Restaurant Review: Sativa Studio Café in Banos, Ecuador...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful, and safe holiday this year. Since Thanksgiving is my favorite of all holidays I’m cooking a big dinner per usual, but I’ll talk more about that tomorrow. Right now I want to tell y’all about an amazing restaurant my husband and I ate at while in Banos, Ecuador.

It’s called Sativa Studio Café, and it is the hidden jem of hidden jems, let me tell you. Not only was this the best place we ate in Banos, it was the best place we ate in all of Ecuador, in fact the best place we ate on the entire trip. The food menu is small, limited to three dinner options each of which come with homemade chips or salad, and one breakfast option - but their drinks menu is extensive. They offer coffees, fresh juices, Health Elixirs and Tonics, and Kombucha. Not only is the food fantastic - carefully and lovingly prepared by the owners, but the atmosphere is chilled out and relaxed. The food takes time to prepare, because it’s fresh as can be, but you won’t mind the wait as you sit back in recycled and repurposed furniture, grooving to the reggae vibes.

We ate here twice during our stay in Banos and tried a pretty good selection of the menu. We also talked quite a lot with Jessie - who owns the café together with his wife - and he was kind enough to show us the organic garden they have in back where most of the vegetables they use come from. The garden was brilliant, and I was completely amazed at how much they were able to grow in such a small space. He also told us a little about how the restaurant came to be, and how it was decorated. Friends and local artists painted murals on the inside walls, and virtually everything inside is recycled or rescued from ending up in the trash. There are a nice collection of colorful tile topped tables, some brightly colored couches and arm chairs from the 1950's, much of the flooring comes from when the church was renovated and put in a new floor. Some amazing, heavy wooden lounge type chairs were rescued from the side of the road. This is a couple that doesn’t like to add to consumerist culture, and doesn’t like waste - I can fully appreciate that, and the minute you step foot into the café you’ll appreciate it too, because it really adds to the nature of the place. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a cooler café in my life.

But, enough about all that, what about the food you ask? Well, on our first trip I decided to go with the Patacones and Salad. Patacones are smashed fried plantains that have a garlic lime marinade. These were simply delicious. I’ll take any excuse to eat some plantains but these were probably among the best I had all trip. The salad was delicious as well, not that there was any doubt it would be considering their phenomenal garden. This was not your average side salad either, it was full of mixed greens, chopped bell pepper, onions, sprouts, apple, pumpkin seeds, edible flowers and even more that I can’t remember. The dressing was simple and minimal, so a not to outshine the freshness of the vegetables. Seriously this was the perfect meal. With it I ordered a kombucha which was probably one of the best kombucha’s I’ve ever had anywhere! So flavorful, and not too vinegary like some I’ve had.

Patacones with Salad

Kombucha! 

For his meal my husband went with the Tamale which I believe contained a mixture of black beans, Swiss Chard and some other vegetables. This thing comes steamed in a banana leaf rather then a corn husk and it’s probably the most moist and flavorful tamale I’ve ever had. I only had a tiny bite but it was enough to taste the full-on flavor. My husband loved it, and devoured it in minutes along with an equally amazing side salad. For his drink he ordered the Seven Spice Coffee which was hands down the best coffee I’ve ever drunk anywhere, and it became the inspiration for my Epic Coffee . I will never drink another normal cup of coffee again!

Tamale and Salad

Check out that bomb-ass salad! 

A somewhat inside shot of the tamale

On our second visit my husband went with the Patacones and a salad while I decided to try the Veggie Burger with yet another Salad. The veggie burger was AMAZING! Probably one of the best veggie burgers I’ve ever had, full of lentils, grains and vegetables. It came topped with lettuce, tomato, sliced beets and a few other things. So much flavor and it really hit the spot after we’d had such a long day.

