Meatless Monday - The Killer Vegan Pop-Up Brunch

​As a vegan, eating breakfast out in the world can be difficult. It’s easy to whip up a batch of pancakes without eggs and cows’ milk at home, but most chefs haven’t quite mastered the art of dairy-free flapjacks just yet. Luckily, we now have the Killer Vegan Pop-Up Brunch.

Killer Vegan will soon become New Jersey’s first and only all vegan diner and deli, and once they’re able to open in their own space, they will be located in Union NJ. For now, they take over Lalibela in South Orange every other Sunday.

The Killer Vegan brunch is an all-you-can eat buffet that features some of the best breakfast food in New Jersey – vegan or otherwise. The buffet includes, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, French toast, fried plantains, rice and beans, steamed greens, soy bacon, meatless sausages, tofu scramble and hashbrowns. Coffee, tea and juice and also included.

Janelle Soto is the owner and brains behind Killer Vegan, and the seed for the dinner was planted in the early days of her activism. “My desire was to open a space that was comfortable to vegans and non-vegans with regards to food and setting. I would not only contribute to my community - vegan and local - but, more importantly, I would be helping animals”, she says. Before 9/11, Janelle ran a vegan food cart outside the World Trade Center where she fed between 300 to 400 people daily, most of whom were not vegan or even vegetarian. The success of the food cart only cemented her desire to open a brick and mortar establishment.

Once it opens, Killer Vegan will serve up Latin, Italian and American comfort food. Everything will be made in house, using organic and fair-trade ingredients. Janelle has enlisted the help of Chef Alfredo, who brings with him over 15 years worth of experience in the industry. Janelle will be doing the baking and Alfredo will be doing the cooking. It will be Janelle who decides the menu, with Alfredo’s help.

The opening date for Killer Vegan will depend on funding. Money raised at the pop-up brunches goes towards opening in their own space, as does money raised in their IndieGoGo campaign, which ends later this week.

Like Killer Vegan on Facebook for updates or contact them through their website for any further information. The Killer Vegan Pop-Up brunch takes place from 10:00 to 2:00 on the first and third Sunday of every month at Lalibela Ethiopian Resturant, located at 261 Irvington Avenue in South Orange NJ.

Meatless Monday - Memorial Day Grilling

Whenever I’ve mentioned the words “vegan” and “barbecue” in the same sentence, people tend to ask, “What do vegans grill?” I’ve even been asked by fellow vegans! The backyard barbecue grill can be used to cook a plethora of foods, and just a few of them happen to be meat, so the question really should be “What don’t vegans grill?”

The truth is that anything can be grilled, from veggie burgers and tofu pups to corn on the cob and baked potatoes. Grilling brings out the flavor in vegetables, so foods like zucchini, eggplant, and red pepper taste great after a few minutes on the barbecue. And fruit! Don’t even get me started on fruit. The perfect summertime dessert is a peach, sliced in half and pitted, grilled until it’s softened slightly and then drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar. Try it. You’ll thank me later.

Since today is the unofficial start of summer and people across the nation are hitting their backyard to fire up their barbecues, I thought I’d share some of my favorite meatless grilling recipes.

Grilled Romaine

• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (flavored oilswork well with this dish)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (flavored vinegars also work well with this dish)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the grill to medium-high.

Leaving the stem on, slice the lettuce in half lengthwise. Rub each half with olive oil.

Grill the lettuce for 3 or 4 minutes, flip and grill the other side for 3 or 4 minutes, until grill marks appear. Remove from heat and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Grilled Asparagus

•  One bunch of asparagus, tough ends removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
•  Salt and Pepper to Taste

Heat the grill to medium-high.

Toss the asparagus with the oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill asparagus for about 5 minutes, turning at about the halfway point.

Remove from grill, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Grilled Tofu and Pineapple Kebabs

•  1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
• 2 cups pineapple chunks, about an 1″ square
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons garlic chili sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons agave
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• metal or bamboo skewers

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together.

Thread the tofu, pineapple, bell pepper and onion onto the skewers. Depending on their size, you will have somewhere between 4 and 8 kebabs.

Place the kebabs in a baking dish and pour the marinade over them. Place the dish in the fridge and let marinate anywhere from 2 hours to overnight.

Lightly oil the grill and turn the heat on to medium-high. Once it’s hot, carefully place the kebabs on the grilling grate and close the grill’s lid. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning the kebabs once.

Remove the kebabs from the grill and serve. Be careful with the skewer – it will be hot!

For more delicious meatless-grilling recipes, check out Grilling Vegan Style by John Schlimm and Grills Gone Vegan by Tamasin Noyes.

