There exists this magical place in the City of Chicago that is an old authority on all tasty things vegan and vegetarian. A land of mouth watering vegan shakes, buffalo “wings,” seitan steaks, and the best vegan rueben I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. This place is called The Chicago Diner. You might have heard of it. Maybe not. Either way, it’s good and if you’re ever in the windy city you should check it out.

There’s this burger on the menu that is my younger sister Sindha’s favorite burger called the Buddha’s Karma burger. Last time I was at The Chicago Diner I wanted to order the Karma burger to rub it in my poor studying-abroad-in-Paris sister’s face but to my horror, they had taken it off the menu! What to do?! Well I ordered a vegan Dagwood sandwich instead and it was pretty darn good so that was alright.

I probably could have lived without the Karma Burger in my life. Yes it would have been a sadder existence, but it wasn’t necessarily my go-to menu item (mainly because I make a point of ordering different things every time as much as possible!). Sindha on the other hand, could not have carried on life as usual without this burger making a regular appearance in her life. So I did what any perfect sister would do, and I tried to bring the burger home!

I knew it was a sweet potato curry burger with a tofu and brown rice base which I was pretty sure I could make a decent ode to. One of the key things about this burger that made it such a great item to order was the “karmic realignment sauce” aka a pineapple mango coconut sauce. It was the perfect pairing. Do I need to explain why? Maybe. But I shouldn’t have to. It just made for the ideal balance of spices and flavors, sweet, tangy, nutty. You know. So, I didn’t make it a sauce to pair with but instead a roasted pineapple and mango salsa. It’s also pretty darn good. I suppose if you wanted it to be a sauce you could just take an immersion blender or food processor and puree it at the end. That’d work.

So Sindha, this one’s for you girl.

Sweet Potato Curry Burgers
8 patties

1 cup cooked brown rice (1/2 cup dry cooked using package instructions)
1 large sweet potato, ~1 lb, peeled and cut into 1″ dice
1 tsp oil
1 small onion, small diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb extra-firm tofu
1/2 cup besan (chickpea) flour
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer, or potato starch
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Cook the brown rice according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, roast the diced sweet potato in a 375 ºF oven until soft when pierced with a fork, about 20-30 minutes. Mash the cooked potatoes with a fork or using a food processor until relatively smooth (there will be some skin formed during baking that’s fine).
3. In a small skillet, saute the onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and saute an additional couple of minutes.
4. In a large bowl combine the cooked rice, mashed sweet potatoes, and the cooked onions and garlic. Drain the tofu, squeezing it gently over the sink to release some of the extra moisture. Crumble the tofu into the mixture by squishing it through your fingers. Add all other ingredients. Mix together with a wooden spoon (or your hands if you’d like) until it comes together and is evenly mixed. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. This is the hard part, where you have to try not to eat too much of the mix before you make your patties!
5. Baking Instructions: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and bake patties at 350 ºF for 20 minutes, then flip and bake an additional 10 minutes. This will make a firmer patty. These can also subsequently be grilled or heated on a skillet.
Stovetop instructions: Heat up a skillet on medium heat. Cook the patty for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or until it is nicely browned. The patties hold together nicely but remain relatively soft. If you are adding cheese (I had cheddar Daiya on mine, highly recommend that) add it after flipping and cover the pan for a few minutes to help the cheese can melt.
6. To serve, place in a toasted bun stuffed with pineapple mango salsa (recipe below!), freshly sliced avocado, and whatever else pleases you.

Roasted Pineapple Mango Salsa

1 tsp canola oil
1 small onion, small dice
1 jalapeño, minced, seeds removed if you don’t like heat
2 mangoes, small dice (about 2 cups)
2 cups pineapple, small dice

Directions:
1. Saute onions in oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the jalapeños and saute an additional couple of minutes.
2. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the diced mango and pineapple. Saute for a few minutes until they start to roast and get a few grill marks.
Optional: blend salsa smooth for a different texture (immersion blender works well here)
Set aside and use to top burgers, eat with chips or by the spoonful (I won’t judge).

Summer’s coming! Well for those of us living in the non-temperate Northern Hemisphere it is anyway. And with summer comes the bountiful fresh fruit and frequent summer barbecues. Usually when I go to a barbeque I’ll like to bring some sort of dish with substance, to show off the homemade veggie burgers and quiches, but sometimes, you just gotta be lazy. Let someone else do that work for you.

When that happens my go-to dish is often a fruit salad. Because they’re delicious and healthy and there’s almost nothing better than fresh fruit! And it’s really something you can’t have too much of.

If I’m bringing a fruit salad, I still have my pride to look after, and can’t bring just your average fruit salad. There are, however, limited ways that you can dress up a fruit salad! Sure you can add some exciting tropical fruit, but it’s still a bunch of fruit mixed in a tupperware. So about 10 years ago, while I was in high school, I came up with the idea of making a bowl out of a watermelon. While I’m sure countless people had come up with the idea before, it was novel to me, being before the time where I started looking up absolutely everything up on the internet.

