August Foodie Pen Pal

This month’s foodie pen pal box was sent to me by Jen at Allergy Lane.  She has a great site talking about the food and environmental allergies that her family has.  I was super excited when my box arrived and I had JARS :).  I got three jars filled with wonderful finds.  The first jar was filled with lemon mint sugar.  This will be awesome for cookies and other baked goods when it gets cooler.  Next up was home made mint extract!  I’ve seen recipes for making my own extract, but hadn’t tried it before.  I was super excited to get this.  And my third jar is “cheesy” roasted chickpeas.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE roasted chickpeas.  I’ve made mine spicy, so this is going to be a new treat.  Thanks again to Jen for her great box.

The jars!

Here’s a detailed explanation of the program:

-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

July Foodie Pen Pal

I again participated in this month’s foodie pen pal program.  My pen pal this month lives in California.  I was hoping for some local items, and she did not disappoint.  I was sent produce!  I didn’t even think about sending real fruits when doing this program, but this lady did.  I got a nectarine, avocado, and an orange.  On top of that I got some dried snap peas, tomato pesto sauce, Tobasco, tea, popcorn, and a mixture of nutritional yeast and pepper.  The note she sent said she puts the nooch on her popcorn.  It’s funny as I do that already!!!!  It’s like she already knew me.

My pen pal box

The foodie pen pal that I sent to does not have a blog, so she asked if I wanted a write up from her end.  I always want to hear what my pen pal thinks of my food, so I was HAPPY to oblige.

Hi, I’m Geneva and I received the July Foodie PenPal Package from Jordyn.  The first item I pulled out was a jar of homemade applesauce.  I could only imagine the wonderful bread it would make and I was not disappointed.  I served it at a brunch I had for 6 of my girlfriends.  They all raved about it and wanted my recipe.  I gave it to them, but explained that the star ingredient was a gift.

Next I pulled out a jar of homemade coconut, almond cranberry granola.  I eat a lot of yogurt and I love to add something crunchy.  This was perfect.  I am trying to make it last as long as I can, but I find myself dipping into the jar whenever I walk past. 

One of my favorite candies is taffy.  I received two big boxes of taffy in the box.  I will be treating myself for quite awhile. 

Next I opened a bag of Simple Balance multigrain salt & pepper crisps.  These savory, crunchy chip-like snacks went into my snack drawer at work.  Salt & Pepper snacks are my favorite.  I am really amazed that you picked some of my favorite things.  

The last item in my package was a bottle of great tasting hot sauce.  It has been used in several marinades already.  I also used it on an omelette I made last Sunday for breakfast. 

Jordyn you really did a wonderful job on putting together a package of goodies I will enjoy for quite awhile.

Here’s a detailed explanation of the program:

-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
– Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

The Charmery

I love my neighborhood.  Since having moved into Hampden proper, I’ve really been trying to take advantage of everything it has to offer.  One of the most amazing parts is “The Avenue“.  While touristy, it’s also really fun for locals as well.  There are plenty of shops and really amazing restaurants.  But one thing that has been missing in the neighborhood has been icy treats.  Well, now there is a new shop in town.

The Charmery

 

The Charmery opened up this past weekend.  If the crowds on Sunday at 5pm were any indication about how much the residents in Hampden were excited, I’d say that The Charmery will have no issues.  All the ice cream is made in store.  The dairy is locally sourced as is most of the other ingredients.  They definitely do a nod to Baltimore style flavors including an Old Bay caramel flavor and a Berger cookie flavor.  But what I found MOST exciting is that the store is offering vegan options!  After having some regular ice cream for the first time in a very long time two weeks ago and having a violent reaction (SORRY!), I was really happy for this option.  The option(s) could be a sorbet, a home made soda, or even coconut milk ice cream.  Luckily for me they had the coconut milk ice cream!

Toasted Coconut ice cream

The flavor was toasted coconut, and it was DELICIOUS.  The texture is not as solid and creamy as what traditional milk ice cream would be, but it’s still so good.  The single scoop was for sure enough for one person to eat.  The ice cream was still so rich due to the fat content of coconut milk, plus the toasted coconut adds an interesting texture and deeper flavor to the cream.  I was told that the cones are currently not egg free, but they are working on getting a vegan option, plus they are working on creating their own vegan chocolate sauce.  I’m SUPER stoked to see this place grow.

June Foodie Pen Pal

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted.  I’ve had a bit of an issue with inspiration.  Plus we had a wasp issue.  Yeah…  But, I get to share with you the most AMAZING box I got!