Meatless Monday - New Seasonal Menu for The Cinnamon Snail

​It’s that time of year again! The award-winning Cinnamon Snail food truck just debuted a new seasonal menu last week. Snail owner and chef Adam Sobel says “I am really confident about this incarnation of our menu, and I think this is going to be the best selection our truck has ever had.” The new items are in addition to their really large breakfast and lunch menu, so fans don’t need to worry because favorites like the Korean Barbeque Seitan Sandwich, the Lemongrass Five Spice Seitan Sandwich and Ancho Chili Burger are staying. The full menu is available on their website: www.cinnamonsnail.com

In addition to the new menu, The Cinnamon Snail is now offering  gluten free millet-flax bread, which is available for an extra dollar. The following sandwiches can be made completely gluten-free by request: Creole Grilled Tofu, Thai Barbeque Tempeh, Maple Mustard Tempeh, and Basil Pesto Tofu.

As of last Thursday, May 16, The Snail will be serving dinner every Thursday at the Grove Street Farmers’ Market in Jersey City, which is great news for New Jersey Snail fans!

New Menu Items:

• Thai BBQ Tempeh Sandwich with pickled

• onions and Thai basil, arugula, smoked chili roasted peanuts, and sriracha mayonnaise on grilled spelt bread
  
• Red Plum Pancakes with chamomile blood orange syrup, cardamom butter, smoked almonds and candied lemon rind
  
• Seitan al Pastor Sandwich with beer battered jalapeños, greens, grilled pineapple and chipotle mayonnaise on grilled baguette
  
• Basil Pesto Grilled Tofu Sandwich with white truffle cashew cheese, kalamata olive tapenade, arugula, and caramelized onions on garlic grilled baguette
  
• Fiery Black Sesame Tempeh Salad with kale, arugula, kimchi and spiced cashews

New Seasonal Donuts:

• Toasted pistachio donuts with cardamom glaze
• Coffee Ice Cream Sunday Donuts (chocolate cake donut with coffee glaze, espresso beans, ground dark chocolate and smashed sugar cones)
•  Meyer Lemon Twists
• Brown Sugar Beer Glazed

New Iced Coffees:

• Star anise coconut milk iced coffee
• Salted caramel dutch cocoa iced coffee
  

The Snail’s Current Schedule:

Mondays – NYC at 48^th and 6^th (but sometimes they visit Dumbo or Varick Street on Mondays.)

Tuesdays – NYC at Wall Street and Water

Wednesdays – NYC on Broadway between 55^th and 56^th

Thursdays– NYC at 21^st and 5^th from 11:00-3:00), and Jersey City at the Grove Street Farmers’ Market from 4:00-8:00.

Fridays – NYC on Park Avenue Between 46^th and 47^th

Saturdays– Various Locations

Sundays – Red Bank, NJ

Photo courtesy of The Cinnamon Snail.

Meatless Monday – Otis’s Award Winning Vegan Cookies

Last weekend Take Back The Kitchen held their first annual Kids Milk and Cookies baking competition at MontclairTV34 studio. The event was sponsored by King Arthur Flour and Five Acre Farms and was designed to include kids who are usually excluded from activities centered around baked goods because of food allergies and dietary restrictions. The three cookie categories were Gluten-Free, Vegan and Whole Wheat Flour. The event also raised money for Toni’s Soup Kitchen.

Naturally, my ears perked up a bit at the mention of vegan cookies, and I was excited to hear that SO Tasty Vegan’s Sally Owens was the vegan cookie judge.  Sally is the genius behind the new vegan pop-up dinners that take place on Wednesday nights at Trattoria Rustica in Montclair, and after tasting some of her amazing creations, I know she’s well aware of what’s tasty and what’s not. I was also super excited to learn that eight year old Otis Gannett-Len was the winner in the vegan cookie category, as I happen to be good friends with his mother Jen. Otis won a $75 gift card for the King Arthur Flour catalog, and Jen suspects he will be picking out chocolate, cocoa and decorative sugar so he can bake up more sweet treats.

Otis won the contest with a batch of delicious Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Jen was kind enough to share the recipe with me, so that I can share it with you.

Otis’s Award Winning Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ teaspoons egg replacer (such as Ener-G or Bob’s Red Mill)
• 6 teaspoons water
• ¾ cup vegan margarine (such as Earth Balance)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup organic cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whip together the egg replacer and water in a small bowl until it’s thick and creamy. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the margarine, brown sugar and cane sugar together. Beat in the egg replacer, vanilla extract and peppermint extract.
4.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5.  Drop dough by the teaspoonful onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove the cookies from the cookie sheets and place on a cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Based on a recipe by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau