Review: TastyBite Punjab Eggplant

I picked this up in a World Market. Punjab Eggplant by Tasty Bite (the price on Amazon is much higher than in the store). At first, I was skeptical. How good can Punjab in a pouch really be? Well I was pleasantly surprised. It was delicious! It was also easy to identify this as vegan as Tasty Bite clearly labels all their products. The only issues I have yet to find it in a local store :(  So I will have to remember to stock up the next time I am in Atlanta. Quick, easy, and delicious. Side note, it is kind of spicy so if you don't like spicy items then stay away from this one. 

~Alisha

Fake-Out Mac and Cheese

I made the Fake-Out Cheese from Happy Healthy Life. It was awesome!!!!! It had the look and texture of mac and cheese, was pretty close to the taste, and was completely guilt free but not fat free ;)

The photo is the Mac and cheese I made, the recipe is fromhttp://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2011/08/fake-out-mac-n-cheese.html

Fake-Out Mac ‘n Cheese
makes 5-6 cups

3 cups fake-out cheese sauce (see below)
6 cups cooked macaroni pasta
2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

Fake-Out Cheese Sauce Recipe Below

Stretch Your Cheese Sauce - 5 uses
here.
Find five more uses for my Fake-out Cheese Sauce (think cheesy nachos and vegan ‘special sauce’).

Fake-Out Cheese Sauce
vegan, makes 5 cups

3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 can cannellini beans, drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
2-3 Tbsp tamari (replaces added salt)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 Tbsp mustard powder
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp fine pepper
1 cup mashed sweet potato OR 1/2 cup instant mashed potato (unflavored) + 1/2 cup water
*see note below
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup vegan butter (Earth Balance) softened
1-2 Tbsp agave syrup
2 Tbsp tahini (adds a tang to the sauce – just as real cheese would)
Last step: thin out to desired thickness with soy milk, soy creamer or water

Did it fake out everyone? No. Did I enjoy... you bet! Of course, it does take a little extra time to prepare, but to me it was worth it. You can also melt this cheese and combine with salsa for a delicious treat. 

~Alisha

Review of Dough Bakery delicious treats

Whenever I travel to Atlanta, I try to make it a point to stop by Dough Bakery. Why? Well good food, atmosphere, and wonderful entertaining owners....

Dough Bakery at the Atlanta Vegfest 11/9/2013

So on the way back from speaking at a hospital today, I decided to make a detour on the way home. And oh man it was well worth dealing with the downtown Atlanta traffic.

Let's take a look at what is in the case today...

+DoughBakery case of delicious desserts 1/24/14

Wow! Can I have three of everything?!? I mean this is bruinner (breakfast/lunch/dinner), which means I should probably eat some of the deli food too.

Score! That is pimento cheese in the case. I have been wanting to try this for a while now. Plus a grilled pimento cheese sandwich sounds really good. I asked the lady behind the counter and she said sure I can make that for you. Then she started asking me what else I would want on it, and I asked her to use her creative license, and this was the result:

Pimento grilled cheese with tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato, and sriracha sauce on rye bread. 

The picture doesn't due the sandwich justice. It was spicy and gooey cheesy, while not being too spicy. I am so glad I saw the pimento cheese and really happy the lady used her creative foodie skills to make this killer sandwich.

Of course I couldn't have a sandwich without a dessert or two...

Mexican chocolate chip cookie and pumpkin whoopie pie

They are right... A pumpkin whoopie pie does fix everything. 

The atmosphere is also nice and inviting with comfy chairs, couches, good music, and free wifi. The only downsides are parking, and there is no Dough Bakery in Macon. That's ok, I will just have to stop by anytime I am nearby... Even if it is still 20 miles out of the way ;)

Oh and don't worry, I picked up some desserts to take home to Jonathan.... If they survive the car ride home!

Here are a few pictures from previous visits:

Roast beef sandwich, potato salad, and chocolate peanut butter cupcake. I don't remember the date.

Dough Bakery also makes special items during the holidays:

Dough bakery carving the holiday "ham" at the Atlanta Vegfest 11/9/2013

So stop by and enjoy a delicious vegan meal at +Doughbakery in Atlanta. 

Note: All items at +Doughbakery are vegan.

 Also they are closed on Mondays :( but open other days with homemade treats!

Chili Thai Restaurant - Columbus Review

Chili Thai Restaurant - Columbus

One of our veggie friends had been raving about Chili Thai, which I had been to years ago and I wanted to try it again. 

So over the holiday break, we decided to introduce my parents to Thai food at Chili Thai in Columbus, Ga. The reviews: It was AMAZING! Seriously can I get some of this food now?

