To Live and Eat in L.A.

So I’m sitting here watching Anthony Bourdain’s new Egypt episode, full aware that at any moment I will be either insulted for being vegan or accosted by scenes that will make me want to gag, or both. What can I say, I’m a glutton for punishment I guess, and world food and travel fascinate me. Anthony Bourdain is pretty entertaining when he’s not deliberately being an asshole.

Anyhow, after making it through the scene where he’s enjoying eating stuffed pigeons, much to my surprise, he featured a traditional Egyptian food that is totally vegan… and boy did it look good. It’s called Kushari, described in the Wikipedia as:

…a popular traditional Egyptian national dish, normally eaten in specialty Kushari restaurants that serve this dish exclusively. It consists of a base of rice, brown lentils, chickpeas, macaroni, and a topping of Egyptian garlic and vinegar and spicy tomato sauce (salsa). Caramelized onions are commonly added as a garnish. Kushari is normally a vegetarian and usually a vegan dish, possibly reflecting the vegan diet of Coptic Orthodox Christians during Lent and other fasts. It is becoming common to add fried liver or shawarma meat as an additional topping. It is often found in fast-food establishments that also serve ta’meyya/falafel. Smaller restaurants may serve either Kushari or ta’meyya while larger ones (often chain restaurants) usually serve both. It is an inexpensive dish, and serves as a staple food. Kushari is one of the most common and most popular dishes in Egypt.

Other than the liver and such this sounds absolutely delicious, and I’ll admit that for once Anthony was actually eating something that I very much wanted to try. He also showed some street vendors selling Foul, a vegan dish made from fava beans (it’s pronounced like ‘Fool’) which I’ve had a lot of and really like (though they were serving them here topped with egg). Imagine that, Anthony Bourdain turning vegans on to new dishes! Crazy I tell ya…

Of course just a few minutes later we were treated to a scene of a goat being ritually slaughtered and consumed, so don’t get too excited about Anthony Bourdain’s momentary foray into veganism via grains and legumes.

Does anyone know of any Egyptian restaurants in Los Angeles serving kushari? I’d love to try the real thing before attempting to make it on my own, though I welcome you to share some of your favorite kushari recipes in the comments.

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Update: I found a vegan Kushari recipe online and then the page I found it on soon after disappered. Since I can’t link directly to it anymore I’ll reprint it here. This seems like a very simple recipe, I’d be interested in finding out if there are fancier versions as well. Enjoy, and let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!

Egyptian Style Kushari Recipe

Ingredients:
10 cups water
8 oz macaroni (dry from the box, or fresh)
2 1/4 cups stock
1 cup long grain rice (uncooked)
2 – 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, minced
2 cups canned diced tomato
8 oz can of lentils
pepper to taste
salt to taste
1 bunch parsley, minced

Directions: In a large stock pot, pour in the 10 cups of water, and place on the stove over high heat. Place the lid onto the pot, so that it comes to a boil more quickly. In a separate deep sided pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat the stock over high heat.

Mince your onions. Open up the can of tomatoes and lentils. Do not drain the cans of their extra liquid! In a large, shallow skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. When the oil gets hot, add the onions, and a healthy sprinkle of salt and pepper. Let cook over high heat for about five minutes, or until soft. Turn down the heat to medium, and add the canned tomato and lentils.

By now, the stock should be boiling. Add the rice to the pot, and wait for the stock to come up to a full boil (uncovered). When the water is boiling vigorously, turn down the heat to a simmer, and cover the lid. Give the skillet with the tomatoes a quick stir.

By now, the ten cups of water should be boiling. Liberally salt the water, and add the macaroni to the pot. Leave the lid off, and allow the macaroni to cook fully according to your liking.

The rice should take a total of twenty minutes to cook. The macarnoi should take no longer than ten minutes to cook. By the time the rice and macaroni are cooked through, the sauce will be the perfect consistency. If it looks a little too loose for your liking, turn up the heat to high, and allow it to cook down for a few minutes.

Drain the pasta, and put it back into the large pot. Stir in the sauce. Stir in the cooked rice. Generously garnish with the chopped parsley.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes

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Another Update!

