Vegan soul food from Oakland, CA

Oakland is a very interesting place in the Bay area. Though not as well-known as its neighbors San Francisco and Berkeley and reeling from a high crime rate reputation, it has a lot of character and offers plenty to explore. Even by Bay area standards, it's incredibly racially diverse with sizable African American, Chinese, Hispanic, and Vietnamese populations. It embodies the Bay area's free-wheeling spirit, but you are also likely to find people who follow a wide range of other lifestyles. Quality dining options are abundant and at affordable prices, which makes it more appealing from a guerrilla perspective.

I was therefore delighted to learn that Bryant Terry, food-justice activist and chef who generated a lot of buzz in the food blogosphere earlier this year, is from Oakland. His new cookbook, Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy and Creative African-American Cuisine, received positive reviews across the board from 101 Cookbooks to VegNews magazine. I used to live in Washington, DC, which has a large African American population, so African-American/Southern/soul food is very much part of the local culinary fabric. But West-Coast soul food? This was new to me. I had always perceived soul food to be heavy on meat and fat, so Bryant's approach that focuses on fresh produce and healthy cooking is pretty refreshing.

I tried two recipes from his book: Sweet Coconut-Ginger Creamed Corn (I added green beans) and New World Red Rice. Both were hearty and delicious like any good soul food, but not greasy at all. I rarely paired ginger with coconut milk except in a Thai curry, and the combination brought a sharpness that counterbalanced the creaminess of the corn. The rice dish, according to Bryant, is an adaption of Senegalese red rice. It's rice cooked with onion, garlic, tomatoes, chili powder, jalapeno, cayenne pepper, thyme, tamari, and paprika (which I didn't have so I left it out). The flavors were complex and exploded in my mouth. I love spicy food and this rice really did it for me.

Vegan soul: Sweet Coconut-Ginger Creamed Corn and Green Beans, served with New World Red Rice

I am a watermelon purist, meaning that I don't add anything such as salt to the fruit when I eat it. But I was tempted to try Bryant's sophisticated-sounding Watermelon Slices with Basil Sea Salt. The basil sea salt (essentially salt mixed with chopped fresh basil) elevated the watermelon so it turned out sweeter with a contrasting, like-it-or-hate-it touch of basil. The result was decent, but I'd say I still like my watermelon plain, without embellishment.

Interesting Watermelon Slices with Basil Sea Salt

Eye-opening San Mateo Coast farm tour

Since I shop at farmers' market regularly, I am always interested in seeing first-hand the farms that produce what I buy. My opportunity came this past Sunday, when I joined the non-profit Fresh Approach to tour three farms along the San Mateo coast.

We visited three very different farms:
- Iacopi Farm, a small farm in Half Moon Bay that specializes in peas and beans
- 5th Crow Farm, another small farm in Pescadero strongly committed to organic and sustainable farming practices
- Westland Nursery, a commercial specialty flower farm in Pescadero

5th Crow Farm with the tent where we would have lunch

I knew little about farming prior to the tour, so it was quite an eye-opening experience for me. I got to see different types of produce - artichokes, peas, strawberries, tomatoes - on their plants before they were picked. I wouldn't have been able to identify the plants on my own for sure. I also learned about the multitude of factors farmers grapple with on a daily basis that can affect their crops. It left me thinking despite mankind's technological advances, we are still largely subject to the unpredictable whims of nature.

Artichoke on its plant, at Iacopi Farm

Rows of lettuce on 5th Crow Farm

I was most impressed by what I saw on 5th Crow Farm. It's run by three young folks who are a couple years older than me. They are hardly your stereotypical grumpy, behind-the-times farmer. John, our articulate host and one of the owners, explained to us how they strive to make the farm self-sustaining, so everything is produced from what's on the farm (e.g. use compost as feed/fertilizers). It's easy to dismiss such efforts as hippie idealism or a PR stunt, but I have a genuine respect for them and will continue to support them and others who farm sustainably.

