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Obligatory Brownie-Baking

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

A little over a year ago, I tried a brownie recipe that yielded deliciously unhealthy brownies that tasted amazing hot out of the pan, fairly disappointing when cooled, but fantastic straight out of the freezer. Apparently September is the month in which I crave brownies, because yesterday the Chocolate Craving Fairy smacked me on the head with her Chocowand and sprinkled Cocoa Fairy Dust on me, and I had no choice but to bake brownies. No choice.

This time around, I selected this highly rated VegWeb recipe to fulfill my chocolate cravings. Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone; I used coconut oil instead of canola oil, whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour, and I added a dash of cinnamon to the batter. I also slightly (maybe?) overcooked them – usually I undercook my baked goods, and in an effort to not remove my brownies from the oven prematurely, I think I instead left them in there a tad too long. Oy.

Photo of three thin, fudgy-looking brownies stacked on a small white plate with decorative brown edges.

Brownie nomz.

They look okay, though, right? And for the most part, they are. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that these brownies boast the coveted thin, crunchy top layer that, to me, is the hallmark of a true brownie. No sham of a cake square masquerading as a brownie has that crunchy top! And these are definitely more fudgy than cakey, which is probably my number one requirement in a brownie. They also taste deliciously chocolaty, possibly due to another substitution I nearly forgot – Dutch-processed cocoa for half of the cocoa amount called for in this recipe.

But they’re not perfect. This might be my own fault; the substitutions and the brownies’ extended stay at the Oven Express Inn & Suites might’ve rendered them less than delicious. Their edges are far too crunchy, and the coconut oil lends a very faint coconut flavor that seems slightly out of place and really just detracts from the chocolate. (The Chocolate Craving Fairy just pelted me with cocoa beans for that one.) Judging from the comments on the VegWeb recipe, these should have been freaking amazing. So maybe I should give this recipe another shot. In fact, I think I’ll make the search for a perfect brownie part of my Vegan MoFo 2011 plans. Oh yes, folks, MoFo is back this year, and I’ve got a Google Doc overflowing with ideas. October is going to be bangin’ – stay tuned for recipe comparisons, veganized childhood favorites, and a pre-MoFo giveaway!

Are you participating in MoFo this year? Do you have a theme? And do you have an awesome brownie recipe I should try?

Moria of Mine

/ Kelly / 5 Comments

There’s a new lady in my life. She’s a little bit smelly and she occasionally poops on the floor and she has a beard. Meet Moria, my sweet new doggie:

Moria & me!

I adopted Moria just over a week ago. She’s a year and a half old, so she’s mostly house trained, but she’s still got a fair amount of that puppy playfulness that’s so fun. She’s predominantly Brussels Griffon, although she’s listed as a mix on her adoption papers. But that adorable beard and those big, expressive eyes are pure Brussels Griffon!

I’ve been intending to adopt a pup for a couple of months now. My frequent visits to the local Humane Society proved fruitless, but when I saw this sweet girl bashfully staring at me when I stopped by an adoption clinic at PetSmart, I was instantly taken with her calm demeanor and charmingly silly appearance. I think she looks like an Ewok; others say she’s more akin to a Wookiee. Whatever Star Warsian species she resembles, she’s just plain cute… especially when she’s panting:

Pantyface.

If you’re wondering why I named her after something from Middle Earth and not the Star Wars universe, well, female Ewok names are awful! And she’s a bit like a Dwarf, what with the beard and all, so I thought Moria was pretty fitting. The jury’s still out on her middle name, however, so feel free to share suggestions!

Post-walk tiredness.

Expect to see more of my girl’s bearded face in upcoming posts, and check back soon for a giveaway!

Windy City Weekend Eats: Part 2

/ Kelly / 4 Comments

Welcome to Part Two of my Chicago eats recap! Part One featured vegan diner food and fantastic pho, and Part Two only gets better. :)

After slurping pho for lunch, S and I switched to forks for our dinner experience. The next restaurant on the docket was Karyn’s on Green, where we transitioned from a fast-casual lunch to a fancy-schmancy sit-down dinner. I dined at Karyn’s Cooked last year, so I knew I could expect delicious, delicious eats from a Karynian establishment, and I wasn’t disappointed. I don’t have a photo, so you’ll just have to trust me. S ordered a pizza with arugula, caramelized onions, potatoes, and a cheezy topping, and he graciously let me share, so I can vouch for its deliciousness. I chose the Sweet Pea Risotto, which features white truffle oil, sweet peas, and pea pods. I’m not sure I can adequately describe how fantastic this was. Perfectly creamy, the entire risotto was infused with a delicate sweet pea flavor, turning it a gorgeous shade of light green. The crispy pea pods were a perfect textural counterpoint to the otherwise creamy dish – it was very well-balanced. It was also quite filling; S had to help me finish it. I’d absolutely love to recreate it, but I’m not sure I could do it justice!

