Joy of Ramen Noodles

I grew up eating Ramen noodles.  Now I buy a more expensive brand by Koyo ($1.09 when it’s on sale at New Leaf) that’s organic and vegan, but to me it’s still the Ramen noodles of my childhood.

I’m a fan of easy one-pot stovetop meals, so I enjoy using Ramen noodles as a base for a complete meal; dicing up slivers of tofu and diced vegetables to make it a hearty dinner.

I’m such a Ramen fan, that the McDougall ramen noodle soup cups are the emergency food that I keep in my desk drawer at work.

One day, while thinking I wanted Ramen noodles but was too lazy to boil water in the pot, I decided to microwave it all.

Voila! This breakthrough has now become my new default Ramen noodle method. And no pot to clean-up, so I’m saving water, too. Here’s a basic version where I just added the seasoning packet, ramen noodles, water, and frozen broccoli to make a deliciously light meal. Happily, it look me longer to eat it then it did to prepare it.

Because I’m really enjoying my relatively new camera, I’ll share the step-by-step photographic instruction on how you, too, can enjoy Ramen noodles.   Microwave not included.

Note – If you want to get fancy, you can spice up the broth mix by adding tahini, peanut butter, or perhaps a dash of hot sauce.

And, of course, you can use any frozen vegetable you like.  Broccoli just happens to be my favorite.

The last step is to microwave for 3-4 minutes.  Well, actually, the really last step is to eat it!

Tags:products, review, vegan food

Kiowa Vegan Boots Hike!

Many years ago I did the Ohlone Wilderness Trail, 28 miles of mountains and canyons in 3 days.  I wish I would have had my Garmont Kiowa Vegan hiking boots back then!  I remember how my feet ached and how my knees hurt after that hike.  Sometimes I think my right knee still aches from that hike.

Now that I’ve worn the Kiowa boots several times now, I thought I would post an update about how I like them. The first time I put them on, after just a couple of steps, I was impressed that I could actually feel the cushion of the shoe when I walked.

This last weekend my Kiowa vegan boots and I hiked the Montara Mountain trail, a 4.5 mile hike between San Pedro and Montara mountains, and then to Montara State Beach.

It was perfect weather for hiking — mild temperature, and slightly foggy, so we stayed cool. And, apparently many others shared our opinion.  We saw about 20-25 hikers and bikers and 1 dog on the trail.

As we gained elevation, we said good-bye to the eucalyptus trees and instead greeted some beautiful ocean views.

At the end of our trek, while my feet were tired from walking on them steadily for 3 hours,  I did not have any blisters or sore knees.  And, of course, the perfect way to end any hike in Montara is a picnic lunch on our beautiful beach.  My current favorite sandwich combination is slices of bread, tofurky deli slices (hickory smoked) with a layer of cucumber with Nayonaise.

I feel so lucky to call Montara home, even if the views are sometimes foggy

Tags:montara, montara state beach, montara trail, outdoors, products, review, vegan

Trader Joe’s Vegan Foods

Trader Joe’s is a great place to shop,  for vegans and non-vegans.  First, they have great prices on staples, a large selection of which are organic, including tofu, jams/jellies, nut and seed butters, canned beans, bread products, frozen vegetables, and non-dairy milks, including soy-, nut-, and rice-based flavors.  (Hmm, now I’m stumped trying to think back to the basics of high school English to remember if that is the appropriate use of hyphens.  I think it is, but it’s been so long .. )

Recently I spotted a fairly new arrival at the Daly City location – a quadruplet of house brand faux meat products.  I’m not necessarily a big fan of buying faux meat products to prepare and eat at home, but they looked so darn appealing on the shelf.

Having a vague recollection of having brunch at Herbivore’s a few months back with friends, and hearing a rave review about stuffed cutlets purchased at Trader Joe’s in SF, I went for the fake meat in box number four.  Upon reaching home, it joined my other collection of vegan-foods-to-be-eaten-later in cold storage.

Flash forward to about a week later .. I’ve just been for a gorgeous hike on a late spring Sunday, didn’t feel like cooking, and so out came my home-frozen rice and O Organics broccoli, and my new stuffed cutlets.  Interestingly, the two cutlets were individually packaged, which is nice if you don’t want to eat both at the same time.

