Vegan Truffles

Although Courtney will sometimes 'splurge' on non-vegan treats during the holidays, this Easter she really wanted to stay vegan so I made her some vegan truffles. After looking at a variety of recipes with the same ingredients but different ratios, I decided to wing it. Luckily they turned out delicious. I don't know how they compare to non-vegan homemade truffles because I've never made any, but they aren't quite See's Candy like....mostly due to the fact that they aren't as sweet.

I ended up using semi-sweet chocolate chips, but next time I want to try the recipe with a really good, high-quality chocolate. Anyway, here's how I made them...

Ingredients:
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cream from one can of coconut milk
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract 

Method:
// Put chocolate chips and coconut oil in a bowl
// Heat the coconut 'cream' on low heat until simmering
// Pour 'cream' over the chocolate chips and stir slowly
// Add maple syrup and vanilla extract

Note // If you like little bits of chocolate chip in the truffles, just stir the mixture a bit less. Easy-peasy!

Toppings I used:
// almond meal
// cocoa powder + powdered sugar
// coconut
// crushed pretzels

I paired them with almond butter + chocolate pretzels and packaged them up semi-nicely.

Enjoy!

// Lauren 

Easter 2015 // Vegan Feast

This Easter was the first Easter I spent away from my family. Although I missed the delicious brunch buffet and dinner at home, Courtney and I managed to create a delicious vegan brunch feast. The menu was decided a couple weeks in advance on a boring run, a typical Lauren and Courtney move.

We definitely kept the Easter basket tradition alive and made baskets for each other. I made Courtney almond butter + chocolate dipped pretzels, vegan truffles, and Chex mix. She made me vegan chocolate chip cookies, a zippered pouch with a cross stitched patch, and a cross stitched bookmark. We also picked out candy for ourselves at CVS. Easter isn't Easter without candy!

After opening Easter baskets, attending church (Courtney's idea), we cooked and ATE!

We had vegan caesar salad, which was super delicious. The roasted chickpeas and topping m a d e the salad. Courtney also made homemade rolls + herbed cream cheese and we made little sandwiches with Field Roast Celebration Roast + Field Roast Chao Cheese. 

I was in charge of a veggie so I decided on sauteed green beans with slivered almonds. I also made roasted smashed fingerling potatoes (not shown) and a fruit salad. I was so fruit deprived this winter that I NEEDED fruit on Easter even if it was non-local and/or out of season. I bought strawberries, raspberries, and a pineapple to add to our CSA oranges and apples. It ended up being surprisingly delicious.

Thankfully we had plenty of leftovers. I think we ate Easter food for another two days...not that I'm complaining! 

You can read Courtney's recap, here.

// Lauren

Vegan Philadelphia | My favorites!

Moving to Philadelphia hasn't been the best thing ever, but I'm getting used to the city. One of the things I do enjoy is all the vegan eats! Courtney and I have been exploring the city and trying new restaurants as much as possible.  Here's what we've tried so far...

 

// Blackbird Pizzeria //
We did some research on vegan restaurants in Philadelphia before we visited in May, so we knew we had to try this all vegan pizza place. Since then, it's been my favorite place to eat in Philly. Mostly because I love their pizza!

They have a variety of specialty pizzas (by the slice, small, or large), sandwiches, and other vegan goodies. I love love love their 'Haymaker' pizza (pictured above) with seitan sausage, red onions, garlic butter, tomato sauce, and Daiya cheese. Courtney and I always order the large so that we have leftovers for lunch the next day. It reheats really well in the oven.

Although I like their pizza better, the 'Seitan Cheesesteak' is the best vegan cheesesteak I've had! I also like their 'wings', but the sauces they serve aren't my favorite. Next time I visit, I might ask for no sauce on the wings.

Oh, oh, oh! The last time we went, they had chili cheese fries as a special. They were SO good, but only a limited time thing so I hope they eventually come back.

Photo by Courtney

// HipCityVeg //
This was another place that we visited when we were in Philly in May and have loved ever since. I haven't eaten here as much as Blackbird, but since it's pretty close to the apartment, I bet I'll be eating here a lot.

Courtney is obsessed with their Crispy HipCity Ranch burger, but I love their Philly Steak best. I've heard good things about their Jerk Caesar Salad, so I'm looking forward to trying that next time.

Don't forget a Groothie or a  Five Dollar Shake (I love chocolate)!

// Su Xing House //
Interestingly, Courtney's dad found this place. We went with our families when they were in town helping us move. Their menu is huuuuge, so it's a good place to go with a group and order family style. I can't seem to find a menu online, but everything we tried was good!

