Hold on, hold on – I’ll get to dessert.
I had a big date last week. My stomach is still kinda all in butterflies about it. A rendezvous with my Utah bestie had been postponed a couple of times so this was a big deal. Sure, we’d been in near constant touch via text, email and blog comments, but it’s just not the same thing, is it? And then it happened. The stars aligned and our schedules meshed; I was going to spend a whole couple of hours alone in a vegan restaurant with Somer. Yep, that’s right. Somer, of Vedged Out fame.
That there up above is what Somer ate. It’s Sage’s Cafe’s awesome Nut Burger, loaded with pesto, guacamole and nestled up against two slices of whole grain bread. Read her post for the deets on that, but I know it was good cuz there wasn’t a single crumb left on her plate. It’s what I usually get (my only complaint about their burger is that it is too darn small – Supersize Me, Sage’s!), but I forced myself to look at the other half of the menu – into the unchartered territory of Entrees.
It was a tough decision, but I went for the Magical Wok. It looks pretty, huh? A coconut-currified meal in a bowl, it’s loaded with cashews and a seasonal selection of grilled veggies that still have a nice crunch to them. You can get it with either soba noodles or brown rice and then load it up with your choice of tofu, tempeh, mushrooms or chik’n. It’s creamy with just the right amount of curry flavor, but truth be told, I found it a tetch oily. I ended up taking most of it home and then splitting it with Kel for lunch. Sadly, it did not reheat well and we both composted the majority of it. I’ll be sticking to the Sandwiches and Salads side of Sage’s menu.
Which brings me to dessert. An unexpected end to the meal. Neither of us had any intention of stretching our waistbands further – at least not until dinner – but the waiter guessed correctly that we were celebrating Somer’s birthday so he pushed a dessert on us with the irresistible added bonus of it being gratis. When he set the tiramisu down in front of us, well, I can’t speak for Somer, but I’d bet both of us immediately thought two things: 1) where can I get a bigger fork?? and 2) I wonder if I can make that at home (and then blog about it)? Theirs is a very chocolate-flavored tiramisu, very creamy and very rich. Definitely one that you want to split with another person. It was the perfect wrap-up to a sweet, fun, funny, girlie lunch with my dear, Vedged Out friend. Next time we conquer Omar’s!!
When you make the change to plant-based eating, you quickly realize what a big part soy plays in one’s diet. From steamed pods of edamame to impersonating sausage and cold cuts; to grilled tempeh and silken tofu that transforms itself into mayonnaise, pudding or as a substitute for eggs in baked goods to soy sauce and salty, savory miso paste.
Salad Topping: Cube cooled baked tofu and toss with mixed greens and lots of raw veggies. Top with no-oil salad dressing.
Lemon and Herb Tofu
I can’t resist the small pie pumpkins that appear in stores this time of year – always it seems, in huge piles in giant cardboard boxes. So many cute pumpkins! Usually I roast them and scrape out the flesh to make pies, or I freeze some and incorporate it into pancakes, biscuits or muffins. A few weeks ago I came across a pumpkin green curry recipe (in an issue of Women’s Health) for which one small pie pumpkin is perfect. The original recipe says to “steam the pumpkin” once it’s been cut into bite-sized cubes, which sounds like a great idea except that splitting open a pumpkin is not a simple affair. My regular knife bounced off the gourd like a kid on a trampoline. The cleaver was employed to cut mine into quarters and even then, peeling proved to be impossible. So I placed the quarters on parchment paper on a baking sheet and roasted for about 25-30 minutes at 425F, then scooped out the flesh and cut into chunks. It worked just fine.
Pumpkin Coconut Curry with Dry-Fried Tofu