It’s extremely easy to make a watermelon bowl and sure does a lot to make fruit salad more exciting. I’ve included some easy step-by-step picture instructions. Feel free to experiment and change up the cut or design of the bowl and make it your own!

To begin, cut out two quarter sphere wedges from the watermelon. Make sure you cut the prettier side of the watermelon and not the side that sat on the ground (which will make a better base)

Next using a smaller knife cut out the flesh underneath what will become the handle of the bowl. Do not pick the bowl up by this handle! It’s for decoration purposes only.

Using a large spoon scoop out the flesh from what will become the bowl that will hold your fruit salad. Make sure to save this to use either in the fruit salad or eat on it’s own.

With a small pairing knife cut out a design from the edges of the bowl. Pick any diagonal or wave design you would like! Remember it does not have to be perfect, whatever you make will look great and it will be original every time.

There! You have your finished bowl!

Now fill it with whatever fruit salad you would like (mine here included: watermelon, mangoes, strawberries, blueberries, pear, and banana)! Voila! a beautiful and unique serving dish for your fruit salad. I recommend transporting the actual fruit salad in a tupperware and then putting it in the bowl upon arriving to your picnic. Or if you don’t have much else to carry, wrap it up carefully with plastic wrap and place it at the bottom of a large paper or reusable bag for easy transport.

Monday morning I woke up 2 hours before my alarm went off with a hankering for some cake. My stomach was grumbling and I could not fall back asleep. I had a decision to make. Should I (a) get ready and go to work early or (b) bake a cake? Clearly, I was not about to go to work early. Who even does that? So instead I baked a breakfast cake and watched the sunrise over Lake Michigan from my living room window.

The thought that came to my mind: earl grey paired with refreshing lemon in a moist delicate pound cake. Lately I’ve been enjoying the Teavana Earl Grey Creme tea that my mom gave me for Christmas. I can’t get enough of the stuff. Smooth flavors of vanilla and citrus bergamot. Thoughts of this tea are forever dancing around in my head–probably why I’ve been wanting to bake a cake with earl grey flavors for the past couple of months.

The results of the cake were stunning. The texture of the cake was oh-so-perfect with a practically melt-in-your-mouth crumb. The flavors were a perfect pairing (well duh, it’s not like I came up with that idea… thank you, England). The earl grey tea is the focus of this cake and there is a subtle zesty lemony aftertaste. The cake rose up higher than my loaf pan during baking and had a nice crispy edge on top, just like a cupcake or muffin.

Needless to say, I was really glad I decided to bake this cake in the wee hours of the morning. My afternoon slice of cake at work pretty much made my day. Not to mention it got the roommate stamp of approval: when I got home that night, more than half the cake had been consumed. I snapped a picture of the sunrise on my camera phone. It’s not exactly stellar photography, but I’ll share it with you anyways. Such pretty colors.

Lemon Scented Earl Grey Pound Cake
1 loaf

3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 tsp + 1 tbsp earl grey tea
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
1/2 cup or 4 1/2 oz silken tofu, blended smooth
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp lemon zest (to taste)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp corn starch
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 ºF.
1. Warm the soy milk until hot and add the 1/2 tsp of loose leaf tea to it. Steep for 3-5 minutes then strain out the tea leaves. Meanwhile grind the tbsp of tea in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.

2. Combine sour cream, tofu, sugar, earth balance, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest. Beat with electrical mixer until smooth. Add the steeped soy milk and mix.
2. Add in the flour, ground earl grey, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients. Mix by hand until a thick batter forms. Do not over-mix.
3. Pour into a pre-greased loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes until a toothpick or knife comes out clean.
4. Remove from oven when done cooking. Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack and allow it to cool completely.

I hear the cake pairs well both with tea (especially earl grey tea–no such thing as too much!) and coffee.

I am about to share one of the most delicious recipes in the world with you.

I went to Hungary 3 summers ago on a backpacking trip with my best friend. It was about three weeks into our trip and we both had just come down with this nasty stuffy cold. After trying to search the pharmacies for a good decongestant (and failing) we spent our time taking short walks, drinking lots of juice and relaxing and rejuvenating in the famous Budapest Széchenyi Baths, and finding ourselves underground in these weird caves under Buda Castle (seriously though, what were those things?!).

I have fond memories of Budapest but food isn’t one of them. Not that I had bad food there, just that it was normal travel food, and I didn’t get to try any veggie versions of the local specialties! A lot of the vegetarian restaurants were closed while we were there and our colds prevented us from going on grand adventures just for a delicious bite to eat.

Three years ago for thanksgiving I came across this recipe of a seitan and mushrooms stew in one of my favorite cookbooks, Professional Vegetarian Cooking, and decided to make it for our giant crowd of almost 30 people. It was one of the most delicious things I had ever eaten. Since then I have re-made it a few times. I’ve served it to almost 50 people over time, both carnivores and vegetarians. Every time I get some of the best feedback I ever get on food.

