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. 

Vegan Meyhane Pilavi (Turkish Bulgur Pilaf)

There is a crazy thing that happens when you're a food blogger who hasn't been able to post reguraly because you're working on a book. You're still writing all the time but you can't decide what to post and then you end up not posting at all. This week we actually had a house guest! So it was double the posting drama.

I know! We actually let someone into our Fortress of Solitude that has become our Brooklyn apartment. Michelle Schwegmann from Herbivore Clothing Company and I stayed up late talking like we were having a slumber party and explored this not so little borough we call home. Including a happy jaunt around Park Slope and an afternoon in uber-hip Williamsburg. We had a vegan Creamsicle shake, vegan Caesar salads and some Buffalo fries with the lovely animal activist Amy Trakinski at Foodswings then took a walk over to see Leanne and her adorable dogs at Vaute Couture. Not a bad week. Not a bad week at all.

But it left little time for cooking and blogging. Then I woke up this morning with the remains of a dream in my head. In this dream, I was talking to people on a bus about how much I love bulgur and all the fun dishes I have made over the years with it. I was speaking with real purpose and passion about my adoration for this grain and at times would turn to people for validation to find that they were either completely captivated or looked like they were being held captive by a crazy person. Yes. It was an odd dream but it reminded me that I had a recipe I had been meaning to share since our return from Istanbul a few months ago.

Now some of you might remember when we made Vegan Turkish Tempeh Whole Wheat Lahmacun -- we mentioned that we bought a pretty interesting Turkish cook book. Well, we've made a few things out of it since then and everyone has been pretty much awesome. This dish was one of my personal favorites because (obviously) it's a very flavorful bulgur pilaf that gave us an opportunity to use some of the herbs we bought at The Grand Bazaar. The thing about this book is that it's full of inspiration but the recipes are strangely vague. For example the original recipe for this dish in the book calls for 150 grammes meat in small cubes. I guess it doesn't need to be any particular kind of meat and the liquids in the book are measured in "glasses". I'm not kidding.

Needless to say - we took some liberties like usual. Our dish is pretty delicious and makes a lot. You'll have a lot of leftovers to keep your kitchen cool this summer or to take to lunch for work. Whatever you want. That's not my business. What I can tell you -- this recipe will flip you for real!

Raspberry Lemonade Tart with a Rosewater & Coconut Crust

So I admit I've been a little MIA lately. There has been a lot going on and to be honest -- I've fallen behind on basically everything. I mean emails, laundry, cleaning out the fridge... pretty much everything but bills*. But there have been a few really exciting things that have happened lately. To paraphrase:

1. Our book Betty Goes Vegan is finally available for pre-sale! There are all these early bird special discounts available on the amazon page -- which is cool.

2. I was able to share some of my favorite vegan baking substitutions on the kitchn. I love this blog so it was a real honor for me. Plus it was great to be able to share with a not-all-vegan community how easy it is to bake vegan. I focused on substitutions you can find in any old grocery store and was really touched by the over 600 likes!

3. The Seed - Vegan Experience conference is this weekend. I won't be able to make it unfortunately but if you're around NYC -- you should really check it out. They have a pretty impressive speaker line-up. I'm also excited because it means my buddy Michelle Schwegmann from Herbivore Clothing Company will be in town. Love that girl.

Michelle & me at The NYC Vegetarian Food Festival - photo credit : The Village Voice

4. I finally posted our photos from Belgium. We spent a few days there around the end of May and you're going to hearing a lot about this trip. I mean this is a country famous for fries, beer, chocolate and comics. What's not to love? Today's recipe is actually inspired (in part) by a tart I saw in the window of a bakery in Brussels.

We didn't glaze ours and didn't add as many raspberries in the photo so you could see the filling. We also played around a lot with some more Mediterranean summer flavors by adding rosewater to the crust. Last summer we made Rosewater Lemonade Sorbet (shaved ice) and it just wouldn't be summer with out dabbling with the rosewater some more.

I'm curious -- what flavors say "Summer" for you?

Pasta alla Puttanesca with Vegan Sausage - not your everyday red sauce

Rome is often called "The Eternal City."

