Vedge - Philadelphia, PA

Vedge (Philadelphia, PA)

I talked my husband into going to a vegan restaurant in Philadelphia with two of our more veggie-conscious friends.  Vedge is in Center City  Philadelphia; we almost missed the entrance because the sign is pretty small.  Once inside, there is a hostess stand with a coat check directly in front of you and a bar on the left.  There are two rooms for tables – we were seated in the smaller one next to the fireplace (awesome for a cold night).

We started off with the Pickled Curry Cauliflower, Fried Shishito Peppers, and U Peel Lupini Beans `s.  I really liked the peppers – lots of crunch, no spice.  The cauliflower tasted like how it sounds – a pickle with curry spice.  The beans were a little difficult to manage – the skins were not easy to remove and our table had a few beans flying around.  They also served a basket of bread.

I continued the adventure with the Wood Roasted Rutabaga salad.  It had some arugula, grilled trumpet mushrooms, charred onion, and pistachios.  I cannot remember the dressing.  It was kind of small for the price, but it tasted good.  Everything is served tapas style, so food was continually coming out around the table.

I also ordered the Charred Broccoli Kimchee stew and the Spicy Grilled Tofu.  The stew was nice and spicy – not mouth-on-fire spicy, but a medium level.  The tofu was delicious – it was served on an edamame puree.  Just a bit of crust on the outside and definitely marinated through.

Overall, Vedge was OK – a little overpriced for what you get.  I don’t think we would go back, but it was an interesting experience.

Sweet Potato Masala and Egg Mile-Highs

Sweet Potato Masala and Egg Mile-Highs (slightly adapted from Vegetarian Times, Servings: 4, Total Time: 25 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 sweet potato, peeled and shredded

·         5 large eggs, divided

·         ½ tsp. cumin powder, divided

·         5 Tbs. olive oil, divided

·         1 cup crushed tomatoes with Roasted Onion & Garlic

·         2 Tbs. lime juice

Directions

1.      Combine sweet potato, 1 egg, ¼ tsp. cumin in bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

2.      Heat 3 Tbs. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Scoop 1/3 cup sweet potato mixture into pan for each of 4 pancakes. Flatten gently with spatula; cook 5 minutes per side. Set aside; keep warm.

3.      Wipe out pan, and add 1 Tbs. oil and remaining cumin. Stir 10 seconds over medium-high heat, add crushed tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 5 minutes. Transfer to small bowl, and stir in lime juice.

4.      Wipe out pan, add remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and fry remaining 4 eggs sunny side up or over easy. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

5.      To serve: place 1 sweet potato pancake on each of 4 plates, top with 1 egg, ¼ cup sauce.

I saw this dish in “Vegetarian Times” and thought that it looked pretty good.  I had to use up some eggs before expiration, so I thought “Why not?”  I couldn’t find crushed tomatoes with roasted onion and garlic, so I used regular crushed tomatoes and added garlic powder, onion powder, extra cumin, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.  It tasted alright.  I was disappointed, though, with the overall dish.  It was rather bland.  I hit my compilation with some Sriracha and that improved the flavor. 

My sweet potato pancakes did not stick together, the fell apart as soon as I put them into the pan to fry them.  I recommend adding some breadcrumbs if you make this.  That may help.  (They fell apart even more when I flipped them.)  We added some salt and pepper to the eggs (which we decided to fry), and probably should have added some additional spices because the pancakes were bland.  Overall, I was disappointed and will not be making this dish again.

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Risotto

Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Risotto (slightly adapted from Amuse Your Bouche, Servings: 4, Total Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour)

Ingredients

·         2 red peppers

·         1 Tbsp. olive oil

·         2/3 Tbsp. butter

·         ½ onion, finely diced

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         ½ tsp. sugar

·         1 cup Arborio rice

·         4 cups vegetable stock

·         Black pepper

·         ¼ cup cheddar cheese, grated

·         2 tsp. dried basil

·         1/3 cup soft goat cheese, roughly crumbled

1.       Heat the oven to 450°F. Place the whole red peppers on a baking tray, and roast for around 20 minutes, until the skins are charred. Remove from the oven, and transfer to a plate. Cover with cling film – the steam that is trapped inside will make the skins easy to remove. Set aside for now.

