Traveling and being vegan doesn’t always mix. Sure, you can launch your VegOut application or visit Happy Cow or go to the VegGuide for that city, but it’s still no guarantee that you’ll find wonderful food outside of big, diverse places like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, or New York. We’re spoiled in LA because we’ve come to expect a variety of vegan, vegetarian, and veg-friendly food options. So when we went to Denver, Colorado recently for business (the International Society for Technology in Education 2010 conference), and saw a grand total of three vegetarian restaurants listed in VegOut (and no purely vegan ones), we were a little apprehensive to say the least. Fortunately, one of the restaurants was WaterCourse Foods, and that proved to be a gem. In fact, we tried two other restaurants in Denver (and liked City, O’ City the vegetarian pizza bar owned by WaterCourse), but always came back for more food at WaterCourse because of the variety and quality.

Within minutes of reaching the city, before even checking in to our hotel, we decided to visit WaterCourse. It was lunch time, and we’d mainly eaten snacks on the road. The first positive mark was the atmosphere. The servers were very friendly and polite, and there was a warm feeling everywhere. When we walked in, we saw a double display case full of bakery items… From fancy looking cakes and pies to cookies, muffins, and cinnamon rolls (just to name a few things). Naturally, we didn’t get overly excited and asked, “Which of these items are vegan?” When the hostess replied, “All of them,” we knew that this wasn’t just any old vegetarian restaurant.

After being seated, we began looking through the menu. First thing I noticed was that they served breakfast till 5:00 pm. Huge bonus there! I love breakfast and brunch items anytime I can get it. And pretty much anything can be made vegan by omitting the cheese. Sure, it would be nice if they would serve Daiya, but if the demand isn’t there yet, then I’m not going to fault them.

We started with the Seitan Buffalo Wings. You have the option of having it with buffalo, BBQ, or teriyaki sauce, so we chose the traditional buffalo sauce. The texture of the seitan was really interesting in a good way. What I mean by that is the seitan I make at home is a little more dense and pleasantly chewy, and WaterCourse’s is much more airy and light. There was a reason for this. The lightness of the seitan basically allowed any sauce to fully infuse into the pieces, which is exactly what happened with the buffalo sauce, and WOW, what a sauce! It was tangy and spicy. The celery and vegan ranch that it came with were welcome sides to cool down our mouths. We loved it… Really really loved it. The one small problem… Which shouldn’t even be considered much of a problem is that the serving portions are HUGE. So our family of four could get through the appetizer without problem, but we couldn’t finish our entrees! So, if you’re planning on having appetizers, be sure to consider sharing entrees afterward.

Dumpling decided to have the Thai Peanut Stir Fry with grilled tofu. The tofu was nicely grilled and quite firm to stand up to the sauce and veggies. The veggies were crisp and fresh. The dish was good… Not great. I guess when you have a whole slew of vegan and vegetarian Thai places in Los Angeles, you appreciate great peanut sauces. If the sauce were a little more robust, it would have stood up to the thick tofu better…or maybe if we had chosen breaded tofu, it would have absorbed more sauce. Of all the dishes we had in this first meal, this one was the least favorite. That said, it kicked the butt of anything else we could get in Denver or Utah, so take our very light criticism with a grain of salt. Another bonus was the brown rice it was served with. I love the fact that brown rice was the norm here.

I chose to have breakfast (of course) and selected The Conejos without the cheese, a beautiful dish of scrambled tofu, tempeh chorizo, home fries, salsa, and avocado with a choice of bread (I went with the corn tortillas). This was one hearty dish. The slight tanginess of the salsa worked perfectly with the salty, earthy tempeh chorizo, and it was all tempered with the creaminess of the avocado. The tofu and potatoes added body and absorbed the flavors well. It was fantastic! I was most amazed by the tempeh chorizo. It wasn’t too spicy, but had such a great flavor. I’ve had plenty of soyrizo and similar things, but they’ve all been based on soy or TVP, so it was wonderful to have one based on tempeh!

