I hate to say that I was underwhelmed by the Los Angeles-area vegan food scene during my recent trip there, but I was. I went to a lot of restaurants and spent a lot of money. I didn't eat anything that wasn't good, but not much was very exciting. The exception is Seabird. Everything at both of the Seabird restaurants is really yummy. I actually had my new favorite vegan burger on this trip. I thought nothing could surpass Arlo's (which I love), but Seabird's Beets Me Burger is oh-my-goodness good. It has a shiitake, beet, and chia patty with almond butter, grilled onions, arugula, pickles, and an herb mayo.

TC Noodle House So Good, Food Was Gone Before I Could Get Camera Out

I just tried TC Noodle House for the first time. I don't know what kept me. They have a large vegetarian menu. The tofu in pepper sauce was amazing. I loved the barely cooked onions for some reason. My wife had tofu with black mushrooms. What was neat about her dish was the lightly cooked Chinese greens that her tofu was on top of: very tasty. I definitely recommend this place and will be going back to try something else.

Too chicken to buy offensive stove

Yesterday, when I was agonizing over the purchase of a new stove, constantly comparing different models and features and price, I stared at one of the buttons on a model I liked. It was for a quick cook feature and said, "Chicken Nuggets." I talked with my wife about the button. We just could not do it. We ended up getting the slightly more expensive model of the same brand because it didn't have that stupid button. I guess that is one way companies can get vegans to pay more.

One blunder after the other complicating my barbecue plans

Secular gods are conspiring against my Fourth of July barbecue. I somehow totally screwed up my batch of seitan for tomorrow's brisket. I added way too much liquid, convinced I could cook it out. Nope. And I never mess up seitan! I decided to make a second batch, but I ran out of several ingredients, so I had to go back to the HEB. I went to the store and did not get what I went there for. So, I had to go back again. Finally, everything was situated, and I started making the next batch and turned on the oven to preheat, which smoked really bad. Now, I have to wait for the oven to cool and clean whatever caused it to smoke, which probably has something to do with that first batch of seitan. Eventually, I will get this seitan done. Eventually.

Ending of Finding Dory does not mess well with ending

If you haven't seen Finding Dory, the sequel to Finding Nemo, yet, it interesting how the documentary, Blackfish, forced changes to the movie. The movie was supposed to come out earlier and end happily ever after at marine park after Dory locates her parents. Instead, the fish retire in the beautiful coral featured in Finding Nemo, but as you watch the movie, you can see how the movie's producers still glorify the marine park, even with the altered ending. That said, it is still an amazing movie.

I was reminded about one of the million reasons why I'm a vegan while in the break room at work this morning: Someone was giving away some substance called triple fiber. Some meateaters eat so little fiber in their regular diets that they need triple fiber? If most meateaters weren't so uppty about their meat consumption, I might feel sorry for them.

Vegan Nom Tofu Scramble Cracked?

I think I may have cracked the Vegan Nom scrambled tofu code or at least got pretty close to it. My son even remarked on the Vegan Nom comparison without prompting. I was dreaming about tofu sandwiches, wishing for summer tomatoes when I created this recipe. I finely minced four cloves of garlic and added to a teaspoon or so of Earth Balance. I cooked until the garlic started browning and added the crumbled tofu with a quarter cup of nooch, salt, and some turmeric. I served in toasted bread with Vegenaise, sliced cucumbers, and shredded cabbage. My little tofu critic loved it and had a sandwich and a half.

Son tells me he hates tofu ...

My son is made of tofu, and he eats it all of the time, but now he has a classmate, whose father told him tofu is gross, telling my son tofu is gross. Now, he is rejecting tofu that he used to eat, telling me he hates tofu. Of course, that is not what he said when we were at Asia Cafe two days ago, eating his giant bowl of sesame tofu. I have received your challenge, Little One, now we will be enjoying even more tofu. Evil laugh. Really, more tofu, and it is going to have sugar in the sauce (he will eat this).

