoning.

"This tofu...it's incredible," I decided, already on my second slice, not able to describe it or figure out why it was so extraordinary when in reality, our recipe had been a lazier approach.

"Get Old Bay. Tofu. Lemons. Corn," I had instructed Mr. Vedge earlier as he headed off to the market. He raised his fantastic eyebrows but trusted me.

It's delicate, lightly spiced, with a lingering twinge of late summer. Corn and tofu together are quite the pair, and this recipe couldn't be simpler or more open to interpretation. Make it for Labor Day, because it's not labor intensive at all...

Before baking...

Here's my take:

Lemon Tofu Bake

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Quarter a block of extra firm tofu into slabs. Sprinkle each slab with seasonings to to taste: Old Bay, sea salt and pepper, red pepper flakes on both sides. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place the seasoned tofu down. Top with thinly sliced lemon, chopped onion and garlic, sliced grape tomatoes, raw shaved corn, and cilantro. Add more Old Bay. Drizzle with organic olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve with toasted baguette.

Could not be easier! It's a little bit sweet, but peppery and spicy at the same time. The lemon oil lets out and adds a richness to the tofu, which gets firm and crisp on the edges in the oven.

Besides lemons, life gave me my Warby Parker prescription glasses today. It took a little over a week to get them and they fit perfectly and were exactly how I thought they would be.

Warby Parker Update...

During my home try-on session, I wavered between two pairs that I liked. I ended up choosing the Sibley, which was one of the pairs that I had initially ruled out, not in my top two. I'm glad I took the time to think about it and asked others for their opinion. I could not be more pleased with the final decision.

My old glasses were barely there, light, minimal. I was into that. But after a year, bored with it. I plan on wearing both depending on what I'm up to. Overall, this was a great online shopping experience and Warby Parker's customer service is top notch. It took a little over a week to get my glasses, with an earthquake, a hurricane and all...Thanks, WP! I have major eyes for you.

Tempeh Slaw Salad

What better to chase away any lingering bad weather than zippy, sunny citrus slaw? We headed out into the mild gusts late Sunday morning to find the new supermarket well-replenished (the peanut butter had been cleared out. At least the bad kinds. The organic almond butter remained untouched). 

Later, sun dripped in as we forked into the Cabbage-Carrot-Fennel Slaw over lightly dressed salad greens and BBQ tempeh. The marinade involved rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, tahini, lime, agave nectar, cilantro, lots of pepper. I topped mine with some hempseeds for texture. 

This salad was based off of the Asian Slaw Salad with Tofu at Le Pain Quotidien (one of my top 10). 

It easily raised the bar for me. Anything with vinegar tastes so clean to me. Check out 20 non-dairy slaw recipes for inspiration from Kathy over at Babble's Family Kitchen blog. 

Leftover slaw? Makes an incredible vegan sandwich filler. 

Pot of Gold.

Papaya. Banana. Golden raspberries. Non-dairy yogurt. Sprouted granola. Cinnamon shower.

Black Coffee.

I call this look "black coffee". Trying to look capable and yet fun for an afternoon meeting.

Americano: One Shot, blazer: H&M, bag: Melie Bianco, metal-trimmed oxfords, Zara. 

Back to Cool: Mushroom Seitan Stroganoff.

Sometimes a situation calls for a "Plate of Brown". Especially with temperatures cooling lately. I was inspired by the Best Stroganoff Ever from the Lux Hippie but I decided to try mushrooms instead of kale and made a few adjustments. I'm in a no-kale zone but...

The greens are coming! Our grocery store in Northern Liberties finally opens this Friday, so expect to see more recipes now that I have access to higher quality and organic produce without taking a train to get it.

Luckily, we had seitan, mushrooms, and vegan sour cream stocked in the fridge.

Creamy, yet light. Try vegan sour cream as a base for those alfredo and "cheesy" sauces for a vegan pasta dish that delivers. While most creamy pasta always seemed heavy and "one-note" for me, this stroganoff is kicking with paprika and garlic, and nutritional yeast adds zip, too.

Mushroom Seitan Stroganoff


1 tbsp vegan margarine
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup crimini mushrooms
6 oz seitan
1 cup vegan sour cream (Follow Your Heart brand)
8 oz brown rice fusilli


Boil a pot of water for your pasta. In a separate large pan, melt margarine and add onions and garlic. Let cook on high heat until they start to brown, then fold in mushrooms with salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, mustard, and paprika. I added a few drops of water to help cook the mushrooms, but if you have veggie broth, add a little bit and stir, cooking for 5 minutes or so. Lower heat to simmer.

Boil pasta according to directions. While pasta is cooking, fold your seitan into the mushroom mixture and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring. Mix in your sour cream and continue to simmer for another 2 minutes. When your pasta is ready, drain and toss into mixture.

Finish with herbs. Makes 4 servings.

A Peek at Vedge Restaurant.

Here's an amuse-bouche of the vegetable restaurant opening this fall from Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby of Horizons. Inside Vedge, you can expect to get your v's in multiple rooms with fireplaces, a vegetable charcuterie bar for walk-ins, high ceilings and tall windows, a long, generous marble bar, and a cocktail "study" for those devoted to liquid.

We get hungry (and thirsty) just thinking about what 1221 Locust Street will look like when all of the work is done.

[logo via Vedge Restaurant]

New York Salad Days.

Last weekend, the only thing on my mind was walking away. I scheduled a No Technology day. It was also a No Husband day, although he relaxes me more than anything else.

How'd I fare? Well, I cheated. I ended up taking my camera and tablet on the road to New York with me. I did some light work, because I could not help myself. But mostly, I read on the Kindle app and tapped out more tweets than usual. Unplugging is nice in theory.

Raw, vegan lunch break. I did zone out with a Spicy Sesame Salad with wasabi aioli in the garden at Pure Food & Wine...followed by the requisite Mint Sundae. Now, I don't always have to "share" and only document things I want to freeze in time. Like this:

I had some fashion adventures set for the afternoon, then grabbed a green juice from Organic Avenue for the trip home. I also came away with Walnut Ginger Zinger Granola by Good Stuff by Mom & Me: sprouted buckwheaties, sprouted walnuts & seeds, sesame, date, flax, lemon, spices. Then had it for Sunday dinner and Monday breakfast because I'm HOOKED. Chopped peaches, bananas, and almond milk to bulk it up.

Here's a recipe for buckwheat cereal from Choosing Raw, if you're interested. I have a stash of buckwheat groats and one of these days I will make a batch.

Back in Philly, I met up with Mr. Vedge at the Farmer's Cabinet to hear the Hot Sardines. We sipped a few cocktails and had some pickles (carrots, green beans, mushrooms, and cukes) before slipping out. We enjoy the occasional drink there and have been spending a lot of time in the 12th and 13th Street "Midtown" area.

I'm visiting a very special place later today...

Fearless Chocolate.

Raw Chocolate Delivery... Fearless Chocolate sent me a box containing each of their raw chocolate bar flavors and their Eat Mail Monthly Subscription, which included these experimental spicy chocolate covered tortilla chips.

I didn't need much convincing, however.

I had formed my opinion of this chocolate company based in San Francisco days before, after discovering it in Philadelphia at Essene Market. The Green Tea Peppermint flavor was a gamble, but I instantly wanted to try all of the flavors. I'd been following Fearless on Twitter for weeks after hearing about it through Organic Avenue.

What's so special about Fearless? You'll notice that each bar has a bite "taken" out of it. That's because Fearless donates 1% of its annual profits to changemakers suggested by customers.

These chocolate bars are all vegan and organic, and as per their About Us statement:

"For those inspired by the rare nutritional wealth of raw cacao, FEARLESS offers chocolate bars crafted with a proprietary process yielding as much as 2-3x more antioxidants than conventional organic chocolate bars."

Here is the flavor line, which I've taken many bites out of...

Sweeet & Hot - Ginger spiced rather than heat spiced. Balanced by hibiscus.
Super Seeds - Has a crunch reminiscent of Nestle Crunch, except with real, clean cacao flavor.
Exploding Coconuts - Has a milk chocolatey flavor.
Dark as Midnight - Pure, dark, simple, blissful. Not bitter dark, though.
Green Tea Peppermint - Citrusy, with a delicate hint of mint that doesn't taste artificial like most mint chocolate bars.

Now I'm thinking about melting down one of the bars and covering some chips (amazing). If you're looking for a solid raw, organic chocolate bar, this is one of the best options that I've tried. I also really like Antidote Chocolate and Fine & Raw, but they are all pretty different. Antidote's bars seem fruitier, while Fine & Raw excels in its bon-bon, candy-bar-like creations.

Welcome to Philly, Fearless. I'm going to be taking a bite out of you regularly.

Warby Parker Try-ons.

Help me pick my new glasses.

Trying on glasses at home is a real eye-opener, and the dorkiest thing I could possibly say to describe my Warby Parker Home Try-on experience. Warning: You may want to keep all five pairs.

I picked out my five and they were shipped to me right away. I did not expect to find a winner among the bunch (I normally try on dozens of pairs at the eye doctor) but Warby Parker's website is incredibly detailed and helpful, you can even virtually try on any of the glasses to help you find a good fit. So the glasses arrived as if they were made custom to fit my face - everything felt right.