How about the food? The highlight of the tour was a gourmet lunch on 5th Crow Farm prepared by Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association's chefs featuring the farm's produce. The menu included potato-leek soup, onion tart, salad greens with apple-poppyseed vinaigrette topped with sliced almonds and goat cheese, grilled summer squash, and strawberry lemonade. Among all dishes, the salad greens stood out because of their literally farm-to-table freshness. But what's truly unbeatable was the setting. We ate under a tent in the middle of the farm with postcard-like scenery as the backdrop. The PBS show Endless Feast, in which local farmers, producers, and chefs got together in each episode to prepare a meal to celebrate local food at a stunning outdoor location, immediately came to mind. I felt blessed to be able to enjoy a meal like this in real life.

Gourmet lunch on 5th Crow Farm featuring its produce

Another "wow" moment of the tour happened at Iacopi Farm, when owner Louie invited us to pick his fresh peas and taste them on the spot. They were sweet, crisp, and had that refreshing smell of just being picked from the ground. In short, unbelievably good.

Really fresh peas just picked from the ground at Iacopi Farm

Given the immense amounts of time and efforts that went into producing each crop, the tour made me even more conscious of the origins of the food I eat. Eating becomes a more mindful act when you think of it as part of a dialogue with the producers. You derive more pleasure from it too.

Westland Nursery, filled with flowers in full bloom

Happy Birthday to Mom

Spiced plum vegan birthday cake for my mom

Note to Mom: Sorry this is overdue!

This weekend was my Mom's birthday. Although she's in Hong Kong, I meant to give her a surprise and write about the birthday cake I made for her on this blog. My mom, who became a vegetarian a long time ago, was the first person who told me back in the 90s that a vegetarian diet is much less energy-intensive than an omnivorous diet (read this Mark Bittman NYT article for a detailed analysis). Environmental considerations are one of my top, if not the most important, reasons for becoming a vegetarian. That's why I want to dedicate this vegan, low-fat spiced plum cake to her on her birthday. By the way, my mom looks much younger than she is, which I believe is in part because of her vegetarian diet. Her compassion and selfless spirit certainly help too!

I combined the recipes for the Rosy Peach Cake from FatFree Vegan Kitchen and Spiced Nectarine Cake from Bon Appetit, and substituted the fruits in these recipes with plums. I was on a shopping high at the farmers' market the previous weekend and bought more fruits than I could consume, and by this weekend my fridge still overflowed with plums. My mom is never a fan of frosted cakes, so I thought she would like this simple cake that made use of plums at their peak.

I cut down on the sugar called for and used only two teaspoons of oil in the batter with no detrimental effect. The cake was still moist, lightly sweet, and fragrant because of the plums and rose water in the batter. I sprinkled some cinnamon and sugar on top of the batter before baking to give the cake a rustic, golden-brown hue. As you can tell, I am no expert cake decorator - I simply dusted the cake with powdered sugar to make it a little bit prettier.

Cake dusted with powdered sugar (try pairing it with ice cream!)

Although the cake was great as is, I also tried pairing it with the new coffee ice cream from Starbucks. The combination was wonderful.

Happy Belated Birthday to my mom again!

Eggplant three ways

I love eggplant. In all ways imaginable. I like its chunkiness when grilled in large pieces and eaten as part of a sandwich, but also its silky mouthfeel after it's cooked long enough in a stew. So imagine my excitement when I saw a plethora of eggplants - Chinese, Indian, Japanese, as well as more obscure varieties such as Thai and Vietnamese - in farmers' markets during the last few weeks. I wonder if it's because the Bay area has a large Asian population, I rarely saw American eggplants, but it's my least favorite variety anyway.

Today I will share with you three dishes I made recently in which eggplant played a starring role. The first was Italian - pasta shells tossed with diced eggplant and sweet peppers in a quick tomato sauce made by simmering ripe tomatoes until they broke apart, then garnished with chopped parsley. My inspiration came from a similar recipe in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers. What I liked most about the dish was the pasta shells scooping up the tomato sauce, which exploded inside your mouth when you bit into the shells. Very hearty for the occasional chilly summer might in the Bay area.

