Vegan Noms

A Vegan Oasis: Mustard Seed Cafe

2012-02-11T23:48:00.005-05:00

An oasis in what is now, since the closing of Akron's first and only 100% vegan restaurant, Vegiterranean, a proverbial vegan desert, Mustard Seed Market and Cafe is one of the best little spots to grab a nice, healthy vegan meal. There are some other little gems lurking around the Rubber City, yet Mustard Seed has been a consistent provider of nourishing meals to local vegheads.

The bestie and I had lunch during quite a blizzard this afternoon. We were pleased to find a very special... special listed: raw/vegan caesar salad!

A lovely bed of lettuce topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, in-house-made vegan parm (walnuts and nooch), raw flax crackers, and a very nice dressing made from cashews and apple cider vinegar. I will most definitely try to replicate the dressing and will share!

Oh, yes... we each ordered the classic tempeh reuben, complete with sauerkraut, Italian-style Daiya, and vegan thousand island dressing. One of the best reubens I've ever had; the tempeh is cooked perfectly so it is nutty and chewy and not the least bit bitter.

Could we resist the chocolate raspberry torte? Hell to the no.

Mustard Seed Cafe also offers soy milkshakes, veggie sushi, stir fry, a Middle Eastern plate, macrobiotic meals, and an assortment of other healthy veg fare. Also, you can overlook the market while you dine, scoping out what treats you'll undoubtedly take home with you. For example, Mustard Seed is the only health food store in the area in which I have found Dandies, Ricemellow (just the one time...), gluten free Chreese sauce, and the new Good Karma flax milk! They are also going to be building a location right down the street from me, in my 'hood, in the next year or so. It's wonderful to have a locally owned, dedicated spot which provides water to often-quenched NE Ohio vegans.

Stop back for more reviews of local vegan gems, as well as sure-to-please recipes from cookbooks I dusted off and dog-eared for this week's meal planning. It's time to get this blog back in gear! Who's with me?!

Holiday Recap... Yum

2012-01-04T21:14:00.006-05:00

Happy Holidays, everyone! Oops. As usual, I'm late with the posting. But don't we all love to have our season linger on? So, you're welcome and quit yer bitchin'.

Anywho, the month sped by in a whir of Amazon purchases, baking, and twinkly lights. As per tradition my doggie and I headed over to my mom's house on X-mas Eve, where our family gathers to munch on finger foods and laugh. I baked myself into a tizzy again this year preparing nice boxes of treats for my extended family; this year it was peanut butter fudge, apricot jam kolaches, and s'mores bars. I regret not taking a photograph, so just trust that each of these recipes is a winner!

Me decorating Dori before the guests arrived.

Now an annual tradition: homemade baklava using amber agave nectar (mapley!). This was a huge hit with my omni family and surprisingly not difficult to make, just time-consuming. Highly recommended!

A poor shot of the other two dishes I brought: spinach dip with pumperknickel (who would eat it any other way??) and broccoli salad. Practically the only green on the table!

My awesome mother made a hearty vegetable soup with rice, chickpeas, potatoes, corn, green beans, peas, onions, celery, carrots... it was amazing! She even bought nooch for X-mas dinner, which was perfect to pile onto this warm bowl of goodness.

A perfectly pleasing X-mas dinner. My mom made a big pan of homemade puttanesca sauce for my dinner (about which my stepdad raved and requested for future dinners), accompanied by steamed asparagus, mashed potatoes, olives, and a cocktail. I was so stuffed, but so happy.

And this little darling... she was ready for a nap, too.

Family Holiday Party

2011-12-16T23:09:00.007-05:00

Last weekend I hosted a holiday party with my immediate family in my new(ish) apartment, complete with real Christmas decorations - including a full-sized tree! Ha! What a grown person I am. It was a nice, quiet event with plenty of appetizers, cocktails, and laughs to go around. And wiener dogs!

Would you look at that tree?

Melted snowman sugar cookies! I stumbled upon this idea on a random blog while looking up something at work and HAD to make these. Aren't they pathetic/adorable??

My first cheezeball! This is typical holiday party fare, right? Recipe: take one tub vegan cream cheese, one cheddar-style Chreese packet and MOOSH. Roll in a ball, roll in chopped scallions and chill. This is beyond fantastic... I would totes make it again.

