Whad da Phad!?

Thai food is perhaps one of my favorite types of food, both for its spices and its tangy-sweet combo. Making Thai food from scratch may seem daunting if you don't have access to Asian-specialty markets, but I pretty created this recipe using items strictly coming from our kitchen. Granted that at any point, our kitchen has some pretty un-conventional items compared to others, I still think this recipe is fairly easy to replicate. (Yes, I took the name, Whad da Phad, from a Thai restaurant on the Ave in Seattle's U-District... so sue me)

Whad da Phad Thai

Ingredients:
Dried skinny, flat rice noodles (in places where asian markets are nearby, you can get these made fresh. lucky you)
Carrots, shredded
Cucumbers, cut into strips
Fried tofu (optional)

Sauce:
Tamarind paste
Lime juice
Soy sauce
Freshly ground chili peppers
Vinegar (I like using apple cider vin... but anything'll work)
Sweetener (agave syrup, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, sugar)
Fresh ginger
Garlic, minced
Salt, pepper

Garnish:
Sprouted beans (I sprouted my own soybeans, but lentils, mung, and others can also be used)
Cilantro
Ground peanuts
Lime wedge

Boil water, cook noodles until soft yet firm. Drain and set aside. Using a small pan, heat all the ingredients for the sauce, constantly tasting to adjust flavors. Reduce sauce until it thickens up. Stir fry sauce with noodles. Mix in veggies before serving, garnish, and eat your heart out!

**Picture above features Profane Stephane trying Phad Thai out for size

Tempeh Taco Nummers

Hello vegan friends (and vegan-to-be's),

Got a nummer recipe for you today. It's been a while. I know. I've been cooking less lately, ever since I moved into a housing cooperative in Seattle, but by no means am I eating less because of this. In fact, living at the cooperative has helped me improve my catering-skills, since when I do cook, I have to cook for a minimum party of 14. Today, I have two yummy recipes for you: Tempeh Tacos and Pad Thai. Both were made with lots and lots of love, with many of the ingredients made from scratch. Feel free to modify and make your lives easier by buying pre-made stuff... but be warned, it'll definitely not be the same.

Tempeh Tacos w/ cilantro lime dressing
Ingredients:
12-15 Home-made tortillas (flour, boiling water, salt)
Crimini Mushrooms, halved or quartered
Tempeh, cut into strips
Carrots/Bell Peppers, cut into slivers
Onions, chopped or sliced
Garlic, minced
A couple wedges of lime
Non-dairy yogurt (I like coconut based)
Barbecue sauce (tomato sauce, vinegar, ground mustard, molasses, ground Chipotle pepper, salt, pepper)

Marinate tempeh in barbecue sauce and set aside for later use.

Prepare your tortillas by mixing ~2 cups of flour (white or wheat) with 3/4 cup of boiling water and pinch of salt. Knead the dough for ~5 minutes until elastic and shiny. Cover and let stand for 30 min-1 hr.

In the mean time, make the cilantro dressing by blending cilantro, lime, salt, pepper, and yogurt in a food processor. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use. Heat a pan and saute onions, garlic, veggies, and tempeh. Turn heat down and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Take the tortilla dough and divide into desired number of tortillas and cover again (less for bigger tortillas, more for smaller ones). Heat a skillet with or without oil, roll out a tortilla, and place on skillet to brown. Flip and keep warm in a moist towel. Repeat until all are tortillas are made. Assemble tacos, garnish with cilantro and a lime wedge, and enjoy!

FNB Feed the masses, Feed your creativity

Yo, this is Mung Bean reporting from Seattle, WA. This will be my home-base for a while, but it does not mean Vegan Vagrants is not alive and well. I am still a Humboldt-ien at heart and like many causes, eating creatively is something bigger than you or I. It is a movement of eating that is based on place, availability, and ethics--the goal is to wander from convention and those of us involved in this project manage to make it happen every day.

Part of being a vagrant eater is also to ally with others on our journey. We are not alone, and although it can seem that way at times, the point is to make a home every where you go. Lately, I've been working in cahoots with Food Not Bombs and I consider it to be a close ally in this movement for good, ethical food. It is a similar but unique way of practicing our commitment to creative cooking AND to serve to others with what is made available onto us via dumpstering, donation, or leftovers! Many people mistakenly refer to FNB as a "group" but anyone can be a part of it. If you don't have peeps around you sportin' the "power to the carrot" sign, you could make it happen! Below are links to more info about Seattle FNB... read it and then replicate again and again!

http://seattlefnb.blogspot.com/
http://www.scn.org/foodnotbombs/

Flyer for a recent FNB benefit:

E.Coli Madness

Article and short video from NYtimes about E.Coli and hamburgers.
Prepare yourself to be haunted.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html
(Article was posted on Oct. 3, 2009)

Excerpt from the article:
"The ingredients came from slaughterhouses in Nebraska, Texas and Uruguay, and from a South Dakota company that processes fatty trimmings and treats them with ammonia to kill bacteria.

Using a combination of sources — a practice followed by most large producers of fresh and packaged hamburger — allowed Cargill to spend about 25 percent less than it would have for cuts of whole meat.

Those low-grade ingredients are cut from areas of the cow that are more likely to have had contact with feces, which carries E. coli, industry research shows...

Many big slaughterhouses will sell only to grinders who agree not to test their shipments for E. coli, according to officials at two large grinding companies. Slaughterhouses fear that one grinder’s discovery of E. coli will set off a recall of ingredients they sold to others."