The stew is richly and simply flavored with the natural vegetable flavors of mushrooms, red bell peppers and onion, of which are deepened by the warm notes of a nice pinot noir. Add some smoothness with cashew cream making all the flavors blend together in a velvety manner and just pop in your mouth.

The seitan in this dish is cooked directly in the broth and wine, resulting in some of the best textured seitan I’ve ever eaten. It also takes on the color of the red wine, giving it an eerily similar look to beef. Not sure how I feel about that, but the flavor the wine imparts on the seitan is delicious, so I’ll take the color.

This dish is great for dinner parties. We’ve had it at a couple of thanksgivings, and I’ve made it for some mixed-crowd dinner parties I’ve had. I have to admit, I don’t even really like mushrooms. They’re okay. I can eat them if they’re prepared well, but I find something about the texture just weirds me out. I actually enjoy them pretty well in this dish. Enough to have made this dish several times even. It’s a satisfying stew that can hold it’s own on any table and in any crowd (well with the exception of those with gluten intolerances, sorry guys…).

The recipe may seem complicated, but if you start with the seitan and then while it is simmering for 45 minutes make the mushrooms it shouldn’t take too long. I’ll usually just make it earlier on in the day and then it re-heats nicely right before serving. You don’t need to eat anything with this stew but crusty bread would pair very well with it.

Hungarian Goulash
8-10 servings
Adapted from Professional Vegetarian Cooking

1 raw seitan recipe (below)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups red wine, such as pinot noir
4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 recipe Hungarian braised mushrooms, below
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Cut the raw gluten into a large dice, a little smaller than bite-sized as they will expand while cooking. Tip: this raw gluten is somewhat sticky and self-healing so I separate the pieces as I cut them up to prevent this from happening.

2. Toss the cut seitan in the olive oil, salt and pepper. I usually add the seitan and oil in parts so that the seitan dough doesn’t stick to itself.

3. In a large pot, sauté over medium heat for a few minutes until browned. Add the wine, vegetable broth, soy sauce and bay leaves. Partially cover, bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes or until the seitan is tender and cooked through. Meanwhile, make the Hungarian braised mushrooms.
4. When the seitan is done cooking, mix it into the Hungarian-braised mushrooms and serve hot.

Basic Seitan

2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/4 cup vegetable broth
several dashes of liquid smoke

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients together separately. Pour the wet into the dry and knead briefly until combined. Set aside and let rest for 15 minutes before using it in the recipe above.

Hungarian Braised Mushrooms

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
3 quarts button mushrooms, whole or cut in half or quarters for large bite sized pieces
1 tbsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 cups vegetable stock
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup cashews
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:
1. In a very large stock pot, sauté the onions in olive oil for 5 minutes or until soft.
2. Add the garlic and red peppers and sauté an additional 3 minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes.
4. Mix in the paprika, cayenne, flour, and tomato paste. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. In a blender, blend the cashews and water until smooth.
6. Stir in the cashew cream and apple cider vinegar to the mushrooms. Set aside until ready to use.

I never really watch sports on TV. While I enjoy going to the occasional game it’s never really been one of my bigger interests. I will make the exception on occasion and did so a couple of months back and went to a friend’s place for a game. I actually think I ended up leaving before the beginning of the game, but before I left I ate some of the most delectable vegan spinach and artichoke dip.

I knew I had to have this dip recipe for myself. So I did. And I’ve made it several times tweaking a little here and there (it always comes out delicious). Once I even made it for a party and then “forgot” to bring it so I could save most of it for myself.

I made it again for the super bowl on Sunday. This recipe makes quite a bit of dip, but it was basically all gone by the end of the game. And that’s probably only because I didn’t put out the last quarter cup or so of what was left (shh)…

This is seriously the best spinach and artichoke dip ever. I’ve always liked artichoke and spinach dips at restaurants. But they’re often overly heavy to the point where the flavor almost seems dull. Or the cheesy flavor overpowers the flavors of the vegetables in it. Even so, I was always a fan. But this dip outshines all other spinach artichoke dips of my past. I don’t know if it’s that vegan mayo is superior to the traditional egg-based mayo or if it’s the tangy sun-dried tomatoes or what. But you have to make this. Enough said.

Seriously amazing dip.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip 
~5 cups dip

8 oz vegan cream cheese
1 cup vegan mayonnaise, such as vegenaise
3 garlic cloves
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
10 oz chopped spinach, fresh or frozen, partially thawed if frozen
3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped, I used the kind packed in oil but you can rehydrate dried sun dried tomatoes in hot water and use that too
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
pinch of rosemary
1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
pinch of salt, or to taste (I find it doesn’t really need salt)
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 ºF
1. Mix the cream cheese and mayonnaise together until pretty smooth (might take a little bit of elbow grease). Combine all other ingredients and mix together. Put in an oven safe bowl. I just use a pyrex dish.
2. Bake for 30 minutes until hot and browned on top.
Serve with sliced baguette or with tortilla chips