Baby Corn takes after me, so she chose to have breakfast for lunch and selected the Breakfast Burrito without the cheese. Even without the appetizer, this would have been difficult to finish on her own. It’s understandable, considering the fact that the burrito was ginormous! Almost the size of her head, it was chock full of refried beans, tofu, and home fries, and it was smothered in a green chile sauce. Each ingredient in the filling was great alone, and it was even better all combined. The green chile sauce was balanced with sour and salty flavors, and it had a nice little kick to it. Not too spicy… Definitely not as spicy as the buffalo sauce… It had great warmth and depth of flavor.

Sweet Potato went with a sandwich called The Grinder and, of course, opted for no cheese. It’s a French baguette stuffed with shaved seitan, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and avocado served with an au jus. Think of it as a fancy vegan French dip. This was incredible… Really really incredible. The seitan seemed more firm than the one used for the Buffalo Seitan Wings. It was pleasantly chewy with a little saltiness. The onions, peppers, and mushrooms were all lightly sauteed but not mushy. The avocado added creaminess and a full-bodied flavor. What can I say about the au jus it was served with? It was like a nice broth with a little soy sauce or liquid aminos. I’m sure there were other spices and such, but the bottom line was that it was amazing. It seasoned and moistened the baguette without overpowering the rest of the sandwich. The Grinder, like all the sandwiches and wraps, came with two sides. There are some great sides here… From mashed potatoes and gravy to the soup du jour to fries to steamed greens to brown rice… In fact, there were even more options than I’ve listed. Sweet Potato went with the steamed greens and sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes were okay, but the greens were excellent. All in all, this was our favorite dish of lunch. If you visit, make sure you try the mashed potatoes and gravy, soup, or quinoa salad. Those were phenomenal!

We had no room for dessert after lunch… In fact, none of us even came close to finishing our meals. We would have stuffed ourselves more so that we would waste less, but like the Buddhist saying, “if you finish your meal when you’re full, you’re still wasting the food.” It was a learning experience for all of us. We ordered too much, but didn’t make the same mistake again. We went back for dinner that night (and dinner the next night, and lunch the following day), so we had plenty of other opportunities to finish other meals and order dessert. Suffice to say that dessert is great at WaterCourse. On our other visits, we tried some of the muffins, the Scout Cookie, the Sweet Potato Cinnamon Roll, and slices of the Boston Cream Pie and Chocolate Cake. The muffins and Cinnamon Roll make a great breakfast. They have gluten free muffins as well. The cakes were sweet, but also had other flavors to give them depth. The girls loved the Boston Cream Pie the most, but I really liked the Scout Cookie. Just imagine a big, wholesome, vegan Samoa-like cookie… But better (and vegan). Next time we’ll be sure to take photos before finishing them.

We really enjoyed everything we tried there (food-wise… Not just desserts). By the second meal, we’d learned the trick to ordering… One appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert for the four of us. We’ll also make sure that we order more of their vegan milkshakes! The food is fancy yet down to earth, the prices are fair, and the service was excellent. I have to admit, although there’s a plethora of vegan and vegetarian places in the Greater Los Angeles area, very few match WaterCourse for quality and variety. It ranks right up there in our favorites with Madeleine Bistro, Shojin, and Cha-Ya. Props to the two Lucases who served us. We wish we had eaten there more times, but we’ll save that for a later visit. Unfortunately, my business doesn’t usually take me to Denver, but we’ll be looking forward to the next time we make it to the Mile High City. And on that future visit, we plan on just going to WaterCourse for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

WaterCourse Foods
837 E. 17th Ave.
Denver, CO 80218
303.832.7313

From fries to green beans to kissing to revolutions to the Eiffel Tower, we have a lot to thank the French for (*see note at bottom). If there was a scoreboard for a country’s contributions, then chalk up another point for French toast. In my opinion, French toast theory is pretty simple; it’s controlled bread pudding. Well, that’s my take, at least. For my family, perfect French toast is a little crisp on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. Sometimes, we even allow it to be soft to the point of being custardy. Although the crunch on the outside can be created by corn flakes or something else toothsome, I go with the old school method of just pan frying it till it’s good and done (golden brown with flecks of darker brown… Black would be over done).

