New Job Neighbourhood Food Tour 2014: Chelsea Edition (And Other Thoughts)

Midway through my General Tso’s seitan sandwich, fixed with slices of pickled beets and very spicy mayo, on a toasty baguette, I realized I’d overdone it. I’d put off lunchtime, letting myself get very hungry. I meant to get something a little healthier but my new shoes hurt and I was short on time. There I was, at my desk, downing too much sandwich, and too quickly. Today was also the day I’d decided to wear the tightest jeans I own, fresh from the laundromat dryer. Oof.

And then came the deja vu. I’d been at my new job for a few weeks, and it’s located in a markedly better food neighbourhood than my last job was. The excitement of new lunch options overtook me. But with my restrictions (no meat, no chicken, no dairy), lunch has tended to fall into two categories: salads and versions of sandwiches with versions of various meat substitutes. The tofu bahn mi. The tofu wrap. And yes, the General Tso’s seitan sandwich. Which is delicious, really. But taste and nutrition wise, I felt like I’d eaten some version of a large and fancy hotdog. It was two days before Thanksgiving, and I had a lot to do, without fighting off the massive, rapidly descending food coma. And so, a moratorium: no more junky vegan lunches.

At my last job, I got really good at bringing myself delicious and healthy lunches from home. Leftover roasted veggies, salad greens, quinoa, avocado, black beans, some baked tofu or leftover salmon or even… an omelet (the poor man’s steak, if you will), made at home and the thrown atop the contents of my lunch container – any combo of those required a small amount of planning, whether it be cooking extra dinner to ensure leftovers, or just having a few extra groceries around. So I gotta bring that back. But in the meantime, mini-reviews of the recently sampled vegan and kosher-friendly lunch options in my new work neighbourhood:

No. 7 Sub

Located at the Ace Hotel, No. 7 Sub has a number of vegan options, including the General Tso’s seitan sambo I mentioned earlier. Still fending off that gluten and sugar coma. The pickled beets were a nice detail, though. At $12, before tax, this was probably the priciest of the local lunches. I was tempted by some kind of cucumber seltzer mentioned on their beverage list, but at $3.50, I was like, I should just be drinking more water 😦

V-Life

For a not-too-junky and pretty economic (lunch for about $8) vegan wrap, this place is great. It’s also miniscule, but never that busy. Their tofu wrap comes full of fresh salad greens, and is nicely filling. Actually, once I ordered their hummus wrap and wasn’t able to finish it. I think I finished it anyway.

Num Pang

More sandwiches! Slabs of spicy tofu, with lots of delicious pickled vegetables and a selection of sauces (I generally err on the side of whatever version of spicy mayo on offer), CILANTRO (alas, I married into a cilantro-free home so this is always very exciting), on a toasty, not-too-giant baguette. On the cheaper side, and with just enough veggies to not leave me appalled at my own lifestyle choices.

Bombay Sandwich Co.

Incredibly, I did not eat a sandwich here. “I want something hot and filling!” I told the nice man behind the counter. Bombay Sandwich Co. is entirely vegan, and it’s nice not to have to worry about my food rubbing up against someone’s porcine lunch. I had one of their bowls – a pretty unattractive brown rice and chickpea slop, with a few dabs of side sauces, and some soggy fresh salad. It was warm and tasty but honestly something that should have cost half of what it did. Based on the super-cute store design, and their clever branding, it seems to be a bit of an emperor’s new clothes situation, only with lots of cardamom.

Sweetgreen

Love fancy salad. Love. I had one of their salads, instead of customizing my own. It included delicious greens, avocado, tofu, the sweetest raw beets, broccoli, a sort of lime dressing – it was delicious, actually. And less than $10. Albeit for a day in which I am less hungry, but still. And I love that bit of sourdough they throw in with the mix. Very good for wiping up surplus dressing.

What can I say? It was fun while it lasted. As always, it’s cheaper and healthier to bring lunch from home. I plan to recommit after Thanksgiving, which is also when, coincidentally, I plan to recommit to lots of other things.

DDDDINNER: Because It’s Raining and You’re Hangry

So go ahead, make yourself some Parmesan with Pesto and Pasta.

Parmesan – grate it. grate a lot of it.

Pesto – grab some basil, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and some almonds and grind. that. up.

Pasta – find your favorite shape, boil some water and make it.

Toss all Ps together and your night just got a whole lot better.

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We also made a big kale salad (not pictured) to feel a little bit better about the parm -fest.

Kale with Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

Kale – we used baby kale, which we treated to a mild chop

Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette – 1 part lemon juice + 1 part rice vinegar + 1 part olive oil + sugar + salt + pepper + sliced shallot

Toss that together and feel super good about yourself.

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We know, we know, this ain’t rocket science but sometimes the simple things are the best things and we only want the best for you.

Xx

 

Let’s Talk About… Veggie Sausage

I grew up in a pretty fat-phobic environment (although, who didn’t? It was the 90s, era of fat-free EVERYTHING) and people loved to trash talk sausages. I’d have a hotdog once or twice a year (Lag Ba’omer, usually; the Jewish holiday of bonfires!) but it was always accompanied by tsk-tsking, initially from adults and eventually FROM WITHIN (thanks, guys). Eventually, I got over it, and eventually, better Kosher sausages appeared on the market.

