So, about that food...

The "steak" recipe I used for the shooter sandwich didn't work out - good for texture, but flavor needs tweaking. We ended up eating the as "steaks", thusly:

So, this was a variation on a seitan recipe for a "steak" type base. The steaks themselves turned out rather flavorless...kinda like meat, really, so...points for authenticity? Anyway, I boosted the flavor by sauteing them in a "not-beef" broth reduction with red wine, minced garlic, finely-chopped onion shallots, shiitakes, creminis, tamari and vegan worcestershire sauce. The result was very palatable, if a tad...meat-like.

What is steak without potatoes, right? These are banana fingerlings and baby blues from our garden this summer, with half a medium white onion, some garlic, savory, and tarragon (because, as I discovered, I was out of rosemary).

Served the whole lot up with some organic green beans, steamed. It should be noted that variations of water-sauteing were used in pretty much all recipes here. Flavor is not impacted, if one adds seasonings. 

I did, however, make some tequila-lime-agave "shrimp" tacos...

Look for these in your fridge or freezer section for those die-hard seafood fans in your life. Sophie's prawns are passable, but their breaded "fish" fillets are much more convincing.

The prawns, after two hours marinating in a tequila-lime-agave sauce with spices. I threw together a batch of my blackening spice, and tossed it in with the marinade. Really livened things up. The base for the sauce was juice of one lime, a shot of tequila, a half tablespoon of agave syrup. Then I added two fresh cloves of garlic, minced red onion, chopped green onion, and blackening spice.

I wasn't feeling like making my own soft shells. These whole wheat ones were a pretty good pick - locally made, too.

Chipotle black frijoles. So, this was a can of black beans, rinsed and drained; one small white onion, chopped; two mid-size cloves of garlic, minced; half to 3/4 cup of water, and half a can of chipotle peppers in mole sauce. Toss the whole lot into a Blendtec or food processor, pulse until smooth, and simmer over low-medium heat until thickened. May not look like much in the photo, but it is packed with flavor. And definitely not for the heat-intolerant - this stuff will cure what ails you!

Clockwise from left, the players: Heirloom pico de gallo, shredded red leaf lettuce, lime wedges, and avocado.

The finished plate: Chipotle frijoles and spiced couscous (I ran out of time to make rice) with pico, and shrimp taco with all the fixings. 

As for the B.L.A.T., eh...I ended up veganizing a "carne con chili" recipe I found featured on the New York Times' website, instead:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/28/dining/texas-chili-makes-a-welcome-guest.html?ref=dining

I blame the cold snap for the sudden substitution. But it was DELICIOUS. My changes and additions are listed, first:

Cook up a cup of brown rice and set aside (I like it steamed - better texture).

1-2 pkgs Gardein Beefless Tips
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 heaping tablespoon whole cumin seed
1 heaping tablespoon whole coriander
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 can (or 3 large ripe) diced tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic
2-3 jalapenos, sliced, seeds in (or not, if you don't like it that spicy)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder or 1/3 of a standard bar of plain, DARK chocolate
1 12oz. can or bottle of beer of choice...I used some home-brewed amber that I have bottled, and would recommend a beer on the brown/dark end of the spectrum, for this recipe.
1-2 tablespoons chili powder (I used ancho)
1/4 to 1/3 cup masa or corn flour
3-4 whole dried chilies of choice (I used colorado)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (garnish)

Toast the cumin and coriander in a dry skillet until fragrant. Crush with a mortar and pestle, set aside. 

"Brown" the beefless tips in the largest skillet you have with olive oil (and a concentrated beefless broth, if you have access to such a thing) until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside, but leave the liquid. 

Add to the pan black beans, garlic, onion, toasted spices, jalapenos, chili powder, and paprika. Turn until well until all is well-mixed. Put the beefless tips back in, and add the masa; turn to coat everything. Now, add the tomatoes, beer, and chocolate. Turn everything again until fully incorporated, then toss the whole chilies in and gently cover in the sauce. Simmer until the chilies are tender and breaking up. 