French toast has long been a favorite of our family. When we went vegan (almost four years ago), we erroneously believed that our happy French toast eating days would be over. After all, one of the main ingredients of traditional French toast is usually eggs… And when it figures so prominently, it’s hard to substitute. Of course, we were wrong!

This recipe is based on Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s great “Fronch” Toast recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. Like I said, it’s a great recipe, but I changed a few things to please my family… And I like experimenting anyway. Don’t we all modify recipes a little (or a lot)? I have no pre-conceived notions that you’ll follow this recipe to the “t” so change it all you want… As long as the secret ingredient isn’t bacon fat or something, I’m good with pretty much any modification. This recipe makes about 15-20 slices of French toast… Depending on type, size, and thickness of bread. If you want to do less, just cut the quantities in half.

Ingredients:
1 loaf of good quality bread. Italian or French bread are both great. I usually get a multigrain or whole wheat sourdough bread from a little bakery at the farmer’s market. Baguettes work… larger slices are good… Basically any type of bread is good as long as it isn’t the some kind of thin sliced white bread food product.
1 cup soy or other non-dairy creamer (I’ve used Silk and Mimicreme, and they’re both excellent… That said, if you don’t have any non-dairy creamer, just use soy milk or any other non-dairy milk)
1 cup rice milk or other non-dairy milk
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour (AKA chickpea flour)
2 Tbsp agave nectar (maple syrup or any other natural liquid sweetener)
4 Tbsp arrowroot starch (cornstarch works fine too)
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:
Slice the bread into 1/2 inch to 1 inch rounds. If I slice it myself, then I’ll often slice it at a bias, so it’s not just straight on… It makes the dish more fancy. This type of cut is often called a “french cut” which is ironic, right? French cut French bread… Hee hee. Okay, I guess it’s not so funny… Anyway, stale bread works really well because it absorbs the batter without totally falling apart. Fresh bread works well too.

I won’t lie to you. Lots of recipes that use arrowroot (or cornstarch) recommend dissolving the arrowroot with the liquid ingredients first. Clumpy arrowroot isn’t good. Clumpy garbanzo flour is fine if there are just some small clumps (I know, it’s a double standard). Here’s the thing, if you put all the ingredients in a big bowl and use a wire whisk on it, the arrowroot dissolves just fine.
However, if you’re really into making sure that the arrowroot is fully dissolved, then first add it to the creamer and milk and mix till it’s dissolved… Then add the rest of the ingredients. If you’re pressed for time or trust in your mad whisking skills, then throw everything together and whisk like crazy. It’s not like you save a ton of time, but putting all the ingredients together, instead of adding arrowroot first, is one less thing to worry about.

Put the mixture into a shallow, wide bowl. I use a jelly roll pan because it gives me a chance to maximize the amount of slices of bread I’m preparing. Soak the slices about one minute per side. It’s important to only soak as many slices as you can actually cook. I have a dream range with a griddle, so I can cook about eight full slices of bread. Before we got the range, I could do about four to six in my two cast iron skillets.

I pre-heat my pan at about medium/medium-high heat. When I’m ready, I pour about a teaspoon of oil in and move it around with a paper towel so that it’s evenly spread and isn’t a puddle. One of my other secrets: I use an oil mister that I got from Pampered Chef (Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma also have them), and I give the cooking surface a nice even spray. You don’t want too much oil. Just enough to help the French toast keep from sticking. Even after spraying, I’ll use a paper towel to quickly spread and absorb any excess.

Put the already soaked French toast in the pan to cook. After about two minutes, flip over and cook about another minute or two more. It should look like French toast… In other words, golden brown with some nice flecks of dark brown. Really, you can cook it more, and it will be fine. My family likes a little more crunch, so I cook just a little longer. It still tastes good.

Serve with non-dairy butter, pure maple syrup, cashew cream, banana slices, a luscious berry compote, freshly grated nutmeg, a dusting of powdered sugar… You get the point.

Variations:
See final bullet point in Directions…

Just kidding. Sometimes I take a tablespoon or two of peanut butter and whip that into the batter for a rich peanut-buttery taste.

Do you like tropical flavors? Substituting coconut milk or coconut cream for the non-dairy creamer adds a very rich flavor that is reminiscent of a Hawaiian brunch.

