Nothing refreshes like a creamy cup or cone of ice cream on a hot summer's day, but what to do if you are avoiding dairy? Fortunately, options abound, and we vegans are not limited to sorbet or FrozFruit (although those, too, are viable options, as are Italian Ices and CocoMango icies.)
Several vegan ice cream parlors exist in the city. The best of these three is Stogo in the East Village, across the street from St. Mark's Church. They have almost as many flavor options as a Baskin Robbins, and I haven't yet found one I didn't like. Soy, coconut milk, and hemp milk based ice creams as well as sorbets are available. One can also have an ice cream sandwich made-to-order with vegan cookies.
Another option is Lulu's Sweet Apothecary, which I don't go to that often because it's way over on Avenue B and 6th street, but the ice cream is very good. This place is kitschy and designed like an old time sweet shop, and along with a host of flavors (some gluten-free, as well) they have a zillion toppings, sundaes, malted milkshake, etc. Some of their ice cream is also offered at Sustainable NYC, which is on 9th and A and is a little less of a schlepp.
I was delighted to discover that a vegan ice cream option also exists in Midtown! Kyotofu, an Asian restaurant on 48th and 9th Ave, has soymilk soft serve which will fool even the most diehard Mr. Softee fan. 2 flavors are available daily and a small comes with a free topping, most of which are vegan. I sampled the green tea and black sesame flavors recently and they were terrific.
Additionally, most vegan restaurants serve vegan ice cream, although generally not to take out. Most health food stores sell a variety of vegan ice creams as well. Tofutti is a well-known brand which has been around for years, primarily to serve the Jewish Kosher community who can't have a dairy dessert after a meat meal. I don't particularly advocate this brand because, despite being quite tasty, it has a lot of chemicals. Other options have sprung up, however including Soy Delicious, which offers soy and coconut milk ice creams with a minimum of additives, Tempt, which is made from hemp milk, and Rice Dream, which is made from rice milk and is very light. I also highly recommend Ciao Bella's Blackberry Cabernet sorbet.
Even if you are not a vegan, if you are lactose intolerant or watching your weight or cholesterol, these various vegan treats are superior to their dairy counterparts, and you will not be missing anything taste-wise.
Showing posts with label Rastafarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rastafarian. Show all posts
Friday, June 29, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Trini Curry Channa
This is one of my favorite recipes of all time. You need a particular type of curry: Chief brand Trinidadian curry powder, which is not very spicy and exceptionally yummy.
Chop a large onion and a clove of garlic and saute in about a tbsp of vegetable oil til soft.
Add 2 heaping tbsps of curry, plus a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a dash of cumin, stir until the veggies are coated and saute for another 3 min, watching carefully to ensure it doesn't burn. Add 4-8 leaves of cilantro and saute another minute.
Once curry is very lightly browned, add 3 cups of cooked chickpeas (channa) with about 3 tbsps of the liquid from the cooked beans. Stir thoroughly until the peas are well-coated in the veggies and spice. Simmer covered on a low heat for about 12 min, until some, but not all, of the liquid is absorbed.
This is delicious over brown rice, with Basmati being the best option. This is also absolutely superb paired with roti if you can obtain it.
There is another version with potatoes which I find harder to make because the cooking time for the potatoes is tricky. I also find it too starchy with the rice. However, if you wish to use potatoes, I would suggest partially boiling them separately, cutting them into small chunks, and adding them to the mix a few minutes before you add the beans, and using about 2 tbsps more water.
Chop a large onion and a clove of garlic and saute in about a tbsp of vegetable oil til soft.
Add 2 heaping tbsps of curry, plus a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a dash of cumin, stir until the veggies are coated and saute for another 3 min, watching carefully to ensure it doesn't burn. Add 4-8 leaves of cilantro and saute another minute.
Once curry is very lightly browned, add 3 cups of cooked chickpeas (channa) with about 3 tbsps of the liquid from the cooked beans. Stir thoroughly until the peas are well-coated in the veggies and spice. Simmer covered on a low heat for about 12 min, until some, but not all, of the liquid is absorbed.
This is delicious over brown rice, with Basmati being the best option. This is also absolutely superb paired with roti if you can obtain it.
There is another version with potatoes which I find harder to make because the cooking time for the potatoes is tricky. I also find it too starchy with the rice. However, if you wish to use potatoes, I would suggest partially boiling them separately, cutting them into small chunks, and adding them to the mix a few minutes before you add the beans, and using about 2 tbsps more water.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Rastafarian Diet
I wrote this and then found out it was Bob Marley's birthday! Serendipity! Unfortunately it took me a few days to get it posted up...
For the first six years I was a vegetarian I lived first in a college dormitory and then in my first apartment as a single woman with several other women. The staples of my diet were Kraft macaroni and cheese, pizza, and bagels. I did eat vegetables, but often canned or microwaved. I had gone veggie for ethical reasons and wasn't all that concerned about the healthiness of the food I was eating, and my living situations were not conducive (I thought) to eating healthily. Additionally, my roommates ate far worse than I did, so by comparison it seemed like I was doing ok.
