Hiatus

Hey everyone,

I want to make a quick, not super exciting announcement: I’ve decided to start blogging exclusively on The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur, and stop posting here on SBYM. Here’s what that means:

1. Everything on here will remain unchanged. Every post, the travel guide, and anything on this blog will still be up for reference.

2. I’m not going to stop blogging; rather, almost everything I would write about here will go on The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur instead. It just makes more sense for me to focus on consistently updating one vegan food blog, rather than trying to manage two very similar blogs along with school and whatever else I’m working on. I’m going to be MoFo-ing on VCC this year too!

3. This definitely isn’t a bad thing. I had to learn the very important lesson of taking on a manageable schedule and workload several times before it actually sunk in. When I take on too many projects, I get super meticulous about each one and it becomes too much to handle. Then my productivity goes way down and I get really sad. But by keeping busy enough and thinking realistically, I can devote myself fully to each project I’m working on at the time and think completely about quality. And you know, have time to cook dinner, have fun, or get enough sleep. Leaving SBYM for a while/forever isn’t a response to anything crazy or hectic that’s been going on recently and posting here really isn’t a huge commitment. I’d just rather focus on one vegan food blog, and this is a solution for doing so.

4. I’m not sure how permanent this will actually be. I may bring SBYM back to life sometime in the future, revamp it into a totally new project, turn it into a zine and periodically update here, or decide to resume blogging in a few months, rendering this update completely pointless. I mean, I have to use this title for something again. The only thing I don’t want to do is randomly disappear without an explanation, even if I end up coming back here eventually.

5. I’m still vegan. Don’t worry, I’m waiting for the 10 year mark to start experimenting with dairy*.

Now that I won’t be posting here, there are plenty of other places I’ll be writing/posting vegan-related stuff on the world wide internet:

-My primary blog, The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur
-The Twitter machine, @kellypeloza
-Updates on The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur Facebook page
-My photography portfolio site, kellypeloza.com
-Articles on One Green Planet

Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and connecting over the past few years! See you around!
I’m going to leave you with a photo of BBQ seitan (beats your meat) ribs, veggie kabobs, and watermelon:

*Not really. Unless people are 3D printing cheese then. Still, gross!

An expression of gratitude for the Radical Reuben

I’ve written love poems about food before, but never as illustrious as the following for the only sandwich on my radar, The Radical Reuben at The Chicago Diner. Sure, there are other sandwiches, some just as tasty and enjoyable as the Reuben, but this is the most sentimental of sandwiches. We’ve been kickin’ it since 2007, been through two brands of vegan cheese together, and this sandwich never disappoints. I may only make the trip a few times a year, and sometimes I get a different sandwich, but the Reuben doesn’t hold any petty grudges like other sandwiches do. That innate, radical confidence must help. Actually, I’m not even sure it has feelings, but that’s okay. It remains that kind of relationship that’s as close as ever, no matter how much time has passed. My last Reuben was about a year ago, but my next trip to the Diner, I just know it’ll greet me with open arms.

We first met in 2007. Teese cheese graced the presence of caramelized onions, peppers, sauerkraut, and corned beef seitan atop crusty rye. Incidentally, this was also my first trip to the Diner. Two years of veganism had gone by before the start* of our companionship, but I think the Reuben is quite forgiving, as there are many future years to order the sandwich.

*I considered using the word consummation in this sentence, but I’m not entirely sure the word can be used outside of a sexual context. Just to make things clear, this is completely platonic sandwich love, despite the colorful language within this blog post and the title of my blog. Not that there’s anything wrong with sexy sandwich love, if that’s what you feel. You probably have your own, slightly different blog.

This is the Radical Reuben of 2008, consumed voraciously on my birthday. Birthday sandwich! This time, my side of choice was mashed potatoes and gravy. A pickle spear completed the plate. There’s always a pickle spear.

Here are the innards, consistent with last year’s experience.

Then 2009 rolled around and I did not consume a single Radical Reuben all year. Dark times. But here’s the compromise: I have photos of other people’s reubens. And yes, they were people I was dining out with, not random Reubens. So really, I vicariously ate these Reubens. This is some six degrees of separation shit.

