The Food Duo

Treeline Treenut Cheese - Local Vegan Fromagerie

2013-06-18T20:00:00.000-04:00

We heard about it

Then we saw it

Then we tasted it and were like...

SACREBLEU!

French-style VEGAN cheese, FINALEMENT!

Treeline Treenut Cheese is HERE!

Momma Mac is a cheese snob. Whenever she would buy cheese, it wouldn't be your run-of-the-mill cheese slice or block. She had to go to a cheesemonger to get something "fancy" and "sophisticated." Grilled cheese wasn't just with Kraft Singles (cheese food). She had to have something "elevated." So, I grew up knowing all of these kinds of cheeses and really not appreciating them until I became older.

When Artie and I went vegan, cheese was one of things that was we missed the most. So, I was perfectly fine with any kind of cheese that had a vegan label on it. While there are a few brands I really like, many left me a bit "blah." Slices, shreds, sauces and wedges...some good, some terrible. But what about spreads? Spreadable cheese...not that aerosol cheese...but good, comforting spreads that go nicely with a water table cracker or melba toast. I grew up with these spreads that had herbs, veggies and even some wine...full of flavor...and not light on your wallet. What would I find now?

We saw ads and posts about this company called Treeline Treenut Cheese, based less than 2 hours north of NYC! We wanted to try it, not only because it was vegan, but because it sounded as close to authentic as you can get for French-style cheese, specially soft, spreadable cheese! It would take us a bit, but we finally got to taste it for the first time at The Seed 2.0 last month. Right on the spot, we bought a container of Herb Garlic French Style Soft Cheese as well as their Classic Hard Cheese. Stretch on the wallet? Actually, not really for what you're getting!

Made from a cashew nut base, all varieties are dairy-free, have zero cholesterol and are gluten-free! No soy or palm oil included! Considering the price of nuts nowadays, and the products' shelf life (about a month), it's well worth it, whether for a splurge or just because it's THAT good.

The real test came the other day. I was talking to Momma Mac about vegan cheese and told her about Treeline. Of course, the questions came up about how it was made and how it tasted. Sadly, I ran out of crackers, but offered her a taste from a butter knife. She tasted it, went for more and nodded. She said it tasted like a good spread, very creamy...and she wanted more. SCORE!

Remind me to order more of these crackers for Momma Mac to enjoy more cheese!

P.B. Popps by Earth Balance

2013-06-16T19:00:00.000-04:00

Proper snack when reading back issues of Vegetarian Times

Addictive is not the word for these bad boys from Earth Balance! P.B. Popps comes from Earth Balance's latest line of snack food yum-yums! Mac and I had been stalking the aisles of our local Whole Foods, hoping to see them. But alas, NO! (WHY?!?!). So, we did the next best thing...and ordered them online!

When they arrived, we tore the bag open, like cats tweaking on catnip. We're peanut butter junkies. The combination of peanut butter with popcorn was "DIVINE" as Macaroon cheered. We ate the bag in one sitting, and then whimpered when there was no more. So guess what we did? ORDERED MORE!

Honestly, we can't say a bad thing about these snacks. I'd love to see if they ever do one with chocolate drizzle. That would be...AMAZE-POPPS! Mac loves them with some plain yogurt and fruit in an attempt at a healthy breakfast.

If it's vegan, it's healthy, right? lol.

Best served on soy yogurt? We'll see about that!

Isa Does It...with Words at Vida Vegan Con!

2013-06-12T22:55:00.001-04:00

Writer’s Block and I have been mortal enemies for nearly three decades now. When that mean and amoral bastard rears his ugly head I feel as frustrated as Sisyphus. Oh sure, there are days when I can plow through my work without a hitch and finish whatever projects need to be completed. But sooner or later my digital boulder will resurface, stonewalling my drive and creativity with a vengeance. I’m a screenwriter by trade, so blogging does NOT come naturally to me, and writers block is more prevalent with this genre than any lousy script I’ve ever written.

When we found out that Isa Moskowitz was going to offer a writer’s block workshop at the year’s Vida Vegan Con, Mac and I were amped and quickly signed up. Isa, who’s the author of such books as Vegan With a Vengeance, Vegan Pie in the Sky and the upcoming, Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week, is one of my all-time favorite cookbook authors and someone who I’ve always admired. Naturally my excitement was soon doused when I remembered that we actually had to write stuff then and there! Oy vey! My nerves got the best of me right up to the time we arrived at the workshop.

The workshop was held at the Crumbpacker Family Library at Portland Art Museum, which seemed as if it was once a theater of some kind. After gathering us up and arranging our seating in a large circle (eye-contact being inevitable!), Isa asked every participant what type of blog they have and what their difficulty was. She then recommended a great exercise that uses prompts (the topics varied greatly) to tap into your inner creative vegan self and put ideas onto parchment within a set time. Well, her suggestion worked… and how. It didn’t take long for the bloggers to start scribbling down their thoughts and ideas. After several prompts some bloggers began to share what they wrote and are we glad they did. People poured their hearts out and wrote very personal and inspiring prose; a few tears were shed for one moving piece in particular.

I found our tattooed blogging guru to be somewhat soft-spoken, funny, confident and inspiring; this included a gentle pat on my back for scribbling after the allotted time. She wisely reminded us to not post superfluous bullshit, but rather, material that matter to us bloggers and our audiences. Another perk from taking her mini class was her dubbing me my cool new moniker, “Bronx.” I’m so glad we took this workshop. It turn out that wrote more in that 1 ½ hr than I usually do in a 2 days. This is epic! Isa may want to consider writing a book on blogging.

Portland = Veganfoodlandia!!!! (What We Ate in Portland)

2013-06-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

No recap of our time in Portland and at Vida Vegan Con would be complete without a post dedicated to just the food. Yes, veganism goes beyond the plate, BUT being in PDX is like being in Veganfoodlandia! So many vegan options that it makes your head spin...and maybe puts NYC to shame. With that, here's a little slide show we've put together for your salivating pleasure...

