Vegan Adventures in Boston: Friendly Toast and Kam Man Asian Market

Today I went up to Boston to see a friend of mine from college that I haven't seen in YEARS. It was really nice to see her, and we ended up having a lovely meal at a cute little breakfast place called "A Friendly Toast" in Kendall Square. The restaurant has has a nice youthful atmosphere, quirky decorations, and a lime green wall so bright I'm pretty sure gives you vitamin C by looking at it. I also love the fact that "A Friendly Toast" has kind of a double meaning, in that the establishment sells both actual breakfast toast, and brunch cocktails. So you really can get brunch and get crunk at the same time.

The restaurant is definitely not all vegan, or even all vegetarian, but it has enough of a selection that omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans should all find something satisfying. The staff was really nice, so I am sure that reasonable substitutions would be accommodated easily as well. However, I went with a straight menu item called the "Vegan Valhalla"* wrap (how much do you love that?!). And, in all seriousness, I was not disappointed. The wrap was a savory nutritional powerhouse consisting of a flour tortilla filled with portobello mushrooms, sesame-baked tofu (yum!), brown rice, baby spinach, olive oil, green onions, and tahini dressing. Don't you just feel like you got a good meal reading that? It also came with some really good spicy sliced potato home fries. The olive oil in the wrap was admittedly a little excessive, and my hands got kinda greased up while I ate. But it was totally worth it. I think I understand the word "umami" better now that I've eaten this sandwich.

*Is it insanely ironic that the word Valhalla was taken from the old Norse Valhöll meaning "hall of the slain"? I mean, vegans are a pretty anti-slay sort of group right? Friendly Toast has lots of creative names for their food and cocktails, but this one was a real "thinker"...

After some well-enjoyed catch-up time with my friend, I headed for home and she headed for the airport. Almost by accident, I took a turn off the road on my way back to the highway, and ended up in the Back Bay Shopping Center. I drove toward the back of the center's parking lot and got very excited to discover the Kam Man Farmer's Market. It isn't really a farmer's market per se, but it was a really nice semi-diverse (though largely asian-focused) grocery store. I wandered around the sizable square-footage for a couple of hours looking at everything. There were many items you'd find at a large chain grocery store (Oreo's, Pringles, etc), but there was also a nice hispanic foods section, and even a few Caribbean food offerings. I was excited to find some fruit and vegetable offerings (as well as lots of other items) that I've never heard of. Grass jelly, anyone? FYI pictures on the packaging make it look like black jello...

Anyway, one of the best surprises at the Kam Man market was the pretty huge selection of vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes in the frozen section. There were all sorts of imitation seafood, chicken, pork, beef, and other assorted offerings, including sizable cylinders of vegetarian "ham" and bean curd molded to look like fish, complete with seaweed "skin" and "scales." Some of the more processed items like the faux fish made into battered and fried "filets" were kind of on the pricey side, but might make a really nice special occasion purchase for those who miss their seafood. Word to the wise though, definitely still scour your nutrition labels, because many of these items, while truly meat-free, still contained dairy ingredients. Some items like the faux "lamb chunks" were specifically labeled as vegan, but I can't help but read labels at all times, because you never know what someone else's definitions of "vegan" might be. There was some "100% meatless" imitation shark fin on another aisle that was made entirely of animal gelatin.

Anyway, I came home with a number of goodies, including oyster-free oyster sauce, canned jackfruit (because the Veganize This book has some recipes calling for it), some glutinous rice balls filled with peanut-butter, egg-free wonton wrappers, matcha powder, and a really great-looking selection of teas. The plain faux fish also made the trip back to RI. It actually had religious symbols on the package which I assume to be the Buddhist version of kosher certification. I was told once that wearing Buddhist beads in an asian country will help you to communicate your cruelty-free preferences at a restaurant. Has anyone experienced success with this method?

But all-told, it was a wonderful day, and I look forward to cooking up lots of new flavors in the near future. Score 1 for veganism today in the Northeast!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend all!

El Desayuno de Campeones (Breakfast of Champions)

I studied abroad in the south of Spain during college, and I still remember my experiences of food in that country quite vividly. Certain flavors will always transport me instantly back to that time, and this is especially true of the following dish.