They have a lot of fake meat dishes, which I always enjoy with Chinese food. My favorite thing we ordered was General Tso's Tofu with Broccoli!

It's a good thing this place isn't super close, or I'd be eating a lot of takeout.

// Grindcore House //

This seems to be a popular place with the vegans in Philadelphia as it shows up often on Instagram under the 'veganphilly' hashtag. We just tried this coffeehouse today and I cannot wait to go back.

I'm always overwhelmed when I visit an all vegan restaurant that has lots of choices. I don't know what to order because I want to try everything. I love that Grindcore has plenty of options without being overwhelming.

I ended up ordering a plain bagel with pumpkin cream cheese, a cannoli, and a toasted marshmallow soy latte. Don't judge. Courtney was a bit more reserved and ordered an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese and a pumpkin muffin. We ended up sharing everything and I must say, the everything bagel with scallion cream cheese was perfect!

I wish I wouldn't have ordered so many sweet things and gone with a sandwich and bagel (split with Courtney) instead. Their sandwiches looked so good! 

I will say that this is a hipster's paradise. They were out in full force when we visited.

// sweetgreen //
Although I've only been here once, I love any place where you can 'make your own'. This salad spot is exactly that.

I love that I have all the salad options I could ever want, without all the prep work. You definitely pay for the convenience, but everything is in season and super fresh, which is worth it in my opinion. Especially when you want something healthy, but fast! 

Also, they have all the vegan dressings and not obvious toppings marked, which is very helpful!

// Reading Terminal //
This is a really fun (and delicious) place to visit even if you aren't vegan. There are so many choices!

My favorites are...
Miller's Twist for the best, but non-vegan, soft pretzels
Flying Monkey Bakery for vegan baked goods
Metropolitan Bakery for a vegan mini lemon bundt cake
Nanee's Kitchen for Indian food

Although those are my favorites, there are so many more vendors to choose from.

Enjoy!

Gracias Madre

A few weeks ago, my mom. Courtney, and I ventured into San Francisco to find some decent fabric for our final projects in costume construction. We had already looked at a few stores around campus, but none really had what we needed or wanted, so San Francisco it was! 

Anyway, Courtney had read about an all vegan Mexican restaurant, Gracias Madre, in the Mission District. As luck would have it, the restaurant was a few blocks from the second fabric store we stopped at, so we ended up having a delicious lunch there. 

As a vegan it can sometimes be hard to find decent meals at restaurants. It isn't impossible, but sometimes you do have to settle. This place was heaven. Absolutely everything on the menu was vegan from the drinks to dessert. Having so many choices was overwhelming at first, but we just decided to try a bit of everything. 

To start of we ordered drinks and appetizers (obviously). I had tangerine agua fresca while my mom tried the melon. Courtney ordered the vegan horchata and it was by far the best. It was creamy and cinnamon-y. Granted I've never had horchata or vegan horchata, but I loved this one. 

Out came the appetizers. I'd been craving posole, but dreading finding a vegan recipe and making it, so when I saw it on the menu I knew it was meant to be! We also ordered the Papas al Horno, which was roasted potatoes with spicy cashew cheese sauce. We all agreed that these were the best part of the meal.

I ended up ordering the Patillo de Legumbres and picked asparagus and plantains for my two veggie choices. It came with smashed black beans, which I thought would have been better whole, and perfectly cooked brown rice. Nice thick corn tortillas also came with the meal. I really enjoyed the flavors and the super fresh produce. Yum! I just wish the plantains were more unripe as I don't really care for the sweet banana-y taste. 

Courtney ordered the Enchiladas con Mole, which was my least favorite entree (we all shared). It came with garlic kale, which I actually enjoyed more than the enchiladas. The sauce was okay, nothing special and I didn't like how they were served "open faced"... not how I like my enchiladas.

My mom ordered broccoli and asparagus tacos. Once again, the veggies were fresh and the cheese was delicious. Something about how the tortillas were prepared gave it a nice texture. I really really liked them (even as leftovers the next day). 

I couldn't resist vegan flan. I mean, it's not often you get a chance to even try vegan flan. It had a nice creamy texture, but I wish it had been a little sweeter and had less of a coffee taste. I STILL enjoyed it though. 

Basically I loved this place and can't wait to go back. It was an amazing feeling to be able to order anything on the menu. I loved how fresh and flavorful everything was. Plus they use Fiesta dinnerware. That being said, I was a bit disappointed in the slowness of the service... oh well!