Thai Lemongrass Tofu Tacos with a Lime-Sriracha Aioli & Basil-Cucumber Salsa

These are not the most photogenic tacos in the world but they are damn amazing.

These tacos came into our lives about a week ago when our darling friend and cookbook author Marta Holmberg posted this photo of Vegan Vietnamese Tacos made by The Mandoline Grill in Los Angeles. They had a strange combination of delicious things and being a bit ugly on the eyes. We're friends here. So we can be honest -- pink food can be hard to photograph.

But I really hope that you'll give these messy,spicy, savory and smokey tacos a try because they're more than worth the short amount of time it takes to make them (if you don't count marinading) and that rosy sauce is amazing on veggie burgers *, steamed artichokes, and with carrots sticks and really anything. Yes -- even corn on the cob. It's really a beautiful thing - even if it's pink**.

Now you might be wondering what makes these Thai tacos rather than Vietnamese like the originals.Well I am neither Thai or Vietnamese so my take on these cuisines comes mostly from restaurants and research. Both cuisines do share a lot of the same key ingredients like lemongrass, coconut milk, rice and noodles. Although Sriracha sauce is Vietnamese, my experience is that Vietnamese food is not as spicy as Thai and these tacos are actually really fiery. I mean they're hot.

I also added Thai basil, cucumbers and lime to the salsa recipe to add a freshness and a citrusy bite to keep the Lime-Sriracha Aioli from over powering everything with it's awesomeness. But really does that make it more Thai than Vietnamese? Hard to say.

So I guess -- long story short -- They might be dressed in pink but they kick ass. 

Baked Buffalo Tofu Steaks with Ranch Dressing Dip

Can you think of anything more kick-ass American than ranch dressing? I mean, maybe pick up trucks or eagles... but you shouldn't eat those.

A while back we veganized Betty's Buffalo Wings and Ranch dressing. This was back in the beginning when The Betty Crocker Project was still new. We were still considered "newlyweds" then, and doing the best we could in our little submarine kitchen with a junky stove. Even though both those recipes turned out pretty awesome, I always kinda wanted to do something else with them. I've been playing around with today's recipes for a while in my head. They're super easy. The tofu is hot in all the ways people use the word "hot" in a non-ironic way, and the ranch dip has completely won me over to The Cult of Ranch.
 
I know you're all dying to see the photos of delicious food and sharp-dressed vegans at Vegucated's NYC premiere, and all the sexy superhero costumes from Comi-Con... but I haven't gotten around to going through them and posting things. I know this is a huge blogger faux pas, but sometimes faux pas just happen and you just have to roll with it. I mean what would the world be like if every little faux pas stopped us from enjoying awesome things like Buffalo Tofu Steaks? Bad -- and not in the Bad means Good way -- that's what. So please accept these easy and delicious all-American recipes as my apology for being a bad blogger and for actually leaving my apartment for a few hours.

This weekend I also worked a bit on a gluten-free seitan recipe that will be coming soon... so if this isn't enough to win back your hearts... hopefully I can bribe you with that.

Ready to buffalo some tofu?

Pasta con Fiori di Zucca Ripieni Vegetariani (Italian Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Pasta)

I grew up eating these bright yellow blossoms* Italian-style - filled like a ravioli and deep fried with a healthy (as in huge) helping of pasta. Ours is vegan, of course, so we replaced the traditional ricotta with a Lemon & Garlic Pesto-ish Tofu filling. I really think the bright, savory flavors really compliment the fresh blossoms, but you can also use the Kalamata Olive Pesto recipe, or the Vegan Ricotta recipe we used in our Manicotti recipe last December. We ate ours with Whole Wheat Spaghetti tossed in a Summer Sauce, some red wine, and a helping of True Blood - Season 4. (Was that a gasp I heard around the internet from all you True Blood DVD watchers?)

Yeah, my anniversary present this year was HBO & Showtime. Dan knows the way to my heart is paved with vampires, mobsters, vigilante serial killers, the sordid back story behind one of the more corrupt Italian legacies in history, and of course fantasy clan wars. Isn't it kind of marvelous when you meet that person that just gets you?

And what could be more romantic than feeding the one you love this classic Italian delicacy? Besides Vampires - obviously.

