Month: February 2011
I’ve Died and Gone to Sushi Heaven
The Hubz and I started our weekend with a trip to Miya’s Sushi in New Haven CT. I just happened to find out on Friday morning that my friend Lisa is 105 Academy right now with Bun the owner of Miya’s. Well she must have put in a good word because when we arrived at the restaurant later that evening for dinner they rolled out the red carpet. We were spoiled rotten with amazing food and drinks all night. I honestly can’t tell you everything we ate because there was so much that I forget. However I did photograph it all so you can see all the beautiful amazing food we ate. One of the items that was our favorite that you can see in the first row of photos is the vegan Toyko Fro- it’s these yummy fried potatoes with a creamy sauce on top – it was to die for. Also yummy was the pumpkin miso soup; I had never experienced anything like it and if I was able to I’d eat it everyday.
As for the sushi, we were treated to a number of small samples of different rolls and they were all absolutely amazing and unfortunately I can’t remember all the names. I do however know that I was in love with all of the ones with roasted garlic it was a yummy surprise in every bite. You really can’t go wrong ordering any of the vegan sushi at Miya’s because it is all delicious and super inventive. Now that I know Bun is at raw school at 105 Degrees I will be curious to see if he adds any raw vegan dishes/sushi to his menu.
If you haven’t already figured it out Miya’s is the best sushi I have ever had and I would gladly move to New Haven just to eat there everyday. I encourage anyone visiting, passing through or if you just live within a 5 hour radius to jump in their car and go there now and get yourself some amazing sushi.
Happy Valentines Day!
I want to thank everyone who participated in the 1st Annual Vegan Valentine Contest; thank you for the time and effort you put into creating wonderful recipes. I also want to to thank everyone who visited the blog and voted for their favorite recipes, thank you. Now onto the winners of each category:
Appetizer
Kaycee’s Jalapeno Poppers– WINNER!!!
With no other entries Kaycee has won the appetizer category! Congrats!
Entree
The Perfect Pizza – Shane’s Red Hot, Heart-Shaped Pizza
Noelle’s Spicy Tomato Alfredo Pasta
This was a very close race but with 55% of the votes Noelle’s pasta won- Congratulations!
Dessert
Nicole’s Chili Cheesecake in the raw
Nicole’s Chili Cheesecake in the raw is the winner with 62% of the votes
Recipe that Most Embraced the themes
This category is based on the recipe that most embraced the themes of fiery, Valentine’s Day and of course vegan. I felt that there were a few recipes that really stood out to me that had the potential to be the recipe that most embraced the themes but there was one that stood out the most to me. I also asked you to help me out and tell me your favorite overall recipe that embraced the themes and we came to the same conclusion. And the Winner is:
Nicole’s Chili Cheesecake in the raw
New Category- Husband’s Choice
The Hubz fought hard for this to win the overall since the recipe was not only runner up for best dessert but also for best overall (and because it is his favorite) I decided to let him have a Husband’s Choice Category which will be included in future contest because without him this blog wouldn’t be the same. So Congrats!
E-Book Recipe Sneak Peak
After polling my testers about what recipe I should let you sneak-a-peak at this was the one that received the most votes. You actually luck out because this is a two for one special; the gravy is an important component to this recipe but both the gravy and seitan could be served separately. I think that it is great for the upcoming holiday so enjoy and I hope you take the time to read my other posts and the posts of my testers here, here, here ,here, here, here, here, here and here.
Additionally if you do not have a copy of my first e-book, Soups, Stews & Chili, this is your chance to get both e-books for the reduced rate of $10.99 (regular price $13.90)- see the side bar
Please note that when an order is placed you will receive the e-book within 24 hours.
A Big Steamy Bowl Of Pho
Last night the Hubz and I decided that after we got our laundry under control that since we have no food in the house we’d go to a new place Pho Pasteur in Winooski, VT. I had contacted them a few weeks ago asking about their vegan options and although they are limited they sounded delicious and so we decided to try it.
To start we decided to try the unsweetened iced tea; we were expecting your standard iced tea but this was way better. It reminded me of the tea used in Thai iced tea’s except with out the sweetened condensed milk- it was delicious.
The Hubz and I were pretty hungry so we decided to start with the vegetarian fresh rolls which were served with a peanut sauce and they were delicious. The perfect balance of herbs, tofu and noodles all wrapped up into a little bundle.
