Chicago bites - Loop eats

Here are some food highlight photos from a recent trip to Chicago. Wow, Chicago is way more veg-friendly than the last time that my boyfriend and I visited, which was admittedly over 10 years ago. I've been neglecting the Midwestern foodways. We ate mainly in the Loop area, which is featured below. Next up, I'll post our Lakeview and River North finds.

First we visited Native Foods Café, which largely seems to be a West Coast chain but has outposts in Colorado and Illinois, including the one at 218 S Clark Street. The food was over-the-top indulgent. Piled-high, slathered, "cheesy," and fried seems to be how Native Foods serves things. However we didn't order anything remotely sensible.

Pictured here are the Native Chicken Wings (above) and two types of sandwiches. The Classic Deli Reuben that I ordered was greasy seitan bliss (below on left). And my boyfriend deemed the Oklahoma Bacon Cheeseburger a must-try item for its brazenness (below on right).  The accompanying ranch dressing was rather insipid, sadly. Otherwise we were pleased with this "fast-casual" vegan chain.  

  

The darker photos (below) are from Haymarket Pub & Brewery, located at 737 W Randolph Street. This vegan-friendly brewpub had a fine vegan chili and truly excellent vegan burger made with beets, oats, and black beans. I feel bad to post this sloppy, half-eaten burger pic but the veggie burger was really that good. It's always surprising and delightful to find solid vegan bar food.    

Finally, we found a treasure-trove of Soul Vegan to-go items (below) at the Bockwinkel's grocery store near our hotel. We were hoping to score some plain old hummus. Who'd have thought that mixed-in with the potato salads and coleslaws we'd discover 100% vegan soul food entrees, salads, and wraps?  This deli case became our go-to spot for picnic items to take to the many inviting parks of Chicago. In fact, these vegan items were among the best stuff we ate on our trip. The tangy and spicy Jerk Steak Wrap was my particular favorite.  

Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan for July

July's VegCookbook Club pick is one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan: Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating by Dreena Burton. Unlike many of this year's other club selections, I actually own this attractive and colorful volume. So I have no library wait to endure.

Because I have been on vacation to Chicago, I have only made two recipes thus far. I do wish that it wasn't summer and that I could fire up the oven again because Dreena Burton's desserts are killer. However, there is plenty to look forward to in this cookbook without baking.  Did I mention that this book has a whole chapter devoted to hummus?  

Roasted Red Pepper & Almond Hummus
Dreena Burton is the Queen of Hummus. This red pepper hummus is much tastier and fresher than the brands that you can buy from the grocery store. In place of tahini, the almonds impart a subtle, nutty flavor that matches nicely with the sweet and smoky roasted peppers. I imagine that kids might enjoy this hummus. However I tripled the garlic for adult palates.

"But Where Do You Get Your Protein?" Smoothie
I usually forgo nut butters in my smoothies but this one calls for two types, which is interesting. I went with peanut butter and sunflower seed butter and used almond milk rather than soy. I also skipped the protein power because I'm not worried about extra protein. I did add ground flax. The blueberries and bananas provided sweetness to this creamy, nourishing drink.

Martha goes Meatless

The July VegCookbook Club selection has been announced already and I have yet to post about June's pick. Here goes.

It took awhile for my library hold for Meatless: More than 200 of the Very Best Vegetarian Recipes to arrive. This glossy new book is surprisingly hefty. It would add a thick chunk of meatless recipes to an omnivore's bookshelf.

I thought that the book was authored by Martha Stewart but, in fact, she only penned the very brief forward. (Which has a gruesome anecdote about butchering the family pet sheep and serving it to her daughter Alexis as "pork chops." Her daughter was not fooled and chose this moment to start eating "meatless." Go Alexis!)

The many excellent food photographers get credited in the back pages but the recipe authors themselves are ghosts in the Martha Stewart machine. The recipes are largely repurposed from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Publications. So I imagine that if you subscribe to the magazines or other arms of brand Martha Stewart, then some of these recipes might be repeats.

The book has an appealing design, although the index could use some work. I was particularly thrilled to find the "V" symbol for vegan recipes. (Although, the ghost writers seem to think that honey is vegan. I recommend subbing agave.) Truthfully, as I paged through the cookbook, I ended up skipping the non-V recipes, which are largely cheesy.