Perhaps it's because it has survived being burnt to the ground, sacked and rebuilt again and again. Maybe it's because even Alaric, the Visigoth king that burnt most of the city to the ground and took a large percentage of the population prisoner, looked to Rome as a foundation of civilization and tried to negotiate peace rather than destroy her. The first time I walked down the gradual incline of Via Cavour and saw my first glimpse of the  Colosseum between two buildings. Just hiding in an alley like a pick pocket. I literally stopped and thought "Nothing lasts forever but Rome is damn close."*

A few months ago Dan and I spent a few days in Rome during a freak snow storm that shut down the city. Like most of the city we took advantage of the weather to eat and sample wines. See Rome can be a pretty vegan friendly place with Penne Arrabiata and Marinara Pizza on menu's all over the city. Of course, if you don't trust the servers when they tell you the pasta is eggless, there is always Il Margutta, Rome's most popular vegetarian hot spot. They have several vegan options. 

Before we left I picked up a ridiculously thick book of Pasta recipes to veganize and I've been playing around with some the easiest and most intriguing ones first. I could say it was a good excuse to work on my Italian but really I just love pasta. 


Pasta alla Puttanesca is actually called Pasta alla Sorrentina in my book - probably because Puttanesca means something like "whore style." Even with a name like that, this Neapolitan dish is pretty well known and popular in restaurants everywhere. Which is impressive because in Italy's long and well documented history, Pasta alla Puttanesca is pretty new on the scene and for generations was considered "poor people food." It wasn't even mentioned in books till around the 70s and its interpretation doesn't just seem to differ from region to region - but by city and sometimes even neighborhood. The kosher Puttanesca I had in Rome's Jewish Ghetto was actually accidentally vegan because it was their option for those with allergies or who wanted to lose weight. The ones on the menu near the Trevi fountain were not. The key elements seem to be a red sauce with garlic, onions, capers, oregano, olives, basil, parsley and anchovies (although that is sometimes replaced with seaweed or in our case kelp). We tossed Tofurky Italian sausage, red bell peppers, spinach and played around with the ingredients a bit to level it up. 

It's lovely and spicy in a unique way that makes it more than just another red sauce. I know I should dive into my arsenal of adjectives to describe this better but really - it's just more. 

Mangiamo!

Turkish Tempeh Whole Wheat Lahmacun (kinda)

We got back from Istanbul a few weeks ago and since then it's been one project, road trip and Valentine's day after another. I've barely had a chance to catch up on my stories. Mostly I've been working on upgrading this blog into something a little fancier but I've also been baking a lot, figuring out my trip to Minnesota to visit The Betty Crocker Test Kitchen and veganizing recipes from the cookbooks we brought home from our trip.

I feel like I should tell you - I was unprepared for what an amazing city Istanbul is. I knew Turkey would be one of my favorite parts of our trip and that it would be freezing. What we didn't see coming was how we would feel when we walked into the Hagia Sofia for the first time. For a place so remarkable - there just isn't words. Here's the slideshow of the photos from the part of our trip we were in Turkey if you want to see for yourself.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

But that brings us to today and this recipe... You can find Lahmacun in shops and stands all over Istanbul.  Usually made with ground lamb meat, this portable meal is usually rolled up like a New York slice or folded like a taco and wrapped in paper. We actually didn't have one of these in Istanbul for pretty obvious reasons but we started with this recipe because we wanted an excuse to use the new spices we bought in The Grand Bazaar and I was craving pizza. That's why our Lahmacuns are more like personal pizzas you'll need a fork to eat than flatbread wraps but they're still a great dinner and an excuse to expand our spice inventory.

If you're also looking to expand your spice rack - here are the two items you'll need to locate:

• Sumak/Sumac : This is a dark red powder made from a berry sourced in Anatolia. It has a bitter flavor similar to lemons. If you can't locate it - you can replace it with Cumin or Paprika in the recipe below. 
• Green Bazilicum/Fesleğen : I hope you get a little laugh out of this - I did. Behind these foreign names, this green herb that we found in a small spice shop hidden in the winding streets of The Grand Bazaar is just a type of basil. I mean it's a different type than the one we commonly use in The US and it has a very subtle fresher flavor similar to mint but it's basil none the less. So if you can't locate this particular type of basil - I'm sure you'll be able to find a substitution.

Tomorrow there will more Betty baking but tonight we recommend making yourself something kind of different and undeniably delicious! 