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Here's a list of where we ate, drank and fell into foodie comas:

Proper Eats
Vita Cafe
Laughing Planet Cafe
Blossoming Lotus
White Owl Social Club
Sizzle Pie
Voodoo Doughnuts
Case Study Coffee with treats from Petunia's Bakery
Homegrown Smoker
Vegan Mini-Mall - Food Fight! for Upton's Naturals Gorditas; The Herbivore Clothing Company for S'mores with Chicago Vegan Foods' Dandies; Sweetpea Baking Company for Ice Cream Sandwiches
The Sweet Hereafter
The Bye and Bye
Caffe Vita
Back to Eden Bakery
and of course at Vida Vegan Con!

What We Did at Vegan Summer Camp - Vida Vegan Con 2013 - Part 3

2013-06-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

The final day of Vida Vegan Con has sadly arrived...in our recap. As we look back on all of the fun, in-depth conversations and connections we made, it's rather bittersweet to be writing about this now. We start to relive the days and missing everyone we've met and the city of Portland itself! We are then left scrolling through photos and watching Portlandia on Netflix, while little smiles appear on our faces with a longing to reconnect. When's the next one happening?!?!?!

Sunday, May 26th!

"Everyday is Saturday night, but I can't wait for Sunday morning" - K-Os

Okay. So, that is NOT a video from the Galarama! But you know you had a great time at an event when you wake up on a Sunday with a smile...and a milkshake a la melted So Delicious ice cream!

Sunday was our final day at VVC and in the City of Portland. We did our best to sleep in...a bit, but we didn't want to miss our lovely breakfast with everyone. Sweats thrown on again, we hiked it over to the museum and into the ballroom. Cereals, yogurts, fruit and even chia seed pudding. If we had to compare it to the showcase on Saturday, it was perfect for a morning-after-Galarama meal.

After breakfast, we had to miss the first morning sessions to return to the hotel to change, pack and check out. We did make back in time for Ryan Patey's session called "Biting Off More than You Should Chew, a Discussion." It was a great conversation amongst everyone, touching upon so many topics from body image to religion to being and speaking out as vegan in the workplace. We learned that we're all unique, but not very different, especially in our vegan bond.

After the discussion, it was time for lunch! There was a great Sandwich Board buffet, where we made delicious, filling sandwiches and enjoyed yummy ice cream. Yes, there will ALWAYS be vegan ice cream!

Macaroon attended some tech sessions on social media and web effectiveness and took a TON of notes, which she's still typing up. Because she loves that stuff, she is trying to work out some strategy for this very site...somewhere in between changing jobs and graduate school. Thanks to Dawn, Helen and Jason for leading those sessions, full of information!

Then, we all headed back to the ballroom for our final group goodbye. Hugs about with "See you soon" said by all. Soon, it was time to meet our Portland-based pals, Hops and Grape for dinner and a ride back to the airport, making a couple of foodie stops along the way!

At the airport, we got a special treat in seeing some of our fellow NYC VVCers on our flight home to JFK: Sharon of Big City Vegan, Terry from Vegan Latina (and her great cookbooks), Jill of Compassion Couture and Emily of My Kind of Life! YAY for vegan travel buddies!

So what did we walk away VVC with?

An insane amount of swag
Super useful knowledge that can be applied to our blog, our skills and experience and our lives
Full, overextended, happy bellies
The best hugs on the planet...THANKS DAN!
A ton of new friends, even made post-VVC!

The only thing we regret is not taking photos of our old and new friends! That will be added to our TO-DO list for the next VVC! Ahh, but there's always Facebook and our blogs!

Up next: Our Portland Foodie Slideshow!

What We Did at Vegan Summer Camp - Vida Vegan Con 2013 - Part 2

2013-06-02T08:15:00.000-04:00

Hello Mudda...Hello Fadda...Greetings from VVC 2013...The Recap Part 2! Man! We should have had some postcard writing fun, a la sleepaway camp style. Granted, neither of us have ever gone to sleep-away camp, but it sounds like it would have been fun!

So with Part 1 behind us (but still ingrained in memory), let us share the good times had on Saturday at the conference and the Galarama!

Saturday, May 24th!

Day 2 of VVC started off with a MASSIVE Portland Vegan Breakfast Showcase with 9 of the area's amazingly delicious vendors, like Back to Eden Bakery and A.N.D. Cafe. The dreams and thoughts alone make our tummies do happy, little flippy-flops!

Then it was workshop/panel time. We attended a couple including Ethics Beyond the Plate and The Writer's Block workshop. Greatly informative, thought-provoking and helpful in our blogging. Artie really got into the Writer's Block session. He shared a lot of what he wrote in his notebook and has since come up with ideas for future pieces!

Lunch was ridiculous as we each got to make our own "bowls." If you don't know what a "bowl" is, it's literally a mix of grains, veggies and proteins, flavored however you like. They're total comfort meals. But this "Build Your Own" session had us sharing a bowl because there was too much goodness that could fit into our bellies.

There was also the Vegan Battle Royale game show. So much fun with team head-to-heads and audience prizes. We each one a prize!

When the day ended, it was time to head back to the hotel and get all dolled up for the Galarama at Staver Locomotives.

GALARAMA!

First off, Staver Locomotives is a stellar venue to have any event. We'd have a pity party there, because it's just that cool! The ladies and volunteers at VVC put together a lovely evening for us to eat, drink, be merry and give to a great cause, Chimpanzee Sanctuary NW!

Our friends, Hops and Grape, joined us from the far-off land of St. Johns (N. Portland - It's not that far). It was great to have them there, because they get to be around other vegans (see, we're not so weird) and we get to spend time with them, since we are usually 3,000 miles apart!

