isachandra – VeganMoFo

And The Chopped/Vegan Champion Is…

October 16, 2012 isachandra Comments 27 comments

Oh no, you guys, you made this decision very very difficult! And that is a good sign. The future of vegan cooking is bright, and thanks to you, my faith in nooch dusted kitchens across the globe has been reaffirmed. There could be no better way to celebrate the Post Punk Kitchen 10th Anniversary than with a little culinary inspiration. So thank you!

But there can be only one Vegan/Chopped champion! Unless…

I’ve actually decided that for this competition, there are two champions. Brunch is such an indecisive meal, and my judging should be no different. I’ve picked two winners, one sweet and one savory. Both will be getting a $50 Vegan Essentials gift certificates, a PPK apron, the signed Isa book of your choice and any other goodies I feel like sending. But enough with the dilly dallying.

In the SWEET brunch category, your Vegan/Chopped champion is…
Butternut Squash Bread French Toast with Mascarpone Cream, Rosemary Popcorn Streusel, Apricot Maple Syrup and White Wine Poached Pear from Nichole Lontz!!!!

Thank you for your creativity and effort, Nichole! The judges (um, me and Allison) were impressed with your homemade butternut quickbread, your poached pear technique and your use of quality from-scratch ingredients, both from your pantry and from the basket. You cut no corners and it shows and that’s why you, Nichole, are our Vegan/Chopped champion! Plus, the adorable pic of your kitty helper didn’t hurt. Listen up, cheftestants, a kitty pic never hurts.

Now. The SAVORY category. Which might also be known as exactly what I would have made. Your Vegan/Chopped champion is…
Chick’n & Waffles from Stephanie at Ripe Cuisine!!!!!

Ok, the pic could be a little bigger, but let me elaborate. This is Butternut Squash Waffles With Homemade Popcorn Chick’n Tenders And Apricot Rosemary Syrup. Yes, there is a sweet element, but I say this is the savory category and what I say goes. The judges were impressed with, well, the absolute yumminess of it all. I would order this in a restaurant without blinking an eye. Unless my eyes were blinking uncontrollably from deliciousness.

But wait! We still have a few runner-ups who will each receive the Isa book of their choice.

The popcorn award goes to PJ at Vegan Cine Grub for Butternut Squash Swedish Pancakes topped with Rosemary-Apricot Cashew Ricotta and a Molasses Popcorn Candy Tower! Can you resist a Popcorn Candy Tower? Me neither. Coupled with Swedish Pancakes, a vampire movie and a bloody mary? GTFO! No, wait, stay. Brunch is not yet finished.

The double trouble award goes to Suburban Vegan for her two entries, one for sweet, one for savory. Pancakes and a breakfast sandwich, both utilizing all of the basket ingredients. I would like to marry you and have brunch every day!

Favorite baked good award goes to Joy at Braisen Woman for her amazing looking Fall in your Face Sticky Buns (Butternut-Popcorn Flour Buns with Rosemary-Cinnamon-Apricot Filling and Apricot-Rosemary Caramel.) I would like one still warm, please!

The “oh-no-she-didn’t” award goes to Vegan In The Sticks for her Rosemary Popcorn Breaded Scotch Eggs with Butternut Squash Yolk and Hot Buttered Popcorn Scones with a Sweet Apricot Glaze. Scotch eggs? Oh yes she did!

I’m not posting any more pics, but the following are still runner-ups who receive a book:
The “Polenta? Good thinking!” award goes to Cadry’s Kitchen for Popcorn Crusted Polenta Stacks with Barbecue-Glazed Squash & Cashew Cream.

The “Cute pic, good story, yummy crepes” award goes to X Means No Onions for her Butternut Squash Crepes with Apricot Glaze.

The “Captured-My-Tart” award (har har) goes to Colynn at But Yes I Do Eat Potatoes for her Butternut Squash, Apricot, and Raspberry Tarts With Rosemary, Popcorn, and Pecan Crust.

The “Holy Crepe! And Ooh a Rosemary Cocktail” award goes to Allysia at the Real Meal for her Sweet vs. Savory Crepe Showdown! I will take one of each!

