Vegg Omelet & Chocolate Peanut Butter Bacon Fauxnut Holes - From The Vegg Cookbook (and Bonus Taco Tuesday!)

In yesterday's post, April and the hedgehogs had decided to use April's brand new The Vegg Cookbook and Upton's Naturals Bacon Seitan to create some delicious food that would impress her omnivorous host, Duane. For the main course, April decided to go with Mimi Clark's Vegg Omelet (with seitan bacon and veggie filling) from page 15 of The Vegg Cookbook.

The hedgehogs helped April gather all the ingredients for the omelet.



April poured the Vegg/tofu mixture into the pan. The recipe had said to cook it for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges set. After 15 minutes, April's mixture was still kind of soupy.





She let it cook for about 20 minutes total, when it looked as if the top was starting to solidify a bit. She grabbed two wide spatulas, went to flip the omelet in half...



...and watched in dismay as it glooped partway over the veggies and bacon. She turned the heat up a little bit, and continued to cook the omelet for another 10 minutes or so. Unfortunately, April's finished omelet didn't really look like Mimi's finished omelet, so April slid her resulting half-set mixture into a loaf pan and put it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. The result was an omelet that, while not nearly as solid as a traditional omelet, still held together and tasted pretty good. Duane's review was that it had a "good flavor (not quite as egg-like as real eggs) and interesting texture." He wasn't fond of the cooked spinach (a fact which April will keep in mind for the upcoming Vegg Fritatta), but thought that the seitan bacon was "fantastic". April has a sneaking suspicion that, since she was using a propane stove, the heat wasn't high enough, and will try raising it the next time she makes the omelet.



For dessert, Duane had chosen Mina Azarnoush's Peanutbutter Bacon Chocolate Donuts from page 78 of The Vegg Cookbook (she has also posted the recipe here). Instead of buying a donut pan, April decided to use Duane's mini-muffin pan instead, resulting in Fauxnut Holes.



Instead of instant coffee, April used her existing canister of Cafix. She also used powdered peanut butter (PB2) for the glaze, and cut up cooked pieces of seitan bacon for the topping.

The fauxnuts cooked perfectly in the mini-muffin pan, but the glaze was VERY liquid-y. Buttercup suggested adding some arrowroot powder to thicken it, and Hedgie suggested putting that mixture into the freezer for a bit, but the glaze was still not thick enough. April ended up drizzling the glaze over the fauxnut holes on the plate instead of dunking each fauxnut hole into the glaze, and then sprinkling the bacon bits over the top.





April and Duane both loved the fauxnut holes. They were extra cocoa-y, and the crunch of the bacon was a great addition. Duane mentioned that some powdered ginger would taste good in the glaze, so next time, April will add ginger and use a bit less liquid, as well as cutting the bacon bits smaller so they're easier to eat.


BONUS PICTURE - since it's also Taco Tuesday, here's a picture of the tempeh soft taco April made for lunch. It has heirloom organic green tomatoes and salsa.

This Week's Plans - Seitan Bacon (and Vegg) Challenge!

While April and the hedgehogs were in the kitchen making lunch, Buttercup noticed April's host, Duane's, "meal planner" -



Joke or not, Hedgie insisted that they take up the challenge, and make a few yummy dishes using the seitan bacon they'd picked up at Green Acres.

Buttercup suggested that they combine that challenge with the goal of using the new Vegg cookbook April had bought, and April thought that was a capital idea.



April ran down the recipes in the book to Duane, and they decided on a Vegg Omelet (with seitan bacon and veggie filling), a Baked Frittata (possibly with added seitan bacon), and Peanutbutter Bacon Chocolate Donuts (which may necessitate April buying a donut pan).

April also wants to make a few things from "Vegan a Go-Go!: A Cookbook & Survival Manual for Vegans on the Road" (a cookbook she's had for a while but hasn't had the chance to use yet).



Hedgie and Buttercup would like to know - do any of their readers own "Vegan A Go-Go"? Do you have a favorite recipe from the book that they should try? Let them know in the comments!


Full Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate links included in this post. I receive a small commission if you click through to Amazon and purchase products using these links. That being said, I'm currently in the process of trying to pay off a $34,000 hospital bill, so if you want to buy something, feel free to click!

RESTAURANT REVIEW - Evergreen Chinese Restaurant, Bonner Springs, KS

After a long day of performing at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, April and a lot of her fellow performers like to unwind at Evergreen Chinese Restaurant. It's not too far away from the faire site, and they don't mind seating parties that trickle in two or three at a time. Plus, they have yummy food.