Just looking at this picture makes me drool. I mean it was so good that I didn't realize I had forgotten to snap a picture until about half way through. This was the drunken noodles with tofu (yes you can substitute tofu even though it is not on the menu), with three chili peppers and I still asked for extra sauce. 

The most important tip I can give you is to get the homemade spice sauce. I don't remember what it was called, but it was light colored and delicious. I almost licked the bowl clean. I even remarked without even realizing it to the waiter "this sh** is good!" And it was... It so was.

An added bonus, the restaurant owner is veggie, and is very conscientious of veggies. Just let your server know and they will modify almost any meal. Plus most of the meals can be made with tofu instead of meat. 

Delicious food, veg-friendly, veggie owner, decent prices, did I mention good food? The only bad thing about this place is it is in Columbus and I'm in Macon. That's ok. It just means plenty of trips to Chili Thai when I am in Columbus!

Scratchin' it: Homemade chocolate cupcakes

#vegan #chocolate #cupcakes A great way to start any day! (Taken with instagram)

I made these a while back, but wanted to share this post on this new blog. I really like making cupcakes from scratch even though it takes extra work. Why? There are so many unknowns in many boxed cake mix (Fooducate, Organic Authority, and more) that I figure if you can make from scratch then great. Keep in mind some of the boxed mixes are vegan, so they can be used in a pinch.  

I used the recipe below. A couple of suggestions. The icing is really sweet and makes a ton. So I just made another batch of cupcakes. I think next time I will cut back on the sugar in the icing.

The cupcakes were not too sweet but I used unsweetened soy milk and coca, which cut down in the sugar. I also made two batches— 1 with oreo cookies mixed in and 1 with coffee mixed in (see comments in blog. I put in 1 tablespoon of hazelnut coffee). I prefer the coffee version but I may be biased. ;)

I also made mini cupcakes and I am glad I did since the icing is so sweet
I might even leave the icing off a few.

Vegan chocolate cupcake

I made these for Earth Day in 2012 and they were delicious!
Frosting:

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine
3 1/2 cups Sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup soy milk

http://www.chow.com/recipes/10856-vegan-fluffy-buttercream-frosting

Cupcakes
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flower
1/3 cup coca powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
http://www.chow.com/recipes/10794-basic-vegan-chocolate-cupcake

If you try them, please leave a message and let me know how you liked them, especially comment if you used any substitutions and how it went. ~Alisha

Restaurant Chains and Stomach Pains

On the road again. Just can't wait to get on the road again ~Willie Nelson

If you are a veggie, vegan, have allergies, healthy eater, etc. then you know traveling can be scary stomach pain kind of times. Once, in the middle of Tennessee, dinner consisted of shopping at Kroger and using the microwave in our hotel. Sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do.

But don't think eating on the road is impossible! It's not, but it does take a little effort to eat healthy or veggie on the road. So what can help you? Well technology of course! (said the tech geek)

First up, one of the best apps that I frequently use on the road:

Happy Cow has a free version and a paid version (actually looks like iTunes only has paid version). There isn't much difference. I did buy the paid version after using it for a few months just to help support the developers. Happy Cow is my go to app for finding vegan, and veggie friendly restaurants. It is how we found Sluggo's in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

I don't have any pictures of the food... I was too busy devouring every bite!

I would seriously drive to Chattanooga just to eat here again. The craziest thing is I would never have found it without the help of Happy Cow. So I highly recommend trying out this app. You may even discover new places in your town.

Happy Cow is great for finding veggie friendly restaurants, and for even finding veggie friendly restaurant chains, but what do I eat when I enter one of these chains so I don't get stomach pains?

Enter the website, Vegan Eating Out. This website will give you the list of vegan approved foods at various restaurants. Even if you are a vegetarian, I recommend looking at this site. Several restaurants cook with pork fat, beef/chicken broth, etc. So it doesn't hurt to do a little research before you go, or else you may run the risk of paying dues to the porcelain king later on.

There is also a mobile site for Vegan Eating Out, but not an app. You can try VeganXpress, but I have not used it. I get most of what I need from Happy Cow and Vegan Eating Out so I haven't bought VeganXpress.

Of course, I prefer to eat at local places if possible, but I know not all areas have veggie friendly local restaurants.

So what about restaurant chains in the Columbus and Macon area?