Below are the three V recipes that I ended up trying. I was looking for recipes that required little or no cooking, due to the summer heat.

Fancy presentation

Avocado Salad with Bell Peppers and Tomatoes
This easy, fresh, and attractive "salad," is really a chunky guacamole with tomatoes, peppers, scallions, garlic, and fresh cilantro. Presentation is key, as it is served in the scooped-out shell of an avocado. I actually just filled a single half for the photo and dumped the rest into a bowl, which was messier but equally satisfying. I forgot the extra cilantro garnish because I'm not Martha Stewart.

How it was really served

Fresh Pea Hummus
Who'd have thought that I would be making a "Martha Stewart" hummus? I scored fresh peas at our local farmers' market and used them in this inventive green hummus recipe. Some cooking is required here but only boiling water, which I could it handle. This recipe reminded me of an edamame hummus that I used to make. As with the edamame version, the look of this dip is surprising and delightful. The fresh green peas were sweet and paired well with the cilantro.

Martha Stewart hummus

Fresh green peas

Chipotle-Avocado Sandwiches

Finally I made these smoky mashed kidney bean sandwiches. I subbed curly kale and fresh broccoli for the suggested escarole and sprouts. I did use avocado and radishes as called-for in the recipe. This meatless combination was excellent in a pita. However I think it might be harder to eat with sliced bread. I did add spicy mustard for extra flavor, as the recipe only uses one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. You could probably add even more peppers, according to taste.

Chocolate City Beer

Today's A.Word.A.Day is zymurgy, which is where this blog has been focused of late, as DC has been too hot and humid for cooking. How about we continue the study of fermentation instead? By drinking beer and eating pickles, natch.

While conducting our "highly scientific" summer tour of DC breweries, some friends and I recently visited Chocolate City Beer. Located at 2801 8th St NE in the Brookland neighborhood, this brewery is actually convenient by Metro! It's about a 10-minute walk from Brookland-CUA Station. It is also handy by bus and by bike, if you can brave the Metropolitan Branch Trail.

Wow, this is a small brewery, located in the basement of an old railside industrial building. Chocolate City is larger than a homebrew operation but tiny compared to DC Brau. It almost feels like visiting a friend's garage, although it smells more malty than musty.

Because of the size of the operation, Chocolate City doesn't bottle or can their beer. It is only available in barrels, kegs, and sixtels. And, of course, in to-go growlers. Chocolate City's constant batch turnover means that the brewery always has fresh products.

There is no official tour but you are free to roam about as you enjoy a free tasting. When we visited some of the brewers were on hand to answer questions too. They had only one beer ready to taste, the Cornerstone Copper Ale. This "foundational beer" is a mild amber ale, which is not really my bag. I'll be on the lookout for their other offerings.

Luckily, you can find Chocolate City beer on tap, all around town. Growler sales are every Saturday, from 12:30pm-4:30pm, at the brewery proper. I do love the Chocolate City Beer logo, which also adorns the glassware and other merchandise available at the brewery store.

Kale-chi from Number 1 Sons

I've found a new summer love at our neighborhood farmers' market, 14th & U Farmers' Market. A pickle stand has arrived on the Saturday morning scene. (Making some amends for the sore loss of the mushroom vendor). Number 1 Sons, a family-run operation, offers a variety of barrel fermented favorites, including one I've never heard of before.

"What do you want pickled?"

Behold, kale-chi, a kimchi that features kale. What a great idea! Number 1 Sons' tumblr page asks, "What do you want pickled?" Kale is an awesome answer to that question because it is a nutritional rockstar. Kale-chi is a delightful take on classic kimchi. It's nice to have locally-made kimchi without fish sauce or shrimp in it too. This spicy, crunchy pickled dish is excellent as a condiment or eaten straight out of its tub. I even put it on my salads for kicks.

Kale-chi

Number 1 Sons' products are available at farmers' markets and in stores around DC and VA. I'm eager to try more of their offerings, including their kraut and salsa. Plus, the majority of their fermented foods are vegan. (The "Kimchi Cukes" do contain honey.)

DC Brau Brewing Company

The Corruption IPA

Last month some friends and I began a slow summer tour of Washington, DC breweries. The District of Columbia has had its share of antiquated and downright Draconian laws, what with the struggle for statehood and the lack of basic political rights for its denizens. Happily, things are starting to change on the beer law front, thanks largely to DC Brau.

