Semi-Recent Vegan Eating in Spokane, WA

This past summer, I found myself in Spokane, WA twice for work. During both trips, the #1 most satisfying meal I had was the Bistro Tofu Scramble from Huckleberry's Natural Market.

Bistro Tofu Scramble

At $6.49, it's a hot plate of scrambled Small Planet tofu, zucchini, bell peppers, yellow squash and mushrooms that takes its flavor from the vegetables themselves and soy sauce. And it comes with house potatoes (or toast or non-vegan blueberry pancake) and a coffee.

I reached for the hot sauce sparingly. With the soy sauce, it reminds me of the scrambles I used to make when I first went vegan and was scared of spices. On my first trip, I was super hungry as I trekked up the big hill from downtown, and couldn't imagine anything tastier than this plate in front of me.

Plus, the corner cafe is part of a natural grocery store, so that rules. I picked up Small Planet spicy tofu dip, crackers, fruit, granola, and other goods from the marketplace - and a bottle of NW Marionberry daiquiri mix for my sister in New York.

My second favorite place to eat in Spokane is PF Chang's. Yeah, I admitted it! On the last day of my first trip there, I was walking downtown and craving Chinese food, looked up, and there it was. When pressed for time and not in the mood for another modified entree somewhere, PF's is there for ya, for better or worse. It's a chain, you know what to expect, and they're pretty dang vegan friendly.

Szechuan Asparagus

This spicy asparagus was pretty good! You know, for assumably non-local asparagus, from a chain.

Side note 1 about PF Chang's: I did my share of research into their vegan options writing a Stumptown Vegans review, and the only ingredient that the company cannot confirm is vegan-friendly is sugar, so make your own decision there. If you go to every restaurant you visit and ask them about their sugar sourcing, I thank you and would like to see a web guide for this! Really.

Side note 2 about PF Chang's: I was totally served a cockroach in my Ma Po Tofu at their Long Island, NY location a few years ago, and it took a long time before I considered visiting them again, let alone ordering that dish. Which was tragic, because I really like it.

Coconut Curry Tofu

I had a couple entrees from PF's on my visit in September, it was two blocks from my hotel! I'm usually a fan of this light curry dish, but the only thing doing it for me here was the tofu and sugar snap peas.

Number 3 on my list of Spokane picks is an actual vegan and vegetarian friendly restaurant!

Mizuna is an upscale establishment located downtown in a brick building. I actually dined out on their patio area, which is a very clean alleyway next to the restaurant. It was so nice and calm! It almost felt like I was on a movie set, it was a touch surreal. The menu was very much Northwest, with a lot of talk of local produce and organic elements. While there was a note about most of their menu being able available vegan (it's largely vegetarian), I did notice that a lot of dishes co-starred cheese, for example, and sometimes it makes a vegan sad to pay the same price and not get a heaping pile of nuts in return.

This was one of the few entirely vegan options on the menu, it's from the appetizers section -

Flatbread with roasted potatoes, rosemary, greens, roasted garlic and caramelized onions.

The bread was freshly baked, tender and slightly sweet and two slices made me so happy.

The roasted potatoes were simply great. A shining example of simply the best ingredients.

I also had a salad from Mizuna - I recall most of the salads on the menu had cheese in them. This one had a really pleasant maple & red wine dressing, walnuts, greens, lovely roasted red beets & subtracted the cheese. And the side of baguette? So good & hearty.

Roasted Beet Salad

The cozy alleyway where I dined at Mizuna:

They have a couple dishes with Field Roast, and there's fantastic sounding braised homemade seitan on their dinner menu. The dinner prices were a tad steep for me, so I went for lunch, and I would certainly dine here again.

Other places of interest:

A few minutes' walk up the hill from Huckleberry's, Picabu Bistro had two or three vegan friendly entrees. I remember there was a cilantro happy green curry with Small Planet tofu (I swear I saw that same item on a few menus around downtown) and I went with the falafel wrap.

I actually asked if there was cilantro, was told no, but there was. I picked around it. The fries, pita and the pepperocinis strips were good! I remember they had local beers on tap and a 'famous' vegan cheesecake. The staff was really helpful, despite the cilantro issue, and the place had a comfortable, small restaurant vibe.

Falafel from Picabu

Burritos & Beer

I can't find my photos, but I recommend checking out Neato Burrito & the adjoining Baby Bar. They're across from the beautiful, historic Davenport Hotel and open late into the night. Neato doesn't have vegan on the menu, but walk them through it & you'll have yourself what would be a mediocre burrito - but with the addition of spicy, crumbled Small Planet tofu it steps up a bit.

Baby Bar is an astoundingly tiny bar, with a casual mix, decent prices & a very hipster jukebox. It's possibly my favorite thing about Spokane...you know, because it was reminiscent of Portland.

