Vegan Mofo Day #11: Return To New Harmony Pictopost

My friend and I ate lunch at New Harmony Restaurant-- featuring some of my favorite cuisine-- Asian yumminess. Here we had the amazing $6.95 lunch special starting off with hot wonton soup. The wontons were delicious yet the broth was exceptional.

I ordered the vegetable steamed buns.

She ordered "pork" steamed buns.

Bun feast appetizers with special sauce. I never had these before. They're quite amazing. At $2.95 for three sumptuous pint sized flattened balls of goodness, I could imagine ordering steamed buns alone to complete a meal experience.

The pork bun alone was just heavenly! A nice burst of flavor in the center of chewy soft dough.

Sesame "chicken" was light, crisp, and tasty atop brown rice.

The mock "beef" wasn't top of the line. In fact, after one bite of the chewy, awkward tasting faux meat, I could eat no more. Sadly, I couldn't exchange it for another dish either. That was a real waste. Plus our service certainly wasn't the best offered this afternoon. Still, the soup, the steamed buns, and my friend's dish made for a fulfilling prelude to Buy One Get One Free Gingerbread Soy Milk Lattes from Starbucks-- a much needed dessert and true end to an almost catastrophe. 

Vegan Mofo Day #10: Pumpkin Peanut Butter Pudding

Two opposing walks of life come together for pudding purposes.

Mesh. Mesh. Mesh.
The latest Vegan Mofo prompt encourages us creative vegans to celebrate joining cuisines together. Well, I'm combining two different ingredients with similar textures for a good fit today. My current obsessions certainly make for a deliciously thick dessert. Sweetened with Bee Free's sticky syrupy Honee (thank you to the apples), this scrumptious autumn treat meets jelly's old-time boo provides a unique flavor that one cannot expect. They seem to work well, bounce ideas off each other on the taste buds. Decadently rich pudding, sans spicy flare (though one can add cinnamon, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice), proves that the best of both worlds can build a wonderful future together.
I would have never of considering mixing peanut butter with pumpkin. Somehow this works beautifully.
Recipe below serves one ravenous person.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Pudding Ingredients and Preparation

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
1 tablespoon Bee Free Honee
1 cup almond milk

Whip ingredients up in a blender.
Scoop out and chill (or eat at room temperature like me).

Smooth and creamy, with a bit of peanuts underneath. Pretty tasty.

Luxurious, silky like a forbidden dream.

Vegan Mofo Day #9: Vietnamese Banh Mi

QT Vietnamese Sandwich restaurant in Chinatown.

I need to inhale a large bit of breath, fill my lungs with positive energy, and exhale out frustration that came with our endless grey clouds and teary raindrops.
It has been a most difficult, ill-suffering twenty-four hours-- a real painful end to a rather horrific chain of awful events. Words are impossible to speak aloud and write in a vegan blog post. Alas, I can only hope and pray for human decency in a country that has lost its moral compass some time ago. We're going to have to protect and hold dear women, the LBGTQ community, and minorities. The American world as we know it is doomed. Kindness, strength, and love are key.
Now moving onward, defiant fighting spirit within, Vegan Mofo of the day is to make something new. Well, I tried something new. I want to thank an awesome individual at school for giving me a fully stamped free sandwich card at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant called Banh Mi.
"Banh" means bread and "mi" means wheat. The Banh Mi was partly inspired by the French baguette-- which explains shape and style.

Always delighted to see a green "Vegan Options Inside" sign. Plus "Free Wifi" doesn't hurt either.

The sandwiches are not expensive-- $5.50 each, super long, and fulfilling. Better option than anything a vegan can score at Subway. They have a lemongrass tofu or a mushrooms & onions tofu. I chose the latter. The bread was a little tough to chew on (warming it in the microwave softens that problem) and a large amount of cilantro almost caused my mouth to fall off. Who knew that cilantro could get so spicy? I did love the tofu and the mushrooms alongside shredded carrots. Could have used double the amount-- it started to taste all bread for a while, especially at the end of the sandwich.Still, I appreciated the flavors. Delicious!

I would come back. I gotta try the lemongrass tofu sandwich (light on the cilantro), boba tea, and the rice/noodle dishes.

Vegan Mofo Day #8: Eating Out Vegan In Toronto Part II

Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian restaurant that recently closed, was my exact feeling as I soared down the streets on a cloud covered March, sightseeing and eating my way through.

