How do you say soy in Czech?

Anthony Bourdain declared Prague the land of pork when he visited the Czech Republic capital for his godsend of a TV show, No Reservations. While he may have a point, I found Prague to be fairly vegan friendly upon closer examination. At first glance, the streets of Prague are filled with all things pig; the grocery aisles all things dairy; the locals all things...chinchilla. Although the Edinburgh Tesco offers about 6 variations of non-dairy milk, I could not for the life of me find soy milk in the Prague Tesco. This might have been a language barrier though and for the record I now know that soy in Czech is sója but soy milk is sójové mléko. I'm still not convinced this information would have helped me though. As I was put up by Logan, the meat eater, I tried not to push the boundaries of my warm welcome and indulged in such vegetarian (but not vegan) delights as the local dumpling bread and smazeny, pronounced "shmaz". For as little as 25 crowns, smazeny is probably one of the best street vendor foods to soak up the alcohol in your stomach at 3 am. From what I could discern it consists of breaded, melted cheese with onions and condiments in between a hamburger bun. The bites I stole from Logan were totally worth the breach from veganism and I felt pretty cultured compared to the large group of wasted Americans next to me repeatedly yelling out for a cheeseburger.

As I explored the city, I began to see signs of a vegetarian-conscious underground often expressed through graffiti.

A chance encounter with an ad for a vegetarian restaurant prompted me to google the vegan food scene, despite the meat fuelled cries of Tony Bourdain, Logan, and local street vendors. Logan generously agreed to check out the vegetarian restaurant Maitrea on Valentine's Day. Maitrea is a sister restaurant to Clear Head (as seen in the advertisement) and offers an eclectic menu of veg and vegan delights sure to satisfy even the most pork addicted palate. I chose a pasta with soy-based imitation cream sauce, smoked tofu, and spinach. Although I usually avoid soy I recognize that I should be grateful for any type of a gourmet vegan meal in a formerly communist country where you ate what you got end of story. While the cream sauce was a bit too rich for my liking the smoked tofu was nothing short of inspired. Logan and I had to take home our rice pudding desert because we were too full but I highly recommend it to anyone who goes to Prague, vegan or not. The back of the menu also included a very helpful index of vegetarian terms like "tofu", "seitan" etc to clarify any questions for first timers. The staff was also very helpful and the general ambiance of the restaurant, filled with sanskrit writings and tea lights, made for a very relaxing experience. At around 450 crowns the meal was expensive for Czech standards but do the math and you'll realize 2 people stuffed themselves on Valentine's evening to the tune of about 25 dollars. Not bad.(Děkuji, Logan!)



PS If anyone can explain why a lot of the writing is in blue and how to make it not in blue I will be forever in your debt.

Pizza Night

I am currently in Edinburgh, Scotland and have much to report on the vegan scene here. Before this happens though, I want to say a little something about vegan pizza, something everyone can enjoy! That said, part of my mission is to educate people on the vegan lifestyle without shaming anyone out of the meat isle of the grocery store. Therefor I warn you this post contains graphic material of the meat eating variety. Some images may not be suitable for angry vegans.
What does this mean? It means I believe in adding vegan options to meals, not taking meat options away from my friends. I've converted many a mouth to my vegan baked goods and I thought I would try the same with pizza.
We made our own dough from scratch but this took a long time so I would recommend buying pizza dough from the store (just make sure there's no animal product in it). As well, whole wheat pizza crusts are really hard to make from scratch (they don't rise as well) so that's another reason to buy pre-made whole wheat dough. From there I mixed tomato sauce with pesto sauce. For the pesto I blended about 3 cups of basil, 3 cloves of garlic, 5 handfuls of walnuts, a little salt, and 6 tablespoons of olive oil. It looks kinda icky but it tastes DELICIOUS!
Meat-eater Logan and I making the dough (sometimes a little wine on the side is needed-or should I say kneaded?)

