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

Peninsula Park

This post has nothing to do with food or even veganism but still concerns simple pleasures.

Yesterday I explored the Peninsula Park in North Portland. I'm falling in love with north and northeast Portland and have been wanting to visit Peninsula Park all summer.

Huge pines shade the park and wading pool. There are paved paths as well as many grassy areas for a good book or nap in the sun, basketball courts, an outdoor pool and large baseball field. I enjoyed the people watching (there's a lot of diversity) and the exquisite rose garden. The rose garden is maze-like and surrounds an energetic fountain.
To get to Peninsula Park, take Martin Luther King Junior Blvd north to Rosa Parks Way. Take a left and the park will be on your left. (Its just down the street from the max line and Interstate Ave.)

Luxury Camping

Although I prefer hike-in, minimalistic camping, luxury camping is fun every once in while. On my most recent camping trip, there wasn't any hiking-in involved so we could bring whatever we wanted without too much physical strain. Needless to say, we ate...and drank...quite luxuriously.

Dinner Night One

Fresh greens topped with warm polenta

Dressed with a sauce of Italian stewed tomatoes and sauteed mushrooms, garlic and onion

Topped with large pieces of avocado and a side of onion bread

Dinner Night Two

Grilled Tortillas filled with rice, beans, lettuce, avocado and tomatoes

Melon and Champagne on the side

Monte, the Costa Rican Pineapple Man

Takeout: Tacos Locos

Though veg*an options do not cover the menu, the few that are available are delicious, huge and cheap!


Vegetarian Taco Salad
Layers of lettuce, beans, rice and tomato served with guacamole and salsa

Vegetarian Burrito
Flour tortilla stuffed with rice, pinto beans, tomatoes, steamed onions, buell pepers and huge mushrooms

1610 Allen Creek Rd. Grants Pass, Oregon 97527

Un Gateau Rouge

This cake is CRAZY. It is magenta because it has BEETS!

Recipe Converted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

Best "Two-Egg" Cake

1/3 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Ener-G Egg Replacer equivalent to 2 eggs (or you can use 2 tbl ground flax and 1/4 cup water)

2 1/4 cups flour (I used a combination of whole wheat pastry flour and white bread flour)

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup vegan milk

2 or 3 beets, cooked, peeled and pureed

Prepare egg and set aside

Cream sugar and shortening

Add "eggs" and other wet ingredients including beet puree

Sift in dry ingredients and stir until combined

Pour into greased pan (I used two 9in circulars) and bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes

When cake has cooled, frost with a fluffy vanilla frosting (powdered sugar, vanilla and vegan milk)

T

Thanh Thao

It was approximately 9:30PM when we arrived at late night hot spot Dots Cafe, hoping to score quick cheap food before the Portland's underage scene shut down for the evening.
The sign at Dots states that they do not serve minors after 10:00 PM but they really should change the sign as they stop serving minors quite a bit earlier.
After realizing that we were not 21, the host refused to seat us and would not even allow us to sit outside.

Desperate, we departed hoping to find something to eat at Fred Meyer but ended up at Thanh Thao, a Vietnamese/Thai restaurant on Hawthorne. Even though we arrived at 10, the we were seated. They encouraged us to hurry but brought us Jasmine tea while we looked at the menu and seated another guy 5 minutes later.
The food was good like Thai food should be and was not lacking quality or flavor that one might expect when dining at close.

Sauteed tofu with vegetables in a yellow curry sauce

Vegetables and tofu sauteed in a brown garlic sauce

Thanh Thao 4005 SE Hawthorne

S'mores

Sweet and Sara vegan marshmallows are handcrafted and much higher quality than the average marshmallow. They roast well and pair nicely with dark chocolate and grahams.

Totally Sconed, Dude

Blueberry Scones from Vegan with a Vengeance

I made a few variations to the recipe using margarine for oil and adding a little chai tea as the liquid. They turned out really great and I think I prefer drop scones to triangular ones. They're made with fresh blueberries from the yard. This years crop is amazing. Nothing beats fresh blueberries.

Vita Cafe

Located in Northeast Portland, Vita Cafe is becoming one of my favorite vegan friendly restaurants. The atmosphere is great, the food is delicious and the staff is quite friendly. Upon my most recent, I ate outside where picnic shaded by sun umbrellas tables offer outside dining to a plethora of customers. Conversations of nearby diners ranged from how fucked foie gras really is to a deep discussion about Obama's potential.
Vita's menu has quite a bit to offer for everyone including huge vegan cakes (which I have not yet tried but hope to soon).

The H.O.G. :homemade Herb and Onion bread topped with almond Gravy

Buffalo things: fried tofu covered in a spicy sauce with vegan ranch and veggies

Thai coconut soup and salad

Italian Pasta: Tuscan kale, veggie sausage, garlic, chili flakes and crushed tomatoes, sautéed in lemon and olive oil topped with toasted bread crumbs.

