Vegan Fashion

Vaute Couture has created a line of cruelty-free winter coats. Right now, they are offering a promotion: 50% off pre-ordered coats (which will be shipped in October). All profits from sales of certain coat styles will be donated to Farm Sanctuary. Here is a picture of the one that I ordered:

Italian Dinner

Tonight I cooked an Italian dinner for myself and Ben. We started out with a chilled beet salad, served with aged balsamic vinegar. For the main course, we had homemade pesto sauce on orechiette pasta. I also made latte di mandorla (almond milk), a traditional drink from Sicily and Puglia. For dessert, we ate cannolis (see my previous post) and each had a shot of the Limoncello that I brought back in my suitcase from Italy.

Beet Salad

Ingredients:

4 large beets
aged balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze (you want it to be thick and slightly sweet)
olive oil
salt
pepper

Slice the green part off of the beets and boil for 30 minutes (until soft). The skin should peel right off if the beets are cooked properly. Chill in the freezer in a metal bowl for 30 minutes. Slice and drizzle with balsamic glaze, olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top.

Pesto

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
4 TBSPS pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp red sea salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Latte di Mandorla (Almond Milk)

Ingredients:
2 Liters of water
200 grams of almond paste (available in the baking aisle of most grocery stores)
2 heaping TBSPS sugar

Cut the almond paste into pieces that will fit inside of a closed fist. Pour mineral water into a large bowl and immerse the first piece of almond paste. Knead the almond paste ball, occasionally removing it from water and wringing it out over the bowl. Add the next piece of almond paste to the ball and continue this process until the almond paste is mostly dissolved (it is very difficult to get it to dissolve completely). Pour the white liquid from the bowl into a pitcher, straining it with a cheese cloth. Stir in the sugar and refrigerate. Serve the latte di mandorla over ice.

Vegan Cannolis

I recently took a trip to Italy. Although I enjoyed many wonderful foods while I was there, I got a little sad when I realized that I can no longer enjoy my favorite Italian dessert: cannolis.

Natrually, when I got back to the U.S., I decided that cannolis would be my first baking project. The most difficult part is replacing the ricotta cheese. I was able to buy some pre-made dairy-free cannoli shells from the grocery store, which I covered in powdered sugar.

I'm still working on getting the soy aftertaste to completely disappear, but I thought that this recipe (based on a recipe found in Tofu Cookery by Louise Hagler, with a few modifications) was pretty decent.




Ingredients:

1 lb soft tofu
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs lemon juice
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 bag mini chocolate chips

1) Press the tofu (by placing it between two plates and placing something heavy on top) for 30 minutes, until most of the liquid has been removed.*

2) Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.

3) Fold in 1 bag mini chocolate chips. Chill the filling for at least 2 hours.

4) Stuff the cannoli shells with filling and serve immediately.

*Note: I've been told that blanching the tofu after pressing it helps to remove the soy taste even further. To blanch tofu, simply place it in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sauteed Apples

Ingredients:

Pasta:

2 TBSPS extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 pound silken tofu
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBSPS water

Filling:

2 cups cooked butternut squash
3 TBSPS extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 TBSPS fresh minced sage
Salt
Black Pepper

Sauce:

1 stick Earth Balance margarine
1 granny smith apple, thinly sliced
4 fresh sage leaves (whole)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup white wine
Salt

Pasta:

1) Combine tofu, oil, water, salt in the blender and blend until smooth.

2) Sift the flour onto a (clean) tabletop. Pour the tofu mixture onto the flour and begin to knead the flour into the tofu mixture. If the paste does not absorb all of the flour, add a little water and continue to knead.

3) When the pasta has a firm, elastic consistency (and is not too sticky), cover with waxed paper and let rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

Filling:

4) While you are waiting on the pasta dough, slice the butternut squash in half (if you are using fresh squash) and place each half face down on a cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.

5) Remove the squash from the oven and scoop out the flesh. Mash the scooped-out flesh with a fork and set aside.

6) Warm the oil in a skillet. Add the onions and saute until brown (about 10 minutes). Add the pecans and saute for a few minutes more. Add the squash, mixing until it is heated through. Stir in sage and salt and pepper (to taste). Remove from heat.