Beyond its amazing food, Karyn’s had fantastic customer service. Through some oversight or miscommunication, S and I weren’t given menus for about ten minutes after being seated (we did have bread with an herbed butter to munch on, however), and our server was extremely apologetic and offered us a round of free drinks on the house. We both chose the specials of the night; S’s featured muddled watermelon and other things I can’t remember, and mine was a minty, chocolaty affair that was a rich, creamy delight. We rounded off our meal with a to-go dessert, a chocolate-peanut butter pie that I might have eaten for breakfast the next morning. Maybe. I can’t say for sure. Overall, our experience at Karyn’s was fantastic, and I still dream about my risotto.

Our final eating destination was a new-to-Chicago establishment, Native Foods. The Wicker Park location opened in early August, and it seems like it’s already gained a fan following. We just beat the lunch rush on Sunday and sat outdoors munching on a meatball sub (S) and a chicken-ranch burger (me). This is the type of thing I’d never make on my own, so I loved the opportunity to try it!

I swear it wasn't this neon IRL...

Native Foods does faux-meat really, really well, so it makes total sense that their new location was hoppin’ on a Sunday afternoon! My chicken-ranch burger was the special of the day, so I got a free side. Obviously I chose the sweet potato fries, and they were crispy, sweet, and salty perfection. I also got a lavender lemonade, which hit all the right notes – tart and tangy with the slightest floral flavor.

And that’s all she ate! Despite trying four fantastic vegan-friendly restaurants, our Google doc has many more options yet to be tasted. I resolve to one day try the famous Chicago Diner, Handlebar Bar & Grill, the Loving Hut, the Green Zebra, and one (or two… or three) of the vegan-friendly bakeries in Chitown.

Windy City Weekend Eats: Part 1

/ Kelly / 9 Comments

Although I didn’t spend last weekend in Portland with all the cool vegan kids, I’ve had my fair share of adventures this summer, including an action-packed weekend trip to Chicago with my manfriend, forthwith to be known as S. We had a great time, and I’m breaking up my recap post into two parts because it’s just too darn long (twss)!

So, Chicago. S and I have both done most of the standard Chicago touristy activities, so instead of taking photos at the Bean or buying overpriced mass-produced souvenirs at Navy Pier, we chose events that appealed to our interests. We took an architecture boat tour of the city (#protip: If you take the 8:00 AM tour, tickets are 50% off), visited the Museum of Science and Industry (agriculture [read: dairy] exhibit, gag!), marveled at the Baha’i Temple, checked out Ikea (my first time!), and ogled cute animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo.*

And, of course, we ate. Weeks prior to our trip, I created a Google doc with a list of possible eateries, so when we felt rumbly in our tumblies, we pulled the document up on my man’s phone and found somewhere nearby to eat. (Incidentally, I have almost been convinced that smart phones aren’t the devil now that I’ve learned how frakkin’ easy it is to navigate public transit with one. You basically say, “Oh, I would like to take the bus to Destination X; tell me how!” and the smart phone is all, “Yes, my liege! beep boop beep Here are step-by-step instructions on how to reach your destination! It will take you this many minutes and this many stops and, also, feel free to watch your progress via this small blue dot moving along this map! Have a great trip!” For those of us prone to travel-induced anxiety, it’s a godsend.)

Anyway, we ate. On Friday night, our first stop post-Madison and pre-Chicago was Ravinia Park, where we watched Fellowship of the Ring on a huge open-air screen while the Chicago Symphony Orchestra played the soundtrack live. Oh yes. It was as awesome as it sounds, despite the fact that we were 4,395 miles from the screen and had to perch atop a picnic bench to be able to distinguish Sauron from Saruman. After the movie ended, we hightailed it to – wait for it – a vegan-friendly 24-hour diner. 24-hour diner, y’all. Pick Me Up Cafe is located in Lakeview and has some amazing vegan options. It took me ages to decide between french toast and tostadas; I couldn’t decide if I wanted brekkie food or dinner food at 1:00 in the morning! S had less trouble deciding and chose a seitan-based sandwich, the details of which I cannot remember because I was waffling back and forth between my two options. Ultimately I went for the french toast, and I did not regret it:

Toast of the French!

