Whole Foods Caramel Truffles

Ooohhhh lordy these are good. Dark chocolate with a hint of caramel flavor throughout--and they're healthy! 100% organic and made from dark chocolate and coconut butter, these are some of the healthiest and most decadent treats I've had in a while. They are about $6 for a box which contains about 30 of them, and they are so rich it's hard to eat more than a few in one sitting. Definitely a good buy!

Cuuuuuute

My grandma made these and sent them to me. Aren't they so cute?

Symantec Chili Cook-Off: First Place Vegetarian!

On Friday, Ben and I competed in the annual Symantec chili cook-off. We competed in the vegetarian category aaaand.... won first place! Needless to say I was pretty excited. Unfortunately all we won was a Sizzler gift certificate, but I'm still glad we won and got a bunch of people to try our vegetarian chili. People really, really liked it! After the announcement email went out about the winners I received two emails from coworkers (carnivores) who said it was their favorite chili overall!

My favorite part was sitting around and watching people try the chili and listening to what they said. My company is pretty big so most of the people tasting it didn't know that the 'Meggie' who had made the chili was me, sitting a few feet away. So I got to hear their real thoughts. The funniest thing was how many people looked toward their friends and went "So... this chili says it's vegetarian, but there is meat in here..?" At which point I would pipe up and tell them I made it and confirm it was vegetarian and many of them proclaimed that they had "been duped!" A lot of people also seemed surprised at how good it was. The man who puts on the cook-off (a friend of mine) even said that we should have competed in the regular meat and bean category and that he thought we would hold our own.

Of course,  I wasn't too surprised that we did well because of the AMAZING recipe that we were using. Ben and I decided to use local Salt Lake City Utahns Tyler and Carl Smith's chili recipe that won them third place overall in the Utah State Fair Chili Cook-Off. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the prize-winning chili (stock image above) so you will just have to believe me that it's to die for. I did make a couple of teeny modifications that I think make the recipe easier, so the below recipe will be a bit different than the link above.

Meat
1 C Texturized vegetable protein granules
1 1/2 C Texturized soy protein chunks (Utahans - The only place you can get these is in the bulk section of the OREM Good Earth)
1 1/2 C Mushroom broth
1 tsp Soy sauce
2 Tbs Barbecue sauce (I used Organicville original BBQ sauce which is sweetened with agave)

Chili
1 can Black beans, strained and rinsed
1 can Kidney beans, strained and rinsed
1 can Chili beans, do not strain or rinse!
2 medium Onions
10 cloves Garlic (about one head)
1 Green bell pepper
1 Red bell pepper
2 Jalapeños
2-4 Anaheim peppers (depending on how hot you want it, I used three)
10 Roma tomatoes
1 C frozen Corn
1/2 C Olive oil
1/4 C Chili powder
2 Tbs Cumin
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 Tbs Garlic powder
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black pepper
1 Tbs Pure maple syrup
1/2 C Ketchup (again, I like Organicville)
1 Tbs Yellow mustard
Water

Mix the wet ingredients for the meat in a sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and mix in the TVP and TSP. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to soak while you make the rest of the chili.

Next, cut the anaheim peppers in half lengthwise and remove the membranes and seeds. Break them a little bit and lay them flat on a baking sheet. Broil them until they begin to brown and the skin begins to bubble. Turn them over and make sure both sides begin to brown. Some parts may blacken, which is ok, but you don't want very much of the pepper to be black. Remove them from the heat and let cool slightly, then remove the skins.

Next, roughly chop the onions, bell peppers, anaheims, and jalapenos. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil and garlic. Once that is sizzling, add the onions, bell peppers, anaheims, and jalapenos. Reduce heat and let the mixture cook slowly for 10-15 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown. While the onion is cooking, roughly chop the tomatoes. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add all of the spices. Let it cook while stirring until a slight brown layer begins to build up on the bottom of the pan. Be careful not to burn it.

