Vegan Soul Power's Summer Travel Guide for Vegans and Vegetarians

Are you coming to Europe this summer? That's funny, because I'm going to United States! (To get married, and then abscond with my beloved down the East Coast, ending up New Orleans!) Well here's a deal - I'll give you guys the vegan low-down for some of the European cities I've lived in or visited, and if you have a great tip for a must-eat place in the South, let me know in the comments!

*****
Budapest, Hungary

Why go: Budapest is romantic and sultry during the summertime. The Danube is draped in sparkling lights on either side and a walk down any winding street is likely to lead you to slightly run-down garden bar (Kert) packed with sweaty young cool-kids sampling beer and fruity palinka. There are thought-provoking museums and fantastic concerts for the culture lover, and plenty of do-able excursions to shady Buda or the country-side for nature lovers (try Lake Balaton!). And above all, its much more affordable visiting this city of lights than Paris.

Downside? Budapest's secret is out- everyone knows what a great place it is to visit in the summer, and tourists come in droves. This can either add to the international atmosphere, or create a situation where 20 drunk rugby players are picking fights at Szimpla Kert. But you'll be a tourist too, so you can handle it. 

What to Eat:
Street Food: Budapest isn't blessed with many street level food carts other than ice cream. However, if you go to any festival or up Castle Hill you will probably encounter langos, a type of fried bread smathered in sour cream (vegetarian.)

Restaurants: While vegetarian food is plentiful, vegan food is hard to come by in restaurants (but not impossible.) Hummus Bar has several locations and great hummus wraps for lunch, and there are a number of cafes in the Jewish Quarter that offer daily specials, often with vegan options. There are also several excellent Asian, Mexican, and Indian restaurants that have veg options.

Specialties: Budapest has outrageously fresh vegetables and many bio-stores with a wide range of vegan options, so cooking for yourself is a great option if its feasible. Be sure to pick up some Hungarian paprika (the spice and the vegetable), spring onions, peaches, cherries and plums which are all in season in the summer. More importantly: many bio shops offer vegan hot dogs and sausages with Hungarian spices, and these are some of the best meat substitutes I've ever had.

Check out my posts from Budapest for more tips and recipes.

Istanbul, Turkey

Why go: Istanbul is the puta madre of all cities. Its bigger, more bewildering, and more beautiful than anything you've ever seen (unless you've already been there.) The history is staggering- you don't get to be the capital of two major empires without some architectural baggage leftover. But this is also a city that knows how to surprise and delight, with a mix of intimate urban cafes and gardens and over-the-top grandiosity (like Hagia Sofia.). Its so simple to have a unique experience here- just try one of the hundreds of ferry boat trips leaving everyday between Europe and Asia.

Downside: Istanbulus are well aware of the city's draw for visitors, and an entire industry lives on them. This makes for some pushy salespeople sometimes. Just say "no" to that touristy restaurant or outrageously expensive rug- but don't feel bad getting talked into cheap souvenirs here and there.

What to Eat:
Street food: Vegans and vegetarians hit the jackpot on street-food here. You've got roasted chestnuts, grilled corn, fresh squeezed pomegranate juice, mixed nuts, and simits, bagel-like bread. (These are vegetarian for sure, but I highly suspect that they are often vegan as the recipe varies. Someone Turkish want to weigh in?)

Restaurants: Turkish food is heavy on meat and fish, but almost all of the accoutrements are vegan or vegetarian. There are apparently over 800 types of eggplant dishes in Turkish cuisine, and there are many types of salads served at most places, often with chickpeas, bulgur, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, ect- just ask! Its rare to find somewhere that has nothing vegan whatsoever. There are also several restaurants devoted entirely to veg cooking, but I must confess I never sought them out with all of the possibilities available.

Specialties: As I said, I've never found it necessary to cook for myself in Istanbul (the hospitality is fantastic) but between the plentiful and delicious fruits and vegetables, tahini and pekmez (a type of grape syrup) and many fragrant herbs and spices that you can find in specialty stores, vegetarian cooking is a breeze. Syrups and spices make great souvenirs, too.

And my posts from Istanbul have more.

Brussels, Belgium

Why go: As the Capitol of the European Union, you might think Brussels would have the stuffy, bureaucratic feeling of a place that is all business. And though you can certainly find that (just try Place Luxembourg) Brussels is distinctive not just for its European feeling, but as an diasporic intellectual center as well. From the winding streets of the African district Matonge to the Balkan bands playing Saturday mornings near Palais de Justice, to the Egyptian hookah bars circling Gare du Midi station, you can get an international feel from Brussels that is much more than just European.

Downside: Its expensive and the weather, more often than not, sucks. Luckily, the cozy indoor bars have as much to offer in people-watching as the outdoors. Try, for example, Le Pantin, right by Place Flagey.

Best fries in Brussels?