Veggie Burger and Salad 

For drinks that night we went a little overboard. We both ordered a Seven Spice Coffee, then my husband ordered a Fresh Passion fruit Juice - which is perhaps the best thing I’ve ever tasted and Jessie makes it in a magic bullet! I decided to go with the coconut pineapple juice which was like no juice I’ve ever had, and the most amazing thing is that the juices were sweet, but there was no added sugar. We also tried some of the elixirs only I wish I could remember what they were called or what was in them. One of them was one of the more popular sellers and for good reason, all of them were good but some were stronger then others. Jessie even gave us a free shot of another popular elixir they make, which was really good, and super nice of him.

The Amazing Seven Spice Coffee!

All and All this was the best dining experience I could have hoped to have, and I highly, highly recommend you check out Sativa Studio Café if you’re ever in Banos. Seriously, you won’t be disappointed. Heck, if you’re even considering planning a trip to Ecuador - which you should! - You need to take the time to visit Banos, not only for the amazing food but for the beautiful scenery too!

Sativa Studio Café
Calle Luis A Martinez y Eloy Alfaro Street, Correo Central
Banos, Ecuador
097-235-598
Open Mon-Sat 11am-11pm
CASH ONLY!

Vegan Mofo #29 - Terry’s Creamy Corn Crusted Tempeh Pot Pie (Pastel De Choclo),,,

Vegan Mofo #29 - Terry’s Creamy Corn Crusted Tempeh Pot Pie (Pastel De Choclo)

The Region - Chile
The Book - Viva Vegan!
The Author - Terry Hope Romero
The Recipe - Creamy Corn Crusted Tempeh Pot Pie (Pastel De Choclo)
Page # 144
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - Roughly 1 hour 15 minutes or less depending on how fast you chop.

We’re really zig-zagging across the globe now as I scramble to wrap up the last of Mofo. From India, to France, and now back to South America with a Chilean dish known as Pastel De Choclo. Apparently a version of this dish also exists in nearby Argentina and Peru but Terry’s version is more akin to the Chilean variation.

Traditionally the dish is made using the new sweet corn which is ground and seasoned with fresh basil. The filling is typically made up of minced meat - gross- vegetables and seasonings, then topped with a blended corn mixture and poured into individual earthenware bowls where it is then baked. Since it was only my husband and I eating, and I didn’t feel like getting very fancy with it I took Terry’s suggestion and cooked the entire thing in a big casserole dish rather then individual bowls, and I think it turned out pretty great, though the pictures make it look more like a lasagna then a pot pie - oh well.

I was pretty ecstatic to try this dish as I’d been eying it with curiosity ever since I originally bought Viva Vegan! I don’t know why it takes me so long to make some recipes but that seems often to be the case. Maybe the long ingredients list threw me off, but really this dish doesn’t take so long to prepare. The filling is a hearty mix of potatoes, tempeh, onion, carrot, cumin, oregano, paprika, vegetable broth, red wine, soy sauce, pepper and the classic combination of raisins and green olives. I love the sweet addition of raisins into a savory dish, and the slaty olives make for a good contrast as well. I think the only thing I would do differently is add a little heat, maybe a tsp or two of Taymer’s Bajan seasoning or a few dashes of cayenne pepper. Also for my tastes a tad more salt would have worked wonders.

Once the filling is prepared and layered in your casserole you top it with a blended mixture of sweet corn, cornstarch, non-dairy creamer, garlic, salt, pepper, fresh basil, and a pinch of sugar. Once the filling is placed over top you bake until golden brown. I think next time I would add a bit more garlic to the topping as well as some unblended corn kernels as I like the texture of whole corn. Other then that I think it was a really fantastic dish. I like that it’s unique, and different to what I normally eat, and I love how fast and easy it comes together. Most of the cooking time is just waiting on the baking to be finished which is always nice as it gives you time to prepare a side salad, do some homework, or read a book. I also love that this dish is pretty healthful, low fat, and doesn’t contain any processed ingredients - well besides the cream but if you make the cream yourself as I did then no problema right? It makes it a delicious, virtually guilt free dinner that you can feel good about.

