Top o' the Morning juice recipe

For my visit home last week, I packed my smoothie arsenal, which was recently restocked by Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Kitchen. My Dad matched my mixology efforts with his own inventive juice recipes. He's really the "Juiceman," as my parent's first juicer was called. (They've since moved on to a different brand.)

Here is my Dad's current favorite recipe. It's a gingery, sweet and sour blend that gets your blood flowing. He didn't have a name for it, but I'm giving it one here, based on his usual bright morning greeting.

Top o' the Morning Juice
Wash, prep, and juice the following ingredients:

• 5 carrots, peeled
• 2 inch-piece ginger root
• 2 oranges, peeled and quartered
• 2 apples, quartered
• 1/2 lime, peeled and quartered

Serves 2.

Chili in PA

I'm home for a visit to my family's farm in chilly Pennsylvania. Here's a photo of my Mom's spicy and nourishing black bean chili. She freestyled this vegan recipe with black and broad beans, veggies, and chipotle chili pepper. Plus a secret ingredient: orange zest. Serve over brown rice and/or quinoa. It's the perfect bowl for snowy weather.  

Sticky Fingers eats, part 1

I'm remiss to have posted so little about Sticky Fingers, DC's most excellent all-vegan bakery and cafe, located at 1370 Park Rd NW. Sticky Fingers was established in 1999 by Doron Petersan, who has penned a cookbook recently. The bakery also has won a couple of Food Network Cupcake Wars battles. 

For me, Sticky Fingers is like that beloved, local band that finds national fame. Now they are hugely popular--often with lines out the door and little available seating. I don't want to begrudge them their success. It's deserved: they are one of the hardest-working bakeries and have high-quality goods. However sometimes I'm nostalgic for their past incarnations, like the funky old location on 18th Street. (I think that was the first vegan bakery I ever visited.) But maybe I need to get over my "I knew them when..." bias and celebrate Sticky Fingers for its present awesomeness.

In fact, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to visit Sticky Fingers more often. (In Baltimore, I was trying to do the same with my favorite vegan restaurant in that city: The Land of Kush. Sadly, I moved away before I achieved "regular" patron status.) I've noticed that Bianca, at the blog Vegan Crunk, often posts about Imagine Vegan Cafe, her local favorite in Memphis. Maybe Sticky Fingers can be my repeat visit spot in the District? 

Here are photos from a recent visit to Sticky Fingers for lunch. Above is the hot cocoa, with foam made by a skilled barista. The cocoa wasn't too sweet, which is fine in my book. (The chalkboard menu also listed drinking chocolate, which I may have to try next time.) Below is the hot Tempeh Reuben sandwich, with tangy sauerkraut and Russian dressing on rye bread. It wasn't the hippie-style version with sprouts and avocado that I've had from other places. Instead it was reminiscent of a grilled cheese, very compact and flaky. I do wish they'd serve it with a pickle.  

I enjoyed this sandwich at the sunny window counter. It's a good people-watching spot, looking out at the entrance to the Columbia Heights Giant. The cafe also has ample outdoor seating for nicer weather and some killer to-go offerings. Plus a whole bakery case of sweets, including those famous cupcakes. Yes, this post will be "part 1" of many for 2013.

Pho for the Win: Pho 14

It's hard not to get punny when writing a review of pho places but I'll try to limit it to the title of this post. I've never had non-veg pho, so I'm no expert on how pho should taste traditionally. Devoted purists would probably have a beef with veggie pho. But the chay option works for me, when it's vegan. (Warning: sometimes the chay isn't even vegetarian. Check the broth. I've been burned once before, namely at Pho DC in Chinatown.) Anyway, real pho addicts would probably stick with suburban pho spots for authenticity and affordability.

Pho Chay

Now with two locations, Pho 14 is the winning veggie pho option in the district. I recently visited their new location in Adams Morgan at 1773 Columbia Rd NW. It is a large space, rather chilly on the night my boyfriend and I visited. Perhaps that encourages diners to order extra large bowls? That's what I did. Next time I will probably downsize to a regular large size. Because the pho was super-sized to the brim, filled with tofu, veggies, mushrooms, and noodles. My boyfriend though the broth was too bland. I found it subtle and slightly fruity. However the toppings plate with lime wedges, fresh basil, jalapenos, and sprouts helped add more flavors. And I added Sriracha, which is readily available on all the tables, along with hoisin. 