International Week continues onward.
Vegan Mofo's prompt today is Far Away. Toronto is far away. Far, far away sadly.
My memories have stayed a constant fluttering reminder. I can recall infinite pleasantries in the cold, frigid country above. I have enjoyed the subways, the streets, the art, the little messages that certain buildings seemed to speak to me, and the level of trust bestowed by a good friend.
Toronto has a spirit unlike any other place-- almost magical. Certain nooks and crannies have an independent, bohemian vibe. Hip, upbeat areas are ripened with vibrant, sleepless entertainment. Yet beneath city's fairy dust and glitter, is a cultural landmark where one can find truest self.

A famous children's book author took me to lunch at Fresh on the Spadina. They cater to both vegetarians and vegans with a full menu of plant based foods and eclectic pressed juices, smoothies, elixirs, and more.

Incredible quinoa breaded onion rings-- ultra crispy and the onions don't stay attached to the mouth as though it were spaghetti to slurp.

The Chipotle Bacon Burger with chipotle mayo, grilled tempeh bacon strips, mild vegan cheese sauce, tomato, lettuce, and jicama inside of a whole wheat bun.

One of the largest burgers I've ever consumed in one single sitting. It was magnificent!

It being March-- we both got the Shamrock Shake special (matcha green tea, peppermint, banana, agave and almond milk). Perfect end to a very satisfying meal.

From there, we caught a trolley car to Kensington Market. One of the best stops next to COurage My Love (found a cute red dress for $5 Canadian bucks) Blue Banana Market. I did buy the funky glamorous Diva Sponge for my mom. She loves it too much to use it as a dish washing tool.

Who needs a Polaroid when there's Polaroll for your tissue dispensing needs!

Next to octopus and celebration sprinkled mugs, you'll find Mr. Men.

The cat lady pillow for all your cat slumbering needs.

Lego "Frozen" pillow.

Lioness dressed rather masculine.

Various African drums including a head to beat on.

Lion and leopard head tops all over pillows.

Twosome became a trio as we met our friend (whose humble home I was staying over at) for Asian cuisine at King's Cafe. We pleaded a bit with staff due to coming in thirty minutes before closing time.  They kindly allowed us to stay and eat. Among our delicious buffet of deliciously savory food-- terrific soy drumsticks with sweet plum sauce!

Veggie fried rice with extra broccoli.

Delectable faux meat wrapped in nori wrappers.

For a taste of Far Away, my friends have a nice array of fancy vegan items and vegan cookbooks from all around the globe. So in this wonderful second home before I went outdoors to have grand adventures in merry chill, I cherished browsing their unique goods. Often it was difficult to pick what to create. Mestemacher's organic three grain oat sprinkled bread were beautiful squared shapes with textured crusts. For cheese, they use Daiya (a huge Canadian vegan staple) and keep plentiful supply of Sheese-- a Scottish vegan brand by Bute Island Foods. Sheese is good. It's creamy with the right amount of herbs and spices. They make an amazing cream cheese spread that would make burnt toast scream with happiness.

For a late breakfast (or lunch), I made grilled cheese sandwiches with Sheese's Cheddar Style with Chives and some olive tapenade (funny for someone who hates olives). The bread was toasted with olive oil and covered so cheese could melt in between.

Yummy grilled cheese that had a salted meet sweetened bite.

Future hair salon? Maybe. Roaring just in case.

In my walking around the block spotted several Africa related signs-- a foreboding premonition perhaps.

Ethiopian food-- which will be the highlight of the last part of the Toronto trilogy coming soon. We didn't dine here at African Palace, but our chosen establishment was well worth the delicious wait.

Gotta love a good neighborhood library. Bloor and Gladstone was a charming brick and mortar location with a lot of history. Perfect place to chill out, read literature, and surf the web. I spent a lot of quiet, solitary time among the stacks. 

I close this off with Hub Coffee. It is near my friend's place. During my stay, I often walked down to the small cafe, enjoying the hot chocolate and vegan raspberry lemon bar. Downright scrumptious, the bar is a sweet burst of tart raspberry and citric lemon. To end a day of adventure at Hub always felt special. After all, it was close to second home. And my friend and her sweet, bicycle bound housemates were there often, greeting with affable smiles and curiosity of the Philly vegan woman's dash around their fair city.

