Christmas in July: Chickpea Stew without the Chicken

Smells of cinnamon wafting through the kitchen remind you of Christmas, right? Add cumin, cilantro, chickpeas, zucchini, and tomatoes for a fun and flavorful, wonderfully beany delight for Christmas in July. Self.com recipes can be pretty hit or miss--they're all centered on being healthy, which doesn't always translate to tasting good. But this chickpea stew recipe is the third of my successful attempts at recipes from the site and probably the most repeatable.

It's simple, especially since you don't need to add the chicken if you're a veggie like me.  Pretty much use everything else and swap the chicken for veggie broth and you're good to go.

The flavors in this dish are very Middle Eastern, mild and tongue-pleasing: all characteristics which determine how often I'm likely to re-make a dish.

I actually made it two nights ago but didn't end up eating it for lunch yesterday. It tastes just as good two days later.

On Being a Health Nut...Sort Of

Groupon/LivingSocial/Bloomspot/GoogleOffers/other-similiar-sites-I-have-not-yet-learned-about can be great sources for getting you hooked on a particular place or service...right? I've read how Groupon ruins relationships, how people are obsessed with getting a deal for some activity they never before wanted to try. As it becomes increasingly easier to be a consumer, I'm sure all this buying leads to waste, disappointment when a purchased deal goes unused and expires, and perhaps, arguments between friends and loved ones.

I certainly am not immune to the sway of a good deal, though I can pretty easily talk myself out of a 3/5/7-course meal that I wouldn't have had in the first place. After all, I can eat enough on my own without being encouraged to eat MORE. My obsession with these sites mainly lies in snatching up the gym/fitness/yoga-related deals. Recently it's gotten to the point where I had enough deals going at once that I needed to create a spreadsheet to keep track of all of my classes and when they would expire.

This has my coworkers and friends thinking I'm really dedicated to exercise. Well, maybe. I definitely am a little obsessive/compulsive about planning and what better to plan than something you can do on your own without worrying about other people's scheduling? Looking back now, I haven't actually gotten hooked on any of these places I've bought deals to. They were ok. Tolerable. Sometimes even entertaining. But my favorite dance classes and new favorite yoga studio are places I found out about through internet searches, past experiences in D.C., and word of mouth.

I think this means I'm done with purchasing random deals for awhile. I'm quite satisfied with my Zumba and Hip Hop Fitness classes with Carly Mayo at M Dance Fitness, any of the FIT, basics or techniques classes at Dhoonya, and so far all of the yoga classes I've taken at Kula.

But then again, I just received an email about a new site called GoRecess that lets you search for workout types by what you're in the mood for, location, and day. I think I'm sticking to my guns for awhile but because I'm evil, it's your turn to go nuts. Happy exercising!

Middle Eastern Cooking at Home

"It's all in the presentation" is a phrase that oft comes to mind when thinking of a great meal out or an elaborate meal prepared at home. For me, this is true even before the food hits the plate. There's something about certain containers that get me especially in the mood to cook. Perhaps being able to see the potential for food inside and being able to gauge its freshness at a glance is the quality that most draws me to the mason and pickling jars.

This past weekend I finally fulfilled my months-long goal of acquiring some jars of my own thanks to an afternoon stop in ps coffee tea n spices post brunch at Juventino.

My new collection of 2 baby jars, a medium-size mason jar, and a large metal tin with snappy closure is just the beginning of what I hope to be a beautiful friendship with food preservation/storage. The first occupant of the two baby jars was an Afghan cilantro chutney I prepared from a not-too-involved recipe in a new cookbook that is all Middle Eastern, all vegetarian (in other words, the best thing ever). The cookbook promised this stash would keep for 2 weeks, but I'm already 1.5 bottles in so I'm not able to confirm this timeline at this juncture, but what a great first foray into the use of these wonderfully cute devices!

This next part doesn't have so much to do with containers so much as the wonderful surprise of an elaborate, slightly time-consuming meal actually turning out really good. I'm not sure I've been this surprised at such a feat since my early years as a vegetarian attempting to make elaborate Indian and Thai dishes for holidays and family member's birthdays.

If you're a tomato lover, you will love this dish...sundried and fresh tomatoes (cherry, beefsteak, Roma--you choose), basil, scallions, and some other stuff rolled into balls or kufteh in a tomato pastey sauce. I thought I'd defy the recipe's suggestion and serve over couscous but Campanelle pasta was definitely the better choice. This foray turned out to be one of those dishes with the potential of being light yet filling. It only turned out to be heavy and filling because it was so surprisingly tasty, I had trouble putting my fork down.

