Excitement and Embarrassment

Let’s start with the embarrassment, in case that’s the only reason you’re reading this at all. I have been cooking, and I have some things to share, but I’ve also been eating out—and craving comfort food. For me, that’s fries and beer.

There’s one place around here, Allyn’s, where Alex and I like to go … and the last time we were there, our waitress knew we wanted veggie burgers. It’s entirely likely that we are the only patrons that order them, and it seems like we’ve been going weekly lately. So we were recognized. And that embarrasses me, but maybe it shouldn’t. It’s not going to stop me from going back.

This is a house-made veggie patty, and it tastes like cornbread with black beans, onions, and other veggies tossed in. I actually just eat the burger and garnish and leave the bun. They also have a variety of hot sauces at each table and I usually slather some on, especially the chipotle or mustard sauces.

It’s one of our favorites, and it comes with a side of fries for $5.95. I say: what a deal! Quick, cheap, reliable, and open late – and we get two burgers and two beers for around $22.

So, it’s been almost a month since I’ve even unloaded my memory card. I found some really good food memories! One thing I’ve been wanting for a while – but have been putting off until we move and possibly get a bigger kitchen – is an ice cream maker. Well, I found a tiny half-pint one at Target on sale for $20 and went for it.

I haven’t taken time to try out any recipes yet, but I did make some fro-yo with blueberry Silk. As in, just put the yogurt in and turn it on. Easy peasy!

So guys, this summer has found me focusing on work and trying to get a new job. Cross your fingers for me – all the interviews (and presentations) have been completed, and now I’m just waiting to hear!

Fun stuff

I guess I should be glad it’s already Tuesday. Every single day has been flying by lately – between being busy with work and trying to have some fun, I find myself almost halfway through another week. I like rounding in the most favorable way to me.

Saturday, I made a dreaded but infrequent trip to the mall for new clothes. Thankfully, my job also rewards me in Macy’s gift certificates as well as logoed items. So I spent them. Afterward, Alex and I went to our local Loving Hut for lunch.

I ordered their special “Golden Wrap,” which was Gardein tenders with lettuce, tomato, and avocado, along with the nacho-style golden sauce. This was super tasty. I also got a side of cauliflower soup.

Alex selected a burger which was also topped with a generous portion of the Golden Sauce. This sauce was better on the chips than on the patty; I agreed with him that the burger would be better with ketchup and pickles. (That’s not typically my style, but this beef-less burger was screaming for ordinary condiments.)

After we stuffed ourselves at Loving Hut, Alex offered to accompany me the library to hear Charlaine Harris talk. I’ve been reading her books and listening to them on recordings I can download through the library, and we’ve been watching True Blood together. Of course, Alex is interested in the nudity as much as the storyline, but I think he’s a super sweetheart for tagging along with my interests. Anyway, we drove downtown, parked right in front of the library, heard the author speak and answer some questions – she really impressed me and made Alex laugh – and headed on home. Things like how easy that is make it difficult to decide to leave Cincinnati. Right now, moving plans are on hold. Indefinitely.

I rewarded Alex with the Magical Coconut Cookie Bars. After seeing these about a dozen times over at The Shenandoah Vegan, I finally decided to make them. That was a great decision. So go, make them. You can thank me later.

Tofutti-less dessert and (almost) rice-less Fried Rice

Let’s start with the good stuff. Oh, it’s all good tonight. Sometimes, I eat dessert first. Especially if I have a lot of cooking to do and need a snack.

These peanut butter cups have big chunks of graham crackers in them, and they’re topped with rich dark chocolate. I didn’t have nuts to add in, but as much as I liked the graham cracker crunch, I know I’ll add nuts (or pretzels!) next time. Oh yes, there will be a next time.

I saw these peanut butter cups via The Shenandoah Vegan and the recipe looked like something I could try. I’ve been enjoying these cups for the past week or so, all the while amazing myself that both Alex and I have exercised enough self-control that we even still have some left.