Founded by Brandon Skall and Jeff Hancock in 2009, DC Brau Brewing Company was the first local brewery to exist in the District since the 1950s. DC Brau's motto is "Fermentation Without Representation"and they promote DC Statehood and going green. These beer champions have paved the way for things like tasting tours and growler sales. Clearly, DC Brau had to be the first stop on our tour.  

Strip mall that houses DC Brau's brewery 

Their small but rapidly expanding brewery, located at 3178-B Bladensburg Rd NE, is well-worth a visit. We took public transportation to the nondescript New Town Center. (The handy B2 bus from Stadium Armory Metro is a direct 20-minute ride and avoids Maryland). However other thirsty folks were arriving via bicycles and cars. The entrance to the brewery is around back of the strip mall. Look for a loading dock area and people with growlers.

The free tours happen on most Saturdays at 1, 2, and 3pm, during the brewery's 12pm - 4pm hours. When we visited co-founder Brandon Skall led the brief, informative tour himself. As is standard with brewery tours, Skall covered Brewing 101 topics and showed off their new walk-in refrigerator and the shiny and impressive canning system.

Canning system

My favorite part of the tour, besides the colorful murals throughout the brewery, was that Skall said DC Brau's beers are all vegan! The brewery doesn't use isinglass (fish bladders) or other animal based fining agents. He said that just didn't fit with their style of beer. Plus they didn't want to "give vegans a complex." (Please take note, Magic Hat and other unnecessarily "fishy" beers.)

As part of the visit, the brewery gives you four tasting tickets for their brews. We sampled the Penn Quarter Porter, The Corruption India Pale, The Public American Pale, and The Citizen Belgian Pale. The Corruption was my favorite as I enjoy hoppy, bold beers but all the beers were tasty and unique.

Free tastings held under US and DC flags

The brewery sells growlers and six-packs to-go. They also sell all sorts of cool merch, including stemware. DC Brau is currently brewing a beer for our local football team, DC United, which will be available at RFK Stadium. You can find their brau all over town--at restaurants and bars, at our art house movie theater, and in many a summer picnic basket.

 

Finishing up Vegan on the Cheap

Somehow it is almost June. With the new month comes a new VegCookbook Club selection, Meatless: More than 200 of the Very Best Vegetarian Recipes by Martha Stewart. This should be interesting!  

Meanwhile, here are the last items that I made from Vegan on the Cheap, May's club pick. This book has been rather anti-Martha Stewart. That is to say, there are no glossy photo spreads or elaborate food stylings here. Just short, to-the-point recipes and pragmatic cooking advice, similar to what you can find on Robin Robertson's own media empire.  

The beans are hidden inside.

Nacho Taco Salad
This was a fun, creative recipe, one I'd never heard of before this cookbook. There is memorable greasy taco salad in Joe Hill's short story, "You Will Hear the Locust Sing." That one features "big flaps of lettuce, soggy with taco juices." This is a much fresher take, assembled right before serving. Plus it has "nacho cheese."

Basically, you layer a shallow bowl with tortilla chips. (I used Garden of Eatin' Red Hot Blues but an unflavored chip would suffice.) Then you layer a mound of spicy hot beans, prepared with salsa and chili powder. Next you pour on some warm Cheezee Sauce, using the same great recipe Robertson uses for the Wheatball sandwiches. Finally, you add your salad and any other nacho toppings that suit.

The recipe calls for iceberg lettuce but I went with Russian red kale for my salad, plus extra chopped tomatoes, jalapeños, and onions. I also added more Cheezee Sauce to the top, because I thought the sturdier greens could handle it. This recipe would be great at a buffet-style dinner because each person could tailor it to taste.      

Inner Goddess

Inner Goddess Dressing
I'm not a fan of pasta salads but this dressing (from the recipe for Garden Rotini and Chickpea Salad) was also listed as an all-around dressing and sounded worth a go. It uses cashews, tahini, and some vegan milk to add creamy Goddess-style flavor. I'm not sure if it would please true die-hard Annie's fans. It could use some chives and parsley.

Beware of the blob.

House Salad Dressing
I also tried the mustard vinaigrette variation for this basic house salad dressing recipe. It was very oily but quick to throw together. As instructed, I stored the dressing in a tightly covered container. However on the second day, the dressing congealed into a strange blob. I've never had that happen with a dressing before.