Mix-A-Sandwich: Chickpea Salad

This week's song got me thinking about how uninspiring a Quarter Pounder actually is. Greasy, questionable beef on an over-processed, preservative-laden, stale roll. Yum.
So I'm posting a recipe for an awesome vegan alternative: Chickpea salad sandwich filler. It's a simple and cheap meal that even the barest pantries could probably conjure. I recommend pairing it with some lettuce on a good crusty roll or hearty multi-grain with a few extra cilantro stems. Be creative. [[jessica]]

Chickpea Salad
1 15 oz can chickpeas
1/4 onion minced
2 celery stalks minced
2 Tb minced pickles
1/2 tsp basil
1 Tb minced cilantro
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp olive oil
5 Tb vegan mayo
Salt and pepper to taste

- Drain chickpeas into a large bowl and mash into a rough consistency.
- Add the onions, celery, pickles, and seasoning and toss with chickpea mash.
- Mix in the vegan mayo, salt and pepper; adjust the amounts to your liking.
- Refrigerate for a few hours to chill and to allow flavors to marry.

Songs About Food: Sir Mix-A-Lot

"... hit Mickey D's, Maharaji starts to bug. He ate a Quarter Pounder, threw the pickles on my rug ..."
OK, I admit, I really wanted to post "Buttermilk Biscuits" but I couldn't find a good video for it. Maybe later this summer I'll make one myself or just post an mp3. For now, though, this is a more-than-adequate substitute. In fact, I'm particularly fond of this one because whenever I drive with my son in the car and we encounter a bad driver, I have to find creative ways to curse them out so he doesn't pick up any bad habits. Calling someone a "Bremelo gip," as in the third verse, is one of my personal favorites. Perhaps it will become one of yours, too? [[justin]]

Truth in Advertising?

I often find that the best things come in relatively unappealing packages. Take Tom Petty, for instance. Between the teeth and the sideburns and the slow Southern drawl, not an attractive man. But as soon as he puts on the Rickenbacker and launches into "Refugee," he transforms into a rock and roll Superman. The only real difference, actually, is that (as far as I know) Tom Petty can't leap tall buildings in a single bound. Then again, he did tell us that he was learning to fly without wings so who knows what he's truly capable of. The point is this: not all good things are good to look at, and TastyBite Kerala Vegetables are no exception.

Looking at the photo, two things should be apparent. First, on a purely visual level, this is the Tom Petty of microwavable foods. Second - and relatedly - the meal on the box does not look like the meal in my bowl. From the packaging, you'd think you were about to get giant chunks of potato and carrots; this is not the case. The largest potato was about the size of my thumbnail and there were only about six of them. Ditto for the carrots. Mostly, it's a lot of sauce and vegetable mush. Not surprising, perhaps, given that the top three ingredients are water, tomatoes, and coconut, but I'm still taking points off for the misleading package.

Visuals and composition aside, this one really redeems itself in the flavor department. The coconut sauce is thick and rich, and quite spicy. The potato and carrot pieces didn't get overly saturated by the sauce, they maintained a perfect balance between firm enough to hold together and soft enough to lose their crunch. Like I said before, there wasn't anywhere near as much vegetable as sauce, but if you have a nice naan or injera alongside it, the abundance of sauce is definitely a good thing. Sadly, I wasn't so prepared and instead had to soak up the sauce with a piece of multigrain Whole Foods sandwich bread, which was OK but a little less than authentic, to say the least.

Once I got past my irritation with the deceptive cover photo, I enjoyed this meal. So long as you understand that you're not going to get what's shown on the box, you probably will, too. Recommended. [[justin]]

Pass the Quinoa

The Incas really knew how to worship; this sacred South American superfood is a grain unlike any other. The delicate grain is versatile and can easily adapt to both savory and sweet variations. Not only does it have a delicious, slightly nutty flavor but with its high protein content and balanced set of essential amino acids, it's a complete protein source. The mind-blowingly amazing epicurean possibilities are truly endless, so eat up you hungry vegans! Below is a recipe for basic savory quinoa that's perfect as a side dish, light lunch, or chilled as salad. Although this isn't a traditional "Dutchie" recipe, it can be made, like most grains, in a dutch oven. I personally didn't have time to do the whole fire thing but if you're feeling adventurous or purist, feel free to go all the way here. [[jessica]]

Pass the Quinoa
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable based broth (we used no-chicken Better Than Bouillon)
1 Tb oil
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, diced or match-sticked
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup corn
1/3 cup edamame (shelled)
salt and pepper to taste

- In a heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven, heat oil and saute onion, carrot, and celery until tender and slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Thoroughly rinse the quinoa to avoid any soapy taste from its high saponin (a natural pesticide) content.
- Add quinoa and broth to the vegetable mixture, cover, and bring to a simmer.
- Cook until quinoa is tender but slightly chewy (al dente), about 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in corn and edamame, salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot, or cold as a quinoa salad. Serves 4

