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O2 Vegan Cafe, Cambridge MA

2/26/2015

The other week I had a friend in town visiting MIT, so after a Saturday morning gym class we went to O2 Vegan Cafe in Cambridge for a brunch we could feel good about. Of course, since we were at an all vegan restaurant I went a little overboard... I got a side order of the nachos to start. I must be on a nachos kick recently. After not having them for a long time this was my third time in about 6 weeks. Their homemade cheese sauce was featured a couple times on the menu, so I wanted to give it a try. I loved that the nachos came in a small version so I could have a taste of them and not feel like it was too much food! They were a nice simple little treat with some homemade cheese sauce, a little pico de gallo and a sprinkle of black beans. The cheese sauce seemed like it was maybe a cashew sauce with some nutritional yeast. I really like the texture of it, it was smooth and creamy, but not too thick.

My friend went for the breakfast burrito, which also featured the homemade cheese sauce. It was also packed with tofu scramble, quinoa, and black beans, which made it a great post-workout protein re-fuel. I loved how everything inside the burrito was soft, warm, and gooey, but its surrounded by a well pressed and crispy tortilla. They really offset each other well. Plus the warm burrito was paired with a fresh dollop of cool pico de gallo.

I went for the classic tofu breakfast sandwich. I loved the thin, crispy, slice of grilled tofu. It did a great job of giving me the crunchy, crispy, greasy, feeling of a fried egg sandwich without the stomach full of regret I'm used to following. Once again, the vegan cheese made an appearance, as well as one of my favorite - slices of warm tomatoes. I am so excited that we are starting to make into springtime months and I'm getting closer to being able to put real, fresh, local tomatoes on my sandwiches again. In the meantime I'll have to deal with thin little slices on my sandwiches from time to time cause that's all you eek out of tomatoes this time of year without them being gross and mealy. Because the sandwich as cheese sauce instead of just a slice of vegan cheese, it kind of gave you the same sensation and texture that the yoke from a fried egg sandwich would have. Overall, it was delicious. Something I'm definitely going to try to replicate at home.
My sandwich also came with a side of pico de gallo - which I really like as an idea of a standard side instead of french fries or potato salad (i.e. something I really don't want to be eating anyway).

One thing that I love since going vegan is being able to have an awesomely satisfying brunch - in both flavor and substance - and yet still feel good about myself, that I ate something healthy and fresh and I don't feel so full I need to take a nap. After my brunch at O2 Vegan Cafe I felt nourished and energized and ready to take on the day!

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Bahn-Mi House, Boston MA

2/25/2015

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The other week I was meeting a friend downtown for the afternoon to check out the Boston Athenaeum and do some shopping. I had eaten a hardy breakfast so it hadn't quite occurred to me to have another meal before I headed out the door. Well, once I got off the T at Park Street I was STARVING. I knew there was no way I would make it through the afternoon without eating anything, but I hadn't really planned on buying food, so I wanted to get something cheap.

Since I had beaten my friend to our meeting location I decided to whip out my Yelp! app and see what was nearby. I spotted the Bahn-Mi House - one dollar sign and within a block - perfect. A little less perfect was my ability to find it. I walked up an down Winter Street a couple times before I realized the place was inside a little arcade/food court type thing with other little lunch spots.

It was after lunch and a holiday, so there was no line. I walked right up and ordered the tofu bahn mi and had it made right in front of me.

I love bahn mi sandwiches for their combination of warm, creamy tofu (or other filling - check back soon for the eggplant bahn mi I had recently) and fresh crunchy vegetables with spicy sriracha. While I only learned about bahn mi sandwiches after becoming vegan - I really think that the combo of tofu with the spicy sauce and crunchy veggies is spot on - I'm not sure it would be quite as good with meat on it.
This bahn mi came with piles of shredded carrot, radishes, cucumber, mushrooms, scallions, and a nice big branch of cilantro. Be warned - if you are one of those crazy people that think cilantro tastes like soap this sandwich is not for you - cilantro is a main staple here. It says on the menu that the tofu is fried, but I watched her put fresh slices of tofu on a toaster oven type thing and it just had a light crisp on the outside, no heavy deep fried oil.
The sandwich was huge, delicious, and 5 dollars. I was able to get something quick, cheap, and healthy - their motto is even "think and eat healthy!" My dismay at having to buy lunch was quickly banished by my joy at having discovered this little gem! If you're looking for a quick, healthy, and affordable lunch in downtown Boston - look no further!

