Brunch at Portobello

We made it to Portobello's new brunch yesterday. Unfortunately it doesn't start til 11am, so it's solidly brunch and not breakfast. It was tough to eat a very light breakfast at home and then wait til they opened to have a real meal.

We arrived at a quarter after 11, and although the tables were about two-thirds full, it took about twenty minutes before we were seated. The menu is tiny, but custom for the day, and the entrees each sound amazing. We opted for the sweet waffle* and the savory waffle, and split them (*full disclosure-- the sweet waffle was not gluten free).

The sweet waffle was described as "roasted sweet potato, rootbeer, rum waffle with soy-free earth balance, maple syrup and roast stone fruits." The savory waffle was a "savory cornmeal waffle with spicy red beans, cashew ricotta, pickled red onions, roasted corn, and tomato sauce."

Both were amazing. I wouldn't have guessed rootbeer for the flavor of the sweet waffle, but it was sweet without being cloying, rich, buttery and amazing with the hot grilled peaches. The savory waffle was piled high with fresh-tasting toppings and much more filling.

Even Erik was impressed. Our bottomless French press coffee was thick and strong, just as I like it. And the bill came to only twenty dollars! The only downside is that it took nearly two hours overall, which doesn't seem maintainable. Hopefully they're streamline service a bit, and maybe even open earlier. I can't wait to go back to taste what they come up with.

Tofu Bo Bun

I am so excited to help test recipes for Terry Hope Romero's upcoming cookbook. Her most recent, Viva Vegan, is fantastic. There is an amazing variety of dishes from cuisines I thought I knew, and each recipe I've tried has surprised me with really solid results.

The upcoming cookbook has quite a mix of dishes. The first one that caught my eye was "Seitan Bo Bun," a variation on my very favorite Vietnamese dish, bun bi chay or vegetarian noodle salad. Of course I didn't make the tasty-sounding Five Spice Seitan; instead a pressed and marinated tofu to easily make the dish gluten-free.

It took more than an hour, but I was really impressed with the results. Everything came together beautifully and the sauce elevated the entire dish. I'm so excited for this cookbook!

Upcoming

Well I used yesterday as my "free day" (I've allowed myself one weekday a week off from MoFo this year, because damn, I need it) but clearly I needed another one today.

Yesterday I made burgers for dinner, possibly the laziest meal we do around here. This time I pan-fried the patties with Daiya on top and cut them in half to roll up in a tortilla with Veganaise, spinach, pickle slices and BBQ sauce; we were out of bread. The burger wraps were great, though, because I'm usually overpowered by the bread and eat all of my sandwiches open-faced.

Last night I also started falling asleep on the couch at 9pm, although I had to get up and do things so I didn't get to bed til 11, which is still early for me.

Fresh off six hours of sleep (not all at once of course, but that's pretty good for me) I thought I'd make something MoFo-worthy tonight, no problem.

Then plans changed and we went to a bar straight after work... Followed by takeout from Los Gorditos, because what else do you eat when you're starving after going to a foodless bar?

So all I have for tonight is to tell you that I am super excited for the weekend to try out the jackfruit brisket recipe from Sunny Days in Texas and a couple of testing recipes from Terry Hope Romero's upcoming cookbook. Hurrah! Hurry up and get here, weekend.

THE chocolate chip cookie

Stop the press. I finally found the gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. It's easy to make soy-free, too. I just made a double batch of dough, hoping that this one will yield enough for me to share with friends. Unfortunately, I can't seem to bake enough at a time that there are any available for photos, but luckily Angela of Oh She Glows provided us with the recipe, photos, and an explanation of different ingredients she tried. I usually prefer big, soft oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but these have an amazing chewy bite, even though they're thin, which provides an almost caramel texture. The flours are oat and almond: common, healthy and well-known (no questions like "What the heck is sorghum?"). The oats, ground in the blender, lend their flavor subtely, while the almonds create richness. Go mix up a batch!