Pardon the crappy colors, but it was late/early, the diner was dark, and I wanted to get my toast on! This is French toast like I remember it from my pregan days, thickly sliced and super filling. And our waitress even let me know that the butter on the side was vegan! Rapture! I also shared a creamsicle milkshake with S, and it was sweet and cool and delicious. Diner food at its finest.

Our next meal of note was a first for me. I’d never had pho before, but S is a bit of a pho connoisseur and has sung its praises repeatedly. So we were thrilled to discover that Chicago has at least one vegan pho option, Bon Bon Sandwiches in Wicker Park.

Phantastic!

This was the perfect meal on a rainy Saturday (it cleared up later, never fear!), and I really enjoyed the variety of flavors in each spoonful/chopstickful. S said the broth was not as flavorful as its beef-based kin, but adding various sauces and spices helped. I’d love to try to make this some time!

And that’s all for part one. I’ll finish up soon, I promise. And in the meantime, let me know if you have any tips for making homemade pho!

*Re: zoos. Zoos aren’t very vegan. As an institution, I feel pretty darn uncomfortable with them. Keeping animals in captivity for the sake of keeping them in captivity is ethically wrong. But I do think zoos can do some good when they promote breeding in species that are endangered because of something good ol’ humankind has done to them or their environment. And I also think they could conceivably foster awareness in visitors, particularly children, who might have that “aha!” moment when they realize that the cute animals they’re seeing in zoos are not so different than the cute animals that are butchered and cooked and served up for dinner. For me personally, any interaction I have with animals, at a zoo or elsewhere, reminds me why I’m vegan and reinforces my belief that I’m making the best choice I can. In my ideal, vegan-friendly fantasy world, zoos would be replaced by centers for the rehabilitation of injured animals and the breeding of endangered animals, and they’d be open to the public in an educational capacity so families could come and learn about our multi-legged friends. A girl can dream, right?!

Sunday is Bread Day

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

The inaugural vegan bloggers’ conference, Vida Vegan Con, took place this weekend in Vegan Mecca, AKA Portland, Oregon. Vegan bloggers ate, drank, socialized, attended panels, and basically celebrated everything vegan. It was three days of awesomeness, and everybody who attended seemed to absolutely love it.

I didn’t go.

I bought a ticket way back when they first went on sale, optimistically thinking I’d attend. But when summer began, I started thinking seriously about the conference and travel logistics. Eventually, I decided to not attend, for quite a few reasons, but mostly because I’m planning a trip to Italy in October and I couldn’t quite justify this trip, too. At the end of the day, spending a week in Florence with my best friend, who’s currently living there while finishing up an MA in art history, wins out over almost any other travel plan. Still, I was a bit bummed out over it, knowing I’d probably regret my choice when August rolled around. I sold my ticket, and waited for the envy to set in. And it did; I felt left out and envious when I saw people counting down on their blogs and planning meetups and drooling over doughnuts.

So this weekend, when I knew the more hardcore VVC bloggers would make time to blog after each day’s events, I ignored my Google Reader, wanting to avoid the all-too-appealing temptation of poring over VVC posts and beating myself up for not attending.

It wasn’t hard to do, though, because I had a really lovely weekend with my man, playing with shelter dogs and spending time with friends and reorganizing bookshelves. I also worked on an embroidery project and tried my hand at weekly meal planning (more on that later) and read books.

And I baked bread.

Sunday is bread day.

This was by no means my first experience with yeasted bread, but it was the first time I baked bread for bread’s sake, instead of making something fancier to accompany a specific meal. This is a simple wheat bread, an unassuming, unpretentious loaf that satisfies my most basic desire to consume carbohydrates. Equally tasty when toasted or eaten straight-up after slicing, it’s versatile in its simplicity.

