Cooking Marathon

Today, I briefly returned to my roots and cooked three separate things. This hasn't happened in over three months, people! It may be the hot weather -- a really hot kitchen always motivates me to cook. Don't ask me the logic behind that. 

I went for my normal jog in the morning, and then got to work whipping up a batch of Banana Biscuits from Vegan Diner. I had one overripe banana sitting around, so it seemed like the perfect thing to bake. Now, I'd never had banana biscuits before in my life, but these were superb. They're described in the cookbook as being a cross between a biscuit and a scone, and that's exactly what I found.

My afternoon plans fell through (and I even had a contingency plan!), so I pretty much struck out socially this weekend. Ah, I did go to see the Carolina Chocolate Drops with a bunch of people on Friday night. Anyway, no plans meant a trip to the grocery store and the Co-op, with plenty of time to stop by the library for an armful of cookbooks. 

My slow cooker is busy percolating the Slow Cooker Summer Pasta Sauce from healthyslowcooking.com. I'll post pictures of the finished pasta sauce once it's done. I also veganized a recipe from a neat cookbook called Soul Food: Recipes and Reflections from African-American Churchs, by Joyce White. 

The Mixed Greens recipe was a cinch to veganize, since the only meat product it called for was chicken broth. Super simple to sub vegetable broth. I also used kale instead of mustard greens, just because the other greens at the grocery store were wilty-looking. 

There's garlic, jalapeno peppers, and cider in this, which gives the kale a deep, spicy flavor. I'm planning on making this one again!

Loving Hut Buffet

So I attended my first Meetup event. For you folks who don't know what a Meetup is, it's where people with similar interests get together and hang out. That's the basic premise. I was excited to find a vegan Meetup in the Pittsburgh area, and equally excited that it was going to be held at Loving Hut. 

Sadly, I didn't meet anyone new! J and I were seated in a booth by ourselves. I looked around to see where the Meetup group could possibly be hiding, but there were no large crowd of people, or a sign. 29 people were signed up to attend, according to the website. I'm not brave enough to walk up to random people and say, "Hey, are you with the Meetup?"

At least the food was great. I've never been to one of Loving Hut's monthly buffet, and I have to say that it was excellent. Look at all the grub!

I had to try everything! Well, almost everything. There was a broccoli soup and pineapple fried rice I didn't get to taste. That's because I had to make room for ...

Tasty baked goods! Two hours later, I'm still stuffed. Note to self: I don't really have to try all the sweets available at a buffet.

Well, I'll give the Meetup another try, hopefully in a less confusing/isolating setting. I'm looking forward to meeting you, Pittsburgh vegans!

Southern Style, Vegan Style

Every once in a while I get a craving for mac and "cheese." Non-vegan, there was a dish I'd make with three kinds of cheese and bacon. Yeah, I know, it kind of sounds like a heart-attack waiting to happy. Now that I'm dairy and meat free, I either make my own or pick up a box of Amy's frozen mac and "cheese." 

But there's something really trashy and nostalgic about making it from a box. Which is why I picked up a box of this at the East End Co-op. 

Fifteen minutes and a half a cup of rice milk later, I ended up with this:

So I didn't end up with very much mac and "cheese." But that's okay, because I steamed some kale, sauteed mushrooms and garlic, then tossed everything together. 

Yum, this ended up being delicious! Next time I might fry up some tofu or seitan to make this a true Southern extravaganza.

I Should Rename This Blog

and call it Wendi's exploration of all vegan hot dog and taco joints in Pittsburgh. That's a bit of a mouthful though, eh?

I was reading Pittsburgh Vegetarian's blog last night, and she mentioned having an amazing veggie dog at Joe's Doghouse.  Coincidentally, I needed to visit the very street the hot dog cart is parked on for a scary visit to Sephora. So I stopped on the way back and grabbed myself a veggie dog with all the works. This meant diced tomatoes, lots of mustard, and spicy giardiniera. All on a whole-wheat bun.

It was beyond delicious! I especially appreciated how the veggie dog was split lengthwise and grilled. It then became the perfect compartment for keeping the tomato/mustard goodness in place. 

Another perk was that my visit to Sephora was the least scary one yet. Two of the makeup specialists came up to me to compliment me on my robot earring. And then an older woman in line told me she "loved my hairdo." I don't know what was going on, but it was better than the surly experiences I've had in the past.

Back at home, the cats were doing an unexpected twin routine. 

Let me tell you, this never happens. My cats usually can't stand to be within two feet of each other. 

Look at their identically pissed-off expressions after I took the first picture! Too cute.

French Bread Pizza

This was so ridiculously easy to make, I don't know I never thought of it before. French bread baked in the oven with pizza sauce, Daiya, fake pepperoni, black olives, and a sprinkling of Italian seasoning. The pepperoni didn't get crisp, but it still tasted good. 

I was looking at my vegan peeps' blogs earlier. It amazes me how talented everyone is, whipping up homemade empanadas and pita bread, dehydrating cool raw foods, making magic happen with tofu. Maybe sometime soon I'll do something fantastic too. I do have a copy of the The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur that I have yet to crack open. Hmm.

Casa Rasta

Recently, Pittsburgh has exploded into the realm of tacos. Sure, we had Mexican restaurants galore. But now I can count at least six places that specialize in tacos.

Casa Rasta is one of these of these newcomers. It's a tiny but very cute restaurant located in a little suburb outside of Pittsburgh. On the weekends, if the traffic isn't bad, it takes maybe fifteen minutes to get there from my apartment. Which is a good thing, because I foresee a lot more Casa Rasta lunches in my future. 

They had two veg options on their menu: Raja (roasted veggies) and Soyrizo (fake chorizo). I tried both of them, one as a soft taco, the other as a torta. 

The folks who work at Casa Rasta are very friendly and accommodating. The woman taking our order asked if I consumed dairy or not, because they typically add a thin layer of sour cream to the Rajas.

First off, let me just say: the freshest corn tortillas ever. Pittsburgh has a great Mexican grocery store that sells fresh corn and flour tortillas, but these tasted even fresher. All the ingredients were super fresh. And take a look at how pretty the food was!

If I had to choose a favorite, I'd go with the Soyrizo taco. But honestly, both of them were fantastic. 

And here's a picture of me, looking pensive before tasting the first bite. Of course, I was all smiles afterward. 

So yeah, I'll definitely be heading back to Casa Rasta on a regular basis!

Lazy Girl Photo Pastiche

Okay, so basically I'm giving the impression that all I've been eating these past couple of weeks have been veggie dogs and more veggie dogs. Which isn't entirely true ... 

Oh, and did anyone out there go to their local comic book stores for Free Comic Book Day? I have to say that I was kind of disappointed in the selection. But of course, I'm complaining about free comic books here. So maybe I'll just be quiet now.