For those of you who were sad to see Siam close (like me), take comfort in the beautiful Thai Square that is now in that space.

It clearly states on the last page of the menu that most dishes can be made vegan or gluten free. Rejoice! The servers didn't flinch when we ordered, and the food was wonderful.

The atmosphere is fresh and a little more upscale than it was before. So go and check out the new place, and don't forget to have the mango sorbet for dessert!

Happy eating!

I'm a cookbook junkie, and I love trying new recipes.  When the idea came up at our fellowship to make an ethical eating cookbook, it occurred to me that I didn't have any recipes of my own written down to contribute.  This one adds the pork-like texture of jackfruit into an easy to make chili.  It's shown above as Frito Pie, which is one of my favorite comfort foods.

Ingredients:
1 t.  salt
2 T  oil (I use canola)
1 can of jackfruit in water or brine, drained (17 oz)
1 T  agave nectar
1 can tomato sauce (28 oz)
1/2 c. water
1 1/2 t.  cumin
1 t.  smoked paprika
2 T  chili powder
1/4 t.  pepper
1 t.  onion powder
1 t.  garlic powder
1/4 t.  cayenne
1/2 t.  nutmeg
1 t.  liquid smoke
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed (15 oz)

Directions:
To make the pot more nonstick, heat over medium high heat for a minute or so.  Sprinkle salt in the bottom and heat for another minute.  Add the oil and wait another minute longer.  Reduce the heat.  Then carefully add the drained jackfruit and pour the agave nectar over it.  Let it cook down for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.  Then add all of the other ingredients except for the black beans.  
Let this mixture simmer for a while, stirring occasionally.  Use the spoon to break up the jackfruit as it softens.  More water can be added as necessary if it gets too thick.  When the jackfruit starts to look like pulled pork, add in the beans and cook a few minutes longer.  
To serve as above: spoon over Fritos and garnish with nondairy sour cream and cheddar.

Serves 4.  Approximate cook time: 35 minutes.

For our big 15 year anniversary, my husband and I went to Hannah's for one of our favorite dishes: Vegan "Meatloaf".  Admittedly, we've had some disappointments in the past when they have sold out for the evening.  I make it a habit to call ahead before we go and make sure they have enough.  This time, they had plenty and we were in flavorful fancy food heaven!  
What you're looking at here is a layer of sweet potatoes and broccolini, a loaf of quinoa and black beans, spicy sweet barbecue sauce, and crunchy fried beets on top.  For dessert, we enjoyed the lemon non-dairy sorbet with our espressos.  Chef Sheena, thanks for your amazing creation so we can have a great local place for our special nights out!