Special Edition: Vegans on Valentine's Day! Episode II

The Betty Crocker Project : Shortbread Cookies

I know we're behind on posting this. We left the country at the end of January for a long overdue escape and found ourselves in a few situations where the internet access could have been better. It's probably a good thing. We aren't very good at that whole "unplugging" thing. So while I do feel pretty bad for not being able to post this sooner, part of me knows that having more time to enjoy Rome, Athens and Istanbul was a good thing - in the big picture sense. But more about that later. 

Today we're here to talk about St. Valentine's Day! Tonight, you might find The Shannons at Soy and Sake in Manhattan or maybe we'll camp out at home with a bottle of wine and some Doctor Who... maybe both. Here's what some of our favorite vegans are doing for St.Valentine's Day with their significant squeezes: 

I would bet even the newest vegan knows Colleen Patrick Goudreau. Her numerous books and 30-Day Vegan Challenge have made her a reliable resource for vegans and not-yet-vegans for years! What you might not know is that she is a pretty romantic lady. Here's a little glimpse into  her plans and her dreamy marriage: 

To be honest, we're probably more romantic throughout the year than we are on Valentine's Day. We're sappy dorks and do lots of lovey dovey things on a regular basis, including doing "planned surprises" for one another. We alternate each month - one month he says "I have a surprise planned on X date, so don't make plans," and I'll do the same the next month. HOWEVER, on Valentine's Day proper, David and I are treating ourselves to the Prix Fixe romantic dinner at Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco along with another couple, our good friends John and Randy. We recently renewed our vows for our 10-year wedding anniversary, and John and Randy led the ceremony. Friends and family came to our home to celebrate with us, and Chef Barry from Local Love catered an amazing (vegan of course) dinner. The weekend before Valentine's Day, we're going up to Farm Sanctuary (the CA shelter, which is just 2 hours from our home) to visit a newly arrived baby goat who has been named after my dear friend, Michael Scriber, who died tragically and unexpectedly in July of last year. Scribbles (a nickname given to Michael) is adorably adorable, and we can't wait to spend the day with him and the other rescued critters. Can't think of a more love-filled way to celebrate Valentine's Day!

Most people know Chole Coscarelli from her historical win for vegan baking on The Food Nework's Cupcake Wars in 2010 but what they might not know is that she is a cruelty-free pro at more than just pastry and she has a book coming out in March that we're looking forward to checking out! This year, she has two new loves in her life, her brand new adopted chihuahua puppies! So she will probably stay home on Valentines day with them and cook something delicious. Most likely Fettuccinne Alfredo for the humans and Peanut Butter Dog Cookies for the pups (both recipes from her upcoming cookbook Chloe's Kitchen)! She feels and we agree "Home-cooked food is the best way to celebrate love."

Of course, this year I was thrilled beyond belief to see Doron Petersan from Sticky Fingers Bakery not only on The Food Network's 2011 Cupcake Wars defending the title for vegan bakers everywhere but kicking some serious culinary tuckus and taking the crown! When I lived in DC, I was a loyal fan of her exceptional bakery and was thrilled to she her get the recognition she deserved. As if things couldn't get more awesome for this compassionate cooking powerhouse - Doron's book Sticky Fingers Sweets comes out this week! So tonight she's going to be taking it easy after some pretty busy months following her win. "It will be an at-home love fest this year.  No better excuse to make our favorite dish; fettuccine pasta, porcini mushrooms, garlic, rapini, and a touch of  truffle oil.  And cupcakes, of course!"

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Senior Campaigner Ashley Byrne and Green is The New Red's Will Potter live in different cities (DC/NYC), so they had to celebrate Valentine’s day a couple of days early with Will visiting NYC. Their plan was to start the day with donuts and coffee at Dun-Well Donuts in Brooklyn, and end it with sundaes at Lula’s Sweet Apothecary.  And since Ashley's birthday was on February 11^th - they actually had an excuse to visit Lula's a few times. If last year is any indication of what she can expect, they'll also be enjoying a birthday cake from Headless Horseman bakery (featuring her handsome dog Mongo), chocolate from Sjaak’s from Will, and an amazing vegan birthday dinner at John’s on 12^th. All this a side of sleeping in with food and sugar comas by the time Valentine’s day actually rolls around!*

Of course, no Vegans on Valentine's Day post would be complete without mentioning Florian and Shannon Radke, the sweethearts behind Cinnaholic Bakery in Berkeley, CA. This duo is pretty much the definition of romance and cruelty-free sweets! But here's where I suck. See at the beginning of the month - They had this extremely cool project they were working on with the incredibly cool Beagle Freedom Project in Los Angeles. They were donating $5 for every Valentine's Day order that came in before February 9th. But we were in Europe then and this post didn't go up in time. So! Please consider donating to help those beagles anyways and/or ordering your sweetheart a dozen spicy and sweet rolls as a "just because I love you" treat. Both are rewarding in their own way... 

