Hey Vassar College,
Am I the only one who feels like we've been here longer than two weeks? Only two weeks!??! I feel like break never even happened!
My work hasn't piled up so much yet (I shouldn't speak too soon...) so I had a lovely weekend of hanging with friends...and their parents. Two friends of mine invited me and a few other friends to dinner with their parents, and who am I to catch up on a free delicious meal?
Friday evening was falafel night at Zorona's on Raymond Ave. Their menu is filled with delicious vegan options, like lentil soup, hummus, babaganoush, stuffed grape leaves, middle
eastern salad. But I think my favorite is the classic falafel plate, which I get with both hummus
& baba and the jordanian salad. And as they say, falafel is a vegan's best friend.
Too tasty for words. And cheap too!
On Saturday night, my friends and I drove up to Rhinebeck to meet the other set of parents for an insanely good dinner at Terrapin. It's not a vegetarian or vegan restaurant per se, but they have some great vegan/vegetarian dishes, and will even make some dishes vegan, vegetarian, or gluten free on request. They have delicious little tapas, my favorite was the gingered leek and tofu pot stickers, which we just kept ordering more of. Then I got the butternut squash soup (which is difficult to find vegan) and a great roasted beets and green bean salad, without the feta cheese. Even though Rhinebeck's a drive, this meal was definitely worth the trip.
The exterior of Terrapin; it used to be a church!
I sure ate well this weekend, concluding with a potluck on Sunday night. I made the spaghetti with avocado sauce that I posted last week - and it's amazing! Highly recommended, but make sure to have a high-quality blender...I know from experience now. My friends also made roasted acorn squash, sauteed mushrooms, grilled asparagus and steamed carrots. I'm going to have to readjust to the DC this week (but luckily they had quinoa today for lunch so not all was lost).
Now I can't wait to cook again! I think I'm feeling some comfort food needed for this week; I don't know if you are too (who isn't all the time though) but here's a recipe for a vegan version of mac and cheese (or mac & cheeze, if you will) from veganyumyum.com
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
1/3 cup earth balance margarine
2 1/2 tbsp low sodium tamari or soy sauce1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp lemon juice, fresh
1 tbsp sweet/white/mellow miso
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/4 cup soy milk
1/3 cup nutritional yeast (available at health food stores)
a pinch of salt
black pepper, to taste
3 cups of dry, small paste (like elbows, shells or rotini)
Directions
1. Heat a saucepan and add the earth balance. Once melted, add flour and whisk vigorously until a smooth paste forms. Be careful not to add flour to a pan that is very hot, or the mixture will be lumpy and you'll have to start over. If you mix in the flour as soon as the margarine is melted, you should avoid any problems.
2. To this paste, add tamari, lemon, miso, tahini and tomato paste and whisk until well-incorporated. The mixture should still be paste-like. Then slowly pour in the soymilk, whisking constantly until it is completely incorporated. Add the yeast and mix well. Cook the mixture until it thickens, whisking often. This should take about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cook the pasta and toss with the finished cheezy sauce. Add a veggie if you like (I love broccoli). If you want to bake your mac & cheeze, top with fresh breadcrumbs and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.
See you next week!
Love,
The Vassar Vegan
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