Asian slaw, Grilled Tofu, and Sweet Potatoes w/ lime

Back in May I went back to the US for a few weeks to visit with my parents, enjoy the heat, and basically calm myself before moving to yet another new country. (The multitude of Real Housewives and Daily Show marathons weren't unwanted, either.) As usual, my generous parents plied me with Thai food, guacamole, and all the bagels I could eat. Amidst all this, I did a great deal more "lying on the couch" than "standing in the kitch," however, we did have one famous meal I can share with you.

My Dad had gotten obsessed with Asian slaw after eating a great version at a fancy restaurant in DC: crunchy vegetables, a spicy, peanutty sauce, and on top, perfectly grilled scallops. We decided to have our own version, with scallops for the omnis and grilled tofu (tofu brushed with oil and sprinkled with seasoned salt) for me and my brother. On the side was a basic sweet potato salad: grilled chunks of sweet potatoes with lime, cumin, and a touch of maple syrup.

The dressing was easy to make and the slaw makes a ton, so this is definitely a great crowd-pleaser for a mixed group. Here's the complete menu I would serve for a perfect summery feast:

Summer Asian-Fusion Inspired Grill Menu

Mint Mojitos
Store-bought Veggie Springrolls for an app
Spicy Asian Slaw
Plain grilled Tofu (or scallops for omnis)
Grilled Sweet Potato Salad w/ lime
Fresh Mango w/ a scoop of Coconut ice cream for dessert

*****
Spicy Asian Slaw

For dressing:
-1/4 cup + 2 T smooth peanut butter
-4 T. fresh lime juice
-3 T. H2O
-1 T. Soy Sauce* (Many recipes call for fish sauce, so if you have vegan fish-flavored sauce feel free to use that here.)
-3 T. sugar or Agave nectar
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1 T. Sriracha (or to taste)

1.) Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. If its too thick, add a little more water. Refrigerate until immediately before serving.

For Slaw
-ca. 2 lbs. napa cabbage, shredded
-1/2 a red cabbage, shredded
-2 large red peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
-3 large carrots, shredded or thinly sliced
-Cilantro or mint (optional)

1.) Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. When ready to serve, toss with dressing and top with cilantro or mint, if using.
*****

Oh USA, I will miss you and your plethora of ethnic grocery stores, packed with delights. Now back to Budapest...

Song of the Day: Bob Marley- Sun is shining

Christmas in the USA

The Russian Tea Room in NYC

Aaaaah, the holidays. Those precious occasions when you stare at departures screens for hours hoping your flight/ train/ camel isn't cancelled like all the rest, arrive home exhausted to see everyone you've ever known in a never-ending parade, and stuff yourself fuller and fuller of rich food. It's pretty exhausting, right?

However, also fun. I'm back in full-on USA mood, with all the attendant benefits of warm houses, a full pantry, and the Food Network. After a brief stop in New Jersey to see some relatives, my Mom and I headed up for a night in New York City; including a cocktail at my favorite over-priced NY institution, the Russian Tea Room (above.)

Back home for Christmas, we had a fabulous brunch with my Grandparents, with eggs benedict for the omnis and blueberry waffles, homefries, and veggie sausage for the vegetarians.

Needless to say, we were full until dinner. Actually beyond dinner! We had grand plans for a big feast with many components, but we basically down-scaled: tamales and a big salad. My Dad and I made and froze the tamales a week ago to avoid Christmas chaos, and the salad was an improvised delight.

Spinach with red bartlett pears, onions, pomegranate seeds and a dressing made from the following: 1 Clementine, 1 tsp. diced garlic, a splash of orange juice and couple tablespoons red wine vinegar, whirled in a food processor with enough olive oil to make it perfectly dressing-y.

The tamales were filled with a black bean and chipotle mixture and served with homemade tomatillo salsa, guac, roasted chipotle salsa, and soy sour cream.

Christmassy? I'm not sure. Delicious? Definitely. In fact, I had the same thing the next day. And now... back to my food coma. Hope everyone had and is having a great holiday, and that you were able to finish your dinner!