These little nuggets were perfect for dipping in said cheezeball! My amazing mother made mini Daiya-cheddar chive biscuits! These reminded me of Red Lobster's biscuits and were omni-approved.

Mini Daiya-Cheddar Chive Biscuits

(4 dozen)

3/4 c vegan margarine

2 c shredded vegan cheddar (Daiya, ftw!)

2 c flour

1 c vegan sour cream

1 T baking powder

2 T chopped chives

1. Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter over medium heat. Add cheese & cook for 2 minutes, stir constantly so it will melt evenly.

2. Stir in flour, sour cream, baking powder, and chives. Mixture will be very thick.

3. Spoon batter into ungreased mini muffin pans (2/3 full).

4. Bake 20-22 minutes & remove from pans immediately.

Ahh... what party with dip-ables would be complete without tapenade? My mama also brought over this lovely sun-dried tomato olive tapenade with pita chips! Delightful.

Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Tapenade with Capers

1 4oz jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil (reserve oil)

1 c fresh black olives

2 T fresh chopped basil

3 cloves garlic

1/2 c capers

salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine ingredients in food processor. Add 2-3 T oil from tomatoes and process until coarse & chunky.

I made some simple salad pinwheels (although they were a bitch to make and I'll never do it again) with spinach tortillas. The filling was tomato basil hummus, kale, red peppers and cucumbers. They were a hit! Also pictured: tartlets!

My dad's partner made sushi for us again! And, more importantly: she left a crap-ton of it for me as leftovers, yum. She's a pro, you guys, I'm jealous. I couldn't make sushi this simple.

Ahh, yes, tartlets. These were inspired by a sandwich which used to be served at the hip joint downtown called Crave. The sandwich was ciabatta bread with grilled vegetables (asparagus, onions, red peppers, etc.) with a hot pepper jelly. It was out of this world! But then they changed the menu and now nothing is easily veganized. Jerks. Here is a bite-sized version:

Mini Balsamic Vegetable Tarts with Red Pepper Jelly

2 pkgs frozen mini phyllo shells

1 bunch of asparagus, chopped

1 small yellow summer squash, chopped

5 oz mushrooms, cleaned and chopped

1 T olive oil

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 jar of red pepper jelly (spicy!)

1. Preheat oven as directed for phyllo shells. Heat up oil in a pan.

2. Add veggies and saute for a minute or so. Add balsamic vinegar and saute until fragrant.

3. Spoon mixture into phyllo shells and bake for 5 minutes (until shells are crispy).

4. Spoon a dab of red pepper jelly onto each of the tarts and serve immediately.

The whole spread! And I was worried we wouldn't have enough food for 6 people...

My dad, cuddling with one of my mom's dogs, Calpurnia. She brought both of the weenies over so they could mingle and play with my pup. All of the family was there!

Can you spot 3 pooches in this pic? My mom, surrounded by doggie-love. Here's the recipe for the cocktail she brought - fantabulous!

The Poinsetta

1/2 oz triple sec

3 oz cranberry

champagne

1. Combine triple sec and cranberry juice in a champagne flute and top with the bubbly.

2. Act fancy.

I'll keep m'blog updated with other holiday events as they arise, including all of the schtuff I plan on baking as gifts for my extended family and friends. See you soon!

Vegan Tour of Pittsburgh

2011-12-14T22:18:00.008-05:00

Living in the northeast-midwest-Great-Lakes-region of the US (huh?) has its benefits. Little does the vegan world know that there are pockets of stunning vegan communities, restaurants, and shops hidden all throughout the country. A few weekends ago my mother and I took an overnight trip to Pittsburgh, PA for some retail therapy and mother-daughter goofing around time.

The 2 hour trip was mostly motivated by the draw of the fabulous IKEA, which is always an afternoon of fun. I couldn't walk away without grabbing some vegan caviar! So strange... but I will soon attempt some sort of tasty bite with this topping - anyone ever tried it before? Recipe suggestions??

After IKEA we went downtown to scope out an omni grille I had researched, which boasted a modest selection of vegan fare. I was enticed by the promise of yummy seitan wings, although when we were presented with the dish I was disappointed. My mom said that the chewy texture of the "wheat meat" was off-putting and I agreed. Plus, they were dredged in cornmeal, fried, and then covered in BBQ sauce - the combination didn't make sense to my taste buds. Perhaps the hot sauce version would have been better, but I doubt it.