Yes, I made more than are pictured. I had about 30. Still impressed? Those are mini-cups. I’m also proud of myself for making a dessert that didn’t center on Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese.

I have a tendency to let my stir-fries get out of hand. I throw in a little of this, a little of that, and the next thing I know, my wok is overflowing and I have leftovers for days.

This wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was delicious. But I don’t know whether it’s the pineapple fried rice I intended it to be. I had what I thought was a lot of leftover cooked rice, and I added broccoli, red bell pepper, green peas, mushrooms, baby corn, scallions, cashews, tofu, and pineapple. I used canned pineapple after a bad experience with my most recent fresh pineapple, and the juice along with red pepper flakes and curry powder made for a wonderful sauce.

The rice? Who needs it?—not me!

Belated Birthday Black Bottom Cupcakes

I took this photo last week, when the cupcakes were fresh and the weather was mild. I mentioned before that it was Alex’s birthday, and I took requests for what he wanted. In some ways, he’s very predictable, and I knew he wanted black bottom cupcakes. I still asked him, mind you, maybe just to prove that I was right.

I’d never heard of black bottom cupcakes until a few years ago, when my boss would bring them in for food days. These are chocolate cupcakes with a cream cheese center. I actually never had any that she made because I started telecommuting before I had the chance, but I’d hear how popular they were. She shared her recipe with me, and these are delicious and the cake is already vegan. The first time I made this, I called my mom to ask if there should really be vinegar in the recipe. I’ve come a long way.

After my success with the cream cheese frosting on the hummingbird cake, I decided to try using Tofutti for the filling. It came out well, again, even thought I didn’t really do anything except whip up the Tofutti with some sugar.

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

Filling:

• I experimented and just took half a tub of Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese, softened, and whipped it up with some sugar. I put chocolate chips in half and left half plain.

Mix the cake batter and fill each cupcake cup halfway. The most recent time I made these, I ran out of cup liners (they’re frog princesses) and so I overfilled the cups. Put a spoonful of filling in each.

My boss’s recipe doesn’t say how long to bake them, but I typically put them in at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Yum!

I’ve Got One, You’ve Got One

January was all about eating tried-and-true favorites, like tofu stir fry with peanut sauce:

One of my favorite soups – Moroccan-Style chickpea and lentil from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker:

By mid-January, a month after returning from Italy, I was ready for pasta again, my way. I made my own chunky tomato sauce over a small portion of whole-wheat pasta, with spinach and mushrooms and a salad:

I split the tomato sauce in half and turned half into tomato soup. Goes well with a Rice Vegan grilled cheese:

Now that it’s the end of the month, I’m coming out of hiatus and getting ready to try new things. Like going to a pond hockey game downtown. Standing in the cold for 45 minutes wasn’t much fun, but these minor league hockey players were having a great time. And when one team got to an early lead, the mascot blocked their goal.

After watching some of the game Saturday night, we headed to Honey, a restaurant we’ve been to a few times. It’s a special-occasion kind of place. We thought that arriving around 8 would help our odds of getting a table quickly, but instead we sat at the bar for a long while, munching on fries. There are rumors that the restaurant is closed or will be closing, but it was packed when we were there.

No, the bucket is not filled to the bottom. These fries are good – tiny shoestrings of three kinds of potato. By the time the fries arrived, we were ready to eat. I had one of those moments where I was happy to be with Alex: there was a couple sitting next to us and neither of them touched the fries they ordered. I think they were on an early date. I’m not certain if I was ever a shy eater, but I think there have been plenty of times when I was shy. Saturday night was not one of those nights.

My photo of my entrée makes it look unappetizing, and it wasn’t – it’s actually what I’ve gotten each time we’ve dined there. It’s soft tofu in a crispy basil crust on top of green beans and a root vegetable puree, with coconut milk sauce. The portion of tofu seems to be shrinking, but it’s still generous.