2.       While the peppers are roasting, prepare onions and garlic. Heat the oil and butter in a large wok or risotto pan. Add the onion, garlic and sugar, and cook over a medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, until the onions are soft and just beginning to caramelize. Stir regularly.

3.       Add rice and stir to coat with the butter and oil. Begin to add the stock ½ cup at a time, only adding more when the previous amount has been mostly absorbed by the rice. Stir regularly, and keep adding more stock until the rice is cooked, around 30 minutes.

4.       While the rice is cooking, peel off the skins of peppers and cut into several pieces, being careful to remove the stalk and seeds from inside. Place the pepper flesh in a mug or a deep bowl, and use an immersion blender to blend the peppers into a chunky purée.

5.       When the rice is cooked, add the cheddar cheese, basil, the red pepper purée and some black pepper. Mix well. Serve topped with the goat’s cheese.

I will start off by saying that I LOVE this dish.  My husband LOVES it too.  Double winner!  I thought I added a tad too much pepper, but he liked it just fine.  I guess the best way to describe the flavor is sweet, peppery, cheesy, with a hint of Italian (from the basil).  The goat cheese adds a nice touch – a bit more creaminess to the already super creamy risotto.  I used a garlic cheddar cheese to enhance the flavor even more – awesome decision!  My mouth is watering just thinking about this delicious dish.  Each bite was such a treat to my taste buds.

I had some bits of red pepper that didn’t completely puree, but those and  the onion added just a hint of crunch.  The color was overwhelmingly red, but there were hints of green and black from spices (plus white from the goat cheese).  I liked that this dish was pretty easy to make, considering that it’s a risotto.  I served it with half of a Trader Joe’s Sausage-less Italian Sausage.

I cannot wait to make this again!

Satsuma Kitchen

Satsuma (Wilmington, DE)

My husband and I decided to have a laid-back dinner for New Year’s Eve.  We had never been to Satsuma, but heard good things from friends of ours.  When we entered the restaurant, we saw the sushi bar on the left side, some high-top tables on our right, and a lot of employees milling around.  They were not busy at all.  We were shuffled upstairs where more tables were situated and took our place in a comfy booth below an eclectic light fixture.  We each ordered a drink and then started reviewing the menu.  There are a few vegetarian options on the Satsuma menu, but not an overwhelming amount.  We decided to start off by sharing the Edamame and Asian BBQ Tofu.  My main meal was The Veg roll.

The Edamame came out first.  It was cooked with chiles, olive oil, and smoked sea salt.  Each bean had a good combo of heat and saltiness to it.  My husband took more than a few sips of water while we devoured the dish.  I like Edamame and this new take on it piqued the interest of my tastebuds.

Next came the Asian BBQ Tofu.  Although my husband is not a tofu person, I did talk him into trying a piece, but he was more interested in his tuna rolls.  That’s OK, more for me!  The tofu was soaked in BBQ sauce, with it permeating each orifice (not just slathered on top).  There were spicy walnuts, arugula, and pickled red onions atop the tofu pieces.  There was also a drizzle of lemon oil, which I actually couldn’t taste (thank goodness because I am NOT a huge fan of lemon).  The tofu had been pan fried and just a hint of crispiness to its exterior.  It played nicely with the crunchy walnuts and chewy arugula.

The final part of my meal was The Veg roll – avocado, asparagus, fennel, and pea shoots wrapped in seaweed and rice sitting atop some truffle aioli. Even though I don’t love asparagus or fennel, I thought I would give it a shot because the truffle aioli sounded good.  Well, this was a mistake of mine.  The truffle aioli was a bit too heavy for my liking and it did nothing to cover the taste of the avocado or fennel.  I understand that this is not a bad thing if someone likes those vegetables – you aren’t supposed to hide a taste in any dish.  I was just hoping that the combination would help my tastebuds get along with the other flavors.  Each bite incorporated the creamy avocado with the crispy textures of the other veggies.

Overall, this is a good restaurant for vegetarians and I look forward to going back for the BBQ Tofu and maybe some wasabi mashed potatoes!