This is Louzilla’s Radical Reuben in 2009 on her first trip to Chicago, and therefore, the Diner. I hereby declare sweet potato fries to be the default side for any Reuben experience.

I had another chance to embrace the Radical Reuben in 2009, but did I take it? Guess not! I’m not sure what else was so important that a Reuben didn’t make it onto my plate during either trip that year. Still, this Reuben has no hard feelings from across the table.

Sometimes people make mistakes. Shit happens. It can be remedied with careful attention. What to do in this situation? Make your own Radical Reuben, of course. After the turbulence of 2009, January 2010 needed to start off right with a proper reintroduction to the wonder sandwich.

Did I have rye bread? No. Thinly sliced Upton’s seitan? No. This marinading process was very questionable. The beets made the Tofurky slices look like sunburned bologna swimming in Kool Aid.

But hey, it looks like a sandwich. And it was good! As good as the Diner’s? No. But it would hold me over for a while.

Then your dog tries to eat it. And you pause for a moment while writing this blog post because you really miss your dog. And the Radical Reuben. Then reassure yourself that you’ll see your dog and eat a Reuben sometime soon. Carry on.

Ohhh, lookie here. It’s 2010′s Radical Reuben. Notice Teese has retired and Daiya mozzarella is the new player in town at the Diner, adorning the modern day Radical Reuben. Sweet potato fries and a pickle spear, you know what’s up.

This brings us to the last Reuben of this post, the Radical Reuben of 2011. I broke the sweet potato fries rule here because the soup sounded really yummy. It was chipotle corn chowder or something.

Then you realize 2012 is nearly halfway through, which is absolutely ridiculous because it was totally just February, like last week. So get thee to the Chicago Diner before it’s too late and you live your own personal Radical Reuben dry spell hell all over again. Juicy flavorful seitan, sauerkraut, roasted peppers, onions, and a liberal helping of Thousand Island are all contained within two slices of toasty rye bread and waiting at the Diner for a meal of sandwich bliss!

Lasagna

I live right down the street from an amazing family-owned Italian market, Glorioso’s. Honestly, I’m there at least four times per week. If I leave the house at all on my increasingly frequent “work from home” days, my destination is most likely Glorioso’s. They are fully stocked with an infinite selection of pastas, oils, vinegars, olives, Italian goodies, wines, and a decent produce section. Their sorbets are a lifesaver on humid summer days, and the deli section is abundant (that’s surrounded by the meaty and cheesy section, so I tend to stick to the produce side). Since I kill plants when I try to grow them on my windowsill, ample bundles of fresh basil leaves that don’t cost an arm and a leg make their way into my grocery basket every week. It’s so easy to waltz in for one or two items, then leave with two full grocery bags in tow and a lighter wallet. It’s not that Glorioso’s is expensive. It’s actually quite affordable if you shop with intention, but it’s so easy to buy everything in sight as you make your way around the store. Since I live so close, I’ve had to convince myself to start viewing the market as an extension of my pantry that I can easily get items from when I absolutely need to use them. I’ve managed to avoid buying the $11 bottle of chocolate balsamic sauce until I’ve convinced myself I absolutely need it for a recipe, that day. That strategy can apply to any store to prevent impulse buys, if you want to try it. It seems to work in this case because I wouldn’t mind making the trip every day. A quick stroll around the store will get you several warm greetings (this has made me feel better on a crappy day, on more than one occasion), and I think it has gotten to the point where the cashiers recognize me. Glorioso’s has saved the day during many a culinary crisis invoked by a missing ingredient. In addition to the bountiful stock of Italian goods, they have pretty much every plain old kitchen staple one would need. I tend to frequent the market to make delicious Italian food though.

I’ve always lived and breathed Italian food, making it my go-to cuisine when in doubt, and synonymous with “normal” comfort food for me. I grew up eating pasta by the boatload, plucking tomatoes and fresh herbs out of the backyard garden, and holding handfuls of basil up to my face to breathe in the aroma. Lasagna is one of my most coveted comforting dishes. Every Christmas, my grandma makes trays of lasagna to indulge in. While I haven’t been able to partake in the lasagna tradition for the past seven years, I’ve made a few dairy-free lasagnas over the years.

