Whole wheat couscous with grilled veggies is the current “It Dinner.” Couscous takes absolutely no time to make, and when you combine veggies and some lemon juice you end up with a very flavorful and healthy meal. This version featured sweet corn, heirloom tomatoes, broccolini, garlic, and kalamata olives.
The raw ingredients:
And the finished product. So classy!
Lots of eating this week. Eating out, even! Friday night was the Tamarind Bay Bistro & Bar in Harvard Square. There aren’t a lot of vegan choices there, but what they had was astoundingly good. Try the potatoes and the chickpeas. The waitress was very helpful when we mentioned the “vegan” word, but I could have stood to have some more vegetable choices on the menu that didn’t revolve around dairy.
Tamarind Bay Bistro & Bar
Tastiness rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
Vegan-friendly rating: 3 stars
Last night was dinner at a favorite of mine, the Elephant Walk in Cambridge. This is French-Cambodian food, and it’s a great place to go if you’re taking a non-vegan out for a great meal, but also want to have a lot of choices as well (the vegan choices do lean heavily on the Cambodian side of things). There’s even a gluten-free menu! Everything vegan on the menu is clearly labeled, and all but two of their vegetarian dishes are vegan. Imagine that!
Last night I had the 4-course fixed price menu with vegan rouleaux, salade cambodgienne, tofu amrita, and a raspberry sorbet for desert. I’ve heard that if you come when it’s really busy the food isn’t at maximum deliciousness, but I’ve never personally had a bad meal. If you have to just get one thing, get the rouleaux and you’ll leave full and happy.
The Elephant Walk in Cambridge
Tastiness rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
Vegan-friendly rating: 5 stars
Have you had chickpea pizza? No? Well, you should. There’s a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian for chickpea pizza, which is made with chickpea flour, salt, and water. It’s cooked on the stove top and then broiled, and produces an amazing thin pizza which would be delicious without any toppings whatsoever. Tonight’s version was topped with sun-dried tomatoes and some of Dr. Apricot’s special seitan sausage. Holy cow was it good.
To go with the pizza I whipped up some whole wheat couscous (seriously, this is the easiest thing in the world to cook!) and stirred in some tomato, basil, mint, cilantro, and lemon juice. A bit of salt and pepper and the result is a plate full of deliciousness.
My newest obsession is Trader Joe’s Thai Vegetable Gyoza. Steam a bunch of them up and serve with some dipping sauce. They’re so delicate and flavorful, I believe I could eat a metric ton of them.
I’ve made dumplings before, and I’m inspired to make another batch and steam them this time.
Well hello there! I haven’t run off to a cabin in Iceland or to a missile silo in the midwest. Vegan Man has been neglecting this site, however, as the pressures of life mounted over the months. But the cold of winter has subsided, and I’m back to clear out the cobwebs and provide some more quality content.
What have I been up to since September? The answer: school. I’m back in classes full-time, increasing my macho street cred in a massage therapy program. I’m about 3 months out from having my license, after which I’ll be a massage therapist/software developer. I believe I will need two business cards.
Being in class 4 days a week as well as working has taken a toll on the cooking, as any busy vegan knows. It’s hard enough sometimes to get a nutritious and square meal when you’re busy, but add in the whole vegan thing and you’re in a different place. I’ve relied fairly heavily on Chipotle in months past to get me through – the veggie fajita burrito with black beans, lots of salsa, guacamole and lettuce is a whole cylinder of deliciousness. I’ve been there so often recently that I’m started to get comped now and then. Thanks Chipotle!
My second survival device has been the crock pot. Throwing a bunch of veggies in the morning and come dinnertime there’s a whole mess of goodness. In addition to my own awesome red lentils, I’ve been experimenting with recipes from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.
The third has been cooking the quick and easy dishes I know like the back of my hand. Pesto, grilled tofu, chili, and soft tacos, over and over.
The great thing is that after this long being vegan isn’t a chore at all, it’s just how it goes. Those who are just getting started, rest assured, it gets easier. After a while it’s just as normal as your pants.
If you haven’t made Isa’s Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles, you really should take the time. They are crazy good!
Vegan Man is back from a lovely vacation to Mouseland, a.k.a Walt Disney World! I shook hands with Donald Duck, wore ears on my head and touristed with the best of them. The less said of the park food, the better. I didn’t starve, but it wasn’t much to write on the internet about.
However, there was something to write on the internet about! I had dinner at Victoria & Albert’s one night, which is their very good restaurant. I let them know when I booked that I was vegan, so when I arrived, I was treated to a seven course vegan meal. If you’ve ever seen Iron Chef America, this is the kind of food I’m talking about. Here’s the menu:
Amuse Bouche
Tomato Sorbet with Olive Oil Powder
Grilled Asparagus with Preserved Lemon
Florida Melon Soup
Heirloom Tomato Carpaccio
The tomato sorbet was magical; combined with the olive oil powder, the whole effect was incredibly intense. The carpaccio also stood out.
Petit Asian Greens with Edamame Purée and Candied Ginger
The greens had a single potato chip and a lotus root chip on top, and the purée was so bright. I was happy I had a single-serving baguette made by V&A’s pastry chef to make sure none was wasted.
Vegetable Ratatouille with Preserved Purple Artichokes
This was a soft and understated ratatouille, and the tartness of the artichokes worked well against it.
Yellow Chanterelle and White Clam Shell Mushroom Cannelloni with French Black Truffles
This was the best thing I’ve ever eaten, period. After it was served, it was covered in vegan consomme, which I could have happily drunk a gallon of.
Bamboo Rice Blend, Petite French Lentils and Potato Turnip Gratin
The entree didn’t have a particular focus, instead going for a “vegetable attack” strategy with a number of points of interest. The plate was a work of abstract art, and my fork wandered from place to place.
Peach Sorbet with Micro Orchids
I’d never eaten an orchid before, and was very happy to have the opportunity. A very refreshing palate cleanser, just the right amount of peach sweetness.
Fuji Apple Strudel with Poached Apples
An incredibly delicate strudel, it almost floated away (if a strudel could float).
The meal was concluded with a cup of coffee made on the table with a siphon (or vacuum) coffee maker. I went home happy, thanks to chef de cuisine Scott Hunnel and his kitchen team. So happy, I decided that I’d seize the day and see if I could get another meal in. I did, and in fact, on short notice they created a completely different seven course vegan meal just for me.
Quinoa is a great grain, one of my favorites. Served with tabouli (featuring another of my favorite grains) seals the deal. A great meal for a sweltering summer night.
Dr. Apricot and I were testing a new recipe – Upside Down Shepherd’s Pie – for Isa’s upcoming cookbook. The results were as promised: starchy, savory, filling and remarkably healthy. The french lentils made this dish for me.
Astounding! My friend Laurie sent me this drawing for my birthday of me as Vegan Man (looking rather buff). I’ve put it in the kitchen so I can be inspired to vegetable-related heroism.
