The Clever Rabbit - New Vegan Restaurant in Edmonton

Not too long ago, a new vegan / vegan friendly restaurant opened up in Edmonton. I don't know how it took me so long to get there, but I finally went this past weekend. I dragged my ass out of my apartment before noon and headed out for one of the first vegan brunches at restaurant.. possibly ever.



Clever rabbit is on 124th Street and just north of 107th Avenue. It is only open for breakfast and lunch which for me means that I will only be able to get there on the weekends. Walking in at noon on a Saturday, I was welcomed by a display of vegan baked goods. For vegan people in this city... you know that this is a big deal.

The menu was pretty simple, but had a number of good options. As someone that has no friends that are vegan, what I was most impressed with was that they default all items on the menu to vegan, but will sub in non-vegan on request. What a nice change! I never really thought that I minded that every time I go out to eat, I have to ask for things to be substituted or taken out of dishes... It is really nice to have things vegan by default and people can add when they want something more... carcass-y. Why can't all restaurants be that way?

Vegan donair - and yes, it is good! No meat necessary here

 So my thoughts on Clever Rabbit? I love the name and the casual atmosphere inside. They don't seat many in there, so I really hope that they promote the vegan baking and get some take-away traffic in addition to sit down. I was a little worried when I walked in as the place was pretty empty, but it seems that everyone was just sleeping in and within 30 minutes of getting there, the tables were full. The staff was friendly and prompt. I had a coffee which was really good. I normally wouldn't even comment on the coffee, but it was just a good brew. The kind where you don't need milk and sugar. They also have smoothies there, which I did not try, but may next weekend. One drawback for me was they had juices, but they were all canned and carbonated. Since they are doing the breakfast thing and the smoothie thing, it would have been really great to have fresh juice... but pretty minor I think. The carbonated raspberry lemonade was awesome.

This is what a garden salad SHOULD look like!

My sister, who came out with me, had tofu scramble and it looked and smelled really good. For the $9.00 price tag, you got a lot. She barely got through half of it. I decided to try the vegan donair. First time I had seen one of these and it was so good. Good enough that I wish these guys were open at 3:00 am for post bar munchies. Since they're not, I can wait patiently for the next morning. I had a salad with my donair and though just a garden salad, it was more like the salads I make at home. Lots of seeds, nuts, fruit and veggies. So much better than most restaurants where a garden salad is romaine/iceberg and some carrots and onion.

Why we went here in the first place - Vegan breakfast!
Behold scrambled tofu.. even better than non-vegan scramble

After brunch, we got some homemade vegan donuts and they were so, so good! A little on the heavy side (often happens I find in vegan baking), but the flavour was bang on and it cured a two year craving for donuts. I really wanted a cinnamon bun, but the last one was taken while I was there. Another reason why I need to go back. I have really struggled to find good decent vegan baking in this city. There are some fabulous cupcakes and muffins out there (Pure muffins, so good!), but beyond that, I have to make my own. Sometimes, I just want someone else to do the cooking and cleaning.

In short, vegan or not... Go give Clever Rabbit a try. I think you will be impressed!

Sweet Chili Tofu on Vermicelli and Spinach

Tofu done right for once!

This recipe all started today when I got home early enough to make some proper dinner. I haven't grocery shopped in a while and I had no intention on going to the store. Tonight was reserved to hang out with myself. Usually it's the result of having too many late nights and grounding myself. This time.. I guess I would call it a punishment for being lazy. Eating vegan for over two years now, I have figured out how to get away with little cooking. Lately I have been living off of various rice dishes (See: formula for an easy wholesome meal) and it has gotten a little boring. So I got hunting around in my kitchen to see what I had available to make something a little different. What did I find? Tofu, Spinach, basil, and lime. This sparked an issue with me that I don't think I have talked about here. I have never been able to cook a piece of tofu and make it as good as a restaurant. Mine is always too soft, too spongy, overdone, underdone, over-marinated.. You name it, I have messed it up with tofu. It always taste good, but just doesn't taste the way it does when I get it in any restaurant.

I have done a little research and it seems the overwhelming response to this question is dry-frying. I saw it a couple of ways and decided to try one that did not seem to require marinating the tofu. I was hungry, and frankly I hate waiting that extra hour and I'm never prepared in advance to do it before work. This can be done in advance or right before using. It only takes a few minutes to prepare too.

Step 1: Heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat

Step 2: Chop your tofu into thin pieces. I cut mine into eights and then I cut the rectangles in half diagonally to make wedges

Slice it thin and do any shape you want. Triangles are easy and look good

Step 3: Put the tofu in the pan. Don't over lap

Who knew that getting restaurant consistency is so easy! Throw it in a pan

Step 4: Press the tofu to let some water out, cook 5 minutes or until golden brown

Step 5: Flip and repeat step 4

From start to finish it takes about 10 minutes to cook. From here, you can store, marinate or use as is. I was amazed because this was the closest I have gotten to restaurant-style tofu. It was really good and the right consistency.

So using this tofu I made a quick meal for myself using some vermicelli noodles I found in my cupboard and some basic ingredients to make a sweet chili sauce. Of course, served with whatever greens you have on hand. I used spinach for this one. This recipe makes 2-3 servings. Easy to half if you just want a meal for one.

Sweet Chili Tofu on Vermicelli and Greens
*Takes about 30 minutes if Tofu isn't done in advance

• One block of tofu, sliced and cooked as above

Sauce:

• Juice of one lime and half of the zest
• 2 Tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp Mirin or water
• 3 Tbsp sugar or agave (I used brown sugar)
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
• 1 clove of garlic (I didn't use, but threw a pinch of garlic powder)
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup of basil, sliced thin

Noodles and Greens:

• One bunch of spinach (or collards, kale, chard broccoli, etc) Chopped
• Green onion, sliced thin
• 1-2 Tbsp water
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 package of noodles (or cup of rice, quinoa or other grain)
• 1 Tbsp Lime juice and the zest from the other half of the lime used above
• 1 Tbsp Soy sauce

First get water going for the grains and cook and set aside. If you didn't make in advance, dry fry the tofu and set it aside. While the tofu is cooking, prepare the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a bowl. Once the tofu is done or the sauce is mixed, use the same pan and saute your greens and onion with the water and salt. Once cooked, add the sesame seeds.

Cooking each piece in advance and set it aside before combining it together

Adding the sauce

Remove the greens from the pan and turn the heat up to high. Add the tofu and the sauce and wait until it bubbles (about a minute). Turn of the heat and let it sit on the burner to thicken. While it is cooking down, get plating. Start with the noodles and then top with the greens and finally add the tofu with some of the sauce and serve.

In under 30 minutes and no shopping - Dinner

Seeing Green, Pasta Edition

I didn't know what to call this recipe. I based it of a dish that I came across on ohsheglows.com and there are variations of it all over the Internet and in lots of cookbooks. I decided to make my own variation. I have been eating really, really crappy lately. No other way to put it. I have been living off of junk food and restaurants for a while (this, not a lot to blog about). Even though it was another late night tonight, I decided that something needed to be cooked.

I love this dish for a few reasons, it is a full meal in one bowl, it takes about 15 minutes to make, it's really easy to alter, it's filling, you get at least a few servings of greens and it has avocado in it for a sauce base. If I have a had a crappy day, I really look for meals like these and they are so, so much better than take out.

I don't think I have gone on too much about avocados, but they are seriously one of my favourite fruits. They can be made into dips and sauces, added to salads, stir fries, spread on toast and can be used in smoothies and desserts. Extremely versatile. Some people think that they are a bit on the high fat and cal side to be eaten, but if combined with the right foods, they are extremely good for you. Avocados aid in the absorption of two carotenoid antioxidants (lycopene and beta carotene) by upwards of 200%. Now avocados are definitely fatty, over 85% of its calories are from fat, but it's the good kind, so it's totally fine! They are also high in fibre, Vitamin K and folate. The are good for your heart and very low in sugar. So hopefully knowing this, you will all go out and add more avocado to your diet.


The original recipe can be found here and below is my take.


Pasta with veggie avocado sauce

*Serves two

• Pasta - Half a box, or enough for two bowls
• 1 avocado
• half a lemon, zest and juiced
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt
• 1/4 cup spinach
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 Tbsp water
• broccoli (one crown or as much as you want to eat)
• 1/4 cup of frozen peas

Cook the past according to the instructions. While it is cooking, add all ingredients except for the peas, lemon zest and broccoli to a food processor and blend until smooth. If it is too thick, add some water until it is the desired consistency.

Before...

And after. A sauce in under 5 minutes!

When there is about 3-4 minutes left on the pasta, dump in your broccoli and peas and the strain it together. add the sauce to the pot and stir to combine. If you like you can add fresh basil, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper before serving. I added all of these and it was really good. Not necessary, but gives the dish a bit more of a punch.

Complete meal with one pot and one bowl. Can't beat it.

You can sub out the spinach if you want and use parsley, cilantro or basil as well. All very good in this basic sauce. A note to serving, do not make the sauce ahead as avocados will brown once exposed to the air. Make the sauce and serve immediately.