beer wk: sunday boozy sunday

what better way to delay the consequences of a fun saturday night of beers and excessive high fiving, than a boozy brunch with a beautiful broad? that's how i started my sunday - met up with my friend D for the beer week special allagash brunch at the pope. over pancakes, tofu scramble and 2PM beers, we kicked off what would be the first of a multi-hour hang out sesh.

wish every brunch was an allagash brunch

D is a seasoned bartending veteran and a true beverage connoisseur , so i followed her lead when she ordered the allagash vrienden, which turned out to be a stunning ale in the flemish sour tradition. it was, we learned, an allagash collabo with new belgium brewery, brewed with dandelion greens and elderberries (the two breweries even blended their special yeast strains! isn't that cute?). the quiet amber liquid in this glass is the stuff beer week dreams are made of: tart, fruity, strong, and just the right amount of weird. i loved every little sip. i had hoped to catch a bit of the live set by our pals the glotones, but alas, they were breaking their gear down when we arrived.

after our plates were cleaned and cleared, D and i hightailed it over to her place of employ - and the only place in old city i'll regularly patronize - the khyber pass pub. they were in the midst of a supreme beer week jam: saison sunday! ten rare and immensely intriguing saisons on tap. oh dear.


the first of quite a few tulip glasses to grace the bar before us was la moneuse by the belgian brewery blaugies. malty, barn-y, aged to a nice warmth, but still wonderfully effervescent on the tongue, this was a classic saison. literally the perfect beer for a sunday afternoon, though perhaps a brasserie in belgium would have been a slightly more perfect place to be drinking it. no matter: a dim bar in philadelphia with D was a really good place to be, too.

i must confess that i forget which saison was second on my list. the sun was still shining a bit too brightly for the level of tips i was feeling, but our spirits were high, and we were deep in one of those great, rambling conversations. amongst a hundred other things, we talked about men and relationships, food and dietary choices, and going fishing as little kids. the third (and last?) saison i ordered was voodoo brewery's bitchin' camaro. this farmhouse ale is apparently a very new release from the brewery. so new, in fact, that there wasn't really a description for it on the draft list, and in the column listing abv there a mysterious "?." i distinctly remember that the last line of the description read something like, "any beer named after a dead kennedy's song can't be bad." though D wasn't crazy about it, i liked the hefty, malty, boozy kick in the teeth it gave me. if you're already getting loaded on super high quality beers on a sunday afternoon, why not go big?

after dutifully chugging some water, we called it a day, and headed home. woozily walking down walnut at sunset, we hugged on the corner of 6th street. D said she was going home to take a nap, but i was headed off to band practice in east falls. being tipsy on small quantity of good, strong beer is a distinctly light, energizing feeling, with 0% hangover. alright, alright...maybe just a 5% one.

love,
emily

bob and weave

where we come from, a lovely little place called delaware, there is a sandwich shop. and this sandwich shop is called capriotti's. to the naked eye, it doesn't look like much. a very no-nonsense interior and a short menu with all the standards: subs (that's what they call hoagies "down south"), salads, chips, et al. throw in some gruff men and ditzy teenagers working behind the counter and you've got your average sub joint.

but look a little closer. is that a vegetarian section on the menu? wait, does that say veggie turkey sub?! veggie burgers and hotdogs, too?!?! if only more mainstream eateries would note the genius of what capriotti's has done here: while they certainly cater to the all-american non-diet, they've stealthily created a cult following of die hard vegetarians fans, who might normally never step foot in their stores. if you make it meatless, they will come (and i ain't talking no cheese hoagie, here). the vegetarian turkey sub is nothing short of amazing, btw - these people really know how to make a quality hoag.

capriotti's has also developed a following around its take on the t-giving leftovers feast: the bobbie. the bobbie (which is trademarked, so don't even THINK about stealing that name), is made with pulled turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo. wowzas. kind of a gross-but-great idea, and if they made a vegetarian version, i'd sure as shit try one. but they don't.