Serve in big bowls with a generous helping of cilantro, a squeeze of fresh lime juice (if desired), and some of this cornbread:

http://food52.com/recipes/31697-no-fuss-vegan-cornbread

Photos of these recipes will follow, just as soon as I can make more...it didn't last ;)

Peeking out from behind the dustbin...

...anyone there? 

After a near eight-month unexplained hiatus, I don't expect anyone to be. 

Still lots going on in sweet little Los Anchorage. Recently, I went to Seattle for a week and experienced some of the best (and worst) vegan food (or excuses for) I've ever had. Other than my little foray into travel (otherwise known as my first vacation in six years), it's been school full-time, work full-time, impending clinical practicum, and somewhere in all of that the housework must still get done. In the niches between all of THAT, there is still somehow room for ridiculousness and dealings with humanity. 

Of late, there hasn't been a whole lot to "review" in Anchorage's lineup. Just more of the same; good staples, but not too many veg-friendly specials or new things. Forget dessert. So, I have decided where there is a void in things that others make for consumption, I must rise to the occasion. 

As time permits, I'd like to introduce the next few months as my "Vegan in Omnivore's Clothing" series. Now, I know that there are a LOT of vegans who have adapted to a whole foods, low-fat, plant-based diet like mine, and like me, usually don't care for "meat-like" things. But bear with me. After all, we all have to start somewhere, and for that steak-and-bacon-loving, self-proclaimed direct descendant of the hominids of the Paleolithic Period, the things that Beyond Meat (TM) and Gardein (TM) produce may just be the answer to our prayers. Let's not forget enterprising vegans that just have to have comfort food and, finding it lacking in existence, endeavor to create it themselves. I salute you. 

So, for NEXT week's borderline carnist (except not) lineup - which I will attempt to post in a timely fashion, here we are. The descriptions are deliberately left open-ended, so that I have some wiggle room:

 - "Blackphisch" tacos with fruit salsa and black bean refritos.
 - Shooter's Sandwich (I recommend Googling this one) with a side of grilled brussel sprouts, caramelized onions, and homegrown baby blues.
 - B.L.A.T. ("Bacon" Lettuce Avo Tomato) with lime-cilantro-garlic yam fries. 

Credit for any recipes used will be given and linked. Photos will be posted. Any recipes of my own will be posted, with the proviso that the individual using them give me due credit (of course).

Looks like a good start; I'll see you next week. 

So, I've been slacking...

But, to be fair, there's not much to report. Well, other than every other (formerly) veg-friendly restaurant in the Midtown area swapping their menu around and becoming more and more meat-heavy. I'm looking at you, Bear Tooth (Grill side), and you, too, Taproot (once the home of the BEST vegan portlbello mushroom cap burger in town!).

Does the world really need one more 'bacon-wrapped'-anything? Do we need any more cheese-steeped-in-cream-and-more-cheese sauce? I mean, come on, Anchorage. You're one of two major college towns in Alaska, and you're cutting back on veg-friendly items? Le sigh...

In other news, I am also trying to hammer out (pun intended) a bunch of house projects before snow flies, and getting ready for another semester of prerequisites, and working too much, and, and, and....

There are other things. Like the fact that I'm becoming discouraged with people that I've known for over fifteen years. People that I'd believed in, and trusted. Who told me that they believed in an evidence-based approach to EVERYTHING...except, apparently, the effects their diet has on the impoverished (I am speaking of the countries that produce cereals/grains for animals that are butchered), the environment, their bodies, the ever-dwindling water supply on this one inhabitable planet of ours. 

When asked for citations and proof of their proudly-touted "scientific fact" that humans are meant to be omnivorous, they get irrationally angry, and call me antagonistic. When I mention there is at least as much data supporting a vegan diet as more healthy than an omnivorous one (after being asked for my proof), they tell me that I'm shoving my "personal beliefs" down their throat. Is there no way out of this impasse? I don't believe in 'unfriending' people for a difference in opinion, but I do not believe in not calling someone on what, to me, is blatant hypocrisy. 

