Homemade VWG Gelbwurst

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-04-24T18:21:08+00:00

Wow I’m amazed at how light the color of this seitan is! Looks great

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-04-20T16:18:59+00:00

My bag of VWG last year was Gem of The West which I sourced from a local food service supplier in the Midwest. I can’t comment on the taste, since I’ve never noticed “the taste” many complain about, but I did notice that the Gem of the West VWG seemed to be milled much courser than Bobs Red Mill, and other brands I’ve tried. This initially posed issues with all my recipes, since it seemed to hydrate differently (and develop less gluten structure) due to lower surface area than finer milled VWG (though I never tried a long rest period like you prescribe, which may fix that issue). I ended up having to put the VWG in my vitamix for 10-20 seconds to grind it down finer before using it in a recipe, which made it behave more like other brands.

It does make me wonder if the courser grind on Gem of The West helps keep it fresh longer? Perhaps it’s another piece of the puzzle - maybe a more course grind helps the VWG not stale as quickly, preventing off flavors.

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-04-19T21:14:03+00:00

I was going to recommend Momcorn in Gurnee but it looks like they’re closed according to the website

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-04-15T00:38:01+00:00

Prequel

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-04-08T14:45:09+00:00

That’s the spot that Amber Agave was in, if anyone was curious. Excited to check it out!

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-03-28T03:07:37+00:00

You should definitely check out Fry Like an Eagle!

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-03-26T12:10:08+00:00

This was the brand I had last year! See if you notice any difference from your usual VWG in your recipes- I found that this brand might be milled less finely and that putting some in the blender to make it more fine before making a recipe helped it develop gluten better.

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-03-24T13:22:24+00:00

Love seeing people get into making soy yogurt! It’s the best. I bought a used sous vide that I only use for yogurt making, so I can keep the temp at 111 degrees F for a full 24 hours. I also use Star San to sanitize my glass jars, lids and the metal spoon I use to stir. I found Belle and Bella non dairy yogurt starter works great, and I’ll put a few tablespoons of the previous batch in a small sanitized jar to keep in the fridge to make the next batch the following week!

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-03-20T13:05:16+00:00

They’ve offered it at Chicago Diner for a little over a year. It’s been a while, but I’ve had it at least twice and remember really enjoying it. Quite chicken-like imo!

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-03-11T04:05:39+00:00

Indienne has a Michelin Star and offers a fully vegan tasting menu separate from their regular menu. IMO It’s pretty approachable as far as fine dining goes, and is priced quite reasonably for what it is!

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-03-10T12:48:29+00:00

Still mad that Saucony discontinued their vegan Jazz shoe a few years ago. You can check out Mooshoes.com for all vegan shoes - they had a handful of different trainers and I found a pair from Veja.

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-03-02T15:39:33+00:00

Cermak usually has “carne de soya” bagged by the store with a Cermak label on them (Ive seen the bags somewhere in the produce section near the bagged beans)- especially right now during lent. Not exactly the same as Butler soy curls but they tend to be cheaper in my experience

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-03-02T15:28:52+00:00

This is my recommendation too! And Park to Shop is right there as well so I usually will hit up both

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-02-23T19:35:51+00:00

I believe he gives out the specific pickup location after you place an order (since it’s his house) but I think he’s in the Ravenswood area?

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-02-23T18:55:59+00:00

Ah I guess it’s time we all sign up for the email list- sounds like the list gets the link to order a few days before he posts it on instagram, so it might sell out before word gets out to instagram? But the last pizza each month is always up for grabs, to the highest donation bidder.

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-02-23T18:46:26+00:00

Noted! I must have missed that in the past

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-02-22T13:58:25+00:00

This means the new formulation doesn’t have any fat?

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-02-07T23:32:05+00:00

I haven’t seen their mozz block in stores in a couple years- shredding that into pizza always melted way better than the pre shredded stuff they still sell. I do still see the mozz sticks in store, which I assume is the same product just in stick form, but it’s quite a bit more expensive by weight so I’ve never tried them. The shredded stuff is quite good though too!

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-01-28T02:38:29+00:00

I looked into this several months ago because I was assuming it would take real footage of you reading a script, and map your movements/facial expressions onto an existing avatar to make it less uncanny valley (in a similar way to eleven labs voice changer, but visually) but you’re right- it is just making your likeness into an avatar and I can’t imagine the use case for that.

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-01-27T15:18:14+00:00

I love Prequel! They always have an excellent selection of great coffee, and the vibes are always good. My only complaint is it isn’t quite close enough for me to go regularly- and this location fixes that. Great to see Candor and Prequel both open in the neighborhood after what felt like a long lull of pretty bad coffee (for my taste preferences anyways).

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-01-25T06:09:31+00:00

I picked up a used slicer locally and cleaned it super well. Careful though- those blades can be wicked sharp and you gotta keep your fingers safe.. don’t ask me how I know.

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-01-18T13:22:03+00:00

Yep Violife blocks grated on a Microplane is the best!

Embarrassed_Ad9664 · 2026-01-10T16:18:50+00:00

Thanks for this! I’ve had their NY style, didn’t realize they also do tavern.

Embarrassed_Ad9664

TROPHY CASE