Coffee

I was in town for work, so that means long days & drinking coffee and trying to avoid Starbucks. I've been to two local coffeeshops in Spokane - Brews Brothers and Thomas Hammer. Brews was more comfortable to lounge in, and the quality was okay, nothing notable. I was really amused the day I overheard a political candidate saying really, really amusing generically positive statements to another person about his campaign.

The young barista at Thomas Hammer made an awful latte. And I splurged on vanilla - yet it wasn't sweet at all. Evan, just look at it...

Thomas Hammer Vanilla Latte

And some Spokane pics:

...and that's what I've experienced in Spokane, WA.

If you know the area - what did I miss? Any tips?

P.S. Mizuna, I'm sorry I put PF's ahead of you.

Add another fancy vegan option and you have the spot.

I <3 The Hungry Tiger Too

There is so much I could say about their tempeh bacon sandwiches, tator tots, all day sippers, giant pancakes, butternut squash wontons, and mushy, tasty tofu scrambles. There is quite a bit I have said.

So, short on time, nearing the end of VeganMoFo, I bring you a recent dinner-for-breakfast at my favorite really-vegan-friendly greasy spoon in SE Portland.

The Greek Tofu Scramble with rye toast, soy margarine and hash browns.

..because I really, really like kalamata olives. And the Hungry Tiger Too. I mean, they have $1 vegan corn dog and $1 Pabst Tallboy Wednesdays. That's grown into hip madness and I don't find myself weekly anymore (and I pass on the corn dogs and head to half a vegan caeser with tempeh bacon, mostly likely), but it's awesome to know it's happening in this city.

And borrowing this, to truly honor her creativity, that squash and the establishment -

Millie's Halloween Pumpkin - modeled after HT2's mascot!

HT2's mascot:

Next up: Karla and I share some favorites!

And Vegan Eating in Spokane, WA

Padron Peppers and Champagne Teriyaki Fried Rice

Last week, I promised my friend Lucas, the highly regarded Food Cart photographer, that I'd pick up some sacred Padron Peppers (Pimientos de Padron) for him from the downtown farmers market. He's been out of town for months, and I think wanted to return to two things: padron peppers and Whiffie's fried pies.

Wednesday came, and in my tempeh bacon flu-recovery haze, I forgot about the market's existence. I don't think I really knew what day of the week it was. I stopped at the Eastbank farmers market the next day, but to no success for his padrons. Neither Viridian Farms nor the Squash Man were there. I came home with a mini watermelon, green cabbage, garlic, orange and green bell peppers and three ears of sweet corn, but nothing more for humanity. My friend returned to town last night, and I hope he doesn't see what I made with my selfish padron peppers from last week's market earlier this week!

Champagne Teriyaki Fried Rice

with Bok Choy, Padron Peppers, Green Beans and Fried Tofu.

Champagne Teriyaki sauce:

Measurements are for 2 servings of fried rice.

1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari

1/4 cup champagne or white wine

1/4 cup mirin

2 teaspoons dark agave nectar

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 clove grated garlic

dash of crushed red pepper

Combine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Simmer on low heat, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

If you're looking to use this as a stir fry sauce or marinade,

I'd recommend doubling it.

Fried rice is one of easiest dishes in the world,

all it takes is a little sesame oil on hand,

and uh, leftover rice. I sauteed my veggies in a tiny

bit of black sesame oil for a few minutes,

added the fried tofu

(both the oil and fried tofu were from a recent trip to Fubonn),

another clove of grated garlic, stirred a couple times,

added the cold rice, another teeny weeny splash of sesame oil,

the teriyaki sauce, a dash of white pepper,

another few stirs to heat it through,

and there ya go.

As usual, if I'd had basil, it would have been in there,

but I was good to go!

And break out the chopsticks.

Also with the padrons:

Vegan Brunch style Tofu Scramble

with Padron Peppers, Lobster Mushrooms and Cherry Tomatoes

How long had it been since I made 'fu scramble? Eight years? Three months? I just don't know, but it was superb.

For both dishes, I had cut the very tops off the padron peppers, and sauteed them in a bit of oil. See you peppers next year! Or on Saturday when I hit the market for my sad, pepperless friend.

Hazelnut, meet Eggplant.

Baked Hazelnut Breaded Eggplant.

It only looks like a Boca Cutlet.

The other night I gave myself the classic challenge - make dinner using what you actually have at home. There were ideas that came to mind quickly: a stir fry with rice, sauteing vegetables over pasta and even making pizza dough, but I wanted to side step a bed of grains.

The arrangement:

I turned to the local eggplant*, and introduced it do the last of some homemade breadcrumbs in my freezer and a container of ground hazelnuts from too long ago. After the small talk was out of the way, dinner came together quickly.