Sweet Corn Risotto and More

Fresh fig and Peanut-butter toast in the backyard... Ah, America!

I tried to eat absolutely everything I can't get my hands on easily in Europe while staying in DC, and I think I nearly succeeded. Most important was sweet corn and vidalia onions, which were so delicious I could have cried. (Is it weird to like onions as much as I do? What happens to you if you eat too many?) I saw a recipe in the Washington Post for sweet corn risotto, so I decided to give it a whirl for an evening when my friend James came over to cram for the bar exam. (Majorly flashback inducing.)

Basically, you do your typical risotto recipe (which I have published on here so many times its crazy) and then at the very end add in 3 ears worth of corn kernels. Stir until corn kernels are plump, then serve, with green onions on top.

I thought it was good, although with such a light addition to the risotto the broth really shines through, so be sure to use a good quality one. In addition, I thought it might benefit from some heirloom tomatoes added in at the last minute. I served them on the side drenched in balsamic and it went together perfectly.

Another great dinner was my standard fare: rice and beans, cinnamon-baked plantains, and avocados. This time I kicked up the rice by adding some orange juice, but other than that it was the same old rice and beans, and they were delicious as ever.

For the plantains, its the same technique as I made for the chipotle plantain enchiladas, except I tossed them in maple syrup along with the cinnamon, salt and pepper, and paprika. These babies cooked up great in about 45 minutes at 375.

I'm sure my parents won't miss me destroying the kitchen for dinner every night, but it was so fun to eat all my favorites. And now its back to Berlin...

Song of the Day: Squeeze- Tempted

Summertime in the USA

Now this is American summer to me: soy hot dogs, grocery store buns, vidalia onions and ketchup. Oh yeah, and 110 degree weather. I'm back in DC for a wedding, but I intend to squeeze a lot of enjoyment out of my visit, particularly since I missed July 4th. I want to ride bikes with my Dad, talk anarchism and art with my little brother, and see movies and cook with my Mom. And after a whole year of heady, strong, luscious German and Belgian beer... I'm ready for some weak-ass Miller Light and Yuengling. :P

I've also been missing having easy access to a grill in Berlin and decided to have an all-grilled dinner for my first night back.

We made grilled corn, generously bedecked with earth balance, salt and pepper. Also grilled slices of sweet potatoes, marinated in lime juice, maple syrup, and mustard (and a little olive oil) that was brushed on during the grilling. And finally kebabs with a line-up of cherry tomatoes, marinated tempeh, and vidalia onion chunks. It was a great and filling meal- and lord how I've missed sweet corn and vidalia onions! I had no idea.


I intend to do a lot more cooking for the brief time I'm home and catch up on all the southern specialties I've been missing, particularly fresh blueberries and (sigh!) kale. Ahhh. Its good to be back.

Song of the Day: Tom Petty- American Girl

Tamales!

This year for Christmas dinner I was in the mood for something kind of challenging, since my cooking has been repetitive at best and "just pancakes" at worst. After seeing Tofu Mom's post about tamales on her awesome blog, I figured they were just the ticket.


Now, everyone has their own method of making tamales, and I won't expound too much on the recipe here since you can find it in many places, including the above post and in your trusty Veganomicon. But what I will say is that even though I've often enjoyed these goodies at local Salvadorean and Mexican restaurants, they always seemed a bit too complicated to make: like you need to be in a kitchen in Mexico with your grandmother explaining to you exactly how to do it. And while it was tricky to find the corn husks, even in DC, I think the grocery shopping was actually the most complicated part. The rest of it, while time consuming, is not really difficult.

Essentially, you make the filling first, which could really be anything, then flour mixture, then assemble it in a corn husk, wrap and steam. We chose to make a simple mushroom filling, as well as a black bean and sweet potato filling (just a can of black beans, a steamed sweet potato, and some cumin and cinnamon.) The result was gorgeous little bundles of joy that looked not unlike presents, and were perfect with some salsa and soy sour cream. (Guac would also be a good addition.)
Unfortunately, we didn't have any leftovers, but I'm told they are very simple to freeze and enjoy later on. They were so perfect with some caesar salad on the side as a light and festive Christmas dinner.