From there I added kalamata olives, artichokes and sun dried tomatoes. Next I placed strips of vegan cheese over the toppings. Again, I suggest using non-soy cheese, such as rice cheese or almond cheese. Don't forget that soya production can be just as devastating to the environment and our bodies as meat. However, pizza can be delicious without cheese too! Next time I will definitely try one without cheese but my dinner guests wanted to try one with vegan cheese- who was I to say no? I then sprinkled cilantro on top of the cheese. (Feel free to leave this out if you are one of those unfortunate souls who thinks cilantro tastes like soap)
Logan's pizza looks delicious! But it was also very very not vegan. He deserves some major props though for this masterpiece
Finally, our pizzas were done and everyone enjoyed them!
Update on Europe coming soon!

Final Seattle Post: Lark, Squid and Ink Review

Squid and Ink

The fam and I headed over to the Georgetown area of Seattle for breakfast the other day and my was it worth the drive off the island. In lue of my usual g-town routine, this adventure traded popped collars for gages and kid cudi for chris cornell. just the way i like it! squid and ink operates as an entirely vegan restaurant manned by one cook and one waiter by day and a jammin bar by night, offering several beers on tap and the Georgetown beer of choice, PBR. the walls are all black except for the occasional tag from a drunk patron and the only coffee you'll get here comes from a self-serve coffee maker in the corner. my waiter was in his mid-20s, had dreads bellow his knees, and spent the rest of his time talking with his red bearded friend at the bar about how he got beat up by a girl last night. i think i might be in love. apart from the ambiance, Squid and Ink offers some truly delicious but affordable 100% vegan grub. My dad opted for the fried steak and hash browns breakfast, my mother the "french kiss" french toast with a side of scrambled eggs (tofu). I got the homemade burger patty (one of the best I've ever had) on rye with caramelized onions and au jus dipping sauce. Apart from their excellent execution of usually carnivorous delights, Squid and Ink uses tasty and healthy spices like turmeric and cinnamon to complete the various dishes. Unlike Cafe Flora, the decor and service may not be top notch, but the food is first class and affordable, staying true to Georgetown's industrial roots.

Lark
Lark is a foodie's paradise and gave me one of the best meals I've ever had as a going away present. The menu changes according to season and it shows. Though expensive, it's worth it if you love food- maybe not if you like food, but definitely if you love food. Lark covers all matters of sin excluded from the Garden of Vegan (aka meat) and may not appear vegan friendly at first. Fortunately, the Lark staff can adjust their meals for the vegan pallate, concious of their very hip location in liberal Seattle. I cannot explain to you how delicious this meal was, except to say that all I had were sunchokes, mushrooms, and sorbet for dinner. Upon closer taste however, the sunchockes were lightly baked in garlic, salt, rosemary and thyme with a hint of lavender. The mushrooms were so thinly sliced and so delictately cooked that they tasted like noodles. And the sorbet was a homemade chocolate sorbet with bourbon maple syrup, pecans, and white chocolate flakes. If you are ever in Seattle I highly recommend visiting Lark, a slice of heaven on earth; the garden of vegan hidden among the weeds.

Snow Day!! Bananbrød og Varmt Smør Rom!!

I don't know much Danish but for some reason I feel like its more fun to talk about food in this language. Similarly, I like expressing the past-perfect tense in spanish. ANYWAYS, today it snowed all over DC and for once cocaine wasn't involved. I enjoyed myself by studying for finals andddd indulging in homemade vegan banana bread plus hot buttered rum (hopefully my translation was OK).
I make a small loaf of banana bread just big enough to warm two bellies on cold winter mornings. I mush up 2 bananas and then add 1/4 cup melted Earth Balance and coconut oil mixed together (oil optional), 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbs water to mimic an egg, lots of cinnamon, tiny pinch of salt, 1 tsp baking soda + 1 tsp baking powder, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1 cup flour. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or so and voila! afternoon delight
I recently came into the possession of some hot buttered rum mix from Whole Foods. Mix this with 1 tbs melted Earth Balance, 3/4 cup water, and a bit of rum and afternoon delight turns into late afternoon slumber. OR nix the rum, use vanilla almond milk instead of water and sip a seasonal treat everyone can enjoy.

