Real Food Daily

My great uncle and aunt are both in town from Taiwan... They are vegetarians and they love to try new things! We wanted to avoid the traditional Chinese style vegetarian restaurants... so Beth and I decided that we should introduce them to RFD (Real Food Daily). I mean if Ellen DeGeneres recommends this place, it should be the bomb diggidy, right?

I would love to go over every dish we ordered, but I realized that it's a lot easier if I just copy and paste the name of the dish and ingredients straight from the menu :)

This is what we ordered:


NOT-CHOS
Tortilla chips, melted cashew cheese, black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, tofu sour cream


BBQ TOFU CHOP
Seasonal vegetables, barbeque tofu, shredded cashew cheese, romaine, ranch dressing


SPICY BLT WRAP
Tempeh bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, spicy vegenaise, spinach wrap


MOMMA MIA WOTTA LASAGNA
Lasagna pasta, herbed tomato sauce, roasted vegetables, house-made tofu cheese, pesto crostini, arugula, fennel, radish salad, lemon garlic dressing


BANANA CREAM TART
Creamy, luscious vanilla crème, fresh bananas

After the dinner we bought the official RFD cook book for my great uncle and aunt... So they can bring the book back to Taiwan for their son... Madwu... He actually owns a vegetarian restaurant in Taiwan, Beth and I thought it would be a great gift for him so he could use the cook book as a new fresh reference for his restaurant :)

TGIF

like i said, TGIF

I had two fabulous meals this past Friday... I would like to share the photos with my readers :)

Ichiban has this great lunch special - three items for $7

I ordered:
Teriyaki Chicken, Gyoza and Shrimp Tempura... It comes with rice and Miso Soup. All that goodness for $7!!!







Beth and I went one of our favorite vegetarian place called Bean Sprouts in Arcadia.

We ordered:
Dumplings, Turnip Cake and Hawaiian Pineapple Fried Rice... all vegetarian!



it was a Good Friday :)

What Happens in Vegas

...stays in Joe's belly!

If I have all the money in the world I would definitely dine at ALL the finest restaurants in Las Vegas.  Joel Robuchon's restaurant located in MGM Grand was definitely "Grand"!  Beth loves French cuisine.  The fact that the restaurant specializes in traditional French cuisine, will for sure earn me some major brownie points!  I mean I could win the Best Husband Award...  Can you imagine how much Beth would love to dine at this gorgeous palace?

Well, sorry wife... maybe next time :p



Il Fornaio Restaurant and Bakery was our final choice for our dinner in Las Vegas.  We know it's a chain restaurant and it's not the fanciest restaurant in the world, but it's located inside our hotel New York New York.

Beth ordered the Fettuccine alla Friulana (Fettuccine pasta with Italian sausage, mushrooms, onions, tomato, thyme and cream sauce). She loved it so much, she ate the whole thing. I think she licked the plate after :)



I ordered Pizza Vegetariana (Fresh asparagus, grilled zucchini, fresh tomatoes, roasted reb bell peppers, button mushrooms, smoked mozzarella and basil). After I ate all that meat from the Korean BBQ few days ago, I feel the need to clean out my system by eating more veggies :)



That was a great dinner! we were satisfied and ready to walk off the calories :)  Check out some of the photos I took during the walk to the liquor store.







Next Morning.  Nathan's Hot Dog.  Awesome.





need I say more?

XXX More photos in the slideshow below! Nude Meat included! XXX

Galactic Potluck feat. Fried Rice From Mars

About a week ago... My friend Yvonne invited us to her Galactic Potluck party in Mt. Washington.  The whole house was lit blue inside and out!  Check out some of the photos in the slideshow below :)



For this themed potluck,  I decided to make a dish called Fried Rice From Mars.  Its a safe choice, it's a crowd pleaser, it's very delicious,  and It's easy to make!  Oh and it's also vegetarian friendly!