Sunday night we did something else new – we went to The Comet for bluegrass night. I’m not a bluegrass aficionado, but the band was good and enthusiastic. The food was pretty good, too. They serve a small menu with burritos, tacos, and quesadillas. I got a jerked tofu burrito, which included rice, black beans, salsa, and tofu. The prices are low and the portions are hearty. I think I ate 3/4 right away, and nibbled on the rest as I sipped various IPAs the rest of the night.

The bar got really crowded even 45 minutes before the band started, and I noticed an acquaintance standing around with no place to sit. Okay, someone I’ve met precisely twice. I went up to him and he had no idea who I was, but he was happy to take me up on the offer to come sit with us. I have a decent memory for faces and names, but it’s new to me to be friendly like that.

One other new thing I did was make a dessert. I’ve been wanting to make Hummingbird Cake (evidently also called Dr. Bird Cake, as I learned from a co-worker). This is a dense, moist cake, made with banana and crushed pineapple, with pecans and cinnamon. This turned out wonderfully, although it was maybe denser than it would normally be. I used flax eggs and my banana was frozen and then thawed, so either of those could be the culprit. The frosting was delicious, though – Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese makes a great cream cheese frosting!

One more new thing – I’m in a new decade! Yes, that is my birthday cake. I turned 30 on Sunday, can you believe it?

My MoFo Finale: A Vegan Convert! (Not quite)

Okay, I don’t really need a vegan conversion, but I do want to stomp out some unfounded badmouthing of vegans. If you’ve been reading for a while, you may remember a post from last August which was spurred by this tweet:

Taste of Belgium is a local waffle shop with a location in our city market, Findlay Market, as well as other fairs, farmers’ markets, etc., and a location at the Columbus city market and The Ohio State University.

Honestly, I don’t know if they ever went for the t-shirts, but they did something better.

Seriously better.

Get ready, you’re not gonna believe this.

They veganized their waffle recipe and now you can get vegan Belgian waffles. This started just in time for World Vegan Day and the waffles are available at Park + Vine.

Wow. This makes me ridiculously happy. Not only did dropping the anti-vegan message put this unfunny joke into context (maybe they’re seeing local vegans as a lost customer?) but it shows with a little thought how easy it is to make a compassionate, delicious, waffle. I bought a four-pack.

Vegan waffles, no big deal, right? Wrong. I make waffles and moffles at home, but this is something different from what you’d put syrup on and eat for breakfast. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but Belgian waffles are dense and sweet, with sticky caramelized sugar on their crisp exterior. The inside is sweet, warm, and soft like a heavy doughnut. I ate more than my fill of Belgian waffles as a student in Belgium 9 years ago, and since then this is the closest I’ve come. My heart is warmed to think that after getting a little upset at their tweet, I get a good waffle. It’s what we all want, right?

This concludes my first-ever MoFo, and probably the last time I will challenge myself to post every day for a month. Maybe next year I can see if Cincinnati has any local vegan foods that aren’t desserts or produce.

Made in Cincinnati

I have two exciting treats to share with you, both made right here in Cincinnati, Ohio, believe it or not. Both are relatively new, and both are worth some attention.

First up, graham crackers. No, not your regular thin, perforated crackers in cellophane that always rips down the side. Unlike those grahams that start crisp and get soft as they age (c’mon, you know what I’m talking about), these grahams start out thick and chewy and soft. And you don’t have to worry about them getting stale. There won’t be leftovers.

These holiday trees are delicious. I probably ate about half of one of these large cookies after photographing it because it just smelled so good! I couldn’t wait. The crushed peppermint, the chocolate icing, and the soft cookie were just amazing. I’d read how great these grahams were, but I never quite went for all the hype (after all, how often do I even eat dessert?) – but these are wonderful.

Meet Grateful Grahams. This is a pretty cool story; this woman turned her love of baking into a side business that only launched around Earth Day this year. Now, she’s announced on her facebook page that she can’t accept any more private holiday orders – she’s got enough! Way to go.

You can still buy Grateful Grahams locally, at Coffee Emporium, Park + Vine, Joseph Beth, or Lucky John Market. Plus you can order online at Pangea Vegan Store or Vegan Essentials. And I’m not going to say an Amazon link didn’t come up when I did a search.