Artisan vegan cheese, tacos, hot dogs, mini cupcakes and a sundae bar! OH MY! Bourbon and vodka samples, a stocked bar with soda/liquor blends (Ummm..Strawberry Jarritos please?) YES, and there was DANCING!

There was an silent auction where we won an awesome Namaste Monroe handbag with goodies inside (WAFFLE MIX TOO!) and a pack of coupons from WholeSoy & Co. (Best Vegan Yogurt Ever!) SCORE and we did it all for the CHIMPS! In fact, the Galarama raised $4000.00 for the sanctuary! Vegans always are doing good.

The night ended with us taking home a tub of So Delicious' Almond Mocha Fudge, which later melted in our hotel fridge. No worries. It made for a yummy milkshake in the morning, while singing "My vegan milkshake brings all the vegan boys to the yard..."

Stay tuned for Part 3 of our Vida Vegan Con fun...

What We Did at Vegan Summer Camp - Vida Vegan Con 2013 - Part 1

2013-06-01T09:06:00.001-04:00

Portland, City of Roses, oh how you have spoiled us with the grand sense of community, vegan pride and delicious eats for which we would have been glad to have been taken hostage. Vida Vegan Con, we missed the first one, but we definitely made sure we'd make it this year! It was a long yet lovely weekend of putting faces to blogs, connecting with old and new friends and engaging in many sessions ranging from the art of photography to ethics beyond the plate. And just like when we went to camp as kids, we knew the memories would be long-lasting!

So, how do we share with you our time at VVC? We can surely show you what we ate (will do that in soon enough), but we want to just share some of our favorite moments of all three (ok, four) days. So let's begin with Part 1 of our VVC recap!

Thursday, May 23rd!

We were staying up in St. Johns (N. Portland) after arriving on Tuesday. After spending time with friends and doing a bit of shopping at Bridge City Comics and Music Millenium, we didn't know if we'd make the Unofficial Official Meet and Greet at White Owl Social Club. But we did, pushing back our check-in at Hotel Modera.

We stayed enough to enjoy a couple of ciders and say hi to some friends, who were devouring Fried Mac & Cheese Burgers! If only we hadn't stuffed ourselves earlier between Laughing Planet Cafe and Blossoming Lotus, we would have partaken. Alas, we couldn't, as we had plans to see Savoir Adore and Sea Wolf at the Doug Fir Lounge.

The show was great. Despite the rain coming down outside, we got the munchies. So, we did what normal hungry kids do at around midnight: Order a Thunder-N-Lightning from Sizzle Pie and a couple of doughnuts from Voodoo Doughnut (No lines...no lines)! Then, it was time to rest up!

Friday, May 24th!

Day 1 of VVC began. We got up early, threw on sweats and took a walk down to Case Study Coffee for some vegan treats from Petunia's Bakery to go with our iced coffees. Then, we headed over to the Portland Art Museum to register. Since the workshops didn't begin until later in the day, we went back to the hotel to change clothes and take a drive up to N. Portland, because SOMEONE needed to get her Homegrown Smoker on!

We made it back to the museum in time for some of the first day's workshops and panels including Food Styling and Art of Writing Recipes. There was also a very nice welcome reception at the end of the day with yummies from Veggie Grill, as well as a bit of a keynote address from illustrator and author Nicole Georges. BTW, her new book Calling Dr. Laura is awesome, as is Nicole herself for autographing Artichoke's copy!

We had a bit of time to take it easy back at the hotel for a hot minute before heading down to the Vegan Mini-Mall. We had a lot of fun, enjoyed great food and did a bit more shopping between Food Fight! Grocery, The Herbivore Clothing Company and Sweetpea Baking Company. A few of us then trekked on foot to The Sweet Hereafter for a bit of dinner and drinks, which was capped off by some interesting stories shared by our cabbie.

And that has been Part 1 of our adventures at Vegan Summer Camp, aka Vida Vegan Con! Stay tuned for Part 2 coming up next!

Vegan Donut Workshop with The Cinnamon Snail - NYC

2013-05-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

Time to make the (vegan) donuts!

Before we journeyed to the Wild Wild West for Vida Vegan Con, we had a BLAST of an evening donut making with Adam Sobel of the BEST food truck in NYC, The Cinnamon Snail. We love donuts, but making them has always eluded us. Macaroon even tried to make them, but ended up with a yucky doughy mess. So, we've left donuts to the experts of vegan treats! If you've never had a donut from The Cinnamon Snail...you are missing out!

When the opportunity came to enroll in Adam's Vegan Donut Workshop at the Institute of Culinary Education, we were in! It was a great learning experience. We learned a bit about the history of donuts, how to use a donut dropper and made a mix of cake and raised donuts of the following varieties:

In the end, all of us were giddy kids on sugar highs covered in flour and sugary glaze, just like the treats we made. We each brought home a box and a set of recipes to try at home. Adam was even nice enough to let us treat him like the rock star he is ,and sign our recipe booklet.

If you can get a class on how to many vegan donuts, do it! Do it! DO IT! It'll be AWESOME!

So many photos. So much fun! Here's a slideshow to live vicariously through our donut-ty bliss!

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

We're Back...Back in the NY Groove

2013-05-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Photography-on-the-net

The past few days in the vegan splendor of the City of Portland have been magical. The energy, inspiration and motivation have made their way back with us to NYC. And now real life begins...

We enjoyed our time so much meeting and hanging out with friends, old and new. The wait for such treats like Homegrown Smoker and Back to Eden was well worth it from almost 3,000 miles away. Vida Vegan Con just blew our minds. We didn't want it to end, but there's always the next one, right?

We took a ton of photos. We came home with a plethora of swaggerific goodies. We ate to our hearts' delight. We hugged, thanked and connected with so many awesome people. We learned a TON of things along the way through workshops, panels and just general conversation.

We'll share some of our favorite things about our trip over some of our next posts. Until then, you can check our some of our good times at:

With that, we present to you "New York Groove" by Ace Frehley to bring US back to reality:

We're in Portlandia!!!!!