What to Eat:
Street food: Belgians are pretty sure that they invented the French fry (which begs the question... oh, never mind.) So this is your ultimate bet in Brussels, some portable pommes (hold the mayo) and a nice Belgian beer. Waffles are vegetarian and come with a variety of toppings, but only tourists go for all of that strawberry and chocolate stuff on top. (Its sugary enough, mon cherie.) Speaking of chocolate, milk-free chocolate can be found in most fancy chocolate shops, so don't fret.

Restaurants: I bet that Belgian food is really good, but even after living there a year I wouldn't know- its all butter and meat stuffed with endives and other stuff that isn't in my wheelhouse. A better bet is to go foreign and try African and Asian cuisine. Indochine, an excellent Vietnamese restaurant in Ixelles, has pho and plenty of other treats. Cruise around Matonge for a soy latte at Blomqvist's Espresso bar (if the same hot Swedish guy owns it you're in for a treat) and some African snacks on Rue de Long Vie. There's also Egyptian and Algerian food to be found... you know what? You can't go wrong on restaurants. Just avoid Belgian food and the overpriced tourist fare in Grand Place and you'll be fine.

Specialties: Vegan specialties in Brussels abound. First and foremost, yogurt, creamer, and dairy replacements in general are supreme here. Bio shops have a truly great array of nut and soy milks, and great different flavors of yogurt. Aside from that, Brussel's multicultural side means it is THE place in Europe to find the kind flavors that are devoid elsewhere- in the market and shops you can find plantains and mangoes, lemongrass stalks, tagine spices and piri-piri... the only limit is your imagination. Oh yeah.... and BEER.

Check out my other posts from Brussels for more.



Belgrade, Serbia

Why go: Because Belgrade is the capitol of easy luxury. (Don't laugh!) Where else in Europe can you eat at fine restaurants, sing along to live music all night on a riverside boat, stroll through a Ottoman fortress during the day, and never break a sweat about your bank account? A taxi across town is $5, a haircut, dye job, blowout and mani-pedi won't crack $30, soccer matches are often free, and you can score tickets to the world class ballet for just $2. Aside from the savings, Belgrade is a town that is just incredibly generous with its gifts. Its clear and sunny almost everyday, fragrant flowery trees line shady streets packed with cute cafes, and its hard to find a city with better looking, more intellectually stimulating people. Maybe I'm just charmed because I've had such a great experience here, but apparently some people agree with me.


Downside: Belgrade is best seen with someone who knows their way around the city. So couch-surf or scour your networks for someone who lives here and see the city with a local.

What to Eat:
Street Food: Most street food is meet oriented (Ćevap Čići or hot dogs) but there is one fun option: popcorn! (I have to admit though, I think popcorn is a dumb idea of street food in a windy city.)

Restaurants: There are some excellent upscale restaurants with vegetarian and vegan options, but I find myself gravitating more towards kafanas, inexpensive, homey places often featuring live music and a livelier atmosphere. The menus are meat-oriented, but if you know what to look for you can always find something. I stick to broiled mushrooms with rice, prebanac a bean casserole flavored with onions or bacon (so ask!), polenta, or broiled peppers with crusty bread. One thing that Belgrade does not do well, in my experience, is Asian food, so resist the temptation to get some tofu draped in ketchup.

Specialties: If you're vegetarian, Belgrade is a cake-walk since people here like to wash down a greasy, cheese-filled pastry (burek) with a yogurt drink for breakfast. (Oy.) Vegans will want to stick to the excellent vegetables and fruit. In the summer, markets are filled with strawberries, cherries and plums, plus juicy peppers, greens onions, and walnuts. When I want to make own version of a local dish I'll make a paste out of roasted walnuts and garlic to coat some red peppers, served over polenta with green onions. Down-home Serbian, vegan style.

For more posts from Serbia, just look below.

Happy traveling, and don't forget to visit Berlin, which I have covered extensively since its my home base in Europe.


Song of the Day: Santigold- Disparate Youth

Vegan Brazilian Feijoada, quickly

On a cold and rainy day, there's nothing quite as comforting as a big warm pot of feijoada. Since Brussels is often cold and rainy, I first learned about this miracle cure when I lived above a group of Brazilian guys in Belgium. Every Saturday, a smokey, rich cooking smell would drift up to my apartment during the morning, and continue all day. In the late afternoon, I would hear them playing guitars and singing in Portuguese, clearly having an awesome party while I shivered in my apartment. Finally, I got invited one day, when I happened to be walking by the open door. I learned that the all-day dish was feijoada, Brazil's national dish. Its a combination of slow simmered black beans, various types of meat, bay leaves and other spices, with wine or beer. The vegan way, of course, involves some substitutions, but its still incredibly rich, comforting and delicious, especially with sides of orange rice, braised kale, and roasted plantains, the traditional accoutrements to the rich stew.