Suggestions? Comments? Constructive criticism? I'm all ears.

Middle Way (again) and Snow City, all in one week!

First off, Happy Pride, everybody! It was awesome. Got to go support my partner at her organization's booth, see the parade, catch up with some friends, and check out local organizations. And then we went to lunch :)

So, Snow City Cafe has improved their menu...they're now using a house-made lemon tofu, instead of the baked teriyaki tofu, for their vegan brunch items.

I ordered the Nuevo Huevos, vegan-style. It appears they've either made the switch from using refried beans on this, or they incorporate dairy into the refritos somehow, and used straight-up whole black beans, sauteed with some onion, cumin and seasonings, instead. It was served up on a bed of brown rice and their house ranchero sauce (REALLY good, btw), and a fresh fried flour tostada, topped with the bean mix, and then the tofu. A good start, but it definitely needed the chili sauce I added to it. Their soy latte, though, is one of the best I've had in weeks. No-sugar-added soy milk, so it actually tasted like a latte, and not burnt sugar. 

Middle Way's Lotus Bowl this week, was gorgeous. Steamed quinoa and kale, with chickpeas in a coconut red curry sauce, steamed bean sprouts, zucchini, red cabbage, and onions, topped with crisp caramelized onions and fresh basil leaves. Beautiful...and tasty. Mild enough for those that don't like a heavy amount of heat; light enough that you're sated, but not over-full, when done. 

That's it, for this week. Wish I could write more, but honestly, house projects beckon! Hope that this finds all you vegans well.

The Bear Tooth - an unlikely ally

The hipster's hangout; home to all types of people and food philosophies, not to mention some insanely good brew. Mmmm...beer.


Anyway, best vegan items on the menu, to date, are:


Spicy Bear burrito, vegan style; get it without the sour-cream-cucumber-dill sauce. I like this one best, because, as its name implies, it has a bit of a kick to it. Refried black beans, brown rice, blackened tofu, a fetching mixture of spicy and bell pepper ribbons, spinach... It's a beautiful thing. Served with salsa salad or beans and rice. I like to pair this with their Pipeline Stout, or, when they have it on Revolving Tap, their Thai Coconut Stout.

Mushu Wrap...it's already vegan. Served up on your choice of tortilla, it has tofu, a blend of mushrooms, carrot shreds, cabbage, tofu, cashews, and a Thai peanut sauce. Served with chips or salsa salad.

Turnagain Burrito - served dairy free, you actually have to pay more to add three-cheese blend and sour cream or crema de arbol to this one. Has blackened tofu, black bean salsa, pepitas, sauteed peppers and onions, and salsa fresca. Served with salsa salad or beans and rice. Pairs best with amber beer.

Black Bear Burrito - an "almost natural vegan" item on the menu, if one leaves off the crema de arbol and cheese blend. Has refried black beans, rice, lettuce, salsa fresca, and guacamole. Just a little side note on the guac - it's house made, fresh each day, dairy free (and no mayo in it). As I recall, it's pretty good, but then, that was consumed by mistake, and I paid dearly for that. My partner says it's pretty good, but not as good as the stuff I make. Figures the thing I make that she likes best, is the one thing I can't have... :-P Served with salsa salad or beans and rice. Best with darker or amber beers.

BLACKENED TOFU TACOS! No dairy, and their blackened tofu seasoning really shines through, in these. Blackened tofu, refried black beans, lettuce, salsa fresca, and tomato-jalapeno salsa on soft corn tortillas. I love these with some Chugach Session Ale or their house Hefeweizen. If you're an IPA fan, then check out their Fairweather IPA. If you're a taco fan of any variety, this is where it's at, hands-down. 

The Blackened AK Cod Tacos can be made vegan with the simple substitution of tofu for the fish. Blackened tofu, habanero-kiwi-mango salsa, and cabbage on flour tortillas. The habanero-kiwi-mango salsa pairs incredibly well with the tofu. Served with salsa salad or beans and rice. Best with amber or light beers. 