This month I got a box from this amazing girl named Angelina.  She’s 21 years young and is studying to become a graphic designer.  This is all apparent in the box she sent me.  It all started with the wrapping on the outside.  I have never received a package that’s decorated on the outside!

Decorated outside

Inside the box I got lots of new gifts!  There was a note about who Angelina was.  There was a great recipe to make my own banana chips.  And then the food…  There was seaweed snacks, banana chips, these AMAZING mango nut crunch snacks, Burts Bees chapstick, this meal pack, hazelnut wafers, and guava candies.

June Box

The most awesome part was this chocoate covered honey comb.  I am saving it for a fierce sweets craving.  It looks absolutely amazing.

Can’t WAIT to eat

If you have ever thought about doing the foodie pen pal program, this box should convince you that you DEFINITELY should.

Here’s info about the program:

Foodie Penpals Terms & Conditions

–Condition 1: You will contact the person you are matched with withing 72 hours of receiving your match to discuss dietary needs, allergies and food preferences.

–Condition 2: You will make an effort to meet the dietary needs of your penpal- ie not sending animal products to vegans, dairy products if your match tries to avoid dairy or junk food if they ask for healthy snacks.

–Condition 3: You will mail your box by the 15^th of the month. It is HIGHLY recommended that you purchase delivery confirmation/get a tracking number for your package. It is very inexpensive and can be used to prove that you sent your package in the event that it gets lost.
If your match does not receive a package for the month, you will receive a warning. If it happens two months in a row, you will no longer be able to participate in the program

–Condition 4: In the event that you do not receive a package, Lindsay and The Lean Green Bean blog cannot be held accountable. By agreeing to participate in FPP, we cannot 100% guarantee that you will receive a package. The mail gets lost occasionally and your partner may fail to deliver.

-Condition 5: Using the foodie penpals email list to send out personal or spam emails promoting your blog, giveaways, etc is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Doing so is grounds for immediate dismissal from the program as it is a violation of the other participants’ privacy.

May Foodie Pen Pals

Another month, another great foodie pen pal box.  This month I sent my box to someone in New York.  She got the Spicy Chocolate Chip Cookies (the coconut and salted kinds).  This month, I got a box from Dawn over at Spatulas On Parade.

May Pen Pal Box

First off, I don’t know HOW she knew, but I puffy heart love the Lemon Bar flavor of the Larabar.  So delicious!!!!  I also love the Justin’s single serve almond and peanut butters.  They are perfect for race day or travel in general.  If you’ve ever gone to a race not in your town, these are PERFECT for a pre-race breakfast.  The Sunbutter crackers/replacement meal looks super interesting.  I’ll have to pack it on my next super long day.  The mints are tea flavored and are sweet, but not overly sweet.  Perfect.  And lastly, the two spice packets.  I can’t wait to use both!  Thanks again to Dawn for her great box.

Here are the Foodie Pen Pal details:

-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
– Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. 

April Foodie Pen Pal

I would like to thank Azia over at Azia said what? blog.  She’s an amazing writer who participated in Nanowrimo 2013.  You should check out her blog.  But on to the box…  Unfortunately the first one she sent apparently got way-laid somewhere!  So, she was nice enough to send me a replacement box.  That is an AMAZING pen pal!

Foodie deliciousness!

As you can see, she really went all out for me.  The big thing in the box is the jar of Newman’s pasta sauce.  It looks so good.  Next up are the soy nuts (yum), Primal Strips (my FAVE!), individual servings of peanut butter and hot cereals, and veggie shells.  Also included but not pictured were like three kinds of tea (I drank the pumpkin chai right away), an energy drink addition, and some gummies (vegan of course!).  Again, thanks to Azia for the great box.

Here’s more info about the program:

• On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
• You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
• The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
• You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
• Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers.
• Foodie Penplas is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans.

Restaurant Review: Indigma

Martinis

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and LOVED the food, but vowed you would never return again?  This was one of those places.  I bought a Groupon a bit back for this place as I had been a few years before.  I enjoyed the food on that occasion, but the service had been terrible.  I figured they had been open for this long, they had to have gotten better.  I was wrong.