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Peanut Butter Tempeh Panini

2/23/2015

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I've really been digging tempeh paninis recently. They're such a great go to staple for dinner (or any meal really) and you can mix them in so many different ways (see my Mexican Tempeh Panini and Scrambled Tofu and Tempeh Breakfast Sandwich). They come together so quickly and its easy to make them a balanced meal with whole grain bread and tons of fresh fruit and veggies (yes I said fruit - check out the crunchy apples on this sandwich)! Tempeh is a great source of protein and fiber, plus its typically made with fermented soybeans, so its a great source of the ever hip pro-biotic.

This sandwich really can be eaten for any meal. The tempeh and squash add a dinner-like quality, while the peanut butter and apple harken back to a classic PB&J lunch or slice of toast for breakfast. The textures on this sandwich are downright phenomenal. If you've got a good slice of bread (like Iggy's - thanks again Something GUD) you get a nice crunch from the crust but a soft, fluffy inside. The apples lend just the right amount of crispy crunch (with a hint of sweetness). And they're sandwiched between the tempeh and squash, which each have a crispy outside with a soft, moist center. The creaminess of the peanut butter brings it all together (and is a great dairy free substitute for cheese), and if you have crunchy peanut butter it's even better. Add some mixed greens for freshness and you're all set. Don't let the odd combos in the sandwich throw you off - this is sandwich is comfort food heaven and can be eaten morning, noon, and night!

Ingredients:
2 Slices Bread
5 Slices Tempeh
1/4 Apple
1/4 Delicata Squash
Handful of Greens
2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 1

Instructions:
Slice your apples, squash, and tempeh. Heat a skillet over medium heat with a little oil. Place the squash, apples and oil on the skillet. Flip after 2 minutes or so or when crispy.

Slice two pieces of bread. Spread peanut butter over one of the slices.

Once the the squash has been softened a bit and the tempeh heated through place a slice of bread on the skillet. Make sure there is some oil on the skillet so that it does not burn. Add the tempeh, apples, squash, and some greens on top of the bread.

Once the bread has a nice toast to it add another slice on top and flip the sandwich over. I like to place my spatula on top of the sandwich and the flip the skillet so that the sandwich is sitting on my spatula and then place it back on the skillet. Heat until the other slice of bread is toasted. Serve and enjoy!

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Baked Tofu with Quinoa and Veggies

2/21/2015

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I make a lot of Asian stir fries with tofu, but I had a lot of local seasonal vegetables, so I wanted to put a different spin on things. I still used a lot of Asian flavors with ginger and sriracha, but I used some different cooking methods and ingredients.
I love roasting squash - it really brings out the flavors and adds a nice sweetness. In this recipe I used delicata squash, which I think is the easiest squash to cook with. It's generally smaller and has a softer skin so it's easier to cut open and you don't have to worry about peeling it. Since I was roasting the squash I thought I would try roasting the tofu as well. Many people don't like tofu because of the texture, but changing up the cooking method (as well as pressing the liquid out of it) has a big impact on the texture. Roasting or baking tofu makes it firmer and dryer and gets rid of the mushy texture that many people don't like about tofu.

I hadn't had any quinoa in a while, so I decided to use quinoa instead of rice. I had purple carrots, so I sauteed those on those stove by themselves. First because I didn't have any more room in the oven, but also because I've learned that purple carrots turn everything else they're cooked with purple, so I needed to isolate them.
This dish has a lot of pieces cooked separately, but they all fit together well. There's a great mix of textures with the fluffy quinoa, soft squash, spongy tofu, and crunchy carrots and pepitas.

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Dry Quinoa
1 Block Tofu
1/2 of a Small Delicata Squash
1 Cup Sliced Carrots
1/4 Cup Pepitas
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
Sriracha

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Slice cube and press your tofu. Slice the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds inside and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place the tofu and squash on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, sprinkle with turmeric, ginger, and paprika and roast for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare your quinoa. Add quinoa and 1 cup water to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the water has evaporated.
Slice carrots and saute on over medium heat for about ten minutes. Remove from the pan and add the pepitas, cooking for about 5 minutes.
All of your items should finish cooking around the same time. Divide the quinoa, tofu, squash and carrots evenly among four plates. Top with the pepitas and any sauce you would like - I used sriracha. Serve and enjoy!