The real, "from scratch" recipe takes several hours, given that you use dried beans to get a luscious broth. But sometimes I do a short-cut recipe for weeknights that captures most of the appeal of the original without the many hours of stirring. I definitely recommend trying the traditional recipe, however- both Viva Vegan and Color Me Vegan offer awesome versions (and you can't get that perfectly thick bean broth with canned beans, alas.) However, once you've mastered those, you may find yourself craving the dish on non-special occasions, such as a particularly gross rainy day. In that case, I think my version holds up fairly decently, and my feijoada-obsessed boyfriend agrees.

*****
Brazilliant Feijoada serves 4

2 16 oz cans black (turtle) beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, diced
2 cups mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup deuhydrated soy curls or similar (I use "soja schnetzel")
1 cup red wine
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
4 cups vegetable broth (or water + veg bouillon)
1 sprig fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dried
1 bay leaf
1 and 1/2 Tbs. cumin
1and 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1.) Reconstitute soy curls by pouring boiling veg broth (about 2 cups) over them (enough to cover) and soaking for about 5 minutes. Then drain, squeezing against colander gently to release excess water, and set aside.
2.) In a large, sturdy pot, heat a few good glugs of oil over medium low heat. When hot, add in onions and stir to coat. After 1-2 minutes, add in garlic. When garlic and onions are soft, season well with salt and pepper and pour in red wine to deglaze, cooking a few minutes more.
3.) Add in mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes, then add in soy curls, beans, remaining two cups veg broth, and remaining ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to low. Let stew simmer for 30 minutes, stirring ocassionally. Meanwhile, prepare accoutrements (ie, roasted plantains, greens of your choosing, orange rice.)
4.) After stew has boiled down and sauce has become thick, taste and adjust seasonings. (I usually add a bit more soy sauce and balsamic at this point.) Let cook a bit longer until plenty thick, and serve hot with plenty of rice and hot sauce. Leftovers are even better the next day.
 *****

For more on roasting plantains, see here. For more on cooking dried beans, which I fully encourage despite the above recipe, see here.


Song of the Day: Aguas de Marco- Cibo Matto

Passover

So I was really starting to freak out about how I was going to serve a full Passover Seder in my tiny apartment, with so few dishes and silverware to go around. Not to mention how was I going to make several hot dishes at once with two burners and a postage-stamp sized oven? But I had a brainstorm! Since Passover is all about dipping anyways (part of the tradition involves dipping vegetables into salt water), I would just make a variety of dips and finger food for everyone to share while relaxing and enjoying the conversation, which naturally revolved around the Haggadah (the story of the Jews flight from Egypt, which is traditionally read at the Seder.) Well, this ended up being a totally brilliant idea, and I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time and enjoyed the more casual atmosphere, more than they would have if I was freaking out.
The Menu:
-Charoset
-Cucumber Dip
-Curried Carrot Dip
-Red Pepper Dip
-Matzoh, fruits and veggies for dipping
-Stuffed Mushrooms
-Eggplant and Potato casserole
- Macaroons and home-made chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert

Having just recovered Veganomicon when my brother brought it from the US, I whipped up the Curried Carrot Dip and the Mediterranean-Style Cashew Cucumber Dip. Both were incredible, both on matzoh and with veggies, but I have to say that the Cucumber dip was a huge hit. Really cooling and garlicky and just delicious- would be a nice alternative to hummus. I also made the Red Pepper Tapenade that I recently made for a pizza topping, and that was also great.

Naturally, I made charoset, a mortar-like mixture of apples, walnuts, dates, honey (or in my case, agave), cinnamon and kosher wine. However, the omnipresent sugary Manischewitz wine was not widely available in Bxl, so I had to go with a Israeli white wine, which might have improved the flavor, but didn't die the mixture the characteristic red I'm used to. (I'm acting like this is no big deal now, but the day of I was like, "No manischevitz? WHAT IS THIS COUNTRY!!!?")

As for the stuffed mushrooms, I've made these a few times now and they are always supremely awesome and open to variations. Just make sure to make plenty, because otherwise you won't get to have any. (Take it from one who knows.)


Stuffed Mushrooms
-15-20 largish mushrooms
-2 tbs. olive oil
-1 yellow onion, diced tiny
-2 shallots, diced tiny
-balsamic vinegar or red or white wine
-matzoh meal or vegan cheese for topping

1. Clean each mushroom by wiping with a damp towel. Cut off the stems of each, then using a small spoon or paring knife, pop out the inside part of the stem so that each mushroom has an indentation that would fit about a teaspoon. (This takes practice, but you'll get the hang of it after a few.) Reserve the stems and the inside portions, and chop into small pieces. Place de-capped mushrooms on a greased cookie sheet.
2. Preheat oven to 350 farenheit, or 200 celcius. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium. Add in onions and shallots and cook until fragrant, then add in mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized and mushrooms are browning.
3. Next, add in a goodly splash of balsamic (or wine or sherry) to deglaze the pan. Cook for 3 more minutes then turn off the heat.
4. Now, using a small spoon, scoop the onion mixture into each mushroom a little bit at a time. (You will probably have leftover filling for snacking on.) When each is full, sprinkle a bit of matzoh meal or cheese on top and stick in the oven. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until mushrooms have browned.