If you can believe it, we have yet another vegan dessert maker in town: Phro*ZEN ice cream, featured last week in VegNews Daily.

Phro*ZEN vegan desserts was started with two sisters, the belief that everyone deserves happiness, and that happiness can be found in the simplest (and sweetest) things. We hope that you’ll find a little joy when you try our desserts, and you can feel at peace knowing that no animal products are used - after all, they deserve happiness too.

Again, I went for a holiday chocolate mint flavor: Merry Mint Chocolate Mantra. And I’m not going to say I wasn’t just tickled to see the cute heart under the lid -- sorry to spoil the surprise if it’s supposed to be a secret. This is a soymilk-based ice cream that was just as creamy as anything I’ve had, and it was full of chunks of chocolate and candy cane pieces, just like the locals like at their non-vegan ice cream parlors.

No, I don’t work for the Cincinnati tourism board, but December 19th will mark my three-year anniversary in the Queen City and it’s kind of neat to see how many cool things there are in town. I hope that if I leave, I find as many neat things and as supportive a community in my next city.

Thanksgiving Dessert: Derby Pie

I have had pumpkin pie once, maybe twice in my life. And when the opportunity for more has presented itself, I’ve politely declined. Give me a fruit pie, a sweet potato pie, or a chocolate pudding pie, but not pumpkin. I particularly love pecan pie and chess pie – but neither of those are readily veganized.

I first had a Derby Pie in college, and it was frequently requested among my schoolmates. This pie is chocolate, pecan, and bourbon. Often, I’m a pecan purist, but when I came across a recipe for a vegan pie that sounded like a Derby Pie, I knew I had to make it. I am so, so glad I did.

This was exceptionally good. As you can see, my pie is chocked full of pecans. I followed the recipe with only the slightest changes, and maybe there were too many pecans (I’m not the most precise in measuring). I also used Karo corn syrup in place of the maple and agave as I didn’t want to throw in another competing flavor, plus I had a coupon for Karo. That, and Alex didn’t believe me when I told him my grandmother used to give us corn syrup to put on our pancakes.

The pie looks rich, but it really wasn’t too sweet. That may have something to do with my other adaption: as I was using corn syrup instead of agave, I wanted to make sure I didn’t make it too sweet. So I substituted some of the syrup with more whiskey! Still turned out well, even if the filling bubbled over the edge of my crust and then fell back, leaving little craters in between some of the pecans.

If I could have had a slice without leaving evidence that I had done so, I would have liked to have tried a piece before Thanksgiving to rest my mind about whether this would taste good. In the end, though, it didn’t matter; the pie is delicious and I still have several slices to go.

Getting Lost-in Austin

I’m visiting my brother in Texas, and we went to Austin for the day. After learning the limitations of our GPS when it comes to overpass highways and feeder roads with exits, then fighting the UT pre-game traffic and searching for parking, we were ready for lunch.

We ate at Mellow Mushroom, which is mainly a pizza place, but I selected a tempeh sandwich. This guy was really good – better than it looks. It was grilled tempeh cubes, grilled onions, green bell peppers, and mushrooms, along with lettuce and tomato. We were at a pizza place, so a few red pepper flakes from the shaker on the table really rounded this sandwich out.

It didn’t come with a side, but we got some hummus as a starter for the table. My sister in law likes hummus, but it’s one of those (many) things my brother won’t eat, so she enjoys it with company. A dollop of hummus can look so unappetizing; I’m glad they dressed up this plate with carefully arranged pita triangles.

After lunch, we headed to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Preserve. We walked around a saw some wildflowers, some cacti, and climbed a little tower to get an aerial view.

I like how much bigger my brother is than Alex. Even I’m a little taller than Alex!

Me trying to make a pirate face with the monocular on top of the tower.

Alex practiced his Spider Walking in the entryway.

After a bit of walking around, it was time to eat again. We headed out to sno-cones at a place that came highly recommended, Sno Beach, located in the food truck court. Each table had paper towels and Windex in an attempt to curb any bee problems.