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Green Bean, Northampton MA

2/15/2015

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Back in January I had a work event out in western Massachusetts so I took the opportunity to stop by the vegan haven of Northampton Massachusetts with Jay and a few of my work friends. There are five colleges in the same valley as Northampton so the area is full of college students and professors. It is a very liberal and counterculture area - ripe for some great vegan feasts. I was really surprised by how vibrant the town was. I was expecting a sleepy little rural village - but it was anything but. Northampton is full of cute little boutiques and eclectic shops and cafes.

We only had time for one meal in Northampton - so we went for brunch at theGreen Bean. It is a cute and eclectic cafe, complete with a random assortment of coffee mugs that you chose yourself. The Green Bean serves food sourced as local and sustainably as possible and their menu is full of minimally processed, whole foods. While they do serve veggie sausage and have veganaise on some of their sandwiches, you won't find many fake meats or cheeses here. Their vegan options are from traditional sources such as tofu, tempeh, and veggies.

While the restaurant isn't entirely vegan, they had plenty of options that are designed vegan, plus you can replace egg with tofu on any of the non-vegan options. I went with the local favorite - the Tempeh, Arizona. I loved the name plus I'd read it was a favorite of vegans and non-vegans alike. If it was the dish the locals kept going back to I figured I should give it a shot.

It came with their standard vegan corn pancakes, tempeh, and steamed veggies. While I appreciate the health factor with the steamed veggies, I could've used some sort of seasoning on them. I used a combination of local maple syrup and ketchup (not at the same time...) with the dish and often ate the veggies in conjunction with the tempeh. The tempeh was done very well. It was thin and crispy and had good flavor - and there was a lot of it. The pancakes were my favorite part. I love cornbread - so corn pancakes are a great idea in my opinion. They had a nice combination of sweet and savory and the local maple syrup was a great addition. They really soaked up a lot of syrup so I had to keep adding more.

The corn pancakes were an inventive option but the flavors on the rest of the dish were very simple. It would have been great with some salsa or some sort of sauce on the tempeh and veggies. While it was a lot of food - it was definitely healthy. Looking at the other items on the menu, there are many with their famous almond gravy and other additions, so I must have just picked the healthy option. Interesting that it's the go to favorite for locals - must be a healthy place!

I'm definitely going to have to go back to Northampton to check out some of their other local vegan restaurants and try some more things at the Green Bean!

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Mexican Tempeh Panini

2/10/2015

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Another sandwich! I have more coming too! I made a lot of sandwiches this week with the great Iggy's bread that I got in my Something GUD box. I didn't feel like cooking much, so sandwiches were a quick and easy way to eat something hearty and make sure my bread doesn't go bad!

I already had the Lalibela Black Bean Tempeh open from my Scrambled Tofu and Tempeh sandwich, but the black bean version went great with the Mexican theme of this sandwich! I poured some Alex's Ugly Sauce, Cayano flavor to give it a bit of a Mexican kick.

You can use whatever your favorite salsa is in this recipe - but make sure it is chunky and has some substance that will stay on the sandwich - you don't want to make your sandwich soggy! I used NoLa's Fire Roasted Corn and Black Bean salsa. The chunks of corn and beans were perfect for this situation. The salsa really had a great flavor and consistency. Combined with the hot sauce on the tempeh this sandwich had an awesome Mexican flavor. The thickness of the bread and the tempeh helped to temper the spiciness a bit so that it was just right.

I used the Field Roast Chao slices on this sandwich as well, along with Treeline Scallion soft cheese. Like I mentioned in a previous post, the Chao slices are pretty thin so even though I added two layers I wanted to add some more cheese to help hold the salsa onto the sandwich. The combination worked great. The Treeline soft cheese was similar to a cream cheese so it spread and melted really nicely.

The end result is a sandwich with a great balance on spice, creaminess, crunch, and meltiness - great texture and flavor all around! Plus it comes together so quickly!

Ingredients:
Two Slices of Bread
5 Slices of Tempeh (I use black bean tempeh, but you can use whatever kind you prefer
Vegan Cheese (I used Chao Coconut Herb and Treeline Scallion)
Handful of greens
1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce (I used Alex's Ugly Sauce - Cayano Flavor)
1/4 Cup Chunky Salsa (I used NoLas Fire Roasted Corn and Black Bean)

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 1

Instructions:

Slice tempeh. Place on a skillet with a little bit of oil or cooking spray. Pour the hot sauce over the tempeh. Cook for about two minutes and then flip over for another two minutes.