7) Roll out the pasta dough and use a ravioli press to form the ravioli. Add one teaspoon to the center of each ravioli before folding a second square of ravioli dough on top.

8) Boil the ravioli for 3 minutes.

Sauce:

Melt 1 stick of Earth balance in a small sauce pan. Once the margarine is completely melted, add fresh sage (make sure that the stove is on medium-low so that the sage doesn't burn). Add the granny smith apple slices and pumpkin pie spice. Saute for about 3 minutes (until the slices become transparent but before they start to dissolve), stirring constantly. Add white wine, salt, pepper. Remove from heat after 1 minute.

Put the ravioli on a plate and pour the apple mixture over the ravioli.

Serves: 2

(The ravioli recipe comes from The Voluptuous Vegan. The sauce is my own creation)

Vegan Vacation: Providence, RI

Providence is a great place for a weekend getaway. Here are my recommendations of what to do:

Accommodations:













We stayed at the Providence Biltmore, which is on the more expensive end of hotel options. It's centrally-located in the heart of downtown Providence and has a Starbucks in the lobby (easy access to soy lattes sealed the deal on our decision to stay here).

One nice aspect of Providence is that the hotels are all fairly reasonably-priced (even the Providence Biltmore is less than $200 per night for a standard room) and most of the hotels are located within a few blocks of the capital.

Vegan-Friendly Restaurants:















Julian's: A hip restaurant that serves brunch on weekends. I've been to Julian's three times and I've never had less than a 45-minute wait to be seated. The food is well worth the wait, however. There is a separate vegan menu with items like cinnamon orange french toast, gingerbread pancakes and vegan "eggs" with hollandaise sauce. There is also an extensive drink menu - the strawberry shortcake mimosa comes highly recommended.

Nice Slice: A pizza restaurant near Brown's campus with a large selection of vegan pizza toppings and sandwiches. My personal favorite is the vegan buffalo chicken pizza, made with peppercorn ranch sauce and soy cheese. In the summer, Nice Slice has soy ice cream for dessert.















Garden Grille Cafe and Juice Bar: A small cafe in Pawtucket, located just 10 minutes' drive from downtown Providence. Garden Grille has a large selection of vegan appetizers, entrees and desserts, not to mention incredible homemade juice concoctions. Pictured above: a vegan sausage tamale, covered with mole sauce and pineapple corn salsa, served with dollops of cilantro lime sour "cream."

Providence Attractions:














In the winter, the outdoor ice skating rink is a popular destination. During the summer, the river walk lights up with torches and gondola rides on Saturday nights. The Rhode Island School of Design has world-class art exhibitions year-round. Brown University hosts a large number of performances and interesting speakers. The Cable Car Cinema offers a nice selection of independent and foreign films, shown in a cozy theater with faux-leather sofas instead of the usual fold-down movie theater seats. The concession stand even sells falafel sandwiches and soy lattes!

Other Rhode Island Attractions:















Take a day trip to Newport. It's only 45-minutes from Providence and it has a number of interesting attractions. Newport is home to the Newport Mansions, some of the most opulent homes in the US. For a nominal fee, you can tour the inside of mansions with an audio guide and wander around the grounds. Unlike many of the castles in Europe, the Newport Mansions still have their original furnishings. The gift shop at The Breakers even has vegan brownies!















Another popular Newport attraction is the cliff walk, a 3.5 mile walk along the rugged shoreline. There is a great view of some of the Newport mansions from the walk, in addition to the beautiful natural scenery.

Vegan Vacation: Iceland

I just got back from a fabulous spring break trip to Reykjavik and now I'm thoroughly convinced that everyone should travel there at least once. Here are some reasons that it's really an ideal (if often overlooked) vacation spot:

Budget-Happy















With the recent collapse of Iceland's banking system, the US dollar now is worth double its usual value in Icelandic Krona. To top it off, IcelandAir is offering great travel deals to entice more tourists to visit. It's a win-win situation for curious travelers and Icelanders alike. For $480, I got a round trip flight from Boston and two nights of hotel stay (including taxes). Many similar deals are available on Icelandair.com

Eco-Friendly















Iceland has a lot of natural beauty and the residents don't seem eager to spoil it with pollution. Nearly all of the hot water in Reykjavik is heated naturally in Iceland's geothermal pools. The city's power is generated by a geothermal plant. The grocery stores have a hefty $1 plastic bag fine. Some of the takeout restaurants will even lend out metal utensils as long as you promise to bring them back.