Shelby using her iPhone, which really proved helpful navigating a new city.

The place had a lot of flavors, so many that it was difficult to choose what to get. I went with cantaloupe and really enjoyed it; Alex selected grape and validated his choice of simple flavor by pointing to the giant sunglass-wearing sno cone atop the stand. This was a fun little break. Next, on to the bats…

Chocolate Oat Balls

I’ve probably mentioned a time or two that I don’t typically do desserts, but Alex really likes his sweets. So I decided to do something nice for him and make some sweets. That, and he washed my car. What can I say, I’ve been enjoying them too. I’m even having one now to refresh my memory and give a proper account of them. For you.

I love oatmeal desserts, much more than I love actual oatmeal. So I started with a recipe for Maple Nut Oaties from Heather Eats Almond Butter. Except I used a lot more oats. They were just too sticky and wouldn’t ball up properly, so I kept adding oats.

This recipe was really easy, and the most difficult part was balling them up. That, however, gave me ample opportunity to eat sweetened raw oats from my fingers. You do bake these little balls. There’s only so much uncooked oats a girl can stomach.

Oat Balls made with chocolate, peanut butter, walnuts, and shredded coconut

It’s funny how we’ll take a recipe and change it up, but then keep other aspects of it. Like rolling these little guys into balls because that’s what the original says to do, but then changing the ingredients and the name. I did that because the chocolate is pretty dominant here. I cut the amount of maple syrup and used some brown rice syrup, so the chocolate was the star (like in any proper dessert).

I’m not a great baker, probably because I have little patience for precise measurements, so the beauty of these oaties is that you can mix in whatever you want as long as they roll back together. You can take a look at Heather’s original recipe or at what I did, or even try your own. Let me tell you, if you think cookies are fun, these little balls are way funner.

Sweet Mochi and Sweet Cat Grass

Tonight, I had leftovers. I resisted the temptation to photograph my plate.

I’m working on cleaning out the fridge because tomorrow afternoon we’re having company for the weekend and will probably eat out a bunch. I’ve offered to cook tomorrow night, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.

One thing to mention is that I’ve tried finally mochi. Loved it. I can’t wait to do more with it. Or even do this again.

I used the recipe (instructions, really) from The Kind Diet. Basically you toast it in a pan and serve with some brown rice syrup. This was delicious, and I was worried they didn’t puff up correctly, but either way, I enjoyed it. Chewy and sweet even without the syrup, this stuff is a favorite new find. Alex was afraid to try it, but I got him to try a bite by telling him it’s what his hero, Makoto Nagano, eats for stamina. The package does claim it promotes stamina!

I also gave the cats some grass that I grew for them from a kit I found in a pet store. The littlest cat enjoys this the most. She is very protective and keeps the others away!

Yes, it’s on a Simpsons plate. In the Veggie Awards, I voted for Lisa Simpson as the vegetarian I’d most like to see become vegan!

I hope you all have a good Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Dessert! Blueberry crumble

Maybe I should have given more thought to naming my blog. I rarely make desserts. I don’t crave them. I enjoy a sweet treat every now and then, but I don’t go nuts for brownies or chocolates. My favorite dessert is a nut-laden oatmeal cookie.

Lately, the market has been overloaded with blueberries, and the farmers are just trying to sell their stock. I picked some up and went debated the merits of muffins over pancakes, but I decided to give the crumble a try. I’ve made something like this before with rhubarb (which was a bit tart for my taste) – but the crumble part of that dessert was delish.

To make this, I adapted and combined a bunch of recipes. I was looking for something that contained oats, walnuts, and sugar. My crumble was like a chewy granola bar, and the blueberry flavor really shined through. Here’s what I did:

Toss the blueberries with some orange juice, a little sugar, and some corn starch (this will help soak up some of the liquid ooze).

For the crumble, combine with your fingers or a fork

• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 4 tablespoons cold Earth Balance
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, or more to taste
• A pinch of salt

Crumble the crumble (get it?) over the berries. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes. Enjoy warm.

