Review: Tacoholics

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I celebrated Record Store Day 2013 with records & tacos!

I celebrated Record Store Day 2013 with records & tacos!

This review was originally published in What’s Up Weekly on August 29, 2012, and can be found here.

Two years ago, Jessie Pena pioneered the gourmet food truck craze that has hit El Paso. The Tacoholics team found success serving their signature brand of tacos and sandwiches late at night. That success has brought them to an unlikely brick and mortar location inside an Eastside gas station.

The new location also has a new ordering format. Options are endless when you can choose combinations of proteins, tortillas, styles and salsas. Tacos can be purchased individually or in groups of four corn or two flour. Choose between chicken, pork, sirloin or tofu in four styles topped with a choice of four salsas that are made fresh daily.

Plain style, which isn’t plain at all, is seared and seasoned with southwest flavors. A South Texan contains grilled onions and queso fresco, while Campechanos style is topped with homemade chorizo. The most popular style is influenced by a taco that has taken the country by storm thanks to L.A.’s popular Kogi Korean BBQ food truck. Tacoholics is the only place in El Paso where you can enjoy this style of taco. Meat is glazed with a Korean BBQ sauce and topped with cabbage, sriracha and sesame seeds.
If you’re in the mood for something heartier, order the Mexican Philly or La Torta 915 – creatively constructed sandwiches inspired by our region.

All ingredients are fresh and locally sourced, including the tortillas and bread. Anyone fortunate to be within 3 miles of the gas station can have their meal delivered for a minimal fee. On occasion, the food truck can still be found during the late hours of the night.

Food truck: various locations and times, static location inside the Exxon gas station at 7450 Gateway East.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (or until sold out) Price range: $1.50-$6.
Vegetarian friendly (corn tortilla tacos and tortas; flour tortilla contains lard). For info visit www.tacoholics.com, facebook.com/tacoholics or twitter.com/tacoholics.

Additional Veg Snob notes:
This is the only place in town you can get tofu tacos, and they are amazing! When I first tried them over a year ago (you can read about it here), I thought the tofu was too soft, but they have since changed this and the texture is perfect now. All of the salsas are very good, so I’m not sure which is my favorite. You might want to get plain tacos so that you can try them all, but be sure to get at least one Korean BBQ.

Delicious!
Outside the Exxon station.
Tacoholics truck parked outside.
Order, watch your food being cooked & eat there or take it to go. They recently added more tables & chairs.
2 plain w/salsas, 1 south Texan & 1 Korean BBQ.

Tacoholics on Urbanspoon

Tweet Treats: Pho Broth

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Five years ago was the last time I fell ill with a contagious cold or flu type sickness (I’m vigorously knocking on wood that this remains true). Instead, I am now blessed/cursed with a sinus or respiratory infection each year.

Last year I had an upper respiratory infection and this year I’ve got a lower respiratory infection. And like every year, I try to battle it the hippie way with natural remedies only to end up at the wellness center or urgent care to get a prescription for antibiotics and  medications. Here I am still trying to get over this nasty cough, but lucky for you (and me) this year’s natural remedy included pho!

photweet

In case you’re not sure what pho (pronounced “fuh”) is, it’s basically a big bowl of Vietnamese comfort food in the form of soup with rice noodles, beef (or other proteins) and lots of garnishes. I haven’t really tried any pho in El Paso, but everyone’s favorites seem to be Pho Tre Bien on the eastside and Saigon Taste on the westside. Eastside newcomer, Pho So 1 has had mixed reviews. What’s your favorite place for pho? I’ve been to Pho 79 in Denver, but that was way too long ago for me to remember.

InstaPho

InstaPho

The following recipe is adapted from a Vegetarian Times recipe which I cut in half, but then added more water to cut the sodium. All of these ingredients are fairly easy to get a hold of with the exception of the vegetarian beef broth. I was able to find it at Sprouts, but you can just use veggie broth if you can’t find it. I found dried shitake mushrooms for less than $3 at Albertsons.

