Vancouver Food Trucks: Loving Hut the Sequel

I spent a beautiful fall day last week surrounded by gorgeous leaves and eating yummy junk food. Most of the leaves still haven't gotten around to changing here. It seems like it always happens all at once. Green leaves, then brilliant colors then a few days later, the streets are full of piles and piles of brown leaves. The fall colors are something to enjoy while they last, that's for sure.

 

Speaking of enjoying things while they last, that's exactly what I did with my lunch at the Loving Hut food truck! The sun was really bright and I wasn't sitting on the best bench for photos. I couldn't get any decent pictures of my sandwich and I took tons from all different angles. Oh, well. Just imagine some extra yumminess in there if you can.

 

I'm kind of cheating by visiting Loving Hut's food truck again. It's just around the corner from my office, which is pretty rad. There are more to discover, but some days I just don't feel like traipsing around the city at lunch, you know. That sometimes depends more on what kind of shoes I'm wearing than anything else, I'm afraid to say.

 

I'd been really looking forward to trying the crispy chik'n sandwich so that's exactly what I ordered. There are sides now, too, which is great. You can choose between zucchini sticks or yam fries. Zucchini sticks sounded quite a bit different than what you can normally get with your lunch, so I got some of those, too. This stuff may be vegan, but it's definitely junk food.

 

There were so many zucchini sticks, they were definitely not being chintzy on that. Thick, fried pieces of zucchini. I don't eat fried stuff all that often so it was a bit much for me. I don't really care for mayonnaise based sauces (or mayonnaise at all for that matter, usually) so I tried the dipping sauce but didn't really eat it much after trying it. I think most people would like it, it's just not my thing. It's also a bit sweet which I also don't tend to care for. Keep in mind that I think things are sweet that most people think are not sweet at all, so you can't judge too much by that. I think there are some red peppers or ketchup or something mixed in there that gives it that sweetness.

 

The crispy chik'n burger was doused in that same sweet mayo sauce. I bet most people would like that stuff, it looks to be the same color as the "secret sauce" that you see on things all the time. Though, how secret can it be if everyone knows about it? There was also some guacamole, lettuce, tomato and this yellow apricot/jalapeno relish along with the sauce and the chik'n burger. I ended up getting quite messy. I saw another guy eating his with it still partially wrapped up in the paper. I should have done that instead of taking it out like I did. I really liked this, but I think that next time I'd get it without the sauce for sure. It was delicious and I think it would be even more delicious without that. But, again, it's just not my thing, you might like it with the sauce.

I noticed they're still selling those cookies, but now instead of $2, they're $2.50. Each! Yowza. Guess what I'm never buying with my lunch?

Vancouver Food Trucks: Mom's Grilled Cheese

Thanks to Twitter, I found about this really cool food truck that just opened this week in Vancouver. This discovery has actually inspired me to try and take the next two weeks of the MoFo and discover more vegan yummies at food trucks around town. Stay tuned for more of that! It's going to be like a delicious scavenger hunt.

 

Anywho, I wandered on over to the Vancouver Art Gallery and found Mom's Grilled Cheese right there on Howe at Georgia. That's a really great location for them. It's quite pleasant to sit on the VAG steps and eat lunch. I see tons of people hanging out over there all day long. It's great to have a place to sit (or stand if you want) and eat from a food truck without feeling like you have to eat while walking or you don't really have anywhere to chill out for a minute with your food. So A+ for location, for sure.

 

Even better, though, Mom's Grilled Cheese has vegan stuff! Well, obviously they do or I wouldn't be talking about it, right? I guess that was a bit of a given. For vegans, you have two options. You can order the tomato soup, hold the marscapone or you can order a grilled cheese sandwich with Daiya. I haven't tried the soup, yet, but I was told it's made vegan, so just ask for no cheese on it. I'm going to go back and try it one day next week, I think.

As for the sandwiches, you can choose from a bunch of different types of bread, even a gluten-free one! I love that they're offering that. I know so many people with gluten intolerances, it's nice to see more places offering options like that. When I went yesterday they had pepper jack and cheddar Daiya, so you can have either one you want. I got a mix of both on my sandwich. For an extra 50 cents per extra, you can add onions, pickles or tomatoes to your sandwich as well. I added all 3 because I'm crazy like that. You'll get some chips and a pickle spear with your sandwich. They're usually served in this really cute cone of paper, but since the Daiya doesn't really stick together, they put mine in a clamshell so it didn't get too messy.