Following the wings was their lentil burger. They were out of the vegan buns and so it was served on dry wheat toast. And dry it was. This burger was... interesting. It probably would have fared better in meatloaf form with a tomato glaze of some sort, it wasn't that great on a sandwich. Plus the square shape reminded me of Wendy's burgers! Creepy. All in all, the Double Wide Grille was not a place that I would enthusiastically try again.

Afterwards we spent a few hours walking around a quaint artistic district of town, including vintage clothing shops, one awesome hippie shop, local coffee places, and other interesting stops. The weather was kind to us and we enjoyed having nowhere to be and no time constraints.

Dinner was an obvious choice: Loving Hut! I appreciated there being an all-vegan joint close to our hotel. Loving Huts are found all over the place, yet they allow each location's chefs to create a distinctive menu.

This was found on the ceiling in the dining room!

I loved the wall decals - they covered the space with inspirational veg-conscious quotes.

Being intrigued by the "drumstick" appetizer, I had to try! It was a mixture of mushrooms, veggies, and soy protein wrapped and fried with a plum dipping sauce. See also: mom's wontons in the background. She approved!

This feels so... wrong?

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to finally try soy shrimp, I ordered the "Spicy Cha Cha". Although, I didn't realize that the shrimp would be fried; I was expecting a stir-fried dish with sauce over rice and had already gorged myself on a jumbo fried drumstick. Most of what you see turned into leftovers as my belly protested! Still: very yummy.

On the way out I fell under the spell of the dessert case... You mean I can have anything? You mean I can have EVERYTHING?! Such tough decisions.

Two walls covered in notes from happy customers!

Chocolate cheesecake. Nom.

Cookies & cream cake. Extra nom.

Three different kinds of doughnuts: pumpkin, s'mores, cookies & cream. Yum!

That night my fried food coma turned into a sugar coma as I tried bites of all of my desserts. My mom and I snuggled down with a movie before passing out after a long day of awesome.

The next morning, after dyeing my mom's hair (so girly!) we packed up and headed back downtown for brunch at the vegetarian Quiet Storm. My mom got a creamy frittata and I ordered the "hangover hash": potato hash with soy chorizo & veggies, and a curried tofu scramble. I also ordered a side of steamed kale because, holy shit, I needed some green!

As we drove home I realized how close we were to The Flaming Ice Cube in Boardman, OH. We had to stop! The original location has a large shop to the side with all sorts of goodies. We browsed for a while, my mama picked out some lovely earrings, and I ordered the "Mediterranean panini" to go. Creamy artichoke spread, kalamatas, tomatoes, spinach... yes. Yes. Lovely last meal of a lovely trip.

I wish I could go on a mini-vacation every weekend with my mama. :) Where have you been on a mini-vay-cay that was too much fun??

Oh yeah... Thanksgiving.

2011-12-10T10:22:00.006-05:00

What a whirlwind this fall has been! MoFo came and went in the blink of an eye, Halloween whizzed by, and Thanksgiving is already in the past! Slooow down, life. Anywho, here's my Thanksgiving post. It was the 4th year I have been vegan during T-give and have hosted my own feast for my family! And... each year I have hosted I have lived in four different places. Weird. Let's check it out!

I set up my table for four with my new chairs, new fall decorations, and resurrected passion for cooking and entertaining. How lovely!

I was joined by my father, his partner, and my brother. My dad's partner, who is Korean, made a huge dish of veggie sushi! I have always envied those who can make sushi... I tried once and have been afraid to dare try again. This stuff was an excellent, nonconventional appetizer. Carrots, cucumber and radish, mmm.

The Dordles, reveling in all the attention and love she received.

Aw, photo opp. Why isn't my dog focused?! So cute. :)

My li'l bro. Isn't he handsome? Yeah, I know.

The fall feast staple: Vegan YumYum's butternut squash bisque. Wildly addictive, super-creamy, and always a hit.

My full plate! This year I served Gardein's Stuffed Turk'y, which sparked loud praise from my omni family ("It's so moist!", "This is really good!", etc.). I recommend this for any meal in which you would like to showcase vegan meats for omni folk. And it comes with bomb-ass gravy! Also, Isa's greenbean mushroom casserole, mashed sweets, mashed golds, and maple-dijon sprouts.

Best breakfast-lunch-and-dinner leftovers you could imagine.

