Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero is a simple salad to make that is perfect for potlucks. I just happened to be going to a potluck so I decided to prepare it. If nothing else, it looks beautiful!

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango
Serves 4 to 6
Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
• 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

Instructions
Combine the mango, red bell pepper, scallions, and cilantro in a mixing bowl.

Add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and stir to combine. Then, add the quinoa and stir until well mixed. Fold in the black beans and you're done!

The salad is pretty easy to make and is impressively colorful. The subtle flavors are a good accompaniment to most dishes at a potluck. Enjoy!

Smoke and Barrel, DC

As soon as I heard that the owners of Asylum had opened a new restaurant and that they'd be offering vegan fare, I had to check it out. Little did I realize that Smoke and Barrel is actually where Asylum used to be while Asylum was moved to the bottom floor of the building. So they both still exist --just on different floors. Interesting.

When I first walked up to the new establishment, I was confronted by the menacing security guy named "Hal" outside. He checked my ID, then allowed me to go in.

It was early on a Saturday so there was still plenty of seating. I found my friend and sat down at a table near the door.  For those who are familiar with Asylum, the layout is still the same, but the decor is drastically different. All of the biker-type stuff has been moved downstairs and replaced with sleek dark wood panels, stools that look like barrels, and artwork depicting scenes from the prohibition era. Asylum, downstairs, had the music blasting, which I found a bit annoying as I was dining upstairs -- a completely different vibe.

We took a look at the drink menu, which boasted 24 international beers on tap, 24 more in a can, and more than 45 brands of bourbon. Wow!  I'm not much of beer or liquor drinker, but I decided to try the Brooklyn Manhattan anyway. I thought it was more of a mixed drink with whiskey, but, in fact, it was Old Overholt Rye whiskey with a drop of sweet Vermouth and Brooklyn Lager. But, most of the drink was beer so I didn't fancy it. I exchanged it for a glass of wine--Jessie's Grove Earth, Zin & Fire zinfandel, which was much better.

We started off by ordering the vegan wings. They typically come with a side of spicy BBQ sauce, but upon inquiry, we found out there were three vegan dipping sauces so we requested to try them all. The seitan wings were really drumsticks that looked and tasted almost identical to the ones served at Java Green. That is a good thing as they were really good, but they weren't really "wings" per se. All of the sauces were good too. There was a spicy BBQ, chipotle aioli made with Vegenaise, and "honey butter" using vegan substitutes. 

My friend and I decided to split two entrees so we could taste them both. We started by trying the BBQ Smoked Tofu sandwich.  The tofu is hand pressed and rubbed with their house barbecue spice rub, cold smoked, then grilled. The crumbled tofu was smoky and rich. I loved that it was served the traditional way on a bun with vegan coleslaw. You are supposed to add your own BBQ spice.  I chose to add the spicy BBQ sauce. Delicious!

We also tried the Sweet Potato & Oat Burger. This freshly made burger has sweet potatoes, oats, and toasted pecans mashed and pressed together to form this amazing patty. It is topped with lettuce, tomato, and red onion. I added the chipotle aioli and spicy BBQ to top it off. If I had to pick a favorite, I'd say I liked this sandwich the best.

I am incredibly appreciative of how clearly all of the vegan items are marked on the menu. Each vegan item is marked with "VV"  and there are tons of vegan options!  By the time we left, it was pretty busy. I'm glad to see that they are already doing so well considering they just opened a month and a half ago.

The service was great, the food was delicious, the prices of the sandwiches at $9 and $12 each were reasonable, and the drink selection is spectacular.  This is a great new option for DC vegans.

Smoke and Barrel
2471 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 319-9353

Sukhi's - Naanwich

It looks like there is a new player in the frozen foods world -- Sukhi's gourmet Indian foods. On their website, it states they've been around since 1992, but the Naanwich's that have been showing up in the grocery stores nationwide are a new product!  When I flipped a Garden Vegetable Naanwich over to check the ingredients, I was excited to see the word "vegan" at the beginning of the ingredient list. I was sold!

The Naanwich is a sandwich made of Naan bread and filled with Indian curry. Inside it is a tasty combination of peas, potatoes, and carrots. I was pleased to find that it was a bit spicy, but I definitely think it could be spicier. I mean, it is Indian food, right?!  The sandwich is reasonably priced and, nutritionally, isn't much worse than a typical frozen meal with 8 grams of fat, 300 calories, and 750 mg of sodium.

This sandwich isn't going to win any foodie awards, but it is fine for a quick, tasty lunch. For $3 or so, I'd get it again.

Nage, DC

Nage is a restaurant located in the Courtyard by Marriott on Rhode Island Avenue in DC. It is not a well-known restaurant as I've never heard anything about it, but since they started promoting Meatless Mondays, I thought I'd give them a try.

