Thanksgiving Continued: Dijon Mac and Cheese

I was so unbelievably stoked to go to my parents' house for Thanksgiving this year. My tragically kitchenless dorm room makes me want to cook and bake incessantly every time I trek South during breaks from school. So I supplied mac and cheese and pumpkin chocolate chip cake for my family's Thanksgiving feast.

I've always wanted to make vegan macaroni and cheese and never got around to it until my Thanksgiving mac n' cheese debut -- this recipe was heavy on the nutritional yeast and dijon mustard, which was a departure from the standard cheese sauce the majority of such recipes produce. It definitely wasn't your familiar mac n' cheese and it was a little strange because of the mustard flavor, I'm not going to lie. But it was delicious nonetheless, and my family loved it (they're hard to please when it comes to vegan cooking --  skepticism all around).
I adapted my recipe from Healthy. Happy. Life.'s recipe, because I firmly believe this blog can do no wrong.

Dijon and Sun-Dried Tomato Macaroni and Cheese


6 cups cooked pasta -- I used whole wheat shell pasta, but really any variety will work.
2 tbsp dried parsley
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
3 cups cheese sauce (described below)
1/2 cup Panko bread-crumbs
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook and drain pasta, then toss in the parsley, nooch, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Add the cheese sauce and distribute evenly. Transfer to an oven-safe serving dish and sprinkle the bread-crumbs over the top, followed by a small drizzle of olive oil. Bake until the top is browned -- it should be about 7-8 minutes.

To make the cheese sauce, you'll need:


3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 can Great Northern beans, drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 Tbsp mustard powder
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp fine pepper
1/2 cup instant mashed potato + 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup softened Earth Balance
1-2 Tbsp agave syrup
2 Tbsp tahini


Blend all ingredients in a food processor or VitaMix (which I don't have, but desire desperately) until completely smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add the necessary amount of soymilk/soy creamer or water to achieve desired creaminess. Fold into the cooked pasta and continue directions above. 


I thought it turned out great. So addicting. 

Dijon and Sun-Dried Tomato Macaroni and Cheese

Emerging from Hiatus and a Vegan Thanksgiving

My list of excuses for my blog's temporary evacuation is tangled and unwieldy (so busy, so distracted, so without a kitchen to cook in), but rather than trying to justify my hiatus, I will gracefully apologize (I'm sorry I'm sorry) and vow to never carelessly abandon my child of a blog again. Promise! Instead I will compensate with photos of the delicious vegan food I consumed (and tricked my family into consuming....just kidding. I didn't deceive them, per se) on Thanksgiving. I know Thanksgiving 2011 is relative to prehistoric activity on the scale of Internet time. But it's still the holiday season, therefore my holiday food is still relevant! I'm not that anachronistic, I swear.

This year was actually my first vegan Thanksgiving, though I have plenty vegetarian winter festivities under my belt. When I eventually made the decision to switch to a vegan lifestyle about a year ago, strangely enough, the one condition I was most stressed about was surviving the holidays as an herbivore among a family full of meat enthusiasts -- which I'm sure is an anxiety shared by many-a veg-curious. But as I became more familiar with the vegan ethic and the ridiculously diverse realm of substitutions, that worry gradually disappeared since I knew I would be able to back up my dietary habits and resist any pressure toward non-vegan food with the facts that caused me to gravitate toward veganism in the first place. And by using facts to reinforce habit, I don't mean berating your family with statistics of nasty hormone injection and diagrams of cow slaughter over your vegan mashed potatoes. This will only alienate people and make your omnivorous family think you're just a deviant hippie (I know mine does most of the time) because a lot of people simply do not get it. But the comfort of having solid, ethical reasoning that reinforces your decisions is empowering and meaningful. You catch more flies with agave nectar than vinegar, my friends.

Anyways, rationale aside -- the endless possibilities of delicious and cruelty-free holiday food are enough to stop an omnivore in their tracks. I'm lucky enough to have a few family members that can be described as vegan allies, so I definitely did not go hungry on Thanksgiving this year. Not that I would have let that happened anyways, I jump at the chance to introduce people to vegan food myself. But for pretty much every non-vegan dish on the table, my awesome grandmother ensured that there was a veganized portion for me. Thus, the cruelty-free Tofurky, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy were born. In addition to the dishes that I brought and the food that was already free of by-products I was in vegan heaven. 

Vegan tomato basil soup

My grandma made an amazing tomato and basil soup for a perfect already-vegan appetizer.

