Teapot Vegetarian House - Redmond

About two months ago, I wrote a post about the Teapot Vegetarian House in the Capitol Hill area. This time, I went to their Redmond location with seven of my non-vegan friends for dinner. One of my friends organizes a 'Diners Club' once a month, where the idea is to go check out different restaurant together. It is a great way to try a new restaurant, because we usually share a meal 'family-style' which enables us to eat a variety of foods, then one of us would write an overall review on behalf of everyone. A friend of mine wrote a review this time, and she can probably give you a less biased opinion about vegan dishes than I could since she's not a vegan, and she is an excellent writer. I took bunch of pictures for you to enjoy...

 Bo Bo Platter

"Beef" Fried Rice

Mushroom Yaki Udon
 

Roasted Tofu Soup Noodle
 

String Beans in Hot Garlic Sauce
 

"Cheese"cake

We also ordered Sizzling Rice Soup, Spring Rolls, and Fried Wide Noodles in Dark Sauce though I don't have the pictures to prove it... I like their Sizzling Rice Soup, but I think they gave it to me in a bigger bowl at the other location. I was really anxious to try their "Cheese"cake after reading bunch of good reviews... I actually liked it more than regular cheesecake. Even before becoming a vegan (not quite yet), I could only have a bite or two of regular cheesecake, it was too sweet and rich for me. Anyways, here's my friend's review. Enjoy! 

"Teapot Vegetarian House is actually a vegan restaurant, and a good choice for lunch or dinner in the Redmond, WA area.

Teapot is located in a strip mall near Microsoft, convenient to shopping, although the off-street parking is in a lot with an approximately 30-degree grade, which could be a challenge to disabled patrons. From the outside, the restaurant appears smaller than it really is. Inside is pleasantly generic Asian décor, Tables are sturdy, and the floor plan seems well thought out as well as flexible enough to comfortably accommodate our party of 8. Bathrooms were clean-ish and accessible to the disabled, although we did spot a dead cricket in one.
 

We had a range of diners, from vegan to unadventurous to an adventurous hot chili lover. The menu is varied, and everyone found something that suited them. One of our diners ordered beer, and there is a decent variety of beer and wine to be consumed with dinner for those who prefer that.
 

Note that several dishes at Teapot contain a protein source designated by the name in quotes of the meat it most tastes like, for example, “Chicken” fingers.
 

We started off with the BoBo platter, which was a combination plate of all the available appetizers—“chicken” fingers, satay, spring rolls, fried wonton dumplings, tofu fritters and tofu rolls. Everyone seemed to like these, except one diner who found the fried wontons to be overly greasy.
 

We then enjoyed a shared family-style meal of deluxe fried rice with “beef”, sizzling rice soup, mushroom yaki udon, roasted tofu soup noodle, string beans in hot garlic sauce, and fried wide noodles in dark sauce. The last two were the favorites—the slight heat of the garlic sauce on the string beans was appreciated, and the wide noodles were cooked to the perfect point. We also were pleased by the mysterious non-descript name ‘dark’ sauce. The “chicken” was better than the “beef”, but both were good, and neither was necessary to the taste of the dish—probably just thrown in to placate carnivores.
 

Overall, our hot chili lover found several of the dishes to be slightly too heavy on salt, and too light on spice. Our unadventurous eater skipped the family-style hodgepodge and stuck contentedly to a personal order of spring rolls.

For dessert, we all shared bites of a single large slice of tofu cheesecake decorated with mango sauce and blueberries. The ‘cheesecake’ was savory with a tofu-esque aftertaste; a suitable very nice dessert that I’d order again, but not American cheesecake.

The bill for all of this food was very reasonable, and I’ve chosen not to discuss our (mis)handling of the payment process, other than to say it was hilarious. "

 Teapot Vegetarian House

Location: 15230 NE 24th St. Redmond, WA 98052 

Hours: Hours: 11:00am-10:30pm (Daily)

Edamame Hummus - Vegan

Yesterday, I posted a recipe for 'Garliciest Garlic Hummus', but I understand that not everyone is a garlic junkie like me... Here's another hummus recipe for you! This one has a much milder flavor and beautiful light green color.