The “Thank You For Overdoing It” award goes to Big Mike’s Eats for his five course menu! I usually go for quality over quantity but it didn’t look like quality was at all sacrificed in these five courses which each contained all of the basket ingredients. BRUNCHMAZING!

Ok, thank you everyone for making this so fun! The next few honorable mentions don’t get any prezzies, but they do get honorably mentioned.

Think Care Act gets a mention for her Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Mushrooms. Maybe more of a dessert? But who am I to say!

Johnnycakes at My Munchable Musings! Love me some Johnnycakes and these were the only ones entered.

Butternut Caramel Rolls from Krista Wilder look divine.

I wish I could reach in and grab a fritter from Spa Bettie!

Napoleans? Triangles? Don’t mind if I do! Thanks, Killeen.

Vibrantlea Vegan offered a faboo looking sammy.

And Vandano Industries totally turned me over!

Meanwhile, there were a LOT of crepes, but the ones at Weekly Vegan Menu really stood out.

A well-rounded tart and salad at Two Cups Of Love.

And last but not least, Spade & Spoon. So long and thanks for all the hash browns!

Thanks for playing, see you at the next Chopped/Vegan challenge! Winners. Please email me at postpunkkitchen@gmail.com and let me know which signed softcover book you would like, and who to sign it to, along with your addresses! For the champions, the Vegan Essentials gift certificate will come to you via email. Congrats!

Chopped/Vegan: Your Time Starts….Now!

October 11, 2012 isachandra Comments 170 comments

Welcome to a very MOFO edition of Chopped/Vegan. This one is gonna’ be off the hook for so many reasons. (That is, if people even say “off the hook” anymore.) Number one is: it’s Chopped/Vegan and it’s always an amazing time! Also, it’s the Post Punk Kitchen 10 year anniversary and I want to give away prizes like nobody’s business. And finally, this Chopped/Vegan is super duper special because it’s neither an entree round or a dessert round. Yet you can make something savory or sweet. It’s a friggin’ riddle, and I’ll give you a moment to catch up.

OK. Have you guessed what it is?

That’s right, it’s the Chopped/Vegan BRUNCH ROUND! Which means, you can go either savory or sweet here. Heck, you can go BOTH! OK, now lift your jaws up off the floor, sweep up the confetti and compose yourself.

So…before getting boring and going into the rules and stuff, let me announce the mystery basket ingredients. (But you still have to read the rules, ok?)

The four mystery basket ingredient for Chopped/Vegan Brunch are… (drumroll please, but like a synth-pop Depeche Mode kinda drum roll.)

Butternut squash, popcorn, fresh rosemary, and apricot preserves!

Ooh, I think this is gonna be a good one! Now read the rules and then we’ll get to the other fun part…the prizes!

Here’s the deal:
Create a BRUNCH utilizing all four ingredients as little or as much as you want. You can also use any other items in your pantry.

Here’s the rules:
You must use from-scratch, vegan ingredients to the best of your ability (if it’s covered in packaged vegan cheeze and made out of trademarked faux-meat products, sorry but you won’t win.)

Submissions will be judged on perceived taste, creative use of the mystery ingredients and presentation. The photograph is important, so if you’re not a professional photographer, use natural light where you can, try to use a real camera (not a cell phone) and remember, flash on food photos is rarely appealing.

There is no time requirement, so take all the time you need. This competition and the prizes are open to everyone, everywhere!

Here’s how to enter (please read carefully):
On Sunday Oct 14th at 5pm EST, you can begin to post your entries in the comments of this thread. Please don’t post before then because a) you don’t want your ideas stolen do you? and b) it makes it harder to go through when entries are interspersed with questions and other comments.

Your recipe can be posted anywhere, so long as it’s public and everyone can see it (your blog, Facebook, FlickR, Geocities, etc.) All entries must be in by 3 PM EST on Monday Oct 15th. Please make sure when you leave your comment, that a valid email is used so that you can be contacted if you win. I will pick the winners on Tuesday October 16th and announce them in a brand new thread.

