random | galco's soda shop

i love this local soda shop, and more importantly, i admire the owner's dedication and love for sparkling beverages and old fashioned treats. it's really great to walk in a store and have someone talk to you about their products with such great passion and knowledge. while i'm not much of a soda drinker, i've tried the cucumber soda and, yes, it's GOOD!!!



this video is from the chow.com obsessives series, which i highly recommend to all food nerds like myself!! while you're at it, check out the perfect series (another fav) and supertasters, for the witty and sarcastic ramblings of a food taster.

weekend hike | griffith park

los angeles on a "clear" day...HA!

images taken with a blackberry camera...hence the low resolution

whenever the weather permits, steve and i love taking a drive up to griffith park and hiking the mount hollywood trail by the observatory. it's an easy enough afternoon hike with a bit of a workout. you can even pack a light lunch and sit at dante's view while enjoying the gardens and city landscape. or you could also check out some of the nearby vegan lunch spots...

at the bottom of the hill sits the trails cafe, a cute little cabin offering surprisingly delicious snacks and pastries with several vegan and vegetarian options. their vegan mushroom cashew pie and various dessert pastries are quite tasty and pair well with an ice cold arnold palmer after a hike.

just a short drive west of griffith park is locali, my favorite convenience store and sandwich shop. they've got a great assortment of specialty vegan items that you can't find elsewhere. it's a tiny place, but i could easily spend a whole day checking out all their products. i am addicted to the cavi-art vegan caviar they carry and the franklin phenomenon sandwich is amazing!! perhaps a bit on the pricey side BUT your dollars are supporting a small, local and sustainable business, so shop away people!!!

the best roasted tomato soup

what do you do when you have a tomato jungle?? let me clarify...what started out as a modest backyard garden has turned into this...

MY TOMATO JUNGLE!!

underneath all that i have some bell peppers, basil, parsley, corn, scallions, artichokes and cilantro...but you would never know it. haha.

naturally i've been eating lots of tomatoes this summer and i'm always on the look out for tasty new recipes to try. one day i caught tyler florence making some roasted tomato soup on the food network that i thought could easily be veganized. i quickly started roasting some tomatoes in my toaster oven and the final results were amazing...one of the best tomato soups i've ever had!! and suprisingly creamy, without adding the optional soy creamer. i served my soup with some mixed greens and zucchini stuffed with vegan cheese, morningstar sausage crumbles and veggies...a take on a recipe originally posted on simply recipes, which i have to tweak a bit more.

roasted tomato soup (adapted from tyler's ultimate on the food network)

• 2 lbs of fresh tomatoes (any variety will do)
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups of vegetarian chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp of vegan buttery spread (i used earth balance)
• 1/3 cup of chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup of soy creamer (optional and ommited from my soup)

preheat oven to 450 degrees. wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.

remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot. add the stock, bay leaves and buttery spread. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

wash and dry basil leaves. add to the pot. use a blender to puree the soup until smooth. return soup to low heat. add creamer, if using. season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. enjoy!!

midnight snack | zucchini weenies

a few days ago i came across a recipe for zucchini weenies that looked quite interesting. the ingredient list was simple enough...zucchini, vegenaise, parma and basil. when i suddenly got a craving for a midnight snack, i decided it was time to put the recipe to the test.

the results were amazing....so good! after just a few minutes under the broiler my zucchini had a nice golden top with a slight crunch...perfect! i've been using reduced fat vegenaise lately with mixed feelings. for this recipe, it worked out great. i'm thinking the parma had a lot to do with that. i ended up using dried basil because i was too scared to go out and pick some from my garden...I GOT SOME CRAZY NIGHT TIME CRITTERS BACK THERE!

i love dishes that make party hosting easier without compromising on quality or taste. i can't wait to make this for my next get together and impress my friends.

zucchini weenies (original recipe posted at jaclyn's vegan yumminess)

• 1 medium zucchini cut into 1/4" slices
• 2 tbsps of vegenaise (i used reduced fat)
• 2 tbsps of parma
• 1.5 tsps of dried basil

preheat oven to broil. mix veganaise, parma and basil in a bowl. spread mixture evenly on top of zucchini slices. place slices on top of cookie sheet, or foil if using a toaster oven. broil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. enjoy!

daring cooks august 2009 challenge | rice with mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes

my very first daring cooks challenge...how exciting!! i purchased some cuttlefish from a local asian market, picked some veggies from my garden and got to cookin'...

i decided to make the sofregit sauce the night before to intensify the flavors...

my ingredients....onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, portabello mushroom, garlic, bay leaf, cumin and dried oregano (not pictured)

which were then minced with a hand food processor

everything came together quite nicely to form an intensely flavored tomato sauce. i imagine this could work great with many spanish dishes.

the next day i started on my dish...

my ingredients...white wine, home-made fish stock (thanks mom!), rice, cremini mushrooms, artichokes, saffron, bay leaf, sofregit and cuttlefish

before putting everything on the stove, i made my traditional allioli...what a workout!

garlic, salt, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

finally i got my rice dish going...

oops, was i not supposed to cook my artichokes before? oh well, i decided to just add those at the very end.

and lastly...the final product...ta daa!!

and my sad attempt at plating....haha...I'M LEARNING!