All in all, it was one of my favorite Passover Seder's yet, and a really good confidence builder: if I can do one here, I can do one anywhere!


Song of the Day: Mika- Relax (Take it Easy)

Finally Spring?

Pommes Frites in Grand Platz: So freakin' Belgian (haha, kinda...)

My little brother came to Brussels last week, can you believe it!? Not only that, but he basically brought Spring with him... No Rooz, Passover, Easter are all here or coming, and the weather is adjusting accordingly. At least for me, the added sunshine as well as my little brother's brief presence has led to a complete mood shift, and I'm so excited for everything coming up, even the stressful parts. (Meh, what's stressful anyways, after the bar exam.)

In order to make my bro feel at home in sometimes-bewildering Europe, I decided to cook for him a large Mexican plate, which, although we are not Mexican, is one of my whole family's favorite comfort foods. (Either that or Thai food are the two things perpetually on the table at my house in VA.) So, in my tiny kitchen I whipped up the following: Urban Vegan's Havana Beans and Rice, Cashew Sour Cream from Vegan Brunch, Avocado and Mango salsa (from me) and some simple fried plantains. If we had been at home it probably would have also had some sweet potatoes, but those things are bloody expensive here! To top it off, I had some vinegar and a bit of tabasco. My friends and family member gobbled everything up happily, and the culture shock was drastically reduced. My bro also brought a lot of amazing things with him from my parents, including some vital wheat gluten, dried cranberries, maple syrup, and the new VegNews and Vegetarian Times. I was in American seventh heaven, let me tell you.
A splash of vinegar on top is now mandatory, thanks to Urban Vegan.

After a few days of Brussels, with attendant lemon pea risotto (no pics, sorry!), frites and vegan Pho at Indochine, one of my favorite veg-friendly restaurants on Rue Lebroussart, we headed to Berlin to meet up with S. There we really introduced my brother to some European decadence with lots of late nights out at loud and smoky clubs, long walks through Kreutzberg, and an absolute overload of falafel, hummus, and Berliner Kindl. In other words, a perfect introduction to that grand town. We also visited the "Modern Times" exhibit at the Neue Nationalgalerie which was full of gorgeous, weird, and moving works by German and non-German artists, as well as a few of the pieces that had been sold or lost during the National Socialist era because of their denunciation as "degenerate art." I highly recommend it if you happen to be in Berlin anytime soon.

When I got back I had the honor of attending a No Rooz celebration hosted by the wife of the ambassador to Afghanistan in Brussels. I am taking some food photographs for an upcoming (non-vegetarian) Afghan cookbook that will benefit a woman's school in Afghanistan. No Rooz is a Zoroastrian New Years holiday celebrated throughout the world, but particularly in Iran and Afghanistan. The food was absolutely gorgeous and that which was vegetarian was delicious. (That which wasn't I think could be quite easily, and I'm looking into it for next year...)
For more on No Rooz, go check out Amey's blog, she has some gorgeous pictures and great recipes from her family's celebration this year.

Hope you all are enjoying the first pangs of Spring as much as I am...

Song of the Day: Nick Cave- Breathless

Broke Food: Pancakes!

I love Belgium and all, and I don't mean to be a bratty American, but oh man, was my Thanksgiving ever LAME! 12€ (which is twice my daily budget) for mashed potatoes with pumpkin in it and some lingonberry sauce at this terribly hip club for ex-pats. I would have made something myself, but not having the money nor apartment space to cook for everyone, I decided to go where everyone else was going...bad idea. Next year I'm having a real Thanksgiving, come hell or high water, and I will even get a you-tubed version of this year's Macy's parade and some football americano...

I was consoled, however, by a) free drink tickets and b) fantasizing about what glorious good eats I will cook up over my brief sojourn in the USA over the holidays. Not only will I have access to all my lovely cookbooks and pantry staples, but my little brother will be in residence as a sous chef... and you know I will be cooking up some latkes, pot pies, brunch goodies, plus all the goodies I missed on Thanksgiving. So, there's that to look forward to. Plus all the mouthwatering food in the blog-o-sphere... as usual, Team Vegan does not disappoint.

AT ANY RATE... still as poor as a Charles Dickens/ Victor Hugo character, so have been subsisting on many boring and simple meals such as oatmeal and lentils (but not together.) The next few blog posts will explore some new dirt-cheap meal alternatives, and though I still have no camera, I eat these items often enough to have a million pictures of them.

SEE?
Pancakes!
I never realized before how little time and money it takes to make pancakes from scratch. When you don't have any fruits or veggies, a little flour and soymilk and you still have something great. More importantly, when you do have fruits and veggies, you can transform them into something really special (and more crucially, filling and leftover-producing.) Here's my standard recipe (approx, as have no great measuring tools yet), plus variations:

1 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
3/4 C. soymilk
1 tbsp. sweetener
1 tbsp. oil or melted margarine

-Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until "just mixed." (You can also do the seperate bowl for wet/dry ingredients thing, although my research suggests this does not matter so long as you assemble your ingredients promptly.) Drop by the ladleful onto a medium hot greased skillet. Serve with syrup or whatev.