The crumble mix may seem a little dry, but when the berries bake their juices ’splode, so it’ll all turn out okay. Then again, I mentioned that I liked this because it was like a chewy granola bar, so you don’t have to take my word for it.

Turning on the oven for a summer treat with these fresh blueberries was well worth it.

The weather here has cooled down some (hence the oven recipes lately!), and two nights ago it was cool enough to open the windows. The cats loved this, and my tabby cat I’ve had for seven years was nice enough to share the window with one of our new cats. This is a big deal, folks. She’s been a mean old lady ever since I brought in the two kittens in March. Front and center: a Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan beer I found in the grocery store in Memphis.

Rita’s Water Ice, in Tennessee!

One hot night last week, Alex mentioned that he wanted some water ice. In Philadelphia, where he’s from, this stuff is everywhere. Water ice is, as far as I can tell, the same thing as Italian ice, but it’s not a sno-cone or shaved ice. I searched the web to find our nearest ice location and discovered that Rita’s is a national chain with a few stores scattered through several states in addition to the plentiful stores around Philly.

The nearest shop to Cincinnati is in Kettering, but I found that there’s a shop in Collierville, Tennessee, and we were out that way visiting my grandparents. A perfect excuse for an icy treat!

I got a Sweet Tea flavored ice. It was delicious! I typically like the fruity flavors but I couldn’t pass up trying the tea flavored ice. Every flavor I’ve tried at Rita’s has been very close to what it claims to be, and this was right on target. Alex chose a cherry gelati, which is ice sandwiched between frozen custard. He guessed his ice had both real cherries and artificial coloring. He also mentioned that compared to the ice, the custard almost tasted warm! So this is a real hot summertime treat that is colder than ice cream.

As far as I can tell, the ice is HFCS-free and they do offer sugar-free ice flavors, but I prefer real sugar over both HFCS and calorie free sweeteners when I want a treat. If you find yourself near a Rita’s, stop in – I know I will!

I hope everyone is enjoying your weekend at the 4th, if you’re so inclined. The sun is headed down, so I’m out for some fireworks.

Cake & Ice Cream

There’s something really special about cake and ice cream. A real treat for special occasions, like birthdays. Or an anniversary.

In case you haven’t figured it out, we’re not very fancy here. So for our first wedding anniversary a few weeks ago, we made a half a cake, and baked it together after supper. We served it up hot with a scoop of Tofutti Chocolate Cookie ice cream. Perfect.

This cake is actually a recipe from an old boss of mine, who made black bottom cupcakes. I know I’m behind the times, but I’d never heard of black bottom cupcakes before hers. It’s a chocolate cupcake with a dollop of cream cheese filling. The cake part was so light, fluffy, and moist that I had to try it by itself. As a bonus, minus the cream cheese mix, this recipe was already vegan! Just don’t laugh at me too loudly when I tell you that the first time I made it I couldn’t figure out if the vinegar it calls for was a typo.

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons vinegar

Mix it all together and bake at 350F until done. I made half this recipe and it was perfect for about 6 generous slices.

Be-bop-a-re-bop Rhubarb Pie

I have never cooked with rhubarb before.

I can only remember one time I’ve even eaten it.

My strongest association is be-bop-a-re-bop rhubarb pie from A Prairie Home Companion. “Yes, nothing gets the taste of shame and humiliation out of your mouth quite like Be-Bop-A-Re-Bop Rhubarb Pie.”

So when it was scheduled to arrive in my Farm Fresh Delivery bin, I considered removing it and getting something else. Instead, I decided to keep it and figure out what to do. The difficulty in using a new ingredient is trying to make sense of recipes. For example, when I read the recipe for tofu scramble with green and yams, I knew immediately that it would be good. However, I looked at dozens of rhubarb recipes online and had no idea what to choose. I went with one from a reliable source (FoodTV) and adapted it slightly for the amount of rhubarb I had and reduced the sugar. I think it turned out pretty well.