'Edamame' is the Japanese word for soybean. If you are trying to get more soy protein in your diet, eating unprocessed soybean is a much healthier way than buying processed soy products. You can buy frozen edamame with or without shells at Trader Joe's, while fresh ones are also available at oriental grocery stores. You can just boil them and sprinkle a little bit of salt for a snack/appetizer. It's not only delicious and healthy, but also fun to pop edamame beans out of the shells into your mouth!

What goes in your body (vegan):

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup Italian parsley
• 1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame
• 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• paprika to garnish

You are going to:

1. Cook edamame according to the package instructions. (Boil 5-10 minutes.)
   
   
   
2. Chop garlic and parsley in a food processor until very finely chopped.
3. Add remaining ingredients except for 2 tsp olive oil and paprika and process until smooth. 
4. Spoon hummus into a serving bowl. Drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, and serve with fresh vegetables, crackers or pita bread.

Secrets from the chef:

• You may want to serve with herb or salt crackers since this is very mild flavored hummus. I don't recommend serving along with yesterday's 'Garliciest Garlic Hummus'... (The delicate flavor will be completely overwhelmed by garlic... I'm speaking from experience here.)

Bon appétit! 

Garliciest Garlic Hummus - Vegan

Disclaimer: You should not try this recipe if you are 'Twilight' fan... It will scare your handsome vampire right out of his pale white skin...!

What goes in your body (vegan):

• 2 cups garbanzo beans 
• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 1/4 ~ 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bulb of garlic, peeled
• 1 lemon
• Paprika & cilantro to garnish (optional) 

You are going to:

1. Mix garlic and 1/4 cup of olive oil in a food processor until the mixture is smooth. 
2. Add garbanzo beans, tahini and freshly squeezed lemon juice to the mixture and process until smooth. (If the mixture seems too thick, add some more olive oil)
3. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.
4. Garnish with paprika and cilantro, and serve with fresh vegetables, crackers or pita bread.

Secrets from the chef:

• Letting it sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours brings out more flavor from the garlic and takes the edge off of spiciness from fresh garlic . If you have to serve immediately, use only 1/2 bulb of garlic or roasted garlic instead.
• Avoid eating this before going out to see someone ;)
• If you don't own a food processor, buy Trader Joe's Garlic Hummus Dip. It's delicious, though it's not as garlicy as this one.
  

Bon appétit! 

Crispy Napa Cabbage Salad - Vegan

After a pretty good experience from my first order, I decided to continue on the 'Farm To You', organic produce delivery service by Full Circle Farm, at least for now. This week's order contained a head of napa cabbage. I don't think it's really a staple vegetable here in the U.S., but I grew up eating it all the time in Japan. My mom used to cook them in a hotpot or soup and she also made a pickled cabbage with it too. But I had a hunch that my husband wouldn't like any of those. After getting some ideas from online recipes, I decided to make a salad because I realized that I never had a raw napa cabbage. I went Asian-style in honor of this Asian vegetable.

What goes in your body (4 vegan servings):

• 1 head napa cabbage
• 1 bunch green onion
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1/2 cup white suger
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 package of crispy chow mein
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
•  1 cup silvered almonds

You are going to:

1. In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, vegetable oil, sesame oil, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, let boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from heat and let cool. 
2. Thinly slice (or shred) napa cabbage and green onion. 
3. Combine vegetables, sesame seeds, almonds and chow mein in a large bowl.
4. Pour the dressing into vegetable mix and serve immediately.

Secrets from the chef:

• Crunchy chow mein can be found at the oriental food section in a regular grocery store. If you can't find them, break ramen noodles into smaller pieces as a substitute.
• Dressing doesn't have to be cold, but not hot. It actually seasons the vegetable better if it's still a little warm. 
• Serve right away or the crunchies will get soggy.

Bon appétit!

Garlic Fries - Trader Joe's

The baseball season is almost over. Do I  really care? Not really. But I do go to see a Seattle Mariners game once or twice every year at Safeco Field. The best part is, I have to say, the garlic fries! I don't know if garlic fries are common in other stadiums, but definitely popular at Safeco Field. Thank you, Trader Joe's for making frozen garlic fries!

All you have to do is to stick them in the oven for about 20 minutes and mix with thawed garlic sauce.

One bag will make a light meal for 2 people or enough side dish for 3-4 people. My mouth is watering just looking at this picture!