Herb Biscuit (Vegetarian)

This is a modification of regular biscuits. I have only added dried parsley flakes and chopped fresh rosemary, but you can also be advanturous and add different kind of herbs.

BAKING TIME: 15 minutes
YIELDS: about 10 regular size biscuits

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1. Preheat the oven with 350 degree F
2. Chop the fresh rosemary into small pieces
   
3. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, butter, rosemary, and parsley flakes with 2 knives as for pastry
4. Add milk and mix
5. Roll out the dough to about an inch thick
6. Cut the dough in rounds, preferably with a cone (like a round shaped cookie cutter). Use a cup instead if you don't have one.
   
7. Brush over the top of the dough rounds with melted butter
8. Bake about 15 to 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven
   

Keywords: vegetarian, pastry, bread, herb, dinner roll, breakfast

Vegetarian Shoes (Brighton, United Kingdom)

(No, this is not an food entry :P)

I discovered this shop that sells non-animal products such as shoes, jackets, and belts, when I was on an abroad program in the UK. It is so awesome! If you are going to England, particularly south England or Sussex area, you have to drop by this store! It's in the North Lain area. I wish there is more vegan stores like this in the US...


This is the information of the actual shop:

Vegetarian Shoes
12 Gardner Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1UP, UK
Tel: 01273 685685

10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, 12pm to 6pm Wednesdays, Closed Sundays

You can visit the website for more information:

www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk

Baked Eggplants (Vegetarian/Vegan)

I've tried making this for the first time a couple of days ago...It turned out pretty well (according to my parents...Personally, I'm not a eggplant lover). It makes a pretty good side dish complementing main dishes like spaghetti, or party bite-size snack. Here I have listed the basic baked eggplants and some toppings for variation. You can also use soy cheese in place of cheese and olive oil in place of butter to make this dish vegan.

(For basic baked eggplants:)

~1/4 cup olive oil
~1/4 cup butter (or oilive oil, for vegan)
~1/2 cup parmesan cheese (or crumbed soy cheese, for vegan)
1 large eggplant

1. Melt the butter. Mix the olive oil with butter.
   
2. Slice the eggplant to about 1-inch thick.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degree F. Lightly grease the sheet of aluminum foil.
   
4. Dipp the eggplant slices into the olive oil/butter mix, then dip the slices in the parmesan cheese. Make sure that the parmesan cheese covers the eggplant slice. Lay the slices on the aluminum foil.

(Now, if you want toppings that goes on the eggplant slices, read on. Otherwise, put the eggplants to the oven and bake for 25 minutes)

Some possible toppings include:

• More parmesan cheese!
• Marina sauce
• Olive sauce, or olive crumbs
• Bread crumbs
• Mazzarella cheese slices
• A little seasoning such as dried parsley or black pepper
  

...or use your imagination on what's good on those slices of eggplants.

Notes:

• I suggest serving the eggplants when they are cooled down a bit (warm). The flavor or the topping and the parmesan cheese are more absorbed by then.

Native Foods, Costa Mesa (Vegan)

My sisters were so excited when they found out about this vegan restaurant! They have a great variety of different selections of vegan food, including vegan desserts!

Native Foods (Costa Mesa branch)

2937 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(714) 751-2151

http://www.nativefoods.com/

Open 11am-10pm, 7 days a week

The Wheel of Life - Vegetarian Thai Cuisine

This is one of my most frequently visited vegetarian restaurant. Actually, I would say this is the only one in Irvine. Their dishes are mostly vegetarian and Thai / Chinese. The owner is very friendly. Mmmm...Thai food.

The Wheel of Life Vegetarian Thai Cuisine

14370 Culver Dr., Suite 2G
Irvine, 92604

(949) 551- 8222

http://www.wheelofliferestaurant.com/

Open 11am-9:30pm everyday (closed on Tuesdays)

Thuyen Vien Vegetarian Restaurant (Garden Grove, CA)

My parents took me to this Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant. I like the food there :) As far as I can tell, most of the food there is vegan as well (We only had some pho and spring rolls, but the menu looks pretty vegan). I also liked how they were careful in adding garlic and onion. On their menu, they noted we can notify them ahead of time if we don't want garlic or onion in our food. Here's restaurant information:

Thuyen Vien Vegetarian Restaurant

11080 Magnolia Street
Garden Grove, CA 92841

(714) 638-8189

www.thuyenvien.com

Open everyday, 9am - 9pm

Cinnamon Roll (Vegetarian)

I got this recipe from my roommate in college...
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Cinnamon roll (dough):
3 1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon yeast
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
a pinch of salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup margarine/butter

Cinnamon Spread:
1 cup sugar/brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine/butter

1. Add yeast to luke warm water. Let it sit for 10 min
2. Add sugar, salt, flour and milk. mix well.
3. Add 1/4 cup margarine/butter
4. Mix/knead dough until smooth. Cover and let it sit for 30 min.
   

In the mean time...
Flatten the remaining 1/4 cup of margarine/butter on Saran-Wrap the best you can and leave it in the fridge.
Prepare the cinnamon spread. (just mix all the ingredients together until it looks like a paste)

5. Flatten dough onto a floured surface. (maybe 5~8mm thick)
6. Use the flattened margarine/butter in the fridge and place it flat onto the dough so the margarine/butter will stick onto the dough. (when you remove the saran-wrap, the margarine should remain on the dough...)
7. Fold dough in half, flatten, then fold it in half again (this will create "layers" of margarine in the dough)
8. Flatten the dough again, and add the Cinnamon Spread (you can add nuts and apples if you want)
9. Roll up the Dough, and cut into favorable sizes...
10. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 325~350F for 30min (until it looks ready...)

(Keywords: dessert, sweet, vegetarian, pastry, bake)

Hummus (Vegan/Vegetarian)

This is yet another recipe from Kurma Dasa's cookbook...Hey, that cookbook has recipes that are exactly of my kind of vegetarian diet. I thought it turned out pretty good when I tried cooking it the other day. Some optional ingredients are olives, sun-dreid tomatos, etc. You might also find tahini (sesame sauce) under the name "tahina". I found it in a Iranian market.

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CHICKPEA COOKING TIME: 1 to 2 hours
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
YIELD: enough for 6 persons

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water
juice of 2 large lemons
1 1/2 teaspoons (7 ml) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) yellow asafoetida powder
2/3 cup (165 ml) tahini
2 tablespoons (40 ml) olive oil for garnish
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) paprika for garnish
1 teaspoon (5 ml) chopped fresh parseley for garnish

1. Drain the soaked chickpeas and place them in a saucepan with lots of water. Boil for 1 to 2 hours or until the chickpease are soft.
2. Drain the cooked chickpeas, reserving the water. Place the cooked and drained chickpeas, the lemon juice, salt, asafoetida, and tahini in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth, adding a little reserved cooking water if required to reach a puree consistency.
3. Transfer into a serving bowl and garnish with oilve oil, paprika, and parsley. Serve at room temperature.

(Source: Great Vegetarian Dishes: Over 240 recipes from around the world by Kurma dasa. See more on http://www.kurma.net/)

(Keywords: vegan, vegetarian, dip, Middle Eastern)