The Betty Crocker Project : Beef-less Pepper Steak Kebobs & Lemon Millet Pilaf

This is one of those recipes that will easily become a favorite--not just because it's crazy delicious, but also because it's super easy. It's one of those recipes that will remind any long-term vegan how far we've come, and how no one in the world loves food like a vegan. There are flavors here that are so subtle and beautiful, they're like a Greta Garbo. I'm a lover of savory and citrus foods, so this meal is like my soul mate. If I had to change anything, I would make the pilaf a little more moist (I know, gross word, but accurate). Betty's recipe was pretty much already vegan, but a tad dry (maybe because we used organic millet that wasn't as processed as what they suggested). We tried to compensate, but we thought we should warn you.

There are oven and grilling instructions provided today, so you can make this year round. We also included a recipe tweak to make Pepper Steak Tofu instead of the kebobs. Now if you're like me, you might be confused, because you may have thought Pepper Steak was going to be like Lemon Pepper and that black pepper was going to play a starring role. The truth is the pepper we're referring to today is green bell pepper--a vegetable as lovely and loyal as any leading lady, so I hope you won't be disappointed. I could keep gushing about how good this is, but I can't recommend it enough. I could try but I think you'd rather get cooking... and, well, eating.

So grab your aprons and best gal and let's get cooking!

The Betty Crocker Project : Frozen Coconut Cream Pie

It's 798 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of chilled San Pellegrinos, it's sunny out and we're wearing sunglasses. Let's make some pie*!

Hit it. 

The Betty Crocker Project : Spaghetti alla Carbonara

So a funny thing happened the other day. We had been warned for years that a black cloud was rolling in that would shake the foundations of our relationship and destroy our marriage like a lighting bolt from above . I mean we even heard from some folks that the very nation we lived in would be sucked into the ocean this weekend. But a funny thing happened...

We woke up still married and in still love. We had plenty to eat and a roof over our heads. Kittens to pet and give treats. Life as we knew it did not end, or even change at all. There were no locusts at the door or frogs falling from the sky. The only thing of note that actually happened was that we woke up proud to be New Yorkers... and Italian.

To send internet thanks to two Italian gentlemen from the Empire State that did the right thing and played key roles in not legalizing bigotry*... We are posting this Italian classic Spaghetti Carbonara. Yeah, we're looking at you, Governor Andrew Cuomo and State Senator Mark Grisanti **.

Spaghetti Carbonara is one of those dishes that many of heard of, but no one really knows where it came from. I mean, there are some that claim it is a dish passed down from the Romans. But I feel like I can be honest with you... they say that about anything awesome in Italy. There are many who think it has something to do The Carbonari, a 19th century secret society that played a key role in unification of Italy. But really the first documentation of it was found around WWII. While the US occupied Italy, the troops sometimes traded their powdered eggs and bacon with the people. Many returning troops fell in love with Spaghetti. They brought their passion for this pasta with them and Spaghetti Carbonara hit menus everywhere.

OK la lezione di storia sopra! Mangiamo della pasta già!

The Betty Crocker Project : Vegan Mocha Cream Pie

Two posts in one day! GASP!

If you're furiously flipping through your copy of Betty's Big Red, I'll spare you the paper cuts. This started as French Silk pie, but a series of events fell into place and helped this pie come into it's own. First, I found chocolate vegan pie crusts that were marked half-off. They're made by Wholly Wholesome and are kinda wonderful. So pie crust switch - check. Then I started to make the cream filling, and it was so lovely and sweet. It felt like it needed a dark side... like how Wesley in Buffy was a pale shadow of the dreamboat Dark Wesley in Angel. So I went back to our Devil's Food Cake recipe and added a little coffee. Filling switch - check. We skipped the coconut whipped cream to keep it chocolate on chocolate. Pure super chocolate cocoa fantastical - check. We now we have a super easy and creamy and awesome pie that will make you swoon.

I hope you have someone around to fetch you those vapors...

The Betty Crocker Project : Egg-less Egg Salad

Most of the year I enjoy soup for lunch. I actually look forward to it all morning. A nice bowl of soup with a slice of whatever whole wheat multi-seed bread I've stumbled across that weekend on the side is pretty much the highlight of my day. But it's too hot for soup. So today we're having a vegan classic : The Egg-less Egg Salad Sandwich!

We've had a lot of different Egg-less Egg Sandwiches over the years, some much better than others. It's an easy thing to mess up. But I think this salad has the right amount of kick from the creole seasoning and good flavor from the nutritional yeast and tahini. It makes a nice sandwich when you pair it with some whole wheat bread... they're like BFFS. Like I'm sure if they weren't food, they'd buy each other little broken heart lockets and talk about boys over soy mochas.