Instead of making a pie I made a pumpkin roll. This recipe is tried and true. I accidentally spread the dough too thick and so it didn't bake to a moist-cakey texture, but instead stayed kind of creamy. It was like a pumpkin pie/cream cheese roll, which was 100x better! Yum.

Stay tuned for my vegan tour of Pittsburgh, PA!

Happy Trails Compassionate Thanksgiving Dinner

2011-11-09T21:12:00.005-05:00

Can you believe Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away? Get planning, folks! Last weekend I had the honor of attending Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary's annual Compassionate Thanksgiving event in my hometown of Stow. After speaking with our tablemates, it became clear that this year's event was much more hopping than previous years. Just look at that line for food! I couldn't capture the entire line, plus we went up in sections to get our food because the place was so packed!

In such a small urban area like northeast Ohio, I was truly shocked, impressed, and touched to find so many vegans or veg-friendly folks gathered in one spot. The real kicker? I didn't know any of them! So my handful of vegan friends weren't even a part of the total tally! It was a great feeling. Reminded me of VVC. <3

The event's catering was provided recipes by Chef Scot of the late VegiTerranean. This was the major pull for me deciding to attend, seeing as I won't have another chance to eat Veg recipes, since the place closed down. The meal was fantastic, too. Gut-busting, even - I couldn't move afterwards! Let's begin.

Appetizers were served upon our arrival: butternut squash hummus with pita bread and veggies, as well as a nice and simple veggie dip. This hummus was outstanding! I can never make a decent hummus, but I'm seriously going to try my hand at this one... it was thick and creamy, slightly sweet with that familiar tang of lemon and the heartiness of the chickpeas. Damn. (I foolishly went back for seconds!)

First course: celery root soup and greens salad with roasted root vegetables, dried cherries, and a balsamic vinaigrette. The soup really shined here, and I had no idea what to expect, never having had celery root anything. It was creamy and mild, reminding me of broccoli stems (yum) and with the right balance of saltiness. I no longer fear the celery root!

The salad... I was not crazy about. There's something about roasted vegetables served cold that turns me off. Plus I couldn't identify some of the veggies and that worried me. There were some odd textures and it just didn't add up. The cherries and balsamic, however, complemented the greens nicely and so we both ate around the veggies.

Oh gosh, the main course. How did I ever have room? Here we have stuffing and a thin, herby gravy, sweet potato casserole, green beans, and Gardein's Savory Stuffed Turk'y. The plate was just wonderful: sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy. The turk'y, which I've prepared on my own and loved, was a bit dry, but I attribute this to the buffet-style serving method (heating element underneath and open air above). I hope this did not turn anyone away from this impressive product.

And what's that hiding in the background? Pumpkin pie? VEGAN pumpkin pie?! Yes. It was delicious, delicious torture to polish off this slice, but I made it happen folks...

We had happy bellies, good conversation with our fellow guests, and a renewed understanding that Thanksgiving can be delicious and enjoyable without cruelty.

Ahh, and here is proof of my homemade turk'y dish! Served with canned green beans (nostalgia!) and smashed red tatoes with garlic. The gravy that comes with these nuggets of awesome is some of the best I've tasted, by the way. Give it a try!

Now, onto planning for Thanksgiving proper! I will be having my dad, his partner, and my brother over again this year and am serving up our fourth year of vegan T-give eats and sweets. What are you super-mega-excited to create this year??

My Halloween

2011-11-04T21:53:00.005-04:00

Happy post-Halloween blogging, everyone!

I'm sad to have missed the last few days of MoFo... I just can't seem to get into the consistent blogging pattern! Plus, the multitude of others' bloggy awesomeness made it that much harder (and intimidating, jeez!) to find the time to both surf and post.

I did have some nice pics of some of the meals I've prepared recently and a few restaurants, although there were multiple complications with my phone and now all of my photos (food and other) are gone. :( Very sad. But luckily I uploaded some Halloween pics!

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year and I try to dive as far into all of its activities as I can. This year I visited two pretty kickass haunted houses, went to a few parties, celebrated at multiple work functions, and hosted my own bash!

You can tell what sort of ambiance I was trying to achieve with this dimly lit pic... lots of candles and spooky lights. Decorating my place was so much fun! I get most creative around Halloween and haven't had the motivation or need to decorate for a party the last two years because of my living arrangements. I was most excited to go all out this year.