Your entry must contain 3 things: the title of your dish, a picture of your dish (you can have more than one pic), and a description of your method. Please mention all ingredients used, not just the four mystery ingredients. Describe what you did as best you can so that people can recreate it if they like! A recipe would be ideal, but not totally necessary.

The Chopped Champion will receive:
~Fame, respect and the Chopped Vegan title
~A $50 Vegan Essentials Gift Certificate
~A signed copy of any of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s (um, that’s me) softcover cookbooks
~A Post Punk Kitchen Apron
~I’ll throw in some other prizes, like vintage spatulas, candy, drawings and whatever I feel like sending you. It’ll be good, promise!

And this time, there will be prizes for 10 Runner-Ups!
~5 cheftestants will receive a signed copy of any of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s (um, still me) softcover cookbooks
~5 cheftestants will receive a Post Punk Kitchen apron!

If you need a little inspiration, here are two past Chopped/Vegan competitions from my Facebook. The entree round and the dessert round.

And if you have no idea what Chopped! is, then you can read about it here, and watch a few episodes (warning: lots of animal products, sometimes pretty gruesome looking ones.) There are also episodes on Hulu.

Ok everyone, good luck, and your time starts….now!!!!

Vegan Essentials Giveaway And Discount Code! (Hint: It’s “mofo”)

October 7, 2012 isachandra Comments 174 comments

We have our winners!! Congrats to Nathalie who said “I would love to try to Cocomels coconut milk caramels!” You are the winner of the $30 gift certificate.

And Denice Lucas who said “I am DYING to try the vegan cheeses. I am a cheese freak and would love to find a vegan alternative.” You are the winner of the $15 gift certificate!

Thanks for playing everyone, and remember that the 10% off coupon code is good for the entire month of October!

Since I’ve relocated to the Midwest, Vegan Essentials has become my friendly neighborhood vegan grocer. Ok, maybe they are hundreds of miles away, but still, that’s the closest I’m going to get to my precious Dr. Cow Nut Cheeses and my fave whipped topping in the world (Healthy Top, if you gotta’ know.) After placing a few orders that were always prompt and well-packaged, I knew that whenever I had reason to thank someone, I’d do it with a Vegan Essentials gift certificate. When it comes time to show some love, forget hugs, I give ‘em marshmallows or whatever their heart desires. And this month, dear MoFoer’s, Vegan Essentials wants to show YOU some love!

hearty — Chocolate heart ordered from VE, by Laziest Vegans In The World

In this giveaway, everyone’s a winner! For the entire month of October, Vegan Essentials is offering 10% of all items, with use of the coupon code “mofo.” So get your chocolate, your cheezes, and even your vegan twinkees on! I suppose I always look at a VE order as a chance to get cool treats that I can’t normally find. But they also have clothing, vitamins and books! Yep, they’re not called Vegan Essentials for nothing.

And the fun doesn’t end there. Vegan Essentials is also offering two gift certificates to two lucky winners today! The mama gift certificate for $30 and the baby gift certificate for $15.

VeganEssentials_ryan — Ryan, the founder of Vegan Essentials, doing some light lifting

To enter, just leave a comment below by 1pm EST tomorrow, Monday 10/8, telling us which Vegan Essentials product you are dying to try *or* talk about a recent order and how awesome it was! Be sure to include a valid email address so that we can contact you. The two winners will be randomly selected and announced around after the giveaway has ended. This offer is worldwide, open to all. Good luck!

*only exceptions are cat/dog food over 9 lbs. in weight and cold shippers for sending frozen items.

The Fifth Annual Mofie Awards! Round Three…

November 23, 2011 isachandra Comments 9 comments

This is it, the final winners of the Fifth Annual Mofies! Thanks for the memories.

Best Cooking With Kids goes to Cold & Sleepy Cooks, for her ABC theme and her daily kiddo pics.

Hottest New Ingredient goes to Vegan Culinary Crusade for Vegan Lisa’s post on Raw Caramel Chips, which introduced us to lucuma powder.