Thai Chicken Wrap can also be made vegan, with the substitution of tofu for chicken. Has cabbage, noodles, cucumbers and cashews tossed in Thai peanut sauce, served on your choice of tortilla with a side of their Thai peanut sauce. Served with chips and fresh salsa bar. Pairs best with lighter, malted beers.


And that's just the Theatrepub side! I should mention that, every single time we've been there, D and I have been pleasantly surprised by their enthusiasm to meet our dietary restrictions/needs. If you want to try and veganize something, they are more than happy to try, with you! There have been practically zero incidents where we got sarcasm, lip or nastiness from any staff, regarding what we did and did not eat. These guys and gals don't bat an eyelash, just accept that you don't eat animal products, and move forward, from there. Good times!

I should also mention that they have a revolving non-alcoholic brew and beverage selection, as well as serving Kaladi Brothers Coffee. Among their N.A. selection, are their hand-crafted draft sodas. Check it out!

Until next week. :)

Vegan rant warning

I'm sick of walking contradictions. I am tired of hearing people scream, "save the planet!", in one breath, and "guns for the zombie apocalypse!", in the next. I understand that a rural/subsistence lifestyle means that you have less/more expensive/much more limited access to foods that are better for you, the animals, and the planet, but goddamnit, if you live in a major city, GUESS WHAT? You do not qualify as rural, and you don't exactly have any excuse other than your own selfish whims, for your cries of "but, bacon!"

I'm tired of it. I am tired of hearing, "Well, your diet isn't sustainable, being all organic and stuff, and produce has to travel miles to get here..."  Yeah, I know. I also know that food and water has to travel MILES to get to where your meat is raised, 'humanely' or not, and that travel has to be fueled by something other than magical, non-CO2-producing, pixie dust. That food and water being a day-to-day thing, not counting transfer of those animals to and from various operations/sites, including the slaughterhouse, I am pretty damn sure that my diet, even factoring in for water and fertilizer transport, consumes a tad less in the way of raw petroleum power, than does yours.

And humane meat? Please. If all meat was raised so that it could live out its infancy (because cows, goats and pigs all have a life expectancy ranging from 10 to 25+ years, if not in "the system", but they are killed within the first 2-4 years of life, when they are in "the system") in a beautiful pasture, where they could graze...it would require thousands of times more arable land than the meat industry CURRENTLY consumes. And guess what? At the end of the day, the animal is still killed, regardless of how humanely it was raised. Put into terms a pet-lover could understand, that would be like saying it's okay to kill Fido when you're done having him around, as long as he lived a good life, and you were able to slit his throat without his noticing. You are still responsible for that animal's death. I am sorry, but it still ends in violence. WTF is humane about that? But it's okay, because we're humans, and they're animals. Sick of that, too.

I am tired of hearing justification for milk and eggs, when calves in the milk industry are pulled from their mothers and crated up and fed an anemia-inducing died for the next few months, so their meat stays soft and they can become veal. I am tired of hearing about "cage-free" eggs, "free-range" egg-laying chickens, etc., because still, those hens are "spent" within the first two years of life, and then discarded, like so much trash.

If you want to use the term 'humane', or are tired of vegans periodically getting pissed off about your food choices, as well as our tendency to shove your own hypocrisy back into your face, here are a few things to try:

1) Remember that meat, eggs and dairy are not, in any way, produced in a way that could be considered 'humane', if you were to apply the same terms to a family pet, or another human.

2) Vegans don't make the insane and very arbitrary distinction between 'pets' and 'food' - we hold value for all life, on all levels. Even yours.

3) Most people that have gone vegan, and returned to an omnivorous diet for 'medical reasons'....were doing it wrong. Yep, I said it. They did not research their dietary choice thoroughly enough, to be informed enough, to thrive on a plant-based diet. Funny thing is, it doesn't take that much, but people want it fast, cheap and easy, because this is the age of convenience. Green smoothie, anyone?