VARIATIONS: You can pretty much put anything in pancakes, which makes it ideal when you have like, 1 rotting pear on the shelf. You may have to adjust the liquid or flour, but essentially you just need to chop something into small pieces and figure out appropriate accompaniment. Examples...

Apple Onion Curry Pancakes - cut up an apple and a small onion and add to the mix, ommiting the sweetener. Add in 1 and 1/2 tsp curry powder. Serve with mango chutney and soy yogurt.
Banana Oatmeal pancakes- Replace 1/4 of the cup of flour with oatmeal flakes. Mash in a banana with wet ingredients. Add in a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon. (I've also made this with a rotting pear, and it was great.)
Cowboy Corncakes - Recipe here!

Pumpkin or squash pancakes- make like the banana pancakes and add in mushed leftover pumpkin or squash. This one can be sweet or savory depending on what's on hand.

I secretly suspect you can make almost anything into pancakes, and I intend to try it more as I get more and more desperate. Carrot pancakes? Mushroom pancakes? Brussels Sprouts pancakes? Why not... Yes, on my gravestone, please write: "Here lies T, she made everything into pancakes."

Song of the Day: Trude Herr- Ich will Keine Schokolade

Good luck with Bad luck

(Obligatory Brussels Photo: Grand Platz!)

I'm always amazed at how people can continue to latch on to the belief that people are inherently bad, selfish animals. Sure, you can find plenty of evil things that people do, but they so dim in comparison to the incredibly good things that people do, for no apparent benefit to themselves.

Take the other day. I'm on the bus, and this girl in the seat across from me leaves her cellphone without noticing. The girl sitting next to her, leaps off the bus, and runs down the street to return it to her. In the process, the bus doors close, leaving her to wait for the next bus 15-20 minutes later. Most remarkably, this girl just smiled and shrugged when the doors closed in her face! Just to be nice, she missed her stop and added another wait to her, no doubt, busy morning. I love people.

A similarly bizarre kind thing happened to me the other day, when I was approached by someone who recognized me from my drivers license photo and handed back my wallet! The money was gone, but the documents and identity cards were all intact! Its so amazing how the initial tragedy- losing the wallet, is completely out-shined by the random act of kindness that followed it.

My friend Kat said that I evidently have "good luck with bad luck", and I couldn't agree more! She also made me this amazing pumpkin soup that somehow, magically, lasted me a week when I was dying without my money access cards. There are more recipes for pumpkin soup out there than anything, but this one was basically pumpkin, potatoes, shallots, soy creamer, and veggie bouillon. It was, needless to say, simple and amazing!

When I finally got my money back, I got more good luck: I finally found some black beans! You wouldn't think this would be such a triumph, but I've really been dying for them and they are, evidently, very rare in these parts. I cooked them up with some hot sauce, onions and tomatoes, and served them in a tortilla with sauteed mushrooms and corn with some lime yogurt and avocados. I was literally in heaven. Certainly the first thing I will do upon return to the US is pig out on the freely-available Mexican food!

But still, even with all the good luck, the food expenses here are killing me. I've been eating a lot of witch-sauce, rice, couscous, lentils... I need to get back into strategizing a healthy diet with a shoe-string budget. No more avacados and eggplant for me, its back to basics! But then, restrictions can be good for your creativity as well... Wish me more good luck!

More black beans: chipotle black beans and red quinoa
More pumpkin:Kabocha, Eggplant, and Mushroom Stir-Fry
More Mushrooms: Creamy Mushroom and Leek Risotto


Song of the Day: The Clash- Career Opportunities

Soy una perdedor

I've never considered myself an especially unlucky person, but there is one area of my life in which I consistently demonstrate terrible juju: losing valuables. I've lost a passport, 3 ipods, my birth certificate, class rings, cameras and countless headphones and pieces of jewelry. And this week I lost MY WALLET. In a FOREIGN COUNTRY. It was probably stolen, but I don't think that ruins the unbroken chain of bad luck that follows me around when I need to not misplace something. This is especially bad because it had a lot of the identity papers I need to prove myself to the endless stream of beaurocrats making me jump through hoops. So, needless to say, I was not pleased.

However, I'm starting to wonder if God has chosen me to lose everything for a reason. Maybe a certain amount of items have to be lost everyday on earth, and God figures I'm kind of used to it and can handle it without freaking out. Or maybe I do it to myself to add drama and excitement to otherwise perfectly wonderful weeks... and what's more exciting then being money and i.d.-less in a foreign country? On this occasion though, luck was on my side (kind of) because I had just done the grocery shopping for the week, so at least I was covered as far as food. (And don't tell anyone, but they aren't especially harsh about making people buy bus tickets here.) So I actually had a marvelous dinner, seitan steak with red-wine mushroom sauce, fingerling potatoes and sugar snap peas.