Pasta shells with eggplant, sweet peppers, and tomatoes

The second dish was my long-time favorite - Chinese-style braised eggplant with tofu and whatever greens you have on hand. I used spinach in this version. Simply stir-fry minced garlic, ginger, shallots/green onions, and red pepper flakes if you like it hot with eggplant and tofu, then braise the mixture in a sauce made from tamari, toasted sesame oil, molasses/brown sugar, and water. Finish by tossing in the spinach until it starts to wilt. Add some chopped fresh basil for an additional layer of flavor. I've discovered that this sauce mixture (if you use molasses) can make up for Chinese oyster sauce, which is commonly used in Chinese cooking but most commercial versions contain artificial ingredients I want to avoid.

Chinese-style braised eggplant with tofu and spinach, served with brown rice

The last dish was an eggplant masala (aka curry, I just want to use a fancy word). It was really easy to put together and the perfect one-pot meal. I first heated some chopped onions, ginger, and masala powder I picked up from an Indian grocery store in oil, then stirred chopped eggplant, okra, yellow squash, and tomatoes into the mixture, added some water, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. I piled the masala mixture onto two slices of a Vietnamese bánh mì (baguette that's lighter and crispier than its French counterpart), topped with green onions, and served them with a cob of cooked sweet corn. Talk about an amalgam of cultures here!

Eggplant masala on Vietnamese bánh mì with sweet corn

PS: Remember to salt your eggplant before cooking. People told me that salting removes the bitter taste of eggplant, although I've never had a bitter eggplant. The salted eggplant absorbs flavors more readily and tastes more superior.

My summer food adventures

I'm going easy with my post today. A melange of food-related pictures I took in recent weeks for you to ward off that mid-week slump. Hold on for just a couple more days for the weekend!

SF's Civic Center farmers' market with the City Hall as backdrop

This farmers' market in San Francisco's Civic Center is my favorite in the city. You can find a wide variety of produce - Asian, organic, heirloom - at very affordable prices. You get a real flavor of San Francisco's diversity because the clientele really come in all stripes. I think it's much better than the more famous but ridiculously overpriced Ferry Plaza farmers' market.

Ultimate instant gratification: cheap Cantonese, vegetarian dim-sums from SF's Chinatown (I need to take better food pictures!)

Staying true to my Hong Kong upbringing, I crave Cantonese dim-sums every now and then. They are not what I can make at home easily, so I am thrilled to find a great place in San Francisco's Chinatown for them: Good Mong Kok Bakery. You know it's good when you see Chinese housewives squeezing into the small store and coming out with boxes of their freshly made dim-sums. Be prepared to be decisive AND aggressive when getting what you want though as neither the counter-lady nor other customers will hesitate to yell at you if you are in their way. These are good, cheap dim-sums indeed. Ten pieces including vegetarian steamed buns, dumplings, scallion flatbread, sesame ball, pastries, all for under $6, transported me to carb heaven instantly.

Focaccia topped with black olives and peppers, served with marinated pepper salad and tortilla chips

There's a gentleman who sells homemade focaccia and other Italian breads and pastries at the Millbrae farmers' market in the Peninsula. He often sells out pretty early, but I got to snatch a piece topped with black olives and sliced peppers last weekend. I warmed it up in the oven and ate it along with homemade marinated pepper salad and lime-flavored tortilla chips from my favorite brand, FoodShouldTasteGood. The focaccia was chewy and fragrant (and without cheese!), and a good value at $4 apiece that's good for two big meals.

Low-fat banana bread for breakfast to satisfy my sweet tooth

Finally, something more healthful, but not quite. I had to use up a bunch of almost rotten bananas so I made banana bread by adapting the Blueberry-Banana Bread recipe from the blog Fat Free Vegan. I left out the blueberries, but followed the recipe by using mostly applesauce in place of oil to make it lower in fat. It satisfied my sweet tooth as I try to stay away from desserts during the week, and was still incredibly moist and yummy.