If one so desires, they can play boule outside while waiting for their food.

Tabouleh

Tabouleh makes a light yet filling lunch, perfect for the somewhat unusual but very nice weather we've been having this summer in Oregon.

Sundried Tomato polenta with shitake mushrooms

The flavor of the shiitake mushrooms really shines through in this recipe as does the final topping of avocado. The ingredients of this dish pair incredibly well, yet it is a simple dish that one can prepare in less than 30 minutes.

Mushroom stir fry: 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and sliced • 1/2 cup roughly diced green onion • Freshly chopped basil • Olive oil • 1/2 cup to 1 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped • 3 cloves garlic minced

Heat oil in fry pan • Add garlic and onion • Cook until soft, about 5 minutes stirring frequently • Add basil and mushrooms • Cook over low heat until mushrooms have released juices • Remove from heat and add sun dried tomatoes

To make the polenta: Add 1 1/2 cups coarsely ground cornmeal to 4 1/5 cups salted boiling water • Cook over low heat until all water has been absorbed • Combine with mushroom tomato mixture • Serve over a bed of fresh greens and top with avocado and a little sea salt•

Gingersnap scones with Maple Espresso Glaze

Gingersnaps
(makes about nine cookies- enough for the recipe plus a few to snack on while the scones are baking)
3 tbl shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp flax meal combined with 1 tbl water
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit •Combine dry ingredients and set aside • Cream shortening, sugar and flax water• Add dry ingredients and stir to make a dough • Roll dough into balls and sprinkle with sugar • Cook 5-6 minutes •

Scones
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup gingersnap crumbs
1/4 cup cane or beet sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup soymilk (do not substitute rice milk)
1 1/5 tsp lemon juice
Ener-G Egg equivalent to one egg
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit • Combine soymilk with lemon juice and set aside • Combine dry ingredients in food processor • Cut in margarine and process until crumbly mixture has formed • Add soymilk/lemon juice mixture and Enger-G Egg and process until dough forms •
Place dough on floured surface and knead 4 times • On parchment paper, form dough into 10 in circle • Cut dough into 10 wedges, not cutting all the way through • Bake 15 minutes or until golden •

Icing
1-2 tbl brewed coffee
Powdered sugar
1-2 tbl maple syrup
Combine wet ingredients • Whisk in a few tablespoons of powdered sugar at time until desired consistency is reached • Drizzle over cooled scones •

Blossoming Lotus

Salud Salad with a side of Cornbread (the best cornbread on the face of the planet)

925 NW Davis, Portland OR 97209

http://www.blpdx.com/

Carrot Cake: A culinary prodigy

I've been making this carrot cake for years, usually saving it for special events like birthdays because it is such a delicacy, (though one may consider each living day as a special event).

Ingredients like freshly shredded carrots, crush pineapple and coconut make it incredibly most and flavorful.

The Recipe

2-1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup light brown cane sugar

3/4 cup cane sugar

3 egg equivalent in Ener-G egg substitute

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup vegetable oil (may substitute part or fully with applesauce)

2 cups finely grated carrots (food processor works well)

1 can (about 14 oz) crushed pineapple

1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit • Grease three 9in circular pans or 9x13in rectangular pan • Combine first six ingredients and set aside • In large bowl, prepare Ener-G Egg Substitute with whisk • Stir in sugar, vanilla and oil/applesauce • Add carrots pineapple and coconut • Stir in dry ingredients just until blended •Pour into pan(s) and cook for about 30-45 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean • Allow to cool before frosting• A margarine/vanilla/powdered sugar/soymilk frosting works well

Cinnamon rolls with a maple walnut filling

Onion loaf from starter

Blueberry Lavender Tarte

This tarte flirts with a few different recipes from Christina Pirello's Cooking the whole food way. It has little fat, and processed sugars (I used maple syrup and agave nectar as sweeteners) and is quite delicious. The lavender in the blueberry sauce is delicate but noticable to say the least and pairs nicely with the blueberries.

Broccoli gnocchi with mushroom marinara and fresh basil

Broccoli Gnocchi
Ingredients
2-3 cups of broccoli florets
1 large baking potato pealed and quartered
Flour
Salt
_____
Bring just enough water to cover the potato quarters to a boil. Add potato pieces and boil until soft.
Meanwhile, place broccoli in a skillet with a few tablespoons of water and cook until very tender. Add water as necessary.
Combine potato, broccoli (and water) in a blender. Blend, adding enough flour to make a dough that is easy to work with. Meanwhile bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil.

For further written instructions on making gnocchi, click here.