One of my favorite parts of summertime was my mom’s cold noodles. It was a nice break from all the salads and due to the simple ingredients, it never required an extra trip to the grocery store and she would whip it up whenever I asked.

This summer, I’ve been on my own with my own kitchen and in charge of my groceries. I thought I would be cooking elaborate meals every day, but the novelty of cooking for myself quickly wore off after a few days of coming home from work too exhausted to cook. Along with that, my first couple of attempts at cooking weren’t very successful, probably because I had forgotten my tablespoons and teaspoons at home. And with that, my adventurous spirit was quashed.

This past weekend, though, I remembered my mom’s cold noodles, and well, how could I finish this summer without having eaten them at least once?

This recipe is super easy to make, especially since it doesn’t have exact measurements. I preferred my noodles to be lightly coated, so for two servings of pasta, my two parts were two spoonfuls, but adjust as needed. The recipe is very forgiving!

Peanut Cold Noodle Sauce

Ingredients:

2 parts tahini (or sesame oil)

2 parts peanut butter (chunky or smooth, doesn’t matter!)

2 parts soy sauce

2 parts vinegar (white or apple cider, use either)

1 part brown sugar

pinch of minced garlic to taste (I used half a clove)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. If sauce is too runny, add more tahini or peanut butter until it’s a good gravy-like consistency.

Pour over noodles, and serve with julienned cucumbers and carrots. For a super fancy meal, garnish with cilantro, mint, and crushed peanuts.

Tempeh is by far my favorite meat substitute. There’s something about the nuttiness, the texture, and the overall uniqueness that makes it so appealing. But when eaten alone, without any sort of flavoring, tempeh can be a bit bleh. And the first recipe any tempeh beginner stumbles upon? Tempeh bacon.

I’ve always avoided the tempeh bacon recipes since they called for liquid smoke, and I thought a smokey flavor would be necessary for some good ol’ bacon, but surprisingly, it’s totally fine without any! Just char and burn it a little, and I found it to be perfect.

I started off using this recipe from Lunchbox Bunch but added more soy sauce since it wasn’t salty enough, but lately, I’ve just been eying it, using a mixture of soy sauce, agave nectar/maple syrup, olive oil, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. How salty the tempeh gets depends on how thinly you slice it – the thinner it gets, the crispier and saltier it becomes.

I used some my tempeh bacon for a nice tempeh and avocado wrap that was definitely missing some tomatoes and grilled vegetables.  And then polished off the rest alone!

Recipe (I omitted the vanilla bean)

So my long absence in cooking and food photography can be linked to two major things – college and its required meal plan, and my lost camera. But now that I have a shiny new camera and a nice, week long break, I decided to celebrate with cupcakes, vanilla ones with chocolate ganache, in fact.

I’ve always had a hard time getting my vanilla cupcakes to not taste like very sweet and fluffy corn muffins, and while I finally got the texture right with these cupcakes, I could still taste that little hint of a corn muffin. However, it all goes away when you eat them with the smooth, melt in your mouth chocolate ganache.

But I swear, one day I will find the perfect vegan vanilla cupcake. Though in the meantime, I guess I’ll just enjoy these.

So, for the past week, I’ve been in Cupertino, California visiting my grandparents. It’s been a glad escape from the heat of the Northeast, but I was quite surprised when I first landed here that I would be needing my sweatshirt more than once! Nevertheless, the weather has been great and is perfect for wandering around the different “attractions” of Cupertino.

Granted, my idea of an “attraction” is quite different than most people’s. Hey, I’m the one who hangs out with my friends at Whole Foods when we have nothing to do. We don’t really do anything other than browse and maybe purchase one or two things, but it’s our go-to place. So, when I heard that one of the largest Whole Foods on this side of the United States was right in Cupertino, I just had to visit. Not to mention, I heard they had vegan donuts, something I haven’t tasted in so long!

When I first arrived, I was in awe of the size. I came on a Saturday so it was relatively busy. There were some booths on the outside giving out free samples along with a bouncy castle for little kids to play in. As I went in, I was greeted by this huge selection of fruits and vegetables. The reviews were right – this is a huge Whole Foods.