I find the term "ethical vegans" to be hilarious. I understand what is meant by it, but it is not an accurate term to describe people who care about animal rights versus other vegans. One who is a vegan for environmental reasons or health reasons is also an ethical vegan, just one with a different ethic than animal rights.

Surprising Great Vegan Meal Found in Unlikely North Austin Location

If you happen to be in North Austin (or anywhere within reasonable driving distance) and want a wickedly good vegan meal, do check out the Balkan Cafe and Grill on North Lamar. Their Djuvec stew is one of the best vegan meals I have had in a long, long time. It is tomato- and paprika-based. It has thick chunks of carrots and potatoes and other vegetables. It is served with a flat bread. The only other vegan item on the menu is the ajvar dipping sauce, which is also fantastic. It is sweet peppers and eggplant. http://www.balkancafeandgrill.com/

Vegan Shoes Galore!

It is so exciting seeing more and more vegan shoe options on the market. How come I am the last to hear about Doc Martens' line of vegan shoes? Go plant power!  http://www.drmartens.com/us/c/Womens-Vegan

I created a new addition to the variety of taco fillings I am quite proud of: sautéed portabellas with Mexican oregano and red wine vinegar. It's an explosion of flavor.

Is Eating Meat Like Smoking Cigarettes?

I like this argument comparing consumption of meat to tobacco. Here is a little of what Kathy Freston says in her article:

"When I think about the effect of animal products on human health, I'm reminded of how quickly we've done a national about face on tobacco, and I look forward to the day when the Times magazine has a similar apology from someone who promoted animal products -- because the evidence is in and it continues to grow: Animal products kill a lot more Americans than tobacco does.

The West's three biggest killers -- heart disease, cancer, and stroke -- are linked to excessive animal product consumption, and vegetarians have much lower risks of all three. Vegetarians also have a fraction of the obesity and diabetes rates of the general population -- of course, both diseases are at epidemic levels and are only getting worse."

Freston makes a strong case. Here is the rest of the article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/animal-products-cancer_b_1316222.html

Vegan Food on the Road: Spiral Diner

We got to enjoy some yummy food at Spiral Diner in Dallas. This was our first time at the Dallas location. They are just as good. Seriously, why are there not more Spiral Diners in our state? We got a jerk and meatball sub sandwiches.

Recreating Flavors of Childhood: Teriyaki and Rice

My mother learned how to cook really well when she lived in Japan, where I was born. I was raised with an assortment of Japanese dishes, and even to this day, I go back to those flavors when I cook. One of my favorite dishes that she made was chicken teriyaki  because the sweet, thick sauce that it cooked in could be poured over and mixed with the rice. Today, I roasted some broccoli and sautéed cremini mushrooms and mixed them with the cooked brown rice. Then I made a sweet garbanzo bean teriyaki and topped the rice mixture with it. The sauce of the garbanzo beans makes the rice so addictive.

Sweet Potato Greens Is the Summer Crop You Need to Grow

One of the challenges to growing your own food in Texas is the dearth of options for greens in the summer. Don't tell me malabar spinach is a good option. It is slimy and yucky. Most of our best greens, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, collards, lettuce, cabbage, etc., are winter crops here. I recently heard about growing sweet potato tops for greens, a common practice in Asia. I have yet to put this in serious action, although I do have a leftover sweet potato bulb pushing up greens. The greens are amazing, much like spinach, except with far less oxalic acid (a good thing!). They are so easy to grow. Here is a link to a PDF discussing the nutritional qualities of sweet potato greens: https://www.uaex.edu/publications/PDF/FSA-6135.pdf

A Vegan Pizza and Cupcake Party!

We had some fantastic food for our son's birthday party, and we got to support some amazing vegans and their businesses. Thank you, Craig Vanis of Bistro Vonish for the wonderful pizza and Celeste Caswell of Celeste's Best fame for the yummy, gourmet cupcakes (unfortunately, I did not get a picture of them). If you need food for a party, I highly recommend both of these businesses.