When the crust is golden brown, stir in the tomatoes and 1/2 C of water. Scrape the bottom of the pan and incorporate the spices. Turn down the heat to a simmer and let cook until the tomatoes begin to break down and you have a saucy chili base (it will be watery, but that's ok! the TVP and TSP will soak up a lot of the moisture).

Add the meat and the remaining ingredients and taste-test. Make any additions/alterations. Finally, let the chili simmer for 2 hours, adding more water if necessary. I put mine in my crock pot on high to simmer, but you could just keep it in the pan. After 2 hours, test the seasonings and make any adjustments. I actually ended up not changing a thing, but you might have different taste preferences.

Rich's Mighty Fine Burgers and Fries in Salt Lake City, Utah

A little over a month ago, Ben and I dropped by Rich's Mighty Fine Burgers and Fries in SLC after hearing that they had a pretty decent veggie burger and fries.

We got the roasted artichoke heart burger with the veggie patty and a side of fries. The roasted artichoke burger was really the only burger on their menu that could be veganized since most of the other ones relied heavily on other types of meat or cheeses (think bacon and mushroom swiss).

The artichoke burger was roasted artichoke hearts and grilled tomatoes on top of a house-made black bean patty with lettuce and onion on the side and a toasted bun. I put ketchup and mustard on my burger and dug in. It was a pretty big burger, and while the veggie patty was pretty good I thought the burger was kind of lacking. First, I think some vegenaise would really help out. Second, the artichoke hearts and tomatoes could have been seasoned better. They may have had salt and pepper on them, but only a minimal amount. They could have used more salt, pepper, maybe some garlic salt...etc. The fries were yummy, the perfect size, and fried to perfection, but they REALLY needed more salt.

One thing I was really impressed with at Rich's was the guy that worked there. He was totally awesome and so accommodating.  After I ordered a vegan burger with fries he told me that he wanted to make sure the fries were vegan and went and scoured the frying ingredients and even brought them to me to check out. After our meal he asked us how it was and asked ways that they could improve their vegan options. Very cool.

In the end, I would give Rich's a 3.5/5. Just because of their food, I would probably have given them a 3. But, Ben insisted that their service and attentiveness deserves a higher rating, so we are giving them a 3.5/5.

Creamy Pumpkin Penne with Crispy Sage and Toasted Pecans

Ben and I got this recipe from Ben's mom and made it probably two months ago. I forgot to post it at the time, but I still want to share the recipe because it was AMAZING. Definitely one of my favorite pasta sauces.

1 pound Penne, cooked according to package directions
4 Tbs Oil
1 Onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 14-ounce can Pumpkin or 2 C Roasted butternut squash
2-3 Tbs Tomato paste
2 C unsweetened plain Plant milk or 1 can Coconut milk
1 tsp Nutmeg
3 tsp Maple syrup
3 tsp Salt plus more to taste
1 tsp Pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Sage or 3 Tbs dried Sage
8 whole fresh Sage leaves (optional)
½ C Pecans, toasted and roughly chopped (optional)


In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbs oil and saute the onions until they are soft. Add the garlic and let cook a few more minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a blender, puree the onion and garlic mixture, pumpkin, tomato paste, plant milk, nutmeg, maple syrup, salt, and pepper until smooth. If you are using dried sage, blend it as well.

(Optional-if you are doing crispy sage.) Heat 2 Tbs oil in a small skillet. When the oil is hot (You can test this by flicking water in the pan. If the water sizzles, the oil is hot). Fry the whole sage leaves 4 at a time, flipping once, until crispy (about 1 minute total). Watch the sage leaves carefully to make sure that they do not burn. Let them drain on a paper towel and season lightly with salt.

Toss hot pasta with sauce from the blender, toasted pecans, and crispy sage. Garnish with chopped fresh sage.