But I was in awe of these paper bags. One thing that really stands out in California is that they’re more “green”, or at least, more accommodating to the green lifestyle. Not only are there paper bags instead of plastic for fruit and vegetables, I saw more shoppers bring their own bags than I do back home. Not to mention, there are bicycle lanes on almost every street here, and on the trains, there’s a compartment just for bicycles. Bikes aren’t just for fun here in California!

Anyways, back to my Whole Foods Cupertino tour.

As I passed through the fruits and vegetables, there were numerous different stations. There was a bulk “make your own stir fry” section where they had cut up raw vegetables waiting to be taken home along with a dried fruits section with tons of different varieties of dried fruit.

Behind the fruits and vegetables was an in store Cafe Gratitude. It’s a vegan, high raw cafe that’s made to order, and contrary to what the picture suggests, was quite busy (I took the picture from the other side). I think if I ever visit again, I’ll definitely go try something from there.

The rest of the grocery section was quite normal – I found some great instant soups and my favorite cookies (Back to Nature!) along with a huge bulk section that spanned an aisle. In the back were the usual meat/dairy section, a tea wall, and a sample/demonstration section. Sadly, there wasn’t anyone at the sample/demonstration section when I was there, but there were employees giving out samples throughout the store.

Then over on the right side of the store was the prepared foods section. The hot foods bar smelled nice, but while they did mark which items were vegan, I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t use the green bar Vegan label that I was so used to. Same with the prepared foods section, though I’ll admit that I only quickly glanced over that area.

The prepared foods refrigerator, however, was rather disappointing. None of the sandwiches nor wraps were vegan, and the only thing I could find were some sides, like rice or potatoes. There were also some hummus packs with either falafel or dolmas, but confusing labels regarding the ingredients in the falafel stopped me from buying either. Maybe I’m spoiled because I’m used to New York City’s Bowery’s Whole Foods which always has a vegan sandwich or two (and so does the small one near my home!) but I was expecting a greater selection.

Yet I was glad to find a bunch of vegan baked goods from local vendors. They even dedicated a small section to those sellers who sell “alternative baked goods”. The Whole Foods vegan cookies themselves were rather smaller than what I usually see (though they were hidden behind a case and you needed to ask for them rather than self serve, like the rest of the baked goods, so I might not be that correct). I didn’t get any since none seemed very appealing, though I was happy to see that the prices were lower than the ones sold back home.

Yet, the best part of my trip? Vegan donuts!

Luckily, the breakfast items were all self serve! Apparently, a local Bay Area bakery supplies all of the vegan donuts daily, and my are they delicious! There’s a huge variety, too! They seem to be quite popular because I came in the early afternoon and this was what was left. It doesn’t help that they’re quite a bargain – 99 cents per donut!

They are a bit smaller than your usual Dunkin’ Donuts’ donut, being a bit bigger than the size of my palm, but it’s definitely enough to leave a smile on your face!

Sadly, these are the only vegan items that were available (or listed) when I got there, other than the bagels, of course. I read that another blogger had a vegan muffin from this Whole Foods, but I was sad to see that there weren’t any vegan muffins listed. Still, I guess I should be grateful enough that Whole Foods had given an entire level to vegan donuts!

I picked out a blueberry donut and a cinnamon sugar donut. There were some that I really wanted but were out of stock (chocolate peanut, anyone?) but I guess you’d have to come earlier if you want those, especially on a Saturday.

After walking to Target, I was so excited to eat my vegan donut that I almost forgot to take a picture of it! Sorry it’s half eaten, but it was delicious! Perfectly fluffy and not so sweet, I was amazed at how soft it was, along with the great texture and taste! Maybe I should be grateful I don’t live in Cupertino, or else I think I would be having donuts every day (and my thighs wouldn’t be happy about that)!

The cinnamon sugar donut was just as tasty! Perfect blend of cinnamon with sugar that melts in your mouth, I was surprised that there were any left in the case!

But probably the biggest surprise of my trip?

Cheezly! On sale! $3.99 a pack!