2013-05-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: StreetRoots.org

It's about 6:30am PT as I start to type this piece. We're in the lovely city of Portland, OR to attend Vida Vegan Con, a vegan bloggers conference running from May 24th through May 26th. It'll be a great time to meet some fellow bloggers, catch up with some friends and make some new ones along the way. I love how great the sense of community is and how it's grown within veganism. It's beautiful.

When I was a kid, vegetarians were considered weird hippies who never "grew" out of Woodstock. They were thought to live in communes, and shied away from modern-day technology. While I was one of those who shared those sentiments in my younger years, I think I've grown up a bit to broaden my horizons and see that plant-based eating and living span across many cultures across the globe. It's so clear, especially now, as we're connected through social and mobile media via devices almost permanently attached to our hands and fingers. We want share information and fast!

So over the next few days, Artie and I will be sharing some photos and thoughts, especially on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We'll also be honing our blogging skills while at VVC. And all the while, we plan on having fun!

BTW, I owe you guys a snazzy slideshow of the vegan donut workshop we attended on Saturday night with Adam Sobel of The Cinnamon Snail. I'll try to squeeze that in between PDX vegan food porn, music, and more music and enjoying all that is around us.

Westchester Veggie EatUp @ Jolo's Kitchen

2013-05-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

Meet up and eat up!

If you've been following us for a while, you know that we LOVE Jolo's Kitchen in New Rochelle, NY! Friday evening, we organized and hosted our first MeetUp event with the Westchester Veggie EatUp group in the 'burbs of NYC. It was a lovely evening with great food, music, people and positive vibes, held at Jolo's Kitchen upcoming "new" location on 415 North Avenue in the city of New Roc (right across the street from the current location)!

We enjoyed sampler plates of good eats:

Wild rice
Kale and cabbage
Black beans
Veggie duck
Veggie ribs

We also had some homemade ginger beer and amazing desserts including lemon cake, chocolate cake and a delicious fruit salad with papaya!

Good solid tunes piped through the spot, thanks to DJ Steve Brock. We were treated to an a-capella serenade of "Smile" by Nat King Cole by Jolo's sous chef, "The Singing Chef," Mr. Ras Chemash Lamed. Check out one of his performances in New Orleans, LA on YouTube! AMAZING!

The best quote of the night came from Jolo's #1 customer: "If you let the animals live, then you can live it up!" BRILLIANT and totally signified the evening!

A HUGE THANKS to Jolo, Tania and team for everything they did to put this evening together for all of us! A HUGE THANKS To everyone who joined us! We hope to do it again soon!

Here's a slideshow of the evening's festivities:

The Food Duo Presents: Our FIRST NYC Indie Bookstore Vegan Foodie Crawl!

2013-05-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

Books + Food in NYC = Happy Boys & Girls!

We love books! We love food! We love being vegan! So, we decided to roll them up into one fun day with a few friends to walk through parts of the city, exploring indie bookstores and having some vegan eats along the way! So, between the hunt for books and the hunt for good food lies what we've called "The NYC Indie Bookstore Vegan Foodie Crawl."

New York City has a plethora of amazing independent bookstores. Indie bookstores each have a special quality and uniqueness that you won't ever find in a chain shop. They have character, style and that usually a rare find that you may have been searching for years to add to your collection. It doesn't matter if the books are new or used. There's something about going through the racks and aisles for that one...two...or TWELVE titles that you have to have!

New York City is also a foodie paradise, which includes vegetarian and vegan cuisine. So many options in just Manhattan that you can just be completely overwhelmed. Food trucks, coffee shops, sit-downs, take-aways and dessert bars. OH MY! Each one so different from the next that when can you find the time to visit them all?

Our journey took us through the East Village, Lower East Side and SoHo where we visited 4 bookstores:

We enjoyed eats and treats at:

Angelica Kitchen
Bluestockings
Live Live and Organic (Thanks to Sally for the samples!)
Jennifer's Way Bakery

We had a GREAT time, even getting caught in rainstorm on Prince Street! We're hoping to do this again this summer to explore more shops and restaurants with friends, old and new!

Here's a little slideshow we put together of our crawl:

It's Virtual Vegan Potluck Day! Lemon Rhubarb Berry Cupcakes for All!

2013-05-11T00:01:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! Artie here. Today is the May 2013 Virtual Vegan Potluck! Being the baker around these parts, Macaroon has been experimenting with what to make, choosing to share a dessert. Her results have created a sweet treat recipe she put together especially for this event. With that, I'm going to let Mac take it away...

Lemon: CHECK! Rhubarb: CHECK! Strawberries: CHECK! READY TO GO!

I'll start with a couple of notes:

Rhubarb looks like celery, right? But...it's a fruit! Okay, a fruit in the U.S. thanks to a New York court in the 1940s stripping it of its vegetable status.
Lemon's a fruit, but not sweet unless you put sugar on it. Why isn't that a vegetable?
Strawberries are just strawberries, full of yummy goodness...oh yeah...and fruit!

So, why am I going on about these 3? Well, I'm getting on the Spring-Summer rhubarb train. Last week, I brought some rhubarb to a raw foods culinary dinner (photos here on Facebook) to be used as an ingredient in a "mystery" dish that would be whipped up on the spot. Our hosts and chefs used it to make a lovely rhubarb dessert, like a cobbler with delicious raisins. Over the last week, I wanted to see what I could make with rhubarb other than the traditional rhubarb-strawberry pie.

I prefer using what I have around, when I can. So, I had some lemons and some strawberries, besides the baking staples. I thought about cupcakes, because I usually make them for Mother's Day. So, why not a cupcake with all three fruits? SURE! Plus, I would get to use my new favorite egg replacer, The Vegg, in a baked good! CHOICE!