Here's a pic of the spread - it was already dark and I have no overhead lighting, so this is the best I could do! We have:

Pretzels and agave mustard dip
Cucumbers, crackers, and spinach dip (silken tofu and a seasoning packet - quick & easy!)
Pumpkin Pie Brownie bites
Vegan onion ring chips (fake Funyons!)
Pizza bites: baguette with marinara and Daiya (not pictured)

Along with the hot apple cider spiced rum, some good tunes, and wonderful company - the night was quite a success.

Whoa... who is that?! It's Lieutenant Jim fucking Dangle of the Reno sheriff's department. Want some more?

That's right. I love Reno 911! more than almost any form of entertainment that has ever existed. PROOF of its awesome-nitude. You see, every year, to send a big "fuck you" to the sexy/slutty/skanky lady costumes that nauseate us everywhere we turn, I cross-dress as one of my favorite male characters. Also, I might just like dressing as a dude sometimes, so what.

Hope you had a great Halloween! I have some awesome stuff coming up, including a very special event I'm attending tomorrow. Plus, I have some more giveaways up my sleeve! See you around!

Vegan MoFo V: Another Giveaway Winner & Pumpkin Breakfast

2011-10-23T21:56:00.004-04:00

Allrighty, the original winner of the Becoming Vegan giveaway never responded so I have chosen another:

Congratulations, ladystardust! I have sent you an e-mail, so be on the lookout. I look forward to doing another giveaway soon, what fun!

This weekend has been the laziest of lazies... this morning I decided to treat the day like a true Sunday and make a big ole carby breakfast for the boyfriend and me. Behold: dense, spicy pumpkin pancakes, Gimme Lean sausage, and ice cold apple cider.

The predictable food coma followed.

On Saturday, I went to a lunch hosted by my fitness group, CrossFit Akron. The owners were celebrating their one year birthday after having opened their doors in West Akron last October. It was a great time chatting with some of the people I have worked out with many times, having conversations about things other than squats and pull-ups. I mean to write a specific blog about my experiences with CrossFit very soon - it is an incredibly inspiring and challenging part of my life, and very accommodating of my lifestyle.

The Rail just opened up in the swanky west side Summit mall, and with their sign depicting an upside down figure of a cow I was not impressed when I saw that was the choice for the lunch. Yet, upon further inspection of their menu, I found that the offer a homemade veggie burger and hummus wrap, along with fresh toppings. An e-mail and a phone call later I learned that their veggie burger is vegan (although the bun is not) and decided to give it a try. My best guess is that it is rice and tomato paste based and is a little on the spicy side - not bad, although I prefer bean based burgers myself. The "skinny fries" were very nice and filling. If I find myself there again I will try their hummus wrap.

See you around, bloggers!

Vegan MoFo: Butternut Mac & Cheese and a Winner!

2011-10-19T23:13:00.006-04:00

We have a winner! Of the Becoming Vegan giveaway, that is. It's omgitsbees!

Here's the comment:

"Been struggling to become vegan, and looking for all the help I can get. :) Wanting to do it for a number of reasons, including health and to support animal rights. Making the transition after having had such a heavy meat based diet for most of my life has been very difficult though. D:"

Omgitsbees, please send me your e-mail address so we can correspond! If I don't hear from you by Friday I'll have to select another winner... Congrats!

And what is THIS bowl of magnificent? Why, it's only Oh She Glows' recipe for Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese. I subbed an acorn squash b/c it's what I had laying around - still fantastic. So creamy and comforting... more like an alfredo sauce with a sweet kick. I highly recommend it, even if it is a bit involved with taking the time to peel, chop, & roast the squash.

Looking forward to making even more comfort foods as the seasons progress... see you soon!

P.S. Here's my package swap partner's post about what I sent! You rock, Sam!

Vegan MoFo V: Creamy Roasted Tomato Sauce with Artichokes

2011-10-14T21:56:00.005-04:00

Hello, all! Can you believe we're almost halfway through the month? MoFo has really taken off this year and I'm enjoying the few times during the week when I am able to browse some blogs, enter giveaways, and drool over everyone's food pics... I hope that, even though the following pics were hastily taken in an artificial lighting setting, you will drool over them anyway. If you knew how orgasmic this dish was, you wouldn't have a problem with that. Oh, wait! You can make some for yourself! TONIGHT.