Vegan Mofo #22 - Terry’s Pupusas Stuffed with Black Beans and Plantains with Salvadorian Slaw...

Vegan Mofo #22 - Terry’s Pupusas Stuffed with Black Beans and Plantains with Salvadorian Slaw

The Region - El Salvador
The Book - Viva Vegan!
The Author - Terry Hope Romero
The Recipe - Pupusas Stuffed with Black Beans and Plantains with Salvadorian Slaw
Page # 162 Salvadorian Slaw is on page 79, Simple Latin Tomato Sauce on Page 46
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - About 45 minutes for the Pupusas, 15 minutes for the slaw not including marinade time and about 10-15 minutes for the tomato sauce.

Today we move on from Mexico to El Salvador with Pupusas which are fat, stuffed, grilled tortillas. Traditionally these cute little tortillas have been eaten in parts of El Salvador for as long as 2000 years, however it wasn’t until the early to the mid 1900's that they became more widespread around the country. Still Pupusas were relatively unknown outside of the country until forced migration -due to the Salvadorian Civil War in the 1980's - brought Salvadorians and their pupusas to neighboring countries and across the globe.

Until last night I had never eaten a Pupusas. Vancouver in the 80's and 90's or even the early 2000's wasn’t a place where Mexican, Central American, and South American cuisine abounded. Though that’s changing a little these days. Even Chicago with it’s large Hispanic community is not a place where I ever see Pupusas on offer - though perhaps I’m simply not looking in the right place. Still I knew way back when I bought Viva Vegan! That I’d have to make this dish eventually, and I’m so glad I finally got around to it. Isn’t that one of the best things about Vegan Mofo? It always challenges me to make the dishes I want to make but never seem to have the time for.

Unfortunately Pupusas mean working with dough, and you know I hate dough. I thought that since It was Masa dough - and I have no trouble making tortillas - that it would be fine but unlike a traditional wheat dough masa dough crumbles. Terry says the dough is suppose to be moist, and that it shouldn’t crumble but I really had trouble with it. My Masa kept cracking as I rolled it around in my palm trying to shape a bowl to fill. Then trying to pinch the bowl closed over the filling was a chore in itself. It didn’t take as long as I though it might to actually make the pupusas but in the end mine came out slightly cracked and a little bit of filling poked through a few. I suppose it doesn’t matter much that my pupusas weren’t perfect rounds, or that they are probably a little fatter then their traditional counterparts, or that they’re unsightly. What matters is the taste, and these pupusas really exceeded my expectations.

Terry’s Pupusas are filled with a spicy mix of black beans and cool sweet ripe plantain. She also suggests using vegan mozzarella but I didn’t have any. Instead I used some homemade Sharp White Chedder which I made using Skye Michael Conroy’s recipe in his book “The Non-Dairy Formulary” it worked out great. I really loved the hot masa dough, with it’s complex filing drenched in Terry’s simple Latin tomato sauce - which is just a blend of tomato sauce, onion, cumin, garlic, lime juice, and salt. With a heaping side of tangy pickled cabbage slaw or Curdito as it’s known - a condiment that shares similarity with German Sauerkraut or Korean Kimchi. - it was the perfect evening meal.

I’m sure once I get the hang of working with the masa dough in this way, and my pupusas shaping improves I’ll be making these all the time. I’d love to try out some of the filling variations Terry suggests especially the Squash and Bean and the Bean and Seitan fillings. I also think they’d be great with a sweet/savory filling like the raisin olive filling she uses in her Empanada recipe. The possibilities are limitless!

Vegan Mofo #21 - Terry’s Sweet and Savory Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos...

Vegan Mofo #21 - Terry’s Sweet and Savory Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos  

The Region - Mexico
The Book - Vegan Eats World
The Author - Terry Hope Romero
The Recipe - Sweet and Savory Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos
Page # 105
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - About 1 hour and 30 minutes, or longer depending on how long you wish to marinate the Jackfruit for.