Here's a little song from Whole Wheat Bread to this Egg-less Egg Salad to enjoy while you make lunch!




Let's eat!

Come & Get It! Our Top 15 Favorite Vegan Recipes for Picnic & BBQ Season!

Howdy Partner! (Just kidding; I won't write this whole thing cowboy-style.)

Let's get serious here, because we're about to talk about something I take very seriously... POTLUCKS! See, planning a really amazing group dining event combines art with mathematics, originating in imagination but ultimately rooted in procedure*. There are relationships between the invitees and seating to take into account, and let's not forget making sure you have enough silverware and cups and all those basic resources. And of course, there's the menu. We've collected a few of our favorite Summery BBQ, Picnic, and Potluck favorites in time for this long weekend and compiled them here to make your menu planning easier. OK - maybe more than a few.

These vegan recipes are BBQ and Potluck Tested and Approved.

The Betty Crocker Project : Let them eat Pocket Calzones!

So a funny thing has happened since I began writing this blog: I started writing letters in my head to random things and people. Perhaps you could say I started thinking in letter form.

Exhibit A:

Dear Gentleman in the Red Truck on Colley Ave:

While I am flattered by your offer of marriage and rather boisterous appreciation of my "cans", I will have to refuse. I do hope though that someday you find the love you are looking for.

Good Luck! Annie

Exhibit B:

An Informal Letter to A Vegan Stuffed Crust Mexican Pizza

But I have to say that when it came to these calzones, I only had two words: Yes. Please.
I grew up eating Italian food and have always loved calzones. I didn't really grow up in a home with many microwaved things, so I admit I get an evil thrill out of making "pocket" foods. This recipe is actually a bit more like a Sicilian cuddiruni (stuffed pizza) than a traditional calzone, and doesn't have vegan ricotta in it. But isn't that one of the best things about Italian food: it gives you room to be creative? You really can put whatever you want in your calzones and who's going to judge you? If you need vegan ricotta to enjoy a good calzone, we have two recipes for it in our manicotti post that are calzone-tested and -approved. I would also suggest trying Lightlife's Smart Deli Vegan Pepperoni and some broccoli, if you're looking for some suggestions.

OK, I've kept you long enough. Are you ready to get your Paisano* on?

And We're Back... & this time we made Vegan Garlic Chicken Ramen featuring the Vegan Hard Boiled Egg

Not your dorm room's ramen...

So you may have noticed that we've been M.I.A. lately. For those of you who aren't my buddy on Facebook or Twitter, this might be some big news: we moved to Brooklyn. Not just Brooklyn, but into a brownstone on a tree-lined street in old-school Bed-Stuy. So the past week and then some has been full of the usual moving dramas. You know - the packing, cleaning, and moving of various beloved objects. The unexpected melt-down at the thought of leaving the first home you ever shared with your partner. You know, the one that has all those lovely ups and horrible downs that come with a new and important relationship*. Of course, there is also the realization that you might never again visit this town that at one point you thought was going to be your forever home. This is of course followed by the calm realization that your real forever home is with your old man, and so you pack up your car with kittens and head out into the night... with a few tears.

OK. Now add to that driving a stick shift car from Virginia to New York with only a few weeks of practice under your belt, a few trips to IKEA, and a new apartment that while very charming is notably smaller than your previous place**... and that should pretty much bring you up to date on what we've been doing.

So we thought we'd come back with something easy: Ramen. I've been thinking about making this for months. Like many of you, I too have lived off ramen during periods of my life, and with my life various experiences and earned wisdom have come to develop a respect for real Asian cuisine. I certainly mean no disrespect to their instant counterparts, but the more traditional Asian noodle dishes are pretty much heaven. I mean, noodles to begin with are pretty much divine... so really is it hard to imagine a Pho/Ramen/Lo Mein Heaven? Um - No. I also hope this isn't too braggy, but I'm pretty happy how this little champ turned out. I mean she might not be the prettiest bowl of ramen to ever grace the internet, but she sure was delicious and gave me an excuse to make vegan hard boiled eggs again. Which is always a treat for me.

So to celebrate our first day back to the internet - Let's make some noodles!