Double V-Ture: Fall Food and Seattle Lovin

It's been a while since my last post, apologies friends!

FALLing In Love with Vegan
First on the list is fall food! Around the middle of October I went a little crazy with seasonal recipes and subsequently gained 10 pounds of squash, apple and pumpkin. It was worth every gourd.
Apple-Squash Bake
I highly recommend slicing up Honeycrisp apples with butternut squash. Place in baking dish, drizzle with agave nectar, a little bit of Earth Balance vegan butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Place in oven at 350 and cook until tender (20 minutes give or take). YUM YUM YUM.
Carrot-Ginger soup
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons ginger (I used bottled sushi ginger)
10 medium carrots
3 tablespoons olive oil (what up EVOO!!)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup hemp milk- just say NO to soy and YES to omega 3 and 6 fatty acids
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon agave syrup (maple syrup if you don't have agave)
little bit of salt n pepper ooh baby baby
1)basically you want to heat the oil, 2 tablespoons of broth, onion, ginger and garlic in a soup pan and saute for a few minutes
2)add the rest of the broth, hemp milk, pepper, honey, and carrots
3) bring to simmer and let carrots cook until they start to get mushy
4) let soup cool- no seriously...let it cool
5) use blender to puree ingredients 1 cup at a time
6) return soup to pot, heat it up and enjoy!!
although the recipe does not call for it, I added some melter Earth Balance for a slightly creamier consistency...this recipe takes patience (which I do not have) but it worth it!!
Vegan Chocolate-Pumpkin Cupcakes from the book "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World"
my dude friends were impressed by this one- a great addition to a 4o and 10 cups
1 cup canned pumpkin- I used the pie filling
1/4 cup hemp milk
2 tablespoon coconut oil
8 tablespoon vegan chocolate chips- yes, vegan chocolate chips exist
3/4 cups granulated sugar OR 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup agave syrup (it works double time)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup pastry flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking power
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1)Preheat oven to 350.
2)Mix wet ingredients together. Sift in dry. Stir with fork until just blended, fold in 6 tablespoons chocolate chips. Don't use a handmixer or overmix, batter will get gummy.
3)Fill cupcake pan and let bake 18 minutes.
4)At 18 minutes I take those bad boys out and put in the remaining chocolate chips into the center of the cupcake, they make a nice melter chocolate center when the cupcakes are done =) 5)Return cupcakes to oven for 4-6 minutes and then let cool.
6)I use the same frosting explained in my last post, except I add more cinnamon for a slightly spicy frosting.
Thanksgiving Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce (taken from Sunset magazine)
1 bag (12 oz.) cranberries, thawed if frozen
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
3 small sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1)In a medium saucepan, bring cranberries, sugar, molasses, and thyme to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Boil, stirring often, until most cranberries pop, 5 minutes. Make sure to remove thyme.
2) At the point, it looks and tastes kinda icky and you're wondering if you should waste a pomegranate on it. Never fear friends! Put it in the fridge overnight (or at least a few hours) to let sauce solidify.
3) Mix in lots of pomegranates and refrigerate for another few hours, then enjoy!
Thanksgiving Cranberry Ginger Sauce (also from Sunset)
2 bags (12 oz. each) fresh or frozen cranberries, any soft or decayed berries discarded
2 1/2 cups sugar
Finely shredded zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I suggest using a cheese grater to those not in possession of my mother's coveted zester)
1)Combine all ingredients in a large pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries have popped, about 20 minutes.
2) Let cool over night. Patience friends, patience.

