The other day, my always resourceful boyfriend came across a list of ready-made vegan foods. It was a perfect list of vegan items that you can find in any American grocery store, even non-gourmet ones like Kroger, Shop-Rite, and Ralph’s. It’s the perfect list to have on hand if you are going to visit omnivores. I always dread it when I know I’m going to have to answer the question “so what do you eat?”. I often find myself giving a list of the things I won’t eat. There are the usual suspects: meat, eggs, milk, and cheese, but it’s a lot harder when I have to get down into things like casein and whey. Now I have a handy list that I can forward along ahead of me, and it even lists which brands are vegan-friendly.
Amazingly enough, you will notice that Shake n’ Bake is on the list of vegan foods. I was very surprised, but I guess that it makes sense. After all, it is only breadcrumbs. It’s the stuff most people put it on that’s gross. I, on the other hand, made some delicious chik’n flavored seitan last weekend, and proceeded to shake n’ bake it to delicious, golden-brown perfection. I served it alongside red-skinned mashed potatoes with gravy and steamed green beans. I found the easiest vegan gravy recipe ever at Sweet Bean and Green. I did add a dash of celery salt to the gravy to enhance it’s flavor. This was one of those dinners that reminds me of something I would have eaten growing up, but it was still sophisticated enough and kind enough to suit my new lifestyle. Even though it seems pretty self-explanatory, I’ve included my method (and my Seitan recipe)after the jump.

The above is a quote from Dr. Sheldon Cooper of the show Big Bang Theory. I saw him at a play last week and refrained from gushing and running over for a picture. Instead, I took some secret ones on my i-phone.
Anyway, I used to love ravioli. My freezer was always stocked with a bag of frozen ravioli, which could be turned into a wonderful meal with tomato sauce or sometimes just butter and garlic. Since I’ve already got tofu ricotta down to an art, I decided to mess around with some wonton wrappers and see what I could come up with.
My first tango with vegan ravioli did not end so well. I stuffed them with tofu ricotta and spinach, and then submerged them in boiling water for 3 minutes. The result was pretty good, but they stuck together in this weird way. The second time, i was met with more success. I used two wonton wrappers for each ravioli and only cooked them 2 at a time. Then, I let them dry in a single layer before layering them together with tomato sauce. The result was a delicious baked ravioli.

Oh. My. God.
My house has been turned upside down by our discovery of the most amazing frozen treat ever created: banana cream. When I originally came across the idea of blending frozen bananas into “ice cream”, I was not sure it would fly in our house. My boyfriend had previously expressed a dislike of home made ice cream, and I was not sure how banana cream would be different. The recipe for banana cream is simple. Let some bananas ripen in a paper bag until they have brown spots. Peel them and slice them and then freeze them overnight. Let them thaw for about 20 minutes, and then pop those suckers in a blender. The result is a delicious summertime treat. It tastes exactly like ice cream, and the riper the banana, the less they taste like bananas.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I stand corrected. Banana cream is now a staple in my kitchen, and I have begun experimenting with it. Last week I whipped up a batch of vegan caramel, and poured about a tablespoon into the mixer with some cinnamon. This week, I plan to create green tea banana cream to accompany vegan sushi night. One serving of soy ice cream contains about 200 calories and a lot of fat, but one banana, blended, only has 100 calories and virtually no fat. I’ve found that one medium banana makes about one serving of banana cream.
I’ve only just begun my banana cream experiments, but here are some flavor combinations you can try.

Dulche de Leche
vegan caramel sauce (You can use your own or my grrl scout cookie sauce here
cinnamon

Love Me Tender
1 TBSP peanut butter
chocolate chips or hershey’s chocolate syrup

Pirate’s Chai
a scoop of Pirate’s Chai green tea chai latte mix

Pumpkin Pie
a trick I learned while working in a coffee shop is that 1 TBSP chocolate syrup, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 a tsp of vanilla extract tastes just like your favorite Thanksgiving dessert

S’mores
graham cracker crumbs and chocolate syrup
sprinkle with vegan marshmallows or blend in a tablespoon of vegan marshmallow spread

I’m also planning on trying chocolate chips, cinnamon toast crunch, cornflakes and coconut (for deep fried ice cream). The list really goes on and on.

I hate mayonnaise. I also hate Vegannaise. Something about the creamy thickness of it all makes me nauseated Seriously. I also think that the idea of making a potato salad with the-condiment-that-must-not-be-named and letting it bake out in the hot summer sun is a recipe for disaster. Instead, I prefer a potato salad with some olive oil and vinegar as a dressing. It’s delicious and it holds up better to being outside.