Well, I followed the instructions on the box and microwaved the cutlets (yes, in my tired and lazy state of mind, I microwaved them in the plastic bags).  It was simple to prepare, and when combined with the brown rice and broccoli, it made a decent meal.  The cutlets were good — the sauce had an enjoyable slightly spicy undertone, the fake meat tasted fine, the stuffing was okay.   I thought the cutlet on the package box looked more appealing than my actual cutlet though.

On a scale of one (low) to five (high), the average reviews from the two vegans in the household was a solid 3.0, which reflects our thoughts that while it was good enough to eat again, it seemed a bit pricey for what it actually was.

Anyways, if you’re looking for other ideas of what to eat vegan at Trader Joe’s, cheaply, check out Michelle’s recent video blog at Vegan Break.

Tags:cooking, food, frozen, products, review, trader joe's, vegan food

Vegan footwear

I decided I need some new shoes (vegan, of course) but wanted more variety than I might find at local Pacifica stores selling vinyl or canvas shoes.  I also didn’t feel like running around the Bay Area for a wider range of stores and shoe selection and playing twenty questions.

I’d heard the online retailer Zappos had a good selection, and that others had positive experiences ordering from them.  So, I decided to shop online from my little coastside corner of the Bay Area.

It took a little bit of exploring, then I finally found my category — “vegetarian shoes“.  It was a pretty big selection, in a wide range of styles and prices.  The big downside to ordering shoes without trying them on is the uncertainty of whether they will fit, and then having to pay postage to return them.  I’d had a bad experience with this a few years ago.  Zappos, however, offers free return shipping.  I know this is factored into their selling price, but it is still a nice feature.

It was actually quite interesting to spend a few days reviewing all the shoes, reading the comments, comparing prices.  The Zappos website has excellent photos of the shoes, and shows different angles for them.  The shoe photos shown here are from the Zappos website.

When I finally narrowed down my selections then I had figure out what size would be my size.

In the end, I ordered two pairs of shoes — the Earth Lazer – Vegan and a Converse-style tennis, the Simple Satire – Hemp .  I decided to order the Earth Lazer shoes in two sizes to increase the likelihood of getting the right size on the first order.

The increasingly beautiful weather on the mid-Peninsula coastside and my current lack of hiking boots reminded me to look online at Zappos.  Within hours, I had placed my second order with Zappos for Garmont Kiowa Vegan hiking boots.

The ordering process through the Zappos website was very easy.  I could log-in to check the status of my order, and also get the tracking number for the packages.

My orders arrived quickly, and it was a bit like Christmas come early. My decision to order two different sizes of the Earth Vegan shoes was the right decision to get the right size.  However, I didn’t like the way the shoe looked. For the Simple Satire, the shoe was cute but didn’t fit right on my foot. For my second box, the hiking boots fit well and I decided to keep them.

The return process was as simple as Zappos said it would be. Log into my account, print off a (free) return shipping label, then drop it off. Once Zappos received and processed my return, they posted a credit to my credit card.

Now to inaugurate my new boots and take them out hiking!

Tags:products, review, shoes, vegan

Organic Tomatoes

The best tomatoes are homegrown, picked at their peak flavor.  By comparison, ordinary grocery store tomatoes taste like red water balloons.  Just ask any gardener who grows tomatoes, or anyone who lives next to a tomato gardener.

I’m looking forward to this summer’s tomato crop, and the wonderful dishes that can be made simply with fresh tomatoes and fresh herbs.   But until then, canned tomatoes, organic, of course, are a big staple item in my pantry.  I used to buy Muir Glen tomato products exclusively, then Trader Joe’s introduced their own organic tomato line, at their everyday low prices.

I’ve been satisfied with the organic Muir Glen and Trader Joe’s products.  I haven’t really done any scientific tests, just used them interchangeably, although I do favor the TJ brand since it’s Muir Glen counterpart typically costs 50% more.

A couple of weeks ago, within days of each other, I purchased 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes from Trader Joe’s and my local health food store.

The cans are the same sizes, but that’s not the only thing they have in common. They’re both stamped with an expiration date and some type of numbering code. I thought they were identical numbers at first.  Then, after close inspection, I noticed that on the second line, of the four sets of numbers, one was different.  It’s “0553″ on the Trader Joe’s can and “1624″ on the Muir Glen can.