Sleepless In Seattle- from too much vegan food!!!
Short review of some great vegan/vegetarian eateries in Seattle. There's more out there, trust me.
A few places I have NOT tried yet but are worthy of praise from hype alone:
Cortona Cafe: All I know is they serve vegan Belgian waffles. And that's all I really need to know, to be honest
Pizza Pi: Vegan pizza including a build-your-own option and numerous fake meats.
Thrive: It's as much about the ambiance as the food. Their mission statement reads "Our menu is a testament to the decadence of Raw foods, demolishing the myth that to eat healthy you must sacrifice deliciousness. O, not so. We're vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, fatigue-free, and wholly pro-bliss, pro-joy, pro-shine. Dare to be beautifully buoyant. Eat. Drink. Live. Thrive."
Georgetown Liquor Company: Fabulous food in Seattle's historically industrial and recently hip Georgetown area (for all my DC loves just think less collared shirts, more tats and piercings). Unfortunately you have to be 21 to enter, but rest assured should I turn 21 in my city of birth this year GLC is where I shall dine.
Squid & Ink: I hear they serve a mean breakfast. Plus, an every changing menu gives one awesome chef a lot of room for creative/gastronomic growth.
OK, now on to some places I do know!
Whole Foods- sure they're all over, but only NW Whole Foods offer a delicious vegan chocolate cake so tasty even the most carnivorous palate can't tell the difference.
Cafe Flora- ALL TIME FAVORITE VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT (with vegan options yay). Seasonal specials from local farmers plus a core menu that never lets me down. I highly recommend the bucket of yam fries with the vegan aioli sauce for an appetizer. Our family typically orders Vegetarian French Dip (available vegan), Oaxaca Tacos, or the Portabello Wellington (sadly not vegan). Great atmosphere and a friendly staff who will put up with my dad's anti-veg/pro-carnivore jokes. Although I am always full by the end of dinner, this place is such a treat I soldier through a decadent vegan chocolate layer cake or sorbet for dessert. Gluten free options for all courses available as well.
Plum: Located across the street from very hip apartments with huge windows and a yoga studio, this Capital Hill location offers entertainment value in location alone. I really respect their chef, Makini Howell, owner of another Seattle vegan institution, Hillside Quickie. She is definitely a visionary/pioneer in the Seattle vegan scene and takes risks in her vegan delights. That said, Plum still has some kinks to work out. They are currently not serving yam fries due to ventilation issues. I ask you, what is a vegan restaurant without fried sweet potatoes?? Second, they should change the name from Plum to Pepper, as everything on the menu is SMOKIN hot. They aren't kidding when they call it Spicy Mac n' Yease. As long as your prepared for the heat, the food offers a good blend of Asian/Cajun inspired vegan cuisine.
Remedy Teas: My lover took me here over the summer for my birthday and I must admit I was impressed with his choice. First of all, I loveee tea- and with all the health benefits, you should too! I got to sample brick tea for the first time, very exciting after reading about it in "Liquid Jade", a book on the history of tea. Even better, all of Remedy Tea's libations are organic. They also offer several vegan and non-vegan food options to go with your drankage. I recommend the vegan versions of the pesto cream and apple pie tea sandwiches, plus any of the vegan pastries offered for dessert.

Yowzahs is this a blog post or a novel?
XOXO V-Girl

Vegan Ingredients Everywhere Agree: Let's Get Baked!!

It's official, V Girl is now a V Goddess in the kitchen. OK, I might be getting ahead of myself with that statement but I must say my baking skills have gone from 0 to 60 faster than your daddy's m series beemer.
I recently discovered an organic vegan cake mix courtesy of Dr. Oetker (brand name, no actual doctors were involved). For my first try I used hemp milk instead of cow's milk but I found it a bit too earthy. This time around I went with vanilla soymilk (despite trying to get away from the soy) which gives a sweeter taste to these tasty treats. I have heard of many egg-replacers in my life time: applesauce, mashed bananas, silken tofu, etc. I read that 1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons water is equal to 1 egg. After baking 1 cobbler, 1 cake, 12 cupcakes, 12 mini brownie bites, chocolate and vanilla frosting in the last few days, I have to say I highly recommend the flax seed alternative. Not only is it heart healthy, it doesn't leave an awkward taste in my baked goods...eureka! I bought a fair sized bag of Bob's Read Mill ground flax seed at Whole Foods for less than 4 dollars and I'm pretty sure it will carry me through the semester. A pretty good deal when you consider the cost of an egg (on your wallet and your heart hehe). For butter I use Earth Balance vegan buttery spread, and for my "cream cheese" vanilla frosting it was as simple as 6 oz. toffuti cream cheese, 2 tbs vanilla extract and 3 cups of sugar blended together. The recipe called for 4 but after tasting this decadent topping I would even consider cutting it down to 2 cups of sweetness. I noticed the somewhat grainy nature of the frosting and used the left overs as a body scrub on my knees, elbows, feet, etc in the shower. It left me smelling sweet and not the least bit sticky!
Finally, for all of you non-vegan readers, you might be thinking "Only vegans would find her cupcakes delicious". Well, let me tell you!, this has not been the case, pally. All 3 cupcakes tasters were heterosexual carnivorous males and all enjoyed my cupcakes thank you very much. The same is to be said of the numerous people who enjoyed nomming on my chocolate cake earlier this week. To be clear, I'm not showing off, because my cooking skills are mediocre at best. The point is that vegan baked goods can be easy to make and fun to eat no matter your cooking skills or your taste bud preferences.