From India we move back to Mexico with Terry Hope Romero’s Sweet and Savory Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos. Jackfruit incase you haven’t heard is the new culinary darling of the vegan community. Over the past year and a half or so I’ve seen it pop up more and more in the blogesphere, magazines, and cook books. Literally everyone it seems is jumping on the jackfruit bandwagon. So what’s the big deal about Jackfruit? Well, texture and appearance really. When cooked and shredded Jackfruit bares an uncanny resemblance to pulled pork or shredded chicken, and texturally it’s got that juicy chewy texture. Taste wise canned Jackfruit isn’t anything to write home about, in fact it’s rather bland but the great thing about it is that similar to tofu it soaks up whatever you decide to marinate it in.

Jackfruit in Sauce on the Stove

As awesome as all that sounded it took me a really long time to get around to trying jackfruit for myself. This is because virtually all jackfruit recipes call for Canned jackfruit packed in water or brine, and the only jackfruit I could ever find in my local grocery was packed in syrup. This is a no-no especially for a savory recipe. It wasn’t until I went to Super H Mart that I found jackfruit packed in brine, but now I’ve found another source even closer to my house. So with several cans of jackfruit on hand I decided to give Terry’s delicious looking carnita’s taco recipe a try.

Originally I was a bit hesitant to include this recipe in Mofo because I didn’t think taco’s were ‘traditional’ enough, at this point they seem almost American. However after a little research I discovered that Tacos actually are a traditionally Mexican dish. They’ve been around since before the Europeans arrived, and the first documentation of a taco appeared in the writings of a Spanish Conquistador who discovered an indigenous population of Mexico eating tacos comprised of small fish. As it turns out a taco can pretty well be made of anything as long as it includes a corn tortilla rolled around some kind of filling.. As for Carnitas, well they’re basically taco’s but instead of using a ‘ground meat’ as non-vegan tacos do they use shredded fried meat simmered in sauce. Traditionally a Mexican carnita uses pork but I’ll stick to the jackfruit thank you very much.

Terry’s recipe is pretty ingenious. She uses ancho chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic sea salt, pineapple juice, water, tomato paste, chipotle peppers, onion powder, soy sauce, lime juice, molasses, liquid smoke, and bay leaves, to make her delicious sweet, smokey sauce. 20 oz of Jackfruit are then simmered in it for about an hour, before being fried in small batches. Personally after letting the jackfruit marinate, and after simmering for an hour I decided to skip the frying step because I was tried, hungry and didn’t feel like dirtying another pan - next time!

The filling is then scooped into corn tortillas - I used Terry’s home-made corn tortillas from Viva Vegan! As I always do now. - and garnished with pickled red onions - I used plain raw red onions - shredded green cabbage, tomatoes, and avocados. She also suggests drizzling her cashew yogurt sauce over the carnitas but I didn’t have the ingredients to make it and it wasn’t necessary anyway.

These tacos were super delicious, with great texture, and they were super filing. I’ll definitely make them again my only complaint is that I thought the sauce recipe made far more sauce then was needed for only 20 oz of Jackfruit. I think next time I’ll use 40 oz of Jackfruit because my mixture was extra saucy.

Vegan Mofo #14 - Terry’s Cuban Black Bean Soup with Cashew Crema...

Vegan Mofo #14 - Terry’s Cuban Black Bean Soup with Cashew Crema 

The Region - Cuba
The Book - Viva Vegan!
The Author -Terry Hope Romero
The Recipe - Cuban Black Bean Soup
Page # 150 Cashew Crema is on page #51
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - About 2 ½ -3 hours - most of it inactive

Today we’re going to stick with our Caribbean theme and talk about Black Bean Soup. I actually don’t know where black bean soup originated, but Terry Hope Romero has it listed as Cuban in her Viva Vegan! Book, and since Cuba is a part of the Caribbean I’m just going with that. You do often hear Black Bean soup being called Cuban Black Bean soup, and since Caribbean Cuisine is such a fusion of Spanish, Caribbean and African cooking that’s good enough for me.