Evergreen Chinese Restaurant (and a second website)
13034 Kansas Ave, Bonner Springs, KS 66012

April and her friend Sally Tenpenny (who also plays beautiful music) love to split the Bean Curd Family Style. There's plenty of food for two people - "lightly deep fried bean curd sauteed with mixed vegetables in brown sauce", served with a large amount of fluffy white rice - and they usually get a couple of veggie spring rolls as well.





The waitstaff at Evergreen are very nice (and very patient!), and consistently provide good service and delicious food.

RESTAURANT REVIEW - FuD, Kansas City, MO (and the Hedgehogs see Marian Call!)

Last night, April and the hedgehogs were very excited to go see Marian Call in Kansas City! This gave them a perfect excuse to finally try out FuD for dinner beforehand.

FuD
813 W 17 St, Kansas City, MO 64108
Facebook page
(Cash or check only.)



FuD is located in a very pretty building that's probably just over 100 years old. Among the regular chairs and tables, they also have two window seats with cushions at the front of the restaurant. The hedgehogs were very impressed.








It says "National Unicorn Appreciation Year".

April noticed that FuD had several taco options -



Much as she would have liked to temporarily join in the Taco Cleanse again, April was overwhelmingly drawn to the Jackfruit Reuben (panini-style Jack Fruit spiced & stacked with Garlic Sweed Cheese, Thrillanaise, & Sauerkraut on Rye.) She hadn't had an actual reuben in over 10 years (before she was vegetarian), and thought that the idea of one with jackfruit was a fabulous idea.





The sandwich was heavenly! The jackfruit, sauce, and sauerkraut provided a very convincing reuben flavor, and the grilled rye bread was a perfect compliment.

April's Kansas omnivore host, Duane, got the Smokeywich (pan-grilled Local Organic Tofu decked out with Dillanaise, Sweet Pickle Thrillanaise and spicy Chilinaise, Purple Onion, Lettuce & Tomato on Sourdough Bread.) He said that the sourdough bread was surprisingly mild, and that the main flavor was from the Dill-, Thrill-, Chilinaise, and veggies, instead of the tofu. He liked the sandwich, but thought that the tofu could have been more interesting. A bite of the reuben, however, had him exclaiming "Ooh, that's good."



To go with the sandwiches, April and Duane got an order of eggplant fries, which they both loved. They were the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and spicy.



After all of that, the hedgehogs insisted that they get dessert. Duane decided on vegan ice cream on a brownie topped with vegan caramel sauce.



April splurged a bit and got vegan ice cream on a brownie in a dark chocolate bowl, topped with chocolate sauce.



A note on the bowl - it was made with probably at least 80-85% dark chocolate, and was a tad bitter. April prefers her chocolate no darker than about 55%, so half of the bowl went home with her to be melted into her Chocolate Oatmeal the next morning.

After dinner, April, Duane, and the hedgehogs drove to Barnes & Noble, where they got to see Marian Call (and Scott Barkan) play a wonderfully geeky concert. The hedgehogs think Marian is very nifty.





Marian is doing several upcoming concerts in Kansas/Missouri/Oklahoma/Texas/East Coast/Europe, and she's just a regular ol' traveling musician with no manager or anything (like me!), so if you can go see on of her shows, check it out! She's awesome! (Seriously, how many other musicians do you know who play the typewriter?)

RECIPE - Faux Mocha / RESTAURANT REVIEW, Part Deux - Mud Pie Vegan Bakery, Kansas City, MO / Green Acres Market

After getting unpacked and situated in her temporary living quarters, the hedgehogs told April that she was required to drive into the big city and get some chocolate.



She decided that the best place to do that was Mud Pie Vegan Bakery.

Mud Pie Vegan Bakery
1615 W 39th St, Kansas City, MO 64111
Facebook page







Since April didn't get anything chocolate on her last visit to Mud Pie, this time would be different.



April got a Cashew Milk Mocha, Lemon Blueberry Bread, an Eggy Breakfast Burrito (made by KCMO restaurant Fud), and, to satisfy the chocolate craving/requirement, a s'mores cupcake. The was the second time she had got some food from Fud without actually going there (they always seem to be closed when she wants to go out). The burrito was gooey and delicious, the lemon blueberry bread was the perfect level of sweetness with a great flavor, and the s'mores cupcake was the perfect way to get that chocolate fix. The mocha was a great compliment to it all, and April was once again impressed by the milk options - soy milk is standard and *free*, and various other milks are available for a bit extra (like cashew, rice, coconut, almond, and hemp!)