Dude I Forgot to Write About Amsterdam

It's been almost a month since I was actually in the Netherlands but I think it's important to write about the vegan scene there anyways. To begin, the euro exchange rate was way better than the danish crown, which made exploring food more possible. No north american should ever have to feel relief when confronted with a euro exchange rate, no one. But alas there I was relishing in a terrible exchange rate that was way better than the last.
I thought I would be overwhelmed by all the craziness of Amsterdam, what with the drugs and the women and the drugs. To my surprise, I found it far quainter than bustling Copenhagen. The Dutch are more outgoing than the Danish, and I'm pretty sure they drink less. Actually, they do most things less than Americans too. I was surprised (but strangely satisfied) to learn that more Americans smoke pot, use coke, (or pretty much any drug) on a regular basis than the Dutch. More American men have paid for sex than Dutch men as well. Which brings me to my next point: the Amsterdam we idealize or deplore is based on tourism, not Dutch culture. The Dutch are not crazy party people or sex-maniacs; they are simply tolerant. This is embarrassing to admit, but I understood the Austin Powers joke on a deeper level when Michael Caine says "There's only two types of people I hate in this world- people who are intolerant of other cultures, and the Dutch" because being Dutch and intolerant seem to be almost mutually exclusive. The coffee shops are likely filled with people foreign to the Netherlands and most of the men I saw in the Red Light district were not speaking Dutch. In other words, Amsterdam is catering to certain types of tourists. Some might be high rolling horny jackasses, but others might be those docile innocent creatures we so often refer to as hippies.
Symptoms of hippiness commonly found along the canals of Amsterdam may include an affinity for all things ganja, hatred of money and the establishment (usally funded by the parents' bank account-we call these beings trustafarians), and a general distaste for...yes you guessed it meat. With this in mind I realized my 1 hour plane ride had basically transported me into a land of my kin, a virtual goldmine of vegetarian and vegan delights.
First stop was Bio Market, sort of the Dutch equivalent of Whole Foods. Since coming to Denmark I had not seen a veggie burger in a grocery store, but did see one offered on a menu at a pub for 20 USD (I pased). Now here I was, surrounded by the good stuff- what's a V Girl to do? Bio Market offered everything from dark chocolate covered soy nuts to vegan spring rolls, and my personal favorite: vegan salami sticks. I have fond childhood memories of nomming on 7/11 salami sticks but had all but given up hope for an alternative. In this way, Bio Market pretty much one-upped anything I've seen in the US- cheers Amsterdam!
I hear de Waagals has a fabulous eastern inspired vegan menu (think curry, lentil burgers, etc) but I never had time to visit. Eat At Jo's has its own seperate vegan menu. It's kind of like the Dutch take on an American gritty diner, way cute and affordable. I also saw a charming pizza place with 3 different vegan pizzas, I wish I could remember the name! However, the point of this post is that I can't remember the name because there were so many vegan options. If you go to Amsterdam you don't really need to plan ahead as a vegan, you'll find something different every night at a reasonable price for European standards- we're still not talking dollar-menu cheap here people.
Vaarwel,
V Girl