Regardless of where it originated it’s a favorite soup of mine. I used to be really fascinated by Cuban Cuisine before I went vegan and there was a restaurant on Commercial Drive in Vancouver that I used to enjoy, but Cuban food isn’t exactly known for being vegan, and even black bean soup is often made with bacon, ham or bacon grease. The be all and end all of black bean soup for me used to be a delicious version I would get at a Caribbean style restaurant here in Chicago. That version was made with bacon however and so I haven’t had it in years, but I still have a special place in my heart for it’s flavor, and I haven’t made or found a restaurant version of this special soup that can really compare to the beloved one of my pre-vegan days.

Enter Terry’s amazing take on Cuban Black Bean Soup and not only do you have a real winner but a vegan version that can really stand up to it’s non-vegan counterpart, and even beat it I think. The ingredients here are simple enough, black beans, water, salt, bay leaves, olive oil, garlic, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, red wine, oregano, cumin, liquid smoke, red wine vinegar or lime juice and then cashew cream, onion, and cilantro for serving. Though the components are simple enough I think the secret is really in the method. I’ve wanted to make Terry’s version of this soup since I first bought Viva Vegan! But I always found the long cooking time to be daunting. Little did I realize that it really is a necessity, I think it makes all the difference and since most of that time is inactive it really doesn’t seem like such a chore to make. I also think it makes a big difference sauteeing the veggies as a sofrito and then adding them in for the last 35 minutes of cooking, rather then letting them cook directly in the pot as many soups do. I also think the addition of both liquid smoke and wine give it that fermented smoky flavor that most black bean soups have courtesy of animal products. I ended up upping the liquid smoke to double the amount specified and it was perfect.

If it still sounds like a lot of work I recommend making this soup on a lazy morning when you have nothing else to do and while you let it simmer you can read a book, or do some yoga as I did yesterday. It really is worth all of your effort.

For the final product I blended 2 ½ cups of the soup in a blender then poured it back into the pot to get that thick creamy texture, and I made Terry’s Cashew Crema to go along with it. Her Cashew Crema is super easy just cashews, water, lime juice, agave, and salt. This is probably one of the best cashew creams I’ve ever had and I’ve made it several times. It’s perfect for Latin American style meals. Lastly I took her suggestion and garnished my soup with minced cilantro but instead of using raw sweet onion I used sliced green onions because that’s how I prefer my black bean soup.

I really can’t say enough good things about this meal, it brings me back to another time, and transplants me to an Island nation far away. It’s every bit as mouth watering as it looks, and oh so comforting on a slightly chilly, grey, autumn afternoon.

Vegan Mofo #9 - Terry’s Braised Brazilian Shredded Kale...

Vegan Mofo #9 - Terry’s Braised Brazilian Shredded Kale 

The Region - Brasil
The Book - Viva Vegan!
The Author - Terry Hope Romero
The Recipe - Braised Brazilian Shredded Kale
Page # 121
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - Roughly 15 minutes

Today we move on from Europe and head into Latin America with this nifty little side dish. According to Terry Kale is a popular leafy green vegetable in South America and is typically used in soups or served as a side dish.  It’s funny you know, over the past couple of years kale consumption has exploded in America and I often hear people talk about it as though it’s some ‘new food’ or something, when in reality other cultures around the globe have been enjoying it for centuries.