And it was a joy to make. Because I wasn’t doing anything fancy with it and was baking purely for my own pleasure, I didn’t feel pressured to make it perfect. Instead, I enjoyed the simple process of mixing yeast and water and molasses, watching it bubble and foam, and then adding flour and oil and salt and kneading away. Instead of worrying about the consistency of the dough and fretting over flour, I simply pounded, molded, and stretched it, adding spoonfuls of flour until the dough just felt right. I savored the hour or two the dough spent in the loaf pan as it slowly ballooned to twice its size. And when it was puffy and ready to bake, I put it in the oven and left it there, instead of nervously peeking at it every ten minutes. When it seemed done, I used the old “tap the bottom of the pan” method to gauge its completion and trusted my judgment.

And, despite my laissez-faire attitude to its creation, the bread came out near-perfect. And, really, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that a centuries-old technique produces reliable, reproducible results, should I? :)

Do you have a go-to bread recipe? Please share!

Lunch Box Love (+ horribly embarrassing photos)

/ Kelly / 4 Comments

In my elementary school days, I was super fly. Check out the following photo, circa 1998 or so, if you don’t believe me:

Child of the 90s fo' sho'.

Aww yeahhh. Purple velour shirt? Check. Bell-bottom overalls with sweet flocked designs? Check. Awesome giant denim pouch key chain that probably held a Tomagotchi or a Giga Pet? Total check. The 90s were an era of classic, timeless styles, and I totally rocked them, as you can see. What you can’t see, however, is my lunch box. Lunch boxes were a key element of my grade school experience; I loved choosing a new one every year. I remember a pale green one I particularly liked; it might’ve featured the Little Mermaid or maybe the Lion King. Either way, it was awesome, in all its rigid, plastic, boxy glory.

In high school, I became too cool for childish lunch boxes. Instead, I re-used paper bags or brought one of those boring adult-like lunch bags. If you don’t believe how cool I was, check out this photo:

Geekery.

Oh yes. My high school days pretty much centered around Lord of the Rings – reading the books, watching the movies, going to midnight shows, obsessing over various cast members, hosting Academy Award parties, sewing costumes… those were the days. Believe me, if I’d found a LotR lunch box, resplendent with an image of Aragorn or Legolas, I would’ve cast aside my lunch box snubbing in a hot minute. But I didn’t, and instead I used boring, plain-colored lunch totes. Snore.

Now I’m all grown up and working at a big-girl job, and I usually bring my own lunch to work. For many months, I’ve been putting my food into a small tote bag or cramming it into a purse, all the while complaining that I needed a lunch box and risking horrible purse-spillage disasters.

Apparently complaining pays off, because my dear boyfriend found the most adorable lunch box for me recently. With it, I have come full circle and returned (or, perhaps, regressed) to my childhood love of lunch boxes. Check it out:

Love!

Isn’t it just precious?! Luc is so cute! Those stripes are so whimsical! And it almost always fits all the food I want to bring to work! On this particular day, I brought an Eggless Salad sandwich, cherries, and watermelon. Nom nom summer fruit!

Do you pack a lunch? What’s your strategy for lunch-making? I’m a big fan of planned leftovers, whether they’re the kind I eat the next day or the kind I freeze and eat a month later. It’s economical and healthy, not to mention environmentally friendly when I pack it my sweet new lunch box – no brown paper bags for me!

Vegan Product Review by Way of Label Snobbery

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

I’m a bit of a snob.

I know what you’re thinking: “Kelly, you write a food blog. Duh; obviously you’re a major food snob.” Truthfully, though, I’m only a food snob internally. Outwardly, I don’t judge Joe Coworker when he thinks a wilted piece of iceberg lettuce makes his triple bacon cheeseburger a tour-de-force of healthy lunching. Unless Joe Coworker and I happen to be on friendly terms, I’m not going to make some snarky comment about how he’s on a fast track to Heart Attack City. Recently my boyfriend commended me on what a nonchalant vegan I am, on how I don’t expect anyone to cater to me and how that really makes it difficult for anyone to apply the “picky, hard-to-please, snooty vegan” stereotype to me. And that’s really what I’m going for – my veganism is a part of my life – a big part! – but it’s not the entirety of my life. It’s a choice I made. I believe that it’s the most ethical, healthy lifestyle, but I’m not going to push it on anyone or get in Joe Coworker’s face and tell him I’m better than him because I’m eating tempeh for lunch.

