Tag Archives: mushrooms

May 2, 2013

Vegan Ceviche

Phew, let me tell you, it is so weird to be home again. But, definitely a relief. After a month of working my butt off in the windy, hot desert that is Coachella Valley, and not blogging at all, it is nice to be sitting comfortably at my desk and hanging out with my pups. I won’t lie, though, being forced to have a break from the internet was actually a good thing and eventually I just had to live with the fact that I would have no time to blog, etc. Before April, I was already having a hard enough time juggling my work with my personal life, and now I have to really re-access what my priorities are, but still reach my goals. Such is life!

Here are a few photos from my trip!

Pre-Coachella Show Day

Dust Storm Hellish-ness Weekend 1

About to watch Local Natives

Messin’ around in the Boutique Photo Booth

Some of our Inventory team on the last day!

One of the recipes that I made before I left, is something that I’m really excited about; especially since Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner! I had ceviche a few times in my life before I went vegan, and only once after that. The vegan version that I had was weird and involved fake shrimp which always gives me the heebie-jeebies, so I decided that I would make my own recipe!

This dish is more of a side, but may just steal the spotlight with how refreshing it is and its great flavors. Plus, it is REALLY easy to make. Once of the sneaky ingredients in it are oyster mushrooms, they have a slightly fishy scent/taste which makes this a well-rounded vegan ceviche. You can bring it to a party, serve it with a meal, make it whenever! I prefer to eat it with some salted tortilla chips and a beer. ;)

I can’t forget to mention that my mom loved this so much that she brought it to a get together with some of her quilting friends; and they all enjoyed it, too!

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March 22, 2013

Asparagus Portabella Risotto

Spring has begun, at least on the calendar, as I know many of you are still stuck in cold weather and snow. But, it also seems as though new things are popping up everywhere, and I’m not talking about plants. I’ll start with a little background on me, I went to school for product design and graduated with a BS in Industrial Design (no, that’s not designing factories). I worked in the field for a few years, until a quit my job a year and a half ago; that is when I started to seriously put work into my blog, freelance photography projects and basically doing whatever odd-jobs that I could to get by.

So far, that list has included doing vegan food tours for a couple of months, lots of merch gigs, writing articles and the occasional garage sale. ;) And for a few months, last year, I applied to many, MANY design jobs; nearly landing one, but it just didn’t work out. Lately, I’ve been wondering if I’d ever return to the industry in which I get my creativity from, feeling a loss. Then, yesterday, I get a call from one of my old co-workers and to keep it short, I’ll just say there is a good possibility of me returning to a full-time design position.

Oddly enough, the timing is not that great, seeing as how I’ll be gone nearly the entire month of April, doing work out in Indio for Coachella and Stagecoach. Lots of work and lots of heat, plus not a lot of computer time. But, I’m getting everything organized before I go so that you can have some awesome recipes to drool over. Now, I’m feeling more overwhelmed than ever, but feel as though everything will line up eventually, or I hope, at least. Ha!

I’ll keep you updated on that, but now, I have this delicious and satisfying risotto to show you! It’s creamy, yet still light enough to showcase some serious Spring flavors. Risotto used to intimidate me, for some reason, until I made my first one in the fall and it turned out great. So, don’t be intimidated by this rice dish with a fancy name. 

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February 28, 2013

Warm Smoky Tempeh Salad

As some of you may know, I spend the past weekend (plus a couple of days) in San Francisco. If you’ve been there before, you can imagine how excited I was about trying out some more vegan restaurants and delightful food! Not to mention, the whole point of my trip was to visit some amazing friends and check out the scenery. There were many firsts during this trip, one of them being that it was my first time flying there and boy, do I love 1 hour flights!

Once I got there, my lovely friend Caroline picked me up and we jogged a couple of miles in preparation for the weekend of crazy feasting! I just have to say, as reluctant as I was to jog before breakfast, it sure set the tone for the weekend. So, thanks again, Caroline! We went to Source for brunch, to visit the always awesome Jenny (who’s the pastry chef there) and left feeling slightly food drunk. The rest of the weekend included trips (including but not limited) to Souley Vegan, Pepple’s Donut Farm, Gracias Madre and St. Francis Fountain.

As you can tell, it wasn’t the healthiest of times, but I did squeeze in a recipe while I was there! After one of our morning runs, Caroline and I decided to make some lunch at home. We wanted something healthy, but substantial, that would fit the cool but beautiful weather. First, we thought salad, then it kept evolving with different ingredients and methods, until finally we settled on a wilted, warm salad. It’s essentially between a saute and a fresh salad, perfect!

Here, you have your protein-packed tempeh, some caramelized onions, crunchy romaine, and don’t forget about those adorable baby bellas! This recipe is very simple, and comes together in no time. It was really my first time experimenting with wilted lettuce, for myself, but I’ll definitely be doing it again. :)

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January 25, 2013

Healthy & Delicious: Malaysian Kailan

In keeping up with the guest posts this month, today, I’m hosting a delicious-looking post from Stephanie of Trans-planted. I found Stephanie’s cute blog after she commented on a couple of posts here on Vegan Yack Attack. I checked it out and found tons of cookie recipes and bright photos, plus she’s as sweet as can be. You should definitely check out her blog after getting your eye-full of this healthy, Malaysian stir-fry!

Malaysian Kailan Stirfry

It is such an honor to take part in the awesomeness that is Vegan Yack Attack! You probably already know how amazing and delicious this blog is, which is why it’s one of my favorite places to get inspired to try new vegan foods. You can only imagine how incredibly thrilled I was when Jackie asked me to be a guest on her blog! I am so happy to be able to share with you all a little today.

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My husband and I moved to Malaysia almost a year ago. I was born and raised in Orange County, California, so you can imagine what a huge life change it has been living here. Before we made the big move, I became addicted to kale and it’s versatility. I was super disappointed when I couldn’t find any here. But, as the months passed, I became more familiar with Malaysian cuisine and I found a great substitute: kailan AKA: Chinese broccoli! Kailan (芥兰), pronounced kay-lan, comes from the Cantonese language and is the common Malaysian term for Chinese broccoli. If you’re looking for it in an Asian market, it is sometimes written as gai-lan and pronounced guy-lan.

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As you can see in the photos, kailan is a dark-green leafy vegetable. The leaves are thick and flat and resemble kale. The stems are like broccoli stems: short and thick. You might be thinking that kailan looks a lot like broccolini. Here’s a fun nerdy veggie fact: broccolini is actually a hybrid between kailan and regular ol’ broccoli!

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Like kale, kailan can be cooked in many different ways. The leaves are a tad bitter and are not usually eaten raw. You can either blanch, steam, boil, or stir-fry kailan and add it to your favorite dish. I have not tried making kailan chips yet, but that’s on my to-do list! Most kailan dishes here in Malaysia are not vegan-friendly. It is often served sautéed with oyster sauce or fish sauce. Thankfully my local friend, Sumalang, taught me her favorite vegan way of cooking kailan. I’ve tweaked things just a bit to make it healthier! Sumalang usually adds oil and garnishes the dish with fried garlic. With this recipe, I have left the oil out and replaced the fried garlic with sautéed garlic instead.

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The sweetness of the carrots, the slight bitterness of the greens, and the savory mushrooms combine to make a wonderful side dish that can be served alongside any Asian meal.  It’s incredibly simple and fast, perfect for when you’re in a rush and need something healthy. It is a staple dish in my kitchen and I hope you enjoy it!

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