Thanksgiving! Thanksliving! My Night In Blog Posts.

Of course I celebrated Thanksgiving! You can read all about it here.

Alright, I'm ready for a juice cleanse. You can drink wine on a juice cleanse right? It's grapes. Of course you can.

Last Night My Roommates and I Threw a BBQ for Ourselves

It's November, perfect season for a BBQ, right? Isn't that the glory of living in California? It's like, endless springtime, only in the fall/winter, it gets darker earlier. I am truly living the dream. Truly.
I needed to celebrate after this whirlwind Thanksgiving week. I work in a restaurant, which means I work holidays (because the restaurant doesn't for close holidays, bummer). I also wanted to see my family, so Thursday afternoon I took Caltrain to Redwood City and Friday morning, took it back to the city to work. Yeowch, I've been tired.
BBQ on a Sunday night in November? Done and done. I wanted to celebrate!

Crispin Cider. I was told by both my friends Nora and Vanessa that I needed to try this. Now, normally I DO NOT like cider (it's like, gawd, just pass me a wine-cooler while you are at it) but Nora assured me it tasted like champagne. I'll admit, I like it (not love). It's a bit on the expensive side for a four pack, but last night I was treating myself.

I like their specialty 22's better. Next time I'm sticking with one of those when I want cider. They are heavier and more flavorful. In a beer kind of way. Which I like.

I also bought myself an Anderson Valley Seasonal Ale because, well, I really love beer. Especially Winter Ales!

But this shindig was not just about drinking, it was about BBQing! I've been interested in trying out Field Roast brand Frankfurters. Field Roast is a great brand, but in all honesty, I think their products can be on the dry side. The Frankfurters were good, but I like Smart Dogs. They are cheap and that word I do not like, which is the opposite of dry. If you like Field Roast, you'll probably like these. They are plain, which is what enticed me; in a hot dog, I don't want fancy flavors. I want a vegan version of Hebrew Nationals!

These come individually wrapped in plastic, like old-school style sausages, which is cutesy, but also a big fucking waste of plastic.

Rurik and Dan made veggie skewers and I made Hawaiian Pasta Salad - it's Dan's favorite.

In the spirit of celebrating, I passed out on the couch at 9 p.m. after two ciders. I mentioned the week was a killer for me, right?

Black Friday! Did you go shopping? I'm not judging. Yes, Actually I Am.

For real, though, I did not go shopping. I hate crowds. I kind of hate people. Just kidding, I love everyone.

What happened to Buy Nothing Day? On Black Friday? What is all this nonsense about Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday? I will tell you what I bought this weekend: a Caltrain ticket back to the city to work on Black Friday (from Redwood City, after spending Thanksgiving with my family), laundry detergent, soy creamer and some other stuff I would've bought any other day of the week. Living. It happens.

Nothing I bought was on sale and no store I went to had crowds. I'm living the dream. It's called being a minimalist. (Translation -- fuck I am brizzoke and not envious of all you douchebags buying flatscreen TVs AT ALL).

Thanksgiving! Thanksliving! Bring On the Feeding Frenzy and Pumpkin Desserts!

I work at a restaurant in SF that served a vegan meal for Thanksgiving, to which I contributed (the dessert) and also taste-tested.
LA based vegan blogger, Quarrygirl came to Source (said restaurant), took some pictures of her meal, and sent them to Vegansaurus. Here is the proof! That's my raw, pumpkin cheesecake that she took a picture of! It's so famous now.

Below is a picture I took myself, for a separate post. It's my raw/living pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin snowball, specially made for the Thanksgiving meal at Source, though they've both been available for weeks. Did you know pumpkin and orange go really well together? Orange is a super secret ingredient in both the cheesecake and the frosting of the snowball.

In case you missed it, here is the link to Quarrygirl's Thanksgiving dinner!

Yikes?

I just read through my stuffing recipe, and OMG, you guys, I was angry. That's all. Like, kinda funny but mostly very, very angry. A part of me wants to edit the shit out of it so I don't come off as such a bitch, but another part of me remembers how sad and angry I was at that point in my life, and I want to keep it as historic purposes. This blog has saved my life. It's also showed me how much I've grown.

Product Review! Vegetarian Plus Vegan Whole Turkey.

(This is a post I wrote for Vegansaurus, though I have yet to put it in drafts. It's holiday time! I'm getting in the spirit by listening to A Very She and Him Christmas. Thanksgiving is a week away! What are you having for dinner? I usually have the sameish meal for both holidays - protein, veggies, stuffing, salad.)