When we walked in, we were immediately seated at a booth. The small restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived. We were handed the regular menus and I immediately inquired as to which vegan items were available that night. The waitress said they could modify certain dishes on their menu and that I could just let her know which one I am interested in. I glanced down and saw nothing but meat and seafood and asked if there was a special menu for Meatless Mondays. She seemed confused and went to check on that. When she returned, she said that there were some vegetarian specials, but only one was vegan. Alternatively, the chef, Glenn Babcock, could prepare something to my liking.  I was disappointed and excited at the same time. On one hand, I found it disappointing that they were advertising Meatless Mondays, but only offered a few specials of which only one is vegan. On the other hand, I thought it would be nice to get something off-menu. I told her I was in the mood for something with mushrooms and she went back to check with the chef to see what he had in mind.  As you can see, there was a lot of back and forth. We finally decided on the dish and I also ordered an appetizer and a glass of wine.

I ordered the most expensive wine by-the-glass off the menu -- a Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley for $14. That said, they served it in a generic wine glass so although it was probably pretty good, I couldn't tell because the aromas just weren't hitting my nose in the right way.

For my appetizer, I chose the gazpacho. This gazpacho was a tomato base with cilantro, onions, and fresh avocado chunks. I liked the spiciness of the soup, but felt the avocado was really out of place. It just didn't mesh with the flavors of the soup.

For my entree, the chef created a dish with crispy tofu. It was tofu with a crisp outer shell served over chantarelle mushrooms, corn, and Brussels sprouts with a tangy tarragon mustard vinaigrette. I liked the tofu and the mushrooms especially, but the dish was really missing something. For $17, I also thought it was a bit overpriced.

All in all, I was pretty disappointed with the service as the waitress did not know the menu nor did she check on us often.  The food was pricey and not well thought out. And the bread that was served was absolutely horrendous. It has to have been the worst bread I've ever had. So if you are in DC for a few days, I wouldn't recommend putting Nage on your list of restaurants to visit, but if you live here, you may want to try them out. I appreciate them trying to do something for Meatless Mondays and just wonder if many people actually go on Mondays for that menu. Perhaps I was the first one to ask about this in a while, which is why they weren't prepared or informed. Either way, I'd give them one more shot.

Nage
1600 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Washington, DC  20036
(202) 448-8005

Hush Supper Club, DC

As intriguing as it sounds, Hush is a secret supper club where supper and storytelling meet. This concept can be found in many cities around the world, but little did I know a vegetarian supper club has been operating in DC for over a year.  While the supper club is vegetarian, it is not vegan, as the chef cooks traditional Indian food from Gujarat which is heavy on the yogurt, milk, and ghee (clarified butter).

To make a reservation, you apply by completing a form on the Hush Supper Club website. Once approved, you receive an email from the host/chef named, "Geeta."  Geeta confirmed that she would be able to accommodate me with a vegan meal and with that, my reservation had been set.

On the morning of, I received an email disclosing the location of the dinner with instructions ranging from what to bring to what to wear. If nothing else, we knew this would be interesting.

We found the home, just as described, and made our way to the front door. It was cracked, but I knocked anyway. I was promptly greeted by Geeta's assistant. I gave the password and was allowed into this mysterious place. There were already several people there chatting it up on the couches in the living room. The home had a warm feeling to it as it was artfully decorated with pieces from India. Shortly thereafter, Geeta made her appearance and the night began.

I was served a cocktail called "The Viceroy" that had the sweetness of agave nectar and the earthiness of saffron. My friend and I got to know the other guests as we waited for Geeta to begin.  She introduced the evening by telling us why she had decided to host these dinner parties: (1) because she wanted to share traditional Indian cuisine, (2) to allow us to experience the food of non-famous chefs, (3) to support the local food movement.

The first course was a Kachori Chaat, which was assembled in front of our eyes. She started by explaining the origin of the streetfood-type dish, then began assembling a plate for each of us.  In each bowl, she placed a Dhokla, a delicately spiced ball made of matpe beans, and topped it with fresh chickpeas, red onions, cilantro, tamarind-date chutney, and cilantro-mint chutney. This dish was stunningly good as my taste buds tried to process the warm bean ball along with the incredibly flavorful chutneys and fresh organic ingredients. Everyone seemed very satisfied with the chaat.

After that, we sat down at the table to enjoy some warm sesame seed bread and chutney as we waited for the next course.

The next course was a rice dish -- Pulao Biryani. This delicious pilaf was flavored with saffron, caradamom, clove, cinnamon, and tamarind, but the real flavor came from the delicious ginger pickle. Again, I was blown away by the flavors. Everyone else was served a similar dish, but as a soup that had dairy in it. I was incredibly satisfied and couldn't wait to try more.

It was at this point that Geeta began "the spice tour." She showed us her spice box and began telling us about her spices. I was pleased to be the first one ever to identify one of her unique spices. She spoke about the state of Gujarat -- about the people, their principles, and the Jain religion. But, she made it clear that the evening should be judged on the flavor of the food, not the religion. I found the history incredibly interesting, but she did speak for a very long time.

By the time we sat down for the final entree, we were all ready for it. The final meal was served family style so we all helped ourselves to the bowls.  One was filled with creamed corn made with coconut milk while the other had red bell peppers with chickpea flour and jaggery (a spice).  These delectable items were served with a spinach paratha. Again, amazing. Words can not describe how good this food tasted.

