To Live and Eat in L.A. – A Vegan Food Photo Blog

Here’s a gander at Flore’s ‘Southwestern Seitan Quesadilla’.

Whole wheat quesadilla of cashew cheese, seasoned seitan, diced tomato and shredded lettuce. Served with pico de gallo and cilantro cream.

Very tasty. The seitan was very meaty in texture and flavor, like a well seasoned Mexican style chicken. Now that Flore has expanded their hours it was not as jammed packed as my previous afternoon visits, I was able to walk right in and get a table, which was nice. By far the best vegan quesadilla I’ve had so far… it was excellent!

I haven’t been sharing most of my homecooked meals with you lately mainly because they would bore you to tears. I’m back to a pretty strict diet, so watching what I eat translates into some rather non-photogenic meals based more on their nutritive content rather than how pretty they look or amazing they taste. That said, this little number that I just made up on the spot came out much tastier and much more presentable than expected, so I’ll give you a little taste.

It’s a very simple saute of asparagus, green chard, tomatoes and grilled seitan in a bit of olive oil, rice vinegar, lemon and garlic. The seitan came pre-made from Whole Foods and the lovely tomatoes I grew myself. I also added a bit of sambal (chili paste), black pepper and nutritional yeast. This was served over green chili and cilantro flavored polenta slices (it’s the pre-made kind you can by in a handy little log). I was worried it would taste very boring but I somehow managed to add just the right amount of flavorings and spices to make it not only edible, but actually yummy.

It’s ironic to me that some people think vegan eating is boring and tasteless. It’s actually been the exact opposite for me. In the time since I’ve gone vegan (about 7 months now), I’ve encountered so many incredible new foods… some of which are hard to stop eating! It’s totally a myth that all vegans and vegetarians are skinny and malnourished. To the contrary, with the introduction of all these new and exciting foods I’ve managed to put on extra weight, and it’s been a struggle it to keep it in check. I’m back on the ball now, dropping the extra pounds and attempting to stay aware of the fact that just because something is vegan doesn’t mean it isn’t fattening. When you’re predisposed to gaining weight like I am, even lettuce can make you fat, so it requires constant vigilance. This is easy to forget sometimes when surrounded by incredible vegan restaurants and products at nearly every turn. The key for me is going to be finding a balance between indulgence and common sense, as well as eating more homecooked meals. So for now, it’s back to the kitchen and back to basics.

Back to basics: steamed asparagus, orange bell pepper, shitake mushroom, seitan and cashews. Also added basil leaves from my window. The sauce was a mixture of roasted red pepper dressing (Seeds of Change), nutrional yeast, flax oil, lime juice, curry powder, and a dab of sambal (Thai chili paste) for spice. Sprinkled with gomasio and more fresh basil. Ahhh… good stuff.

Todays was a simple lunch at home as I didn’t have time to go out. You’ll probably see more homecooked meals for a while as I attempt to indulge a little bit less.

Here we have tasty couscous with currants, topped with a garbanzo salad mixed with a bit of tahini, eggplant salad with cucumbers & sundried tomatoes and grilled seitan (from Whole Foods). Yummy, nutritious and simple.