Fried Naan and chutneys

We were a bit early for our reservations, so I asked the hostess if we could get a drink at the bar (it was happy hour still).  She told us we could not, that the bar was backed up….  Ok…  Well, we were shown to our seats and we waited.  We got our water.  We were asked for our drink orders.  Ernie ordered a French martini and I ordered the Hot and Dirty martini (made with pepper vodka and with a pickled spicy pepper garnish).  We waited….  We were asked for our dinner order. I had some questions about the options.  I enjoy Indian food and have eaten a fair amount of it.  But this place had some different options than what I’ve been used to.  They had this Thali option for ordering where you got an appetizer, rice, salad, raita, main, roti, and dessert.  The vegetarian option was malai kofta, so I decided to go with it.  Ernie got a three course prix fixe dinner and some chapati.  We got our drinks and toasted.  Ernie’s drink was mostly juice.  My drink was fine…  But it wasn’t made with pepper vodka.  Again, nothing really wrong with my drink, but it just wasn’t right.  The problem was that the server never really came back until much later for us to even complain, so it was useless at that point…

Coconut shrimp

We got fried naan with three chutneys and preserved lemon.  OMG.  That lemon was the most delicious few bites.  I mean, I made preserved lemon, but this wasn’t really salty.  It was spiced and a bit sweet.  SO GOOD.  I liked the cilantro chutney, but Ernie did not.  We both liked the tamarind one, but only Ernie liked the onion (too oniony for me).  Ernie’s coconut shrimp came next.  and I just sat there.  He eventually ate it, but we thought my appetizer was coming as well…  Nope.  But he said the coconut shrimp was SUPER tasty.  Next, Ernie got the lamb korma.  It was spicy according to him, but very very good.  NOW my food all came at once…  I had no idea.  The waiter never explained how this was supposed to happen.  I specifically asked what the Thali was about, but he didn’t really explain it.  If I knew that I was going to get EVERYTHING at once, I would have been fine with it.  But not so much….  On my “plate” was a samosa, daal, channa masala, saag paneer, rice, malai kofta, rice pudding, and raita.  ZOMG.  That saag paneer was absolutely amazing.  It was just spicy enough so that it just burned at the back of my throat…  so good.  The channa masala was nicely spiced, but not hot.  The daal was not really spiced at all.  I was a bit underwhelmed with it, but again not bad.  I gave the rice pudding to Ernie as he really wanted it (and so I could have his dessert).  I got to eat the chapati and Ernie ate the roti.

Lamb Korma

The last sort of dig at the end of the night was that I asked our waiter (who finally showed up) if I could have the recipe for the preserved lemon.  The waiter was unsure, but went to ask.  He came back and said the owner/manager would be out to talk to me.  He never came. We were there for over an hour and a half, much of it just waiting….  Again, the food was VERY good.  It was definitely a step above a “regular” Indian place.  But I would rather pay less and get a slightly “lower” quality of food and better service.  For sure.

samosa, daal, channa masala, saag paneer, rice, malai kofta, rice pudding, raita

Chinese New Year Dinner

My mom has organized a Chinese New Year dinner in Philadelphia for the past few years.  I haven’t been able to go for some reason or another, but this year my mother-in-law decided to treat my husband and I to it for our birthdays.  I must say that it was a great present.  First of all, the food is absolutely amazing.  I found every course to be wonderful, but some items were more amazing than others.  Secondly, the chef accommodated my food restrictions.  I was able to have a mostly vegan meal with only a bit of dairy in the mango puree.  Thirdly, the place is a BYOB AND there is no corkage fees!  I brought bourbon with ginger beer to drink with my meal, but there was wine, a drink called Cinnamon Toast Crunch (tastes like the milk leftover from the cereal sitting in it), margaritas, and plenty of other stuff.  Lastly, the place may not be the fanciest of places, but the chef was so personable that it made up for it.  A million times over for sure.

Here’s the list of the courses and food:

• Appetizers:  Vegetable spring roll, salt crusted tofu, fruit salad (the one on the plate had mayo, which was switched out for one that did not), eggplant “hamburger”, and tofu sushi with fries
• Intermezzo: Mango puree with ice and an envelope with a dollar for good luck
• Main Course: Tofu! in a sweet and slightly spicy sauce, rice with lettuce and corn and jicama, a “kebab” of fried tofu balls, pineapple, eggplant in a spicy sauce
• Sides: pasta with veggies (jicama, snow peas, green beans, carrots, lotus root), veggies for all (green beans, black mushrooms, corn, and sun-dried tomatoes)
• Dessert: fruit salad and a candy

A special thanks to Chef Joseph Poon for his hospitality and wonderful personality.  He does walking tours of Philly’s Chinatown along with teaching cooking classes and hosting dinners.