Making lasagna isn’t a decision to make lightly. There are many steps involved in making a truly substantial dish that it becomes a long, meditative process. Lately while sitting in my Monday morning art history class, my mind has been going back and forth between the topics of Italian Renaissance and food I’d like to cook. I came up with the elaborate plan of a Monday evening lasagna last week that I was going to make happen with no interruptions. I picked up all the ingredients at Glorioso’s and got to work on pesto, cashew almond parmesan, and cashew tofu ricotta. While all these parts were homemade, I cut myself a bit of slack and used jarred marinara and roasted red peppers. I had a nice crusty loaf of bread with olive oil and pesto and a bottle of red wine to tide me over between steps while working on dinner. It was such a fun, relaxing evening. Mmm, lasagna.

I kind of made up these recipes as I went along, referencing other vegan and non-vegan recipes as I went along, so amounts were written down a bit haphazardly. The parmesan makes quite a bit extra, but I like to use it as garnish for the lasagna and keep it around for other recipes.

Lasagna

Parmesan:
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup raw almonds
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon salt

Pesto:
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons walnuts or pine nuts
2 cups tightly packed basil
¼ cup Parmesan (recipe above)
1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Ricotta:
1 block tofu
1/3 cup cashews
½ cup Parmesan (recipe above)
¼ cup basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped onion or shallot
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Lasagna:
16 ounces lasagna noodles

One medium onion
3 cloves garlic
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup roasted red peppers
1/3 cup pesto
3 cloves garlic

2 jars (about 26 ounces total) marinara, mixed with:
1-2 tablespoons Italian spice blend, or your own mixture of oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, fennel seeds, etc.

Daiya mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Start by pressing the tofu for the ricotta. Set aside and begin working on the other components of the lasagna.

Parmesan: Combine the cashews, almonds, nutritional yeast, and salt in a food processor. Grind until the mixture reaches a sandy texture, just like parmesan.

If you store your nuts in the freezer, let them warm up before making the parmesan. The oils in the nuts will remain solid and the nutritional yeast won’t adhere to the nuts if they’re too cold.

Pesto: Combine the garlic and nuts in the food processor and blend until finely chopped. Wash the basil and add it in, along with the parmesan. While graduatlly drizzling in the olive oil, blend the pesto just until it is no longer gritty. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ricotta: Combine all ingredients but the tofu in the food processor and blend until finely chopped. Add the tofu and pulse until the tofu is finely crumbled and the ingredients are homogenized throughout the tofu. Alternatively, you may want to crumble the tofu by hand. The food processor can quickly turn your ricotta into paste.

Lasagna: Boil lasagna* to just before al dente, according to package instructions, about 4-5 minutes.

*In the spirit of full disclosure, I didn’t boil my noodles beforehand with this lasagna. Doing this ended up sucking up way too much moisture. But if you don’t want to boil your noodles, add a bit of water to your marinara and use way more than you think you’ll need because the noodles will absorb it!

Slice the onion into large pieces and sauté in olive oil with the garlic over medium-high heat until fragrant and browned, about 7-8 minutes. Set aside.

Combine the artichokes with the roasted red peppers, then stir together with pesto. Mince the garlic and stir in. Feel free to vary the vegetables used here.

To assemble: Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan, cover with a thin layer of marinara, line with noodles.

Top layer with marinara, then dollop on tofu ricotta and scatter the sautéed onions and garlic. Top with more marinara and another layer of noodles.

Top this layer with artichoke and roasted pepper mix, tofu ricotta, and a little marinara. Add another layer of noodles.

Finally, top this layer with marinara (liberally, as the top layer tends to dry out) and pesto. Sprinkle on parmesan, about half a bag of mozzarella, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Cover in foil and bake for 35-45 minutes, until the lasagna is bubbling, the cheese is melty. Check to make sure the noodles aren’t over cooked, every so often. Enjoy!

I may or may not have eaten leftovers for every meal for two days.

St. Patrick’s Day

This St. Patrick’s Day I gladly skipped partaking in any sort of debauchery in favor of staying in to make a spread of hearty dishes and yell at kids to get off my lawn. Milwaukee on the night of a holiday that involves partying all day long? That’s scary stuff! I was away in Illinois for the weekend with access to a kitchen greater than my own, so I took the opportunity to cook a nice dinner.