The Betty Crocker Project : Vegan Quiche Lorriane & A Revisit with Julie & Julia - 1 Year Later Episode 1

Julia Child learned how to make quiche at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France around 1949 and has been credited as creating the best Quiche Lorriane several times over since. When it came time to watch Julie & Julia again to mark the one year anniversary of The Betty Crocker Project creation... well it only seemed to make sense we would also celebrate with one of Julia Child's favorite dishes. Especially since we absentmindedly already made Cobb Salad a few months ago during a salad kick.

Now I could have adapted Julia's famous recipe but that's not what we are doing here. This project is really all about Betty and I didn't want to steal her thunder. But a funny thing happened, I compared the two recipes and they were similar enough that I feel like Julia, the pretend Ghost of Quiches Past Julia anyways, would approve and here is why : See Julia Child's apparently never warmed to the Julie & Julia blog. Julia's friend and editor Judith Jones was quoted as saying "She didn’t suffer fools, if you know what I mean." Julie being the said "fool". Julia also never cared much for vegans. In fact she was quoted as saying:

"Personally, I don’t think pure vegetarianism is a healthy lifestyle. It’s more fear of food—that whole thing that red meat is bad for you. And then there are people who don’t eat meat because it’s against their morals. Well, there’s nothing you can do with people like that. I’ve often wondered to myself: Does a vegetarian look forward to dinner, ever?"  

But the part of me that wants to see the best in people wants to believe she felt that way because her first exposure to vegetarianism was in the 60s when a cruelty-free lifestyle was labeled a "health food fad" and a weight loss diet. Two things she had little patience for. She also never had our Quiche Lorriane with smoked tempeh and Daiya. The world Julia lived in was much different than ours. In just the past 10 years, technology has come far enough that really anything can be made vegan with little to no sacrifice in taste or texture at all. She has been remembered as being a very kind and compassionate person and so I would like to think that although she would probably never go vegan (I mean the woman basically bathed in butter) I would hope she would be intrigued by today's vegans and at least recognize our shared passion for food like so many other of today's top chefs have*. She was a sincere believer in her mantra : "Life itself is the proper binge.” and like I've said before... no one loves food like a vegan.


The day I made this, I was full of a thrill and humming Doris Day songs for hours. I won't lie - this is not my first dance around the floor with quiche. I make them a lot and Dan loves them even more than I make them. In fact this quiche was almost completely eaten by my love in a 24 hour period. But this one was special because it combined all the good things about Julia and Betty and maybe some of me too. 


So enough yakkity yaking - Let's make some freaking quiche already...

The Vegan Bacon & 3 Cheese Frittata of Your Dreams

Wednesday night can mean a lot of different things to folks out there. Now just going off your emails, I know a lot of you are pretty loyal Top Chef watchers. Now Dan and I aren't the kind of people who plan our lives around what's on TV that night. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But ever since Baby Jesus invented TV shows On Demand and putting whole seasons out on DVD - so you can have deep long term relationships with marathons of your favorites - Dan and I go about our lives and watch what we want when we want. With the exception of Top Chef and Wednesday night*. Why you ask? What makes Top Chef so special? Don't they make like a ton of meaty - eggy - cheesy  stuff? They do and just like with Betty - we watch to get ideas and inspiration. We watch for the food photography and styling. We watch it because it is a Shannon family tradition to watch and talk about what we would do to make dishes vegan. I mean some families travel around in pimped out school buses wearing matching outfits singing pop songs. I mean if that's your thing - that's cool I guess. We watch Top Chef and we like to eat schmancy vegan eggy breakfast dishes.

This one was a big hit around here and is going to be a regular for Sunday Brunch... I recommend making some toast to go with it. 

Special Edition: Vegans on Valentine's Day

Happy. Healthy. Life.'s Kathy Patalsky's LOVE-ly Chocolate Pom Raspberry Pudding!

Only one week left till Valentine's day. If you're like me, you had your presents and plans worked out about a month ago. You've also prepared yourself for those plans not working out and have plans B and C in place. But I've learned that many of you out there actually aren't like me, and are still searching for that perfect something to make sure their partners feel loved, or maybe just to show a little "self-love" this year. That's why we asked some of the coolest vegans we know to share their romantic plans! Hopefully it might help you find the inspiration you're looking for. So without further ado... here are some Vegans on Valentine's Day!