My family actually liked it so much that when I took off for more days of miserable travel, this time to reach Hamburg for a new years celebration, they decided to make more! This time my Dad and little brother made the filling out of black beans, sweet potatoes, and garlic spinach, which sounds incredibly delicious. They also wrapped them in banana leaves which they were able to find at a market close by. My Dad's tip? "The trick is to have the masa kinda soupy, like thick peanut butter, and spread on on with a spatula, then a little filling."

My tip would be to make them as soon as possible because they are fabulous and hard to mess up!

Song of the Day: Flaming Lips- I can be a frog

Travel Hell and Christmas Eve Heaven

Ahhh holiday travel. Where two inches of snow translates into 3 days of travel delays.

Yes, my transit back to the good ole USSA was kind of a mess. Overnight in London Heathrow, overnight in ATL, numerous sleep-deprived marches through airports, but eventually, I made it home, to my hilarious dog (pictured) and adoring (or at least, adored) family. By the time I did make it back, there were 2 feet of snow on the ground, giving DC a freakishly rare white Christmas, and me a good excuse not to leave the house.

And you would think after being gone for 6 months I would have a lot of mail. I guess I felt like I was gone a long time and everyone would notice? But as a matter of fact, aside from student loan forms *shudder* all I received was one Christmas card... plus this awesome handmade cookbook-lette from Amey at Vegan Eats and Treats, "Cooking Up a Storm!"

Man was I excited to see that! This booklet is jam-packed with awesome looking recipes for all manner of deliciousness plus cute home-made drawings. It being Christmas, I went straight for the cookies and decided on the choco-cherry-pecan cookies. They took about 15 minutes all told, and they were so unbelievably delicious, especially with a tall glass of soymilk. Even in my sweets-filled household these went fast. Amey, your cookbook rocks! Thanks so much!

A few days after my initial arrival and many cookies later, my fam and I headed over to Peking Gourmet in Falls Church for the traditional Christmas Eve gorge. Peking Gourmet is famous for two reasons. 1.) It was President Bush (Sr.)'s favorite restaurant and there are pics of him splattered all over the place. 2.) The Peking Duck. You would think from these two snippets of info that I would hate the place, but actually I love it. It has a very limited vegetarian menu, but those items on it are phenomenal. I had the gourmet eggplant and my brother got a tofu dish that was equally fab.

I also love munching on the duck accompaniments: rice pancakes, plum sauce, and spring onions. Heaven. But truth be told, more than the food, I love the busy metro atmosphere in this spot, which has been in the Culmore shopping center forever and attracts hundreds of people over the holidays (and I suspect, most weekends.) The crowd out the door is huge on Christmas eve, but its always kind of exciting and we often see people we know. Definitely one of my favorite traditions of the holidays.

My other favorite tradition is the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. I love being in Europe, but the melancholic angst of Charlie Brown is just not something that translates well. After all, how would you translate the following into french: "Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you're the Charlie-Browniest!"

Ah, America.

Final Finals!

Its my last final exam period of law school, and I'm determined to make it more successful than the five that came before. This time, I will NOT chug diet coke, wine, and coffee simultaneously. I will NOT wait until 6 hours before the exam to start studying. I will NOT get caught up in the Hills, or the Real Housewives of Hades, or whatever else is on my parents bountiful cable channels.

Instead I'm going to continue working out, eating healthy, and getting an adequate amount of sleep. Because thats the way to get good grades, right? Well, actually, I have an ulterior motive: I'm going to Berlin and Brussels right after finals and I want to look hot for all the fancy europeans, and one in particular. Eating jellybeans, doritos, and coffee for two weeks isn't the way to look your best. So instead I'm all over a bunch of very boring healthy food, like hummus and carrots, spinach salads, bananas. So no very interesting food things at the moment. Instead, here are my top 5 favorite finals distractions. Enjoy!