Changing these habits was catalyzed in part by my discovery that the Rastafarians, whose music and culture I had long admired, were strict vegans who ate a diet of whole, unrefined foods. Among their rules were: no meat, milk, or eggs, nothing from a can, and no white rice, pasta, flour, sugar, or salt (sea salt was acceptable.) This diet was called "Ital," a patois of "Vital," and was inspired both by certain biblical passages and the Rastafarians' general outlook on life, which included shunning modernized, industrial culture and connecting with the earth. After dining at two Ital restaurants in Harlem, I was totally hooked.
Only one Rastafarian cookbook exists, and I own it, but I find a lot of the recipes a little dicey. (Here it is if you're interested.) The measurements are often not totally successful, many dishes call for obscure vegetables which are almost impossible to find outside of the Caribbean, and many call for the small but atomic Scotch Bonnet pepper, a teeny shred of which renders most dishes so spicy it hurts to even smell them, which based on the food I've eaten in Rasta restaurants is not typical of the cuisine. (Perhaps in Jamaica it packs more of a punch.) The following is my version of an "Ital Stew," which I will admit bears little resemblance to the original recipe in the book, yet certainly meets the Ital criteria:
1 bunch collard greens (substitute for callaloo-- I've also used kale)
3 large carrots
3 large yams
3 parnsips
1 onion
2 cups lentils
Parsley, fresh or dried, to taste
Sea salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper to taste
Chop vegetables into large hunks, cover all with water in a large pot, bring to a boil, simmer until all is soft (about 45 min.) Eat with whole grain bread to render a complete protein.
This dish is a favorite around my house in the winter.
For a more authentic Rasta experience, I strongly recommend you check out Uptown Juice Bar on 125th Street near Park Ave. They have serve-yourself steamer trays of dozens of delectable foods, from collard greens, pumpkin, and curried chickpeas, to mock meat stir-fry and BBQ skewers (made from tofu) which would probably help to soothe the meat cravings of a newly indoctrinated vegetarian. Other offerings include fresh juices and smoothies similar to the one I posted the other day, vegan baked goods, and delicious vegan pastries such as tofu cheesecake, carrot cake, and cassava pudding. Another option is Strictly Roots on 123rd and Adam Clayton Powell (6th), which has similar cuisine and a quieter atmosphere (I like their food, but nothing compares to the fare at the Juice Bar.) It is well worth the trip uptown if you live downtown... I would venture to say it is well worth a trip from almost anywhere!
For the first six years I was a vegetarian I lived first in a college dormitory and then in my first apartment as a single woman with several other women. The staples of my diet were Kraft macaroni and cheese, pizza, and bagels. I did eat vegetables, but often canned or microwaved. I had gone veggie for ethical reasons and wasn't all that concerned about the healthiness of the food I was eating, and my living situations were not conducive (I thought) to eating healthily. Additionally, my roommates ate far worse than I did, so by comparison it seemed like I was doing ok.
Changing these habits was catalyzed in part by my discovery that the Rastafarians, whose music and culture I had long admired, were strict vegans who ate a diet of whole, unrefined foods. Among their rules were: no meat, milk, or eggs, nothing from a can, and no white rice, pasta, flour, sugar, or salt (sea salt was acceptable.) This diet was called "Ital," a patois of "Vital," and was inspired both by certain biblical passages and the Rastafarians' general outlook on life, which included shunning modernized, industrial culture and connecting with the earth. After dining at two Ital restaurants in Harlem, I was totally hooked.
Only one Rastafarian cookbook exists, and I own it, but I find a lot of the recipes a little dicey. (Here it is if you're interested.) The measurements are often not totally successful, many dishes call for obscure vegetables which are almost impossible to find outside of the Caribbean, and many call for the small but atomic Scotch Bonnet pepper, a teeny shred of which renders most dishes so spicy it hurts to even smell them, which based on the food I've eaten in Rasta restaurants is not typical of the cuisine. (Perhaps in Jamaica it packs more of a punch.) The following is my version of an "Ital Stew," which I will admit bears little resemblance to the original recipe in the book, yet certainly meets the Ital criteria:
1 bunch collard greens (substitute for callaloo-- I've also used kale)
3 large carrots
3 large yams
3 parnsips
1 onion
2 cups lentils
Parsley, fresh or dried, to taste
Sea salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper to taste
Chop vegetables into large hunks, cover all with water in a large pot, bring to a boil, simmer until all is soft (about 45 min.) Eat with whole grain bread to render a complete protein.
This dish is a favorite around my house in the winter.
For a more authentic Rasta experience, I strongly recommend you check out Uptown Juice Bar on 125th Street near Park Ave. They have serve-yourself steamer trays of dozens of delectable foods, from collard greens, pumpkin, and curried chickpeas, to mock meat stir-fry and BBQ skewers (made from tofu) which would probably help to soothe the meat cravings of a newly indoctrinated vegetarian. Other offerings include fresh juices and smoothies similar to the one I posted the other day, vegan baked goods, and delicious vegan pastries such as tofu cheesecake, carrot cake, and cassava pudding. Another option is Strictly Roots on 123rd and Adam Clayton Powell (6th), which has similar cuisine and a quieter atmosphere (I like their food, but nothing compares to the fare at the Juice Bar.) It is well worth the trip uptown if you live downtown... I would venture to say it is well worth a trip from almost anywhere!
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