Happy Valentine's Day everybody! See you tomorrow with more about our travels, a Betty Crocker update, upcoming Vegfests, new vegan products and yet another belated Good News Monday! XO 

* We approve! Dan calls this type of weekend "Eating to win!"

The Chicago Beer Dogs

I was never a hot dog person. Even when I was a little eater that hadn't gone vegan yet... hot dogs were just never my thing. Which I'm actually really happy about - meat based hot dogs aren't really food. So you can imagine my surprise when years ago I had Tofurky Beer Brats and actually liked them. I mean I loved them.

Over the years, Dan and I have been exploring new and exciting ways to add a little variety to our beloved cruelty-free brats. This is one of my favorites thus far. I know you're probably wondering why I'm not posting Manhattan Dogs since NY is going to the Super Bowl this weekend... well it's like I said - this one is kinda my one of  my favorites.

The Blueprint by Hawk Krall - from Serious Eats

Now we did tweak it a bit like we skipped the neon relish because sweet relish is just superior in many ways. We also used celery seeds instead of celery salt and just sprinkled poppy seeds over the top rather than using a poppyseed hot dog bun because I couldn't find a brand that didn't have eggs in it and baking my own seemed like more work than most people are willing to put into a hot dog.

Like many of our posts - I feel weird even calling this a recipe since it is so easy and is kind of more of an ingredient combo magic trick.

Are you ready to be amazed - with hot dog magic?

The world really is going Vegan! Yes! There will be lots of pictures!

Vegan in LA

Everyday we get emails from all over the world from people who are living or looking to explore a cruelty-free life. Last night, I was looking through the stats for our Facebook Fan Page and was incredibly impressed to see that literally people from all over the world from every age group and demographic are interested in being vegan! I have to admit if you had sat down 16 year old me and told her that - she would have never believed you. I was a very jaded teenager*.

So you can imagine how happy I get whenever I hear about a new awesome veg-friendly restaurant. I mean for a long time vegan restaurants had a pretty bad rap for being nothing but sprouts and nudists. They were never really that bad in my opinion but these days there are pretty revolutionary things happening in veg-friendly restaurants. A-list celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi are opening vegan restaurants and you can pop into places like Foodswings in Brooklyn where you can enjoy vegan Butterfinger Milkshakes and Pizza Fries. I mean this is the definition of a dream come true.

So we thought it would be fitting to post some photos from some of the vegan hot spots around the world! I couldn't fit them all in one post so here are some highlights in a slideshow. Special Thanks goes out to Quarrygirl, Melisser Elliot, John McDevitt, Sarah Posey (our Facebook Fan Page covergirl), Marisa Miller Wolfson, Joel Bartlett, Libbe Blain and Rachel Foss for submitting photos and helping us with today's post.

If you're looking for a veg-friendly restaurant near you there are a lot of great online resources. We suggest HappyCow.net, VegGuide.org, and of course a little googling**. 

Ready to get really hungry?

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

(If you can't see this slideshow - visit our The world is going vegan! Album.There is also more info on where you can get this delicious food.)

If you're looking for a veg-friendly restaurant near you there are a lot of great online resources. We suggest HappyCow.net, VegGuide.org, and of course a little googling**.


PS - You can find more photos on our Fan Page in the Restaraunts that have a Heart Album. If you ever have a great photo from a veg-friendly restaraunt you'd want to share - just email it to Shannons@MeetThe Shannons.net.



* It might be possible I was a bit of jerk.

** Which even after all these years still sounds dirty to me but is undeniably helpful.

The Betty Crocker Project : Siesta Taco Soup

Oh. Steam on the lens. You are my nemesis today.

Some of you have been wondering where the frak we've been, and it's justified. I mean, seriously, it's been a week and we've been completely and unforgivably MIA. It really is a fair question to ask of bloggers who cook and post every day but who, without warning, disappear like magic. It's kind of nice to know that what you put out into the world would be missed.

