Vegan polenta @ Golden Road Brewery

Paired w/ Imperial Red, Mmmmmm....

vegan gumbo

When okra is in season, I always try to make gumbo, san meat of course. The earthy flavor from the roux and filé power is infectious and savory during cold days. Here's my recipe for making a veganized version of this Cajun classic.

-- Ingredient

trinity (2 celery stalks, 1 small onion, and 1 small green bell pepper, all diced)

1 cup of mushrooms (I like to use either shitake or cremini) - washed and thinly sliced

2 cups of okra - washed and cut into 1/2 inch cutlets

1 vegan sausage or 1/2 serving of firm tofu/seitan - cut into cutlets or cubes

2 cups vegetable stock, or 3 tablespoons of vegetarian seasoning powder

2 cups water (4 cups if not using vegetable stock)

2 bay leaves

4 cloves of crushed garlics - finely chopped

3 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoon oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup cooked rice

Filé power - optional

-- Direction

1. In a large pot, heat up oil and slowly add the flour to the hot oil while stirring the mixture in the pot

2. Stir constantly until the color of the mixture turns into dark brown roux

3. Add the trinity to the pot and turn the heat down to medium

4. Add garlic

5. When the onion turns translucent, add mushrooms, sausage/tofu/seitan, and cook for two more minutes

6. Add okra, bay leaves, and the liquid + season powder. Turn heat up to high

7. Add salt and pepper

8. Once the soup starts to boil, turn the heat down to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes
9. serve the soup over rice and dash of Filé powder if desired

Salad Daze pizza @ Mohawk Bend

Bawarchi Indian Kitchen

Venice Blvd. near Culver City is dotted with Indian restaurants of various offerings. I think Bawarchi is a new comer, as it eschews the traditional decors of an Indian restaurant in favor of a taqueria style setting -- most likely due to the restaurant's small footprint. It's a refreshingly clean place. How about the food?

Most of the dishes are prepared beforehand and displayed/served from chafing dishes like Indian Sweets and Spices in Atwater Village. You may think that the food doesn't taste fresh, but the opposite is true; this is perhaps the freshest Indian food I've ever tasted, even beating out "freshly" cooked food from other Indian restaurants. There were at least 5 different dals to choose from, and selections are clearly labeled for vegans. Oh did I forget to mention that this is a vegetarian/vegan restaurant?

I went with the lunch combo which you get to choose 3 dishes, a rice option, salad, and the bread. I went with a tofu curry, soy fish curry, Aloo Gobi, basmati pilau rice, and wheat roti. The chef was kind enough to give me a little sample of yellow lentil dal and jackfruit curry.

Each dish is bursting with flavor, and I am not just talking about the spices. According to the serving paper, food here is cooked slowly in low heat to allow the flavors of the main ingredient to shine through. Whether you believe this or not, I can definitely taste the difference; they're not trying to mask the day old veggies by overpowering it with loads of spices like other restaurants.

Not bad for $8. I think you should give this place a try if you think you're tired of Indian food.

Bawarchi Indian Kitchen
10408 Venice Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232-3337
(310) 836-852

Sage Organic Vegan Bistro

From the ashes of the defunct Mooi rises the new Sage Organic Vegan Bistro and Kind Kreme in Echo Park. I was relieved when I heard that corner space still serves the vegan community. We've been there twice so far and love their food. I haven't been the much touted Madeleine Bistro, but I have to say that Sage serves the tastiest vegan dishes I've tried in all of So Cal thus far. Don't get me wrong, I adore the simple and cafe-oriented food at the nearby Flores, but the menu at Sage is a notch higher in sophistication. If Flores is a coffee shop, then Sage is a bona fide cafe in comparison. If I have my choice, it's breakfast at Flores and dinner, BYOB a bottle of wine, at Sage.

Lunch was our first experience at Sage. While Mardhi went for her ever undying love for mac n' cheese, I chose the 'Chicken' Apple Avocado Focaccia. The breaded black sesame tofu grabbed my attention as I haven't tried this type of preparation before. Fuji apple paired with mango saffron aioli sounds very interesting to me, and I wasn't disappointed.

The serving size is just right; not skimpy as you would've expected from a trendy eatery. At $7.95 this is a steal I tell ya. it's packed with mouthful of flavor as the sweet and tart from the Fuji apple plays nicely with the garlicky mango aioli. I've learned, since my first bite into Flore's tofu benediction, that avocado plays an important role in blending itself with any sauce to add the cream effect, and this sandwich certainly has it. A scoop of potato salad on the side finishes this dish.

Their mac n' cheese was pretty good also and it comes with a side of potato and kale chips.

We had a scoop of Kind Kreme's salted chocolate raw ice cream and it's like the real thing minus the soy flavor commonly found in vegan ice cream. it was so good that I forgot to take a picture of it before it's too late. Lame on my side.

The sandwich was so tasty that we made a mental note of coming back to try all the items on their menu. A week or so later we're back for dinner. We're glad to see the place is packed with customers, yet felt a little annoyed that the food took a while to arrive. It is what it is, their food is great and price is just right; a sure recipe of success.

I ordered the seitan piccata. It may be a little salty, but this is an astonishing dish. The seitan is perfectly crusted and the caper based sauce drenches the seitan and the basmati rice. I savored each bite like sipping fine wine. It's that good.

Love love love Sage Bistro and Kind Kreme combo. it puts a smile on my face.

Sage Organic Vegan Bistro w/ Kind Kreme
1700 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

vegan patties with olive tapenade on multi-grain baguette with tabouleh and vegan potato salad + ginger pale ale!

all homemade except for the baguette. the ginger pale ale is home brewed and the parsley from backyard garden. there's something soothing and rewarding about eating food that's sourced from your own labor of love.