1. Autotune the News

This is self-explanatorily awesome.

2. International street style websites.
The only thing better than American hipsters: international hipsters!
But really, I like to think I could get good fashion ideas from these cool sites, if I ever get out of self-imposed study quarantine.
Still in Berlin
Mess this Dress (Mexico)
Easy Fashion (Paris)
Modaturkiye (Istanbul)

3. Looking up conspiracy theories on wikipedia.
Dude, its amazing what you can learn about a historical event based on the conspiracy theories that branched out of it. Try JFK, Jonestown, or the Vatican for starters... and be prepared to be creeped out, in an educational kind of way.

4. Pancake Mountain
I love watching clips of Pancake Mountain. This public access kids show, which has featured The Evens, M.I.A., and the Go! Team in the past, is what DC kids would watch if DC was actually cool.

5. Hark! A Vagrant
And finally, Kate Beaton's online historical comic, Hark, a Vagrant! is so weird and funny and I lerv it. Example: Marie and Pierre Curie

So there you go, T's guide to calorie-free procrastinating bliss. Now, back to work.

Exploring my new neighborhood & Unplugging

My mom is fond of telling me that the three most traumatizing things in life are death, divorce and moving. (I would add: the bar exam.) I usually think that adding the third one on there is kind of bullshit. I mean, moving? Ok, it hurts your back and all, but having done it maybe 15 times since college, I consider moving to be a mildly annoying side-effect of my persistent wander-lust. Usually I find it pretty exciting.

This time, though, I was sort of bummed out. I guess a lot of things happened in my Silver Spring house (insane roommate, major break-up, shifts in friends and priorities) and I hadn't really recognized it until I was packing everything up. So while the move itself wasn't terribly complicated, I did find myself a little dazed and distracted as I entered my new dwelling in Columbia Heights.

But now that I'm here, I'm waking up to the fact that I'm in heaven! Its a diverse, bustling neighborhood with plenty of vegan options, fantastic access to public transportation, and a great local bar and library! Its even pretty bike-friendly! I can't say I hung out much in this neck of the woods before, but now I don't ever want to leave! Here's just a few of my finds so far:

*Julia Empanadas- I used to get delicious and cheap lunches from their location in Dupont Circle a couple years ago, but I never dared to ask if the delicacies were vegan (I worried about the crusts). Well, the Columbia Heights location wears their vegan friendliness on their sleeve! I had an amazing $3.50 empanada yesterday- lentils, sweet potatoes, green beans and spices wrapped up in a slightly sweet, flaky crust- proudly proclaimed on the sign to be all vegan. Not only that, they have 3 vegan soups and two small salads- cucumber and beet. I honestly think I'll be eating here 3-4 times a week.

*Sticky Fingers Bakery- I mentioned this awesome vegan bakery/ coffee shop before, and since I was last there little has changed. There are still awesome cupcakes and sticky buns, vegan hot dogs, and convenient to-go meals. My only complaint? The hours! I wish they were open late so I could eat cupcakes and study there. Still looking for a late-night study lounge in the 'hood.

*The Heights-Although this restaurant doesn't have much in the way of vegan food other than, like, french fries, their one option is worth mentioning: tofu stir fry with red cabbage, shitake mushrooms and a sweet tamari sauce over rice. So good. Oh, and a nice selection of beer too. (This place is REALLY close to me, so I have to go there occasionally.)

I'm discovering new stuff everyday, but I won't post about everything... just suffice it to stay that if you're in DC, Columbia Heights is an area you'll want to hit up. Hey, I'll be your tour guide!

***********************
As for "unplugging" a la Jennifer and Brett from VC&ORM, I have unintentionally done a lot more than I planned on. I initially intended to watch less TV and check fewer gossip sites and mainstream media sites. But funnily enough, life has a way of pushing you along once you get started on something. So, coincidentally, around the same time I started thinking about getting away from negative/ prejudicial white noise, I quit facebook, broke my phone, and moved to a new place where I don't have internet access or cable! So I am like, WAY unplugged right now. No text messages, no "friend updates", no perezhilton, and definitely no tv. Oh yeah, and I already mentioned no car.