The plate, all did up:

I used Brian P. McCarthy’s Seitan Corned Beef recipe, recommended by Julie Hasson in her book, Vegan Diner. The cabbage part was a mash-up of every other corned beef and cabbage recipe out there.

Roasted potatoes and green beans. I love dill with potatoes, so I did that here.

Gravy made with seitan marinade, the spread.

Caraway raisin soda bread, made from a mix of four or five different recipes that popped up on Google to get everything I wanted in the bread.

Coconut Chocolate Stout S’mores Cupcakes. I featured these cupcakes over on The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur, but there were some leftover on St. Patrick’s day and the flavors were definitely appropriate for the holiday!

In case you were wondering what stout and coconut milk mixed together looks like, here’s what it looks like. The milk curdles instantly and it looks kind of pretty.

There you have it, folks! St. Patrick’s Day done vegan…even if I’m posting this nearly a month later!

I have a Monster Appetite for Hearty Vegan Meals

Joni Marie Newman and Celine Steen have done it again!
I was lucky enough to receive review copy of the dynamic culinary duo’s latest book, Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites: Lip-Smacking, Belly-Filling, Home-Style Recipes Guaranteed to Keep Everyone—Even the Meat Eaters—Fantastically Full. Every word of that title made me swoon, so I was extremely excited to have my very own copy of this lovely book.

If you’re not familiar with Joni and Celine’s work, you definitely should be! They’ve co-authored three books to date: 500 Vegan Recipes, The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions, and Hearty Vegan Meals, as well as working on other cookbook projects separately. Joni debuted her cookbook writing career with the self-published Cozy Inside, then followed up with her collaborations with Celine and another solo book, The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet. Joni writes over at Just the Food and is currently finishing up a DIY vegan food and gifts book called Vegan Food Gifts: Spread the Vegan Love DIY-Style. We occasionally do cooking demos together too! Our vegan food demo road trip truck is still a work in progress! You can find Celine over at Have Cake, Will Travel where she blogs mouthwatering recipes accompanied by her enticing food photography. Her newest books are Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day and a whole grain baking book, both collaborations with another wonderful cookbook author, Tamasin Noyes.

Celine employs her gorgeous photographs in Hearty Vegan Meals, which is not only a tasty, but absolutely gorgeous book. Her images are easily recognized by the wood grain place settings, so the matte finish of the paper suits the textures of her photography well. While devouring this cookbook with my eyes, each recipe got more and more exciting. The book starts off with three different French toast recipes, for crying out loud! This book is anything but a rehash of standard vegan fare. Each recipe is completely inventive and decadent. Make your mouth water with recipes like Sweet Potato Po’ Boys, Chick N’ Waffles Party, Tater Tot Irish Nachos, Avocado Rolls, and Mate Margaritas! I couldn’t wait to dive in.

The first recipe I made was Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes. Joni wasn’t kidding when she said they were fluffier and tastier than any other pancake! I topped them with blueberry sauce and maple syrup.

The Roasted Broccotato Soup with Bacon-Flavored Chickpeas was creamy and appropriately, hearty! The “bacon” chickpeas are like crack. I wish I made five times as much as the recipe called for, just to snack on. Also, you probably have all the ingredients in this soup in your kitchen already, which is part of the reason I ended up making it that day.

I had the Breakfast Burrito for dinner one night, served with tots! These are super flavorful and an interesting combination of ingredients that work together well.

Now, I cannot even begin to wrap my head around the following dish. It’s a po’ boy filled with a sweet potato that’s been battered and fried, fennel shallot marmalade, aioli, and peppercorn coleslaw. I also made the Avocado Rolls from the bread chapter to serve them in. This is a life-changing recipe! My head exploded! A little sweet potato and some vegetables are transformed into this filling, decadent sandwich. No fake meats, tofu, seitan, or tempeh involved. Damn, ladies. Nom nom nom.