Vegan Restaurants Galore















In spite of the fact that the national dish of Iceland is hakarl (spoiled shark meat), there are many restaurants with delicious vegan options:

A Naestu Grosum is an all-vegetarian restaurant with daily vegan specials and vegan coconut barley cake. It's the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Reykjavik and its one of the few places that serves raw foods.

Gardurinn (Ecstasy's Heart Garden) is a small all-vegetarian cafe that makes a different soup and entree each day. The soup is served with homeade bread and hummus. There is always at least one vegan option.

Graenn Kostur is a vegetarian restaurant with an emphasis on health foods. Many of the dishes are wheat-free and there is always a vegan daily special.

Kaffi Hljomalind is a hip vegetarian coffee shop that has a large number of vegan baked goods available each day. Better yet, they don't charge extra to add soy milk to your coffee! Its also a favorite hangout of the lead singer of Sigur Ros.

Yggdrasil and Madur Lifandi are two health food stores in the area that have an excellent selection of vegan products (including individual servings of soy ice cream).

Many other vegan-friendly restaurants in Reykjavik can be found at Vegguide.org

Favorable Weather





Ok, Reykjavik isn't the tropical destination that many would choose for spring break, but the climate is much more temperate than one would imagine for the capital of ICEland. In fact, Reykjavik is warmer at this time of year than most of Northern New England.




Unique Cultural Experiences















There are a number of art galleries and museums dedicated primarily to the works of Icelandic artists throughout the city of Reykjavik. There are three museums in Reykjavik that are dedicated to viking-related paraphernaila:

Reykjavik 871 +/- 2 contains an actual viking longhouse and makes use of innovative technology

The Saga Museum has a collection of wax vikings in gruesome poses and an excellent audio tour describing highlights of Sagas of Icelanders

The National Museum has artifacts from throughout the history of Iceland

World-Class Spas















Going to outdoor geothermal pools is a national pastime. You can find these pools in most of the larger towns in Iceland. The Blue Lagoon is probably the most famous. With its lava rock "beaches," picturesque bridges and ethereal mist, its no wonder that the Blue Lagoon was voted "best location for a marriage proposal" by a majority of British women in a travel magazine survey.

Other important details for American tourists:
-English is spoken everywhere in Iceland
-Tipping is not customary in restaurants in Reykjavik
-The hot water in hotel showers comes from geothermal pools, so it smells like sulfur. You will get used to the smell and stop noticing it after a few days.

Foods to Avoid (if you're vegan)
-Mjolk (milk)
-Smjor (butter)
-Ostar (cheese)
-Skyr (yogurt)
-Kjot (meat)
-Fiskur (fish)

Vegan Coconut Fudge

Elizabeth made a delicious batch of vegan fudge for tea last week. After eating all of the leftovers in the grad lounge fridge, I just had to get my hands on the recipe. Here it is:

Vegan Coconut Fudge

1.5 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 c dutch process cocoa powder
2 T margarine
1/2 c coconut milk
1/2 t vanilla extract

Line a baking pan (I think 8x12" would be about the right size) with at least 1 inch sides with parchment, leaving the parchment to extend a bit up the sides. Mix the chocolate, sugar and cocoa together in a large bowl. Set aside.

Mix the margarine and coconut milk together in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir and heat until the margarine has melted and bubbles just start to form. Remove it from the stove and immediately pour the hot coconut over the chocolate mixture.

Let it sit for about a minute, and then stir well to melt the chocolate completely. If it seems that it has cooled too much, try putting the dish over a bowl of hot water and stirring constantly until you have a nice smooth mixture. But, try not to stir it too much! Add the vanilla, stir, and then pour the fudgy goodness into the parchment lined baking pan, pressing it into the corners and smoothing out the top. Let the fudge cool completely before cutting it. I covered mine once it was room temp, and tossed it in the fridge to firm it up even more.