Vegan Filipino food—not a contradiction in terms

My friend Helen, who is vegan, and I like to joke that Filipino food—the food that I grew up eating—is the least vegan cuisine out there. It’s meat with a side of meat and some rice.

However, Helen remained curious about Filipino food and is a perseverant cook. She surprised me by making her own karioka, which is essentially a set of Filipino doughnuts on a stick. It turns out that karioka is vegan.

That piqued my interest, and I started wondering if there were other vegan Filipino foods. One day Helen and I were chatting on Twitter about a recipe by Astig Vegan for vegan lumpia, one of the quintessential Filipino foods.

I was surprised to find that lumpia wrappers are vegan. I had been sure that there they were made with eggs, but they aren’t. This revelation opened up a world of possibilities.

Elegant and inventive Japanese food–deep in the heart of Texas

When I traveled to Austin, Texas for the South by Southwest Interactive conference, I definitely had a lot of barbecue, but I also was fortunate to eat at Uchiko, the Japanese restaurant where Top Chef Season 9 winner, Paul Qui, is executive chef.

The restaurant, of course, was completely booked weeks before I arrived in Austin. I thought maybe I could score a seat in the bar during happy hour if I got there early enough. My conference roommate, Dominique, was game to try. While she was on the Uchiko website getting directions to the restaurant, on a whim, Dominique checked online availability of reservations that night. She found a 5:30 pm slot was open and booked it immediately. Score!

Amazing Angry Birds cake by Sweet Teeth Bakery

For my husband’s birthday this year, I surprised him with an Angry Birds cake, made by our friend Amelia Franada, who owns Sweet Teeth Custom Cakes & Pastries in Renton, Washington.

I’m constantly impressed by Amelia’s artistry and versatility. She can make everything from a kick ass ninja cake to elegant French macaroons. I also love her creative spins on traditional Filipino desserts.

Go ahead, “like” her on Facebook and visit her booth at the Renton Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays. You won’t regret it!

Stop what you’re doing and make this chocolate cake RIGHT NOW (it’s that good)

Photo by Patricia Heal

A few weeks ago, my friend Lynn made chocolate stout layer cake for dessert for Thursday night dinner at Ellen’s. I must admit that I was skeptical. Sure, I know that certain stout beers have a dark chocolate flavor, so a pairing of beer and chocolate isn’t that out there. But still, I was afraid that the malt flavor would overwhelm the chocolate in a cake.

Boy, was I wrong.

The cake Lynn made was easily one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever had. (And I have eaten a lot of cake.) It was rich but not too dense and the beer perfectly accentuated the chocolate. Too often frosting is an afterthought, but this time it was an essential element of the cake.

Also, this cake was incredibly moist. So moist that I saved a piece from Thursday night dinner, and when I ate it on Sunday (yes, three days later), it was still as moist as when it was first made!

If you’re looking to be the star of the next potluck you attend or to curry favor with your favorite chocolate lover, look no further than this cake. Click here now to get the amazing recipe.

I HEART Bakeman’s

If you work in downtown Seattle, chances are you’ve eaten in the subterranean cafeteria known as Bakeman’s. It’s known for its turkey sandwiches, fast service, low prices, total lack of ambiance and the cranky proprietor, Jason Wang, aka “The Sandwich Nazi.”

If you come into Bakeman’s, you better know what you want to order, and you better order it quickly. Otherwise Jason will call you out. Many people don’t like Jason’s gruff demeanor and says that he yells at people too much. One review I read claimed that Jason verbally abuses people. Puh-lease. Jason just says what everybody in line is thinking. “Hey, hurry up. Don’t you know what you want yet? People are waiting. I’ve only got 30 minutes for lunch!”

I recently went to Bakeman’s during lunch rush, got my food and when I made it to the cash register, I discovered that I didn’t have enough cash to pay. (Bakeman’s only takes cash or checks.) I fully expected Jason to upbraid me. Instead, he just said, “Pay me next time” and shooed me away. I came back later that day to give him money, and he seemed amazed–and true to form, a little annoyed–that I had returned.

The turkey sandwiches at Bakeman’s are delicious. I liked mine mixed, on wheat, just cranberry. (White and dark meat on wheat with cranberry sauce for those who don’t know the lingo.) But I enjoy the daily specials even more. They are often a real surprise and range from classics like meatloaf and mashed potatoes to more exotic fare like kalua pork and cabbage. And at $6.75, they are a great value.

I recently enjoyed roasted chicken breast with Israeli couscous at Bakeman’s. The chicken was moist and flavorful and the couscous was well seasoned. I would have never expected to see an upscale ingredient like Israeli couscous at a chipped-Formica-counter kind of place like Bakeman’s, but that’s why I love the place!

Chicken breast with Israeli couscous

“But it’s breakfast for supper. Your favorite, Paulie.”

I didn’t need to watch Juno to know that having breakfast for dinner kicks butt.

My Thursday night dinner crew shares the sentiment, and in June, we had a potato and leek frittata, waffles, bacon, sausage, fruit salad and mimosas in honor of our friend Jill’s birthday.

Who needs cake when you've got a birthday frittata?