I hadn’t originally intended to cook this dish at all, but as it turns out in addition to Mofoing I needed to clean out my fridge before I leave for Montreal tomorrow. That left me with a huge bunch of kale and no plan. Well, I thought I’d ‘cut two carrots with one knife’ - to borrow an expression from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau - and see how I could turn my mass of kale into a Mofo post that fit my theme. Enter Viva Vegan! To the rescue! Terry says Brazilian style kale is typically cut very fine and served in a big juicy mound as opposed to how we typically serve it in America which is as salad or whole steamed leaves, or ribbons. I kind of like the idea of this. I like cutting the kale very finely because it offers a unique texture. Over all this dish is very simple and takes no time at all. You saute onions and garlic in coconut oil, add your kale with a bit of vegetable broth and salt, then sprinkle in some liquid smoke. Liquid smoke is the secret ingredients here you see, because Brazilian kale is typically made with bacon or ham to give it flavor.

Personally I’ve always thought greens flavored with bacon or ham have always been too heavy, and too greasy, not to mention disgusting. With the liquid smoke you get that same flavor without all the heavy, drippy grease or animal cruelty. I also think the coconut oil goes along way in lending a unique flavor to the kale. As simple as this dish is, I think it’s become one of my new favorite ways to eat this glorious vegetable.

Viva la Brazil!

Vegan Mofo #24 - Terry’s Crepes With Un-Dulce de Leche and Sweet Plantains

Vegan Mofo #24 - Terry’s Crepes With Un-Dulce de Leche and Sweet Plantains 

The Book - Viva Vegan!
The Author - Terry Hope Romero
The Recipe - Crepes With Un-Dulce de Leche and Sweet Plantains
Page # 227-228
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - Roughly 45 minutes for the sauce and an additional 1 hour and 45 minutes for the crepes once the sauce is made. However you can save yourself some time by making the sauce ahead. You can even make the crepe batter ahead of time too.

Okay, so perhaps I spoke to soon when I said there would be no more breakfast sandwich posts for this Mofo. I have at least one other one that I forgot about, and while crepes might not technically be a sandwich I decided that sweet plantains stuffed inside some carby-goodness was a loose enough interpretation of the word ‘sandwich’ to suit my theme. Besides these are so freaking good that I needed to tell you about them so you’d make them and see for yourself just how amazing they are.

Now I am not a crepe expert or a crepe master by any stretch of the imagination. In fact I’ve only made crepes a couple of times in my life, but this recipe really called to me as I’m a big fan of plantains. So even though I was feeling a bit intimidated by the crepe making aspect the plantains had my mouth watering enough to want to give it a try anyway, and I’m so glad I did, because they really are fantastic. By the way Terry calls these dessert crepes, but I’ll be honest, I served them for breakfast. Why not right?

So, first the sauce. It’s actually really simple to put together if time consuming, but well wroth it. It’s made with soy creamer or rich soy milk, arrowroot powder, brown rice syrup, brown sugar, vegan butter, and vanilla extract. Once you have everything whisked together you bring it to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about thirty minutes or so until the sauce thickens. So you see it’s easy, and most of the ‘cooking’ time is non-active as you only have to stir occasionally.

Now the crepes. They’re also very simple, made with soy or almond milk, water, flour, chickpea flour, sugar, and salt. Blend it all together, stick it in the fridge for at least an hour and then start making your crepes.

The Plantains are easy too, just plantains, brown sugar, lime juice, vegan butter, rum and cooking spray. You slice the plantains thin on an angle and fry them in a hot cast iron pan with the other ingredients until they’re brown and caramelized. Then you take your cooked crepe, layer in some plantains to one side, drizzle the sauce over top, and fold the crepe in half. Layer more plantains over top and more sauce then fold the crepe again and that’s it. You’re done! Serve with a few additional plantains and some sauce scattered across the top and with a bit of fruit. I’ve tossed some fresh pineapple slices onto the plate to give it a bit of a tropical flair.

Now as good as these are you might want to be ware - they are very sweet! So if you don’t have a sweet tooth go easy on the sauce, and even if you do have a sweet tooth trust me when I say one or two of these guys is plenty! Any more and you’ll likely go into a diabetic coma. Just kidding!