I found a recipe on Rachel Ray’s website, but since it is Rachel Ray’s website, she uses beef consume in her potato salad. I’m going to have to issue a yellow card to Rachel for unnecessary use of little baby animals. I took her recipe and replaced the beef yuck with vegetable broth, and also omitted the red peppers, because they seemed unnecessary. I also reduced the olive oil to 2 TBSP, and no one complained or even seemed to notice. In fact, my potato salad recipe was well-received by those who were able to make it out to our 4th of July BBQ.
Rachel’s Recipe
I really like the idea of a vegan BBQ, but it adds a level of difficulty to attracting guests. Most of my friends are omnivores, and they are generally good sports about it. However, it takes a true vegan foodie to get as excited about barbecued seitan as I do. If you or anyone you know are interested in participating in my next BBQ, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to nicole@whalebot.com.

author’s note: I wrote this post almost a month ago and am just getting around to posting it now. So use your way back machine and imagine that it’s the first week in July. The weather is terrible, even though it has technically been summer for weeks.

It’s July, and that means that on the West Side, the fog is almost burning off before noon. Seriously, we’ve been having some really gross weather lately, but I’m willing to attribute it all to “June Gloom”, as long as mother nature comes through for us in July. I want sunshine in time for the drive to work, or I want a refund on some of the; on exorbitant taxes that I pay to the state of California. This is not the Southern California lifestyle I remember signing up for when I moved out here.
Summer is the perfect time to cook outdoors, and just because your grill is meat-free, doesn’t mean you can’t have a great time barbecuing. Carl bought himself a shiny new grill a few weekends ago, and we have been messing around with vegan grill recipes ever since. The recipe that continues to allude me is one for a veggie burger that is structurally sound enough to stand up to grilling, but soft and juicy enough to not taste like a piece of cardboard. The following recipe is my best attempt to date. The mushrooms give it a nice flavor, and the pinto beans are ok at retaining some moisture during the grilling process.
I like to serve my veggie burgers with avocado, lettuce, and plenty of ketchup. These particular burgers would lend themselves well to sauteed mushrooms. However you serve them, don’t forget about lightly toasting the buns (Whole Foods store brand hamburger buns are some of the best I’ve ever had).

Let me tell you a secret. Food doesn’t have to be really complicated to be really delicious. It’s important to have an arsenal of quick meals that you can put together in 30 minutes or less. They are a lifesaver on busy weeknights. My recipe for vegetable curry is perfect for those emergencies.

I like to serve it over rice, but it’s also great on its own.

Weeknight Vegetable Curry

• 1 can crushed tomatoes (no salt added)
• 2 c. frozen vegetables
• 2 TBSP curry powder

In a wok, combine 2 cups of frozen vegetables, 1 can of crushed tomatoes, and half curry powder. Stir and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until it has reduced to a thick liquid. Stir in the remaining curry powder, a little bit at a time, to suit your own taste.

Working with phyllo dough can be fun. It can also be incredibly tricky, but I’ve got some tips that should help you make magic happen in your kitchen. It will be almost as magical as that scene from Simply Irresistible where Sarah Michelle Gellar cries in the eclair batter and makes Sean Patrick Flannery fall in love with her. I promise.
The first step is to take the package of phyllo dough out of the freezer and let it sit, wrapped, for about an hour. It needs to defrost enough that you can pull the delicate pieces apart.
The next thing you should do is unroll the entire package onto a cutting board, and cover it with a damp towel. This will keep the moisture in, and you will be surprised how quickly the dough can dry out and ruin your phyllo.
Lay one sheet of phyllo onto your cooking surface (a baking sheet works best) and then drizzle a thin line of earth balance down the middle. Using a pastry brush, spread the earth balance out to either side. This is what will create your flakes.
When you are done, immediately roll the phyllo back up and put it back in the freezer, making sure to seal it tightly.
Now, here is a recipe for walnut baklava. Except instead of layering it, you just spread the mixture in the middle and roll it up. Easy. These would be great for breakfast or at the end to any Medditerranean-themed meal.

Vegan Baklava

4 sheets of phyllo dough
2 c. chopped walnuts
4 TBSP agave
2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 c. melted earth balance
2 TBSP Orange Juice
2 TBSP Confectioner’s Sugar

In a bowl, combine walnuts, agave, cinnamon, and orange juice. Mix well.
Unroll a sheet of phyllo dough, brush with earth balance, and repeat 4 times.
Spread the walnut mixture over the phyllo and roll tightly.
Cut into slices 1/2″ thick and lay flat on a cookie cheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until filling bubbles and the dough is golden brown.
Mix 2 TBSP orange juice and 2 TBSP confectioner’s sugar and drizzle over the warm rolls before serving.