Tara brought her circus waffle maker, which produces waffles in the shape of a lion, elephant, circus tent and clown (shudder).

Decisions, decisions.

All together now: mmmm...bacon.

A balanced breakfast.

Two words: Uncle O’Grimacey

Hugs and kisses to Jean Bentley at PopWatch for unearthing this hilarious vintage McDonald’s commerical for the shamrock shake.

Hot dish

I’ve been out of commission the last few weeks with a nasty sinus infection so that’s why it’s been all quiet on the blog front. Here are some random bits of food news that I’ve been thinking about while I’ve been getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids.

I possess what may be the last four bottles of Ciclón in Washington state! My darling husband drove up north and took a ferry to pick up this precious cargo from the liquor store in Clinton, WA. My friend Bev asked me how I would judge whether an event was “Ciclón-worthy” or not (shades of Elaine on Seinfeld). Good question…

The Seattle P-I’s Rebekah Denn wrote a great profile about Seattle food blogger Molly Wizenberg aka Orangette. Sadly, the P-I is closing its doors and will print its last edition tomorrow.

I’m still in deep denial that Carla did not win Top Chef. Her spirit guides must have been asleep at the wheel during the last challenge. Why else would she have taken Casey’s advice? Oh, Carla, to thine own cooking be true!

The only thing more disappointing than Hosea winning Top Chef was the lame-ass reunion show. Besides Ariane looking smoking hot and living up to her “Cougar” nickname, there was little of interest. And we had to rehash the whole Hosea/Leah hookup. Talk about unappetizing!

Speaking of Top Chef, what is up with Tom Colicchio pushing Diet Coke and Padma Lakshmi promoting Hardee’s?!

Utah’s greatest bits

To finish out my posts about my foray into Utah’s food scene, here are six food finds you should check out if you ever find yourself in the Beehive State.

1. Roasted banana ice cream at the University of Utah’s Red Butte Garden served by Scoopology.

2. “Tennessee tangos” at Sugarhouse BBQ. The rest of our meal was kind of a disappointment, but the rib tips were divine.

3. Grilled ham and cheese sandwich with fries at Liberty Park. A homey treat like mom used to make. While you’re at the park, be sure and visit the Tracy Aviary.

4. Hawaiian shave ice at the Park City farmers market. I got mine with mango, lychee and ling hing mui flavoring.

5. Liberty Heights Fresh. I wish this was my grocery store.

6. Mazza. We wanted to eat at this Middle Eastern restaurant but ran out of time. Sarah and Damon were kind enough to share some leftovers they happened to have in the fridge, and they were delicious. I could only imagine how good a full meal would have been.

That’s a spicy meatball

The food highlight of our trip to Utah was a visit to Tony Caputo’s Market and Deli. With its artisan cheeses, in-house salami maker(!) and premium chocolates, Caputo’s feels like it should be in major metropolis like New York or Chicago. This is definitely a place I never expected to find in Salt Lake City. Despite having most city trappings, SLC still feels more like a small town to me. Plus–who knew there were Italians in Utah! That’s the fun of living in a nation of immigrants–people can wind up anywhere.

Caputo’s is located downtown and as expected, does brisk business at lunch, which was when we visited. My husband, our friend Damon and I followed the crush of people to the deli counter–a lean, mean, well-oiled machine. But service was anything but brusque. It was warm and welcoming AND quick.

I had the muffaleta sandwich with salami, ham, mortadella, cheese and olive salad on a French roll that was some of the most perfect bread I’ve ever had. It was firm enough to hold everything together but it was soft enough so it didn’t tear up the roof of my mouth or disintegrate into a thousand crumbs every time I took a bite.

Most of the people eating in the deli were chowing down on meatball subs. They looked so happy that I also ordered a side of meatballs. I soon understood their bliss. The meatballs were tender and succulent, and the accompanying marinara sauce had a rich tomato flavor without being too acidic or cloyingly sweet. The only bad thing about the meatballs was that they made me so full, I had no room for chocolate cake. Each slice at Caputo’s is 3/4 pound.

My husband had the signature Caputo sandwich, which was named the third best sandwich in America by “men’s entertainment magazine” FHM. (I imagine the writer’s pitch to his editor went something like this: “Hot chicks eating sandwiches–it’ll be great!”) The Caputo is an Italian meat-lover’s dream with prosciutto, mortadella, salami combined with provolone, lettuce, and tomatoes on a hard Italian roll covered with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Damon had the chicken parmesan sandwich, the special of the day and one of his all-time favorite foods. It wasn’t goopy as many chicken parms can be. The chicken was crisp and provided a solid base for the mozzarella and marina sauce. He washed down that goodness with an apple beer, an interesting non-alcoholic drink produced in SLC.

Really good food commands your total attention. You want to concentrate and get lost in the food because you may never be able to replicate that experience again. Our table was completely silent until we all finished our sandwiches.

The deli is just one of the many delights at Caputo’s. The market displays the largest selection of Italian and Southern European foods in Utah. It’s is the type of place you could visit every day and find something new and unexpected, be it a cheese cave, 60 different olive oils or high-end chocolate flavored with bacon.

The next time I’m in Salt Lake City, you’ll know where to find me.