Remove the bad lighting, unflattering mirrors, and stacks of frames of all different prices that make up the typical eyeglasses-buying ritual.

At home, I was free to snap away photograph after photograph so that I could really see how the glasses looked, was able to examine each pair closely without feeling rushed, and had a lot of fun doing it...

Shopping for glasses has never held the same excitement as, say, shopping for new boots. It's tough for me because I wear mine all day long and need to put comfort over style. I try to go for a minimalist look. But with my new, geometric-shaped haircut, I knew I wanted to go a little bolder.

At $95, I could easily see myself investing in a few pairs. When I finally place my order, Warby Parker will contact my eye doctor for my prescription and ship my pair with lenses for free. They'll also donate a pair to someone in need. It sounds seamless, and so far it has been.

The quality? The glasses seem well made and as good as any, if not better. Frames are all cheap anyway, and it's the lenses that cost. The markup on eyewear is incredible. The Warby Parkers all seemed much nicer than my current pair, which was much more expensive.

Now I have a decision to make. I'm torn between Pair 1: Reece (shown in tortoise, but I would order in Blue Black) and Pair 2: Nedwin in Black Crystal.

The Reece has more attitude, the Blue Black color is edgy, yet still casual enough to wear every day.

The Nedwin is professional, slightly nerdy, the type of image that I project in my work affairs. I felt more serious wearing these, and a little bit like a prim librarian who is really a former felon and has hot pink toenails.

Reece?

Nedwin? 

Who would you rather have drinks with?

Mr. Vedge's Dirty Pesto

Purple Basil from the Rittenhouse Farmers Market. Meet shiny new food processor.

The old processor, just over a year old, met a heroic death while battling a batch of almond butter. It overheated and melted into itself. Gruesome and devastating. I was able to salvage the almond pulp and make cookie dough balls. This one has a 10-year warranty, perfect for my nut butter abuse.

This pesto is Mr. Vedge's handiwork. One of the conditions of being your own boss is that when someone sends you work, you try and take care of it immediately, even if it's well past dinner. Because you take every request personally and you answer to everything. This is really an excuse I need to use more often, as tasking Mr. Vedge with dinner often results in a balanced, straightforward meal.

As dirty-looking as this purple pesto was (ever have dirt pudding cups as a kid?), it tasted clean and precise. The garlic shines through. As we were low on pine nuts, this only makes 2-3 servings.

Dirty Purple Basil Pesto


1/4 cup pine nuts
1 bunch purple basil
3-4 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic 
Salt, pepper (black salt if you have it)

Pulse until garlic is combined, drizzle in oil as needed. Serve with your favorite pasta. We used big funky noodles from Severino.

Power Snacks.

Here's what I'm into lately. The past week in particular has been a mad dance of exciting meetings, with little time left for food projects. It's the power snacks that are driving me.

I recommend stocking up on One Lucky Duck Cheese-y Quackers (the sexy cheese cracker) and Striped Cinnamon Squares (made from almonds and crunchy like biscotti), especially if you're starting a new semester or feeling the lag of late summer. These are my secret to keeping my head in the game. Especially now that I rarely drink coffee (it zaps my energy after that quick initial jolt). Since both snacks contain almonds, they stick with you longer than the non-raw versions and provide additional nutrition, perfect for the over-worked types in need of an immune boost. Got all that? Good old-fashioned nuts'll do, too, but not as fun.

They're also really addictive, so you might want to budget for that. Is an MBA worth it? Yes. In raw snack buying power alone.

The Rice is Right: Vegan Arroz Con Leche

We had a student visiting my family from Spain the past week.

Here's the deal: If you come to Thanksgiving one year and we fall in love with you, you are pretty much always welcome here. Graciela is an exchange student who had been staying with my father-in-law's partner's family and they ended up at the Phillips Thanksgiving Table in 2009.

She wanted to come to Philadelphia again, so Summer 2011, here she was. She loved the veggie thali at Bindi, we all ordered farro for lunch in Central Park on a day trip to New York, and one night, we even attempted a vegan paella.

While it wasn't exactly like her mother's version (we'll nail it next time, I think), there was gazpacho and wine and salad with oranges and olives and four women of all different ages and backgrounds sitting around the kitchen drinking to life.

I was told there was dessert, Graciela's favorite: Arroz con Leche.

One thing that Graciela discovered while staying with the Phillips family? She loves almond milk. So that is how she veganized her recipe, which I absolutely have to share. It was simply the best rice pudding I have ever spooned into.