**Author’s note: okay, so it’s time to come clean…
French fries aren’t really French. Several sources cite pommes frites as the early fry and Belgium as the country of origin. There are many guesses as to the origin of the name ” French fries.” some say it’s because French was the spoken language of the Belgian army during World War (and the fries were popular among the American and British soldiers)… Others think it could be the cut of the fries (French cut) or the way they are cooked.

There are French green beans (AKA haricot verts which is actually French for ‘green beans’), but it’s more common to refer to the green beans as French cut.

French kissing… Well, that’s another story. So kissing with an open mouth and tongue (French kiss) is not specific to the French. In fact, the origin of the term goes back to the 1920s. Some sites suggest that it was coined because the French were thought of as morally liberal in a physical way. The stereotype of the French at that time (and even now) is that they are a passionate people. That said, the origin of French kissing may actually have nothing to do with the French at all.

The French revolution really did happen. For ten years, from 1789 to 1799, France was politically in upheaval as people rebelled agains the monarchy and aristocrats. In fact, the monarchy fell within the first three years as the French people fought for their rights.

The Eiffel tower is real too. Designed in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel for the World’s Fair, it is still the tallest structure in all of France. Located in Paris on the Champ de Mars, it’s entirely made up of metal. It is the single most visited landmark that people are willing to pay for.

French toast is not necessarily French in origin. It’s eaten in England and known as “eggy bread.” in Brazil it’s “rabanada.” And in Spain, where many believe modern French toast originated in the 15th century, it’s known as “torrijas.” Most of the popular recipes include dipping the bread in an egg mixture, but hopefully this recipe will help change that.

Chocolate Chip Buckwheat Pancakes

Before I begin, I want to make sure everyone knows that Sweet Potato is my soulmate. She and I have been married now for 15 years, 3 months, 3 days, and counting. That said, ever since I met Seitan at an EdTech trainers thing at the Los Angeles County Office of Education, I’ve felt like I met a culinary soulmate. Our flavor profiles and food choices are very complimentary and compatible… even when the styles are so different. So it’s with a high amount of humor that I read her post on Cornmeal Pancakes, because this weekend I was also experimenting with pancakes. Call it ironic, cosmic, kismet, or just weird vegan ju-ju, but it was definitely funny (and tasty too).

By far, one of my family’s favorite breakfast treats includes homemade pancakes. From Pumpkin Spice Pancakes to Chocolate Chip Buckwheat pancakes, we like experimenting with different flavors and have liked them all… well, okay, maybe not all of them. My wife and I have liked all of them, but I think sometimes the kids get a little taken aback at first… then they come around and develop a taste for the experiments. However, that said, these are their favorite.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ cup buckwheat flour
• 1 Tbs baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rice milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
• 2 Tbs canola or safflower oil
• 3 Tbs agave nectar (maple syrup or brown rice syrup work pretty well
• too)
• oil or butter for cooking

Directions:
Combine all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) in a mixing bowl. Stir up the dry ingredients to combine them. In a 2 cup measuring cup (or other mixing bowl), combine the liquid ingredients (rice milk, oil, and agave). Be sure to mix the liquids together. The sweetener has a tendency to just sit at the bottom unless mixed in.

Bring the dry together with the liquid in one happy, harmonious pancakey batter. As always, gently mix the dry and wet ingredients together and do NOT over-mix. How will you know if you’ve over-mixed it? If the pancakes come out tough, then it’s been over-mixed. So make a mental note to mix it less next time. If you are going to add in any mix-ins… now’s the time to do it! I like to add in non-dairy chocolate chips or fresh berries. Blueberries always work well, but both Baby Corn and Dumpling like the chocolate chips, so I usually go with those.

Time to warm up the pan. You can do this step earlier, but it forces me to let the batter rest, which helps it become fluffier. Use a heavy non-stick pan. Cast iron is always good. Warm the pan up on medium heat. Make sure the pan is fully pre-heated, or the pancakes will be harder to flip. That’s the one thing that I notice with these pancakes… they tend to stick a little, so they require a little work when flipping, and a well-heated pan does wonders.