While enjoying the yummy food, Buttercup's sharp eye discovered that the bookshelves on the wall were actually a door. Hedgie said that all doors should also be bookshelves.



On the way back to Leavenworth, April decided to stop in north KCMO and check out Green Acres Market, as she needed to pick up a few groceries (i.e., Hedgehog Bribes).

Green Acres Market
4175 N Mulberry Dr, Kansas City, MO 64116 (Also has locations in Wichita, KS and Jenks, OK)
Facebook page

Green Acres is located in a collection of shops, at the end of a row next door to Sugar Mama's Bakery (but not the one in Austin!) It's a decent-sized store; not too small, and not so big that you get lost. April picked up some organic produce - a couple of pluots (a combination between a plum and an apricot), some lemons, some broccoli, and some sweet potatoes, and also got a couple more heat & eat Indian packet meals and some cocoa powder from the bulk section. Since hearing about The Great Vegan Yogurt Shortage, she was pleased to find a brand new offering -


Quick review - the plain was the only flavor they had. It's not sweet, and the texture is good; not too thick or thin.

She also found a couple of things that looked very tempting, but that she didn't buy (yet!)


This company sells three types of coffee drinks and two varieties of plain almond milk in very cool bottles.


BBQ jackfruit and jackfruit tamales! April will definitely be getting some of this before leaving Kansas.

When she got back home, April decided to try her hand and making an instant iced mocha drink mix for the hot days out at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. While at Green Acres, she had picked up a canister of Cafix, a barley/chicory drink which seemed very similar to Teeccino, except that it was labeled 'instant' (no brewing required!). The Cafix can said to mix with "very hot water", but Hedgie told April to go ahead and try making a small cup with cold. You know; for science.



April went with a 1/1/3/3 ratio - 1 spoon of Cafix, 1 spoon of cocoa powder, 3 spoons of coconut sugar, and 3 spoons of soy milk powder. She then added cold water and stirred well. It didn't all mix up immediately, but it did mix fairly well within 30-45 seconds. The hedgehogs tossed in a few ice cubes. It was good! April tripled the amounts for her giant wooden faire mug, and put the resulting mix in a small container to take with her to faire.

More faux-mocha info - this mixture tastes good hot, too! Also, the Better Than Milk company makes a rice milk powder, but don't use that for a cold faux-mocha; the rice milk powder doesn't blend well in cold water at all (though it's ok in hot, and mixes beautifully in a blender.)

The Hedgehogs Return To Kansas (RESTAURANT REVIEW - Baan Thai, Leavenworth, KS)

After an extra week in Austin to recover from gall bladder surgery, April was feeling good enough to make the trip back to Kansas so she could perform at the remaining weekends of the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. Before she left, Floyd decided to show her how much he was going to miss her -



...or perhaps he was just being silly. The world may never know.

The hedgehogs were excited to get back on a plane! This time, they were going from Austin to Colorado, then Colorado to Kansas.









Once they got to Colorado, the hedgehogs were both very excited to have their first ride on a moving sidewalk -



After all the fun of the sidewalk (Buttercup felt a bit ill, but Hedgie wanted to do it again!), April and the hedgehogs discovered that they were going to have their first ever ride on a propeller plane.



As neat as the plane looked on the outside, it didn't have very great views from the inside -





(Though, the hedgehogs commented that getting to see the landing gear (wheels) get drawn up into the wing upon lift-off and then come back out at decent was pretty darn cool.)

After getting back to Kansas, April's host, Duane, agreed to go with her and the hedgehogs to check out the Thai restaurant down the street.

Baan Thai
301 S. 4th St., Leavenworth, KS 66048 (also has a location in Manhattan, KS)
Facebook page

They started out with some Spring Rolls (Cabbage, carrots, celery, bean thread, with spring roll wrapper, deep-fried and served with sweet and sour sauce.)



Baan Thai didn't have April's go-to Thai dish (Musumun Tofo Curry) on the menu, so she decided to try Pad Preaw Waan (Sweet and Sour) - tofu stir-fried with pineapple, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes. It was delicious! The flavors went together well, the sauce was great, and the spice level was just right.




Hedgie figures that by being helpful, perhaps he'll get an extra taste.

On the way out, the hedgehogs stopped to make a new friend, who seemed a bit taken aback at their presence -