Songs About Food: Musical Youth

"... how does it feel when you've got no food?"
Let's get something straight. A "dutchie" was a Dutch oven. Poor Jamaicans would cook stew in this pot and then pass it around ("upon the left hand side") to their families and dinner companions. Although marketed as a novelty and definitely subtle in its politics, "Pass the Dutchie" has a lot more substance than you might expect - "Subterranean Homesick Blues," it ain't, but the last twenty-seven (!) years have been far kinder to this song than I anticipated. And just to be clear: it's not about smoking weed. [[justin]]

Don't Call It a Roach Coach

In 1775, Patrick Henry addressed the Virginia Convention and, in what may well be the most quoted moment of the American Revolution (OK, OK, maybe it was second to "The British are coming"), exhorted the assembled delegates to "give me liberty or give me death!" Stirring words, no doubt, but I have to admit that I always felt a much deeper connection to the perspective of the Dead Kennedys, who titled their 1987 compilation album Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death. Much of my teenage and adult life choices have been based on that philosophy, and my dining preferences are no exception. The trick has been figuring out a way to apply it to healthy, tasty vegan options - finding gourmet options in a fast food world, as it were. Magic Carpet Foods (Spruce at 36th, Philadelphia), a tiny lunch cart no larger than my bathroom, fulfills that need perfectly, as it's less than a five-minute walk from my on-campus office and only about a mile from my front door at home.

The menu is 100% vegetarian, with a large number of vegan options. We went with the Seitan Grinder - a pita full of seitan, marinated red and green peppers, lettuce, sauce, and cheese (vegan options available) - and the Tempeh Salad Sandwich, a pita stuffed with tempeh salad, lettuce, and a sesame tahini dressing.

The Seitan Grinder (above left) was quite good - the shredded seitan was perfectly seasoned; spicy but not overpowering. Its taste and texture were a nice complement to the peppers, which were sliced large and had just the right amount of crunch even after being marinated. My only real complaint is that the ratio of peppers to seitan was pretty highly tilted in favor of the peppers and I would have liked to see a more even balance. Jessica, a huge fan of all pepper-based dishes, agreed, but we both felt like that was a minor concern when considering the overall goodness of the sandwich. The Tempeh Salad Sandwich (above right) was a bit more controversial. Jessica declared that the tempeh salad was "the best I've ever tasted," and was quite enthusiastic about the entire sandwich. Truth be told, I think she was a little disappointed when, halfway through lunch, it was time to swap sandwiches, kind of like that episode of "Family Ties" where Ellen leaves for Paris and Alex takes Sharon the waitress to dinner but ends up spending the entire date trying to turn her into a carbon copy of Ellen. Kids of the eighties, you feel me here. But I digress. The point is, Jessica loved the Tempeh Salad Sandwich; I was a little lukewarm about it. I thought that there was way too much sauce, which gave the fillings a heavy consistency and overwhelmed me with rich flavors. It was kind of hard to taste the tempeh for all the sauce, actually. That's not to say that the sauce was bad, just that there was way too much of it. I'd recommend asking for light sauce; that might help things.

Overall, I'd say that the Seitan Grinder was an absolute winner and the Tempeh Salad Sandwich had potential but didn't quite live up to it. That said, though, it's no surprise why there's always a line outside: both sandwiches provided an enormous amount of food for a reasonable price ($4.75 each) and the guys behind the counter were very helpful and made sure that we got what we needed (ie., when we initially ordered the Meatball Sandwich vegan-style, they made sure to tell us that the "meatballs" were made with eggs). If you're a Penn or Drexel student - or any West Philly resident in general - this is probably the best all-vegetarian/vegan option going. Small complaints aside, I'd recommend it highly. [[justin]]

Pasta Salad a la Moz

Yesterday's song about food got me thinking about all the awesome meatless dishes I enjoy, and the few that I can actually make myself. Normally, I wouldn't do the recipes, but I tried something simple last night that turned out remarkably well and is worth a post. This should appeal to anyone who, like me, is an absolute novice in the kitchen and needs some kind of side dish for a potluck or summer barbecue. It also works well as a main dish; just pair it with some crusty bread and a big glass of iced tea. [[justin]]

Pasta Salad a la Moz
3 cups dry Fusilli
1/2 cup "mayo" (we used Vegennaise)
2 Tb brown mustard
1/2 cup edamame
1/2 cup kernel corn
1/4 cup celery
salt and pepper to taste

- Prepare the Fusilli as indicated on the box. Drain, rinse well with cool water, then drain again. Set the cooked pasta in the fridge to cool (an hour should do it).
- Prepare the edamame and corn in whatever way they need to be prepared - open the can, thaw on the stovetop or microwave, whatever. Chop the celery width-wise so you end up with pieces that look like little crescent moons. Add all three of those to the pasta, mix it up, and return to the fridge to continue cooling.
- When the pasta/veg mix is ready, add the mayo and mustard (and salt and pepper, if desired) and mix until coated evenly.
- Dish it out and get your grub on.

Songs About Food: The Smiths

"... and the flesh you so fancifully fry is not succulent, tasty or kind. It's death for no reason, and death for no reason is murder ..."
Well, isn't that a cheery way to get your Monday started? Your weekly song about food will not, I promise, always be so morose. But what else could possibly have been a more appropriate way to kick off the music posts on a blog written by two vegans? [[justin]]

We Heart New York

As spotted on a bus shelter in the East Village. [[j & j]]