I wanted the cupcake to be rich, yet light. I made a "buttermilk" with unsweetened soy milk and apple cider vinegar. That mixture, along with the chopped rhubarb and strawberries, made the cupcake a subtle creamy texture. The lemon "brightened" the overall flavor. The three fruits really complimented one another, getting a little bit of sweet and a little bit of tart in every bite. I was really pleased. Artie was too, because he happily volunteered to be the official potluck treats taste tester!

For the frosting, I used my Homemade Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting that I shared for the Vegan Easter Basket Cookies I made last month! I did think about going for a lemon frosting, at first, but I think that would have been over the top. I also thought about a strawberry one, but passed this time around. However, I may try it the next time.

Since I like to test new recipes, I now have to figure out what to do with rhubarb next. Got any ideas? While you think about it, here's my recipe for the cupcakes. Hope you enjoy!

Lemon Rhubarb Berry Cupcakes

Source: Macaroon Loving Lemons, Rhubarbs and Strawberries

Makes 12-15 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1-1/2 c. + 1 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 c. chopped rhubarb
1/2 c. chopped strawberries
3/4 c. unsweetened soy milk
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. vegan margarine
1 c. granulated sugar
Egg replacer for 1-2 eggs (I used 1 tsp. The Vegg + 1/4 c. water)
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4. tsp lemon extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C and prepare a 12-muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside
In a medium bowl, sift together 1-1/2 c. flour, baking powder and sea salt
In s second medium bowl, toss rhubarb and strawberries with 1 Tbsp. flour. Set aside
In a small bowl, mix soy milk with vinegar to make "buttermilk." Rest for about 5 minutes.
Using a stand mixer on medium, beat margarine for 1-2 minutes. Add in granulated sugar and cream until mixture is light and pale
Scrape down the bowl and beat in egg replacer, "buttermilk," lemon zest and lemon extract
Set stand mixer to low and pour in half of the flour mixture. Mix in the chopped rhubarb and strawberries. Then, pour in the remaining flour mixture until well combined.
Pour the batter into prepared muffin tins about 2/3 to 3/4 filled
Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes

Note: Test doneness with toothpick or fork in the center of the cupcake to make sure it comes our clean

Thanks for Stopping By!
Check Out Our Fellow Virtual Vegan Potluckers!

<< go back to see Spinach Revolution

go forward to see Ode to Mung Beans >>

Guest Blogging for Cooking by Color with The Blissful Chef

2013-05-09T18:43:00.000-04:00

We'd like to give a big thanks to Christy Moran of The Blissful Chef who has a wonderful blog! Over the next few months, she is running a feature called "Cooking by Color" with guest posts from fellow veggie bloggers with recipes featuring a specific color. For May, the colors are blue and purple. And the lady of our house, Macaroon, contributed a recipe for Roasted Walnut & Eggplant Boats!

So, stop reading this blog (well, for a couple of minutes) and click here for Mac's recipe on Christy's site! Don't forget to let us know when you try the boats! We hope you like them!

Getting Fancy (and Clean) with The Fanciful Fox

2013-04-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

The Iceberg bar: Love the crags at the top!

For many people, taking a bath or shower is merely something that you just do, it's even a laborious chore to some. Macaroon and I believe that bath time is something that should be enjoyed. It's an invigorating way to start your day or a relaxing way to wind down your evening. Mac will tell you that I will literally spend over an hour soaking in our tub, often reading a magazine, book or writing my lousy screenplays. What better inspiration can you get than sitting in a bubble bath, with script in hand, as your cats come to check on you from time to time as you turn into a prune. Now that's living!

When you take your bath or shower, there's nothing quite like lathering up with handcrafted soaps. The joy of sniffing those aromatic cakes of cleanliness, and thinking about how refreshing your bath or shower will be, is therapeutic and intoxicating, at least for us! Whenever Mac and I pass a bath shop or a stand at a pop-up shop that sells those wonderful handcrafted soaps, we MUST check out what they offer. Unfortunately, not all soap purveyors sell vegan soaps. We usually have to read the labels or ask the staff if the ingredients are cruelty-free and vegan. Major supermarkets offer few if any options at all. They usually sell mass produced, chemically enhanced soaps are harsh on your skin, do not clean very well and are often tested on animals.

We recently checked out the Green Festival at the Javits Convention Center with our friend, "Scallion." As we perused the eco-friendly and pro-green stalls, my nose caught wind of a booth that sold handcrafted soaps called The Fanciful Fox. Hailing from Scranton, PA, which is not the first city that comes to mind when you think of delicate vegan soaps, The Fanciful Fox is the epitome of a small business. The owners, a very friendly mother and daughter team, employ one other person. All three are vegan, and handmake every product they sell. The beauty of companies such as The Fanciful Fox is that everything is vegan and cruelty-free. You can can simply purchase any item they sell without having to worry if it's vegan or not.

Some of their soaps come with playful names such as "Wise Guy" and "Blooming Buddha" that are wrapped in handmade bands, printed on Fair Trade, sustainable handcrafted, artisan Lotka paper. They also sell deodorants creams, lotions and even cleansers for doggies. Heck, their dedication to making cruelty-free products earned them a PETA Compassionate Business award in 2009, and they're a licensed affiliate of PETA.

Close up of the Licorice bar: We need Scratch 'n Sniff technology for this blog!

So far we've only used the Licorice bar which cleans very well, keeps your skin smooth and emits a very nice anise scent that lasts all day. We also purchased bars with names like "Chocomint", "Iceberg", "Orange Cinnamon", "Eucalyptus Lemongrass", and "Through the Woods." We're looking forward to try each and every bar and we'll eventually purchase others in the future. We hope to see them again at another event real soon.

To check out The Fanciful Fox's wonderful products , visit http://www.fancifulfox.bigcartel.com/

Our First Snack Box from Vegan Cuts!

2013-04-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

The first (snack box) of many!

