Karaoke Coconut Pancakes

Saturday night we had a crazy karaoke showdown in Koreatown for Kirby Von Scrumptious' 25th bday. We drank lots of Hite, danced on tables, and belted out Ace of Base like it was our job. So needless to say, it was necessary to fuel myself with a good meal beforehand so I could last into the wee hours of the night.

My new favorite recipe is VWAV's Coconut Pancakes. These pancakes are so coconut-y that they are almost chewy--in a good way. Next time I will omit the salt though. Top them with some Grade B maple syrup and you've got yourself enough sugar and deliciousness to power you through at least four to six eighties power ballads. These suckers would DEFINITELY be on my list of Dishes With Which to Seduce Michael Phelps Should He Ever Stop By My House For Breakfast. Speaking of which--holy crap! Michael Phelps! Did you guys see that 1/100th of a second win on Friday??? Oh my godddd.

Just when I was getting to think Michael Phelps is just too good to be true, my friend sent me this link, which argues, quite convincingly, that The World's Fastest Swimmer might also be a bit of a tool. See Exhibit A here:

Oh well--I still wouldn't turn him away if he came knocking on my door!

M Cafe: A good choice if you are a hungover vegan going to work on the westside

My friend Phil and I had a super excellent time dancing the night away at a party at Custom Hotel on Tuesday. Unfortunately, that meant that Wednesday was a bit of a headache-y nightmare. After getting about three hours of sleep, I spent the whole drive to work trying to keep my eyelids pried open while deciding where to go to get a good old fashioned hangover breakfast. I settled on this tofu scramble from M Cafe.

The scramble itself was actually kinda gross. The only flavor came from onions which is fine but it's bland next to other scrambles which have herbs/spices/sauces to pump them up. No matter though, I was hungover, remember? So of course I totally ate most of them. The sides were the better part of the meal: tempeh bacon, a tasty sweet potato hash with bell peppers, strawberries, and really awesome toast made with a sweet cranberry walnut bread.

Not the best meal, but when you've had one too many mojitos:
alcohol-soaking-up ability > taste

So danke, M Cafe!


M Cafe de Chaya
9343 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.838.4300

What would I do without Hangover Hash???

Friday night we went to Akbar to dance the night away in honor of my friend Craig's 23rd b-day. Our group slowly thinned out over the course of the night as people got tired/too intoxicated and went home, but Craig and I were troopers and shook it until last call and then managed to somehow not even leave the place a full hour until after it closed.

So you can guess that Saturday was not my most pleasant as I was quite hungover. To make it worse, Craig and I realized that in our drunken stupor, we managed to somehow leave Kirby VonScrumptious' purse, which she had left at my house before we went out, in a complete stranger's car (it's a long story of which I'll spare you the details.) So we two knuckleheads spent the whole day on a wild goose chase trying to track down the missing bag. All the while, I guiltily ignored Kirby's many phone calls and avoided leaving my house so as to not run into her or anyone else who might inform her of my wherabouts. Luckily, after an agonizing eight hour search, we tracked the purse down and got it back to its lovely owner. It was a Saturday full of stress and stomach-ache, so I made my go-to post-partying meal:

Hangover Hash
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 block teriyaki tofu (I use one pack of Trader Joe's terikayi tofu), cubed
2 tbsp. teriyaki sauce (I use TJ's Soyaki--it has pineapple juice in it for some sweetness)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Organic maple flakes (optional)

Cook sweet potato cubes in boiling water until tender (about 8 minutes). Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, bell pepper, and tofu. Sautee until onions are tender, then mix in sweet potatoes and teriyaki sauce and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a sprinkling of organic maple flakes.

Makes 2 hearty portions.

Anyone else have any good hangover meals? I seem to be in need of them more often than I'd like to admit :)