Check out the delicious looking and super easy to make vegan Kushari recipe that just got posted over at the What Geeks Eat blog… I don’t think you’ll need to look any further…
Kushari – because carbs are good too

While it’s true that Disneyland can be really fun if you’re six years old or a first time visitor from rural Kazakhstan, for some of us (especially SoCal locals who’ve been going there since we were born) a trip to the Happiest Place On Earth™ can be more of a hassle than it’s gargantuan cover price is worth. It’s really hard to maintain a positive attitude when you’ve been standing in lines all day in 103 degree heat, surrounded by overheated, oversugared children and their scary mutant parents. Having to worry about if there are any decent vegetarian or vegan options to eat doesn’t help. I’m here to tell you that there is a light at the end of that mouse-eared tunnel, and it’s name is vegan gumbo.

More specifically, it’s name is Royal Street Veranda, the little counter service restaurant located in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square where you will find this unexpected treat (it’s just across the way from the Pirates of the Carribean). It has been verified by those in the know that this delicious bowl full of goodness is indeed vegan. You might find old information stating that it is made with butter, however that is not the case as that info is from an old recipe. Today they use cornstarch as a thickener, so there is no dairy in there.

This hearty veggie gumbo comes served in a nice fat sourdough breadbowl. They fill it to the brim with soupy gumbo that is so tasty you’ll want to go back for another serving. To tell you the truth I have no idea if it’s anything like authentic New Orleans gumbo, I’ve never been. But I can tell you that without having anything to compare it to, I think this stuff is awesome. It’s thick and chunky, filled with vegetables and long grain rice (I didn’t say it was gourmet, I just said it was good). The flavor base is like a yummy tomato stew, very savory and just a little bit spicy. The “bowl” nicely soaks up the gumbo while you’re eating it and at the end you get to munch away at all the now gooey and flavorful bread.

The line outside of this place sometimes gets crazy long but it moves pretty fast and is definitely worth it. Besides, you’re at Disneyland, so you’re already used to waiting.

For someone who’s just visiting Disneyland for the day, there’s really nothing to stress over in regards to finding plenty of veg-friendly food. Most all of the sit down restaurants have at least a few vegetarian options that could be easily veganized, along with many salads as well as fresh fruit stands through out the park. Apparently their pretzels are vegan as well.

But really, there’s nothing there that’s going to be as good as the gumbo. It’s really delicious, and not just because it’s an alternative to lesser options. Back in the day when my friends and I had Disneyland season passes, we’d go there just to eat the gumbo, watch the fireworks and then leave… and we weren’t even vegetarians then, that’s how good it is! This time around I had the gumbo for lunch, then found other nice vegan options for dinner (which sadly did not photograph well), but I just as easily and happily would have made my way back for another serving of the gumbo instead.

I’m planning a romp through Portland, Oregon next weekend and hope to fit in as much awesome eating as is physically possible while visiting this vegan mecca.

While I’ve been pouring over all the vegan PDX food blogs and compiling quite a list of great ideas, I’d love to hear any last minute, non-obvious suggestions if anyone’s got any “must try” tips for while I’m there. Like, what’s the most amazing vegan thing that I absolutely have to eat while in town? Non-food tips and cool event suggestions welcome as well (not much of a drinker so you don’t need to tell me about your favorite pubs). Please reply in the comments… and thanks in advance! Expect a full report when I return, if I can fit back in the plane.

Update: I’m back!
Thank you ALL for your fine tips and suggestions, many of which were indeed followed, utilized and enjoyed. Stay tuned for a full report on all the massive quantities of delicious food that was consumed in PDX… I think I may have left you all with a shortage :) I’m closing the comments on this post because it’s making me feel guilty that people are still leaving helpful hints now that I’m already back home.

Dear readers, friends and strangers alike,

I’m just stopping in for a quick note to let you all know that I haven’t disappeared and I’m certainly not ignoring you or this blog. This past week has been one of the worst ever for me… first, one of my very best friends ever since Jr. High school was killed in a tragic and senseless accident. Then, just two days later, my beloved kitty had to unexpectedly be put to sleep. She was 14 years old and I’ve raised her as my own baby since she was 3 1/2 weeks old. You can imagine the shock and grief that I am attempting to cope with right now. As they say… “when it rains, it pours”. At this moment I am in the midst of a perfect storm.

I haven’t written this to make you all sad. In fact I’m doing my best to try and focus on the happy memories that I shared with these two beautiful girls and that’s helping me to get through the hardest parts. Mainly I just want you to know that my absence is only temporary (who wants to eat at a time like this, you know?), and that I will be back soon with some new and delicious posts for you, as well as to reply to the many great comments you’ve all been leaving. They are all appreciated as always.