It was the citrus. Graciela adds orange and lemon peel to the rice as it cooks, something that intensifies the flavor immensely. I was so full and happy that I ended up taking the rest of my pudding home for breakfast.

Behold:

She also says her mother makes this with brown rice, which is how I personally like it. I think I'm going to call it Graciela Pudding and tell my children about it one day. Yes, I just said that.

The recipe is tweaked from My Kitchen in Spain, with almond milk and lemon and orange peel instead of zest and less sugar.

Graciela Pudding

1 cup uncooked rice (risotto style, medium-short grain)
1/8 tsp salt
cinnamon stick
orange and lemon peel
4 cups almond milk
1/3 cup sugar

Some additions? I'd slip in a little vanilla, maybe nutmeg and cloves. Raisins would be delicious here as well.

Bring the rice to a boil in a saucepan with salt, cinnamon, citrus and 1.5 cups water. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Let sit for another 5 minutes and then rinse the rice under cold water. Save the citrus peel and cinnamon stick for the milk.

Bring the milk to a boil with the peel, stick, and the sugar. Add the rice, bring to a boil again, and then cover and lower heat, cook for another 12 minutes until rice is tender. Pour the pudding into six bowls and let chill in fridge for a few hours. It will thicken as it cools. Serve with cinnamon on top.

Veg Out: Sawatdee

Thai food is a rare pleasure for me. As much as I like it, I have yet to find a local Thai spot that is convenient for me or that I enjoy enough to visit regularly. I've heard that Circles in Newbold is a vegan's happy place, but I haven't made it there yet. Next, I promise.

Sawatdee at 15th and South is new and is in a loop of mine (Tierra Mia Salon, Sweet Freedom Bakery, Lithe Method Rittenhouse are all nearby). If this Thai BYO could charm me, it might just make it into my regular rotation.

The $9.95 Lunch Special seemed like the best way to experience the menu on my first visit. I chose the tofu veggie soup to start. A little on the bland side and I probably wouldn't order this again, but it wasn't bad. Just not exciting.

The Crispy Spring Roll with mung bean noodles was much better. Who doesn't get down on a good spring roll? I especially liked the texture of the noodles.

I had a hard time selecting an entree. I can't get enough of pad thai and obviously it's my benchmark for a Thai spot, but I do love the flat noodles of Pad See Ewe, so that is what I chose. There were many entrees that could be prepared vegan. I saw a table of curry orders parading by and felt a twinge of order envy.

The portion sizes were spot on and the value was great. When it comes to the flavors, however, I felt that everything was too subtle for my liking. I overheard the table next to me ask for their dishes to be prepared spicy (it was their second visit), and it did seem like the food was dialed down. I liked my Pad See Ewe with vegetables but I would order curry or something with heat next time.

I like Thai food that challenges me and brings me far outside of what I know. Usually you have to venture to the fringe neighborhoods to find that. But we'll see. I have greater exploration of Sawatdee's menu ahead of me.

Has anyone tried Sawatdee yet?

Banana Scramble.

My breakfast vocabulary has only grown as a vegan. I don't think I've eaten the same thing for breakfast back-to-back this entire year.

I recently came across a recipe for Banana Scramble, was intrigued, and then started seeing banana-based scrambles everywhere. I was expecting a pancake, but when I tried to flip it, I found it had to be folded into itself like an omelet. This odd creation had indeed earned the title of scramble.

The recipe is rather simple and it comes together in a matter of minutes, and it's both filling and versatile. Try adding chia, flaxmeal, chocolate chips, and top however you like. You can even make two "patties" and serve on toast, a bagel, or english muffin.

Banana Scramble

1 banana
3 tbsp rolled oats
1-2 tbsp almond milk
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp coconut
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

Oil and pre-heat your pan. Mash ingredients together with a fork. Cook on high heat for 3 minutes on one side, then fold over like an omelet and cook for another minute. Makes 1 scramble or 2 patties.

Serve with new coffee...Green Street Roasters is a new small batch roasting company that was selling in the Piazza over the weekend. I've tried the Honduras so far and it's quite nice and bright. They're currently selling at Mariposa Co-op in West Philly and should be available online and elsewhere soon.

Juice Series II: Miracle Tonics.

I try to drink juice every day if I can. It doesn't always happen, but I manage to get in a couple of juices per week in addition to my regular diet. I  use juice as a snack or a morning beverage, sometimes a light meal.

I think cleanses are brilliant for a lot of people. What works for my body? My idea of a cleanse is not just juice. I always fit in raw food and nuts (at least one meal). I'll go raw for a few days if I'm feeling "clogged" or lethargic, and this always fixes me right up. Still, nothing soothes me like a nutrient-packed round of juice.