My parents often wonder how I get over these terrible losses so quickly... and while, yes, I'm frustrated at the weeks of paperwork ahead, I figure: 1) these things have to happen to somebody, 2) I could be prone to a much worse habit, say, breaking bones or drug addiction, and 3) if I spent more than 5 minutes mourning my lost possessions, I wouldn't have time for anything else.

Song of the Day: Whiskeytown- Mirror, Mirror

Back on track

La Pasionaria on Avenue de Stalingrad

I'm back! After a bout of bad internet connectivity and the loss of my camera cord, I thought VeganMOFO was going to be more like VeganNO-Fo for me, but now things are relatively straightened out.

And not just with the internet. After weeks of constant stress, I have now basically figured out everything I needed to know, from how to print at the Flemish copy shop, how to order a beer in french, where to find seitan and tempeh and vegan chocolate, and most critically, how to cook without burning my apartment down. (Although that last one took rather more attention then one might think.) Despite constant reminders of my own stupidity, my general outlook is now very sunny. Brussels is beautiful, dirty and bizarre... but certainly filled with amazing food. I don't think I've ever eaten so well in my life! The trick is to not spend all your money on food, which is something I accomplish by shopping the Sunday markets for fruits, veggies, and spices, the organic market just for the most hard-to-find luxuries (since its so expensive) and the corner bodega for everything else.

One thing I've gotten very obsessed with is soy yogurt. They sell it in huge containers at the organic market, and in every flavor under the sun. (Including plum and apricot!) I like to get the plain and cover it in strawberries, puffed quinoa "soufflé" (another amazing discovery) and a drizzle of agave nectar. Another way to use it is my own version of a Waldorf Salad: thinly sliced roasted beets, apples, and carrots with walnuts and a bunch of lemon juice, tossed in yogurt, salt and pepper. I feel like I ought to be sitting at a fancy hotel in the fifties when I eat this, and its also a good way to use up the yogurt since everything here goes bad in about two days. (I guess they don't like preservatives here? So un-American.) The same is true for fruits and vegetables, which I don't really understand. Have they been injecting our strawberries and broccoli with preservatives? Or is my American fridge just stronger?

Either way, I essentially need to empty the contents of my fridge bi-weekly to be able to eat things before they deteriorate, so I've been experimenting with simple-as-possible meals with very few elements. A winner the other day was smoky tempeh and broccoli in some garlic-chili hot sauce. This was one of the meals that nearly set my flat on fire ("smoky" tempeh indeed), but it was still quite good.

And I had missed tempeh so much. It may mean having to go to 3 different grocery stores to stock up on things, but at least I have a routine now.

Song of the Day: Of Montreal- An Eluardian Instance

Witch Sauce and Strange Things

The really lovely thing about being in a foreign country is that so many things seem mysterious which might, if you were at home, seem commonplace or even obnoxious. You glimpse strange things while walking by open doors, smell heady and unknown delicacies cooking, and hear live music playing from rooftops and basements... all of it seems to have some story that is more interesting by virtue of the fact that you don't understand it, aren't part of it. My downstairs neighbors' late-night fighting, for instance, takes on a romantic quality that causes me to speculate about their passionate french, rather than merely stomp on the floor like I probably would in the US. Similarly, the large, empty office buildings near my flat, tucked in the middle of residential neighborhoods, inspire my imagination with their dark names, "mercelis" or "syalin corp."... They sound like ancient gothic cults or obscure security organizations bent on global domination, but they probably produce antibacterial hand spray or water filters or some such thing.

At any rate, one of the biggest mysteries has been my cooking. Without proper measurements, essential ingredients, cookbooks, (and some would say common sense), I've been consistently making jaw-droppingly good meals for myself. Its truly uncanny.

Take the other evening. I decided to inaugurate the "oven" (ie, huge toaster-oven contraption with instructions ostensibly in hungarian) by merely roasting a sweet potato I was lucky enough to find. While waiting, I sliced up some ginger and shallots and contemplated a little sauce for the sweet potato... maybe with some coconut milk too? Cardamom? Hell, an apple... why not.... and while I sauntered in and out of the tiny kitchen (a feat readily accomplished in one step) I heard a strange sizzling sound, and some popping. It turns out, the "oven" gets incredibly hot, and all of the jars, plastic bags of spices, and fruits nearby were cracking, melting, and cooking. While I hollered and jumped up and down calmly removed the scalding items from their place and cleaned up the burst spices, the shallots caramelized and the coconut milk boiled down to a thick and creamy and ridiculously tasty sauce for my *perfectly cooked* sweet potatoes. What else to call a sauce that turns perfect when all hell is breaking loose, except "witch sauce?"

Tonight I made it again, more intentionally, and served it over some tempeh, carrots, pasta and sugar-snap peas. It was still suspiciously delicious. Here is the gist of the recipe, as usual without measurements, but you get the picture.