Well, nothing scandalous happened. We weren't abducted by aliens or trapped under something heavy. We just went to a wedding. A charming and sublime DIY wedding at a breathtaking ranch in San Luis Obispo, CA. A wedding that I will gush about in another post, because last week I posted this photo of our Taco Soup in progress and there were so many messages and emails... well, I feel like you'd rather welcome September with a yummy soup recipe you can make in your slow cooker so you don't have to worry about heating up your home while fall is still more of an idea than an actual weather situation. I mean, I'd rather be eating this soup right now than pretty much doing anything else. So I get it.

If you take a look at Betty's Taco Soup, you'll see we took a lot of liberties... and since we made ours in the slow cooker it only seemed right to throw the 'Siesta' in there - sleepy little soup that it is*. If you're following along in your own copy of Betty's Big Red, you'll notice a few 'Feistas' thrown about from time to time on the Mexican-themed recipes. Which I actually kinda like. Those 'Feistas' are just the prefect level of campy. They remind me of something Mad Men's Betty Draper would serve to her kids during a break in her chain smoking. I'm not sure why that appeals to me, but in a weird way it totally does.

Taco Soup might not sound that good at first, but much like its friend Pizza Soup, it's surprisingly delicious and awesome. You might have to look over the ingredients to be won over. Here's just a hint of how good this soup is - if you slice your onions thin enough, they'll melt in the broth, making an onion soup flavor and texture that I actually described as "gorgeous" like a tween with a crush. Yeah - that really happened.

 So - Here's your rain check for an 'update' blog post about LA, Fashion Week in NYC, and a bunch of other random thoughts, rants and obsessions. Let's get this Soup Party started.

Restaurant Review: WildFlower

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

For someone with just the tiiiiniest bit of ADD like myself, the concept of the pop-up restaurant seems like the best idea on the planet. You develop some exciting new recipes, cook them for people for a few days in a brand-new space, blow some minds, rock some worlds, and then move on to the next exciting new thing before you get bored (there may be one or two other steps involved in creating a pop-up restaurant that I left out). I kind of want everything I do to be a pop-up-whatever-it-is from now on. I might stop writing this review two paragraphs in. You’ll get the gist of it. I’ve got other projects to work on.

For serious chefs like Ayinde Powell, of course, a pop-up restaurant like WildFlower is a chance to experiment, to take risks, to try new things, and to give people a unique dining experience that they’ll never forget. Last week Annie likened it to being at an epic (sorry, but it’s appropriate here) concert, where the only people who will ever truly understand are the ones who shared that concert hall with you. Concert hall or, in my case, dormitory basement, where I saw At The Drive In open for the Get Up Kids at Conn College in like 1998. I had my concept of what punk rock could be completely altered, and my face rocked right the fuck off. I am excited to report that WildFlower—New York City’s very first vegan pop-up restaurant—resides squarely in that category.

Summer in The City

Iced tea can save the world.

It's really hot in New York City right now. Pretty much the whole East Coast has been broiled into oblivion this week. A friend of mine in DC posted on Facebook that it was 89 degrees at 8 in the morning yesterday. GAH.

So yesterday, I decided that rather than try to wait this heat out, I was going to go with it like a car hitting black ice with no snow tires. Yes, I just went with the skid. That, my friends, is why we're tapping into the treasure chest of Betty's frozen treats I had scheduled for late July and August. There are two problems that go with frozen treats, though:

1. You need freezer space and various other tools, contraptions and players to be named later.
2. You have to be patient and just let things freeze.

So while we're waiting for our treats to become solid, I'm going to share with you some awesome things happening in the city this weekend and what we'll be eating. Shall we begin?

Sliders from the Vegan Street Food Inspired Tasting Menu Photo Credit : ieatgrass.com

Wildflower is happening this weekend and this weekend only! This is NYC's first vegan pop-up restaurant, and the latest project by green entrepreneur rock star and Chef Ayinde Howell of www.ieatgrass.com. Not only has Ayinde created a remarkable and creative menu, but he's got a great team that includes some "helping hands" like Scott Winegard from the Brooklyn dinner club Nasturtium.