For dessert, she served me a soy chai while others received a traditional chai. The mint and ginger really brought out the flavors of the chai. She also prepared a fruit plate for me while the others had a dessert that was not vegan. It was the perfect end to a perfect meal.

I had not realized just how long we had been there until everyone remarked that they needed to leave. The night had spanned almost 6 hours. For a night filled with great conversation and amazing food, $75 was a small price to pay. I gained an understanding of Gujarati Jain culture and religion, met new friends, and enjoyed delicious food. I'll definitely be coming back for more. *hush*

Slow Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes

Tis the season for heirloom tomatoes! They were a plenty at my farmer's market a few weeks ago so I picked up a couple and decided to try my hand at slow roasting them. Slow roasting is super easy, but is time intensive.

Ingredients

• Heirloom tomatoes
• Coarse sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Herbs of your choice like rosemary or thyme
• Olive oil

How to make this dish
Preheat the oven to 250-degrees. Cut the heirloom tomatoes in half and place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil onto them and top with sea salt (I used spicy sea salt that I picked up in Hawaii), freshly ground black pepper and any herbs. I like rosemary.

Place them in the oven and cook for 5 hours!  The longer, the more flavorful, I promise! Once cooked, they will taste amazing. You can use them for pasta sauces, salsa or just eat them by themselves like I did! Yum!

Sunfire Girls - Raw Kale Chips and Crackers

Sassy. Spunky. Destined for greatness. That is what comes to mind after speaking with the Sunfire Girls, Tania and Christine. After winning my latest kale chip taste-test or "showdown" as I like to call it, I wanted to find out what these local kale chip-making girls were all about.  When I looked on the back of the package and saw that the kale chips were produced in Washington, DC, I immediately wondered how I didn't know them. Who the heck were the Sunfire Girls?

Well, come to find out I actually did know one of them -- Tania. Tania Hayek Mercer has been teaching cooking classes at Whole Foods in the DC area for many, many years and I used to take her classes. She was teaching raw foods classes before raw foods really became mainstream. I took her classes at the Whole Foods on P Street every month until she had her first baby and ever since then hoped that she would return to my Whole Foods to teach more classes She never did, but now I know why. Tania became a full-time mother and eventually went back to teaching cooking classes at other area Whole Foods (just not on P Street) while also enrolling in the health coach training program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York. At the same time, Christine Fabrizio, was seeking to expand her nutritional knowledge and enrolled in the same course.

The funny thing is that Tania and Christine lived minutes away from each other, commuted to New York for the health coach training for a year, and and even took the same gym classes in Maryland, yet they didn't know each other. Then, one day in the spring of 2010, Christine went to a Whole Foods cooking class that Tania was teaching and it was then that Christine realized that this was someone whose path had crossed hers several times. She stayed after class to talk to her and they became instant friends.

Fast forward to today and these girls are making a name for themselves in the raw food products industry. Together, they developed raw crackers and kale chips that are incredibly unique. In my opinion, there are four things that make their kale chips, in particular, stand out from the rest: texture, flavor, ingredients, and packaging. The texture is light yet crunchy -- I mean almost perfectly so. The flavors are intoxicating: original, ancho chili, and coconut lime.  The ingredients are unique -- the dressing they developed uses zucchini, nutritional yeast, and flax seeds along with other good-for-you ingredients. And the packaging has to be one of the most professional I've ever seen with some of the most vibrant colors on the market. Oh, and did I mention, I love that they used plastic containers with rounded corners?  Very modern.

So, on to the kale chips. The first thing you should know is that they are currently only sold in one Whole Foods in the U.S. But, don't stop reading because you think you'll never see these -- they are expanding and hope to increase their distribution area soon.

As I mentioned, the flavors are intoxicating. The original kale chips have an unexpected Indian taste to them as they are made with tumeric. They are very addicting.

Aren't they beautiful?!

The ancho chili kale chips are my favorite as they are flavored with ancho chili and cayenne pepper. There is a slight kick to them with just the right amount of spice.

The most unusual ones though are the coconut lime, which, you guessed it, are made with coconut and lime juice. These make me think of delicious coconut-based Thai curries and would probably pair well with them.

They make a couple flavors of raw crackers as well. These crackers are crunchy with just the right balance of spices. In fact, the cinnamon mulberry whole food cracker is delicious!  It is made with flax seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, mulberries, Hunza raisins, coconut crystals, cinnamon, vanilla, and celtic sea salt.  They are perfect for breakfast. These crackers are currently only sold in the Broad Branch Market in DC.

They also make a cumin cilantro chip, which is also delicious!  These chips are served with guacamole at Cafe Green in DC.

I have to say that I really think these girls are on to something -- something big. At the Whole Foods in Friendship Heights, Maryland, their kale chips are currently on sale. This promotion should run through the next two weeks or so as part of the Whole Foods Health Starts Here campaign. So, if you are in the area, this is your chance to grab some sunkissed kale chips and fire up your inner sunshine! Watch for these chips coming to a Whole Foods near you.