The Pioneer Woman’s (Crazy Good) Cinnamon Rolls

These are not gluten free. These are not vegan. Not dairy free, either. However, they are incredibility good, surprising easy to make, and are an amazing way to kick off your morning (if you are not gluten free, vegan, or dairy free, that is). I do realize this is a gluten free or vegan blog. I do see the utter irony that I, someone who is trying to be gluten free, is posting a ‘bread’ recipe. Well, none of us are perfect…. right?

Victory’s Banner

One weekend our friend Shivani asked us to join her for brunch at a vegetarian restaurant she had tried recently – Victory’s Banner. Located in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago (my old stomping grounds) at the corner of Roscoe & Hoyne, Victory’s Banner has been serving up vegetarian brunch and lunch for over 10 years.

Deluxe Chocolate Marshmallow Bars

I was on the hunt for some great Vegan desserts this holiday season and found this one on a beautiful Vegan blog I follow called Keepin’ It Kind. I have made this recipe a few times already (Thanksgiving, Christmas and a third time just for fun) and people are usually surprised to find that these bars are Vegan.

Beet Salad Face Off

Steamed, cooked, pickled, cold, shredded raw – there are many ways to consume beets. Typically a deep red wine color, you can also find beets golden yellow or red and white striped. Beets are a low calorie and nutritious veggie with a very mild, yet unique flavor. Try a beet for breakfast to get your daily dose of Vitamin C, for lunch in a salad or for dinner as a great source of Iron.

Beet Salad with Marinated Onions & Goat Cheese

Beets. The first time I tried a beet was probably in my mid twenties. Not really sure if I was going to love or hate them, I took my first bite and discovered that beets are delicious. Not only are they tasty, they are so good for you. Having a high concentration of vitamins and minerals, beets are great way to get a does of vitamin C, folate, iron, and magnesium. So, add that to a healthy dose of kale, and you have yourself a rather nutritious salad.

Beet Salad with Vegan Goat Cheese

I always bought my beets canned until I found out how easy it was to prepare them at home – just drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and stick them in a 375° oven for about an hour…simple. However, I did learn the hard way when handling a cooked red beet you should probably wear some plastic gloves…my hands had a pink hue for days after this Face Off.

Inca’s Kitchen

An unassuming restaurant, in an unassuming strip-mall  on an unassuming highway in Florida. This describes the exact location to one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in the past few years. Always a must when visiting my parents in Naples, Inca’s Kitchen is a Peruvian restaurant serving up fresh seafood and tasty sangria. And at the moment, Florida would be a welcome change from the zero degree weather we are experiencing here in Chicago.

Soulistic Studio and Spa

I’ve done some Yoga here and there and I even used to teach step aerobics classes in college, however I had never once tried Pilates until this past Summer. Morgan used to tell me about her Pilates (which involved turning on a Netflix and doing some planks on her living room floor), I just wasn’t sure if the Pilates workout was going to be challenging enough for me. I decided to give it a shot.

Vegan Wellington

For our friends Thanksgiving celebration, as well as Christmas Eve with my family, I provided most (if not all) of the Vegan food. One item in particular was very popular with even the meat eaters; it was my Vegan Wellington.  This is a great winter recipe being warm, flavorful and filling.  I served this as the Vegan main course along with other sides, however it even works as an all-in-one meal.

Chili Face Off

Sundays. Chili. Football. Friends. What else do you in need in the cold winter months when you want to get out of your hibernation slump? Susan and her husband hosted our Chili Face Off a few weeks ago with a few friends to help us enjoy our Face Off recipes. I can say that this was a challenge for Susan and I because neither of us have ever written down a chili recipe before now.

Vegan Soyrizo Chili

Going into this Face Off I truly did not have an idea of what I wanted my main chili ingredient to be (well, other than Chili Powder and Cumin of course). I was going to make a 6 bean chili at first, but decided I should experiment with some kind of Seitan or Tofu to make my chili more “meaty”. I decided to go with a Soyrizo based chili (Melissa’s Vegan Chorizo) because I had recently heard someone raving about a Chorizo Chili they tried which ended up winning a chili cook off. I figured that Soyrizo might give my chili the kick I was looking for.

Chipotle Turkey Chili (and a lesson in beans)

If you take away anything from this blog, is please be sure to cook your beans. Seriously.

I should have known this. I should have done this. But the truth was, I thought I could take a short cut, and that the beans I soaked over night would cook in the chili and would be done by the time we were all ready to eat. That wasn’t the case. Not in the least.

Happy 2013 from Fried Tofu!

Happy New Year – we hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Here at Fried Tofu we took some time off during the holidays, however we are back in action and looking forward to sharing more recipes, more restaurant reviews and more awesome food Face Off’s in 2013!