As with many Mediterranean-style recipes, this one is simple, but you'd be surprised how satisfying it is. I ate this for breakfast just about every morning when I was in Spain, and I still crave it every so often now.

Pan con tomate

Ingredients:

• At least one fresh red tomato (more if you're hungry or serving several people)
• Vegan margarine/Earth Balance (or, for the traditionalists, extra virgin olive oil - preferably Spanish)
• Sea salt
• Fresh soft rolls (try those from a Spanish or Portuguese bakery; the kind coated in flour with a soft tender center are the best for this by FAR, but you can substitute the par-baked frozen dinner roll of your choice if you can't find the fresh ones. Bake according to package directions first if you go that route)

To prepare, take a fresh, ripe tomato (of course, these are best in summer, but you make due), wash it, chop it roughly, put it into a food processor or blender, and pulse until no large chunks remain. It will still have some texture or substance to it, so it's not quite a true puree, but it's still somewhat smooth. I actually over-pureed the ones above. The consistency is supposed to be more like a smashed tomato than a blended one. If you like, try smashing the tomatoes without the blender. You may get even more satisfactory results.

In the meantime, cut your roll in half, and broil or toast until it has reached a nice golden tan color. It is best if the outside of the roll has a slight just-baked crackly-ness to it, and the white inside of the bread is still soft and hot, with just a slight layer of toasted-ness on the surface (p.s. oh my God am I hungry writing this...).

http://revista.consumer.es/web/es/20090301/actualidad/analisis1/74663_3.php

¡This is the Tulipán!

Spread a little margarine/Earth Balance on the inside of the roll if you are using it. Truthfully, olive oil is way more traditional, but I got used to using the little tub of Tulipán spread that was always out on the table in the dining room in the morning. If you are using olive oil, please follow the next instruction before applying it.

Spoon some of your tomato mixture onto your toasted roll, and then grind some fresh sea salt coarsely over the top. Now, if you are using olive oil, drizzle some over the roll in a back and forth motion to taste.

Now, devour this like you've never seen food before in your life. I always did.

In fact, I kind of got a reputation amongst the Spanish teenagers living in the residence I stayed in for "eating like a man" in the morning. I would put away maybe 3 or 4 of the split rolls every day, while the more demure Spanish girls (who, honestly, all seemed to wake up looking like Penélope Cruz in the morning, much to my haggard AM chagrin) only ate one or two apiece. I think I out-ate the young men of the house on a regular basis too actually...But then again, I also walked maybe 2 hours every day back and forth from school and to extracurriculars....

Anyhoo, sad to say, when I first had this tomato mixture put in front of me, I was kind of hesitant. I have never been an "eats-tomatoes-right-off-the-vine" kind of girl, and I don't always love a raw tomato.

But I LOVE this.

I actually used to think there was some sort of secret ingredient to the mixture, like onions or garlic, or some secret spice, but there are really just layers of flavor to the pureed tomato. I think it has something to do with the jelly part mixing with the flesh of the tomato, and just the blending in of the air, but I also really have no idea why it tastes so good for real. Maybe the Spanish sunshine?

But the food itself was really just part of a delightful group of memories. I still remember the house cook, a very memorable raspy-voiced older woman, who I will forever picture in slippers, a nightgown, and pink curlers in her gray hair. She used to wake up early in the morning to prepare breakfast for us. She would purchase those delightful rolls for us by the bagful from the panedería (bread bakery) down the street, fresh ones every morning. And I remember the tiny rotating toaster oven, which always had a big cluster of us around it, jostling for space to fit in our rolls, and to catch them without burning ourselves - only with some degree of success. I remember the law students living in the house who used to forgo the tomato mixture for some extremely strong-smelling paté they brought from home. Truthfully, even if I wasn't vegetarian then, I think I would have stuck with the tomatoes...

And though it may not be wholly traditional, instant coffee and Tulipán will always remain a memorable part of my daily Spanish experience.

But when you bite into the delectable food above, and you hear the subtle crackle of the toasted bread, and taste the buttery sweetness of the crust, followed by the rich, savory tomatoes, and the subtle tang of sea salt, I think you may suddenly be transported to Spain too...sitting in a central courtyard garden, close to a babbling fountain, hearing birds chirping happily, and eating like a king.

¡Buen provecho everyone! And happy culinary travels!