Vegan Black Metal Chef makes Pad Thai

Who says Fork This doesn't support the vegans? I made them a pie and everything! And today I saw a tweet about this vegan instructional cooking video and had to check it out. Confession: I watched the whole thing. It's long, it's pad thai and it's totally metal! My favorite part happens right around mile marker 5:15. Enjoy!

Blueberry & Pecan Chewy Granola Bars

Did you know that you can make your very own granola bars at home? Not those hard, baked ones, either. You can make chewy, gooey, any-kind-of-filling-you-like granola bars any ol' day of the week. I whipped up this batch using dried wild blueberries (from Trader Joe's) and toasted pecans. Stored in an air-tight container, they will keep for longer than you'll have them around. And guess what? With just a little effort to seek out the right products, you can make them gluten-free. Substitute agave syrup for the honey and shazam! Vegan!

Stupid Easy Blueberry & Pecan Chewy Granola Bars
recipe adapted by Jennie Gustafson from a recipe by Alana Elliott of Nonuttin' Foods. Please note: our adapted recipe is not allergen-free. 

Makes 16 4"x1" bars

1 3/4 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1 1/4 cups crisp-rice cereal
1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans (toast in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned, allow to cool and coarsely chop)
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey

Mix together the oatmeal, cereal, pecans and blueberries in a large bowl and set aside.

Combine the brown sugar, oil and honey in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently.

Add liquid to oatmeal mixture and stir well to thoroughly coat and combine all the ingredients. Pour mixture into an 8"x8" pan, lined with parchment or wax paper. Press down into an even layer. You can a use an extra piece of parchment over the top and press gently with the bottom of measuring cup or the side of a coffee cup. Use your fingers to get into the corners. Allow to cool to room temperature, then lift out of the pan and onto a cutting surface. Cut into 16 4"x1" bars - or whatever shape you like. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

≤15% - a delivery man gets revenge on bad tippers

The never-ending debate about tipping gains a new platform over at Gawker-noted blog 15percent.tumblr.com. A 20-year-old bike delivery guy started posting pics of receipts from crappy tippers as a way to out the worst of the worst.

The biggest offenders? Film/TV productions or company lunch orders - one snapshot shows a bill for nearly $90 with a $3 tip. Ouch!

I have to admit, I've always thought that tipping on deliveries required a lower percentage than in a restaurant. But this guy makes some good points and the comments (with his responses) are keeping things interesting.

Some folks have complained that they shouldn't have to tip a delivery person for just doing their job. Seems legit, right? But many people don't realize that tipped positions in the service industry are often paid less than the standard minimum wage - there's actually a separate tipped minimum that can be as low as $2.13 per hour! The expectation is that the employee's tips will bring them up to at least the standard minimum wage. How lame is that? The restaurant gets to keep it's profits by having customers pay it's labor costs. So maybe tipping isn't optional, since New York has a "tipped minimum."

My biggest take-away from perusing the posts on ≤15% was this: tip your delivery driver well, especially in bad weather, because he or she will remember if you don't!!