If you're like us, you probably have seen "pop-up" restaurants before on Top Chef and The Food Network and been completely bewitched. See, pop-ups don't just provide chefs an opportunity to showcase his/her talents, but they provide food lovers a chance to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience they can discuss with other food lovers in a style that has in the past been reserved for die-hard sports and music enthusiasts. I think we've all been there - when someone tells you about the time that the guy on this team pretended to be a the Statue of Liberty and faked out this other guy, or the time that Phish played this song at this place and someone did a thing*. Well, pop-ups by their nature bring that element of excitement to dining because they are only open a short time - like a weekend - and therefore can't help but create a shared event or moment. Am I getting too sentimental?

It's probably because I'm so excited that we finally get to go to one! Like I said before: Wildflower is the first vegan pop-up to hit NYC. Like any event, you have to get a ticket to attend and make your reservation, and you can do that by clicking here.

Photo Credit : ieatgrass.com

If you're still not sold - you should check out the menu. This is fine dining with that whimsical edge you can't help but fall in love with. We'll be there Sunday for the Mexican hot chocolate waffles and mimosas! Hope to see you there!

If you do miss it though, there are plenty of other things happening in the city this weekend - actually every weekend! The always lovely and clever Jasmin Singer, who you might remember from her completely wonderful guest blog post on here but more likely from her kick-ass activism and super cool podcast/blog Our Hen House, has gotten together with VegNewsTV to create this adorable and informative video about how to enjoy NYC on a budget!

I have to admit we've only done like half the things in this video thus far, but we're working our way through it slowly but surely. I can tell you this though - if you're visiting NYC, you want to do everything on this video! It features one of my all-time favorite vegan restaurants, Curly's Vegetarian Lunch, our new favorite summertime haunt Lula's Sweet Apothecary**, and the extremely cool Tenement museum. But I won't ruin the video for you. You should see it for yourself and take notes! We'll be back later with Rosewater Lemonade Sorbet.




* OK I should have consulted with my co-worker and die hard Phish head Mike before writing this so I'd have some proper nouns to replace 'thing' with. I don't know much about Phish except that fans can tell you what shirt the bassist was wearing when he played a song on a certain Sunday 10 years ago. Although I find it impressive, I remain 'Phish ignorant'.

** We're going to be posting photos from our adventures to both Curly's, Lula's, and other great NYC vegan hot spots on our Facebook Fan Page : Vegan Foods = Joy today. So check that out!

The Betty Crocker Project : Adventures with Strawberries & Rhubarb

Strawberry Rhubarb Spice Muffins

Once upon a time there was a girl* who had never eaten rhubarb. Over the years, several opportunities to bake with rhubarb presented themselves, but it never really appealed to her. Then one day she found herself in a position where she had to be open to new ideas... because Betty Crocker said so.

Last weekend, we had a perfect married weekend. When I say perfect, I mean super crazy mega-married weekend**. We got up early on Saturday, filled our travel mugs with coffee, and went to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. They're free 10am to noon every Saturday, and it's rose season. You don't have to love flowers to love this place, but if you do, it totally rocks. I strolled around for about an hour with my best friend and talked about the random things friends talk about when there are pretty things to look at. Then we walked over to the Grand Army Farmer's Market to load up on organic and locally grown everything.


The Situation.

Yes, that's where we got that gorgeous bread from yesterday's post. It's also where I found organic locally grown rhubarb and these huge irresistible baskets of organic strawberries from New Jersey. We bought too much because this was my first time baking with it, but I knew there were two recipes in Betty's Big Red that asked for this pretty pink celery looking stuff - so sometimes you just have to be brave and commit.

Now, like always, I did a little research before I committed to a big bag of rhubarb. You may already know these things about rhubarb, but in case you don't, I hope you find this helpful during your own rhubarb purchasing and baking missions:

1. Rhubarb can be very tart, so Betty's recipes call for a lot of sugar to be added to offset that. I've tried to replace and decrease sugar where I can, but it was tough because Betty is pretty much always right. The earlier in the season you get the rhubarb, the sweeter it is and the less sugar you need. Since April appears to be prime Rhubarb Season in NY, we followed Betty directions for "older rhubarb" - hence the sugar.
2. Rhubarb is a good source of Vitamin A. That's good for you.
3. Strawberries can have a very subtle flavor that can be hard to capture in baking sometimes. Rhubarb compliments it so well, it really would be shame to not combine them. It not only makes your baked goods a bit healthier, but it makes the flavor more vivid too.
4. Don't eat the leaves - I guess they're poison. I think this is a pretty important tip, even though most of the time when you go to buy it the leaves are removed. Poison is bad.

