Tag: vegan

Dinner, Eggplant, Lunch, Recipes

Saucy Szechuan Eggplant Recipe

Cooks in 1 hour Difficulty Easy

I was inspired to cook Szechuan Eggplant after purchasing some Japanese eggplant from the farmers market.  While I have cooked with regular eggplant many times, Japanese eggplant is long, lean, and purple.  It’s absolutely beautiful.  Szechuan eggplant is also quite simple to make, but you do need to baby the eggplant a bit since it is really easy to overcook and undercook it. 

Travel

Travel Blog: Pacific Northwest Food and Cocktail Ramblings Part 2, Seattle

Have you ever been to a vegan prix-fixe dinner?  I hadn’t been or even heard of this amazing concept until I went to Seattle.  Most prix-fixe restaurants in Chicago tend to be pretty meat-centric with a sprinkling of seafood and it’s kind of a pain to switch because you want to get your money’s worth.  But we didn’t have to worry about this in Seattle.  We could eat everything on the prix-fixe menu, as is, and not pay an arm and a leg at $65 per person.  It is definitely a special occasion, but it is much more affordable than other prix-fixe experiences. 

Dinner, Recipes, Tofu

Tasty Tofu Étouffée Recipe

Cooks in 1 hour Difficulty Medium

My recent trip to New Orleans was quite inspiring when it came to trying and exploring new and dynamic flavors.  I was exposed to amazingly delicious Creole and Cajun cuisine (and I learned that these are distinct from one another as well) and wanted to explore making a vegan version of a New Orleans classic, Crawfish Étouffée.  The étouffée sauce is traditionally made with butter and a meat or seafood stock, but I used soy butter and a veggie broth instead.  I also made it with pan fried tofu instead of crawfish. 

Vegetarian Lifestyle

Guest Blog Post: Sydney’s Journey to a Plant-Based Diet

Lifestyle changes simply do not happen overnight. With many other lifestyle changes I have made over the years, changing my dietary habits has been slow, which, I must add, benefits me tremendously because it always gives me adequate time for self-reflection. Moreover, going at a slow pace helps me to truly let go of the habits so that I won’t re-acquire them in the future.  

Dinner, Eggplant, Lunch, Recipes

Chinese Eggplant Recipe with Seitan

Cooks in 1 hour Difficulty Medium

I love Chinese food but unfortunately the more fast/convenient Chinese food places tend to be high in sodium without fresh vegetables.  This recipe is also based off of my mom’s Chinese food recipes.  What I love about this dish is that it is hearty, delicious, and affordable!  I am all about the sauces and I love this garlic sauce!

Chickpeas, Favorites, Lunch, Recipes, Sides

Chickpea Couscous Salad Recipe: Healthy Weekday Lunch

Cooks in 20 Difficulty Easy

This recipe emerged from necessity.  I was 19, broke, a vegan, and in college.  I needed something cheap, quick, healthy, and abundant.  This recipe has become a staple of mine and I still eat it throughout the week many times.  It has staying power.  It’s easy to make and yields a lot of food.  I usually like to make this on Sunday night in preparation for the week.  

Coffee/Tea Shop Reviews

Katherine Anne Confections Review: A Delightful and Warm Break from the Winter Tundra

Katherine Anne Confections is a cute, small cafe in Logan Square that has a fabulous assortment of chocolate truffles, candies, hot chocolates, and surprisingly sandwiches.  After being gifted a box of chocolate truffles from here, I can’t go back to eating truffles that can be found at Walgreens even though that makes me sound super bourgie.  These truffles are fresh and heavenly.  They have unique combinations like goat cheese walnut, which literally melt in your mouth.