All of this unplugging has left me with a lot more time and, dare I say, mental energy. It may also have to do with a lighter load at school this semester, but I find myself re-engaging in politics in a way I haven't done since college; re-reading Marx and Engels, Polanyi, Derrida, Foucault and all the other oldies but goodies. I've even been writing a bit of political stuff- after all, I can't count on law school profs to give me a critical analysis of anything.

Another nice side effect is that the lack of phone and facebook makes it difficult for people to get in touch with me. Now, that could be annoying after a while, but briefly its a nice vacation. Its amazing how much more in control I am of my time- no longer a slave to texts and event invites. And since I don't even get any messages, I don't waste time thinking about whether to respond.

So yes, my head is a bit in the clouds these days- my friends don't know where I am, and I don't know anything about Gossip Girl or my ex-boyfriend's relationship status... but then, in a lot of ways I'm more focused on what's right in front of me. Which is convenient, because I'm still getting used to dodging traffic on my new bike route.

So, in conclusion, just in time for Rosh Hashanah things are looking very up! Now, onto vegan apple challah bread...

Vegan Brunch at Asylum (and my house!)

I can't believe I never heard of it until now, but a bar in the ultra-hip Adams Morgan neighborhood has a weekend brunch featuring extensive vegan options. As soon as I heard, I had to drag my boyfriend along to check it out!

Asylum is nestled between an array of other late-night hostpots on 18th street. A wrought iron fence by the entrance leads you to the downstairs level, where a pool table and brick walls surround the crowds by the bar. The upstairs features blood-red canopies and gothic light fixtures along with a second long bar- this is where the brunch takes place. When we got there around noon a waitress rushed up to tell us it would be a 20 minute wait- then came back 2 seconds later to seat us. This place is busy, but the tables turnover fast.

The menu has two sides- one vegan and one non-vegan. They make it clear that the vegan side is completely vegan, ie, even the worchester sauce for bloody marys contains no animal products. I also overheard a waitress telling the table next to us that the vegan brunch items are prepared in a separate kitchen from the other stuff. Very thorough! The menu featured a southwestern take on brunch, with tofu huevos rancheros, a scrampled tofu wrap with black beans, and assorted standard fare like french toast, soysage and pancakes. I opted for the huevos (although a texas toast breakfast sandwhich was tempting as well.)

The food came out fast and the portions were huge! Mine was a corn tostada layered with tofu scramble, salsa and soy cheese. It was served over black beans and fried potatoes. I was skeptical- the tofu looked undercooked and the salsa looked watery- but it was great! Subtly spicy, crunchy and filling. Total perfection for a hangover meal, or in my case a good start for a busy day. And when I looked up from wolfing the whole thing down, the boyf was pleased with his bacon breakfast wrap as well. We will DEFINITELY be back.

And speaking of brunch, I had the most perfect homemade brunch saturday as well. No pictures (alas!) but let me just tell you. I took half an everything bagel and half a raisin bagel, toasted each and spread with soy cream cheese. The everything bagel got topped with avacado, cherry tomatoes and red onion, the raisin bagel got strawberries. So simple, and oh-my-goodness was I in heaven. I don't think I'll ever go a weekend without this combo again.

Oh, and in other brunch news, Isa Chandra Moskowitz is coming out with a new brunch book! (Who hasn't heard that already, but still. ) I'm so psyched!

Sticky Fingers Bakery

I went to this fabulous vegan bakery/ coffee shop this weekend and was thrilled beyond expectations. Here are some of the features:
-pink and brown walls
-cinnamon buns
-cakes and cupcakes (tried the carrot cake and chocolate cupcakes- both were scrumptious and completely kick cakelove's ass)
-DIY hot dogs with cheeze and chili!
-really cute employees
-good coffee and soy creamer sitting out to put in it

I think I will be living there during final exams. Yay for Columbia Heights!