We got avocados & tomatoes in last week’s Farm Fresh delivery bin (they should sponsor us haha) so I decided to make guacamole. The recipe book that came with our Vita-mix had a recipe which we followed other than leaving out the cilantro. It turned out great, yet slightly bland, but not knowing what it needed, we left it alone. I take that back, we added some Korean red pepper to spice it up. We bought the makings for the next salsa attempt, but since it’s all canned I’m waiting.
Here’s the recipe
Guacamole
Yield: 1 1/2 cups (360 g)
Speed: Variable
Time: 15-20 seconds
Ingredients
2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
1/4 cup (40 g) chopped onion
1 medium tomato, halved
1/2 cup (10 g) fresh cilantro leaves
1. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
2. Select Variable 1.
3. Turn machine on and quickly increase speed to 3.
4. Blend for 15-20 seconds, using the tamper to press the ingredients into the blades.
5. You may need to stop the machine and run a spatula around the inside of the container to integrate ingredients.
6. Do not over mix. Leave chunky. Serve with tortilla chips.
Optional:Garnish with diced tomatoes and parsley.
Health Classification: Diabetic Friendly, Low Carb, Low Cholesterol, Heart Healthy, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw
Meal Type: Appetizers
Thai Namtip
5461 North Bend Road
Cincinnati, OH 45247-7620
(513) 481-3360
We came up with the idea to review all the veggie sushi options in the tri-state area, but we are off to a slow start. (Anyone want to do guest posts?) We don’t always want to eat sushi, so this will be an ongoing thing…yeah…oh and Shawn came up with “Cincy Sushi Survey”. We should probably buy that url. It’s pretty awesome 
Ok first sushi survey is Thai Namtip in the White Oak area! They have at least six vegetarian meals to choose from (that may actually be vegan, ask first) and 4 veg sushi.
Asparagus Roll Asparagus, rice, sesame wrapped in seaweed. $4.95
Avocado Roll Avocado, rice, sesame wrapped in seaweed. $4.95
Cucumber Roll Cucumber, rice, sesame wrapped in seaweed. $4.95
AACC Roll Asparagus, avocado, cucumber, carrot, rice wrapped in seaweed. $5.95
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AACC sushi roll
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AACC sushi roll
Shawn: Whenever we go to Thai Namtip I prefer to stick with my all-time favorite dish — Tofu Ramrong — but for the sake of this exhaustive study I put my own selfish yearnings aside and ate some sushi. Thai Namtip’s sushi is a nice, plump one-bit mouthful and they don’t skimp on the number of rolls per order. I always appreciate an AACC roll but any place that offers a simple asparagus roll on its own gets a nod in my book. The prices are right around average for most places in town and with a huge menu of other dishes to fall back on, Thai Namtip has an early lead in our little survey.
Loving Cafe
(513) 731-2233
6227 Montgomery Road
Cincinnati, OH 45213
Loving cafe always has specials on Saturday’s at lunch, but some of them have been added permanently to the menu. My favorite is the BBQ Chik’n Wrap pictured below. For those concerned, it’s not spicy at all from what I can tell. It’s more the sweet BBQ flavor similar to the BW-3′s sweet BBQ sauce that’s 1 or 2 from the bottom in spiciness. Inside the wrap is fried rice with veggies in it like edamame & corn, lettuce, vegan mayo and some sort of fake chicken that has a great texture and taste. It’s all I’ve ordered since last fall when eating there, I believe. I crave it sometimes, yum yum!
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Loving Cafe BBQ Chik’n wrap
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Loving Cafe BBQ Chik’n wrap closed
Melt
(513) 681-6358
4165 Hamilton Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45223
Actually, Melt is great for any meal. I always get the same meal, except at brunch when I can’t. This photo is from a lunch with Shawn, myself and our friend @Simpleton001. Shawn (left) got the vegan coney which is served open faced & he got mixed greens. Center is my halvsies custom seitan burger, vegan cheesy sauce & vegan mayo. Other half is vegan Caesar salad with tofu. I order this EVERY time. On right @Simpleton001 tried the sandwich I get with a side of rosemary redskins.
Melt for lunch
Subway has become my vegan fast food of choice because, well, it’s almost the only choice! The stores are practically everywhere and while the quality of the ingredients isn’t organic or fresh-as-the-morning-snow it is cheap and tasty. I also appreciate all the info they openly put out there about what ingredients may be lurking in their food. In no mixed terms Subway.com’s FAQ reads:
Do your breads contain animal products?
Subway® Italian bread contains no animal-derived ingredients. The 9-grain wheat bread contains honey, which may be considered an animal-derived ingredient. The Flatbread and cheese-topped breads do contain milk-derived ingredients.
What menu items at SUBWAY® restaurants are vegan/do not contain animal-derived ingredients?
The menu items that do not contain any animal-derived ingredients are the Veggie Delite® on Italian bread and the Veggie Delite® salad. These individual items do not contain animal-derived ingredients: all vegetables, oil, vinegar, mustard, sweet onion sauce and fruizle. The 9-grain wheat bread contains honey but no other animal-derived ingredients.
The site provides a handy allergen table and the FAQ even goes so far as to address the origins of the “sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate” (I don’t kow what it is but theirs is plant-derived), cover the bases on MSG, and very clearly provide links to ask them any specific questions you may still have. That was more than enough validation for me, though, and I gladly turn up about once a week for a mixed veggie sandwich with either hot mustard or sweet onion sauce. If you go, don’t forget to grab the new Subway card; you get points for every purchase and it doesn’t take long at all before you’ve got a free sandwich coming your way!
Katy checked out The 30-Minute Vegan cookbook from our local library and — after having fallen in love with the thick, sticky mochi as a dessert — I was more than ready to try out Mochi Pizzettas. Our track record with vegan pizza has been a mediocre mix of tasty and sloppy so the thought of making tiny, self-contained pizzas seemed promising.
As you should expect from a cookbook with “30-Minute” in the title, the recipe is pretty simple assuming you can find a package of mochi. We’ve only spotted the thick sheets of compressed brown rice at Jungle Jim’s but once you’ve found it you’re a quarter of the way done. About half a jar of your favorite pasta sauce, mozzarella (be it real, a substitute or a packet of Road’s End Chreese sauce in our case), some diced pepper (we used an orange bell), and any spices you might like at the end.
The mochi “crust” is a formidable substitute for dough; it’s much thicker, more filling and doesn’t burn or come out undercooked (and potentially harmful) without some serious negligence. The dollop of sauce, cheese, peppers and spice make for a nice 3 or 4 bite mini pizza and following the recipe we each had 6 pizzettas to ourselves. That turned out to be almost too much but we both devoured our plateful in record time. I didn’t think to time the whole procedure but it’s definitely a quick and easy recipe that’s produced fantastic results on our first try! Compared to the flour-tossing, dough rolling, runny cheese damming of our previous vegan pizza attempts I’m ready to hand the grand prize to these wonderful East-meets-West Mochi Pizzettas!
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