Recipe Review: Spaghetti with Spinach and Mushrooms

Source: Vegetarian Times May/June 2007 Issue

So, I got my free Vegetarian Times subscription via the Soy Yogurt from Stonefield. Vegetarian Times always has the greatest recipes (except for maybe one fluke). So flipping through this issue, I come across the Spaghetti with Spinach and Mushrooms, and the picture is really delicious looking (I suppose I can scan it sometime).

Alright, so on to the recipe. We definitely changed a couple of things. We did not buy saffron and put it in there, especially since we're still new to cooking (at this skill level, anyway) and we didn't want to destroy an incredibly expensive herb, or whatever it is. Instead, we get some Rose Maria to replace it with. With cooking, we followed the directions as closely as we could, but I didn't exactly simmer the broth (I just had it on the hot stove). That is probably the biggest mistake, because in the picture, the meal isn't very soupy, but ours was. We dumped some of the soupy-ness out. Also, the last thing we changed is instead of using the cooking spray to fry the mushrooms, we used olive oil (we defeats the purpose of the healthfulness of the meal...). I kept burning the mushrooms so thats why I used the olive oil.

But in taste, it was pretty good. It was really spicy. If you want it less spicy, probably put less of the red pepper flakes in it (I used that instead of harissa, since I have no idea what that is..). The noodles needed a little longer than the recommended time to get soft, and the spinach can probably be omitted. The spinach really just put a lot more liquid into the dish, and not really much flavor at all. The chickpeas, red pepper flakes, and the garlic mushrooms is where the flavor was loaded. The vegetable broth was also a really nice touch.

Overall, with a few tweaks, this can be an amazingly delicious meal. We had our spaghetti with breadsticks, and I also made a salad from an earlier issue, but filled up on spaghetti so much, that I didn't get to try it (I'll review it soon though, promise!).

So, the final verdict...

Score: 8.0/10

Also, if there are any readers (because I know I have so many....) that want me to try a recipe and rate it, whether it is yours and you want to share it, or you don't want to make it yourself, I am more than willing to give it a shot. Email me at vegansaturn@gmail.com.

Review: Village Pizza Company

Village Pizza Company - Cabbagetown area, Atlanta

So I was trying to find the website for Power Plant (which is another awesome vegan restaurant, but the website seems to be down) and I came across a place that offers soy cheese pizza, here in Atlanta. To be completely honest, I started freaking with excitement. I looked them up, and came across this link. The review definitely sounded promising.

Well, I called in the order (I got the veggie special and dropped two ingredients for some soy cheese) and headed over there for some lunch. It is worthy to note about its location, however. For those that know Atlanta pretty well, they understand the Cabbagetown area, for those that don't, its probably best to explore Atlanta a little more before going there, it looks like a lower-class area, but its being quickly revived (think urban renewal). So just be prepared when you head over there.

Alright, so what you really care about, the food. Veggie Pizza comes with mushrooms, onions, green peppers, black and green olives, tomatos, and garlic. Both my boyfriend and I are not big fans of onions or green peppers, so I asked if I can get some soy cheese instead of those (they count soy cheese as two ingredients). Sure, they said, and pizza will be done in 20 minutes. We head over there, its kind of on a tiny back alley street, and I run in to pick it up. The environment is pretty artsy, pretty casual, like most other pizza places. A few people were in there, chilling out and reading.

So I pay and we head home, but before we leave we take a peek at the pizza, and I was really disappointed with the soy cheese. It looks like they just grabbed a handful of cheese and dumped it on there. Normally, pizza I've seen has a nice thick layer of cheese on it, but this pizza isn't even close. However, it smelled good, so we hurried home with hungering, anticipating stomachs.

Finally, we take a bite. The crust, absolutely delicious! The texture of the pizza is not overly greased (like Papa John's, or Domino's) and very soft. The sauce is about average in taste, and the ingredients were fresh and tastier than the soy cheese itself.

So, all in all, I'm disapointed with the fact that the soy cheese was so sparingly put on there (since that is what got me so excited), but the rest of the pizza was pretty good, so in the end, its just a few ticks above average.

Score: 6.5/10

Here is a link to the website if you are interested.

Soul Vegetarian Restaurant, Atlanta Highlands location

So I guess this will be my first formal review (other than that other ranting post I had), and instead of doing a food I'm going to do an Atlanta restaurant.

I went to Soul Veg (as many call it for short) on Valentine's Day Eve (if it works like that) with my boyfriend. While I was interning at PeTA in Norfolk Virginia, after I told people that I was from the Atlanta Area, almost everyone asked me if I've been to Soul Veg. Well, now I can say that I have. Location and information can be found here.

