Food Truck Revolution - Vegan Style

If you, like me, have been envying the Truck Food craze but are disappointed that most don't offer a veggie option, there's no need to whine any longer (unless you enjoy whining)!  The newest Vegetarian Times mag has an awesome article called Munching on the Move, and in it you'll find mobile veggie food options from Portland, OR to Providence, RI.  I was bummed to find that there aren't any in San Diego, but then there's Seabirds in Irvine, CA (and other parts of Orange County when mobile)...and I'm up there often enough visiting with my Bestie that I'm sure we'll be hitting it up soon.  Check out their menu!  This place is perfect for gluten-free, soy-free and raw foodies as well.

***UPDATE:  After doing some research, I found that Green Truck has a location in San Diego!  Their menu is not 100% veggie, but they do offer a tasty looking Vegan Burger for only $6.  Check their website for locations around San Diego, Los Angeles and New York.

I'm Gonna Knock the Bitter Out of Those Greens

Mustard greens were one of the items in my weekly produce box from last week.  So for an entire week, those greens have been sitting in the bottom drawer of my refrigerator as every night I would push them aside to reach other, less bitter and less intimidating vegetables.  Today, another bunch of mustard greens showed up in my box and I sighed, almost wishing that the other batch had gone bad by now so that I could throw it away.  Terrible, I know, but when I'd tried to add them to my morning miso or stir fry they left such a bitter aftertaste in my mouth!  So tonight I was bound and determined to knock the bitter out of those greens.  This is how I did it.  I thank my mom for the idea.

Japanese-Style Mustard Greens
Serves 2 to 3

1 large bunch mustard greens, stems trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp brown rice syrup
1 tsp mirin (a sweet sake for cooking - occasionally used in macro cooking)
1/4 block of medium-firm tofu, patted dry with paper towels
crushed sesame seeds for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add greens and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Strain in a strainer and push out as much water from the greens as you can without burning your hands.  Set aside to cool for a few minutes.  Once greens have cooled, squeeze out any excess water from greens and set aside.  In a medium pan, heat sesame oil over medium heat.  Once oil is fragrant, using your fingers, separate greens as you add them to the pan.  Cook, stirring gently for about 1 minute.  Add soy sauce, syrup, and mirin to greens; stir gently until combined.  Crumble tofu with your fingers as you add it to the mustard greens.  Toss with greens and cook on low for another minute to warm tofu.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with brown rice, sauteed cabbage and adzuki beans with squash.  Oishii!

This is so good, I wish I'd made a double batch..

Veg-N-Out: Eating Vegan in San Diego

As some of you know, it's not always easy to eat out when you're vegan.  That's why I was thrilled when I found Veg-N-Out.  They are a meat-free eatery in North Park, and everything there is vegetarian.  The wonderful thing is that around half the items on the menu can be made vegan!  I've been twice now and I'm in love.  They have a specialty burger called the T-Bird Burger, and I swear it tastes just like an In-N-Out Burger.  No joke.  It's made with a hash brown patty and piled high with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, vegan Thousand Island and avocado.  I didn't want to look like a total nerd, taking a picture of my food, so it's kind of hard to see all the goodies inside.  What was I thinking??  I'll do better next time, I promise!

T-Bird Burger

Last visit, I tried the Ali Burger, which is made with falafel.  Yummmm. Look how giant it is!

So ya.  You get the idea, right?  It's vegan heaven.

My version of Fried Rice

I wanted to use up the contents of my fridge today...

...wait, I'll go back a little further. In August of this year, 2010, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Since then, my in-laws have started on the Macrobiotic diet. To show my support, I became a vegetarian. Now, I know this is still miles from the macrobiotic diet, but I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a shot, and then maybe work my way into macrobiotics later. Anyway, I've been a vegetarian for about 2 months now (nothing to write home about, I know) and, surprisingly, I love it! I've tried it in the past, but I always caved because I craved meat. This time, not only do I not crave it, I feel incredible! My mind is clear, I have way more energy (something I shouldn't even have a problem with at 31), and I just feel happier in general.

So back to the fridge contents. Since becoming vegetarian, it's been so much easier to cook dinner. I just stuff my fridge with veggies and my pantry with beans, tomatoes, etc. and throw things together as I go. I've made soups, stews, stir-fries, and sautes, and I've enjoyed all of it. I'm not into fake meat products so none of my recipes will include the stuff, but feel free to add it as you see fit. My philosophy is: I will eat it as it was made to be eaten. If it's milk from a cow, drink milk from a cow. If you can't or don't want to, don't drink milk. If it's soy beans, then eat soybeans. Don't drink soy beans. Anyway, that's just me. I hate fake milk, although I'm trying to get used to almond milk in an attempt to fully convert to macrobiotics in the future (blah, it's just wrong!).

So back to my fridge contents. I pulled out zucchini, chinese eggplant, green onions, carrots, potatoes and leftover brown rice (all organic). I decided to ditch the potatoes and make:

Non-Traditional Veggie Fried Rice

4 Tbs vegetable oil, divided

1 egg, beaten

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 garden carrots (or 2 to 3 regular sized), sliced diagonally into 1/4" thick strips

2 zucchini, diced

2 chinese eggplant, diced

4 to 5 Cups cooked, refrigerated brown rice

4 Tbs soy sauce, divided

2 green onions, sliced thinly

fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a large saute pan over medium heat, add 1 Tbs. vegetable oil. Cook egg in oil until scrambled. Transfer egg to a plate. Turn heat to medium-high and add 1 Tbs. vegetable oil to pan, then add garlic and carrots and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add zucchini and eggplant and continue to saute for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until eggplant seems tender and zucchini is al dente. Transfer veggies to plate. Add remaining 2 Tbs vegetable oil, then add rice. Saute for 5 minutes. Then add 2 Tbs soy sauce and continue to stir gently, so as not to make the rice mushy. Return veggies and scrambled egg to rice pan, and stir to combine. Add remaining soy sauce, green onions, and a generous amount of pepper, and stir gently. This is more of a chunky fried rice, but I like it that way. It makes a good main dish.

Makes 4 to 5 main dish servings.

P.S. My future recipe posts will be much shorter...I think.