The Laziest Vegans in the World's John McDevitt and his Post Punk Kitchen & Cookbook Rockstar partner Isa Moskowitz have been pretty busy lately making Omaha, Nebraska into a vegan Mecca. So this year, their plans include kicking back and catching up on their favorite cooking shows, especially Chopped. For dinner, John's going to make Tofu Balls and Pasta, which is an old Moskowitz family recipe. According to John, any vegan can make these Tofu Balls, even a lazy one! We're excited to try them out. After all that excitement, they'll listen to some music and play some board games. To quote John : "We live large like senior citizens!" Sounds like they're living the dream to us!

Photo Credit : Robin Robertson

I think we all must have at least one of Robin Robertson's numerous cookbooks. I know personally we love her Vegetarian Meat & Potatoes Cookbook. That woman knows her way around a mushroom! On her blog Vegan Planet, she's planning to do a "Hearts Afire" Valentine Menu--all heart-shaped spicy food. She's including: a Jalapeno-Studded Comfort Loaf made in a heart-shaped pan and topped with chipotle ketchup; heart-shaped spicy roasted vegetables; a heart-beet salad (with a spicy dressing); and for dessert, a special "Hearts Afire" Chocolate Cheesecake with Hot Red Pepper Jelly! She's also doing a special giveaway of her book, Vegan Fire and Spice on Tuesday Feb. 8th! Um- YAY! (PS- we love chipotle ketchup!)

Sara Sohn from the famous vegan marshmallow company Sweet & Sara is still debating what to do; but it if they dine out, it'll be Candle 79. In case you've never been, we agree with Sara that the food is perfection. This year, their V-Day dessert will be chocolate fondue using Sweet & Sara mallows. Should they stay in, the plan is totally simple but super delicious: chocolate dipped strawberries and a hand packed pint of Lula’s vegan ice cream with Soyatoo whip. They've been busy over at Sweet & Sara sending and giving out a bunch of Heart Mallows as gifts... Still looking for a gift? Plenty of ideas here!

Some of you know Kathy Patalsky from her blog Happy. Healthy. Life. or maybe you know her from her epic food porn site Finding Vegan. Either way we all know that when Kathy's involved, so is hardcore awesome vegan food. This year, Kathy will be making one of her favorite Valentine's Day dessert recipes: her LOVE-ly Chocolate Pom Raspberry Pudding! For dinner, Kathy and her husband have pre-V-Day weekend plans to dine at Dirt Candy in NYC. For chocolates, she's going to swing by Cocoa V and pick out a few amazing vegan truffles!

The always clever author of The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life Melisser Elliot is treating herself to a trip to the gorgeous city of Milan, Italy! Yes, this single gal is planning to getaway to partake in sights, read books in cafes, and eat granita! Her trip actually starts today. She plans on wandering across Italy and meeting up with vegan friends along the way. (Yes, we are dying of jealousy back here in cloudy old Virginia.) If you're looking for some cruelty-free beauty tips for your big night out, be sure and check out Cruelty-Free Face! She has tips ranging from products to check out to how to have long lasting lips... valuable information for a holiday that can involve a lot of kissing.

Photo Credit : Wired.com

Over on the West Coast, Quarrygirl.com has the inside track to everything vegan! Making us even more excited about the impeding move to LA, she tipped us off to a few restaurants offering vegan meals for Valentine's Day, and she's going to spend the romantic evening at our favorite one of all, Madeleine Bistro. They're offering an extravagant 7-course tasting menu, which will include pan roasted seitan, vegan fondue, and an array of chocolate desserts for $125 per person. Click here to see the menu. We've experienced Madeleine Bistro tasting menus before, and have never been disappointed! I highly suggest that everyone check this out.

Photo Credit : Sarah Posey

Not to brag, but when it comes to potlucks around here - PETA's Vegan College Cookbook author Marta Holmberg and I bring it! This girl can cook some mean Mexican food, and has the creative spark that makes a great cook. This year, Marta and her fiance' and PETA co-worker Scott Brewer are taking it easy. They're saving money for their wedding and moving to Los Angeles. So this year, they're skipping presents and just treating themselves to a romantic vegan dinner of Gardein Chicken Marsala and Tiramisu at La Bella's in Ghent.
In a town full of vegans like Norfolk, this has to be one of the best date night spots in the city... who knows, maybe we'll see them there!