Extreme closeup of my delicious sandwich with Daiya, tomatoes, pickles and onions on marbled rye.

I had never had these before, but I've heard tales of Pop Shoppe sodas from lots of Canadians. Apparently it's something they used to have back in the day that had all but disappeared. Recently they've started resurfacing in a few places. Mom's Grilled Cheese has a ton of different Pop Shoppe flavors and even though I almost never drink sodas, I decided to try a root beer just because.

Served with chips and a pickle spear, though my pickles are hiding behind the sandwich

One note - make sure you specify that your sandwich is vegan when you order. They usually brush butter on the bread, but they won't do that if you ask them not to. Pretty awesome. They were all working so fast and were quite friendly and very nice. I pretty much liked everything about Moms Grilled Cheese and will definitely go back there again.

They were jammed when I was there yesterday so I had to wait a few minutes for my sandwich, but that's really not that big of a deal. Cindy, (the Mom of Mom's Grilled Cheese) was offering so many of us a complementary soda or ginger tea or soup as a thank you for waiting for our sandwiches. She even offered for a few of us to come back another time for a free sandwich. I'm looking forward to collecting on that in the next few days. If you're in Vancouver, check them out if you're downtown and feeling hungry, even if you just need a homemade ginger tea (I can't wait to try that, actually).

You can check out their menu here if you're curious.

Tuno Sandwiches

I've been having some great lunches lately so there will probably be quite a few posts about what I had for lunch this month. I'm going to make a point of wandering around and finding vegan options at the food trucks around town, too. That sounds like a fun little scavenger hunt, actually.

This lunch I actually ate at home last weekend, but it was still awesome. We had just been to the farmers market the day before so we had so much wonderful produce in the fridge to use. We had some chickpeas in the cabinet so I thought a tuno sandwich was in order. We usually end up scooping up the tuno with crackers or tortilla chips, but whenever we can manage to make it last past the first 30 seconds, we'll make sandwiches out of it.

The great thing about the tuno sandwich is its versatility. You can have a cold sandwich and it tastes great or you can grill it or toast it and it also tastes great. Sometimes I'll put some vegan cheese on bread and make a sort of grilled cheese with tuno on it. Sort of like a tuno melt. haha. Yummy!

This particular sandwich has lettuce, heirloom tomatoes and rainbow radishes. The recipe for the tuno itself is super easy. I've posted about it before, actually. You can go by the recipe or you can just wing it. I make it so much that I tend to just throw random things together. You always want the base to be mashed chickpeas and vegan mayo with a tablespoon of soy sauce and a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast. I also always add a bit of dulse flakes, but if you don't have that, it's not the end of the world. Beyond that you can add whatever you want that's sort of crunchy and chopped up. Some things I've put in are: pickles, celery, cucumbers, radishes and carrots. I think there have been a few other things here and there, but I'm at a loss at the moment. You can also add in some fresh herbs if you want. I added in some lemon thyme since we'd just bought a bunch of it at the market and I was throwing it in everything.

Tuno

1can chick-peas, drained
1/8 - 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/3 cup minced celery or any other crunchy veggies you want to add
2 1/2 Tablespoons minced dill pickle or kosher dill relish (about 1 pickle-slice, give or take)
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon kelp powder or dulse flakes
fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, mash the chick-peas coarsely with a fork or a potato masher. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Eat on crackers or on a sandwich.

Vancouver Food Trucks, Part 1

Earlier this year (or maybe late last year, I forget), Vancouver passed a city ordinance allowing food trucks. We already had hot dog stands but that was it. I think it's taking the city a little bit to get used to the food trucks for some reason. I don't really know why, I think they're pretty awesome, personally. There are a few that have vegan things, but not very many. The ones that do pretty much just have veggie burgers, but that's okay. Those particular ones also set aside a spot on the grill just for veggie burgers so they never come into contact with the meat. Pretty awesome. I'm going to try and visit some of those for lunch this month, too, so more on that later.

While this is awesome, what everyone has been waiting for (at least I have been) is the Loving Hut food truck. I guess they had some trouble getting the truck built so they missed out on all of the awesome summer weather when people are most likely to be walking around and buying street food. Bummer. No more waiting! The Loving Hut food truck is open as of today! I'm super stoked because I work right around the corner. I'm only there for another few weeks, though so I'm going to have to hit up the street food while I can.