By now, the batter should be a little airy and fluffy. That’s a good thing! Fluffy batter translates to airier pancakes. As you begin to scoop and make pancakes, the fluffiness will go down a little, it’s okay. The pancakes will still taste great and be light and fluffy… maybe just not as fluffy. Lightly oil the pan and pour the batter in about ¼ to ⅓ cup batches. The goal is to make pancakes that are about 4 inches in diameter. Wait till the batter is looking a little bubbly or holey and a little dry. You can also take a peek at the cooking side. It should be a nice golden to deep brown… not black. Carefully flip the pancakes and cook for an additional 30-60 seconds till done (also golden to deep brown on that side).

Serve with non-dairy buttery spread (we like Earth Balance, and now they even have soy-free versions), maple syrup, and fresh fruit… if you really want to get fancy, then make some Cashew Cream á la Seitan (updated) from Conscious Cooking.

Variations:
Try different flours. Sometimes I’ll do a mix of whole wheat pastry flour and unbleached white whole wheat flour. Experiment with mix-ins. Just be sure not to add more than a handful to handful-and-a-half of mix-ins because the pancakes will be harder to cook, and the mix-ins may burn on the pan.

Breakfast Stir-Fry with Crumbled Tofu

Wow! It’s been way too long since I’ve posted. What can I say, it’s been a long week with conferences and workshops. For an idea of what I do with educational technology, you can visit PodPiper Productions for notes on my presentation at the Innovative Learning Conference this week in San Jose, California.

So today’s recipe is a breakfast stir-fry. In a way, it’s like a tofu scramble, but my own version. The truth is, there are so many versions of tofu scrambles out there. Some are like tofu loaves. Some have some veggies. My Breakfast Stir-Fry with Crumbled Tofu tries to balance veggies and tofu together. Technically, it makes a good meal for lunch or dinner as well. At home, we typically take this and add to breakfast burritos or eat with whole wheat toast. For lunch or dinner, we eat this with brown rice.

Ingredients: 

• 1 smaller bunch of broccoli (florets separated and cut in pieces so that they are equal sizes and stems sliced about ⅛ inch thickness)
• ¼ – ½  head (depending on size… you need about 2 cups shredded) of yellow or purple cabbage (you can even us a mix of the two… sliced in ⅛ inch thickness)
• 1 carrot (peeled and sliced thinly about ⅛ inch thickness)
• 1 package of firm or extra firm tofu (cut into cubes)
• ½ tablespoon oil (this might vary depending on the pan you fry with)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2-4 tablespoons vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon liquid aminos or soy sauce (or a combination thereof)
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon chili powder or paprika
• ¼ teaspoon sweetener (organic sugar, agave nectar, or whatever vegan sweetener you like)
• Slurry of arrowroot powder with a little water or broth

Directions

Heat the wok or frying pan on medium-high heat. Add about ½ tablespoon of oil to the frying pan. As I said in a previous post, this really depends on your pan. My wok is really well seasoned, so I can get away with less oil. If you’re using a stainless steel frying pan, then you may need more oil. Add the garlic and fry until aromatic and just beginning to brown slightly. Add the carrots and continue frying, stirring constantly. Add the cabbage and broccoli stems. Fry for a minute, add the vegetable broth and cover to let steam for about two minutes.

Remove cover, add broccoli florets, tofu, liquid aminos (or soy sauce), curry powder, chili powder, and sweetener. If you use Po Lo Ku (check my last blog entry), then add about ½ teaspoon or so. Really, it’s to taste. Stir-fry till well mixed. As you stir it up, the tofu will crumble a little more from it’s cube-like shape. Add more broth if the veggies are beginning to look dry.

Cover again and continue cooking for another minute. Sample the broccoli to see if it’s done. I like the veggies to be a mix of crunchy and soft. Push everything to the side so that you see mostly sauce. Add the slurry slowly while stirring the sauce to thicken. When the sauce loses the powdery look, mix thoroughly, turn off the heat, and enjoy! The Breakfast Stir-fry can be eaten with toast or added to a breakfast burrito to give it a crunch.

Serves about eight or so.