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.