I think it is far more than coincidence that these two cans of diced tomatoes have nearly identical numbers. I’d venture to guess that they’re being produced by the same manufacturing company, who then just sticks different labels on at the end of the production line. On my next shopping trip to Safeway’s, I’m going to have to check out the stamp on the O Organic 28-oz can of diced tomatoes. Until then, I’m happy knowing that I’m getting the same quality of tomatoes for 50% cheaper.

Tags:cooking, products

The Mighty Peanut

You’ve heard the saying, “the right tool for the right job” ?  Well, that same goes for sauces!  If you’re looking for a versatile sauce that’s quick to make and packed with flavor, a peanut sauce fits the bill.

One of my favorite cookbooks is The Saucy Vegetarian by Joanne Stepaniak.  There are pages and pages of “Quick & Healthful, No-Cook, Sauces & Dressings”, including two peanut sauces.  We’ve used both, and now our favorite is a hybrid of the two — we make the Peanuti Salad Dressing with the dash of cayenne pepper prescribed in the Spicy Peanut Sauce.

Peanuti Salad Dressing (slight adaptation)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
1 tbsp brown rice vinegar
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 to 1/2 cup water, more or less as needed
pinch of cayenne pepper (this is the adaptation)

This sauce is easy to make, and incredibly delicious. Some of my favorite suggestions on using this sauce are over pasta (tastes great with broccoli), topping for a baked potato, or a dressing for a green salad.

I particularly enjoy using this sauce over pasta when making food to share with others. It’s always a favorite, and I return home with an empty bowl. The peanut sauce doesn’t particularly photograph well, but don’t let that deceive you. If you take the ratio of  how good it tastes to how quick it is to prepare, trust me, this one is off the charts!

This photograph features the organic noodles from Trader Joe’s (16 oz for 0.99) with strips of organic red and yellow peppers and green onions.  Note, the recipe calls for creamy peanut butter, but I use whatever is already open in the frig.  Sometimes it’s nice to have the extra crunch from the chunky peanut butter.

The Peanut is indeed a mighty friend to have.  Thank you Joanne Stepaniak for introducing us to this wonderful recipe, and I highly recommend her vegan cookbook — The Saucy Vegetarian.  It’s a wonderful resource when I’m looking for new sauces for my favorite grains, beans and vegetables.

Tags:cookbook, cooking, products, vegan, vegan food

On-the-go Breakfast Burritos

Tofu scramble is one of my favorite weekend breakfast foods.  And, oh, okay, I admit, we’ve even made it for dinner.

Sweet Earth Natural Foods has a Roasted Red Pepper Breakfast Burrito that’s sold at natural food stores here in the SF Bay Area (maybe beyond, but I wouldn’t know that for sure).  Made with potatoes, tofu and seitan, it was one of my favorite choices for a grab-and-go vegan food item.

My current favorite choice is the Half Moon Bay New Leaf’s Tofu Breakfast Burrito.  It’s a hearty tofu scramble with kale, potatoes, and tomatoes wrapped in a wheat-based tortilla.  They’re delicious eaten cold, or served heated.  They freeze and re-heat well, too.  And, it’s only $3.99, for 8 oz.  It’s made in-house at New Leaf, and sold with their packaged foods in the deli area.    Hint - because they’re made by hand, sometimes you can find them larger than 8 oz ( if you get there before me!).  I usually have a few in the freezer at all times.

Tags:half moon bay, products, review, vegan, vegan food

Eating Vegan in Half Moon Bay

The best place for eating vegan in Half Moon Bay or the surrounding mid-Peninsula coastside is New Leaf Community Market. This large natural foods store carries a wonderful selection of fresh, organic produce and other necessary staples to create your own vegan delights, as well as ready-made vegan foods in their freezer cases to foods prepared fresh and sold in their deli.