But also, what’s even bad about sausages? Nitrates, mostly, to be honest. All those rumours you’d hear about sausages containing the most unmentionable animal parts never deterred me, a girl who truly enjoys the crunch of gristle or chewing on a roasted chicken neck. Plus, who cares? And yes, a juicy sausage is going to have a high fat content but like, a sausage is also not big, and you’re eating it – what, 3 times a year? And when the Kosher butcher stores in Melbourne started making better sausages, they were exactly that; better. I can’t talk about it any more because I’m getting hungry. And now I’m thinking about the hotdogs at baseball games.

Truth is, this whole preamble is irrelevant because what I’m about to talk about is… veggie sausage, not actual sausage. Like I mention in every blessed post, my kitchen is dairy. But beyond that, Kosher meat isn’t available everywhere. So if I’m ducking into a supermarket to pick up some groceries, it’s handy to just by some veggie meat, which is widely available. Here’s what I love about all sausage though; it’s like, substantial, and can be pretty wholesome, but will always have that kind of junky undertone. You know?

If I’m having a basic vegetable-based dinner, throwing in some sausage is a real treat. Livens up the whole thing! Adds flavour, chew, color, protein – I guess. Anyway, I just wanted to write a few fun ideas for veggie sausage. I like the Tofurky Italian one. It’s meaty and spicy, and comes in a pack of 4 that will last for a while (I don’t want to know why). I can use 2 in a soup, then one a week later with some lunch, and not have to worry about poisoning myself.

1. Soup! One of my favourite soups this winter was a thick, flavourful, tomato-based soup, full of sliced cabbage, onion, bay leaf and oregano and white beans. It tasted like a soup version of stuffed cabbage, almost (in a good way; I love stuffed cabbage). At the very end, I’d throw in sliced sausage, browned in a separate pan (usually in a bit of grapeseed oil). I also did a similar soup that had a clear vegetable broth base, kale, and also white beans. Sausage worked nicely in that too.

2. Fancy breakfast! On the rare days I am home during the day, making myself a fancy breakfast is very exciting. Some eggs, some greens, maybe some toast – adding some sausage to that is so delicious. Add to that the primal feelings of transgression – growing up in a Kosher house, no breakfast or brunch every contained any kind of meat. Eggs and sausages are a combination as goyish as college football. Having your own little Kosher version of that is truly a delight.

3. Salad! Any kind of salad – whether it’s grain-based, leafy – especially dark greens, or whatever, get such a kick from some browned rounds of sausage. In the same way you’d throw in some little polenta croutons to jazz up a salad, or throw together a special salad dressing to give it an extra something, sausage does the same thing.

Hooray for veggie sausage!

Here is a terrible photo of a fancy breakfast I ate this week for dinner. Don’t ever say I don’t spoil you.

Best Ever Macrobowl! Also, What Is Macrobowl?

Here’s what lead me to macrobowls:

• My kitchen is small, with limited counter space and one sink. Roomie (a vegetarian) and I decided that it would be a dairy kitchen. We have one set of dishes and keep it pretty simple. So, even though I do occasionally eat meat, my apartment is meat-free.
• I love a bowl of food with lots of fun things going on inside. I love eating stuff like that at vegan restaurants (Wild Ginger’s bibimbap is worth mentioning) and I really wanted my own version to recreate at home.
• My sister’s (a chef!) Friday night dinners were often made up of lots of small dishes. Shabbos in our parents house usually involved large dishes, but several small dishes can actually go along way, and getting to make your own combos is super fun. And then you also have such fun leftovers! Little containers of delicious veggie sides in the fridge.
• I struggle to eat healthy and balanced meals at work – I usually grab a green juice when I feel deficient. But having a really veggie-rich, high fibre, warm dinner at home a few times a week feels important! This is also great Friday night fare. Jazz it up with some extra-special ingredients in honour of the Shabbos queen! Polenta cubes! Grilled maple-tamari tempeh!

Okay! Anyway. So here’s what a macrobowl is. It has a grain base; usually quinoa, sometimes rice. I wanted to do it with kamut this week but… didn’t. Then, you want a few small veggie dishes. Typically, some kale sauteed with garlic, some roasted veggies, roots or something more seasonal like brussels* sprouts roasted with shallots, honey and dijon mustard. And then usually a veggie protein; some tofu or tempeh. And then something saucy on top.

Last night I made possibly one of my favourite macrobowls ever and I want to tell you about it:

• Quinoa, with a little drizzle of olive oil before serving.
• Halved brussels sprouts, sauteed in sesame oil with garlic, scallions, fresh shaved corn, and tarragon. I made it up on the spot! It was excellent, and heralds the impending Spring!
• Roasted parsnip slices, cut on the bias. Pretty! I ate something similar from the Whole Foods salad bar recently.
• Roasted asparagus, just tossed in some oil, salt and pep.
• Cubed smoked tofu (I buy it smoked, it’s a really fun and tasty addition to the macrobowl system).
• Miso, tahini, lemon, and scallion saucy thing. I love this! It’s a saucier version of my favourite thing to spread on challah.
• Cholula! My favourite hot sauce.

Here’s a picture:

M A C R O B O W L

It was really good! Very easy, pretty cheap, and I put it took probably an hour, start to finish. Leftovers will last like a week in the fridge. Ideally, you bring the leftovers to work. Throw in some arugula to bulk or freshen it up. What are some fun things you’d put in your macrobowl? Tell us in the comments!!

*I literally JUST found out that it’s ‘brussels sprouts’, and not ‘brussel sprouts’. Omg!!!!!

Work@Lunch: Circa Salad, a haiku

be still, my heart

Small tub of mixed greens

Much stuff, perfect harmony

I travel for you