Last Christmas I went all out and treated myself to a Vegetarian Plus Vegan Whole Turkey. I was super curious after seeing the ads in VegNews. Now, I'm a Tofukery fan -- I like it, but I'm not in love. I'm also a vegan that LOVES faux meat, in taste and look. I think it's hilarious this vegan turkey is actually shaped to look like a turkey. I could not contain my excitement about eating a drumstick again. Vegan drumsticks = pure joy.

I bought my vegan turkey at Rainbow Grocery and lugged it to Grandma's house in Redwood City. I showed it off to practically anyone I came across. The thing is like, 4 lbs and has to defrost overnight. So plan ahead! It also comes with gravy and stuffing, but I put those aside (in Grandma's freezer, for a later date) and made my own. There is actually a cavity to put the stuffing in. This thing is intense!

Empty Cavity


It's possible I went a little overboard with the stuffing, as you can see from the split seams.

I tried to bake this monster according to the directions, but unfortunately my Aunt had turned off the oven, forgetting I had to prepare my vegan meal! (I'm sure it was just an accident...) So, it took a little longer than the directions stated.
The turkey was well worth the wait! So tender! So moist (ew)! So flavorful! I AM IN LOVE. I have been so excited for the holidays to roll back around so I can get another one!
Delectable, for real. It's meant to feed 8 - 10 people, but I have the appetite of 5 people so I ate half of it in one night. I think I'll lay off of doing that again this year (no promises). I learned my lesson the hard way, and felt sick for days (which didn't stop me from eating the leftovers. Really. It's that good. Don't get me started on the turkey sandwiches with veganaise...)

Vegan Christmas plate! 'Turkey' drumstick, gravy, stuffing, carrots and twice baked chipotle sweet potato.

BBQ 'Chicken' Pizza

Everytime I go to Whole Foods, I see BBQ seitan 'chicken' pizza available, but it never looks very appealing. There's like, a bunch of dried up Daiya cheese and one piece of 'chicken' on each slice. While I like the idea of a BBQ pizza, I never want to buy a slice.
So, I took it upon myself to make my own pizza!

Ingredients:
Whole Foods pre-made pizza dough
Packaged seitan (you know I would have made my own if I wasn't dead tired and ready for dinner)
Follow Your Heart Soy Mozz (my roomie Dan likes it better than Daiya)
Spinach
1 red onion
BBQ Sauce (I always go with Stubbs because that is where I saw Spoon play at SXSW 2010 and it changed my life forever)
Garlic (you know me - like 8 cloves)
Green onions

I let the seitan marinate in BBQ sauce as I prepped all my other ingredients. Leave your pizza dough out because it is much easier to work with at room temperature. I began to melt my cheese.
Next I sauteed my red onions til caramelized and then added the seitan, cooking until slightly browned. I then added my chopped garlic and spinach, sauteing until spinach was fully cooked.

I stretched the dough out on a greased cookie sheet, being careful not to play with the edges too much. If you want a beautiful crust, do not handle the edges! Stretch out the dough from the middle.

Next I spread a thin layer of BBQ sauce, melted cheese, then chicken-spinach mix and finished it off by sprinkling on chopped green onions. The oven had been preheating at 475 (per the instructions) and into the oven it went for about 12 minutes!
It was pretty spectacular. My roommates Dan and Rurik demolished half of it in about 5 minutes.

Thai Idea in the (un)Tenderloin

As a self proclaimed socialite, I take it upon myself to get my people together. One Thursday afternoon not-too- long-ago, instead of focusing on work, I texted most of my friends to see if they wanted to get dinner at Thai Idea the following night. Lo and behold, most people did. 10 person dinner reservation? Done and done.

Thai Idea is new, it's veg, and I needed to eat there. Because you can't be a vegan Socialite and not eat at the most happening new restaurants in SF, right? RIGHT?
(Disclaimer - when I refer to myself as a socialite, it means I work full time, am broke always, but generally just like to get everyone together and have the best time ever. Of everyone's life. I am the poor person's socialite. The most awesome kind, obvi.)
I had read a few reviews of Thai Idea. Had heard a few rumors (and by rumors I mean my friends and co-workers being all, "Have you heard of it? It's new and it's delicious") It was time for me to make a few calls, make a few texts, get handed over my paycheck, run to the bank, walk through the Tenderloin, be the first to arrive (for once) and get excited.
I don't know how long this is going to last, but Thai Idea is BYOB. A 40oz made it to the table. Did I mention I was the financially challenged person's socialite?
I ordered what I had read online were the best things on the menu. Which of course, were the most expensive. I had a epiphany that night, everyone. I am not a cheap date. Not for myself, and not for the poor sap future dreamboat that asks me out.