Peanut butter in the morning

There's no better way to start the morning than a hot breakfast, especially now that the mornings are a bit crisp. Usually I eat still-warm toasted bread with hummus, but lately I've had one slice with peanut butter and jam. When I ran out of bread, cold cereal seemed too cold, and we were out of toaster waffles, I suddenly remembered oatmeal and a tip from my pb-loving friend Kristen.

I always have oats around-- to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, of course-- but I rarely think of having oatmeal for breakfast. It just seems like it takes too long.

Well, I was wrong. Rolled oats (not gluey quick oats) are the best of both worlds. You can microwave them in three minutes (in one minute increments) and have a delicious hot breakfast, fast. I like to use half water and half milk-- coconut, almond or rice.

While the oatmeal is still piping hot, stir in a tablespoon or two of peanut butter. It will melt into the oatmeal and distribute nicely. You can also add maple syrup and cinnamon (best!), jam (PB&J oatmeal!), dried cranberries (trail mix) or chocolate chips (decadent). It's amazing how many variations of peanut butter oatmeal you can come up with. Plus you can lick the spoon you use to scoop the peanut butter. Have a good morning!

Off the Griddle

Tonight we went with a friend to Off the Griddle, a solar-powered all-vegetarian food cart in Southeast Portland serving mainly veggie burgers. I've eaten there about three times before, and what stands out is their inconsistency. I've had a delicious, fully-flavored sandwich and I've also had a bare and boring burger. Tonight was something in between.

I had the special, which was a pumpkin curry falafel burger with tahini sauce, fresh tomato and lettuce. Their house-made OTG burger patties are gluten-free, and gluten-free bread is available for a dollar extra.

I wanted to love it. It was pretty good, but not great. The burger had a nice pumpkin flavor, but I wouldn't have known there was curry except that I was told. The tomato and lettuce were beautifully fresh, covered in the thin tahini sauce, and went well with the thin, soft, whole-grain bun. The sauce was nicely savory, but could've used a bit of a kick-- maybe more salt or lemon juice.

Just a burger wasn't enough for me, either; I had to get dessert later to fill up. While this visit wasn't memorable, I really like the idea of this cart, so I will likely be back. It's nice to have options when I don't have time to cook!

Garden fried rice

After making lots of rice for two previous dinners, I had a lot of leftover rice. Hurrah! That means fried rice for dinner.

The problem is that we are very low on produce. There was only part of a red bell pepper in the fridge. No garlic, onions, or fresh veg. I had frozen peas, a can of pineapple, and some faux ham tube.

That's when the garden came to my rescue. I went outside to forage and found onions, broccoli and poblano peppers. The beauty of fried rice is that you can clean out the fridge, the pantry and/or the garden-- just use what you have! Since I wasn't able to use fresh garlic, I added fried garlic-- a Thai/ Vietnamese product-- as a garnish. It adds a mellow garlic flavor and nice, crunchy texture.

Note: Make sure to use a big wok, huge stirfry pan, or a really big pot. This dish is extra big because the rice is a part of it in cooking, and the ingredients need to move around.

Garden fried rice

vegan, gluten-free

serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 2 shallots, chopped small
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or diced (I didn't have garlic, but I would use it if I did!)
• 1 1/2 C faux meat if desired. Ham tube is the best in this dish, if you can find a wheat/gluten-free one.
• Veggies! I used broccoli, poblanos, red pepper and peas. Comfort food veggies like peas, carrots and broccoli are my favorite for this dish.
• 4 C cooked, at least day-old rice
• 15 oz can diced pineapple (or chunks)
• 1/4 C wheat-free tamari
• 1/4 C mirin (sweet cooking sake)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder

Directions

• Add oil to pan and stirfry onion over medium heat til just golden. Add garlic and stirfry for 1 minute.
• Add faux meat and brown.
• Turn up the heat and add veggies in order of what needs the most time to cook first. Should take no longer than 5-7 minutes.
• Add the rice, stirring thoroughly and breaking up any sticky chunks. Turn up heat a little if the bottom isn't sizzling. Stirfry for about 5 minutes.
• Add the rest of the ingredients one at a time, mixing in thoroughly. The rice should be very separated, and all of the liquid absorbed. Give it another 3-5 minutes stirfrying on high heat. Serve with sriracha!