Name	Macon	Columbus	Alisha's Comments
Atlanta Bread	X	X
Burger King	X	X	I don't eat here often, but there options if you cannot find anything else. Plus they offer a veggie burger now!
Carrabbas Italian Grill	X	X
Chipotle Mexican Grill		X	Wish there was one in Macon!
Cici's Pizza Buffet	X	X
Dominos	X	X
Dunkin Donuts	X	X
Firehouse Subs	X	X
Five Guys Burgers & Fries	X	X	Fries... you can order fries...
Jason's Deli		X	I really like eating here! The salad bar has hummus, couscous, and granola.
Jimmy Johns	X	X
McAlister's Deli	X	X
Mellow Mushroom	X	X	Mellow Mushroom carries tofu and vegan cheese! I love the one in Macon. The one in Columbus messed my order up, but we only wen there once.
Moe's Southwest Grill	X	X	Moe's is great for carrying tofu, and their pinto beans are veggie.
Olive Garden	X	X	I use to eat here often but now that I'm vegan... I don't eat here that often
Panera Bread	X	X	Frequent visitor tip... they keep soy milk in the little fridge. You can ask for this for your coffee.
Papa John's Pizza	X	X	The original crust is vegan. The thin crust contains milk.
Quiznos	X	X
Starbucks	X	X	Sub soy milk. Check the ingredients in Frapps and other special drinks. Some use whey in the powder.
Subway	X	X	Easy to grab a sandwich.
Taco Bell Menu	X	X	Guilty pleasure. I really enjoy Taco Bell, and you can order most items sub beans for beef, and sub guacamole for cheese/sour cream.
Zoe's Kitchen		X	Tons of options clearly labeled.
*not inclusive list, does not include local restaurants.

A few others apps to mention:

• Vegman
• Heart of Vegan

Have a favorite chain in the middle Georgia area that I missed? Please leave a comment below so I can add it to the list.

~Alisha

Veggie Gifts

It's a new year, and yet I haven't posted about Christmas!

We traveled to visit family, all of us loaded into the car....then over the hills and through the woods to Nana and PawPaw's house...

They had more space but wanted to be near each other...

I could talk about all of the yummy food we ate (Food coma!) ... and I will, believe me I will, but later in more detailed posts! For now, I would like to talk about a few of the veggie/green type gifts we received. I'm not going to highlight everything, just a couple of items. 

For some of our gifts with family and friends we simply donated to each person's favorite charity. I must admit at times it felt weird not rushing to do tons of shopping, but also kind of nice at the same time. It was also great to know we were giving to others in need. We also opted to keep it simple and exchange ornaments with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, who got us this awesome ornament to add to our tree:

An excellent addition to our tree from my brother-in-law & sister-in-law

Of course, what Christmas would be complete without giving the librarian a book or two:

A gift from my mother-in-law

I have heard The Art of Racing in the Rain (Have I mentioned I'm now obsessed with Good Reads?!?) is an excellent life changing book. I will have to post a review... once I get around to reading it.

A gift from our friend & fellow veggie, Denise

I think Jonathan will get more use out of these books... although I will get to enjoy the delicious food he creates with them!

For this item, I will get the most use of it:

A gift from my Dad, who always reminds me to take in my reusable bags. 

The neat thing is this bag was of course made using an old pet food bag, but it was also made by someone local. Recycling, local, reusable, and cute!


So these were just a few veggie/green items we received this Christmas. Of course, this isn't just the season of receiving... it is the season of giving and spending time with family & friends...

And food... more post to come about all the yummy food!

~Alisha

Cheesy Dog Gone Good Biscuits

It is a cold day... I have made these before, and I think I will make them again. They go very well with a bowl of tomato soup. Bonus, you can make extra and freeze the leftovers.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup veggie shortening**
1 cup soy milk***
1/3 Nutritional Yeast

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutritional yeast, and sugar.

3. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

4. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick.

 

The dough should be kind of sticky but should be able to form a firm dough ball.
Cut biscuits with a large cutter (I used a dog bone cutter) or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used.

5. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.

6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

*Flour: may substitute wheat pastry flour. If using wheat add 1 tablespoon of shortening per cup of flour.

**Shortening: use veggie shortening or can us 1/2 shortening and 1/2 Earth Balance Butter or other vegan butter.

***Milk: Soy milk works best in baked items. You can probably substitute another nut milk but I have not tried it. Rice milk would be too watery for this recipe so stick to the thicker plant based milks. 

Note: The biscuits can be made in large batches and frozen. Follow directions 2-5 above. Place wax paper on a baking sheet and place per-cut biscuits on sheet. Freeze overnight or for eight hours. Then place in freezer bags to use later. Note do not freeze in bag first or place too close on baking sheet. Biscuits will stick together and not come apart. Frozen biscuits last 3 months in freezer. Note frozen biscuits do not rise as high as biscuits made from fresh dough, do allow time to rise out of freezer before immediately placing in the oven. Great for quick snacks and breakfast items.

~Alisha 

Adopted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jps-big-daddy-biscuits/