We LOVE Vegan Cuts! If you don't know about Vegan Cuts, then let us bring you out of the shadows. Of course, they are a vegan business (YAY)! They are a bit of a boutique in offering some pretty nice deals on products, ranging from food to apparel. Macaroon's ordered from them a few times, getting shoes, clothes and of course vegan treats!

Despite her purchases with Vegan Cuts one thing had eluded us. That had been the monthly Vegan Snack Subscription Box! The Snack Box is a subscription, currently at $19.95 per month, where you get...well, SNACKS. Okay, samples of plant-based products. It's a great way for vegan/veggie foodies to see what new eats are on the marketplace. For what you get, the price is pretty spot on!

After many months of humming and hawing on whether to get the subscription, Mac put her foot down and said "WE HAVE TO GET THIS!" And we did, especially after checking out the some of the goodies at the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival this year.

Our first box arrived this week! We, along with Mozzie, tore into it with kid-like delight! Goodies included:

Flamous Falafel Chips
Chicago Soy Dairy Dandies
Cocomo Joe's Cocomocorn
Earth Balance Aged White Cheddar Puffs
Sjaak's Organic Chocolate

We're still working our way through the box, tasting and testing a little here and there. All the while, we're wondering what's planned for MAY!

For information on Vegan Cuts and the snack box, please visit www.VeganCuts.com!

Bethany's Story: The Power from Within

2013-04-27T12:00:00.000-04:00

"You are what you eat." How many times have you heard that old adage? Countless for me, and I'm sure for many of you too!

We, as vegans, ARE what we eat. No matter the reason to go vegan may be, we have made a choice not to consume animal-based products. We look to plants to give us what we need in sustenance even if its naughty junk food, but we're being conscious about it, right? What if we took it a step further and moved away from processed foods to adopt a raw, whole foods diet? Certainly, it's not for everyone, but can making such a change heal us?

It can and it has for Bethany, the subject of Janet McKee's wonderful and inspiring documentary, Bethany's Story. Bethany looks like your normal, everyday teenager on the onset. However, she has gone through more than many of us ever have. She experienced numerous medical issues as a child, which took her away from her passion, which was soccer. Diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, she suffered with pain and nerve damage for years, repeated doctor and hospital visists and being on various medications, including muscle relaxers. It would be a seemingly simple tentanus shot that would ultimately lead her to paralysis from the neck down.

Having been told over time that first she shouldn't play soccer and later that she would never walk again, Bethany was determined to beat the odds. She found strength in herself at an age when many teenagers are doubting themselves. She researched her disease and made her own decision to adopt a raw, vegan diet. Her parents gave full support and helped her on her mission.

Quickly, over a few months, Bethany saw improvement. She began regaining sensation and movement in her limbs. She worked her way through from wheelchair to crutches and braces to cane to walking on her own. This is what she has attributed to making solid food choices for herself, being a whole foods, raw-based diet.

In addition to Bethany telling her story, meeting her family and friends, the documentary also engages a number of medical and nutritional experts who share research findings in examining Bethany's history. Certainly, they are proponents of plant-based eating. However, many, like the renowned Dr. Neal Barnard from PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) and Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionalFacts.org give sounds recommendations, as well as facts on how food impacts your body. Physician and homeopath Dr. Gabriel Cousens of Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Arizona really delves into Bethany's condition, defines demylination (loss of the myelin sheath that encases and protects our nerves) and discusses the healing power of food and the reversal of many conditions, especially chronic diseases. The many voices contributing to the documentary really opens the viewer up to attaining greater knowledge.

Now, I'm not going to say that Bethany's transformation and healing are a "miracle" or that a raw, plant-based diet is something everyone should follow. I don't eat raw myself, but I think what I've seen through this documentary is enlightening and hopeful. A change, no matter how easy or quick, big or small, can make a solid impact on one's life. That alone is inspiration.

A little bit about the producer: Janet McKee is a board certified holistic counselor from Pittsburgh, PA. She is also a member of PCRM. She is the founder of SanaView, which she is hoping to develop into a full interactive community on healthy living. For more information or to purchase the film, "Bethany's Story," please visit the SanaView website at www.sanaview.com.

Thanks to Janet McKee for producing a very solid, touching and informative film. Thanks to Bethany and her family for making her story public.

Just to share some knowledge, "sana" comes from the Latin word, "sanus," which means "sound in mind" and "healthy."

Beyond Meat & Homemade Bagels

2013-04-14T08:41:00.000-04:00

The mission has FINALLY ended! We found it! All it took was a little trip to Whole Foods in Union Square to see it in the veggie prepared foods section! There it was. Its strips packaged nicely, just waiting for us to take them home for a delightful meal. Beyond Meat was ours!

Okay, no need for me to get all melodramatic about it. But...for MONTHS...we've heard friends talk, read fellow vegan blogs and even heard buzzing at a couple of vegan restaurants. We were frustrated because we couldn't find Beyond Meat in our local shops. Getting to Manhattan wasn't a simple endeavor, now working in New Jersey and living a hop and skip away from Westchester County.

Artie and I had heard that Beyond Meat was the best vegan thing since sliced bread. So, when we finally were able to buy it, we were eager to cook it up...fast. Alas, I made sure we held off a day, because we were in the midst of food comas having a delicious meal at Peacefood Cafe Downtown.

When Sunday came around, I knew I was going to make something with Beyond Meal. However, I had this weird desire to make bagels. I had made them before, and somehow was inspired to do it again. With my handy-dandy bread machine, I made a lovely batch. Then it clicked...MAKE VEGAN CHIK'N SALAD. Done and done!

Back to Beyond Meat. This product is scary...and in a good way. We had purchased a package of the Lightly Seasoned variety. The strips smelled and looked like chicken as I remembered it. Artie and I actually took a double take. I chopped up half of package to use in my chik'n salad. The other half to be used in a cooked meal later.