I whipped this up last weekend when my bestie, Liv, visited. It is yet another attempt to resurrect a dish from the recently deceased Vegiterranean vegan restaurant. (No, I won't shut up about it, I am still VERY SAD.) My all-time favorite pasta dish was their Tuscan Gnocchi... a creamy roasted tomato sauce with artichokes, wild mushrooms, and greens over the most tender potato gnocchi... *sob*. Here's my attempt to replicate their out-of-this-world sauce (serves 2):

Creamy Roasted Tomato Sauce with Artichokes

2 large tomatoes, cut into large chunks (variety doesn't matter - I used what I had)

3-5 cloves of garlic, peeled

1/2 large onion, cut into strips

2/3 c artichoke hearts (I used fresh, but you can use canned/jarred if you drain the oil)

1/4 c balsamic vinegar

1/4 c Italian-style Daiya

1 large handful of arugala

2-servings-worth of bowtie pasta

1. Spray a baking pan with olive oil and scatter the tomatoes, garlic, and onions. Spray again with the oil and roast at 400 degrees for approx. 40 minutes, checking and tossing every 10 minutes.

2. Heat up the water for your pasta and whip out a saucepan for the sauce.

3. Give the roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic a whirl in a food processor with the balsamic vinegar until pretty smooth and transfer to the saucepan (med to med-low heat).

4. While your pasta is cooking, throw the artichokes and Daiya into the sauce and stir until the Daiya is nice and melty. Throw in the arugala and stir until it just wilts.

5. Top your pasta with the sauce and some fresh cracked black pepper and dig in.

If you have wild mushrooms, throw those in the mix for accuracy, but trust me - if you don't have 'em, you won't miss 'em. This sauce is fantastic enough by itself. A very satisfying comfort food-style pasta dish with an Italian twist. Enjoy!

And by the way: my giveaway for a copy of Becoming Vegan is still taking place. Hurry up and comment for a chance to win!

Vegan MoFo V: Giveaway!

2011-10-11T21:56:00.005-04:00

My first giveaway, how exciting! At Vida Vegan Con 2011 I was lucky enough to win a copy of Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis, R.D., & Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D. I've flipped through it and found that the book is incredibly comprehensive, covering all imaginable aspects of vegan nutrition. Yet, I was really impressed by some chapters on special interests in veganism, such as individuals with eating disorders, those who are overweight or underweight, and vegan athletes.

For someone who would like to learn more about specific nutrition or special populations within veganism or for someone who would like to gift this to a friend who is considering veganism (or that pesky aunt or uncle who keeps asking those timeless, silly, dietary questions...) - I would recommend this book!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post sharing what it is that you appreciate most about becoming vegan. Please comment by Wednesday, October 19th at 10 pm to be eligible and I will announce the winner soon after! Please include your e-mail address.

Update: If you blog about this giveaway and include a link to your post in a separate comment, you can have an extra opportunity to win!

I also have ideas of compiling ANOTHER giveaway soon for vegan treats made by local vegan chefs and bakers. Stay tuned and good luck!

Vegan Mofo V: Vegan Care Package!

2011-10-10T22:40:00.004-04:00

Good evening, MoFoz. I am very excited to post about the 2011 vegan care package swap. Organized by the fabulous Lindsay of Cook. Vegan. Lover., this is my third year participating, and the best year yet! (The last two years, neither of my blog partners posted my stuff... *sad face*) My partner this year was Sam of Quantum Vegan - an awesome new favorite blog! After e-discussing some of our favorite types of vegan products we sent out our packages. I received mine on Thursday and have consumed over half of it already! Let's take a look:

Some Road's End Organics shells & "chreese" - fabulous stuff, it really grows on you. Near East lentil-rice pilaf (love this company). And two interesting Indian dishes: Delhi Saag (spinach & mustard greens with ginger and peppers) & Punjabi Chhole (spicy, tomatoey chickpeas, potatoes, & onions). I was looking forward to branching out and trying something new - and I love the convenience factor of all of these foods.

Goodies! Some oat & chocolate "Cowboy" cookies, two kinds of Mary's Gone Crackers crunchy treats (the curry "Sticks & Twigs" are pretty darn good!), two Primal Strips, a moist and lovely granola & cacao bar, and some little gluten free oatmeal cookies.