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February Foodie Pen Pal

OMG, super excited to tell you about my February Foodie Pen Pal box!  I haven’t participated in a few months due to moving, so I was happy to start back up again.  My match for the month, Megan, a high school student!, who runs the blog Integral of Health was great.  She listened to my crazy requests and delivered a great box.

Pen Pal Box

In the box was:

• Cholula chili lime hot sauce!  I’ve never had this kind, so I’m super excited to add this hot sauce to my repertoire
• Chai Spice Tea (yum!)
• Peeled Organic Apples (only apples, so good!)
• Natural peanut butter (I’m not normally a huge fan of peanut butter, but this has a nice nutty taste)
• Love Crunch dark chocolate berry granola (HOLY CRAP GOOD!)

Here’s the information to participate next month:

• On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
• You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
• The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
• You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
• Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
• Foodie Penplas is open to US, Canadian & European residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

Turkey Substitute Roundup

So, I’ve been a vegetarian for half of my life now.  That means 15 Thanksgivings without turkey.  The first couple of years it was all about the sides.  I know PLENTY of people that aren’t vegetarians that prefer the sides anyway.  So, it didn’t really seem like that big of a deal to just not eat turkey.  Well, the years went on and my cooking skills did in fact increase (or at least I wasn’t burning things in the microwave anymore…).  I decided to throw a Thanksgiving holiday dinner for friends when I had moved to Baltimore, so I thought I should serve something “turkey like”.  Here are four different turkey substitutes that I have served at Thanksgivings or other holiday dinners.

Tofurky

This is the most well known substitute and when you tell people you are a vegetarian on thanksgiving, they will for sure ask if you are going to eat one.  There are some big pros to this item.  It’s both a protein source and has stuffing in one, so you don’t HAVE to make more stuffing.  The gravy that comes with it may look a little strange, but is actually quite good.  It’s actually the best prepared vegan gravy I’ve found.  The biggest downside I’ve found to the tofurky is that when it cools, it gets kind of rubbery.  The taste is fine, but the texture becomes slightly offensive.  I’ve never tried any of the “fancy” ways to prepare  the roast, but there are some fun recipes found on the site.  Tofurky is vegan.

Quorn Turk’y Roast

This was my second foray into a turkey substitute.  I had tried the naked cutlets and really liked them, so I wanted to try the roast.  THIS WAS GOOD.  Like really good. Like not just as a substitute good.  I’ve been told it both looks like and tastes very much like a pork loin, but I would have no idea.  The interesting thing about quorn is that it’s made from mycoprotein (mushroom derivative).  Before you condemn this product for being mushroom, it doesn’t actually taste like mushrooms.  My sister who HATES mushrooms loves this.  I would not follow the instructions on the box and cook the roast IN the packaging.  Take off the plastic and roast it with veggies.  I don’t eat this anymore as there is egg in the roast, but if I ate eggs this would be what I eat.

Field Roast

I wasn’t able to try the celebration roast, which apparently is pretty delicious, but I was able to snag a Hazelnut Cranberry Roast En Croute.  The texture is a bit like soft vegan sausage.  And I did not really see a distinction in between the sausage part and the stuffing that was supposed to be there.  BUT.  This was pretty tasty.  The inside was very flavorful and had lots of herb flavors.  I made this with some stuffing and some southern style kale for a Manucci thanksgiving this year.  I think it went over pretty well.  This is vegan and very delicious.

Gardein Holiday Roast

So, I’ve been saving the best for last.  This is by far the most delicious turkey substitute out there.  And I really wouldn’t even qualify the roast as only JUST good as a turkey substitute.  It’s just plain old DELICIOUS.  I actually went back to Whole Foods to try to get some more and they were completely sold out.  Gardein is pretty new in the vegan substitutes field, but it has quickly exploded into the field.  I haven’t found a bad product yet and I will continue to keep trying as many products as possible.  I actually followed the basic instructions by the blog Meet the Shannons to make the roast and stuffing.  FYI, make stuffing with cranberries in it from now on.  SO PRETTY!  The only downside to this product is the gravy.  It needs doctoring up.  For SURE add some spices like thyme, garlic, and rosemary.  It adds so much to the fairly bland gravy.  This is totally vegan.

 

Related articles

• Vegan Holiday Turkey Alternative from PETA (bluemoonpersonaltraining.com)
• Happy Tofurky Day: Vegetarian Thanksgiving on The Rise (bluemoonpersonaltraining.com)
• Beyond Tofurkey: A Vegetarian Thanksgiving (livingthroughthesenses.com)
• Vegan Holiday Recipes and Tips (ohsheglows.com)