so on sunday, to ward off the ever-creeping cold and vodka hangovas, lauren, ryan and i tried our hands at making a veganized bobbie. or should we say....bauxbie? sorry, just had to.

sissy bought a righteous loaf of bread from claudio (hoagie rolls are hard to find on a sunday afternoon), that we cut into thick, mega rad, texas toast style slices. ryan came back from the whole foods with a delightfully savory hunk of seitan (field roast, WHY do you have to have to be so expensive?), and with the addition of some leftover cranberry sauce & some quick stuffing it was time to get this badass, bastardized sandwich started.


first, the field roast "celebration roast" (which we diced, but would've been amazing sliced, too) and the stuffing went in a 350F oven for about 25 minutes. we added a bit of veggie stock to each pan throughout the baking process, but not too much! don't want it getting all soggy. while these were baking, we made a salad and sipped some brunch-y cocktails.

sadly, tomato juice & vodka was probably the healthiest part of our meal

once all the components were ready, it was time to assemble. capriottis serves the bobbie cold, but we unanimously agreed that this seemed unappealing. so instead of letting the stuffing and wheat meat cool, we toasted up the bread and just went for it. first, a lovely crimson spread of cranberry sauce on one half of the bread. mayo or veganaise on the other slice of bread would be divine. then spread on some stuffing, a generous heap of fake turk, and squish it all together gently...

ladies & gents: the vegan bob

a silence fell over the table as we tackled these sammies. i can only use the words "savory" and "comforting" so many times but damn it if those aren't the exact words to describe the experience of these veeg bobbies. the sage notes of the stuffing, the tartness of the cranberry sauce (we hardly used any sugar while making it), and the complex spices of the field roast melded together into harmonious bliss.


up until eating this, the concept of stuffing on a sandwich seemed odd to me. why add more soggy bread to something already nestled between bread? but i suppose that is the magic of stuffing: it isn't just soggy bread, it is transformed into something so far beyond that. and it is my 2nd new opinion that cranberry sauce should fully graduate to an everyday condiment. it's such a simple, healthy, lovely relish that has the power to complement an array of flavors. toast with almond butter & cranberry sauce, anyone?

Tart Cranberry Sauce w/ Ginger Beer
~makes 2.5 cups~
~take 10 minutes~

ingredients:
1 pound fresh cranberries, rinsed
1/2 cup sugar (this is FAR less than most recipes call for, but it's how we like it)
1/3 - 1/2 cup reed's ginger beer (or water) (or regular beer?!)
1/2 teaspoon allspice (optional)
cinnamon stick (optional)
1 clementine: zest the rind and gently mash up the fruit, keeping the juices (optional)
a few slices of fresh ginger (optional)

- in a medium pot over high heat, combine the cranberries, sugar and ginger beer. stir, and bring to a boil.

- reduce the heat to a simmer, add the fresh ginger, allspice, and cinammon stick if using. add the mashed up clementine, and let the whole thing simmer for 5 to 8 minutes.

- stir in the clementine zest, remove the ginger pieces and the cinnamon stick.

feel the antioxidants flowing through your veins! you'll never go back to canned stuff again, swear.

love,
emily

ruby tuesday

wednesday, whatever. the earth is thawing and i'm bringing juicing back! see, last summer and the summer before that, sissy lauren and i made fresh juice (almost) each and every morning. truly, there is no better breakfast, especially in the dank philadelphia july when you live in a house with no air conditioning and your appetite isn't fired up til somewhere around 2 p.m. on days like these, oatmeal and bagels just aren't options. but cool, creamy, sweet and spicy liquid meal - bring it on! anyway, this year i am determined to start this excellent morning tradition before the equinox. my goal is greatly aided by the newest acqusition to the VR kitchen: a champion juicer! get bent, jack lalanne, the champion is true to its name - the best there is. it's a totally no-frills, powerful, durable machine that cranks out life sustaining beverages. this particular juicer is a gently used purchase from our friend ciarra (thanks, girl!), and so far i've used it about 5 times. i've only made juice, but lauren made peanut butter and there are plans in the works for banana whips (a frozen treat made out of pulverized frozen bananas). i've got nothing against our old juicer (a modest hamilton beach model), it's just a little tired from the years of abuse it has already endured.