Vegetarian Pho Broth

2 cups vegetarian “beef” broth or vegetable broth
6 cups water
1 large shallot, sliced
¼ cup dried shiitake mushrooms
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
6 ¼-inch-thick coins fresh ginger
½ tablespoon brown sugar
½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon (or half if you don’t want it so peppery) ground black pepper
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise

Place all of the ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered for an hour. While the broth is cooking, take the time to prep all of the other ingredients, like soaking the rice noodles. Package directions say they’ll need to soak in hot water for 50-60 minutes, but I soaked mine for about 30 minutes.  After the broth has simmered for an hour, strain it, discard the solids and return the broth to the pot.

Garnish options (which I had none of at the time. I just used cilantro, lime and julienned zucchini & carrots): tofu, scallions, onions, cabbage, sliced chile peppers, lime wedges, bean sprouts, herbs (basil, cilantro, etc.), sriracha, hoisin…whatever you want!

To serve, place the soaked noodles in bowls, ladle hot broth over the noodles and top with garnishes. Slurp away!

vegan pho

Dining Out For Life 2013

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Dining Out For Life, a national annual fundraising event, returns to El Paso on Thursday, April 25, after a brief hiatus. Houston and El Paso are the only Texas cities participating this year. Throughout the day, more than 20 local restaurants will donate 25-50% of their proceeds to El Paso’s International AIDS Empowerment organization.
This nonprofit’s mission is to improve the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS and to reduce the incidence of new infections through education, outreach and testing. For more info and how you can help, visit internationalaids.org.

In honor of this charitable event, What’s Up has asked me to profile 3 participating restaurants. You can read it here. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram(@bettyfemme), Twitter(@epvegsnob) or Facebook (elpasovegsnob), where I’ve been posting pics of dishes from participating restaurants.

Visit diningoutforlife.com to find out if your city is participating.

Dine during these mealtimes at the restaurants listed below on April 25. Pretty much all of them are vegan/vegetarian friendly. The most veg friendly places are Eloise, Magic Bistro, Opus World Bistro, Ripe Eatery and Sam’s Chinese Restaurant. All restaurants are donating 25% except for Red Mountain Bistro. They are graciously donating 50%! Eloise and Magic Bistro normally serve food only during lunch hours, but both will be extending their lunch menus into the dinner hours for this night.dofl2013.jpg

Where will you be dining tomorrow?

Review: Opus World Bistro

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*What’s Up’s 2013 Best of the Best nomination form is up! Nominate Opus for the best veggie-friendly restaurant category. Deadline is March 31.*

This review was originally published in the Tiempo Dining Out section of the El Paso Times on February 15, 2013 as part of a series of monthly reviews that feature vegetarian friendly restaurants in the El Paso region.

Bar Area
Dining Area

Most restaurants shy away from adding vegan dishes to their menus because most people shun the label. Chef Michael Ross of Opus World Bistro waves away any negative notions by creatively accommodating this underserved community. After receiving many requests for vegetarian dishes and developing a relationship with the Vegetarian Society of El Paso, he has created an eclectic vegan menu that plays on textures and flavor combinations.

Opus has lunch and dinner menus Tuesdays through Saturdays and a Sunday brunch with endless mimosas and sangria— all vegan friendly. As the restaurant’s name implies, these menus take you around the world. Much of the influence is from Asia and the Mediterranean. All vegan menu items are clearly indicated with a leaf symbol, in which you’ll notice that there are a lot of leaf symbols on the menu. You’ll also notice that they aren’t your typical, boring salad and roasted vegetable plate options. They are well-thought-out entrees with much knowledge behind them.

At lunch, you can choose among small plate appetizers, salads, soup, sandwiches and pasta dishes. The most creative lunch item is the eggplant “bacon” sandwich, which is an interpretation of a BLT. Thin slices of eggplant are seasoned with what tastes like smoked paprika and baked at a low degree for hours; a method commonly used in place of a food dehydrator. The outcome has a smoky crunch with a hint of sweetness that offers a pleasant alternative to its high-cholesterol converse. The sandwich is served on a bolillo roll or whole-wheat sandwich bread with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and a tahini-based spread in place of mayo. All sandwiches come with a choice of soup or salad.