The eggplant was sliced (skipped salting, don't tell my Italian great Aunt Helen), dipped in flour, a cornstarch + water slurry, and then both sides were pressed into a mixture of the breadcrumbs, ground hazelnuts, sea salt, black pepper, oregano and a bit of crushed red pepper.

I baked the slices on parchment paper at 375, 20 minutes one side, then 15 after flipping. I topped them with some tofu ricotta with added white miso, and a dollop of roasted garlic and almond pesto.

On the side is chopped fresh sweet green bell pepper tossed with balsamic vinegar and homemade shiitake marinara sauce.

Dinner #2 featured the eggplant slices just as vegan-traditional. Baked once again for 15-20 minutes in the oven at 400F, flipping once, topped with marinara, tofu ricotta and nutritional yeast, and baked an additional 5 minutes.

I served this with a side of steamed collards with sea salt.

*True Story: My younger sister Jenny was 'friends' with an eggplant from our garden when we were little. There's a picture of them dressed up in matching costumes, I swear. Or just really want to believe it. She was 6 or 7 or 12 or so at the time.

It's name was..."friend". I tell this story sweetly, but really, it was a scary time and eggplant was eaten.

Ode to VEGAN BRUNCH Testing

Excuse me, Vegan Brunch is out!!!!

 Tofu Florentine with Bechamel

Once again, I had the honor of testing for an Isa Chandra Moskowtiz cookbook, and once again, I cannot stop raving about her recipes.   I tested twentysomething this time around, and many of them quickly made it into regular rotation in my kitchen, like the Swiss Chard Frittata and Chorizo Sausages.  There are also those, like the Tomato Rosemary Scones and East Coast Coffeecake, that I kick myself for not making more often.  Testing for Post Punk Kitchen books is always a fantastic ongoing project that has me trying things I wouldn't normally, and really thinking about what I can see myself making again.

If you've been to my apartment, or my flickr, you know I have a steamed sausage drawer in my fridge.  Everything I tested was awesome, no hype here - I mean, this is the author who gave the world tempeh bacon, the first recipe I ever made from Vegan with a Vengeance, and it's dear to my heart.  She fucking knows brunch.  Follow that with perfect, reliable and at many, many points - innovative, recipes for pancakes, waffles, morning greens, scrambles of the cubed and smushed variety (hell yeah, to throwing in cubes!), east coast style coffeecake, omelets and scones, and well, she gives anyone interested in vegan cooking another guide to impressing and feeding their friends and family any time of day.  

In fact, just last night I picked up my copy, and utilized the leftover olives from a party I threw, jar of capers I've had for a while (admittedly since Veganomicon Caeser testing!), and a block of bulk tofu from People's Coop and made the Puttanesca Scramble for dinner.

Let's embark on my Vegan Brunch test kitchen photo tour... (there were actually a few recipes I tested I didn't photograph, liked the Jeff-endorsed Chesapeake Tempeh cakes - shocking, I know, blame the winter lighting)

The Tofu Florentine with Bechamel

 served with steamed chard

The Puttanesca Scramble

What you and Zelda came for. Vegan Omelets.

With a spicy black beans and greens filling

To my dear Tofu Frittatas...

This one had shiitakes, spinach, rosemary and thyme

Asparagus

Swiss Chard, plated

Shiitake Dill (with creminis)

OMG, Sausages  - 

I made so many variations of Isa's Italian, Chorizo and Cherry Sage, I could never begin to name them all

You may know how it is....

Sausages and Greens 

Pan-fried

Cherry Sage - a couple weeks ago I made a 

Roasted Apple, Maple and Sage variation!

Spicy, spicy, spicy

Plated with extra mini-omelets

Poppy seed Pull-apart Rolls

Lemon Pepper Tofu

Scones! Chocolate Chip and Raisin something.  

These are actually rejects from a photo shoot for the book.  The recipes are all Isa's, but the sweet scones, Tomato Rosemary, coffeecake and mocha chip muffins seen in Vegan Brunch came from my little kitchen.  cough cough.

Tomato Rosemary scones (first test) and Smoky Shiitakes (and creminis)

Sesame Yam Tofu Scramble

White bean gravy

Tempeh Sausage Pastry Puffs

East Coast Coffeecake, with jam swirl

How to Swirl!  

Very East Coast meets Portland, with this Oregon Black Raspberry Jam

Peanut Butter Waffles AND Tempeh Bacon

Mom's Breakfast Casserole - (uncooked)

potatoes, tofu, tempeh sauce - which you then smother in a cheezy sauce or shredded cheeze.

Chelsea Waffles - 

which I finally made once I had the book in my hands!

I'm honored to share the 'all dishes taste better with the texture of cat hair' rule with Isa and Kirby.

So go out. Brunch. Enjoy!  

Thank you, Isa!

Please note that Isa is bribing me with a year of warm vegan omelets, whenever I want one, in exchange for writing this.