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Witch Sauce Serve over roasted root veggies or as a light pasta sauce

In a small sauce/saute pan, heat a good glop of olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add in a sliced large shallot (or sub 1/2 an onion) and about 1" worth of peeled and chopped ginger. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until shallots have become soft and caramelized. In the meantime, chop 1/2 of an apple into small chunks. When shallots are ready, sprinkle pinches of any combination of the following: black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, curry powder. Cook a moment longer, then add in apples. Stir, then add in 1/2 a can of coconut milk and a dash of hot pepper sauce (if you want) and turn the heat up to high. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then let simmer a few more minutes until sauce has thickened. Serve over whatever, but it seems to like orange vegetables.
*****

There is something very satisfying about knowing that no matter how confused and alert I am, when making this sauce tonight there was probably someone walking by on my little street, smelling my bizarre and delicious sauce, hearing my weird music, and wondering what on earth was going on behind the curtains...

Song of the Day: St. Vincent- The Strangers


*PS- Sadly, I guess I'm not doing VeganMoFo. My internet, like everything else in BRXL, operates in a fashion that is beyond my earthly control or understanding, and precludes regular posting. But on those occasions when it is working I'll love catching up on everyone else's month, and can't wait to do it next year. :)*

Minimalist Eggplant and Mushroom Tagine

I know that when one is stressed and overwhelmed, experts would say that the best thing to do is go for a jog, have some chamomile tea, and confide in a friend. However, at the moment I'm finding that complete denial is also working just fine.

For instance, tonight, instead of acknowledging the mountains of loan deferrals, residence paperwork, and french notecards, I have been pretending that I am giving a very nice dinner party for myself with a sophisticated minimalist Moroccan theme. (Not poor, minimalist. There's a difference.) I'm also pretending that none of the paperwork is urgent, and that I'm not likely to default on my loans/ get deported/ become an utter failure, etc, if I do not complete all these things.


Luckily, the dinner party did not dissapoint. Did you know that you can make a pretty rockin' tagine with about 6 ingredients? (More if you use individual spices rather than a spice mix.) Here's the completely measurement-less recipe, for those of you playing along at home.

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Minimalist Moroccan Tagine Serves 1, obviously

In a pan or pot heat a good puddle of olive oil over medium heat. Add in 1 diced shallot and cook for a few minutes, or until translucent. Add in 1/2 of a eggplant which you have previously sliced, salted, wiped off and diced. Cook until eggplant chunks are starting to brown, and add in a few handfuls of sliced mushrooms. Cook another 3-5 minutes, then sprinkle over veggies a palm-ful of tagine spice mix, found at your local Belgian farmers market. (Or merely sprinkle over a mix of equal parts cinnamon, ginger, cumin, smoked paprika, plus a little pepper and turmeric.) Raise heat to medium high and add in two diced plum tomatoes plus a handful of diced dried apricots. Cook until tomatoes start to break down, then lower heat to medium low and cook another 5-10 minutes.

Serve with rice and sliced almonds. (Mint tea would be nice too, but let's not get too fancy.)
****

All together, this piecemeal dinner actually turned out shockingly good. So good that I may even be up for doing some work tonight. And actually, I think that a few hours of avoidance might be just as effective as those other, more healthy techniques... not that I will ever know. :)

Song of the Day: Wilco- Wishful Thinking

A more elaborate (and also delicious) tagine:
Eggplant and Chickpea Tagine

A Beautiful Sunday

Sunday I woke up in my new flat to a strange stillness. Having left my windows open the last few nights, I'm getting accustomed to waking up to honks, shouts, and a general morning buzz from the nearby thoroughfare. Aside from the overcast gray skies and the occasional church bells, something was off. Having already earmarked the day for checking out the flea market in St-Gilles, I got dressed and headed in the direction of the metro.

On the streets the stillness continued, punctuated by the occasional bicycle bell. In fact, when I looked around, I realized there were way more bicyclists than normal. Upon walking a little further, I realized that, actually, there were ONLY bicyclists. (Well, the occasional roller-blader.) Instead of taking my life in my hands every time I crossed the streets, I was one of a throng of pedestrians and non-motorists crowding the fashionable Avenue Louisa. I started to think I was in the middle of some kind of Critical Mass.

When I reached the metro station, I had the matter cleared up. The ticket counter informed me that metros were free all day, since across Brussels this was a day without cars,(Journée Sans Voitures)! Finally in on the joke, I grinned walking the foggy, spacious streets that were filled not with crazed cab-drivers and poor-park jobs, but little children on roller skates, parents carting babies in little bicycle cabs behind them, and old couples holding hands on bikes as they leisurely rode down a hill. What an amazing experience... confirmed proof that another world is possible!

By the time I was at the market, I was jubilant. And luckily, the market itself was no let-down. Stretching several blocks in a spiral around Gare Midi, the different stalls boasted all kinds of fruits, veggies, flowers and spices, as well as tons of clothing, suitcases, shoes, kitchen supplies, you name it. I was so relieved- a few days in posh Ixelles and I was starting to think I was going to have to live off lentils. There's a better solution: just save the shopping for Sundays! I found a bunch of spices (including the elusive black salt), some gorgeous plants, some kitchen stuff, even a jacket for 3 euros. (I'll learn how to barter later, for now just seeing some reasonable prices was thrilling enough.)