Eggplant “bacon” sandwich
Vegetable Spring Rolls w/Sweet Orange Chile Sauce
Kimchi Shiitake Pancakes w/soy dipping sauce

Small-plate appetizers during lunch and dinner include spiced lentil samosas, kimchi and shiitake pancakes, and vegetable spring rolls. Samosas seem to be popular, because they had run out on two separate occasions. The vegetable spring rolls are fried and have a delicate, crisp texture that isn’t greasy and doesn’t fall apart. Six spring rolls stuffed with cabbage and carrots come with a sweet orange chile dipping sauce. The silver-dollar sized Korean pancakes come with a soy dipping sauce that has the taste and consistency of molasses. The pancakes are soft and have an earthiness from the mushrooms and a fresh scallion flavor. I couldn’t really taste the kimchi, but the orangey hue of the pancakes indicated its presence.

During dinner, a basket of lavash (thin, crispy Middle Eastern bread) and mini cornbread muffins along with cream cheese and cottage cheese dip is brought to your table. Specify vegan, and you’ll get a basket of spicy papads (an even thinner crispy flatbread from India, also known as papadums) and creamy non-dairy-based jalapeño dip.

The current vegan dinner menu boldly offers mimics of classic seafood dishes such as paella and “crab cakes.” The faux crab cakes consist of a blend of tofu, bulgur wheat (the grain commonly found in tabouleh salad), seaweed and spices. The texture and flavor is so dead on, you’ll never know you’re eating tofu. The dish is topped with a corn basil relish and avocado.

Dinner Bread Basket: Lavash, mini cornbread muffins, & papads w/dips
Stuffed Garlic tofu pockets with Lentils, Sautéed Bok Choy, Yellow Curry Sauce
Italian Wedding Cake

Another entree presents a fusion of Asian flavors, a lentil mixture stuffed into garlic tofu pockets and served with sautéed bok choy over a yellow curry sauce. The lentil filling lacked flavor, seeming to solely serve the purpose of texture and protein, but was redeemed when combined with the garlicky tofu skins, ginger topping and thick, creamy sauce that tasted like Madras curry powder.

Vegan options don’t end at dessert. During my visit, chocolate ganache cake and apple tart would have been available if they hadn’t run out. I opted for the Italian wedding cake, which would’ve been great if it didn’t taste like it had been sitting in the fridge past its prime. Pecans and coconut are speckled throughout layers of white cake and a thick cream-cheese icing. Creme anglaise (a custard sauce) and a couple of blackberries are served alongside the cake.

Opus also hosts non-vegan and vegan wine dinners on Thursdays. Chef Ross makes sure to pair the four courses with vegan-friendly wines, as the majority of wineries use animal-derived fining agents such as casein, gelatin or isinglass during the winemaking process. Suitable alternatives can include carbon, limestone or plant casein.

Both blessing and curse is the seasonality of the Opus menus. If a past favorite is gone or all of these choices can’t satiate your palate, Chef Ross is happy to prepare something off the menu with available ingredients. He will also accommodate anyone with other dietary restrictions such as gluten sensitivities. At Opus, it’s haute to go vegan regardless of your eating habits.

Amazing vegan wine dinner from October 26, 2012:

  • Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 11am-9pm; Friday 11am-10pm; Saturday 5-10pm; Sunday 11am-3pm. Monday closed.
  • Cost: $$-$$$.
  • opusworldbistro.com

 

Opus World Bistro on Urbanspoon

Tweet Treat: Lazy Drunken Chili

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This isn’t my award winning chili recipe. This is a recipe to get you through the week when you can’t be bothered with thinking, chopping, seasoning, etc.

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I posted this dinner yesterday on Instagram from my phone.

If you don’t have these ingredients on hand,change them out with what you do have or want. This recipe is limited to your imagination and your pantry. No Muir Glen Adobo tomotoes? Use any can of tomatoes, and if you want to make the effort add some chipotle or chile powder, smoked paprika or liquid smoke, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. No bulgur? It provides a nice meaty texture, but any grain or pasta will work, just adjust the cooking time. No beer? I guess omit it, but why don’t you have beer in your fridge right now? My chili came out a bit drier than I would’ve liked because I used a little over a half cup of bulgur and didn’t add more liquid during the cooking process, but I ended up liking it that way.