Vegan Mofo Day #7: Deconstructed Ode to Philly Cheesesteak

This may look like dessert, but trust-- it's not that at all

Nothing ever goes as planned.
I knew that for seventh day Vegan Mofo prompt, the start of International Week, Philadelphia's cheesesteak had to be involved. After all, it is what city of Brotherly Love is best known for.
Without bread or even rice, it seemed a mild problem. I found canned hearts of palm quite by accident. I always stared at them quizzically, never quite sure how to prepare. Yet according to much Internet reading, hearts of palm are similar to artichokes-- firm exterior, with a soft, butter like center. Thus being the adventure charged kitchen lady that I am, I prepared my "cheesesteak" using hearts of palm as a bed to rest my "meat. Cannelloni beans are the basis to create a light, velvety sauce that invitingly drips down, mirroring the way real cheese does on the Philly tradition. As a result, this dish isn't cheesy or mimics vegan restaurant quality, but it brings something special to mind-- lots of poetic airiness and pleasing texture. 

Hearts of Palm With White Bean Cream Over Tofu Steaks Ingredients and Preparation

1 15 oz can hearts of palm, salad cut
4 thinly slice tofu
1 tablespoon soy sauce (or Liquid Bragg's)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
pinch of salt and black pepper

White Bean Cream

1/2 cup canned cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Drain and rinse hearts of palm. Warm in a small pot for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Heat a nonstick skillet.
Marinate tofu slices in soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, salt, and black pepper.
Toss tofu onto skillet and cover with lid. Give each side 7 minutes.
For the sauce-- combine all ingredients into blender or food processor.
Layer tofu steaks over prepared hearts of palm and pour white bean sauce on top.

Like a taste of air.

The sauce is creamy and rich, a fine component to crisp tofu and soft hearts of palm.

How to turn thoughts of Philly cheesesteak into edible art.

Vegan Mofo Day #6: Macaroni With Chickpea Sauce

Macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort dish.

Vegan Mofo Day 6 is an easy challenge.
What will always be considered a delightful blessing in disguise for a hungry person who wants nothing more than to stay in between warm blankets on a cozy Sunday afternoon and browse their Netflix directory? Some specialty kind of macaroni and cheese that's the answer!
I'm that vegan on a mission to make a thousand different kinds of this classic comfort food dish sans harmful cow and goat milk, butter, cheese, cream, and so forth. No. No. All vegan all awesome.
Today's healthier version utilizes chickpeas and a little of famous aquafaba (chickpea and/or legume water) to create a lovely light sauce to pour over elbow macaroni (or any other favored pasta shape). Without garlic or onion to mask away pure integrity of chickpeas, my unique tasting macaroni has a special flavor different than traditional vegan recipes featuring Daiya, Follow Your Heart, and Kite Hill Cheeses, oils, Earth Balance butter, etc. Added nooch, however, does provide the necessary "cheesy" affect.
So next time, one finds themselves alone, starving, and taking a pause from searching Netflix, I recommend preparing a zesty macaroni and cheese to provide further relaxation.

Macaroni With Chickpea Sauce Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/2 cup elbow macaroni
1 cup canned chickpeas with a bit of chickpea water
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions.
Combine chickpeas, almond milk, nooch, salt, and pepper together in a blender or food processor.
Stir sauce with finished macaroni.

Top with extra nooch.

Dig in.

Vegan Mofo Day #5: Peanut Butter Banana Shake

Yummy yum yum.

For Vegan Mofo Day #5, I confess having a late night crush. It's monstrous. Sometimes drives me a little over the edge. Funnily enough, this has nothing to do with wild chocolate cravings (which usually gain an insatiable fervor within). Obsession has involved blending together crunchy peanut butter, bananas, and almond milk-- an intriguing balanced cross between smoothie and milkshake. The saltiness from two ingredient peanut butter (peanuts and salt) combined with sweet not too ripened banana (adding thick creaminess) and almond milk (lightly cloying tying things to liquid-ly proportion) makes for a satisfying fulfillment to take sips of in both the late late night (whilst watching Netflix) and the early early morning (when fooling people into believing you're having coffee).
Peanut butter and bananas are always a treat!

Three simple ingredients make for a great instant guilty pleasure.

Peanut Butter Banana Shake Ingredients and Preparation

1 banana, not too ripe
2 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
1 1/2 cup almond milk

Blended together-- all nice and rich.

Pour into your favorite cup.

Drink happily ever after.