Ever since I’ve seen bloggers rave about this cheese that hails from the UK, I was interested in trying it once I heard it’s starting to distribute in the US. However, I refused to pay the high prices along with shipping costs, so I was ecstatic to find it on sale here without needing to pay shipping!

I bought two packs – Mozzarella and Smoked Cheddar – and plan to do a review in the future, so stay tuned!

Overall, Whole Foods Cupertino, is a great store, though outside the vegan donuts, isn’t on of the most vegan friendly Whole Foods I’ve been to. Still, with a vegan/high raw cafe and vegan donuts, it’s definitely worth a trip to at least check out!

Ah, and the blueberries are back.

After a long heat wave, the Northeast was blessed with a string of rather cool evenings. Taking quick advantage of that, I whipped out my muffin pan and started on my favorite blueberry muffin recipe. However, I was almost half done (dry ingredients mixed, oil sitting in the flour/baking soda/sugar valley) when I opened up the soy yogurt container and saw, well, things that would certainly make one lose her appetite. Heartbroken and not sure of what to do with these ingredients already laid out, I decided I would try to wing it, despite my past history of failed experiments.

I had already tried two substitutions in the recipe: orange juice instead of soymilk and half/half of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. Would it be so bad to try another?

I ended up using flaxseed meal, and a whole lot of it too. I forgot the correct proportions, so I just guessed (checked later, and I guessed wrong) and just hoped that the muffins would come out alright.

Thankfully, they did, and although they aren’t the fluffiest nor the best muffins ever, I think they’re decent for a semi-healthy muffin. The flax taste isn’t very noticeable (actually, hardly at all) and the blueberries shine. They’re quite soft, though, and very filling.

Vegan Blueberry Flax Muffins
adapted from this blueberry muffin recipe from the PPK

Makes 12 (I got 14, but I didn’t put enough batter to get muffin tops)

Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar (I used raw sugar, though, so maybe you would need a bit less)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 7 tablespoons of flaxseed meal (or ground-up flaxseeds)
- 9 tablespoons of water
- 1 1/2 cups of blueberries/other berries

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease muffin pan.

Combine flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl. Set aside.

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Then, pour in the oil, orange juice, vanilla extract, and flaxseed mixture. Stir to combine.

Lightly flour the berries and then fold them into the batter.

Scoop batter into the muffin pan (two large spoons work really well) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for a while in the pan, and then transfer to a cooling rack or somewhere else where they can cool off.

Wow. This salad is amazing. And perfect as a fresh, summer salad.

Not only does it take so little time to prepare, it doesn’t require much skill outside of boil, chop, mix, and eat! And it tastes great, too!

I’ve been eying this recipe in Veganomicon for some time now, and since we had a huge case of mangoes, what better way to use them than in a salad?

I love how this doesn’t require much measuring. I eyeballed the amount of cilantro and scallions (which added a very nice bite to the otherwise sweet salad) and I doubt I put in the right amount of quinoa, but nevertheless, the salad came out so well that it quickly disappeared.

I used two mangoes instead of one since I had these smallish mangoes and I was pretty sure only one wouldn’t do. I also didn’t have any red wine vinegar nor any grapeseed oil, so I substituted with apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Personally, I don’t think it made that much of a difference considering the main flavors were definitely the mangoes and the other vegetables.

Also, who knew how easy it is to cook quinoa? It took only 20-ish minutes, though most of the time was spent waiting for it to finish simmering. I was so surprised at how easy it is.

My favorite part, though, was cutting up the mangoes. Have you ever made mango hedgehogs?

So these hot summer days have left me feeling quite lazy. Lazy enough that I’ve had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for two lunches in a row. And as for this yummy soup up here, I’ll admit that I didn’t even make that. My mom made it off some old recipe.

But unfortunately, you can’t be lazy when there’s still six pints of blueberries in the fridge, so I spent a day doing what I should’ve done last week: freeze them all!

The only problem was that our freezer is awfully packed and so I could only do one or two pints at a time. Luckily, I found a way to quickly dry off the blueberries without wasting so many paper towels!