Sharing my love of tea was definitely the right move: Sam gave me some samples of delectable teas including coconut creme (tried this one today - BOMB), Mexican chocolate, and Irish breakfast. These are sitting in my desk at work, waiting to be assembled into the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. And a sample of chipotle cayenne Parma!, which I have yet to decide how I want to use... *muah ha*

Having craved some mac & cheese like WHOA lately, I first whipped up this boxed delight, adding some cheddar-style Daiya for good measure. This stuff is beyond fantastic. The spices in the sauce mix really add some complexity - a much deeper flavor than Amy's frozen entree. I want about 8 more of these bowls in my face. Now.

On my lazy Sunday I threw some rice in the cooker and heated up both of the Indian dishes - WOW. So fantastic. The punjabi chhole reminded me of chana masala, except it had more layers of flavor - simply superb. The greens were a nice complement and had a nice tart ginger flavor. I still have leftovers, woo.

All in all, this was an awesome exchange. Thank you so much, Sam, for your efforts and stellar picks! Hope you're enjoying your package. :)

And to those who haven't participated in a swap - I highly recommend it. If it's through Lindsay's yearly swap or something you come up with on your own, it's a great way to connect with other vegans and get to taste some local and interesting flavors from across the country (or globe!).

And I haven't forgotten about... an upcoming giveaway!

Vegan MoFo V: Chili, Tempeh Wingz, and a Surprise Gift

2011-10-06T22:09:00.004-04:00

I want to start this post with a picture of my latest purchase - a personalized collage of my Vida Vegan Con trip! I used Walgreens.com to upload my pics and arrange them as I wished. It cost about $7 and is 8x10 in size. It looks wonderful posted above my desk at work.

Oh, the memories...!

Thursday is typically the only day during the week where I have no after-work commitments (school M&W, fitness classes T&F), and today I took full advantage of it. I sped to the grocery store after work with some ideas floating around of the meals I wanted to create for the upcoming weekend and week.

Here is Katie's recipe of Tempeh Wingz - an absolute staple in my kitchen. I've made this many times before and was very eager to bring this recipe back to life. I used two packages of tempeh and made smaller-sized "wingz" so that I can snack on them during the day when I need a protein punch.

Alongside these tasty morsels is an arugala salad with sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic glaze, and a touch of garlic powder. This is meant to mimic the out-of-this-world side salad offered at the late & great VegiTerranean. I am still very much in mourning of this landmark closing. It saddens me deeply that I will never again get to taste their oven-roasted tomatoes in their masterpiece salad...

Simmering away as I prepared the wingz was my favorite hearty dish: sweet potato chili! The recipe is very simple and quick, from the old blog Veg Is Sexy (oh, how I miss you!). The link now takes you to a Kiev escort service, hahaha... so don't go there. It's basically sauteed onion and tri-color peppers, 2 cans of fire-roasted tomatoes, a can of black beans and a can of pinto beans, a packet of vegetarian chili seasoning, and 2 large sweet potatoes (microwave for 10 minutes and then peel and chop). Super-fantastic and will feed you for a week! Bonus points: Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale.

I'll leave you with a pic of the surprise gift my boyfriend hid for me in plain sight (but which took me a few hours to notice, ha): a lovely bracelet with translucent green beads and a "vegan" charm. It is absolutely perfect! He knows me so well. :) Represent!

Stay tuned for a GIVEAWAY, muthafuckas!!

Vegan MoFo V: Spicy PDX Bowl of Goodness

2011-10-04T23:50:00.004-04:00

As promised, I bring you my interpretation/recreation of the fabulous Eastern Bowl, as made famous (according to my tastebuds) by the Bye and Bye vegan bar in Portland. As referenced in my final VVC post, this is the establishment which hosted my last night in the land of vegan magic. I partied down with some new friends, but only after chowing down on this wonderful combination of spice and hearty ingredients, along with my cocktail (which, alas, I did not recreate).

IMPORTANT: I only advocate creating this dish if you live 50+ miles from PDX. Otherwise, get your asses over to the Bye and Bye pronto, bitches!

Spicy PDX Bowl of Goodness

1 package extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut up into small cubes

1/4 cup soy sauce or Bragg's aminos

1 tsp liquid smoke

1 tbsp red chili flakes

1 tbsp maple syrup

3 cups cooked brown rice or quinoa

3 cups steamed broccoli

3 tbsp unsalted peanut butter

2-3 tbsp Vegenaise

1 tbsp sriracha (or to taste!)