The chik'n salad was an easy-peasy whip-up with some vegan mayo, mustard, garlic powder, celery and spices. If I had some apples, walnuts and grapes, we would have been good to go with something close to a vegan Waldorf Salad. Nevertheless, with the salad complete, I split and toasted a couple of my homemade bagels and heaped on the salad in between the slices.

There, we had it. Vegan Chik'n Salad Bagel Sandwiches, warm, creamy and so good. We went for seconds and had to stop ourselves for going through thirds. At some point, we vegans have to know when to say NO to starchy carbs, right? Ahh, who cares about that when the food is good!

Bottom line: Now I feel to be one in the know about Beyond Meat. Like I was finally let in on the secret...because I bothered to do food shopping in Manhattan. Now, PLEASE, Whole Foods in Yonkers, can you get some! I'd rather be able to stop on the way home instead of make an extended trip. I sometimes appreciate the laziness in going a lesser distance.

Spiced Apple Cashew Dressing

2013-04-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

Spiced Apple Cashew Dressing

I don't know about you, but I love cashews. Ever since learning about how to make cashew cream from Tal Ronnen's The Conscious Cook, I have been stuck on it. It's great as a base for alfredo sauce or cream soups. It also adds a nice touch to some iced coffee and smoothies. So, I thought about trying it in a salad dressing.

I had an apple and a lemon. Somehow, the idea of a savory apple pie flavor came to mind. I put together this quick and easy recipe, which came out pretty darn nicely. The fresh apple gives the dressing a natural sweetness. The lemon is used for its preserving element for the apple. I also threw in some cinnamon and a touch of cumin, which brought some kick and Middle Eastern flavor. When I poured some over salad, the flavors reminded me of tabbouleh and all was well.

While I'm still tweaking this, I'd still thought I'd share what I have for this recipe so far with all of you. Try it out and let me know your thoughts!

Spiced Apple Cashew Dressing

Source: Macaroon Plays with Cashew Cream

Makes about 3/4 to 1 cup

Ingredients:

1/2 c. cashew cream (Click here for recipe)
2 Tbsp water
1 medium apple
Juice of 1 lemon
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of cumin (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients in high-power blender
Mix until well-blended and smooth
Serve as a dip, sandwich spread or salad dressing

Peacefood Cafe Downtown - New York City

2013-04-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Meetups with new and not-so-new friends are fun, especially when you all get to try a newly opened eatery and all its delights. Well, we did just that this past Saturday at the new Peacefood Cafe Downtown in the West Village. It's Peacefood's second location; the original located at 460 Amsterdam Avenue at W. 82nd Street in the Upper West Side.

Surprisingly, as many times Peacefood has been recommended to us, we have yet to visit the original! Crazy, right? Well, seeing that they had a new locale, we were determined to check out what they were all about!

First off, it's in a great location, close to Union Square and New York University. On a day like Saturday, it makes for a lovely spot after a nice stroll, a morning of yoga (yes, there are a few studios close by) or a meetup with like-minded folks. Peacefood offers a comfy, cozy space full of light and beautiful art along its walls (love). Pair that up with some good, solid, food with a mix of healthy temptation, and you will really treat yourself.

We joined our group at around noon, and left around 3pm. In between, we drank, talked about food, culture, the world and even our favorite animals. Oh, and we ate a lovely meal. Artie and I decided to split our lunch. So here's what we enjoyed:

Orange Apple Cider: Hot, frothy and topped with cinnamon. So needed on a brisk day and so soothing!

Chickpea Fries: A side menu item definitely to be shared, or you can eat this by yourself. Delicious Indian spices and served with a creamy dipping sauce that nice compliments the fries' slight saltiness.

Mediterranean Oven-Dried Seasonal Vegetables Panini: Served on focaccia bread with cashew cheese and basil spinach pesto. Cashew cheese had a creaminess like a soft goat cheese (If I remember). The vegetables were delicious. I just wish there were more.

We also tried some of our friend's Peanut Butter Cheesecake. So rich, heavy and delicious. It's really tempting that you want to spoon it in big bites, but you really need to enjoy it slowly over time. It's one of those desserts that if you eat it in one sitting, it'll put you to sleep (in a good way). In fact, I think 3-4 of us sampled it throughout our time there.

By this point, we were STUFFED. However, we did order dessert:

Grasshopper Sandwich Cookie: Like a "gourmet" chocolate-peppermint whoopie pie! We could only eat half. Our tummies had waved a white flag at that point. However, by dinner time, it was gone.

Raw Cashew Cream Cheesecake: We took this home. Sadly, it did shift on the ride home. We enjoyed this while watching Slap Shot, starring Paul Newman. It was really delicious with the touch of lemon and coconut oil. I particularly loved the raisin-walnut crust which balanced out the flavors nicely, especially while watching the goon ice fight scenes.

Peacefood Cafe, at both locations, also offers special dishes, which I will have to try on my next visit Downtown or finally make the trek to the Uptown spot. I hear the PFC Un-chicken Basket is tops! If Saturday's meal was any indication on portion sizes, it's going to have to be shared. Artie, you in?

Now, let me add this: The bakery and dessert case is reason enough alone to visit Peacefood. The moment you want in, you're greeted with such lovely treats. In fact, you may want to start AND end your meal with dessert!

Doesn't everything look so good? Umm...YEAH!

Peacefood Cafe Downtown
41 East 11th Street (at University Place)
New York, New York 10003
212-979-2288
www.peacefoodcafe.com

Vegan Chocolate Eggs - Thanks to JustTheFood.com!

2013-04-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

I love our fellow vegan bloggers and getting some pretty creative and fun ideas for recipes. With that, we have to give a major SHOUT OUT to the blog Just the Food for its vegan chocolate eggs. I am so glad I came upon this recipe this weekend!

Too much fun...and too good NOT to eat!

The recipe was so simple and a lot of fun, because I loved playing around with the sugar dough. Artie loved the "eggs" because he said they totally reminded him of the Cadbury ones.