Who knew salad spinners could be so useful?

Anyways, thankfully all the blueberries are frozen now and I’ll be able to make plenty of blueberry muffins in the winter. That is, if I don’t eat them all beforehand. Frozen blueberries are amazing! They remind me of those Dots ice cream things. Perfect for any hot day.

And another post on the on-going blueberry saga…

Cherries have unofficially replaced blueberries as the fresh fruit to eat in my house, so at the end of the day, the plates of cherries are empty while the plates of blueberries are rather full. Needless to say, we’re going through our huge batch of blueberries rather slowly.

However, there’s nothing better than some warm, gooey, juicy blueberries right out of the oven. Except there’s nothing worse than a super hot oven when you’re in the midst of record breaking high temperatures. So, in spite of the heat wave, I was determined to have my gooey blueberries.

I ended up using the toaster oven (we usually use it to heat up leftovers) and making these pastries with chocolate chips and blueberries. I opted for making individual pastries, so the only difference between mine and the instructions is that I used one sheet for each pastry and folded it in four before placing the toppings. I baked at 400 degrees for 14 minutes although the directions on the package said 8 minutes. Maybe using a toaster oven requires more time?

I rolled them up like spring rolls…

… and was able to fit four on the baking sheet that came with the toaster oven. None of my phyllo turned golden brown, unfortunately. I guess I’ll use Earth Balance next time and see if that makes a difference. I also forgot to add spices to the inside but that was okay since the chocolate flavor was enough. I probably should have used cinnamon and allspice to decorate though since I didn’t have any powdered sugar.

This was my first time using phyllo, and surprisingly, went pretty well! Phyllo’s pretty fragile–mine ripped a couple times–though very forgiving. It was sort of flavorless, so I guess I’ll try Earth Balance next time instead of oil between the layers. All in all, phyllo’s pretty nice to work with, and so is baking with a toaster oven!

Back in middle school, my mom and I had no idea what to pack for my lunch (this was before we discovered hummus) and I was sick of bringing leftovers from dinner, so I ended up bringing Boca Burgers everyday for a while (I know, really unhealthy, but I was 12!) Anyways, so when I ate my first GardenBurger, I almost gagged since it was nothing like the Boca Burgers I was used to. Eventually, I learned to appreciate these true veggie burgers and here I am making my first homemade one!

I wanted to celebrate the 4th of July so I whipped out my copy of Veganomicon and made Black Bean Burgers. I had previously made Chickpea Cutlets, and I liked them, but didn’t really love them. Maybe my expectations were just too high after reading everybody raving about them on the Internet. But these burgers, although they follow basically the same instructions as Chickpea Cutlets, I LOVED. Maybe it’s the slightly spicy flavor, or just the black bean taste that shines through, but these were perfect as burgers.

My only problem was frying them up, for they ended up really tender, but turns out I just skipped a direction! Make sure you gently press down on them as they cook or else they might be rather fragile. I ended up pushing down on them in a slight scoring pattern since I was using the edge of a wooden spatula.

I also ran out of room in my freezer, so for now, there’s a small stack sitting in my fridge, so I guess it’s burgers for the next couple meals! No problem for me!

I made my burger with spring salad mix (yes, that giant bucket from Cosco), sliced tomatoes and pickles, ketchup, and Vegenaise. And on the sidelines are sugar snap peas and blueberries (yes, more blueberries!)

An unnaturally cool summer evening means baking! Blueberries are in season so that means the refrigerator is stocked with cartons of them. At first, I was meaning to go with the ol’ favorite, blueberry muffins, but decided to try something new.

This recipe comes from Sweet Utopia by Sharon Valencik (I got it signed by her, too! My first signed cookbook!).  I thought the scone turned out quite tender and sweet. I’m more used to the crumbly, healthy-like scones you get at Whole Foods, and this was definitely more dessert than breakfast. Nevertheless, the lemon shines through and the blueberries are amazing.

Though, in the future, I have to remember to not stuff too many blueberries into one scone, or else you get something resembling a deconstructed blueberry pie on your cookie sheet and a while scrubbing it off.