Slice two thick slices of bread. Place one slice down on your skillet. Top with tempeh. Add one layer of cheese, a handful of greens and a layer of salsa, topped by another layer of cheese. I wanted to sandwich the greens and salsa between cheese so that it would all stay together better. Make sure your salsa is chunky and not thin or else you'll just end up with a soggy sandwich.

Top with the second slice of bread and make sure the sandwich melts together. Carefully flip the sandwich over to toast it on the other side.

Slice and enjoy!

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Scrambled Tofu and Tempeh Breakfast Sandwich

2/3/2015

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Jay's go-to breakfast choice when we go to brunch is a breakfast sandwich - typically bacon, egg, and cheese - so I like to show him how easy it is to make them at home, and how delicious a vegan breakfast sandwich is! This sandwich has it all - great bread, crunchy tempeh, soft tofu eggs, and melty cheese, plus whatever else you like to add! I'm always a fan of a nice juicy tomato on my sandwich, but it's tough to find a good tomato in New England in January!

I use tempeh to act as my bacon-like item. Depending on how you like your bacon, you can slice your tempeh thinner or thicker. Thin tempeh will make for a nice crunchy, bacony texture. Since I'm not really a huge fan of bacon in the first place, I sliced mine a little thicker. Similarly, you can season your tempeh however you would like. Worcester sauce and soy sauce work great for a nice salty, meaty flavor. I've never purchased liquid smoke, but it's a popular choice for replicating the bacon flavor. Maple syrup works great too - especially if you're making a breakfast dish. I added some Montreal seasoning as well, since Jay likes it so much.

This sandwich comes together really quickly, as there isn't much to cook. You just need to toast your bread and heat up the tofu and tempeh. It all depends on how thick/crispy you want the tempeh to be. It's also a very hearty and filling meal. Just the tempeh and tofu alone are great sources of protein that will stick to your bones and keep you full all morning. Add some veggies on top and you've got a complete meal!

I used Chao vegan cheese from Field Roast on this sandwich. It was the first time I've tried this type of cheese. I've been hearing great things about it but it took me a while to find some in the store. It was really expensive and you don't get a whole lot in the package. I do have to say though, that the texture of it is great - looking at and tasting the melted cheese you couldn't tell that it wasn't vegan. I got the Coconut Herb varitey, which was very mild in flavor. I think this gives it an edge over other cheese that have a strong flavor that tastes fake.

Ingredients:
4 Slices of Toast
1/2 Block of Tofu
8 Slices of Tempeh
1 Tablespoon vegan Worcester sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon burger/steak seasoning (optional)
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
2 Tablespoon Vegg Vegan Egg Yolk

Optional Toppings:
Tomato
Avocado
Greens
Vegan Cheese

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 5-7 minutes

Servings: 2

Instructions:

You can make this dish either using two small saute pans or one large one. If you use one large pan (like I did) separate the tofu and tempeh to opposite sides of the pan.

Crumble the tofu and place in your pan over medium heat. Add the Vegg vegan egg yolk and mix it in well with the tofu. Adding a little water can help with the mixing process, if needed. If you are using only one pan, be careful not to add to much water that it bleeds over to the tempeh side. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slice the tempeh and add it to the pan with a little bit of water or oil. Sprinkle the vegan Worcester sauce over it. Let it sear for about 2 minutes and then flip it over. If you would like, add some more Worcester sauce or steak seasoning. Jay likes Montreal seasoning, so I used that.

Once the tofu is well mixed and the tempeh has a nice crunchiness to it, add both to your toast and top with whatever toppings you would like - tomato, avocado, greens, vegan cheese, etc. You can melt the cheese by leaving the sandwich on the pan with a lid on - just make sure you don't melt the bottom.

I topped mine with greens and Chao vegan cheese.

Enjoy!

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O2 Vegan Cafe, Cambridge MA

Bahn-Mi House, Boston MA

Peanut Butter Tempeh Panini

Baked Tofu with Quinoa and Veggies

Green Bean, Northampton MA

Mexican Tempeh Panini

Scrambled Tofu and Tempeh Breakfast Sandwich

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