I can't wait to try this recipe for peppermint patties next!

Vegan Easter Basket Cookies

2013-04-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Easter Bunny has nothing on these treat...or does he?

What you see are not cupcakes. They're cookies made into little decorative, edible Easter baskets. I'll admit, the idea was not mine. I found the steps to make the baskets which I found on Oh! Nuts' blog. I also veganized my favorite sugar cookie recipe from Dorie Greenspan.

In addition to the cookie ingredients, I needed the following:

Colored sugar - Can't find it? You can make it by mixing food coloring in with sugar.
Food coloring - India Trade makes one that's vegan-friendly (A bit on the expensive side at around $20, but worth it if you do a lot with it)
Shredded coconut
Licorice shoe laces or twists (If using Twizzlers - cut them in half lengthwise, then cut each half into thirds)
Jelly beans or gummies (I like Surf Sweets)
Frosting - Homemade vegan vanilla buttercream works (see recipe at the end of this post)

I rolled the cookie dough into balls and tossed them in colored sugar. Next, I baked them in a mini muffin pan. After decorating with the frosting, coconut and candy, I put each cookie in a pastel plaid mini cupcake wrapper. Then, I got craft-happy and put the cookies in a Easter "grass" filled pan.

With the exception of chilling cookie dough for 2 hours (good to make ahead), the whole process took a little over an hour. The time seem to fly by.

I had fun making these for our family. They seemed to enjoy them a lot. Plus, it was a change from the usual Jelly Beans Nests I make.

I got a little carried away with my decorating. Cute?

Here's a quick recipe to make vanilla buttercream frosting:

Homemade Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Source: Macaroon Whip-up

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

3 c. powdered sugar (I like Florida Crystals)
1/2 c. vegan margarine or 1 Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Stick
1/4 c. unsweetened soy milk
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat margarine on medium until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of the bowl
Adjust speed to slow and beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time
Slowly pour in soy milk, followed by vanilla
Mix until smooth

Defining Moments in Veganism!

2013-03-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

Okay. It makes it sound like going vegan is an event for the history books, and we think it is! You have to admit the moment you went vegan (or vegetarian) was maybe just a wee bit significant. Was it unexpected? How about life-altering? Or, could it have been down right earth-shattering? WE WANT TO KNOW.

A CALL TO ACTION: Your friends, The Food Duo, would love to share our stories, as well as have you share yours. What made you go vegan or vegetarian? How did you make that decision? How has it been?

We're also interested in what some of our omnivorous friends feel about veganism and vegetarianism. Tell us why you are hesitant to make the change.

We can all learn from each other, right?

If you're interested in sharing your story, post a comment below or send an email to thefoodduo (at) thefoodduo.com

We'd love to feature your story here! THANKS!

Meatless (Vegan) Monday at Sweet Grass Grill - Tarrytown, New York

2013-03-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

We attended our first Westchester Veggie EatUp last night at Sweet Grass Grill in Tarrytown, New York (about 30 minutes North of NYC). We had a great time, meeting new folks, including a couple of fellow veggie bloggers, The Picky Vegan and Vegan Dance If You Want To. It was a lovely evening, where we enjoyed each other's company and some pretty great food. Artichoke didn't mind being the only male at the table of 7.

Sweet Grass Grill is an restaurant with options for meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans alike. For Westchester County, i's pretty major to see a spot that is mindful of plant-based diets! It's a trend we'd like to see grow.

Anyway, back to the restaurant! On Mondays, Sweet Grass offers a "Meatless Mondays" menu with a mix of vegetarian and vegan dishes. However, last night, we had the delight of a totally vegan menu!

Left: Lollipop Kale Salad with Kumquats - light & citrus-y
Right: Grilled Beet Sliders with Polenta Fries & Curry Ketchup - Very "meaty" & delicious

If ordering off of the "Meatless Mondays" or "Vegan Monday" menu, guests have the option to go for a 3-course tasting or pick items a la carte. Macaroon went for the 3 courses that started with a Lollipop Kale Salad, moved onto the main even,t Grilled Beet Sliders, and ended with a Chocolate Espresso Polenta dessert, served in a coffee mug. Artichoke had the restaurant's Vegan Shepherd's Pie, a mainstay on their standard menu, with roasted broccoli and an extra heaping of potato being a side of fries.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie: Looks pretty and tastes even better!

We have to admit that we weren't too sure of how well Sweet Grass would pull off vegan food. However, knowing that the Meetup group had been there a few times, it had to be at least decent. Boy, were we pleasantly surprised, especially with the amount of good and the quality. Hands down, Mac loved the sliders while Artie dug into the Shepherd's Pie. There was so much, he had some left over for lunch today, which passed his "Second Day" test.

All-in-all, we plan on going back soon, whether for a Meetup or just stopping by during a little drive up that way. Tarrytown has a lot of cool shops to check out, and we'll need a place to eat, right?

Chocolate Espresso Espresso with Chopped Hazelnuts: Don't you just want a cup?

Sweet Grass Grill

24 Main St

Tarrytown, NY 10591

(914) 631-0000

www.sweetgrassgrill.com

Veggie Pride Parade NYC 2013!

2013-03-25T00:30:00.000-04:00

Sunday was the Veggie Pride Parade! We had a total blast. Not only did we just show up, but we walked IN the parade. Artie was so psyched about the experience, because he never wanted in any parade of any kind before today. Mac carried signs. Artie carried our mini carrot squeaky toy and wore finger puppets that we got from Ikea in Paramus. We really got into the spirit for community!

After the parade, the festivities continued with exhibitors, speakers and a soapbox. Macaroon even got up on the soapbox and talked about why she went vegetarian and then vegan. It was a wonderful time. We look forward to next year.

Here's a little slideshow Mac put together of some of pre-parade gathering.

If you're on Facebook, others are posting photos on the Veggie Pride Parade NYC 2013 event page too!