The vegan spread: description below!

Clockwise from the mashed potatoes:

Vegan mashed potatoes, made with soy creamer and earth balance, and mushroom gravy.

Rosemary sweet potatoes with olive oil (already vegan).

Sweet cranberry sauce.

Vegan mac n' cheese, recipe to-be-posted.

Sourdough stuffing, made with artisan bread and vegetable broth.

Tofurky -- I went for the sliced version, since I was the only one who would be eating it and the whole faux turkey shebang can get pretty pricey. 

Cranberry/orange relish.

Salad with garlic dressing and sunflower seeds.

It. Was. Amazing. I was stuffed beyond belief but STILL had room for the dessert I brought because I was so stoked to eat it. Enter, my epic pumpkin chocolate chip cake with pumpkin cream cheese frosting (recipe to-be-posted).

And so the meal was concluded, and likewise was my ability to eat for the next week. I may have my qualms about celebrating Thanksgiving (this is another post entirely) but it sure is an great opportunity to experiment with recipes and to introduce your omnivorous family and friends to all the deliciousness that vegan food has to offer!

Nature's Grill in Ventura, CA

I make my way up to Ventura to see my best friend who lives there at least a few times a year...especially in the summertime. Every time I visit I drag her to eat at Nature's Grill on Main Street, a largely vegetarian cafe that has tons of vegan and veganizable options. Plus, it has a great vibe.

I didn't get anything too terribly exciting, but there's no way you can go wrong with a wrap!

Vegetable wrap with tortilla chips and salsa.

"Sauteed vegetables, lettuce, tomato, sprouts, carrots, and tahini-ginger sauce, in a whole-wheat chapati" -- simple, filling, healthy, awesome. I substituted the tahini-ginger sauce (upon further inquiry, turns out it has honey in it) with their vegan tofu dill sauce. Which probably went better with the wrap anyways!

Vegan Birthday

My favorite part about my birthday is being spoiled with vegan treats -- often by those who wouldn't otherwise cook or choose vegan. For my birthday a little over a week ago, my (non-vegan) friend Emily made me a beautiful cake that was also AMAZING. She totally improvised the recipe too, which not only proves that she's an awesome baker but that vegan baking is so easy and delicious!

Apple banana spice cake.

Apple banana spice cake. With a cinnamon spice glaze.

As if this wasn't enough decadence for one day, my family also took me out to dinner for my birthday. I left the restaurant selection up to my mom, I knew she'd find something both vegan-friendly for moi, and omnivore-approved for the rest of the fam...and she didn't disappoint! We ended up at the Hill Street Cafe on Pacific Coast Highway in Oceanside, and man, was I impressed. I never even knew this place existed before my birthday dinner, and I certainly had no idea that it was a hidden vegan gem of North County-- there's an entire vegan section in their menu, and a lot of their other items are easily veganized (salads, pasta, veggie burgers, etc). This is pretty impressive -- since the menu is only a modest two pages, it was surprising to see so many options in a restaurant that's not even vegetarian. Props to Hill Street Cafe! 

Hill Street is in a really cute, old two-story house that was turned into a coffee shop in the early '90s, and eventually into a full-on organic, environmentally sustainable restaurant. In addition to downstairs/outside seating, the upstairs bedrooms were converted into mini-dining rooms, which is where my family and I sat -- we had our own private room.

524 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside, CA

Out in front they had information about their farm nearby, and fresh oranges and tangerines for sale. 

Wonderfully vegan-friendly.

There was so much to choose from! I pretty much never order pasta at restaurants...not much of a carb person. But I can never resist vegan pesto, so I went with the "Vegan pesto w/ roasted veggies".

Vegan pesto w/ roasted veggies and vegan garlic bread.

The pasta's sauce was much more like alfredo than pesto, but it was still enjoyable and super rich. And the garlic bread was a great touch. I couldn't finish the whole thing!

My mom also opted for pasta -- hers was vegan too. It wasn't on the specified vegan section of the menu though, I think it was a special.

Vegan pasta with basil, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes with vegan garlic bread.

I actually liked hers better! The sun-dried tomatoes were really different -- although the dish had a bit too much oil. Still good!

My sister (avid carnivore) surprisingly ordered from the vegan section as well, and hers was probably the best dish of all of ours.

Vegan Surf and Turf -- Grilled portabello mushroom, grilled tofu steak, stir-fry veggies and brown rice.