They're starting out with just a limited menu, but it all looks excellent to me. When you include tax in the prices, they round up to the next dollar so you don't have to worry about having a bunch of random change, either.

I tried the Ruben Sandwich today. It was pretty good. I was starving so I think I might have eaten it in record time. I kind of wish I had gotten two of them, actually. The only bummer about the sandwiches is that they're kind of small. They're delicious and not tiny, don't get me wrong, but not huge either. I wish there was some kind of side to order with the sandwiches even if it was just a bag of chips or a small prepared salad or something. Hopefully that's the kind of thing that's on its way as they get going a bit more. There were some gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, but they were $2 each. I wanted a cookie, but I didn't want to pay that much. $1, I would have paid, but not $2 for just one cookie.

The vegan "ham" on my sandwich was really thin and the sauce was yummy and not too messy. I was worried about that; I have the worst luck at getting sauce all over my fingers when I eat things like that. I didn't have that problem with this at all. The bread was toasted just right and the caramelized onions were a nice touch and added a nice extra flavor to the sandwich. I do wish there had been a bit more sauerkraut, though. But maybe that's just me, I like that stuff and it's part of what makes a reuben really awesome. I've only ever had vegan reubens and everywhere seems to make them differently. This is the best one I've had yet. Just a bit more sauerkraut and it's perfect.

If you're out and about in Yaletown, you can find the Loving Hut food truck in front of the Roundhouse Community Center at the corner of Pacific and Davie. They open at 11:30am, but I'm not sure what time they close.

Roasted Eggplant and Spinach Muffuletta Sandwiches

I suck. I know it. I'm trying to get better. I think about blogging every single day, it's just finding the time or energy to actually do it... I do have lots of pictures, though, so hopefully I can get back into the swing of things.

Stupid weather again. It was so cold here for so long. I felt tortured! It seems like every single other person I know was saying that it's one of the hottest summers in years and Vancouver still had the heat on... in June. I know... it's ridiculous. Now it's hot as all get out. Most of us are doing our best to spend a ton of time outside to enjoy the warmth. And living in a city where most apartments don't have air conditioning... not exactly making you want to turn on the oven. I did make some cupcakes last night and even though I waited until later to make them, it still made my already hot apartment into something just short of hellfire. Looks like it's salads and quick meals for me for a while.

I'm trying to throw together some ideas for vegan picnic foods. Any ideas? The idea is to have stuff that omnis will like as well, so nothing with too much nooch. I'd also like to steer clear of things that need forks and spoons just to make the eating easier and so I don't have to realize we can't eat because I've forgotten utensils. That would be very like me to do.

One thing that would be great is the Roasted Eggplant and Spinach Muffuletta Sandwich from Veganomicon. I've made these to take to work a few times and let me just say - yum! The recipe says to let the sandwiches sit overnight, but don't do that. You'll end up with soggy bread and then you'll be all grossed out and not want to eat it. The second time I made these I made all of the stuff for the sandwich the night before and just stuck it in the fridge. Then I made the sandwiches in the morning before I left for work. I think it was around 6 hours or so for the flavors to meld together. That was a perfect amount of time. Nothing was soggy and everything was delicious.

Also, that'll make a ton of tapenade so you have some left for dipping crackers or veggies in. I think it would also be a great appetizer type thing for a party. Well, for people that like olives, that is. And for the people that don't... well, more for me. :)

I used garlic stuff olives when I made it instead of buying green olives and pickled garlic. It was easier and faster and I discovered that not only do garlic stuffed olives give you very bad breath, they're quite yummy. I suggest you convince your signifigant other to like them too or else you're going to need to stock up on some mints.

Tuna? Tuno!

Apparently there has been this faux tuna salad recipe going around. Like a virus, baby. A yummy, vegan virus. Lindy Loo is the one that drew my attention to this fabulous recipe. She got it from Compassionate Action for Animals.

I must admit that I was skeptical. Even after reading all of the comments of people trying this, I was thinking there was no way that a bunch of mashed up chick peas would end up tasting like tuna salad. Well, I'll be damned if it doesn't, though. I had one of my coworkers taste this for me to get a frame of reference. He said it tastes like tuna salad to him, and I think he was pleasantly surprised as well. It's always fun when you turn to the guy that sits next to you and ask him to please try your crazy vegan tuno. hehe

Rock on, Lindy Loo for introducing this into my life. It was sooo good. I ate it on some pumpkin seed crackers for dinner and then put it in pitas with some sprouts for lunch the next day. I wish I had doubled the recipe so I could have gotten a few more servings out of it.