For the entrees you have 3 options- the vegetarian pho, the lemongrass tofu with vermicelli or the tofu fried rice (no egg). Since i am a huge fan of asian noodle soup and more specifically pho I went with the pho and the Hubz the lemongrass tofu.
Overall we loved out meals; the food was super tasty, the service was great and the cost was well cheap. We will be back here again for sure!
Don’t forget to vote for your favorite Fiery Vegan Valentines!
1st Annual Vegan Valentine Contest
This is my first Vegan Valentine Contest and the theme is FIERY.
Contestants were asked to create an appetizer, entree and/or dessert that embraced the theme of fiery AND Valentine’s Day and were given the following hints to help them create their dishes:
fiery |ˈfī(ə)rē|
adjective ( fierier , fieriest )
- consisting of fire or burning strongly and brightly : the sun was a fiery ball low on the hills | [as submodifier ] figurative afiery hot chili sauce.
- having the bright color of fire : the car was painted a fiery red.
- (of a person) having a passionate, quick-tempered nature : a fiery, imaginative Aries.
- (of behavior or words) passionately angry and deeply felt : a fiery speech. hmmmm maybe a narrative of some sort?
Contestants were allowed to enter one recipe per category and you the readers are going to vote for the winner for each category. You will also be given the opportunity to let me know which recipe you think should win overall; I will be making the final decision but would love your input. If there happens to a tie in any of the categories the Hubz will be the tie breaker.
Below you will find the photo, recipe name, creators name and a link to the recipe URL. You are allowed to vote for each category as well as for the overall winner. Before you vote please consider the following things:
- Does the recipe embrace the FIERY theme?
- Does the recipe embrace Valentine’s Day?
- Is this a dish you would create for a loved one on Valentines Day?
Happy voting!
Voting will be open until February 13, 2011 at 9pm EST.CLOSED
Appetizer
Kaycee’s Jalapeno Poppers– WINNER!!!
With no other entries Kaycee has won the appetizer category! Congrats!
Entree
The Perfect Pizza – Shane’s Red Hot, Heart-Shaped Pizza
Noelle’s Spicy Tomato Alfredo Pasta
Dessert
Abigail’s Chipotle Cherry Chocolate Truffles
Nicole’s Chili Cheesecake in the raw
Kaycee’s Fiery Chili Chocolate Red Velvet Cake Pops
Shannon’s Fiery Valentine Vegan Fudge
Recipe that Most Embraced the themes
Winner TBA
E-Book Testimonials
“I was impressed by the innovative, creative combinations of ingredients and textures in Lindsay’s recipes, all of which are easily accessible to the home cook. The baked spinach and artichoke dip was creamy with very little fat (and no soy!) and the sloppy split pea sandwiches were a huge hit with my picky hubby. I absolutely loved the entire section on sushi (the fig & pear sushi with strawberry cashew dip was my favorite)–what a great idea to take sushi and revamp it with flavors from other international cuisines! These recipes provide a huge variety of flavors and approaches from breakfast to dinner and everything in between. From banana bread protein pancakes to creamy miso pasta bake to sweet potato red lentil dal or skinny blood orange margarita, you’re guaranteed to find something that will be a hit with each member of the family!”
-Ricki Heller, PhD, RHN
Author of Sweet Freedom: Desserts You’ll Love without
Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar
- Honorable Mention in the Cuisine Canada 2010 Culinary Book Awards!
- one of only three cookbooks recommended on Ellen DeGeneres’ website!
Blog: http://dietdessertndogs.com
Cookbook: http://dietdessertndogs.com/cookbook
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dietdessertndogs
Twitter: @rickiheller
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“This e-cookbook contains a wonderful selection of vegan eats that I will enjoy cooking and serving to those I love. Lindsay’s culinary creativity shines in some great new plant-based recipes that are already favorites in our house as well as fun twists on old favorites, like the delicious Avocado Tofu Benedict. We loved the interesting variations of veggie sushi and I have already served it a few times to the delight of my guests. I’ll be revisiting this e-book over and over again.”
– Wendy McDaniel, tester
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“Wow, that’s what I said after every bite. The recipes in Lindsay’s eBook are amazing. I was really impressed by the complex layers of flavours. These dishes would be perfect to serve at a fancy dinner party, a living-room picnic with your kids, or for a delicious evening at home, alone.”
– Lisa Pitman, Tester