Most Epic Post goes to Three And A Half Vegans for creating an entirely edible Candlyland! Need we say more?

Best Use Of Chia goes to Spinach Pancakes from Spa Bettie. This could double as “Best Use Of Spinach”, too!

Best Around The World Adventure goes to Meet The Wikos where Erinwiko took us from Sicily to Sri Lanka and back again!

Most Fantastic How-to goes to Sugar Skull! Kristin made her blog’s namesake (SUGARSKULLS!) and held our hands through each step.

Best Theme goes to Don’t Eat Off The Sidewalk for her amazing Dinner And A Horror Movie theme. Katie kept us laughing and screaming and eating all month, while still managing to blog here and do the Iron Chef Challenges. Maybe she wins best Mofo-er overall?

Thanks for playing, everyone! Hope you had fun. Winners! Please email us to receive a little banner to display on the sidebar of your blog. And thank you to Amanda at Will Draw For Cookies for creating the banners.

The Fifth Annual Mofie Awards! Round Two…

November 22, 2011 isachandra Comments 11 comments

Well, we are actually going to split these awards into 3 posts so that each recipient may basque in the glow of winnerdom. Here we are in Round Two of the Fifth Annual Mofie Awards. Give everyone a round of applause! A standing O! Or a standing V?

Best Photo goes to these Pumpkin Pancakes at VK Rees Photography. This tall stack of pancakes had us opening up our mouths in hopes that some syrup would fall in.

Post Most Like To Inspire Frying goes to Olives For Dinners’ Faux Fish And Real Chips! How badly do you want to squeeze lemon over everything and gobble up the screen?

Best Cat goes to Joyfulgirl’s inaugural MoFo post. Nothing says adorable like a kitten being terrorized by a huge container of pumpkin puree.

Best Childhood Recipe Recreation goes to i-40 Kitchen’s Sausage Balls! Because we all get a hankering for that food we loved when we were seven.

Most Droolworthy Speedy Dessert goes to Madcap Cupcake’s Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream. The only equipment needed for this decadence is a blender, and for that she deserves 10 awards!

That does it for Round Two of the Mofies. Stay tuned for Round Three…
PS Winners: please email us so that we can get you a small banner for your blog’s sidebar.

The Fifth Annual Mofie Awards! Round One…

November 22, 2011 isachandra Comments 24 comments

Ok, it’s actually the first annual Mofies. But we’ve been talking about doing an awards ceremony for five years, and that counts for something, doesn’t it?

Our methods for determining Mofie recipients were ground in rock solid, airtight science. We used an intricate method that analyzes all of the available datas and scrutinized algorithms. And then we said “Fork this!” because really, everything was getting too complicated which is why we’ve never gotten around to creating the awards before. So, instead we went with the k.i.s.s. method. Keep it simple, stupid! Each VeganMoFo organizer created two categories and chose the winner. After all, no one knows MoFo like we do!

And from the bottom of our vegan hearts we want to thank all of the MoFo participants. It was so much fun to scroll through our feeds and read what you had to say all month. Whether it was a fun story about road-tripping it just to eat your favorite pizza or a tender story about recreating your Nana’s meatballs vegan-style, we were right there with you.

This is round one of winners, we’ll post the second round later today. And we do have one more category that will be chosen by YOU the readers, so stay tuned for news on that. Winners, please contact us so that we can send you a small banner to use on your sidebar.

Now, without further ado, we bring you MOFOS OF THE YEAR!!!

Best Use Of Tofu goes to Vegans Eat Pencil Shavings for her Pan Fried Vegan Oysters with Chili Lime Pomegranate Molasses. What an amazing use of vegan seafood, agar and all.

Blog That Convinced Us To Go To A Superbowl Party goes to Jojo at Vegan In Brighton for her awe-inspiring Football Food Sunday posts. We loved to read about each finger licking item this Brit cooked up for her American football feasts.

Best Way To Support Farm Sanctuaries goes to My Zoetrope for her charity watercolors that raised money for For The Animals Sanctuary. We loved all the bears and cats and talking sandwiches she produced all month, and a few of her paintings might even reside in our kitchens now!