Thai and True Panang curry

Curry paste is a great base for a quick weekday meal. If you're intrepid you can make your own and freeze it for later use, but jarred and canned versions work great, too. It can take some research to find a vegan one, but lucky for me Food Fight has done the work by carrying locally made Thai and True curry pastes. Panang is my favorite for its rich, even flavor; it works equally well with sweet or salty/savory ingredients. Stirfry with aromatics, a ton of veggies, and a little bit of seasoning and you have as big and hearty a meal as you please. Serve over rice, or rice noodles for a change of pace.

Thai and True Panang curry

vegan, gluten-free

serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or diced
• *1 C faux meat (tofu, tempeh, etc) if desired
• 3 tbsp curry paste (Thai and True Panang)
• Veggies! I used broccoli, potato (boil for 10 minutes to soften), red pepper and peas. Pineapple chunks taste amazing in this dish, too.
• 14oz can coconut milk
• 2 tbsp wheat-free tamari
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• juice of 1/2 lime
• *1/4 C cilantro, chopped
• *1/4 C green onion, chopped
• *1/4 C peanuts, chopped

*optional

Directions

• Add oil to pan and stirfry onion over medium heat til just golden. Add garlic and stirfry for 1 minute.
• Add faux meat and brown.
• Add curry paste, stir for 3 minutes.
• Add veggies, turn up heat a bit, stir til broccoli starts to cook. It'll look brighter green; about 4 minutes.
• Stir in coconut milk, tamari and sugar til everything is mixed. Let the sauce come to a simmer and thicken, about 5 minutes.
• Turn off heat and add lime juice, cilantro, green onion and peanuts.

Baked sweet potato black bean chipotle burritos

I wouldn't call this a recipe-- it's more like a flavor combination that's more than the sum of its parts. Black beans and sweet potato are amazing together. You can stick with the basics, or add complements like corn, peppers, tomatoes, spinach... the list goes on. Since I had poblano peppers from the garden, I fire-roasted them to add in. Usually I use whole black beans, but this time I only had refried and it was great. Time to clean out the fridge and make burritos!

Baked sweet potato black bean chipotle burritos

vegan, gluten-free

serves 4

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 medium sweet potato (the orange kind), chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed or diced
• 1 can of black beans (whole or refried)
• 2 tsp of sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo. Add a chili if you like spicy.
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lime
• 4 tortillas (corn or other gluten-free)
• 2 C cooked rice
• *1/4 C cilantro, chopped
• *1 fire-roasted poblano pepper, chopped
• 1/2 large red pepper, chopped
• *1 C crumbled tempeh bacon
• *2 C raw spinach
• *1 C cheeze (I used the orange Daiya)

*optional

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Put about 1 tsp olive oil on a baking sheet, toss sweet potato til coated. Bake for 15 minutes then set aside.
• Fire-roast the pepper if you haven't yet. Here's how.
• Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Add garlic.
• Add spices, salt, black beans, sweet potato, and other optional veg: tempeh, corn, peppers, etc. Cook for about 5 min, turn off heat and add lime juice and cilantro if using.
• Fill each tortilla with 1/2 C rice, a quarter of the black bean & sweet potato mix, 1/2 C spinach, and 1/4 C cheeze.
• You can use the same, already-oiled baking sheet from roasting the sweet potato-- roll up burritos, using a toothpick to hold them closed if needed. Sometimes I spray them with a little bit of oil for better browning. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes. Eat with your favorite salsa. I suggest roasted tomatillo!