so if you see me bouncing off the walls, or catch me starting at you with wily vitamin eyes, blame it on the juice. today's brew: 3 large carrots, 1 celery stalk, half a small apple, 1 very small beet and a nub of ginger. what a crimson beauty:

love,
emily

let them eat pancakes

Oh pancakes, is there nothing you can't do? Why, just the other day, a batch of leftover pancakes thoroughly cleaned the bathroom! And last week, when I wasn't feeling well, pancakes went in to work for me so I could stay home and rest. Normally though, pancakes fill my belly with simple, easy, delicious sustenance.

Once in a great while (ok, more like a few times a month) it seems as though our kitchen has been ransacked. Wha happen to all the tofu, tempeh, beans, vegetables, snausages, fruit, bread and yogurt (and everything else there is to eat)!??

That's when I refer to a tried and true 5 ingredient pancake recipe. FIVE INGREDIENTS! It doesn't get much easier (that is, unless you use a boxed mix, but let's not even go there, shall we?). This recipe is super simple and adaptable. I like to make little individually flavored pancakes - chocolate chip, apple cinnamon (see lower right hand corner of picture below), banana walnut, coconut almond, whatever! Top with bananas, maple syrup, jam, peanut butter or raw honey and revel in the wonders of easiness, cheapness and yum. Yeah, it might not be the most nutritious thing out there, but there's worse, oh god there's so much worse.


Classic Pancakes (from How It All Vegan)
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups soy milk
2 tbsp oil

The best way to make pancakes is with a hot non-stick pan, a plastic spatula, and a lid to cover them while they cook, which hastens the cooking process and ensures that the middle won't end up gooey! Heat your oven to about 200F and place a heat-resistant plate inside. As you finish making your pancakes, transfer them to the oven so that they'll stay warm until you are ready to serve them.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder together. Add the milk and oil and mix together carefully until "just mixed" (if you mix too vigorously the pancakes won't get fluffy!). Portion out about 3/4 to 1 cup of batter onto a hot non-stick pan or lightly oiled frying pan and cover with a lid. Let sit on medium heat until the center starts to bubble and becomes sturdy. Flip pancake over and cook other side until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Makes 2 or more servings. Enjoy!

Brunch + Munch

a few day's ago halimah mentioned that brunch might be her new favorite meal. i thought she was effing crazy! i mean, i love brunch like no other; the tofu scramble, the bloody maries, the toast topped with tofutti cream cheese, the goddamn home fries, etc. but do i love it more than i love dinner? or lunch for that matter? or even.....dessert?!

tuesday may have changed my mind. while brunch, for me, is usually eaten at mi-lah, the royal tavern or one of the other (few) restaurants with halfway decent vegan options around here, tuesday i rolled out of bed at the crack of noon and thought, "today, today i will make brunch". there was no other choice, really.

friends and housies have recently been cooking more eggs in the kitchen - scrambled and fried mostly - and it allllmost brought me back to those non-vegan days. the runny yolk, the melted cheese, mmm. did i just think "mmm"? NO! instead of missing that old egg+cheese on a bagel, i quickly got grossed out when bert dropped an egg on the ground and i almost slipped on the albumin. i set out on a quest to develop some sort of vegan fried egg. the result, while nothing really like a vegan fried egg, was worth the journey. brunch, i love you so.



behold: pan seared tofu stuffed with garlic, onion, avocado and tofu-mustard "yolk" topped with creamy mustard sauce, microgreens and more avocado. add some veggie bacon and toast and you got yourself a brunch. i dare you to charge me $9 for this, the abbaye.