I sliced my rhubarb and used some sliced strawberries as well, both to sweeten it and add more fruit, placed them in a baking dish and topped with orange zest. I just zested the whole orange and then ate it while this crumble was in the oven. I didn’t use the rest of the ingredients in the fruit part.

For the topping, I used 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup walnuts. I like walnuts, and I had them on hand, but I think the hazelnuts the recipe calls for would be good too. I mixed that with about 1/2 cup melted Earth Balance and plopped it in crumbles on top of my fruit.

I think it turned out pretty well. I’m not sure that I’d go out of my way to make this, but I did enjoy it, even though it was crumble-heavy and light on the fruit.

What do you think? Am I missing out on rhubarb? What’s your favorite way to eat it?

Restaurant: Sweet Art in Saint Louis

We recently went to Saint Louis for a concert and had wonderful meals while we were there. I had searched the web for places to get good vegetarian food in the area and stumbled across some real winners. The first night, we went to a concert at The Pageant in the Loop. There were dozens of good looking restaurants, but based on reviews I found online, we went to Thai Country Kitchen. Even though we have ten Thai places within walking distance of our home here, I’m always up for trying it in a new city because Cincinnati Thai is notoriously candy-sweet. This was really good. I also appreciate the “country” aspect of it as well. The decor reminds me of boating and farming Thai, standing in contrast to the minimalist electronica decor that’s so trendy here.

Enough of that. I’ve been totally overwhelmed looking at the photos from the trip, so I want to do this in small steps. Let’s start with my favorite find of the trip: Sweet Art.

There is no way we would have found Sweet Art just walking around the landmarks we visited. I can’t even find the blog where I originally read about this place, but I am so glad we went. This is a little neighborhood bakery that serves breakfast and lunch items in addition to cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and other baked goods. The small dining room is bustling and popular; it’s the kind of feel-good place where you’ll share your table with strangers and be glad the restaurant seems successful rather than being annoyed at the lack of seating. (Granted, it was a cold spring day – on a nicer day, the outdoor tables would have expanded the dining room.)

The inside was comfortable and inviting, and reminded me of other places I’ve been but certainly stood on its own. The walls were a pastel lime green, much less severe than at Loving Cafe. The menu was written on a chalkboard like at Melt, but all the choices are vegetarian and most are vegan. They also have a pastry case full of beautiful cupcakes and some vegan baked goods behind the glass. What’s most impressive? The artwork covering the walls. There’s an art studio in the back of the shop and they offer classes. You can read about the couple who runs this place on the Sweet Art website and also see more of the artist’s work here.

Let’s get on to the eats. Everything on the menu looked incredible: They have salads, wraps, and hot and cold sandwiches. They also have chili or chili nachos. I’ll say it again, I’m so glad we found this place, and if we were locals we’d certainly be back regularly. As it was, we were trying to figure out how a second meal there would fit into our travel plans.

Sweet Burger, $7.25

I ordered the Sweet Burger, which is a homemade patty made of lentils and other veggies served with their house vegan spread (which was delightfully spicy), greens, tomato, and ketchup. It was delicious. Many times when I order a veggie patty, I end up leaving the bun because the patty is already so grain-based. This bread, however, was delicious. The other sandwich also had superb bread – I even ate some crust, which is rare for me. Even the chips were exceptional. They offer a choice of chips or fruit, and I’m glad I got these thick-cut chips.

Do you call the bread pictured here a bun or a roll? One of my first roommates made fun of me for saying “bun” and insisted it should be called a roll. I guess there still are some regional differences.

39th, with avocado, $7.75

Alex chose the 39th, which is a fake-BLT. Like Melt (again) they name many of the sandwiches for nearby streets. The facon was really crisp and there was plenty of it on the sandwich. This was also served with the tangy house spread, which I really enjoyed. I think I’ll have to start looking into making something like this. The avocado was such a nice touch to round out the sandwich along with the lettuce and tomato.

Before we left, we picked up three cupcakes to go, which we enjoyed later in the car while waiting for a brewery tour and even trekked the third home and ate it the next day.