The best lesson from this experience was actually something Ms. Frizzle told me many moons ago (my fellow former Magic School Bus fans, you know what I'm talking about): "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!" What a motto to live by in the kitchen.

Vegan Food Made with Love (the Loving Hut)

Amidst the hubbub along the Midtown stretch of Seventh Ave., it would be easy to walk on by the small vegan enclave Loving Hut without realizing you missed it. Don't let its size fool you. Their food packs a punch. And with vegan and vegetarian celebs staring down at you from the wall, you may very well nod your head and ask yourself the same question that appears on the wall, "these smart, beautiful, talented people are vegetarian. Why aren't you?"

There's not much to the decor otherwise and the TV is set to a channel with multiple language translations of English, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic (to name a few), sometimes with something cultish on air...something about smiling or happiness. But none of this matters. The fare will truly make you smile.

At the Loving Hut, Latin, Asian, and American vegan goodies converge on a menu prepared to satisfy your palate. On my first two trips, I delved into the Latin-inspired section of the menu. Both the protein quesadilla (stuffed with soy protein, sweet peppers, Daiya cheese and chile pasilla) and the veggie burrito (a mix of veggies, rice and beans) satiated my hunger. If the quesadilla and burrito were to go head-to-head in the metaphorical boxing ring, I'd definitely be in the corner of the protein quesadilla.

Round two: curry burger vs. mac n cheese burger. This one isn't a fair fight since the latter isn't actually a burger. The former is reminiscent of those Indian-spiced patties you can buy at Trader Joe's but this edition is made of a veggie/oatmeal union topped with what you may have guessed by now is my favorite topping: guacamole.

The latter is not a burger at all as I initially expected when I ordered it for lunch pickup during the work week. Once I delved into the creamy goodness of tapioca cheese, tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, soy protein, and sauteed onions topped with Daiya cheese, I soon forgot all about my ambitions for mac n cheese in sandwich form. Saying this dish is delish is an understatement. (Not having eaten meat in 15 years, I try to guess what veg dishes would send my non-veg friends over the moon and the mac n cheese burger, I think, could be a strong contender).

A close second might be the BBQ soy sandwich which I've had a handful of times. It's saucy, melty goodness that has comforted me many an evening post workout.

And last but not least, I finally delved into the Asian section of the menu with the vegan delight, a medley of stew protein, sweet peppers, scallion and cabbage in a sweet barbecue sauce). Vegan Asian dishes are usually last on my exploration list just because there are a wide variety of places that offer tofu-based dishes. Loving Hut shattered this notion because there's a lot more you can do than just steam or fry tofu. The flavors in this plate are just as delicious as those that appear in sandwich form.

In short, if you're looking for an excellent and quick vegan meal and you happen to be in Midtown (and aren't scrambling like the dickens to get the hell out), Loving Hut is the spot to stop in to satiate your veggie needs.

Scrambled tofu makes an excellent egg alternative

Either I've been really lazy lately or busy with other things...Who am I kidding? It's usually a combination of the two.

About a month ago I posted about sort of trying out a diet. It only lasted for a week and I didn't follow it to a T but I was inspired by some of the suggested recipes. In addition to the veggie lentil soup I reviewed last time, I also recommend the breakfast tofu scramble--a nice alternative to eggs. I only followed the recipe loosely as I lacked some of the spices, but it turned out pretty great. All you need is tofu--I suppose soft tofu would work best for crumbling purposes, but I used the extra firm I had in the fridge and it worked just as well-- mushrooms, spinach, salt, and pepper. And as is in my nature, I topped it off with Sriracha.

It's so light and quick to make that even a lazy person such as myself doesn't mind making it in the mornings before work. For extra fun, have some tortilla on the side. Heat it up in a pan and serve alongside or make yourself a breakfast taco.

Semi-related anecdote: I got the spinach for this faux omelette scramble from this Caribbean market in my neighborhood that has a stellar vegetable selection that is much more affordable than neighboring grocery stores. The last time I went I walked away with a full head of spinach (can I call it that?), scallions, kale, carrots, celery, poblano peppers, oregano, rosemary, parsley, lentils, and an onion all for less than $12! I chuckle to myself whenever I pass it because it's called The Meat Barn even though they mostly sell vegetables, fruits, beans, and Caribbean spices.