Best Use Of Pumpkin goes to Kathy at Busy Vegan for her Pumpkin Spice Cheap-o-chino. She served us autumn in a glass in and it costs only pennies. And for that we are forever thankful.

Most Impressive Food Project goes to Fork And Beans for her monthlong adventures in vegan and gluten-free candy making! From Snickers to Butterfingers, Cara kept us coming back for more.

Best International Dish goes to Vegan On The Prowl’s South Indian Gunpowder. Rithika gave us a condiment that’s just great for elaborate dosas or simple veggies, and might also take honor for best use of chickpeas.

That does it for round one. Catch up with us later on for round two of the Fifth Annual Mofie Awards!

Cinnaholic Giveaway!

October 31, 2011 isachandra Comments 191 comments

We have a winner! Becca who said:

“OMG! I’ve really been missing Cinnaholic since I moved 3,000 miles away.

The s’mores roll is calling my name.”

Thanks for playing, everyone!

The time has come, MoFo’ers. It’s the last giveaway of The Vegan Month Of Food, a bittersweet goodbye. Let’s go our separate ways and walk into the sunset with 80s alternative music playing. Wait, we can’t both walk into the sunset, or that would mean we’re not going our separate ways. I’ll walk into the sunset, and you can just watch until I’m out of sight. And to make it somewhat more bearable, why don’t you eat….a cinnamon roll! Or half a dozen cinnamon rolls since it might be a long goodbye.

Cinnaholic is an entirely vegan bakery located in Berkeley California. I was able to sample a few rolls earlier this month and they were a spiral of ooey, gooey, sweet and spicy…just about everything you’d want on a crisp fall morning. You pick your own frosting flavor and a topping, or you can go with one of their specialty rolls, like Apple Pie or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

This offer is for 6 of their original flavored cinnamon buns. But to enter the giveaway, visit the Cinnaholic website and tell us which flavor you would order if you visited the bakery! A winner will be chosen tonight, probably sometime after midnight EST. You must have a US or Canada address and leave a valid email to win. Good luck, everyone, and have a safe and happy Halloween!

Beans Giveaway From PNW Co-op Specialty Foods!

October 26, 2011 isachandra Comments 72 comments

We have our winners! Kayla who said “”I’d make split pea soup! Its the only thing I’m sure my little brother will eat.” And Bianca who said “It’s been far too long since I’ve made split pea soup, so I’d go with their green split peas and cook ‘em up with some vegan bacon, barley, and lots of sriracha!” Looks like the winners were split peas, huh? Thanks for playing everyone!

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From cutlets to stews to meatballs to baked, us vegans love our beans! I don’t know that a more versatile, affordable and tasty form of protein exists. And judging from some of our VeganMofo blog titles, you all agree. We’ve got The Snarky Chickpea, The Vegan Chickpea, Body By Chickpeas and Hot Vegan Chick…peas. And of course there’s love for the quick cooking legume from Kittens Gone Lentil and Pea Soup Eats.

beansMoroccon — Moroccon Chickpea & Quinoa Salad from The Vegan Chickpea

Now take all that love, times it by a million and add to it a company committed to non-GMO beans grown on family farms in the United States’ Pacific Northwest. Your chickpea can be traced right back to the field where it was grown! I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a great roadtrip idea.

I was able to try a few of PNW Co-op Specialty Foods‘ varieties over the past few months and it was fun to have brand new textures and colors in such a familiar ingredient! I used their garbanzos in both Gumbo and Chana Masala and the results were fantastic.

Today’s giveaway is for enough beans to get you through winter – or if you’re like me and eat beans like they’re going out of style, at least a month or two of it. Two lucky winners will receive a 2lb bag each of Pedrosillano chickpeas, Spanish Pardina Brown Lentils & Green Split Peas. The beans come in a nifty reusable linen bag and they are all verified by the Non-GMO Project.

PNW Co-op Spanish Pardina brown lentils — Spanish Pardina Brown Lentils

To enter this contest, just pick one of their bean varieties and tell us what you’d cook with it! You’ll need a US mailing address and make sure to leave a valid email address so that we can contact you if you win. Contest closes this evening at 9pm Central time, good luck everyone!

