San Diego

Spring is drawing ever closer, and I want to draw on a sunny locale this week to get the excitement that is spring started. San Diego is what comes to mind when you think sunny and warm, and the food there reflects that.

The first dish I made this week is something iconic of the city: fish tacos. Instead of fish, I used a tofu "fish" recipe from Shmooed Food cut into small cubes. Totally delicious, let me tell you. Pair that with salsa, avocado, shredded lettuce all on a fat tortilla, and you've got heaven.

The next dish is another San Diego classic that you might not have heard of out side SoCal. It's called carne asada fries. Think nachos on top of fries. Mine had salsa, fresh guac, and spicy seitan bits. I used butternut squash in place of the traditional potato, creating a colorful plate.

N'Awlins Food

We are going to the bayou this week in celebration of Mardi Gras. New Orleans is the town, and no city has quite the culinary history and unique style of New Orleans. From Creole to Cajun, New Orleans has quite the distinct cuisine.

First up this week is a recipe I adapted from the Heaven on Seven cookbook. It was originally called Chicken Creole Penne. I switched chicken to tempeh, and halved the recipe to suit my needs. Since I changed it enough, I feel like I can post it:

Tempeh Creole Penne

Serves 4

8 oz tempeh, steamed if you like, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 Tbsp creole seasoning (Zatarain's brand)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced green bell pepper
3/4 cup diced celery
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 Tbsp garlic
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp each oregano, basil, black pepper, & red pepper
2 tsp agave syrup or honey
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cans tomato sauce
1 cup water

1 pound penne, cooked according to package directions


Sprinkle the tempeh with 1 Tbsp of the creole seasoning. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add bell peper, celery, onions, garlic, spices, and sugars to the pan, then add the tempeh and the rest of the seasoning. Cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Pour in the tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Toss with pasta and serve.



The next recipe comes adapted from NOLA Cuisine. It was for shrimp etoufee, but I subbed in chickpeas. Here's the changed the recipe:



Chickpea Etoufee:


Serves 4


1 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Onion, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Celery, Finely Chopped
1/4 Cup Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
1/8 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce
3/4 Cup Veg Stock
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
2 tsp Veg. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Hot Sauce
1/4 Cup Green Onions, thinly sliced
1 can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Rice, to serve

Season the chickpeas the Creole Seasoning. Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet, add the onions, bell pepper, and celery, saute until translucent. Whisk in the flour to make a blonde roux, stirring constantly, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the remaining Creole Seasoning. Add a small amount of the vegetable stock, stir well to form a paste, add the remaining stock gradually, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. You may need a little more stock, but the end result should be the consistency of a gravy, not too thick, not too thin.Add the tomato sauce, garlic, Worcestershire, and hot sauce, a little salt, and black pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.Add the chickpeas and green onions, simmer for 5 minutes more or until the chickpeas are heated through.

That's it for this week! San Diego will come next week.

Boston Grub

This week's theme was Boston, MA. No city in America has the same amount of history in my opinion as Boston. It was around for the Tea Party, Independence, statehood, Industialism, and the current era. It's seen everything. Its food is a reflection of that heritage. To honor this town, I made Boston Baked Beans and Brown Bread. Lots of B's right?

This was the old fashioned recipe, with the soaking and simmering and baking. It was hearty and delicious. This is usually served with brown bread:

This bread is usually steamed in a circular shape, but I found a delicious baked recipe. It's from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. Give it a try if you have it.

Next week, in honor of Mardi Gras, I am making New Orleans food. Stick around!

Philadelphia Eats

I'm back after an extraordinary Super Bowl with some other regional eats. This week's theme is Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love.

First up, what do you think of when you hear Philadelphia? Philly Cheesesteaks, of course! Thanks to the mighty Super Carrot, I was able to replicate this tasty delicacy.

The next thing I made was scrapple. According to Wikipedia, scrapple "is a savory mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and flour, often buckwheat flour. The mush is formed into a loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then fried before serving." Appetizing, no? But I was intrigued. Luckily, Bryanna Clark Grogan has a recipe. Here was the end result:

Both were quite delicious. I have my eye set on Boston next week. Stay tuned for baked beans, brown bread, n' blueberry flapjacks next week!

Arizona: Indian Tacos

One day til the Super Bowl people! To celebrate Arizona, I made fry bread! Fry bread was made in Indian populations when food supplies were scarce. They are made of flour, baking soda, salt, and either milk or shortening, and then deep fried until crisp. Now they are a favorite throughout the state beyond Indian reservations.

A favorite application for these is Indian tacos. They consist of meat or beans, lettuce, and sometimes cheese or chiles on top of fry bread. I didn't have either of the last two items, but I did have salsa refried beans and shredded lettuce, so that's what I went with.

I will return with non-Super Bowl teams' food soon. Have a filling Super Bowl everybody!

A Pittsburgh Classic: Primanti Brothers Sandwich

Well, well, well. The Super Bowl is nigh upon us, and everybody is scrambling to put together that Super Sunday spread (gambling AND food). For many Pittsburghians, it often involves a big, fat Primanti Brothers Sandwich. Made out of necessity (we think), it involves a cut of meat, coleslaw, tomato, and french fries on thick Italian bread. That way all your condiments are in between two slices of bread, ready to eat. I tried my hand at this Pittsburgh staple, replacing the meat with a portabello mushroom steak with tasty results:



This took me back to the gritty Steel Town, even though I've never been there. Go figure.

Tune in on Saturday as I try my hand at an Arizona favorite: Fry Bread!

Obligatory Welcome Post

Hello all!
It all started one boring day when I was pondering the weeks ahead. As you know, the Super Bowl is coming. I started thinking of the teams remaining... Arizona, Philly, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. Well, soon the thought of Philly Cheesesteaks and Southwestern food came to mind. And then I thought, why not make regional foods from all of the NFL cities? Only problem is, I don't like to eat critters. So, why not make vegetarian versions of local favorites. So that is what Veg-F-L is all about. (NFL, VegFL, get it?)

Look here soon for all sorts of delicious meals!