hot for food

This is why I wish I lived in the USA. Because for all the horrible food concoctions they may be responsible for, their is a crop of new food products – health food products – being sold too. And in all likely hood they will never make their way to Canada! Check out Alkemie Dairy-Free Ice Cream. Available only in the State of California!

It’s kind of funny when you read how FREE it is… dairy free, soy free, rice free, gluten free. What the hell is it! Well, Cashews and Coconut Cream, are at its basis. It’s completely in line with the essential ingredients I’ve been researching since getting my hands on The Conscious Cook. Now if I can whip me up a batch of this Cashew Cream I’ve been harping about, maybe I can experiment and make my own version of dairy free ice cream too! A huge under taking, I know, but I have to try. My mouth is now watering just thinking about tasting this Alkemie stuff. Alas, I will probably never know…

Point being, I LOVE ice cream… as a concept. I couldn’t HATE ice cream more then I do right now. You can’t even buy REAL ice cream any more. Buyer beware, ice cream from the grocery is ALL “frozen dessert”. Basically a fake, scientifically formulated food product. When it starts to melt in your bowl, it’s bubbling and foamy? I imagine because there is probably toxic chemicals in it. The main reason I don’t want to eat dairy and eggs anymore is because I can’t really be sure I’m eating real eggs and cream. Everything is fortified, engineered, steroid’ed, anti-biotic’ed. Ugh gag me.

Yet another recipe recreation from Fresh, or just a vegan staple, the tofu scramble… or if you must eggless scrambled eggs. No… I don’t like that name. Anyway, I have to admit I am starting to get a distaste for eggs. I mentioned before that baking without them has resulted in me having an acute sense for them, so much so I am finding I gag at the smell or sight. This is a good thing, by the way. I don’t want to eat them. It’s just when you’re so used to something you don’t know what it’s really like until you eliminate it. Surprisingly it hasn’t taken that long for me to get to the revolted stage!

So these past few weekends I’ve started making tofu scramble instead of scrambled eggs. It’s just as easy and more flavorful. Really the recipe is easy. Add whatever you want to your crumbled extra firm tofu. Some essentials though, would be cumin, chopped onion, salt & pepper, and tabasco. Then chop up veggies you have in the fridge like, tomato, spinach, red peppers, mushrooms and saute it up in a pan with a bit of olive oil. Really anything goes. Whatever you would normally want in an omlette is allowed to this scramble… give it a try!

Btw, that’s Vegan Gourmet cheddar shredded on top. It’s an unnecessary ingredient to this dish because it tastes nothing like cheese, and it just makes me want real cheese even more!

Something I do on a regular basis is modify recipes to suite my tastes and nutritional requirements. In fact, a lot of the things on this blog are created by doing just that. Geez I’m not a recipe inventor! Really who is? Just a recipe modifier. So I was excited to see the Recipe Makeover contest on Delish.com. I could win $650 worth of kitchen appliances! ooooh. Unfortunately, it’s not a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. Anyway I chose their Lemon Blueberry Muffins as my makeover candidate. Their version is full of bad fats, refined sugars, and dairy… so I went vegan, since I am obsessed with baking vegan! Here’s my Conscious Lemon Blueberry Muffin Recipe…

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
3 tbsp Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Light Agave Nectar
5 tbsp Ground Flax Seeds
6 tbsp Cold Water
1/2 cup Earth Balance
1 tbsp Earth Balance, Melted
1/3 cup Soy Milk
3 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tbsp Lemon Zest
1 1/2 cup Fresh Blueberries, washed and drained
3 tsp Raw Sugar, for topping

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 F and lightly coat a 12 cup muffin tray with Spectrum Naturals Canola Oil non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together the ground flax seeds with cold water until they become fluffy and are well combined. You’re mimicking the texture of whisking egg whites. To this add the Earth Balance, agave nectar, soy milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix until well combined.

Stir the flour mixture into the liquids until just combined. Do not over mix. In a small bowl toss the blueberries in the 3 tbsp of flour and add to the muffin mixture. The batter will be thick enough that you can use your hands to portion it out into the muffin cups. Sprinkle a small amount of raw sugar on each muffin. Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes. Makes 1 dozen muffins.

I also made the websites original version here, so I knew how they compared. I really do prefer my vegan creation. It’s like I can taste the egg and dairy in baked goods now, and it’s kind of sicking me out. They’re not the best thing ever. I think this flavour combo is sort of bland to begin with. But my conscious version is definitely healthier and will make a nice breakfast for the next few days!

ALSO this has inspired me to make healthier, lower fat versions of some of the fattest recipes around…Rachael Ray’s! I was thinking I would do a Fatso Friday Recipe Makeover?! hmm we’ll see. What d’ya think? I wouldn’t want to get sued now!

I’ve craved phad thai for the last week or so. I have no idea why. Actually Indian food too, but those recipes seemed more complicated. I made a vegetarian phad thai (with tofu and egg) and added shrimp after for my animal eating counter part. Honestly there’s so many different versions of phad thai out there that I just tried to make my own based on all the other recipes I looked up. It’s good enough for home made. It’s not excellent though. So I am on a mission to perfect phad thai! The best I’ve ever had is at a Asian comfort food restaurant in Oakville called Celadon House. Holy shit, this is the bestest phad thai known to man…. I dare you to say otherwise! I need to figure out how they make it.