This thing was massive and perfectly cooked. I can't even explain the sauce they used on the tofu and portabello steak -- it was some kind of sweet/wasabi/herb concoction, all I can say is that it was GREAT. Next time I come to Hill Street Cafe I'll probably get this entree and share with someone. Or maybe the "Roasted yam w/ roasted veggies"... in other words, I'll definitely be back here.

They even brought me my own vegan dessert for my birthday and sang to me! It has to happen at least once every birthday, right? 

Vegan apple crisp.

The freshly-made apple crisp was warm and "buttery", perfect way to end the meal. Even though we were all way too full from our huge portions.

Leftovers for days.

I highly recommend this restaurant -- if you get a chance, order from the vegan section of their menu and show North County how much we need these kinds of vegan-friendly places!

In conclusion: vegan birthday success.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Perfect way to get rid of bananas that are going bad? Non-fat? Delicious?

Banana oatmeal cookies are my go-to, they're easily customizable and are about as healthy as a cookie can get -- no processed sugar or flour here. So they're totally acceptable for breakfast, which is convenient because they TASTE like breakfast. 

Banana (and applesauce and coconut) oatmeal cookies.

I adapted the recipe from a VegWeb entry, but omitted the processed ingredients and added a few things.

    3/4 cup whole wheat flour
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon allspice
    2 teaspoons cinnamon
    3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
    1/2 cup agave nectar
    1/4 cup brown sugar
    1 tablespoon ground flax seed + 3 tablespoons water (whisk together like an egg) 
    2 ripe bananas, mashed
    2 1/2 cups quick (not instant) oats
    1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1. Preheat oven to 400 F, and set aside two greased baking sheets. 

2. Combine dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, allspice, cinnamon, oats, coconut) and set aside.

3. Mix together applesauce, agave, and brown sugar, then mix in the flax 'egg' after combined thoroughly. 

4. Add mashed banana to the wet ingredients, then slowly pour the dry ingredients into the applesauce/banana/etc. Stir well after each gradual addition.

5. Scoop tablespoon-sized spoonfuls onto baking sheets and form into round clumps with a wet spoon. 

6. Bake for 12 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks. 

Super easy, and they turned out great! According to the VegWeb recipe, each cookie is only 70 calories -- and since I removed the white flour and sugar, my version's even less. Plenty of room to experiment with mix-ins (semisweet chocolate chips would be great with these cookies). I brought these to a friend's Memorial Day BBQ and everyone loved them! Mission accomplished. 

Brunchin' at Swami's Cafe

I'm a shameless brunch-lover. And Encinitas is the perfect enabler.

Yesterday was the second time I'd been to Swami's Cafe, right on Pacific Coast Highway, and it was just as delicious as the first! There's not a whole lot on the menu that's explicitly vegan but they're definitely willing to cater to the herbivore crowd. The breakfast burritos are always a good choice...says right on the menu that they can substitute tofu and soy cheese (it's vegan, I double checked! None of that casein crap) for the eggs and queso. I went with the "Veggie Egg" burrito, minus the egg -- grilled tofu, carrots, zucchini, tons of broccoli, and soy cheese wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla. I substituted the burritos' accompanying potatoes for fruit, and it also comes with two different types of salsa -- your basic spicy salsa and a fire-roasted version. Both excellent! The only thing I was a little disappointed with was the preparation of the tofu...it was cubed and grilled, I would've much preferred something similar to a tofu scramble in the burrito. But it was still tasty, would order again.

Veggie breakfast burrito.

I also recommend the Acai bowl, but ask for it without the granola (it has honey in it) and bee pollen (depending on your stance on that, I know some vegans don't consider it off-limits). Acai berry smoothie, coconut, bananas, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, mmm. I got it last time I was at Swami's and it was perfectly fresh -- and huge! There's also unlimited coffee and tea refills, such a plus. 

Encinitas is one of the only areas in San Diego county with plentiful vegan options and such a laid-back, natural vibe. Next time I'm there I'm totally hitting up Lotus Cafe (can't believe I haven't been there yet, I need to fix this ASAP) or The Greenery!

Easy Peasy

You know those dishes that you always go back to when you're not feelin' so adventurous in the kitchen? When I don't have a ton of time (or money, or patience) I always have my trusty breakfasts and lunches that never fail.