Step 1 - Prep the Ingredients

• 1 cup of cooked rice!  duh (click the link to learn how to cook rice)
• 2 tablespoon of canola oil or any cooking oil. (one tbsp. is for fried eggs, one tbsp. is for fried rice, don't worry, I'll explain).
• 2 eggs
• 5 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 can of whole kernel corn, drain it!
• 2 slices of diced/cubed vegan soy fish steak (you can find them at Advanced Nutrition Center).  You can also substitute the soy fish with real meat like, chicken, beef or pork.
• 1 teaspoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of ketchup
• 1 small cucumber sliced into string form, its going to be used as a garnish (use a mandoline slicer, this is exactly what I use, its not very expensive, I totally suggest this kitchen tool for everyone!)

Step 2 - Pre Fry the Eggs

Pour one tablespoon of the cooking oil into a deep pan on high heat. Once the oil is hot (place your hand 2 inches above the oil to feel the heat) crack the two eggs in the hot oil.  Remember, the oil is hot, so don't burn yourself!  Cook the eggs over easy style (about 1-2 mins on each side).  When you are done cooking the eggs, go ahead and place the eggs on the top of the cooked rice, drizzle some soy paste or soy sauce on top of the egg (about 1-2 teaspoon) let it rest.  Now, back to the pan.



Step 3 - Golden Brown

Without cleaning, pour the other tablespoon of cooking oil into the pan... and wait till the oil is hot (remember to keep the flame high).  Once the oil is hot again, drop in the diced vegan soy fish (or alternative meat - cut the meat small so it cooks faster) into the pan.  Cook the soy fish till it's golden brown on each side, you want to create that crunchy texture. (about 2 mins on each side)



Step 4 - Add the Rest, and Done!

Pour in the vegetables!  diced red bell pepper, sliced mushrooms and the drained can corn.  Saute  throughly for about 2 more mins... Then you add the already cooked eggs and the rice into the pan, top it with ketchup, salt and pepper!  Now you stir more, make sure you break up the eggs into little pieces.  Stir for about 2-3 more minutes, garnish it with the cucumber strings... and You're done!







There are more photos of ingredients in this slideshow! Click the play button!


Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this recipe!  eatwithjoe@gmail.com

Big 30, Big Appetite

Oh boy! I am officially 30 years old!  I celebrated by birthday with lots of eating with friends and family, thats how I roll :)

My parents took me out to lunch at this vegetarian restaurant called Vegetarian Wok in San Gabriel, CA.  I know the name sounds lame but the food is actually one of the best here in the south land.  If you are a vegetarian and you live in southern California, you should definitely give it a try!  I believe that it's good karma when you avoid eating animals on your birthday :) maybe just one veggie meal, ha!





On top of this awesome 6 course meal... Beth bought me a special made mango cake from Olympic Bakery.  The cake is made of sponge cake, whipped cream and fresh mango.  This is my favorite mango cake and people would travel from all over just to get a slice of this cake!  For now, enjoy the photos of my birthday cake :)







The cake might look heavy and sweet, but its not heavy at all... Its very light and well balanced :) Happy Birthday to me !!

Southbound Trilogy - Part 3

水雲居 "Floating Cloud Castle"

Madwu, my second cousin, owns a vegetarian restaurant called 水雲居 "Floating Cloud Castle" located in 草屯 (Caotun) 南投縣南投市中興新村向上路249號. If you think vegetarian food is blend and boring... you are WRONG! Haven't you read my post on vegetarian sashimi? Here at 水雲居 you will only be served with organic ingredients and all are made fresh in the kitchen! Every time a dish is presented to our table, we couldn't help but gasp! Wow, this looks amazing!

House salad with mixed berry dressing


Deep fried oyster mushroom will make you forget that they don't serve chicken


Yes this is the best cheese dish we've had Taiwan! Baked vegetable pasta.