Firecracker Balls! You must ask for them to be made vegan or else they come with mayonnaise. My vegan co-worker/friend and myself both forgot to order them that way (Because we were at a vegetarian restaurant! We assumed everything was catered to us. WRONG.) so he hopped up and let the kitchen know before the damage was done. Anyway, these are really tasty. It's like fish sushi, for the vegan missing that in their life! It's supposed to be like Ahi tuni rolls, deep fried. YES PLEASE. So amazeballs.

Panang Avocado Shrimp. It was good. I was expecting something else, but it was basically a panang curry with shrimp and avocado. You know why I was expecting something else? BECAUSE IT WAS THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING ON THE MENU. I wanted to be blown away, and I was not. Don't get me wrong, it was very tasty. Plus, the novelty of vegan shrimp has worn off on me, so.....maybe that had something to do with it?

Here's the truth, you guys. I burnt out on Thai food in Chicago. I like it, but I'm not in love. Plus, I work in a restaurant that serves vegan meat galore, so that treat has worn off too. Gawd, what a downer, right?  However, these days I'm really into making dinner out of appetizers, and Thai Idea's apps looked really creative and delicious. So I'd def go back, buy a deuce deuce at the liquor store next door, then get to work on some vegan crab cakes and more fireballs.

Oh! A few more things I do have to say about Thai Idea, that are much more positive, are that their prices are reasonable and the presentation of the plates is beautiful. I highly recommend going. It's very cute inside as well. The staff was lovely and very accommodating to our large table, so it's like, very much worth hitting up.

My coworker Nate, aforementioned in this post, ordered this fancy dish....

I wish I could tell you what it was, but I've completely forgotten.

Gracias Madre Is My Most Favorite Vegan Restaurant.

As far as vegan restaurants go, I love Gracias Madre so much! I think it's my favorite. I'm not going to lie to you - I'd choose Gracias Madre over Millennium if I had to pick one over the other for dinner. THERE I SAID IT.

Though I do love Gracias Madre, I miss The Handlebar in Chicago so much. I'd eat there once a week if it was in SF. Maybe twice! I'd go broke but it'd be okay because I'd be surrounded by buffalo 'chicken' ranch wraps and sides of collard greens.
I haven't done a Gracias Madre post yet because I no longer work for Cafe Gratitude, and therefore do not receive a 50% on all the food at both CG and Gracias Madre, which means I cannot afford it anymore. Vegan organic food does not come cheap. There was definitely a time that I would hit that place up at least twice a month, at most, twice a week! It's that delicious, I'm not kidding.
I broke my streak of not eating there when Isla Hess, the chef and creator of Nacheez, blew into the city from Sacramento to:
a.) See the San Francisco Premiere of Get Vegucated
b.) Go out to dinner with me, pre-show!
We email each other somewhat often, as I do posts about Nacheez* for Vegansaurus on the regular, but we had yet to meet. Gracias Madre it was. (Because it is the awesomest best, for real, I'm not even joking)
Everything on the menu is phenomenal. EVERY SINGLE THING. I highly recommend the enchiladas, but usually when I go there, I make a feast out of their appetizers and sides. I like a little a lot of everything.

 

 The Ensalada de Caesar

 The Quesadillas de Camote (or as I like to call them, butternut squash quesadillas) These are considered Gracias Madre's signature dish. For a reason (best quesadillas, ever).

Greens con Chile y Ajo (or, as I call it, sauteed kale - which it usually is, but this time not so much. I can't speak Spanish, and I don't even want to pretend to when I order off the menu. Lame, I know.)

Looking at these pics, my meal looks like it was kind of boring. But it wasn't, I swear. Gracias Madre spices everything so well. Another thing I like about going there, especially because I don't ever have exorbitant amounts of money to spend, is that the portion sizes are huge! So I can always bet I'll have food to take home and eat 3 hours later.

Another favorite side of mine is the Cauliflower con Queso Fundido, which is cauliflower baked in cashew cheese. I decided that night, ordering a beer was more important than another side.

My co-worker used to order the tortillas and guacamole, plus the sauteed greens and make tacos on the cheap. I'm totally doing that next time I go. Then I can justify drinking two beers! (All Cafe Gratitude and Gracias Madre beers/wines are organic and vegan. Score!)

Gracias Madre is mostly, if not 100% soy free, as well as mostly gluten free.

 *My taste-off post, which is one of my favorites, doesn't show up in the tagged Nacheez posts because it is labeled Nacheeze. You should read it anyway because I like to show off.