Pho toppings

We also tried the bahn mi, which wasn't much to write home about, but had a chay version. Pho 14 seems to be more about the pho than their other Vietnamese fare. I'll have to revisit their Columbia Heights location at 1436 Park Rd NW to compare the dining atmospheres.The Admo location was surprisingly uncrowded with mood lighting and quick, attentive service. No alcohol.  

Bahn Mi Chay

Project Smoothies completed

I finally finished the Smoothies chapter of Crazy Sexy Kitchen, the VegCookbook Club's first selection of 2013. Next month's cookbook has been announced: Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. 

Chai Latte
A lovely chai that is nicely spiced and warming. The drink wasn't too sweet with ginger and cardamom to balance out the dates. However, it isn't really what I think of when I think of a smoothie. Where's the fruit? In fact, I added freshly brewed black tea, taking a "Note From Chad" suggestion. This tea variation pairs well with a chunky book.

Closing the Smoothie chapter

For the Love of Nog!

This frothy, pale treat also seems like it could fall under "and other beverages." There isn't much fruit involved either, just banana and dates. For me, this was a super sweet beverage, although lighter than the "vegg nog" that I made from Nava Atlas' Vegan Holiday Kitchen. (Alas, no rum in the CSK version.) Both nogs have proven to me that nutmeg is a spice to break out year-round, not merely for holiday concoctions.     

Homemade cashew milk

Basic Nut/Seed Milk 
Finally, I used raw cashews for this homemade nut milk. This recipe produced a creamy liquid with a strong cashew flavor. I tried this milk in my morning smoothie but found it too rich and overwhelming. Instead I added small amounts to mugs of black tea and matcha.

The recipe was much simpler than I anticipated. I soaked cashews in water and then blended the bloated nuts. I wasn't able to find a proper nut milk bag for straining. (Even at Whole Foods!) Instead I improvised with some small cotton sachets* that I found at my neighborhood natural food store. After I squeezed the cashew liquid from its pulp, these sachets resembled spent prophylactics. (Just saying.)

*The bags are reusable and the packaging says they are ideal for teas, bath herbs, camping, and backpacking. Perhaps they'll come in handy for future VegCookbooking?

In a mood for curry

Here are two unique curried items that I made from Crazy Sexy Kitchen, the VegCookbook Club book for January. I scored a bottle of curry powder at our local Japanese market last fall and hadn't cracked it open yet. Luckily, this cookbook offered up some novel ideas.

Curried Nada-Egg with Watercress Wraps
Perhaps this recipe wasn't written for me, as I haven't had a hankering for the egg salad sandwiches of my pre-vegan childhood. However I did love the peppery watercress and the zippy curry flavor in the tofu spread. Of course, the wrap also involves a mega-dose of Vegenaise and Dijon mustard. I added a wee bit of red onion, in addition to the green onions. (Maybe some garlic would work in this mix?) The recipe made loads and would be suitable for summer picnics in the park.

Curried Cashews
This was my first snack recipe from the book. I used my oven and the cashews smelled divine when roasting. However I'm not sure if they turned out as crispy as a dehydrator might have achieved. Either way, they are an oniony, salty, and currylicious treat. A good backpack stash.

Pancakes and some salad dressings

We had a long holiday weekend in DC, with the Inauguration and MLK Day. So I made Crazy Sexy Kitchen pancakes and a few of the salad dressings, also from the January VegCookbook Club pick.

Cornmeal Banana Walnut Pancakes 
This recipe by guest chef Fran Costigan is great stuff. It's written in an engaging, almost conspiratorial fashion. "Don't worry,"Costigan advises as you flip the pancakes. So I didn't. And the pancakes turned out scrumptious. This is what I'd serve at an Inaugural Luncheon, instead of bison (yuck). Next time I make these, I'll also double the recipe and have more maple syrup on hand.

(From left) Basic Italian, Garlic Tahini, Miso-Citrus

Salad dressings
I've made of four of the salad dressings in the Dressings, Marinades, and Condiments chapter. The Basic Italian Dressing was sweet and slightly spicy. The Garlic Tahini Dressing was simple and straightforward. The Miso-Citrus Dressing was salty and orange juicy. But, by far, the Dijon Vinaigrette (below) is the the one I'm going to re-elect. I love Dijon mustard, so what's not to love about this garlicky, vinegary mustard dressing? Like the merch hawkers said down on the Mall yesterday, "Twice is Nice." I'm definitely making this dressing again and again.

Dijon Vinaigrette