All-Night PB Party Giveaway Starring Peanut Butter & Co!

October 12, 2011 isachandra Comments 138 comments

Update! We have our winners. Alyssa, who said “”I would definitely have to go with Dark Chocolate Dreams and strawberry preserves. I haven’t actually tried that yet because I’m most likely to just eat the chocolate stuff straight out of the jar, but now that I’ve thought of it I need to make it.”

And Lisa H. who said “I’m so in love with Dark Chocolate Dreams. It’s my ultimate guilty pleasure. As for a jelly, it’s raspberry or nothing.”

Looks like Dark Chocolate Dreams is the most popular with everyone! We’ll contact the winners with details. Thanks to everyone for playing!

Peanut butter! Is there anyone who doesn’t love it? I mean, besides the severely allergic.

I remember heading through the West Village on my way to somewhere or other about a million years ago and stumbling across a huge sign that said “Peanut Butter & Co.” Who wouldn’t sidestep their destination and check that out? Inside were tables and tables of grown people eating peanut butter sandwiches! So basically I am describing paradise. I had myself a pressed PB & banana that I remember to this day.

Peanut Butter & Co. has come along way since my inaugural PB&B sandwich. You can pick up luscious flavors such as Dark Chocolate Dreams and White Chocolate wonderful. Or go for autumn combinations like Cinnamon Raisin Swirl or Mighty Maple.

We’re calling tonight VeganMoFo’s All-Night PB Party! Peanut Butter & Co. is giving away two jars of peanut butter to two lucky winners. Any kind you like!

~~To enter the contest, just visit Peanut Butter & Company’s peanut butter page and pick your favorite variety*, then tell us what kind of jelly you’d pair it with in a sandwich. Simple!~~

Winners must be US only to win (sorry rest of the world!) and supply a valid email address. We’ll choose two winners randomly on Wednesday morning. Good luck!

*The only non-vegan one is the Bee’s Knees, everything else is vegan! So as usual, please keep it vegan for VeganMoFo, gracias!

The Vegan Vine Wine Giveaway!

October 4, 2011 isachandra Comments 98 comments

We have a winner! Cristy, who said: “I haven’t cooked with wine in a long time. Since I prefer white wine, I’d choose the Sauvignon Blanc and use it in a light pasta sauce of some sort. Adding to risotto does sound delicious! Splash for the food, glass for me… splash for the food, glass for me… Splash for me, splash for me…”

Thanks for playing everyone!

Today’s giveaway is a $30 gift certificate from The Vegan Vine. Yes, my friends, it’s wine country! The Vegan Vine is a family-owned and certified sustainable winery located on the coast of central California. They refine their wines without the use of any animal products. Their whimsical packaging is reason enough to need a bottle in your kitchen today!

Even if you’re not the type of person who likes to talk about the “legs” on a glass of Cabernet, or the citrus undertones of a Chardonnay, wine is a powerful ingredient for any vegan chef. Cooking with a splash (or a glass) adds depth and nuance to stews, sauces and marinades, taking dishes from “I could make that” to “How did you make this?”

Some traditional dishes made with wine are picatta and boeuf bourguignon, which both translate beautifully to plant-based recipes. I always finish off risotto with some white wine. But the question is: How do you cook with wine? ~~To enter this contest, check out the Vegan Vine website, then tell us which of their wines you would use to cook one of your favorite dishes.~~ Of course you’d have to enjoy a glass alongside your meal, too. Or perhaps even while you’re cooking!

The winner will be picked at random by 8 PM EST tonight, October 4th, 2011. This contest is US only. Please don’t forget to fill in your email address, so that we can contact you if you’re the winner. Good luck!

Added bonus: Best use of wine in MoFo so far has to go to Vegans Eat Pencil Shavings, for this Cabarnet Dessert Caviar.

Cabernet Dessert Caviar

And don’t miss the SuperVegan review of a the Vegan Vine tasting at Candle 79.

VeganMoFo

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