“My Pad” Phad Thai

Ingredients:
1/2 pkg of Flat Rice Noodles
1/2 block of Extra Firm Tofu
1/4 cup chopped Red Onion
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 cup Carrots, julienned
1 cup Red Pepper, julienned
1 cup Bean Sprouts
1/2 cup chopped Green Onions
1/4 cup fresh chopped Cilantro
1 Egg
2 tbsp Sesame or Peanut Oil
3 tbsp Roasted, chopped unsalted Peanuts

For the Sauce:
1/4 cup Soy Sauce (low sodium)
2 1/2 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tsp Chilli Sauce
2 tbsp grated or finely minced fresh Ginger

Combine the ingredients for the sauce first and set aside. Chop tofu into thin strips and fry in a non-stick pan with a tablespoon of canola oil until crispy on the outside, set aside. Scramble the egg in the same pan as the tofu and set aside. Boil your water for the noodles and cook the noodles as per the instructions on the package. They don’t take long so they can sit aside to drain while you finish the stir fry.

It’s easiest to prep all your vegetables ahead of time. Heat a wok or large sauté pan with 2 tbsp of sesame or peanut oil and stir fry red onion, garlic, carrot, and red pepper for a few minutes until onions are soft. Add the noodles, tofu, egg, half the green onion and half the cilantro tossing to combine everything. Then add in the sauce and cook for a few more minutes coating everything well. To serve, sprinkle with roasted and chopped unsalted peanuts, more cilantro and green onion.

One of my favorite restaurants in Toronto is Fresh. Luckily I live only 4 blocks south of one (147 Spadina Ave)! But unfortunately, I am near income-less so I will not be dining there in the near future. This past weekend I was craving their Banana Nut Pancakes, as I often do, so I thought, what the heck, I can make these things myself! Even better, by adding in banana to a traditional pancake mix recipe I can eliminate the eggs! One more step in the right direction…that is, my slow and steady transition to be vegan.

Don’t they look scrumptious! Now, I am putting in measurements here that’ll make about 4-6 pancakes depending on size. BUT you need to learn how pancake mix should look and feel when you make it from scratch. And that way you can make up a small stack for one or a massive brunch for 10. I don’t care what anyone says, it’s not a science!

Ingredients:

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of Salt
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1 mashed ripe (or thawed from frozen) Banana
1/4 Soy Milk
Cold Water
Toasted walnuts and/or pecans.

Mix together the dry ingredients, then add mashed banana, and the liquids. You want a batter that has the consistency of a thick-ish soup. It should be able to pour onto the pan easily. No lumps, so mix well. Sometimes, if I care a lot, I’ll sift the dry ingredients.  I just start adding in soy a bit at a time until it’s almost the right consistency, then a bit of cold water until I feel I have the right mix.

Using more cold water to thin out your batter will make a more dense pancake, and using more soy milk will make it a bit fluffier. Experiment! Make sure your pan is HOT when you start dropping in batter (med-high). And it’s time to flip when the pancake starts to bubble. Now please NEVER drizzle your homemade pancakes with Aunt Jemima…ugh. What a shame that would be. Please go the extra mile and use pure maple syrup… thank you and enjoy!

If it were socially acceptable to weigh 500 lbs I definitely would want to! Despite the epic health problems I would possess, I could eat 3 to 5, or maybe even 6 cookies and not hate myself. Even the fact that I baked these double chocolate cookies 100% vegan it’s not like I feel good about it. By now you’ve realized, from reading hot for food, how neurotic I am about eating. But don’t worry, no eating disorder over here… I wish!

Moving on… These cookies are AMAZING! I’ll put the recipe below and you must try them yourself. I am having a ball baking vegan treats. In fact, I think baking vegan is easy and everything seems to turn out just as tasty, if not more so, than “regular” baked goods. It’s been much harder to devote myself to eliminating eggs and dairy in everyday meals. Like breakfast!!! Don’t you just love eating eggs or omelettes or bene’s, and pancakes and fruit and coffee on the weekends! Breakfast is my fave! I wish every meal was breakfast. (Note to self: start cooking and posting more exotic breakfasts on the blog)… sorry for the diversion.

100% Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup unsweetened dutch process cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup earth balance butter
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp unsulfured molasses
1/4 cup soy milk
1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Sift together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda and set aside. In a separate bowl cream together earth balance, sugar, vanilla, and molasses until fluffy. Then add in soy milk and mix until well combined. Add your dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Place rounded tablespoon fulls onto un-greased cookie sheets. Pressing them just a tad will help them spread a bit while baking, making a better looking cookie. They will take between 8-12 minutes depending on your oven.

Now just try not to eat the whole batch yourself!