In fact, we’re at New Leaf Community Market nearly every week.  Over the past several months, our average cost ranges between $25 – $50 for each bag of groceries.  If we’re buying primarily unprocessed or whole foods like fresh produce, bulk grains, beans, canned tomatoes, tempeh, etc., that’s closer to $25/bag while while adding in more processed vegan food choices, like Uncle Eddie’s peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, Black China Bakery mocha cake or cupcakes, Mudslinger’s Tarmac ice cream or the fresh-baked Whole Wholesome pies, tend to pile on the cost and the caloric content.

For ready-to-eat foods, New Leaf has a salad bar, hot foods area, and deli case that include vegan and vegetarian selections priced by the pound.  In the enclosed deli case, typically half the foods are vegetarian and vegan. Today’s vegan choices include Millet Yam Patty, Coastal Kale Salad, Harvest Salad with Organic Greens, Edamame Succotash, Tempeh Noodle Salad, Red Cabbage Salad with Pineapple Coconut Vinaigrette.  There’s also 4 hot soups made daily, and there’s usually 1 or 2 that are vegan, although occasionally there have been 3 that are vegan or none at all.  A refrigerated section includes other premade foods that you’d expect to see (wraps, Indian food, falafel, raw choices, etc).

Last month, I picked out 3 items to go from the New Leaf deli for my Sunday dinner — Coastal Kale  Salad ($7.99/lb), Harvest Salad with Organic Greens ($6.99/lb), and the Millet Yam Patty ($4.99/lb).  The seemingly misnamed Harvest Salad was a rice-based salad with tofu, red cabbage, carrots, and braised greens.  Made primarily with organic ingredients, no tax, and no tip necessary, the whopping grand total was $6.

Surprisingly, I really liked the kale salad.  I’m not usually a fan of raw foods, but this primarily kale leaf salad made with pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds as well as sunflower greens and red onion seasoned with Bragg’s Amino Acids, lemon juice and olive oil was yummy.  So much, in fact, we’ve been looking for this salad on our last several trips to New Leaf.  We discovered it nearly always sells out by early afternoon, so New Leaf was the first stop on this  weekends trip to Half Moon Bay.

Tags:half moon bay, products, review, vegan, vegan food

Protein Serving Suggestions

For every veg*n who enjoys eating the faux or synthetic meats, there’s another who rejects it as being too close for comfort to eating our animal friends.

Interestingly, much as there are meat-eaters whose every meal is just a big chunk of animal flesh, with no veggies, now veg*ns have that same option with many of the faux meat products available at natural food stores and even regular grocery stores. (The Raley’s in Vacaville had a really impressive selection of frozen veg foods.)

Featured here are two products made by Vegetarian Plus. Please note that the photos featured on the packages are “Serving Suggestions”. Translation = I enjoyed eating a big plate of fake meat over brown rice (hmm, does that make me less of a vegan?)

To achieve the serving suggestions, you’ll need to add veggies. And, of course, there are excellent possibilities for frozen vegetables. Broccoli is one of my staple veggies, and I always have several bags of the organic and petite florets from Safeway’s O Organics line.

I enjoyed both of them, with my preference being the citrus cutlets.

Tags:products, review, vegan

Sukhi’s Samosa & Chutney

Having Udupi Palace in San Francisco has rekindled my appreciation for Indian food.  Sometimes, however, I like to enjoy the taste of Indian food without the drive to the city.  And, now that the mid-Peninsula coastside boasts a wonderful natural foods store like New Leaf Community Market, my food horizons have expanded to include Sukhi’s Samosa & Chutney.

These samosas are delicious, and every bit as tasty, maybe even a tad more, than eating them at Udupi Palace. They are exactly as described, “crispy vegan handcrafted wraps with potatoes and peas”.

Sold frozen, they are $6.99 for 10 samosas with a cilantro chutney included.  The ingredients are simple and easily identifiable as vegan.  For the samosas, it’s potato, unbleached flour, canola oil, green peas, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder and spices, while cilantro, lemon juice, vinegar, peanuts, garlic, serrano chili, ginger, salt & evaporated cane juice comprise the chutney.

Another bonus point for Sukhi’s:  I really appreciate products that are vegan, especially when they prominently label the product as vegan.

In my book, Sukhi’s is well worth the money to bring this delightful  taste of India to my home, especially when I have those hungry moments where the upper boundary of my cooking energy is turning on the oven.

Tags:cooking, frozen, products, review