Soup's Up!: Building food consciousness

I'm not usually one to follow diets. I think, why do that to yourself? Food is so good. A coworker suggested one to me that sounded pretty reasonable, however. It's called the UltraSimple Diet and you can download the companion guide here (Who wants to buy a diet book? That definitely goes against my principles). The thought behind this diet is to rid the body of toxins while still eating food. It's about eliminating common toxins, or allergens, from your diet such as gluten, dairy, alcohol and caffeine for a week.

I'm only following this loosely as I have no intention of giving up yogurt and while I know I probably should drink less coffee, I do need something to keep me awake at work. I'm not even taking the advice to take spoonfuls of lemon juice or olive oil before my first meal of the day. So why even post about it? Basically because like me, you may find some of the recipes inspiring. I'm using this as a general guide to being more conscious about what I eat and to be more observant about how certain foods make me feel.

Tonight I cooked up the hearty vegetarian lentil soup (found in "Recipes for Lunch and Dinner" in Section 5 of the companion guide) and am looking forward to slurping it down for lunch tomorrow. As a general plug for soup--it's so great--you can throw in a bunch of veggies and herbs and make all kinds of combinations sure to pique your palate. I also think soup is a great place to put your efforts in shopping at ethnic markets. You don't know what something is? Why not throw it in a pot with a bunch of other intriguing ingredients and see what magic can be made?

Va-va-va-voom: Vegan delectations on either side of the BQE

You know when something's so good, you feel obligated to do it proper justice? That's how I've felt since I discovered Champs and foodswings, both cash-only, vegan eateries located in Williamsburg. To be honest I'm still hesitant that I can do these places full justice but it's not fair to keep them from you any longer.

So without further ado, let's start with foodswings. Located near the BQE on Grand Street, this little vegan haven is great for late night junk food savories. While I've only tasted two of their dishes so far, I feel it's safe to assume that the plethora of items tattooed across their chalkboard menu are fabulous. One I can certainly vouch for is the chick'n parmigiana sandwich featuring breaded veggie chick'n with Daiya mozzarella and marinara sauce smushed between two pieces of garlic bread--which in itself is genius. Even vegans/vegetarians get the occasional craving to nosh on something that feels bad for you. This little diddy perfectly satisfies that craving. And since my first post on using Daiya, the taste of this soy cheese has really grown on me.

Second on the hit list: the philly cheese steak--veggie steak with onions, mushrooms, and Daiya cheese on Italian bread. In one word: hearty. Not as perfect as the chick'n parmigiana but stands up in its own right as a late night indulgence.  And if you've already made the commitment to indulge in this mouthful, why not wash it down with a chocolate soy milkshake?

Moving on to the other side of the BQE, we come to Champs. Sigh. If I lived in Williamsburg, this would be an old standard. I'm sure it is for actual residents. While you're sitting in your retro booth with a portrait of Rue McClanahan or Mike Tyson staring down at you, you may wonder why this place is so well-known for being a bakery when its true delights come in the savory variety. On my first visit, I played it safe. Why, I can't remember. I had the bomber burger, which all these months later, I don't remember at all. I'm sure it was tasty but if you're going to go, I recommend getting something with faux meat because they use it so well.

Option 1: the Reuben--grilled seitan with melty vegan mozzarella, tangy mock Russian dressing and homemade purple kraut served between fresh slices of marble rye bread. Each sandwich is served with a side of leafy greenery and balsamic vinaigrette. Are your tastebuds watering, yet?

Options 2 and 3: The Buffalo Chick'n vs. the Hot Cubano. Both these hot sandwiches are contenders for my number one, favorite vegan sandwich of all time. The former for its finger-licking-good sauce and the latter (a melty paradise of soy ham, jalapeno and pickle) for its punchy kick. Both pack some heat, the latter more than the former. And both are the reason I haven't tried more things on the menu. These little buggers are so delicioso that it's hard not to order one or the other when I find myself in the neighborhood.

By virtue of a friend ordering something else, I was able to try the chili. As a main or a side, the chili is a wise choice. It's robust and beany and is apparently made extra special when served alongside the breakfast menu item called the Drunken Cowgirl.

Whether you're in the mood for a hearty breakfast, a savory lunch paired with leafy greens, or a sumptuous snack, I highly recommend checking out either of these vegan havens in W-burg. It's well worth the trek, even if you're coming all the way from South Brooklyn like I do.