Vegan Good Things author Leinana Two Moons is always a great source of adorable veganess! This year she's decided to cook her honey a V-Day menu at home. They usually go to Blossom for date nights, but this year she's mixing it up--though she is still planing a stop by Cocoa V for some of their chocolates! (Please note this the 2nd mention of these chocolates. I really must try them next time I'm in the city!)

Leinana was sweet enough to share her special menu with us :

• Two-Hearts Salad (artichoke hearts & hearts of palm in salad with vinaigrette)
• Pasta with Asparagus in Lemon Cream Sauce - recipe from Melisser Elliot of Urban Housewife (asparagus, because it's supposed to be an aphrodisiac!)
• And for dessert, a raw strawberry cheesecake, because strawberries are also supposed to be good for the lovin'!

Besides the fact that it sounds like my dream salad, we think this menu sounds just lovely!

Photo Credit : Veg St. Louis

Allison Burgess, president of Match Vegan Meats, is finding herself torn between two pretty delicious date night plans. Her husband is not vegan (yet), but has fallen in love with a wonderful MATCH chicken enchilada dish at one of their favorite restaurants, Schlafley Bottleworks, in St.Louis. He's also falling for Match's new Beef Wellington with a Sherry Demi-Glace sauce that will be launching this spring. So either way - go out, stay home - they'll be celebrating vegan style! Apparently they have a lot of vegan opions on the menu of Schlafley Boottleworks. In the photo is their Hummus Appetizer plate featured on Veg St. Louis.

Stay tuned folks to hear more about what we have planned...

The Betty Crocker Project : Macaroni Salad with Peppered Baked Tofu

Peta2's Christina Freeman Approving.

This recipe is potluck tested and approved!

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day and so peta2 decided to celebrate in style... friendly neighborhood potluck style that is. As always there was a pretty impressive spread ranging from spring rolls to chocolate cake from peta2's Vegan College Cookbook. Now Betty's Macaroni Salad is made with Tuna and some different seasoning but we went with baked tofu because it's kinda the new trend around The Shannon Homestead these days. A trend that I hope will make the world a better place for potlucks and BBQs everywhere. Kind of a Act Locally - Think Globally thing.

There are lots of photos to go with this one - Are your vegan-senses tingling yet?*

The Betty Crocker Project : Manicotti with a Kalamata Olive Pesto Tofu and Tofu Ricotta Filling

In my house at Christmas, manicotti might be as popular as Santa Claus. It's a fancy centerpiece dish that is that rare combination of being impressive and pretty simple. I know you may look at this recipe and think - that's a lot of stuff BUT it's the holidays - why not make something super fly? To me - that means OLIVES!

People who know me know I am a slave to olives. I love them all and try to work them in every meal. I like olives in my tofu scramble just as much as I love them in a salad, tossed with pasta or in a taco. Really is there anything an olive can't do? Maybe geometry. Olives seem bad at math.

I came up with this Kalamata Olive Pesto a few years ago to mix in with linguine and some broccoli but after trying it out in manicotti a few years after that - I can't imagine ever going back to the standard vegan tofu ricotta style ever again. I'd miss those olives but I know not everyone likes things as fancy pants as me so I included a standard no pesto tofu ricotta recipe too... because it's the season of giving and I love showing all the things you can do with Tofu!

Postcard from Boston! They may call it Beantown - but Vegans have way more options...

So you've probably guessed we've been away for Thanksgiving... well in Boston to be exact... Going to Celtic's games, visiting the Museum of Fine Arts and of course enjoying The Shannon Family vegan Thanksgiving! But when it comes to Boston they have a lot to offer as far as good vegan food besides what you find in the Shannon  kitchen...

The night before The Celtics beat The Raptors 110 to 101 in The Garden, we literally feasted at My Thai Vegan Cafe. We may have been a little too excited when we ordered because we got an appetizer, bowls of soups, 2 entrees and a beloved pot of green tea (that night was freezing) - which may sound like a normal meal but the serving sizes are so generous we had didn't have any room left for the gorgeous carrot cake they had in their bakery cases. Oh well - Guess we have to go back!

We started with Golden Triangles - which are medium sized fried won tons filled with a spiced fake chicken that came with a peanut sauce to dip them in. Dan was smart and got the Sweet & Sour Soup. This was some of the best Sweet & Sour Soups I've had since I moved from the Puget Sound area. It made me regret my Coconut Tofu Soup - which was also good but not a rock star like the Sweet & Sour. We both got entrees to share but really I'm not a great sharer when it comes to food. Dan's lucky I love him so much.