But I am a snob. More specifically, a label snob. But not the type of labels you’re imagining. Heck, my favorite place to buy clothes is the thrift store – my closet is quite free of designer labels. What I’m saying is that I am snobby about literal labels, the kind you find on any pre-packaged product. I just like things to be aesthetically pleasing, well-designed, and free of hideous fonts (Comic Sans, I’m looking at you). Is that so much to ask? I know it’s somewhat irrational, but if I’m perusing the racks and see a product with a label that’s covered in Papyrus (which sucks), I give it a withering look and move on. Newsflash: using Papyrus does not automatically infuse your crappy funeral-parlor-scented candle with some sort of exotic, mystical flair. It’s so overused and unoriginal! And if your label boasts blinding neon colors, beveled text, and drop shadows, I’ll be equally unimpressed. Closing your eyes, opening Photoshop, smashing your fists against the keyboard and blindly clicking does not a beautiful design make. So you don’t have the budget to hire a graphic designer? Fine! Just keep it simple! Use a nice, unobjectionable sans serif font (Helvetica is popular for a reason) and a tasteful color combination. Nobody will object to that! Nobody!

Image links to its source. :)

If you can’t tell, I get a little passionate about this stuff. I’m not shallow when it comes to people, but I’ll admit to being quite judgmental about graphic design. So when I recently needed to replenish my lip balm stock and decided to do it via Etsy, I found myself in quite a quandary. See, I love Etsy. I love supporting people who use their talents to make a living and who share their fun, handmade products with the world. I especially love supporting people who do this using cruelty-free ingredients. But I’m not gonna lie – some Etsy products are just plain ugly. When I searched for vegan lip balms, I saw so many ugly labels and hideous fonts that I felt like giving up the search entirely. I persevered, however, and eventually settled on two tubes from DressGreen, which feature simple, modern, and attractive labels.*

Delightful simplicity.

They arrived a few days later, in all their tastefully-labeled glory. I chose vanilla and grapefruit, and both are perfectly scented – recognizable, but not too strong. I have to use a gentle touch with them, however, because if I apply them too thickly, they occasionally leave a bit of white residue. Other than that minor downside, I’m perfectly happy with my purchase. These are free of animal products and unpleasant chemicals, and I definitely recommend them next time your sweet vegan lips feel a bit chapped.

Score one for being shallow and judging things by their labels. ;)

P.S. Check out the links in this post. They’re funny, I promise.

* I just noticed that a couple of DressGreen’s other products have Papyrus on the labels. Um. I’ll just pretend I didn’t see that, because the rest of their labels are quite pleasing to my eyes!

Summer Lovin’ (Part Two)

/ Kelly / 3 Comments

One more reason that summer is my favorite season of all the seasons that ever seasoned:

I’m not sure there’s anything more relaxingly enjoyable than reading a good book (Vanity Fair) in the great outdoors while sipping a delicious homemade iced coffee.

Summer, don’t ever leave me.

Yeah, yeah, I did it again. Also, kitties.

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

SIGH. I am SO BAD at this blogging thing these days. I have only my usual excuse to offer – I was busy! First my entire [immediate] family visited for three days full of sun, food, and Settlers of Catan, and then one of my close friends from college visited for a weekend of failed farmers’ market trips, classy beverages, and more Arrested Development than you can shake a stick at, and now my cousin is in town for a conference. And, hey, it’s summer! I want to bask in the sun and work on my sexy flip-flop tan, not sit indoors, hunched over my laptop writing blog posts. Basically, I don’t know how all you regular bloggers do it. Mad props, yo.

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and say that, yes, I’m alive, and yes, I PROMISE I’ll write more soon (because I KNOW y’all are just unable to function without my always-thrilling posts). In the meantime, if you ever see Gerbs Pumpkin Seeds in your local grocery, snatch those babies up and get your pumpkin on. They’re made by a Rhode Island-based company (Ocean State represent!), and they’re a perfect afternoon snack. Mis padres brought me a bag of the Roasted Red Pepper Pumpkin Kernels, and even though I overdosed on them to the point of stomach acheyness yesterday, I still think they’re mightily delicious. Pumpkin seeds have never been so sophisticated!

And that’s all I have for ya. No wait, here’s a photo of some adorable kittehs… I stole this photo (via Facebook) from my sister. Aren’t they just too cute for words?

KITTEHS!