Today I tried another recipe from The Conscious Cook… Vietnamese-style Tofu-Hero with Asian Slaw

A satisfying vegan sandwich… probably because of the bread. I didn’t use a French Demi-Baguette, called for in the recipe, but rather another favorite Dimpflmeier selection, Flax Seed Rye. This didn’t involve hours of marinating the tofu, which was nice. And I even went to the  extra effort of making a chicken version for my boyfriend, who sneers at tofu. I do sneak it in some things for him, but a slab of it would be obvious!

For the tofu mix together:
1 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp minced chives

Cut a block of extra firm tofu into 1/4 inch slabs and lay in a baking dish. Cover with the marinade. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes, turning the tofu half way through.

I also had to improv the Asian Slaw which called for carrot and daikon radish. There was no daikon at the local grocer so I opted for carrot, celery, and raddicio?! I dunno. But once its doused in rice vinegar who the hell cares. It’s basically about the crunch.

For the Asian Slaw: Julienne your veggies and mix them with:
2 tbsp agave nectar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
S&P

Assemble on your bread with thinly sliced cucumber, fresh chopped cilantro and vegan mayo (if you want, but unnecessary!)

Overall a tasty sammich! I mean sandwich… that I would probably make again if I were going to feed more than 1 vegan/vegetarian. Although leftovers of this keep well and looks like I have one left for lunch tomorrow!

You’ll be happy to know that I purchased my bulk raw cashews today so I can attempt the illustrious Conscious Cook dairy/cream/cheese substitute, Cashew Cream. I’ll be posting that experiment soon, I promise.

The first time I heard about Arepas was on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. He challenged the owners of Caracas Arepa Bar in NYC and lost, of course! Arepas are popular in Venezuela and Colombia and are essentially a cornmeal patty with fillings of meat, chicken, beans, cheese etc. After seeing this episode of Throwdown my mouth was watering at the site of these Arepas at Caracas. This picture here is the De Pabellón from Caracas, filled with shredded beef, fried sweet plantains, black beans, and cotija cheese. The Arepa that won Throwdown!

So I was thrilled to find out that Arepa Cafe opened on Queen West in Toronto in December 2009. I went last night. It’s a well designed, dine in cafe with friendly “authentic” staff. But honestly, the Arepas we ate were less than thrilling. Not what I imagined one would be like after seeing the tasty morsels made at Caracas. Because I opted to stick to vegetarian I essentially just ate a bland cornmeal patty with a slice of fresh cheese and a hunk of avocado. No seasoning, no flavor. Meh.

From my understanding Arepas don’t have many rules, other than they should be versatile. Which is why traditionally they’re eaten at any meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack. And they’re versatility means they could be a miraculous vegetarian meal option! So I think Toronto’s Arepa Cafe should take a cue from Caracas and start adding in more exotic ingredients… mango, spicy sauces, jalapenos, chorizo etc. And the cheese is cold in all the Arepa options… I don’t get that. It should be slightly melted in with all the ingredients. I tried something new, and ultimately I should have just stuck with the trusty Burrito. At $6 -$8 an Arepa, a Burrito at the same price would have been bursting with ingredients and flavor.

Move over Tim Horton’s! Get lost Krispy Kreme! Ugh the first and only time I ate one of those KK doughnuts I had heart burn for 24 hours and felt so fat I wanted to kill myself. Dramatic I know, but that’s what eating a doughnut can do to me. And I hate it!

The latest trend in treats are fancy, designer doughnuts. The same way cupcakes made a comeback, doughnuts will no longer make us think of truck drivers, cops, white trash, and fat asses. Genius marketing, really! I don’t know of a gourmet doughnut deli in Toronto, but I suppose it’s only a matter of time. They’re popping up everywhere in the United States of America… the land of food!

Glazed Donuts Chicago looks like the best in the biz, because they take gourmet doughnuts many steps further. Not only can you get unique and luxury tastes in a doughnut, but the weekly flavors are all seasonal, and all their doughnuts are 100% certified ORGANIC, made with natural sweeteners like honey and cane sugar, and contain no animal fats. Holy shit, sign me up! Well, sadly, one can only get these by literally signing up for a doughnut subscription and by living in Chicago. I’m probably better off!

To make you drool even more, here’s just a few of their doughnut delights: White Chocolate Lavender, Butternut Squash with Orange, Bing Cherry Balsamic, Pomegranate Thyme and Oatmeal Chocolate Stout. Whew…there’s sooooo many more.

So if I wanted to run a lucrative and cute food business in Toronto, I should start a gourmet doughnut shop! hmmmm….mmmmm. And what the hell… is it DOUGHnut or DOnut?

I hate when people call a SANDwich a SAMwich… or worse SAMMICH! It’s like saying LIbary. And yes, I have heard people say this for real. Anyway this is my current food fixation. Nothing special, just an open-faced sandwich, but it’s so tasty. Here’s how to make this Sammich Snack.

Assemble the following in order, on top of 1 slice of Dimpflmeier Spelt & Wild Rice bread

2 tbsp Spicy Hummus
Cucumber Slices
Baby Spinach Leaves
Gala Apple Slices
Cracked Pepper

Those are some Veggie Chips on the side, but I don’t eat those all the time!