First thing we made was Strawberry-Rhubarb-Mint-Tea-Tarts and if you're wondering where the Tea Tart recipe is, well I should be honest and tell you, the crazy person in me wasn't satisfied with them. The crust was just a little too crumbly. We made a tiny tweak to a recipe we already love with our vegan chicken pot pie and used a different vegetable shortening, but apparently it made a big difference. I think this tart would have been perfect with the crust we used for the fresh berry & tea tart and so we're going to try that next. The other thing was that I wasn't sure how rhubarb cooked down. So my first 2 tarts were overflowing like Jane Mansfield in an evening gown***.


I just want to point out that if you ever find yourself getting a look like that from Sophia Loren - You must be doing something right.

It was a sad moment when I realized these little tarts, tasty as they were, weren't ready for the public. But the kitchen can be a funny place. Just when you want to give up and order a pizza, you remember there's a coffee cake recipe you still need to try. These muffins are our take on Betty's Rhubarb Coffeecake and are lovely little buddies to start the day with. They've also convinced me that I can take on rhubarb.

So enough chatter... to the rhubarb!

Scenes from the Perfect Birthday... Photos, Food & Gushing.

My birthday began at midnight when Dan gave me the perfect present!

History has remembered a certain handful of men as being "Great Husbands". While only a person's partner can really know if a person really deserves to be called a "Great Husband", there are a few who I think stand out, like John Adams* and Abraham Lincoln. These men may have not been perfect, and had careers that were demanding to say the least, but their devotion to their families and partners have been noted for posterity. There are others like Paul Newman and Paul Child, who stepped beyond the traditional role of "husband" that they grew up with to the definition of "partner". I have been lucky enough to marry one of these exceptional men.

The 35th year of my life has been a pretty notable one. There have been so many ups and downs, and moments in our marriage that have really brought us closer than ever. But don't worry, I won't bore you with the details... instead I'm going to share with you a play-by-play of my perfect birthday that my perfect partner planned for me, and some photos that might inspire you to visit NYC...

Meet The Shannons for Lunch!

In case you missed why this place is perfect place to celebrate not being saved.

If you're still around after the rapture - you should meet us for lunch at Foodswings in Brooklyn, NY at 1:30pm this Sunday May 22nd.

This is also the day after my 36th birthday. So be prepared to see this old lady eat a lot of mac & cheez. I mean a girl's got to celebrate some how right right?

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!

Adventures in Brooklyn - Food & Friends during the Search for the Perfect Apartment! Episode II

Brooklyn - The land of breath taking vistas.

In Barcelona, one might expect to see the somewhat bizarre spires of Gaudi's unfinished cathedral Temple La Sagrada Familia reaching into the heavens. In Paris, there is nothing quite like the rush you get when you spot the Eiffel Tower for the first time. In London, you can't miss the world's largest Ferris wheel known as The Eye. But in Brooklyn, there are historic rusted water towers and industrial warehouses revamped in blue glass and colorful graffiti. I recently spent a week walking through Brooklyn looking for a future home for the Shannon brood.

To see photos from my journey and some cute cats click here. I know yesterday I promised to tell you all about my NYC abduction story but I haven't figured out yet how to make it funny or how it even happened. I will tell you this. I was mistaken for a Hasidic Jew twice last week. Which is cool because Hasidic Jewish women can be adorable with their cute hats and knee-length skirts but I admit it is having me rethink my new haircut a little. Also, and more importantly, make sure when you get into a strange car in Brooklyn that you think is part of some legitimate car service... that it is and not some kind of Jewish intervention program. I might be able to talk about it more later but for now - let's talk food.

The adventure continues...

Adventures in Brooklyn - Food & Friends during the Search for the Perfect Apartment! Episode I

Starting a new life on this side of the East River

So this past week has been the most confusing combination of just wonderful magic and the worst kinda of awful. The kind of awful that will be very funny this time next year when my feet finally stop hurting. See folks, I spent the past 7 days walking around Brooklyn looking for an apartment. Now if you have never looked for an apartment in the New York City area - well you might think these next few blog entries are well a dramatic interpretation with color and hijinks added to increase the entertainment value of this blog. I have to tell you that everything you are about to read is real and that no names were changed because in this story none of us are innocent*. And I also talk a lot about food and places I went to eat and think you should go. It would be completely illogical to not get those names right.

Shall we begin?

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...