So far so good right? Well, guess what, Madwu is also currently involved in the coffee bean import/export business... He roasts his own beans and brews his own coffee in his restaurant! Next time when we visit his family again, we will definitely stay longer! hah besides he's got a deep passion in photography! I am so glad to reunite with him during this trip :)



Lotus leaf rice. I have to feature this... This is one of the best sticky rice dishes in Taiwan




A little note to Madwu: Thank you so much for your hospitality! When your family decided to visit Los Angeles, We will make sure you have the best time ever!!! Thanks Again!

Joe & Beth

Southbound Trilogy - Part 2

Best Tea Eggs + Best Hot Pot

Next day, the weather was kind enough for us to get on the tour boat! We finally got our opportunity to explore the famous Sun Moon Lake! well, I thought the history of the lake was pretty cool and interesting... but the scenery (that day) was not even half as cool as Taroko Gorge... well, I am going to have to come visit again in the Spring or Summer to give it a second chance... as long as we don't have to stay in the Honeymoon Inn again.

Beth and I both agreed that the best we got out of this trip to the Sun Moon Lake was a couple of rad handmade postcards we got from the Owl Factory and the best tea eggs we've ever had! It's called "阿婆茶葉蛋" aka "Granny's Tea Eggs". The eggs started with a true story about this lady who's been selling her special tea eggs for over 40 years by the lake, and everyone told us that we must give it a try. Also our tour guide told us the secret of Granny's Tea Eggs = assam(red) tea + shiitake mushroom broth + secret spices + slowly cooked for 7+ hours! I bought 4 :) and ate 3.





After we left the lake, we met up with my uncle Madwu Chang (we've not seen each other in about 20 years or so and since he's only 34 I should just call him my second cousin. ha)... I remember when I was a kid... He's like a big brother I've never had :) great dude! Madwu picked us up from the bus station after a long, cold, wet bus ride... and took us out to lunch! Well, after a long, cold, wet bus ride... nothing is better than a nice bowl of HOT POT !!!!!!!!!!! (I love this country)



The Chang side of my family are devoted Buddhists and most of the Changs are vegetarians :) we got the opportunity to try a special vegetarian hot pot with milk broth! Trust me, this bowl of hot pot was one of the best hot pots I've ever had... I mean I don't even like milk!

Madwu loves film photography, and so does Beth. So Madwu's mom (my great aunt) suggested that we should check out this giant Buddhist temple... She said that this temple has some of the biggest buddhist statues in the country! Beth love taking photos of big, giant Buddhas hahah! You can see some of the photos in the slideshow below :)



Last part of the trilogy contains fabulous vegetarian cuisine from Madwu's own restaurant "水雲居" or "Shuiyun Home"

Vegetarian Sashimi, Yes!

Do monks eat sashimi? Oh yeah! Only at Jendow Vegetarian Buffet. This place is as big and fancy as any luxury buffet in Vegas... You are guaranteed to walk away with a full belly, even if you are a meat eater! The buffet has so many different stations its ridiculous! You start with an appetizer station that has cold cuts to salad bar. Then you should move on to the sashimi!!! why not right? hahah. Personally I am still a big fan of "real" sashimi... (ya know with fish and stuff from the sea). But the vegetarian sashimi was fairly delicious! I can see why the monks would eat plates after plates of sashimi without killing any living creatures.



Dim Sum station, noodle station, street food station, quick stir fry station, pasta station, traditional Chinese food station, tea station, coffee station, ice cream station, gelato station, liquor station (some already mixed speciality drinks are included but other liquors are extra $), dessert station, and they even have a chocolate fountain station! I think I've named all the stations, if not I'm sure there are more to add.... but seriously... that's pretty insane, even for a regular buffet!!!

For those of you who love vegetarian food and are planning on visiting Taipei, Taiwan. You should totally visit this vegetarian paradise!

Jendow Vegetarian Buffet
人道素菜百匯餐廳
No. 353, Chang Chiung Rd
(02) 2547-4788