NYC4E

So it happened again...



I ended up in New York City. I think that the Fleet Foxes concert had a lot to do with it.



It was amazing... in case you were wondering.

After the concert, it only seemed right to head over to Foodswings. You might remember them as the vegan junk food joint from my last NY visit. I tried the Punk Fries AKA cheese fries with bacon bits!?^&*^*(!!?~?>!!#&*



Corn Dog (The thyme in the batter was a nice surprise!)



And Creamy Mac n' Cheese (which was actually pretty disappointing)



Then my friends and I went to The Organic Grill for a Sunday brunch. Admittedly, I wasn't super impressed with most of the stuff we ordered. That being said, it's worth a visit just to try the VEGAN OMELET! (filled with your choice of veggies and vegan cheese!)





The Indecisive Breakfast Plate came with tofu scramble, blueberry pancakes, and soy sausage



The waffles were way too dense for me, but my friends seemed to like them.



More tofu scramble



On my last day in New York, we decided to watch Chocolat. By the time it was over, I could hardly contain myself... I NEEDED to get to Cocoa V and order their signature hot chocolate stat. I seriously can't say enough about this vegan chocolate shop.



Another reason I love Cocoa V is for their Vegan Cheese Plate. Ummm... What!? yeah, I know! Okay okay, so it's kind of an investment. But I loved it and thought it was worth every cent.

Look, it's spreadable!

Then, my bestie and I headed to Chinatown for a dim sum date at the Vegetarian Dim Sum House. It was so inexpensive and yummy.

We got the Pan Fried Dumplings...



Then the Taro Treasure Boxes (They were so good! They had sweet mashed taro inside with a mock meat center)





I wouldn't feel right if I didn't warn you about the next dim sum we got. It was the mushroom one, but it came in this strange gelatinous casing. Apparently, they have a few on the menu that come like this but they don't indicate it in the description at all. I'm not gunna lie... it was pretty unpleasant. I just kept imagining I was eating a jellyfish :(



And last, but certainly not least, were these airy little mock pork dumpling. They really didn't taste meaty at all, which was kind of nice. They were just really light and sweet.



So in summation, I'm pretty full. Now I will leave you with a message from Fleet Foxes... ;)

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Happy Anniversary!

I realized that today is the 2nd Anniversary of the very first VeganPandamonium post. Now VP has reached 100+ recipes and I just wanted to extend a big "thanks!" to everyone that reads the blog. It means a lot to me...



:) Sammi

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Green Tea and Mango Sandwiches

This was a complete experiment that resulted from me wanting to try my hand at some matcha green tea powder. I love, love, LOVE matcha-flavored baked goods and drinks so I thought I'd give it a go. Turns out, these ended up tasting awesome! I highly recommend trying this recipe because although these sandwiches may seem complicated upon first glance, they're actually extremely simple!



This dessert would pair well with a cup of afternoon tea or even just a nice cold glass of soymilk. Check out my recipe here, along with other great vegan articles on onegreenplanet!

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Sweet & Savory VEGAN DOG TREATS!

Level of Difficulty: easy!
Pots/Pans Used: Just a bowl and some measuring instruments

This cooking video I made will demostrate:
a.) How easy these recipes are...and b.) How cute Oliver is



BBQ Cookies


Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup corn meal
6 TBL vegetable oil
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup BBQ sauce

*Note: You may want to add a couple more TBL of veggie stock to get the right consistency. Also, set aside some extra BBQ sauce to glaze cookies with.


Glazed Blueberry & Banana Cookies


Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
6 TBL vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup blueberries (you can use frozen)

The glaze is optional but I just combined powdered sugar, water, and cinnamon until it was an icing texture. Once the cookies are cooled, you can spoon the glaze on top.

*Note: After making this recipe, I realized it may have been beneficial to first puree the blueberries. Not only did they not stick to the batter well, but Oliver seemed to eat around them. Similar to the other recipe, you may need to add some extra water to get the correct consistency.

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Massaged Kale Salad

Level of Difficulty: Massage skills a plus, but not required
Pots/Pans Used: 2

Ingredients

8 cups kale (destemmed and then ripped into bite-size pieces)
couscous
mozzarella Daiya cheese (optional)
bacon bits (optional)

For The Dressing

1 cup Vegan Mayonnaise
1/2-3/4 cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Ground Oregano
3 Tbl Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp Soy Sauce



Although I love eating massaged kale salads, I've never actually attempted being a kale masseuse myslef. Essentially, by massaging the kale, you are naturally breaking it down so that it is less tough, and easier to eat. Feel free to add more veggies into the mix. I would have loved to mix in some shredded carrots, however my produce drawer was really lacking the day I made this. Also know that you don't have to use all the dressing if you don't want to. It just depends on how creamy you'd like your kale salad to be. The dressing keeps well in the fridge to use in other recipes as well.

Start by combining all dressing ingredients except for the milk in a bowl. My recommendation is that you add the milk gradually because you may need more or less depending on what type of mayo you use. Whisk together until your dressing is the consistency of a ranch dressing. Put in the fridge to thicken up a bit while you make the rest of the salad. Start making your couscous. I made a box of couscous and ended up using about 1-1/2 to 2 cups. I recommend starting the salad once the couscous has finished cooking. Prep the kale and then place it in a large bowl. Add the dressing a little at a time. Massage thoroughly with your hands. You will see that the pile of kale will reduce in size by about half once it begins to break down. Once your kale is all relaxed and you've got it as creamy as you like, toss in the couscous and a sprinkling of bacon bits & mozzarella. The great thing about this salad is that it actually gets better the longer it sits, so feel free to keep it in the fridge and use as a side throughout the week!

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