Quick red posole

Sadly, although we had maybe four weeks of summer total here in Portland, autumn has already arrived. The only consolation is that it becomes mandatory to wear scarves, cuddle cats on your lap, and eat soup. One of my favorites, since the first time I had it a couple of years ago, is pozole (or "posole"). It's a hearty Mexican stew-- either tomato- or tomatillo- based-- with hominy and other veggies, garnished with loads of fresh things like lime juice, cilantro, oregano, radish and avocado. I've only made it myself a few times, but far and away the best results have come from the "Quick red posole" recipe from Terry Romero's amazing Latin cookbook, Viva Vegan.

Yes, you can make this filling stew in half an hour. I added a faux meat and served it over spinach to add some green. Garnished with fresh cilantro, chopped avocado, and a dab of Tofutti faux sour cream, this meal was memorable. The hominy maintains its chewy bite, the lime juice added at the end pumps up the sweetness of the tomatoes, and the fresh garnishes add a layer of green pop. I am so excited to eat these leftovers. Heck, I might have posole for breakfast!

Aloo Tikki Channa

Tonight we grabbed food from Bombay Chaat House, an Indian food cart downtown. I got the Aloo Tikki Channa: garbanzo beans, onions, spices, special fried potato tikki. They are super-accomodating to vegans and left the yogurt out of this dish for me.

I asked for medium spicy, and it was pretty hot! The channa was thick and sweeter than I'm used to, almost barbecue sauce-like. The fried potato patties hidden underneath were a nice treat, although I wish there was something green in there: broccoli or spinach.

Although I haven't been here in a while, this is my favorite place to get Indian food. It's consistently good, and the spices are fresh and authentic, and the prices are cheap. Can't beat a filling dinner for $4.50. If I had bought rice, this would've been an even-cheaper two meals.

Blackstrap gingersnaps

Dinner was spaghetti with tomato sauce that Shetha and I made (and she canned) a few weeks ago. So I had to do something a little more interesting with dessert-- which is easier, of course, once the baby has gone to bed. I was in the mood for something with spices. With a quick flip through "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar," I found a nice, short recipe for Blackstrap Gingersnaps. Yum!

To make these gluten free, I used 1/2 C sorghum flour, 1/2 C coconut flour, 1/2 C Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour, and 1/4 C buckwheat flour (for the 1 3/4 C all purpose flour). I'm not sure how much nutmeg I used, but it was fresh grated and smelled amazing. Fresh really makes all the difference.

Since I like chewy gingersnaps, I didn't squash the balls of dough flat. They stayed soft, but didn't quite cook all the way through. I tried a second round flattened, lowered the heat and baked them for a couple additional minutes, but they got a little dark around the edges. Oh well, they still taste great!

Savory autumn bake

With the first dark, damp mornings and the smell of chill in the evening breeze, it's time for something simple, rich and comforting: casseroles! This dish was inspired by my garden abundance of potatoes and delicata squash; the creamy, delicate flavor of scalloped potatoes; and an awesome coconut milk-based casserole from Slappy Cakes, a breakfast spot here in Portland.

The idea was for a scalloped potato base or "crust" to a mix of autumnal vegetables in a light, creamy sauce. This didn't come out exactly as I had planned, and Erik didn't really like it, but the leftovers made a pretty darn good lunch. Hopefully I can revisit the spice mix and making the potatoes crispy at the edges.

Although prep takes a bit of time, most of this recipe is just dumping everything together and then baking for a while, so it goes quickly.