Lazy Drunken Chili

Makes about 4 servings

1 can Muir Glen Diced Adobo Fire Roasted Tomatoes
½ cup any beer*
1 cup any broth or water**
½ cup bulgur wheat***
1 can black beans (or any other beans), drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon cornmeal (optional)

  1. Puree the tomatoes if you want, then heat a bit of oil in a medium saucepan. Add the tomatoes, bringing them to a simmer.
  2. Add the broth, beer, and bulgur. Bring the mixture back to a simmer.
  3. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally adding more water if necessary.
  4. Add beans and sprinkle the cornmeal in, cooking for another 5 minutes, or until bulgur is tender and beans are heated through.
  5. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
  6. Top with your favorite garnishes. I topped mine with cheese, sour cream, and chopped up pickled jalapenos.

*I happened to have Budweiser’s Black Crown on hand, but I usually like to use porters or stouts.
**I actually used ¼ of a Not Chikck’n bouillon cube to lessen the amount of sodium.
***I usually get bulgur at Sprouts in the bulk bins, but you can find them at most stores.

This simple dish pops when you add your favorite garnishes. This is just missing cilantro.

This simple dish pops when you add your favorite garnishes. This is just missing cilantro.

Review: Singapore Cafe

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This review was originally published in the Tiempo Dining Out section of the El Paso Times on December 28, 2012. This was my first submission for monthly reviews that will feature vegetarian friendly restaurants in the El Paso region.

Established in 1994, Singapore Cafe has become an Asian and vegetarian staple in El Paso. Singapore’s large menu has something for everyone, including a children’s menu. You won’t find many Singaporean dishes on the menu, but you will find a variety of Thai, Vietnamese, Korean and Malaysian influences.

The graphically rich menu is divided into sections of beef, chicken, seafood, noodle/rice and vegetarian dishes. It’s rare for an El Paso restaurant to have a section solely dedicated to vegetarian dishes, and even rarer for that section to contain more than 10 veg-friendly items.

Vegetarian spring rolls (fresh, not fried) are popular, but the most loved appetizer is a thin Korean pancake called Bu Chin Gae. It contains thinly sliced scallions and carrots and comes with a sweet soy sesame dipping sauce. The savory pancake is cut into triangles and has a satisfyingly toothsome, dense texture. The dipping sauce pairs perfectly with the subtle onion flavor, but has a watery consistency. I would have liked it to be thicker so that more sauce could cling to the pancake. Other starters that can double as main dishes are vegetarian versions of the Clear Noodle Soup and Bun Ga. Bun Ga is a large Vietnamese salad filled with fresh veggies and herbs, tofu, and rice noodles.

Entrees come in generous portions, and come with your choice of white or brown steamed rice unless it’s a noodle-based dish. Singapore Cafe is known for its Pad Thai, and fortunately, vegetarians won’t have to miss out on their signature dish. Pad thai is traditionally a dish of chicken, shrimp, tofu, egg, bean sprouts and rice noodles cooked in a sauce of tamarind, fish sauce, and other ingredients, garnished with crushed peanuts, cilantro and lime wedges. The veggie version is all of this sans the chicken and shrimp, but with more tofu (you have to specify no eggs and fish sauce if you don’t want them in the dish).

Phad Prik King is another Thai dish described on the menu as a ginger curry with green beans and onions. The dish is traditionally made with a dry red curry paste, but Singapore Cafe serves up a saucy, mild yellow curry sauce. The entrée came with plenty of tofu and fresh green beans, but the sauce lacked flavor and any hint of ginger; I had to add chile oil and sriracha. Skip this dish and opt for more flavorful dishes that are not to be missed like the Ginger Tofu or Yu Sang Broccoli. Ginger lovers will delight in a dish of tofu, mushrooms, snow peas, onions and crushed peanuts. Yu Sang Broccoli with tofu is a safer bet for those who enjoy Chinese fare with some spice.

For dessert, you can try a Banana Turon, a Filipino specialty of bananas rolled in a spring roll wrapper and fried. Ice cream is also offered.