I spent a few days eating high-raw (I was battling allergies at the time and this seemed to help) and then picked up my Pangaea Earth Foods juice order in Rittenhouse. You can read my intro with juice goddess Erika from Pangaea here.

The Juice Line-up...

Juice 1: Holy Basil, Spinach-Apple-Basil-Lemon-Ginger, 145 calories, $10

That's purple basil from the Rittenhouse Farmer's Market in the background there. This juice was velvety and on the thick side. I expected the basil to be bitter but it was herb-y and sweet. This blend was more exciting than my regular green juice and you taste the basil over anything else. The name is perfect. I was so energized after drinking this.

Juice 2: Spicy Lemonade, Lemon-Purified Water-Hot Pepper-Agave, 110 calories, $8

I make spicy lemonade with cayenne often but I was not anticipating just how peppery this lemonade would be. I took a giant gulp of it needing something to refresh me during my juice haul. This juice packs major HEAT. I have a high tolerance for spicy food (finally) but I had to drink this in shots..it just wasn't my favorite juice. If you don't like spicy, then you may want to go for the Watermelon Detox.

Juice 3: Watermelon Detox, Watermelon-Mint, 135 calories, $8

Pure watermelon and mint, can't really go wrong with this juice. I found it a little on thick side so I sipped it with a straw. This was quite mellow and refreshing, perfect for sipping poolside.

I've had watermelon juice from Organic Avenue (the whole watermelon including rind) and I found it to be a little too powerful with the watermelon. The Pangaea blend with the mint is very balanced.

I was so full from this juice. We met my sister-in-law at Opa for dinner and I ended up ordering a cucumber soup. I tasted a few bites here and there, but I felt so satisfied and woke up on Sunday morning feeling recharged and hydrated.

Juice 4: Miracle Tonic, Carrot-Apple-Celery-Lime-Ginger-Mint, 145 calories, $9

Vibrant, smooth, and very easy to drink. I drank this on Sunday morning after yoga and it was one of my favorites. Again - energized and sated.

Juice 5: Almond Lover, Almonds-Dates-Cinnamon-Agave-Vanilla, 400 calories, $10

I drank a little bit of this on Saturday and had a few shots on Sunday. It was nutty, sweet, and obviously the heaviest and richest of the batch. It's best to drink the nut milks at night, but I ate dinner on both nights and just wasn't up for it. If I was doing a full cleanse, I would probably be craving this all day because it's the most filling and meal-like of the drinks. I would consider drinking this as breakfast because it is that dense and nutritious.

Final Thoughts:

I'd love to try some of the other drinks, but I did walk away with a few favorites that I'd drink again and again. The prices are fair and I like the glass bottle ethos. Oddly, I did not like the lemonade because of the peppers and that is the only drink I would not try again. The Holy Basil and Miracle Tonic are incredible.

If you try the cleanse or any of the juices, let me know what you think! Check out the Pangaea Juice Menu. 


Philadelphia is getting juicier than ever and I couldn't be more pleased about that. What other juice cleanses have you tried? What works for you? 

Juice Series: Pangaea Earth Foods.

Sisters Erika and Jennifer Ianoale are the juicing duo behind Pangaea Earth Foods, a line of pressed juices in recyclable glass bottles. The sisters believe that natural food is the body's medicine.

The 16-ounce drinks are available at the Art of Bread in Narberth or for pick-up at Tierra Mia Organic Nail Spa (another LotV fave!) in Rittenhouse Square. Cleanses cost $50 a day in 1, 3, or 5 day packages.

Where do they seek out the best veggies? "Reading Terminal, Gentiles Markets, The Food Distribution Center and we have our herbs organically grown", says Erika.

Take your pick from green juices, spicy or sweet juices, bottled smoothies like the Aphrodisia (young coconut meat, coconut water, maca powder, cacao powder, raw cacao nibs, dates, agave) and vegan nut milks like almond and brazil nut. Which of the juices is Erika's drinking?

"I love anything green, my favorite right now is Holy Basil (spinach, apple, basil, lemon, ginger). It is so energizing, refreshing and makes my tastebuds happy."

Erika is also an aestheticism at Rescue Rittenhouse Spa. "I believe that what you put in your body really has an effect on the outside, so I try to feed my skin well and educate my clients, family and friends to do the same."

Pangaea is currently searching for a storefront space to expand with raw and vegan options that are carried in fitness studios and natural food stores throughout the city.

Check out the Pangaea Juice Menu. In my next post, meet the juices! I'll be trying out some of Pangaea's creations.

Find Pangaea on Facebook and Twitter.