One note - some people were saying that kelp powder was kinda icky, so not having used that before, I went with dulse flakes. I haven't cooked with kelp powder before, but if you like it and you have some, then use that. You can could even get all crazy and add some kelp powder and dulse flakes if you like. I think most people left that ingredient out entirely, so don't worry if you can't find that in the store or don't want to spend the money on it. One thing I like to do with dulse flakes is mix them with black and white sesame seeds and a bit of salt to make a yummy sprinkle for stir fry. So if you buy that, there are other things you can do with it. :D

Tuno Salad

1(15 oz.) can chick-peas, drained (or 1.5 c. cooked)
1/8 - 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise (I agree that the original recipe calls for way too much mayo. I only used about 2 tablespoons (1/8 cup) for mine, so just add it a spoonful at a time until you've added however much works for you.)
1/3 cup minced celery
2.5 Tablespoons minced dill pickle or kosher dill relish (about 1 pickle-slice, give or take)
1/2 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon kelp powder or dulse flakes
pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, mash the chick-peas coarsely with a fork. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Eat on crackers or on a sandwich.

Tempeh Salad Sandwiches

I have a bit of a love affair with tempeh. I don't feel like I cook with it nearly enough. My grainy mistress is always there, ready and waiting to make something yummy with me. We whisper sweet nothings about steaming and sauteeing and baking endlessly. Oh, tempeh, how I love you.

I decided that I needed to find a way to sneak tempeh into lunches, so I created this super simple, but fabulous tempeh salad sandwich. It's sorta like a faux chicken salad, but I don't want to hurt tempeh's feelings by calling her faux anything as she's already super terrific all on her own.

The best thing about this was taking the pictures. I took the ones of the making of the tempeh salad the night before, but didn't want to assemble the sandwich yet since I was making this for something to take to work for lunch. After all, soggy pita makes baby Elvis cry. I brought the camera to work with me yesterday to take pictures of my sandwich at lunch. My plan was to sneak outside onto the patio, put my plate down, snap a few pictures and sneak back inside before anyone noticed what I was doing. Instead, when I walked outside with my plate of yum, camera in hand, there was already someone outside. Dang it.

Coworker: "You think your lunch will be so good that you want to take a picture to remember it by?"

ha ha ha

Too funny. I took my picture and plopped right down next to him and enjoyed my tempeh salad pitas in the sun, totally not caring that I have now transitioned from "that weird vegan chick" to "that weird vegan chick that takes pictures of her lunch". :D

Tempeh Salad Sandwiches

1 package of tempeh
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup halved red grapes*** (though if they're super huge like the ones I bought, I'll quarter them)
1/4 to 1/2 cup Veganaise

Open your package of tempeh lovingly and cut it into smallish cubes. Put a metal colander or steamer basket inside a large pot and boil some water under it. Make sure that the water level isn't high enough that it's going into the colander or steamer basket. You don't want to get the tempeh wet. If you have a steamer, you can use that. Steam the tempeh for 20 minutes.

Remove the tempeh from heat and set aside to cool. If you're impatient, you can always stick it in the fridge for a few minutes to make it cool down faster. I have a tendency to do that when I make this.

In a medium bowl, combine the celery and grapes with the tempeh and stir it gently until everything's pretty evenly combined. Add the veganaise and stir it up again. You can add as little or as much as you like. Some people like these things to be more mayo-ey than others. You can always just add a spoonful at a time until you find the right amount for you.

Put that awesomeness into a pita or on some bread and enjoy! This will make 4 sandwiches.

Sometimes I like to make this and eat it with crackers. If you do that, it makes a nifty appetizer if you're having people over. Just cut everything a little smaller than you normally would and put a few spoonsful on top of crackers and serve them on a little plate like you're all fancy and stuff.

*** A word about the grapes... I know that some people will be less willing to want to make this just because they don't want to cut up the grapes. You really need to use red grapes for this, the white ones make it taste weird. You can get seedless grapes, but I don't like to buy anything that's "seedless" because it just reeks of genetic engineering. The seeds inside of the red grapes are super huge and always right smack dab in the center. It really doesn't take that much effort to get them out. Besides if you have a significant other, you can always pull the "If you really loved me, you'd cut these grapes for me" and get them to do it.