My Vegan Noodle Soup Craving

There is only one bowl of vegan noodle soup that I ever have a craving for; unfortunately, it is from a place called Hop Tung in McAllen and not Austin. It is called Sha Cha Tofu Rice Noodle Soup (spicy soup, onion, tomato, peanuts, and cucumber). It is so amazing, especially the broth and the cooked tomato slices. It is absolutely brilliant. I wish an Austin pho place would have a vegan broth like this. Luckily, I was in McAllen this evening.

Fourth of July Vegan Barbecue!

Homemade Fourth of July barbecue seitan brisket was amazing. It is so ridiculously easy to do. Now that I know how to do this, it's time to invite some vegan friends over for a barbecue. We also had homemade potato salad and coleslaw. For the seitan, I mostly followed the New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook recipe the night before. Here it is:

4 cups of wheat gluten (one package of Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp soy sauce (recipe calls for 3, but I find that too much)

1/4 cup tahini (or peanut butter)

4 cups water

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder           

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients, dry first. I put them in two bread pans. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or so. Take off the aluminum foil for the last fifteen minutes.

I made a rub out of mostly paprika with lots of black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a decent amount of salt. I put oil around the seitan so the rub would stick. I cooked it low and slow with oak charcoal for about two hours on one side and another hour on the other. It had a nice crust, and the middle was the perfect texture. I did not make my own barbecue sauce today, however. I used Austin's Own, which is vegan and can be bought at HEB. The mild version is good for young children. The next time I do this, I will have more soaked wood chips. There was a nice smokey flavor in the brisket but not as much as I would have liked.        

Finally, Taco Success with Both Vegan Children and Adults

Cooking for young children can be very tricky. One day, they will like something; the next, they will declare it to be gross. In a general way, the blander the food, the more likely they will accept what you are offering. Of course, if it has a suspicious look to them, they might refuse to try it. The problem with cooking bland food is that I do not have that much motivation to do it. I do not like to eat bland food, and I usually do not have the energy to make two separate dishes. Of all types of meals, tacos have been especially challenging. It is hard for a young child to learn to eat a taco in the way it is meant to be eaten, so whatever you make becomes deconstructed quickly. The most complex taco my children have ever expressed a like for has been Vegan Nom's potato-tofu-avocado taco, but there is something about the taco that they have ended up rejecting. I am not positive what kind of spice is in the taco (maybe too much mustard in the tofu or too much salt with the potatoes?), but they do not consistently like the Vegan Nom taco anymore. So, I am reluctant to buy it for them because I do not want to waste the money. The only taco they have ever consistently liked that I or my wife have made at home is simply avocado and tortilla. That makes me feel guilty that they are not getting enough varied nutrition, and it does nothing for my own appetite. A couple of weeks ago, I was struck with some inspiration. I have been experimenting with using tofu in different ways since we generally do not like vegan cheese (Anita likes the new Field Roast vegan cheese, but the kids do not). I have been putting raw sliced tofu on pizzas and stromboli to simulate some of the texture of cheese without the gooeyness, and this has been quite successful for all of us. I have also tried a technique of frying squares of tofu in a sauté  pan and salting and putting nooch on one side for use in tomato sandwiches. This has been especially good. My new inspiration came when I was thinking about spices and the children. Obviously, they love nutritional yeast, but they also love a dal that I make that is heavy in cumin with a moderate amount of garlic but not much else. I already had a couple of boiled potatoes in the refrigerator, so I freshened them up on the sauté pan with oil, salt, and cumin. I made my fried tofu squares with salt and nooch. I added sliced avocado in a whole wheat tortilla. Both of the children ate all of their tacos! And quickly, too. I ate one like the children, and I really liked it, too. A good variance for adults is to eat it with the jalapeño sauce from the local Yellow Bird company and add jalapeños to the potatoes after some have been set aside for the children. I have since made the taco again, and they were also a huge hit. I think this is going to become a staple. The key is that Anita and I really like the tacos, too, so we are motivated to make them. Sometimes, simpler is better. Here are some pictures of the cooking of the tacos: