Hotcakes: Chocolate Chip Banana

A variation of the Pancake recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking. I swear by these pancakes because they are delicious and fluffly. I added vanilla and raw sugar to contribute to the fluffing. The bananas were mashed and tossed in with a plethora of large chocolate pieces.
(The batter is good too, if you're a pancake batter person like me...)

RED AND BLACK CAFE

On SE 12th and Oak, these are my sort of people...

Worker owned and operated, they have an anarchist star on the wall.

They have a nutritional yeast in a shaker, three kinds of no-animals-hurt-in-the-making milk and they reallize that chai is really better without honey.

And the workers are totally chill.

Go send books to prisoners and eat some wholesome vegan food!

Chocolate Chip Scones

College does not allow much time for baking but I have made it a goal to bake once a week for SDS (Students for a Democratic Society).

I especially like the semi sweet chocolate chips from Trader Joe's because they are HUGE and make well with scone dough. I used the basic scone recipe from Vegan with Vengeance.

Habibi II

Visiting Habibi for a second time last week, I was tempted to order something from the selection of items that I tasted last time but for the sake of blogging decided to try something new.

My fondness of their falafel came to mind while ording so I decided to try their Falafel Sandwich and was extremely satisfied. It was similar to the Zattar Pizza Sanwhich but with heavenly pieces of falafel and it only cost $5.00!

Bambuza Vietnamese Bistro

Bambuza is located on the southwest waterfront and is somewhat new to Portland, a sister to Bambuza Seattle. Strategifally located located near the new OHSU/Apartment complexes, they won't have any trouble making good business. Neighbors, however may or may not be their best customers, as I can see people coming from afar to eat at the bistro. The atmosphere is inviting and the food is amazing (they have an assortment of vegan and vegetarian options).

We ordered two different types of vegetarian salad rolls:
gỏi cuốn dừa (coconut summer rolls) which were filled with sauteed tofu, basil, bean sprouts, rice noodles, and carrots double wrapped in lettuce and rice paper and gỏi cuốn chay (vegetarian salad rolls) which were filled with sauteed jicama, tofu, basil, coconut meat, carrot, and peanut, also double wrapped

phở chay (vegetarian pho and condiments): a large steaming bowl filled with soft fried tofu, fresh vegetables including broccoli, carrots and bok choy, rice noodles and mushrooms in a delicate but flavorful vegetarian stock

đậu hủ ướp sã – lemongrass tofu skewers

đậu que xào đậu hủ (green bean tofu) a wok specialty: crispy tofu sauteed with green beans in garlic black bean sauce

Vodka Champagne Sunrises

A spur of the moment evening drink that turned out to be quite delectable
Shot of vodka for each glass (to start out)
Peach nectar (If you it on hand, I recommend using home jarred peaches and nectar)
Tropical Fruit juice
Champagne

Chocolat

Turning 21 in Oregon is a big deal. You can go out and actually participate in Portland's nightlife. You can play pool in the bar section of the restaurant and find somewhere to eat after 10 PM.

So when you turn twenty and not twenty one, you wonder what to do with yourself. If you have class and cross country and then class again however, there isn't much time to wonder. But even after getting out of class around 9:40 PM, I still kind of felt that nagging wonder...okay, its my double decade for a couple more hours; what should I do with myself.

Coincidentally I soon came upon a huge chocolate torte covered with voluptuous fruit and eating too much of it was an excellent way to end my birthday.

Somewhat wary of vegan baking, my friends bought me this cake from WholeFoods.

You realize the important people when they buy you chocolate cake for your birthday.

Habibi Restaurant

I ate at the Lebanese restaurant Habibi last week. The food was so amazing that I later found myself researching the country of Lebanon and looking for and affordable plane ticket to Lebanon.
The owner of the restaurant is quite facetious and extremely kind. After ordering three dishes to share between my friend and me, he stopped me, insisting that I order nothing more, as he did not want us to waste our money (due to the potential inability of eating such a large amount of food).
Habibi's menu is extremely vegan-friendly with everything labeled and a plethora of choices.


Mezza Platter: Falafel, humus, tabouli, tahini, garbonzo beans & majadra
Everything on the platter was amazing and had so much flavor. I highly recommend the falafel.

Zattar Pizza Sandwich: Thyme, oregano, sesame seeds, sumac & olive oil, with tomato, lettuce & tahini.
The myriad of flavors in the dish are so wonderful.


Lentil Soup: Green lentils and potatoes simmered with onion, garlic, rice, spices & a dash of olive oil (This is on of the best lentil soups I've ever eaten and it is under $5 for a good sized bowl)
Habibi is located near Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland: 1012 SW Morrison