Savory autumn bake

vegan, gluten-free

serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 C potatoes, sliced thin, about 1/8" (preferably on a mandoline so they're even)
• 1 delicata squash, chopped (leave the skin on-- yay, delicata!)
• 1 bunch lacinato kale, chopped, about 4 C uncooked
• 1 C crumbled sausage-- a local brand, SortaSausage is vegan and soy- & gluten-free and Food Fight carries it. Tempeh also works well
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 can coconut milk (usually around 14oz)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp Trader Joe's South African Smoke Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground yellow mustard
• 1/4 C Daiya white cheeze, to top

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400. Grease a deep nine inch cake pan.
• Slice potatoes and arrange in the pan, layering to cover.
• Mix delicata, kale, sausage and bell pepper together in a bowl, then cover over potatoes in the cake pan.
• Whisk the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl for the sauce. Pour evenly over the ingredients in the cake pan. Sprinkle Daiya on top.
• Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes, or broil til golden brown on top. Let sit for at least 10 minutes to set.

Iron Chef Challenge: Smoky chickpea, feta and quinoa salad

Just what I needed-- a challenge and inspiration! The secret ingredient for the first Vegan MoFo Iron Chef Challenge was chickpeas. We spent the weekend at the coast, so I knew I'd have to make something quick for dinner when we got home Sunday evening. Nothing new there. On the car ride home I developed a craving for feta. A salad seemed in order, and a filling, nutritious base of quinoa seemed perfect. The flavors came together beautifully-- tart feta, smoky seasoning, sweet tomato sauce, and hearty chickpeas make a light but filling meal.

Smoky chickpea, feta and quinoa salad

vegan, gluten-free

serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 C vegan feta (I used this recipe, without the rosemary)
  
• 1 C uncooked quinoa
• 1 C vegetable broth
• 1 C water
• 1 C tomato sauce
• 1 tsp Trader Joe's South African Smoke Seasoning or smoked paprika
• 1 tsp smoked salt
• 1 can chickpeas
• 2 stalks of green onion, thinly sliced
• spinach or salad greens of your choice

Directions

• Make the feta.
• Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander. I like to toast it by dumping it-- still damp-- in a pot over low heat, shaking it every few minutes until it dries and starts to turn golden and release a toasty fragrance. Add the broth and water, raise heat to bring to a boil, cover tightly, and turn heat to low. Let simmer for 15 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes before removing the lid.
• Mix tomato sauce, spice and salt into the quinoa. Add chickpeas and green onions.
• To serve, spoon quinoa mix (about a cup) over a bed of spinach (or other greens) and top with feta to taste (about 1/4 cup). It's delicious warm or cold!

Sizzle Pie

It seems to be a theme for my MoFo this year, but once again we were out running errands (buying new running shoes before a long run tomorrow morning) late after work, and needed a quick dinner. We decided on Sizzle Pie, because it was nearby-- the original is on East Burnside, and now there's one on West Burnside where Rocco's used to be across from Powell's bookstore.

This was my second pizza from Sizzle Pie. My first, the intriguingly named "New Maps Out of Hell" (creamy basil cashew spread, soy curls and three veggies. I chose spinach, pineapple and tomato) was a little disappointing. The spread was sparse, not creamy or particularly flavorful. The crust was also bland: not crisp, thin, flaky, thick or toothsome. Just medium all around.

Despite that lackluster experience, the pies have such inventive combinations that I was eager to try again. We ordered a "Steve Caballero"-- marinara, pepperoni, Italian sausage, green peppers, onions and Daiya cheeze. Fresh from the oven, it was painfully hot and tantalizingly fragrant. The pepperoni was rubbery and the onions weren't well cooked (I hate raw onions), but overall it was really satisfying and tasty. I will definitely try another of their plentiful, creative, vegan combos again soon.

El Nutri Taco

Tonight we had to be boring adults and take the car to be DEQ'd (that's "smogged" if you're in California, or "emission tested" elsewhere). Because we were short on time, we grabbed dinner at a cart on the way home.