Vegetarians and vegans will feel more than welcome at Singapore and will enjoy a variety of dishes not common to El Paso’s Asian restaurants. Some dishes don’t quite adhere to their traditional namesakes, but contain plenty of fresh vegetables and perfectly cooked tofu. If you dine in, be prepared to relax and enjoy the meal, because service can be slow. Don’t forget to specify veggie when ordering vegetarian and indicate if you would like the dish prepared without fish and eggs. Wine and beer is BYOB

  • Where: 4120 N. Mesa.
  • Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Closed Sundays.
  • Cost: $$.
  • Information: 533-2889 or thesingaporecafe.com

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I took these photos at the Vegetarian Society’s board meeting. They meet once a month on the second to last Monday. Social time is at 6 pm and meeting begins at 7 pm in the back room. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Singapore Cafe on Urbanspoon

Creamy Cajun Sauce

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If you’re like me, you most likely did not celebrate Mardi Gras and Valentine’s Day to their fullest due to apathy/fatigue/laziness/busy schedule. Another reason could be that El Paso doesn’t have a thriving Cajun scene, unless you count Crawdaddy’s Bar and Grill on Cincinnati St. The food isn’t very authentic, but it’s a fun place to drink and meat eaters swear by their wings. It’s also where I met a good friend of mine (shout out to Frankie!). They don’t have anything vegetarian, but when he worked there, he would have them make me their pasta dish without the meat. It was linguine with vegetables and a deliciously creamy Cajun sauce. The sauce had a pink hue to it and a ton of dill.  I set out to recreate it and I think I came pretty close to it.

This is one of my go-to recipes when I’m in a rut, don’t know what to make, and haven’t gone grocery shopping. It’s a versatile sauce that’s great on veggies, pasta, rice, etc. If you don’t have Cajun seasoning in your pantry, go and buy it now! It’s basically paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and other spices. You could easily make your own and you probably should due to the high salt content, but it’s of course more convenient to have the ready-made one on hand. There are many brands out there, so I’m not sure which to recommend; I’ve only tried the Louisiana Fish Fry Products brand and Tony Chachere’s. Let me know if you have a favorite brand or recipe.

Recipe #2, vegan version over brown rice, kidney beans, & steamed broccoli

Recipe #2 (vegan version) over brown rice, kidney beans, & steamed broccoli

I give you not one, but three versions of Creamy Cajun Sauce. I don’t really measure for this sauce, so please excuse some of the approximations (~). The recipes make about 2 cups of sauce.

Recipe #1 (roux base)

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk or half & half
~1 cup canned tomatoes, pureed
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
~1 teaspoon dill
Optional: freshly ground black pepper and smoked paprika

Heat butter in a saucepan until melted and bubbling. Add flour and cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant, whisking frequently. Slowly pour milk or half & half while whisking. Cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add seasonings and tomatoes (more or less until desired consistency is reached). Cook until heated through.

Recipe #2 (vegan version)
Same as above, but with cashew cream.

½-1 cup cashew cream (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon Earth Balance butter (optional)
~1 cup canned tomatoes, pureed
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
~1 teaspoon dill
Optional: freshly ground black pepper and smoked paprika

For the cashew cream, soak 1/2 cup of raw cashews in enough cold water to cover them; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Drain the cashews and rinse. Cover the cashews in water again and puree until smooth. Add enough water to get a thick, yet slightly runny consistency. Set aside.

Heat  butter in a saucepan until melted and bubbling. Add Cajun seasoning and dill, stirring and cooking for about a minute or until fragrant. Add more or less tomatoes and cashew cream until desired consistency is reached. Cook until heated through.

Version #3 (quickest version) 
Same as above, but with sour cream.

~½ cup sour cream
~1 cup canned tomatoes, pureed
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
~1 teaspoon dill
Optional: freshly ground black pepper and smoked paprika

Combine all ingredients (more or less sour cream & tomatoes until desired consistency is reached) in a saucepan. You may need to add a bit of water if you want a thinner consistency. Cook until heated through.

Recipe #3

Recipe #3 (quickest version) with whole wheat penne, steamed broccoli, & mozzarella