The atmosphere was very laid back. You walk in and seat yourself, grab your own menu, and wait for the waiter to come to take your order. The restaurant itself is pretty small too with a little counter for ice cream goodies (which we sadly had to skip out on). To me the atmosphere was a little awkward and informal, especially since about 90% of the time our waiter was on the phone, and everyone was just hanging out. I personally am more of a formality type person, and thats what I expect of any restaurant I go to.

Before we went we read some reviews about what other people thought of the restaurant, and the main thing people complained about was that the service was pretty slow. I will admit things are very laid back and slow moving, but we got there at 5:30 in the evening and got our food in a reasonable amount of time.

But no worries, the food was great! Let me quickly move on to that topic (because I know thats what you all want to hear)!

We had an appetizer of fried mushrooms. They were pretty delicious, but too few for the 3.50 dollars that was spend on it. Also, the menu said it came with a special sauce.... That special sauce was ketchup. The mushrooms themselves weren't anything special either, no shitake or otherwise. I don't think I would recommend this appetizer because there was so little food, overall.

As for the main course, I had Tofu Cutlets that comes with vegan tartar sauce, and my sides were vegan macaroni and cheese, broccoli, and cornbread (which, other than the cornbread, you could choose from a list). The cutlets were very delicious, they had a very nice breaded texture. The tartar sauce you could tell was hand made because it was a little too tart with lemon juice, but still good when it was used in moderation. You got three well sized triangle cutlet pieces. The macaroni and cheese was also very good. It wasn't the creamy type you see on the front of a Kraft box, but more homemade style (everything was homemade, but I'm referring to the texture and looks here). At first I was skeptical because it just looked like macaroni noodles and friend eggs, but when I tasted it, it was very delicious. The broccoli was also very fresh and crisp, although a little undercooked (impossible to cut!). I really am not a fan of cornbread in general, so I really didn't like it, although I'm sure if you like cornbread, you'll probably love theirs.

My boyfriend ordered BBQ Tofu, with the same sides as I (macaroni and cheese, broccoli, and cornbread). He says:
"The servings were plentiful, and the food was really good. The tofu was tasty and cooked well. The mac and cheese could've been a little warmer and the cornbread come with butter, but over all very tasty."

Overall, the meal was very delicious. It could have been a little warmer (it seemed like it was sitting around for a few minutes before it was served to me). Also, don't expect to have any room after your meal. The portions seem about pretty average size, but that food definitely fills you up!

The price was about average for a vegetarian/vegan restaurant, so a couple dollars more than any typical non-vegetarian restaurant.

So in conclusion, it was a good restaurant, worth the money that was spent. A few criticism here and there, but nothing worth turning the place down.

Final Score: 8.0

Veganfreak... yea, freak is the r ight (but not so nice) word.

I suppose occasionally I'll post book reviews too. I used to rely on the internet for all my information, but people tend to believe you more if you cite a book rather than a website (especially when it comes to PeTA).

Now, I am not completely through with reading Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-vegan World, but I have been surfing through their blog (Veganfreaks.org) and I am becoming increasingly critical of their point of view. The book takes a very "holier than thou" type of tone (even though they look down upon that in the opening chapters) and they claim that being vegetarian is simply not enough.

Now, I am just as much an animal activist as the next vegan, but these people are pushing it too far. I'd rather have someone be vegetarian, than claim that I am way to radical and continue their unchanged lifestyle. I can assure you 100% that if I hounded my boyfriend about everything he ate every day, he would 1) not even bother becoming vegetarian, and 2) dump me a long time ago.

I don't consider myself to have any kind of god complex or hounding people. Sure I'll throw out a joke when people tease me of my dietary choices, and if they ask serious questions, I'll give serious answers. Thats as far as I go when expressing myself. Who wants a "veganazi" shouting in your face telling you what you have to do or you're just not good enough? No one likes that!

I am open for comments and other opinions on this matter, I'd like to know what other people think, and once I'm through with the book, I'll give a more in depth review with specific quotes on how I feel about it.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to Vegan Saturn and the Abraham! This is a vegan food rating blog that will rate foods that are vegan (obviously). I will also provide vegetarian food ratings, provided by my boyfriend. Also I will provide my personal experiences in my transition to obtaining a vegan diet.

So a little bit about myself: I've been vegetarian for over five years, and vegan for about 4. Some foods I really enjoy are Boca Chik'n Nuggets, vegetarian flavored ramen, and oreos. I am very open to trying everything at least once. My favorite restaurant is Green Sprout here in Atlanta. More about that later!

Well, this is it for a quick little first-entry type post. I look forward to posting and rating foods!