This unassuming little box contains three delicious cupcakes. We didn’t order the vegan cupcakes, but they have vegan selections daily. My favorite is the one in the upper left – see it with the pecan on top? This is a Hummingbird. My mom used to make hummingbird cake. I think I need to do something like that as well. The cake is moist with banana and pineapple and spiced with cinnamon. I prefer the cream cheese on top to straight icing, and of course I love the Southern pecan on top. We also tried a Harmony, which is a vanilla cupcake with frosting and chocolate sprinkles, and a double chocolate, which is the one we ate a day later at home. They were all good, but that hummingbird was my favorite.

Eating at Sweet Art was such a positive experience, and I grew even more impressed reading through their website just now. The joy they have in their food and art really shines through to me. Way to go.

Sweet & Sara Vegan Marshmallows

I picked up some Sweet & Sara vegan marshmallows at a recent trip to Park + Vine, a local “general store” that only sells vegan items. The shop isn’t overtly vegan; they advertise themselves a green general store, selling some baby stuff, cookbooks, household items, a bit of clothing, and some food. They also host classes like cloth diapering and the vegan Thanksgiving class I attended last fall. What drew me back? I made another shopping trip there when I heard they had Upton’s Naturals Seitan. I'll tell you about that after I try it.

I knew they had Sweet & Sara marshmallows, and I’d heard that the company had been featured on Food Network’s Unwrapped program, but it was Alex who was drawn to the package in the store and insisted we buy the marshmallows. I can't really tell you what happened to my sweet tooth lately, but I enjoyed these as well.

We got the cinnamon pecan variety, and these guys are really good. We bought them from a refrigerator (or was it a freezer?) and the package instructs you to enjoy them at room temperature. Let me tell you, I’ve only managed to enjoy one at room temperature. I’ve needed to eat the others straight from the fridge. Alex has also been eating them at 37 degrees, and I’ve noticed that the package is nearly empty by now.

These treats aren’t quite like the jet-puffed marshmallows that I remember, and not just because they’re dusted with cinnamon sugar and topped with pecans. They’re chewy and dense, and they have a strong vanilla flavor. I align them more with dense divinity candy, but that’s not to take away from what they are. I'm just saying that it would be wrong to melt these over sweet potatoes, that's all. These are much more enjoyable as a dessert treat on their own than any marshmallow could be. These treats are incredible for what they are. Yum!

Here’s a list of where Sweet & Sara products are currently available. Right now, in Cincinnati, you can only get them at Park + Vine. In other locations, they may be in your Whole Foods or other shop, and you can also order from the web.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

I’d never actually heard of black bottom cupcakes until a few years ago. Whenever we’d have a food day at work, my boss would bring them in. Somehow I never managed to eat one, but I got the recipe from her and made them for the first time last year for Valentine’s Day. I made them yesterday for Alex’s birthday.

The recipe is super easy. The hardest part is remembering not to overfill them (I tell you this from experience, I did overfill the little cupcakes). You start with a chocolate batter and add a spoonful of a cream cheese and chocolate filling.

Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:

• 4 oz. cream cheese (half a package)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 oz. chocolate chips (I used white chocolate)
• 1/2 egg, or a tablespoon of water
• dash salt

I am making a note to melt the chips the next time I make these cupcakes.

I mixed the cupcake ingredients together by hand, and it comes together pretty quickly. The batter is pretty thin and it makes a really light cupcake, a great balance to the cream cheese filling. I mixed the cream cheese in a mixer. I didn’t have any eggs as I haven’t been using them lately, so I just added a bit of water to help the mixture come together. I’d say it turned out just fine.

Fill the cupcake tins halfway with the batter, then add a teaspoon of the filling mix. If you add too much, the filling will ooze out over the cupcake pan. No, I don’t have any photos of what that looks like.

The “recipe” I got was really just a list of ingredients, with no cooking times or instructions about whether to melt the chocolate chips. I baked these at 350F for about 12 minutes for the little cupcakes and 15-20 for the big cupcakes. These were good, and much appreciated by the birthday boy.