I got the Lemongrass Vegan Chicken and loved that I could actually taste the lemongrass. I adore the flavor and am often disappointed when it is over powered by salt or ginger. This was perfect. Dan took a chance and got the Tamarind Vegan Duck. I was worried it would be too sweet - a lot of times folks use jellies rather than fruit for the glazes and the sugar just kind of takes over. But the glaze was just the right amount of sweetness and savory and the vegan duck was firm and flavorful. The dish came on a huge plate surrounded by vegetables and was a meal on it's own. Man - I'm a getting a bit nostalgic just thinking about it.

But that's just one spot you should check out if you find yourself looking for vegan food in Boston...

The Betty Crocker Project : Cuban Black Bean Soup

Cuban Black Bean Soup with Tofu Egg garnish stirred in.

So I tried to take a photo of this soup with the garnish and I liked the blue effect in this one so much I'm using this photo instead but let's be honest this just isn't the most photogenic soup. In the world of food, lush salads are the super models with their bright colors and interesting shapes that you can almost taste just by looking at them. While soups and casseroles - well anything saucy - is more that girl next door. You know they're good and there is something there but it is easy to miss that in a photo. You can't see it but this soup is smokey and spicy in all the right ways. You'll want some bread to dip in it or maybe some tortilla chips because you're going to want every drop of that broth and it just isn't polite to lick your bowl.

You may also have doubts of about the Tofu Egg Garnish but I have to say I find your lack of faith disturbing. Just try it - I think you'll like it.

This soup made me think a lot about our friend Cassandra who is in Cuba right now going to Medical School. I miss her pretty much everyday and I can't wait till we can see each other again. Cassandra -You bring so much joy and fun into my life while being such a loyal friend. I wish everyone had a Cassandra. Love you Grrl.

The Family Album : Jasmin Singer from Our Hen House Meets The Shannons

Jasmin's Spinach & Bacon Salad Featuring The Vegan Hard-Boiled Egg

Our Family Album is one of our favorite segments on Meet The Shannons. Over the years we've been lucky enough to meet some of the most amazing animal advocates on the planet. I won't lie technology like Facebook has made it easier than ever for vegans all over the world to connect, learn from each other and build a strong online community that is promoting a more compassionate world for animals on a scale that has never been seen before. One of those marvelous and outstanding advocates I've had the privilege of  meeting is a lovely lady named Jasmin Singer. You may know her as 1/2 of the talented and dedicated duo at Our Hen House - a website and resource that is really leading the way in helping folks find their own way to change the world for animals. I know her as Kick Ass Activist All-Star Sista and am honored to have her as today's guest blogger! XO - Annie 


I'm not a cook. Which is why I was nervous (petrified?) when Annie asked me to guest blog and try out one of her and Dan's recipes. I won't admit to you how many months it took me to decide on what to cook. Most things just seemed too difficult for me, which is probably because my regular diet consists of really a lot of blender concoctions, the occasional stir-fry (no recipe, just going by the seat of my pants and the contents of my freezer), and the good old standby, tofu and broccoli at Suzie's Chinese Restaurant on Bleecker Street.

Now Annie wanted me to cook? Really? Me? Like, in a way that holds me accountable for my actions? Was this really a path I wanted to stumble down?

Truth is, I do know food. Aside from being a proud vegan food-lover (cliche', I know), back when I was a struggling actor, I decided that becoming a holistic health counselor would be a good field for me, allowing me to have my own business that promoted veganism, while maintaining the flexibility that allowed me to audition for plays (that I rarely got cast in). So I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, followed by pursuing an MA in -- ready? -- Experiential Health and Healing. I kid you not. Oh, to be 20-something and confused... (I'm allowed to say that, since I'm now 30-something... and confused.)

The Betty Crocker Project : Denver Omelet

We like to make schmancy breakfasts on the weekends around here. So I thought I would share one our favorites in time for you all to get some shopping in before Saturday morning.

After years and years of scrambling my tofu, I get pretty excited about making some new "eggs" for breakfast. Just the idea of looking down at my plate at a French style or foldover omelet that I know has all the texture and showiness of the traditional dish but none of the cruelty... puts a big smile on my face. This isn't the easiest recipe to make but it brings the 'shock and awe' and it is really filling. You may want to make it brunch actually because you won't need a second meal after this.

What can I say? These omelets are just too much for one meal to handle.