I had heard good things about El Nutri Taco for a while, but to be honest, the name was offputting. Seriously, it sounds like they put nutria (a large aquatic rodent) in there. Plus, the location was never convenient, until the recent move to NE Alberta Street. We drove by recently and were excited to see the words "vegan" and "chimichanga" on the sign. Sadly, they were closed at the time, but we got some awesome deep fried onigiri at Yogio, a nearby Korean-inspired cart instead.

This time the were open, but unfortunately it was so dark, rainy and cold that I didn't get any photos. Maybe next time (and there will be a next time). At the El Nutri Taco cart, the menus are posted on either side of the window: vegan/vegetarian on the right, and something else I didn't pay attention to on the left. There are some creative special burritos as well as nachos, sopes, huraches, and a long list of vegan sides. Daiya cheeze, Tofutti sour cream, and Earth Balance are all used to make items vegan. For many of the items, you can choose potatoes, tempeh, soyrizo or tofu-- awesome!

We got a tempeh and black bean chimichanga coverd in Daiya and Tofutti, and a grilled burrito filled with all sorts of veggies. The chimichanga was definitely the favorite-- crispy on the outside, filled with a nice blend of crumbled tempeh and smashed black beans, served with a little salsa fresca on the side. I will definitely be back! It's also just a couple of blocks away from Back to Eden, an irresistible dessert stop.

Hits and misses

Over the weekend I warmed up for MoFo with a few smaller items. Some of them-- revisiting old friends-- worked, and some of them-- unknowingly putting a new spin on said old friend-- didn't.

This summer was a pisser in Portland. I think it only got into the 90s (Fahrenheit) twice. Hell, it only got into the 80s a handful of times. My tomatoes suffered.

To me, the best use of a few tomatoes is a fresh (aka lazy) tomato sauce. You just roughly chop tomatoes, onions, garlic and simmer for as long as you've got. The tomatoes melt into a bright, sweet sauce that's perfectly summery. I made some earlier in the summer, and a few weeks ago with Shetha-- that one was a lovely big batch with gorgeous tomatoes from her garden, not my sad, piddling amount. Well someone at work brought in a bunch of good, sturdy plum tomatoes, and I thought I'd make more fresh sauce.

Lest you, too, think this is a good idea, allow me to point out the glaring problem: plum, or paste, tomatoes must be skinned. My previous fresh tomatoes worked because they were eating or slicing tomatoes with thin skins. Tomatoes meant to make sauces are drier, with thicker skins that never disintegrate in the heat of simmering. So my sauce had chunks of tough skin. Ew. That one's the miss.

My other two little cooking projects shown here are the hits. They are, respectively, peanut butter cups and roasted tomatillo salsa. Go try those recipes immediately-- you can't mess them up!

Martin Yan-inspired long bean stir-fry

It's that time of year again-- Vegan Month of Food! The timing couldn't be better. We're finally falling into a bit more of a routine now that I've been back to work for two months, the baby is five months old, and he's settled into daycare. It's also the best time of year for cooking, when it gets cooler out so the oven can stay on for longer, and produce is at its peak in the Pacific northwest. While I don't have a plan for the MoFo, the name of the game (where the game == dinner) is now fast and easy.

On Sunday I went to Lents International Farmers' Market for the first time, which was tiny and charming. As a bonus, the mayor of Portland, Sam Adams, was there and announced that the market would move to Friday nights starting June 15-- with a beer garden! The market specializes in unusual veggies that you normally wouldn't find in an American supermarket, and the first thing that caught my eye were gorgeous bunches of Chinese long beans.

My first thought, of course, was a Chinese dish-- from my trusty Martin Yan Quick & Easy. I found several recipes with long beans, notably "Long bean & tofu stir-fry" and "Fish & long bean stir-fry. I used the simple sauce from the former, and faux fish as a nod to the latter. The sauce consisted of veg broth, fish sauce (I used gluten-free tamari), chili garlic sauce (I was out, so I used sriracha and pressed garlic) and sugar. It was a bit mild in flavor for me, but I enjoyed trying more traditional methodology.