4) If you're not willing to *seriously* research your own food choices, their effect on you, the animals, and the planet, do not presume that I will take you seriously about any 'scientific evidence' you present to me, about my food choices, their effect on me, animals, plants (of all things), and the planet. If you think I should take you seriously, and say as much, I'll laugh, long and hard, while showing you where to find the metaphorical or actual, physical door.

5) Yes, in fact, I am a medical professional, and yes, in fact, I do think that I know a tad more about nutrition, than you do, having had to learn, through trial and error over several years, what works for me. I accept that all bodies are different, and that there is a (VERY slim) possibility that there are people that do better on an omnivorous diet, but I also strongly suggest doing well-rounded research into plant-based options, before using that as an 'easy out'...because that's what it is.

Middle Way Cafe - food review, and a 'favorite', revisited

Hit up Middle Way (MWC or Mid-Way) next to REI on Northern Lights, this past weekend. It had been a while, and they usually have some awesome vegan food. Actually, they tend to have a little something for every possible dietary need or restriction, making it a good place to go to brunch/lunch, with just about anybody. Just don't expect mimosas. That's Snow City territory. Anyway...

They've been branching out, trying new things in culinary experimentation/gastronomy, particularly in the vegan, gluten-free, and/or vegan AND gluten-free realms. Some raving successes:

• Their Unicorn Bowls, in any permutation. Usually includes steamed greens, some kind of steamed whole grain, edamame or beans, a balsamic or Liquid Bragg's reduction of some kind, fresh veggies and some fruit. No two are really the same, from week to week, and it's nice change of pace. Very much a whole-foods, plant-based approach, with very little oil, if any.
• The Mushroom Poke dish. Again, a melange of greens (kale is a favorite), grains, garlic, served up with a variety of mushrooms - some of which are specialty or could be classed as 'wild' - in a slow-simmered sauce with caramelized onions and fresh veggies - carrots, beet matchsticks...you name it.
• The Avo Melt, with Daiya mozza shreds. I can't have avocado - allergic; a tragedy, I know - but my partner tells me it's one of the better sandwiches of its type, that she's had. Being that she's an avocado fanatic, I will take her word on that. 

This weekend, it was their stuffed portobellos, with a side of  grilled radicchio salad. 

First, the side salad: it was positively everything I could have wanted out of a bitter greens salad of its type. The leaves were just wilted, still slightly warm, with enough of a crunch left in them to be satisfying. It was melded with ribbons of roasted red pepper and sauteed yellow onion, topped off with some alfalfa sprouts, and brought together by a balsamic reduction vinaigrette, that had a hint of citrus. Excellent. 

The portobellos: First off, the caps were...ah...small. More like middle-to-large cremini mushrooms, in terms of size. There were two, so it's not as though numbers made up for the lack. But, they were well-braised in the basil/balsamic/tomato sauce. The filling was more bits of mushroom cap, aforementioned sauce, and some garlic. 

They were topped off with some sprigs of fresh basil, and mandoline-thin slices of parmesan, which was not anywhere in the description - and MWC is pretty sensitive about their ingredients listing, so I was very surprised. Got about one-third of the way through one of the caps, and found...bits of meat, in the sauce. Again, it was nowhere on the ingredients list, and Middle Way is very conscientious about making sure its ingredients are fully listed...well, every other time, except this one, apparently. 

Overall, I was not impressed with the main dish, with or without the advent of finding meat and cheese, in it. The sauce was good, but it lacked depth and complexity of flavor, and the overall experience, given finding animal ingredients, was not positive. 

However, Middle Way Cafe is one of the few places in town that will positively bend over backwards if you're wanting to veganize something, so, six one, half-dozen, the other? Time will tell. They're still a mainstay of my social dining places list, since almost anyone can find something that agrees with them, there.

In other MWC news, their breakfast items are amazing. Such as their vegan whole grain short stack, and their Colours tofu stack. I do wish they'd bring back their 'classic' breakfast burrito, but, patience.