So please do keep on checking in, and for goodness sake don’t unsubscribe from my RSS feed! I’ll be back before you know it to tease and taunt you with more tantalizing food porn and then once again, all of your diets will be in jeopardy.

In the meantime, please go and hug all of your loved ones, both human and animal, and squeeze them so tightly that you make them squeak. Then, hug them some more.

How cool! I was chosen as one of this months “Featured Foodies” today by Foodbuzz! I just wanted to say thanks to whoever was responsible for that brilliant decision, and I also would like to welcome all my first time Foodbuzz visitors… hi there! Come on in, have a look around… leave happy & hungry, and hopefully come on back for more once you’re ready for another helping. While you’re here I would be ever so grateful if you would please help a gal out by clicking on the “Vote For Me” Foodbuzz button over on the right. Enjoy your stay!

This is just a quick reminder to let you know that the final date to submit your Couscous Cake recipe to Robin Robertson’s contest is fast approaching. Your entries must be received by May 10th… that’s this Saturday (and it’s also my birthday!).

You’ve still got a few days left to concoct your delicious creations, so hop to it! For more info visit the contest page over on Robin’s Vegan Planet website. Good Luck!

Running this blog can be so much fun. The best part isn’t the great and positive feedback I get from 99% of my visitors… no, the best parts are the random comments and emails I occasionally get from the other 1% who stumble in here somehow (mostly likely in between halftime commercials on the way to the fridge for another Bud-lite) and feel motivated to crap out their intolerant, dimwitted observations.

Take for example the following comment I just received from a rather devoted and passionate fan of Anthony Bourdain, identified only by his chosen moniker of “Carnivore“. Isn’t that clever?

Hey here is a thought… How about all you hippies come up with your own recipes? Bourdain is an incredible chef who disagrees with your ways totally. He has that right. Doesn’t he? If you don’t like him or his ways then don’t buy his books or even bother changing his recipes. The fact that you are investing so much time and effort in it whatsoever proves you must be obsessed with him on some level. Just jealous because you aren’t as cool or as famous as he is… or is it the fact that you lack the ability to cook like he does so you just change around his recipes instead of coming up with your own?
Jeez…Get a life
Losers.

Wow Carnivore sure told me, huh? Way to put us hippies in our place man. You’re right, I am so totally jealous of and obsessed with Anthony Bourdain because I’m not as cool or famous. You’ve totally figured me out… how did you know? The best part Carnivore is that you seem to think you’re on the Hezbollah Tofu website (offline), considering that those are the folks veganizing Bourdain’s recipes and having a fine time ridiculing him, not me.

For what it’s worth Carnivore, as far as time invested is concerned, it’s taken me about 10 minutes to write this response, while it probably took you about 3 or 4 hours to string those few sentences together… so let’s not be pointing any sticky fingers.

It’s funny to me how Anthony Bourdain seems to inspire such a following of devoted dudes ready to annihilate any hippie in their path who dares to say anything negative about him. What’s with all the straight-boy man-crushes these guys have for Bourdain? Is it his lanky, stunted-into-skinniness by cigarettes and too many years of consuming diseased duck liver physique that gets them all hot and bothered? Or is it just the thought of his crispy-fried-pork-skin breath kissing away their fears of broccoli and dark leafy greens that really gets them going? Whatever it is, I find their misdirected ire rather amusing. I wish these guys would just accept themselves for who they are, come out of the closet (or in this case, the meat-locker), and perhaps seek out advice from a love columnist instead of an obsessed hippie vegan food blogger who can’t cook.

(Update:) Due to all the infantile comments being left by the Bourdanian hordes who feel threatened by people who eat plants, comments are now closed. You Anthony Bourdainiacs seriously need to get a life.

That’s right comrades… you heard it here first at To Live and Eat in L.A…. forget about cupcakes… it’s the couscous cakes that are taking over the world!

Robin Robertson has just announced the “Creative Couscous Cake Contest” over at her blog. The grand prize winner will receive a free copy of her Proggy Award-winning vegan cookbook, Quick-Fix Vegetarian. See what I started? Now aren’t you glad I’ve been yammering on and on about these cakes?

The contest closes on May 10*. For more info on the contest and to find out how to enter, click here to read all about it. Good luck and viva la revolucion!

* = my birthday. I’m soliciting presents early.