The tofu in this recipe acts as a delicious, cheap, nutritious, vegan substitute for paneer and does a damn fine job at it. Paneer is an Indian fresh cheese that is delicate and mild in flavor- it adds richness and density to traditional dishes. No doubt that its tasty and serves a purpose but here it is seamlessly replaced- you have my word that it will not be missed. I used tofu alongside red lentils and a myriad of spices, making a gorgeously seasoned Indian dish. Eat it atop rice or accompanied with warm naan bread. Its beautifully simple & quick to put together- the result being an entree that is surprisingly so very good. As soon as I had a bite I knew that this was something that I would be preparing time and time again. I paired it with a cool cucumber & avocado salad and garnished the whole thing with fresh cilantro. (more…)

One of my favorite restaurants is putting on a dinner to benefit the Obama campaign. The food is consistently great and the cause is well worth shelling out the money for. Really now…McCain as president? Not a big fan of the Republican party myself-I don’t really benefit from their politics (nor do a lot of people that I know)…you know, me not being a wealthy white man and all. Support this wonderfully conscious business, support change in government and indulge in delicious food with the confidence that this is cash very well spent. Here are the details…get in there and reserve your spot…

Dinner for Obama

Wednesday, Oct. 22 5pm-8pm

Portage Bay Cafe (map)
391 Terry Ave. N.
Seattle, WA

(206) 462-6400

$75 Donation. Space is limited-call for reservation.

 *** Additionally, congratulations and celebration are very much in order- Portage Bay is opening up another restaurant in Ballard this February! Lucky, lucky Ballard folks- a Portage Bay Cafe of your very own…***

This is absolutely the best Thai food I have ever tasted. Really, I don’t state that lightly- I love Thai cooking and Ive eaten a lot of it many different places. I love that its vegetarian/vegan (of course). I love that its so close to me (in Wallingford). I love that the space is small, inviting, clean and modern. I love the friendly and informative staff that always make me feel as though they’ve been expecting me. And I love the hard working, lovely, and kind woman that owns the place. She cooks 7 days a week and with each visit I am blown away by her talent…shes a truly amazing chef. A couple of nights back we got some friends together to meet up for dinner at Jhanjay. (more…)

I mess with pasta sauces to the point of exhaustion- I don’t stick to recipes and am always adding or negating ingredients. Admittedly, its hard to break away from what I trust and it seems as though even when I try- my sauces emerge similar to one another. Its no good, an absolute slap in the face when so much effort has been put into doing it differently. I’ll dabble with bases- pesto, olive oil, tapenades, tomatoes and try to build on them to form something interesting… sometimes it works out other times not so much. With this pasta sauce I found a nice salty, sweet, spicy combination using some of my favorites…eggplant, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, capers and currants. (more…)

Ubuntu is not what I expect of a vegan/vegetarian restaurant. Not only is it a restaurant but also a yoga studio… that’s not the surprising part. Given that information, I pictured a very different atmosphere. You know- bamboo mats, incense, swaths of fabric hung about as decoration, new agey music playing, yogis with their mats casually cluttered about restored furniture. I was so very wrong. This isn’t some half assed hippie operation, nope, this is conscious eating habits going mainstream. (more…)