All the way home the streets were still filled with bikers of all ages, shapes and nationalities, lots of whom were eating ice cream, laughing with their friends, or waiting for small children to catch up. I wish this car holiday happened every Sunday...

St-Gilles Weekend Market- Sundays 6am until 2pm, streets surrounding Gare Midi Station

Song of the Day: Beta Band- Squares

A perfect avocado, Euro-Poor Lentils

After a traumatizing arrival in Brussels (mr. cab driver, how was I supposed to know I live on a "Rue" and not a "Boulevard?") and finding my studiously nouveau-bohemian sub-let in Ixelles, I immediately did the following:

-got lost for an hour looking for a simple grocery store in the neighborhood;
-almost cried when I saw how expensive mere essentials like bread and chocolate soymilk were;
-almost cried again when I saw the first perfectly ripe avocado I'd seen in Europe (this time, tears of joy);
-proceeded back to apartment with ungodly expensive essentials, to find that it was no use washing off veggies with brown chalky water from sputtering sink;
-just collapsed in a useless heap on the floor, stuffed food into my face for about two hours, stopping only to pour cheap red wine straight from the bottle down throat;
-prayed would wake up hungover in Berlin.

Ahem. So this was day one.

Day two was a little better. I found a knife. I fixed the sink. I put some food on a plate. This was to get my nerve up for an endeavor involving public transportation and meeting fellow students from my program. Notice the lovely avocado.

Although I still got lost, still speak nothing of French except some extremely un-useful anarchist quotes, and still almost had a panic attack trying to avoid insane Brussels motorists, I made it home in one piece and felt a good deal more civilized.

Day 3 I even ventured to cook something. Finding that the only things that are even *close* to reasonably priced are lentils and red wine, I decided to combine those two things for this simple and satisfying recipe.

Euro-Poor Lentil Stew - for the girl with no measuring cups or money

Simmer a diced shallot or a couple cloves of garlic in olive oil over medium heat until fragrant. Add in a half coffee cup of lentils along with a handful of diced carrots, red pepper, and mushrooms, or whatever is handy and doesn't cost and arm and a leg. Cook about five minutes, than add in a diced plum tomato and a palm-full of herbs de provence. Cook till tomato juices are simmering, than add in enough red wine to almost cover the lot of it. Cover and simmer until lentils are soft (10-15 minutes). Serve with crusty bread (and more wine.)


What will Day 4 bring? Lord knows... but hopefully more avocados...

Song of the Day: Pavement- Shady Lane

La propriété, c'est le vol!

There is no time that I am more fervently anti-property than when its time to move. (Reading all the Proudhon lately probably doesn't help, either.) Not only do I get irritated by all the stupid useless shit I've acquired, but I grow disgusted with the concept of property altogether. We are not equipped as a society to deal with the bountiful and often unrecyclable clutter, not to mention thousands upon thousands of wire hangers, that results from our materialism. Well, I am not equipped as a society. I'm about ready to throw it all in the dumpster.

Yet, while I would think nothing at the moment of giving away my favorite books, clothes, jewelry to anyone who will take them, I have to admit that the materialistic side of me finally flares up when it comes to parting with kitchen supplies. I have tablecloths and home-made aprons from college, pastry-cutters and rolling pins, mismatched measuring tools of all kind, and at least two french presses. So now, the question becomes: what essentials from all of this excess shall I bring to Brussels?

I'm also agonizing over which of my 10,000 cookbooks to bring (and the fact that I can't buy Vegan Brunch or Vegan Lunch Box: Around the World is killing me.) I'm getting to the point where its going to be more spices, gadgets and books than clothes. And we can't be having that in fashionable Bxl. I'd love some advice, internet pals!

Tell me: If you were moving to a foreign country, unsure of what kitchen scenario you would be living in for the next year, what essential kitchen accessories would you pack? Keep in mind I'm limited to 100 lbs over too bags, so my food processor is out. :(

In the meantime, amidst the chaos, I've been making whatever I can throw together to empty my cupboards. A huge curry to get rid of coconut milk, diced tomatoes, chickpeas, and every veg in the crisper. Muffins to get rid of the bananas and flour. Wraps to get rid of frozen corn and the rest of the veg. Etc, etc, etc. Of course, the chocolate hazelnut spread, peanut butter, and pistachios from the cupboard were all finished off at once, with a spoon. :)

And despite being a big bag of nerves over moving and trying to get last minute visa stuff together, I'm incredibly excited to explore Brussels more. I can't wait to discover the vegan cooking scene beyond pommes frites, and try all the belgian ales I can... while of course staying on track with the development of my career. (Of course.) If I can really get everything done on time it will be such a miracle...

Song of the Day: Grizzly Bear- Two Weeks