Oatmeal is a major go-to...it can be super healthy (if you avoid adding equal parts brown sugar and oats, that can get a little dangerous) and always easy. I never get sick of it because there's so many combinations of toppings to try. This morning I sprinkled on a cinnamon/sugar blend and cut up some fresh strawberries.

Steel-cut oatmeal with strawberries and coffee with Silk vanilla soy creamer.

I find the perfect way to get a sufficient amount of veggies in for the day and to experiment with different flavors without much effort is a simple vegetable stir-fry. I usually just slice up whatever veggies reside in the fridge at the time and pair it with spices that seem they'd have stir-fry potential. It's a pretty haphazard process -- it makes for some interesting combinations and it has a different result each time! Today I threw in some sliced yellow squash, cauliflower, broccoli, and garlic into the wok, along with olive oil spray, rosemary, curry powder (forever my favorite spice), salt and pepper, and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast. This would also be great with some tofu thrown in the mix for protein and a bit of a different texture. 

Curry squash, cauliflower, and broccoli.

Variety lies in creativity with vegan staples. Even though these ingredients are as simple as it gets, it's hard to get bored when there's so many combinations of vegetables, fruits, and spices to try!

Courtyard Dinner Party - Welcome, Summer!

When classes have ended, my friends and I have returned to San Diego for the summer, and temperatures begin to rise, the only thing on my mind has been taking advantage of the sunshine (except for that darn San Diegan 'May Gray') and being able to cook in my own kitchen -- dorm life in San Francisco doesn't typically allow for sunny weather or culinary experimenting. Which is why I thought an outdoors dinner party would be the perfect way to ring in the summertime, and also to introduce my friends to the world of vegan cooking. With a table full of skeptical omnivores (and a vegetarian), my job was clear -- to spread vegan principles with an awesome, cruelty-free meal and good times. Plus, cooking for everyone was just plain fun!

First up -- the menu.

The meal was basically an ode to one of my favorite vegan recipe blogs, The Lunchbox Bunch -- I can't get enough! The main dish was one of the many recipes I've been wanting to try forever, Spicy Lasagna Verde with pesto, Follow Your Heart's vegan mozzarella, and braised tofu. Thanks to the apparent pine nut shortage (they're crazy expensive if you can find them at all), I replaced the pine nuts in the pesto with walnuts. And it turned out great! I even prefer it to the original, since walnuts have a stronger flavor and you can taste the nuts in the pesto even more. 

Layer number two -- pesto-y goodness, the best part!

I braised the tofu in a marinade of lemon juice, agave nectar, and olive oil before layering it. Along with some zucchini, mozzarella, and MORE PESTO!

Straight outta the oven.

Nothing says summer like potato salad, and this dill potato salad made with Vegenaise and dijon went great with the lasagna. I actually made it the day before and let it chill overnight so the sauce had a chance to flavor the potatoes -- super easy. 

Creamy dill potato salad.

Sticking with the green color scheme, this spinach and asparagus salad was pretty simple and had a light, tangy lemon and paprika dressing. I grilled the asparagus in lemon and garlic and added some arugula to the spinach and some walnuts for crunch!

Spinach and asparagus salad and a French baguette.

No dinner party is complete without a glass of wine or four -- we started with a Merlot with the baguette and spinach salad.

Cheers to summer! And vegan food!

Kelsey brought over some really delicious quinoa with sweet potato and paprika, vegan tzatziki, and Mediterranean wheat flatbread, thanks Kelsey!

Ready to eat! From the top clockwise -- vegan tzatziki, dill potato salad, flatbread, pesto lasagna, and sweet potato quinoa.

Being vegan, desserts have totally become my weakness, and my omnivorous friends usually enjoy vegan baked goods as well. So I tried something new that looked delicious and perfect for a spring/summer evening, a pear upside-down cake with a secret ingredient in the batter -- butternut squash! I chilled the cake overnight so it was perfectly dense and moist because of the marinated pears on top.

Pear upside-down cake.

Kelsey also brought a great apple and cranberry bread -- this thing had the most perfect texture. It was light and fluffy which is so hard to achieve with vegan baked goods. I must know her secret!

Apple cranberry spice bread.

Such a great night -- and the best part was that my friends really enjoyed all of the food. They said they wouldn't have even known it was vegan -- see, cooking delicious vegan food ain't so hard! One friend even said that she'd go vegan if all vegan food was this tasty, which it totally can be. Converting omnivores, one dinner party at a time...

Most photos by Tyler and Rieko, the photographers of the evening.