Recipe thanks to:
Ben's mom

The Blue Plate Diner in Salt Lake City, Utah

Sometime in July, Ben and I visited The Blue Plate Diner in SLC with family (I know, I know. But I totally forgot to post this review). I don't know if it was just the pre-wedding stress or what but I really didn't enjoy my meal there. First, it became very obvious that the waiter didn't know what vegan even meant after he recommended a few dishes to my mother in law and she ordered one and when it arrived it had poached eggs right and hollandaise sauce right on top. We had to send it back after explaining to the waiter that eggs weren't vegan, and when she got her second plate it still had hollandaise sauce all over it! GUH. It was rather annoying, and it made me very nervous to order off the menu since the waiter had no idea what was going on.

I settled on their house-made burger that was labelled vegan with a side of fries and paid $1 for avocado since the burger seemed a little plain (bun, patty, tomato, lettuce, and onion). When I got my plate, I was a bit disappointed. The burger was huge, but I got like less than half an avocado for $1 and I could barely get it spread out on the bun. The burger was dry and unnecessarily huge--I didn't even WANT to eat the whole thing. The fries were good, but all they had was HFCS ketchup so I had to eat them plain.

I've heard that Blue Plate's breakfasts are far superior to their lunches and dinners and their vegan options are expanded. So part of me wants to go back and try it out, but as of now in my mind Blue Plate is not a place I would go again.

Rating: 2/5

Oasis Cafe in Salt Lake City, Utah

Last month Ben and I got lunch with my coworkers at Oasis Cafe in SLC. Oasis isn't really my favorite place in the world since their breakfasts are meh and their dinners are not worth the price, but I was actually pretty happy with the lunch that I got there. Oasis has a pretty good selection of vegan options, but Ben and I both got the Mushroom reuben with the side salad and some tea. The sandwich was a bit greasy, but tasty and filling.

Overall, with all my experiences at Oasis, I would give it a 3/5. It's a pretty good place to go with omnis because it has some good vegan options, but it's definitely not my favorite place to eat.

Station 22 Now Has a Vegan Burger

UPDATE 11/2012 - They no longer have veganaise and their ratatouille sandwich is gross now. Check it out: meggieandben.blogspot.com/2012/11/recent-adventures-at-station-22-in

Attention Utah County vegans! Station 22 now has a vegan burger and vegenaise! This post is a few months delayed, but in case anyone didn't already know. Their ratatouille sandwich (that I reviewed here) is fantastic, and now they have an equally tasty burger, as well as vegenaise. Super yum, go check it out!

Healthy Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Freaking love these cookies. Healthy, and AMAZING.

1 Banana
1/2 C Maple syrup
1 Tbs Vanilla
1 1/2 C Sprouted spelt flour (digests like a vegetable!)
1/4 C Agave
2 C Rolled oats
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 C Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350.

Mash the banana well and add maple syrup, agave, and vanilla. Mix well with a hand blender or mixer. Add the flour, oats, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix until well combined. Add chocolate chips and mix until distributed.

Scoop mixture onto an aluminum foil-covered baking sheet and bake 7-10 minutes.

Recipe thanks to:
Ben's mom, Merilynn

Raw Bruschetta

Made these a while ago during my raw food cleanse... forgot to post pics. These are super easy and yummy! Basically just make normal bruschetta topping and then pile it on slices of jicama. Place in the dehydrator and dehydrate until crunchy.

Pure Food and Wine in New York, New York

Before I even start this post, I just want you to know that Pure is Ben and my favorite #1 restaurant of ALL TIME. Seriously, it is amazing. If you are ever in New York, you HAVE TO GO.

Ok, so, Pure is this fantastic vegan restaurant in New York that I just realized was 100% raw. When I read that on their restaurant Ben and I looked at each other and were like "how is that even possible?" Neither of us even knew. We knew it was kind of mostly raw, but neither of us suspected it was all raw. That is just a tribute to Pure's amazing, beautiful, lovely chefs.