Finally, we have the Sweet Whole Wheat Rye Bread. The recipe suggests serving it with Altella, Joni and Celine’s version of Nutella with almonds. I had some Peanut Butter & Co Dark Chocolate Dreams hanging around, so I spread that on the slices. Yummy!

If you’re vegan or omnivore, have a monster appetite, like hearty vegan meals, or simply just like good food, you won’t be disappointed with this wonder of a book. Thanks, Joni and Celine!

Celebrate Vegan by Dynise Balcavage

I’ve been reading Urban Vegan for years, but just recently had the pleasure of meeting the amazing person behind the blog and cookbook. Attending Vida Vegan Con in August brought the opportunity of connecting with Dynise Balcavage in person. Shortly after, Dynise released her second cookbook called Celebrate Vegan and so kindly sent me a copy to review! I read through it several times, marking the recipes and menus I’d like to create.

Celebrate Vegan contains two hundred recipes carefully organized into menus that correspond with every holiday and get together you could imagine. Dynise created menus for New Year’s Day, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, but also provides recipes and background information for celebrations like New Year’s Day around the world, Guy Fawkes Day, and Diwali. Don’t forget Snow Day and Girls’ Night In! These ready-made creations take the guesswork out of menu planning, which is certainly helpful during stressful holiday seasons. The deal gets sweeter for new vegans! A clear answer to the question, “what ever am I going to make for _______ Day without meat, cheese, butter, and eggs?!” is a lifesaver. She even includes wine pairings! I really enjoy how Dynise completely reinvents traditional holiday fare into something unique, rather than simply and straightforwardly veganizing these traditional dishes. In the Thanksgiving chapter you’ll find Seitan with Quince, Apple, and Onion, not tofurkey!

Since the basis of this cookbook is creative holiday menus, I thought making a complete menu would be the best way to stay true to Dynise’s vision when approaching the recipes (though if you would like to mix and match, the recipe index in the back of the book is divided into traditional categories!).

I decided to make the New Year’s Day Good Luck Brunch menu which includes Lucky Soba Noodles, Hot-and-Sour Carrots and Lentils, and Hoppin’ John. Dynise explains that the ingredients in this menu center on a fresh start and good luck. In Japan, soba noodles are traditionally eaten to represent a long life, and legumes and lentils evoke money, prosperity, and eternity.

Here is the spread:

The Lucky Soba Noodles with fresh veggies, bean sprouts, edamame, and tempeh were so refreshing and healthy-in-a-good-way. The tempeh bacon imbued the Hoppin’ John with a lovely smokey flavor throughout. This dish paired perfectly with the Hot-and-Sour Carrots and Lentils, which had a bit of sweetness, a pleasant tartness from the lemon juice, and a bit of spice.

Since this was a brunch menu, I accompanied the meal with a Bloody Mary.

This meal was so full of color, texture, and flavor that danced around the taste buds, all while being healthful and packed with nutrients. It was a wonderful meal for the middle of the day, and to start the year. I’d love to try out the other New Year’s menus in Celebrate Vegan (though the Sick Day menu might be appropriate for me and my never ending cold lately!).

Thank you for a fantastic cookbook, Dynise!

P.S. You can find a couple items from Celebrate Vegan on my Thanksgiving menu as well!

That’s It Fruit Bars review

Recently, That’s It emailed me asking if I’d like to try their new fruit bars. We got in contact near the end of my semester when cooking and packing food for school regularly can be a difficult task, so this kind of snack was definitely welcomed! Fruit bars are perfect to stash in my locker and camera bags to eat quickly during breaks or while walking from one place to another.

That’s It bars derive their name from the ingredients: fruit and fruit (that’s it!). No gluten, added sugar, or preservatives, and obviously vegan. The three flavors I tried were apple cherry, apple apricot, and apple pear. The flavor and texture of all three kinds reminded me of dried apple rings in bar form with a burst of flavor from the respective fruit in each bar. I liked all three, but my favorite was probably the apple cherry. The dried cherries introduce a new layer of flavor with a bit of tartness that contrasts the apple flavor, whereas the pear and apricot have a similar sweetness to the apple. You can’t go wrong with straight up fruit! That’s It bars are a great morning or afternoon snack to keep hunger at bay until the next mealtime rolls around, all in a convenient little package!