overall i liked the taste of the dish...although it definitely needed a bit more seasoning in the end. always a problem when i'm cooking since i'm so sensitive to sodium and always scared of over-salting. i registered for these challenges to learn new cooking techniques and i definitely feel this one stepped up to the plate. i would have never attempted to make a spanish rice dish on my own. and don't get me started on the cuttlefish!! it was my first time ever handling any type of whole fish...peeling the skin and cleaning the innards was not a pretty sight!

having a sister in spain, who happens to be a chef, i kept on thinking how any of her rice dishes could easily put mine to shame. haha. this whole cooking thing is definitely a learning process. can't wait till the next one...

rice with mushrooms, cuttlefish and artichokes

serves 6

• 2 fresh artichoke hearts - cut into eighths
• 8 oz of cremini mushrooms - cut into fourths
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 class of white wine (i used 2 buck chuck sauvignon blanc)
• 1 cuttlefish - cleaned and cut into 1" strips
• 3 generous spoonfuls of "sofregit". recipe to follow.
• 2 cups short grain spanish rice
• 5 cups of fish stock (though chicken or vegetable would work too)
• saffron threads
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• allioli. recipe to follow.

add olive oil to pan and add cuttlefish. cook for a few minutes. add the bay leaves, artichoke hearts and mushrooms. saute until artichokes are golden. pour white wine over the mixture so all solids at the bottom get mixed, resulting in a more flavorful dish. add three generous spoonfuls of sofregit, making sure to mix well. add the fish stock and bring to a boil. add the rice and boil over high heat for 5 min. add a couple pinches of saffron threads to enrich the dish with its flavor and color. turn to low heat and boil for 8 minutes, or until the rice is a little softer than "al dente". put the pan away from heat and let the rice stand for a couple of minutes. serve with alliloi and sofregit.

sofregit

• 10 small tomatoes or 3 large ones - chopped
• 1 portabello mushroom - chopped
• 1 green bell pepper - chopped
• 1 med onion - finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 garlic cloves - minced
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
• salt
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

heat olive oil in a pan. add garlic and onions and saute for a minute. add mushrooms and bell pepper and cook for 2 minutes. add tomatoes and bay leaves. let cook for 5 min. add the cumin and oregano. salt to taste.

allioli (traditional recipe)

• 4 garlic cloves - peeled.
• pinch of salt
• fresh lime juice - some drops
• extra virgin olive oil

place the garlic in a mortar along with the salt. using a pestle, smash the garlic cloves to a paste. add the lemon juice to the garlic. bit by bit, pour the olive oil to the paste, mixing in between pours. keep turning your pestle in a slow, continuous, circular motion in the mortar. keep adding oil until you have the consistency of a very thick mayonnaise. this will take about 20 minutes.

the best tofu scramble!!

i love me a good tofu scramble and have tried quite a few recipes and various veggie combos. however, none have come close to the simplicity and perfect balance of the recipe below. i've even made it without any vegetables and it's still delicious.

tofu scramble (recipe available at everydaydish.tv)

i love everydaydish.tv! the recipes are always reliable and it's great to have a video to reference to make sure that you're following the steps correctly.

ever since i've discovered whole wheat lavash bread at trader joe's i've been crazy about making wraps. this scramble makes an amazing breakfast wrap with some sausage crumbles and sliced avocado.....so easy and so good!!

6.2.09 | fresh & easy sesame shitake noodle salad

i absolutely hate super markets!! i've certainly been spoiled by the affordability of trader joe's, the selection at whole foods and the variety of produce at so-cal farmer's markets. on the rare occasion that i make my way into a major supermarket i'm reminded of how over processed and overpriced everything is....especially all vegetarian products which usually cost an arm and a leg. but sadly, trader joe's doesn't carry everything and sometimes all natural, organic or raw from whole foods simply isn't in the budget.....in comes fresh & easy. the concept of fresh & easy markets is high-quality products at affordable prices. basically select major food brands and items found at most grocery stores at great discounts. they also have their own brand of food products, but i find it's not as reliable as trader joe's. still i'm glad to have a fresh & easy in my neighborhood and was happy to spend my tuesday afternoon perusing the aisles with my mom.

i picked up some pantry staples (spices, cornstarch and condiments), a couple complete noodle meals in a box that were on sale for $1.25 and i was out the door for less than $10.00...major score! of course, homemade meals from scratch are always better, tastier and certainly healthier....but you can't beat 6 servings of noodles for $1.25!! I'm talkin vegan, complete "gourmet" dishes with no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors...not cup-a-noodle! think convenience...think recession!

i decided to try the sesame shitake noodle salad for dinner and made 1/3 of the package, which yielded about 2 servings.

buckwheat soba noodle salad...a blend of sesame, shitake mushrooms, soy sauce, red chili flakes, miso and edamame.

the noodles were easy to make and delicious! the dehydrated veggies (i know i know!) were a bit tough, but i think next time i'll just leave them cooking in the sauce a bit longer. a 1/2 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and 30 minutes in the fridge and cold soba noodle salad was ready.

you could easily use this as a base and add some tofu, chopped scallions or other fresh veggies to make it a more complete meal. the whole box would make a great and easy dish for a summer bbq.

now for the nutritional breakdown..1 serving has 268 calories, 8g of fat (1 g of saturated fat), no cholesterol, 665mg of sodium, 43g of carbs (3.5g of sugar, 3.5g of fiber), 7g of protein. I reduced the sesame oil to less than half of what the instructions called for which probably cut a significant amount of the listed fat from the dish, but didn't compromise on taste.