Anyway, Ben and I went to Pure while we were in New York and got the 5-course chef's tasting menu as well as the Dr. Cow's cheese plate (I really wanted to try it). What we didn't realize is that when they said 5-course they meant just five types of courses, not five dishes. We were brought plate after plate in what seemed like an endless array of tantalizing dishes, each more extraordinary than the last. It was a seriously awesome dining experience and worth every penny. But enough talking! Here are pictures and descriptions of everything we got. Most of it wasn't on the menu (for those of you that don't know, when you get the chef's tasting menu the chef just kind of comes up with dishes for you) I kind of wrote my own descriptions from what I remember.

Nori kimchi wrap

Plate of assorted cultured Dr. Cow Tree Nut cheeses and rosemary crisps with a palate-cleansing mustard green and parsley salad and a piece of honeycomb

Apple and blue cheese salad with pecan brittle on top

Cherry and walnut salad with endive, coconut bacon, and a buttercream dressing

Avocado soup topped with marinated radishes and chili powder

Pad thai with kelp noodles, baby bok choy, snow peas, king oyster mushrooms, tamarind sauce, sesame salted cashews, cilantro oil

Spanikopita with spinach, almond feta, cucumber yogurt and grape leaf wraps

Sweet corn and cashew tamales with chili spiced portabella, salsa verde, cashew coconut sour cream, avocado, raw cacao mole

Wilted collard greens, sweet corn polenta, some kind of salsa thing

Palate-cleansing coconut sorbet

Chocolate mousse in a hard chocolate shell, chocolate cake and chunks of passion fruit, passion fruit ice cream

Pumpkin pie with shortbread crust and a cream topping with pecan brittle, caramel drizzle and beer ice cream

Pure gets, without a doubt, a 5/5. The food was amazing, and it makes it even more amazing that it was all RAW! The prices are a bit high, but for what you get I think it's definitely worth it.

Full

Very full

Candle 79 in New York, New York

On Christmas eve, Ben and I went to two plays and ate dinner at Candle 79. I was pretty excited for dinner at Candle 79 since it is listed on the vegan bucket list next to Millennium, a FANTASTIC restaurant in San Fransisco.

In between the two plays we saw on Christmas eve, we stopped off for a nice long dinner at Candle 79. Here is what we got:

(Right) SEITAN PICCATA - creamed spinach, grilled potato cake, oyster mushrooms, lemon-caper sauce

Rum eggnog with cardamom pod, cinnamon stick, and coffee bean

An appetizer they were trying out--not sure what it was

Tuscan white bean soup with garlic bread

LIVE AVOCADO-JICAMA TARTARE -
avocado, cucumber, jicama, young coconut, trumpet royale mushroom ceviche

Pumpkin seed crusted seitan with quinoa-corn pilaf, sautéed lobster mushrooms, broccoli, leeks, & a smoky tomato-chipotle sauce with radish salad

CANNOLI -
vanilla cream filling, ginger-pumpkin ice cream, chocolate sauce

CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER BLISS -
chocolate mousse, peanut butter mousse, chocolate shell, berry coulis

After dinner ginger tisane

Everything was delicious, though we especially loved the entrees and the desserts. Candle 79 is definitely up there as far as restaurants go, they have superior chefs, their staff was great, and the atmosphere was lovely. It is on par with other high end vegan restaurants we have visited, including Millennium and Pure, and thus I am going to give it a 5/5. However, I would say it is our least favorite of the three.

Fancy pants

Umm... cute.

Zen Palate in New York, New York

While we were in New York, Ben and I ate at Zen Palate twice--which is saying something since we were only there for four days. They have seriously delicious, cheap Asian (and some fusion) vegetarian food. Only two items on their menu weren't vegan. Everything we ate there was great and the staff was fantastic. Oh, and I am in love with the fact that they serve a mix of brown and red rice with their dishes. Score!

Rating: 5/5