1/4 c nooch (nutritional yeast)

1. Mix the soy sauce, liquid smoke, chili flakes, and maple syrup together. Pour into baking dish and coat tofu cubes. Let marinade for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Bake the cubes in a 400 degree preheated oven (either in the dish or on a baking sheet) in 10-15 minute increments, turning and checking for a nice baked, chewy consistency.

3. Meanwhile, cook the brown rice and steam the broccoli.

4. Microwave the peanut butter for a few seconds to soften it (if necessary) and add the Vegenaise and sriracha. Refrigerate until ready to use.

5. Coat the baked tofu cubes in the nutritional yeast.

6. Combine the brown rice, broccoli, yeasted tofu cubes in a bowl and top with the sauce! (Makes about 3 servings).

Oh, and toasted sesame seeds don't hurt! Om nom nom.

Vegan MoFo V: A Sexy Party w/ Even Sexier Appetizers...

2011-10-02T20:15:00.006-04:00

Good day to all! My apologies for missing the first day of MoFo... My post will inform that slip-up, I promise. To be honest, bloggers: I've had a shitty day. Being in grad school sucks the big one and my motivation is draining, quickly. I know that I will not be able to blog every day, and most likely will not hit my goal of 5x/wk either, but bear with me. I do have some awesome stuff to blog about, so let's get to it!

Friday night I hosted a Pure Romance party! My bestie, Liv, is a consultant and is really taking off. I had a small group of my lady-friends over and we had an absolute blast. Here's what I made for munchies:

Black Bean Hummus

1 can of black beans, some liquid reserved

1 massive spoonful of tahini

1/2 jalepeno, diced

garlic powder, paprika to taste

Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor until perfect consistency is reached (add bean liquid a little at a time)

Raspberry Agave Mustard Dip

1/2 cup of raspberries (thaw if frozen, and drain most of the liquid)

3/4 cup of dijon mustard

2-3 T of agave nectar

Blend in a food processor until just right (taste test required!)

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip

1/2 c dark chocolate peanut butter (or plain PB w/ melted chocolate chips)

3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk

Heat up peanut butter with a few splashes of the almond milk. Stir rapidly and continue folding in more almond milk until a thick, yet creamy, consistency is reached.

Add about 5 bottles of vino to this picture and you have a full picture of our night!

In other news: I discovered some unsettling news today, which put me into an even pissier mood than my homework did. Remember the all-vegan restaurant, VegiTerranean, which I wrote about in my last blog post, and countless more? Well, they closed their doors today without warning. That's it, gone, finished. Chrissie Hynde, the owner, released a statement which implicated the economy as the reason they closed, but I have my doubts. And I'll leave it at that. Such a shame to see a restaurant go under which served such amazing food. And now Akron is again a vegan wasteland.

Would someone like to be my pro bono vegan personal chef? Just until these classes are over in a few weeks... I'm now accepting applications! :D

Anniversary Dinner and Vegan MoFo Prep!

2011-09-20T22:57:00.004-04:00

Hello, bloggers! There has been much afoot in the life of this vegan nom-er. Work, night classes, doggie, personal care, something of a social life, and trying to incorporate more cooking into my weeks. This past weekend I was fortunate enough to sit back and enjoy my sweetie and my 18 month anniversary. On Friday we traveled to Dave & Busters and blew too much money on arcade games - it was a blast. Saturday was our dinner date at the oh-so-fantastical VegiTerranean, Chrissie Hynde's hometown vegan joint.

I ordered the Tuscan Gnocchi, which hasn't been on the menu in a few rotations, but I still convince the kitchen staff to work their magic and bring it back to life. Tender gnocchi in a vodka cream sauce with artichokes, wild mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and basil. I ate this entire plate and could have eaten more easily. This plate is always delicious and highly recommended!

Oh, and an espresso martini, of course.

My handsome man (isn't he handsome? Holy crap, right?) ordered his favorite staple: spaghettini with marinara and "meat"balls. The meatballs appear to be made from Gardein product and are a lovely, spicy accompaniment to this dish. Pleases this omni every time. :)

A sexy shot of one of the lunch must-haves, which I ordered after I returned from VVC one day (it felt so comfortable being in an all-vegan restaurant, I couldn't stay away!): the Rubber City melt. Gardein chik'n on ciabatta with roasted tomatoes, grilled onions, Daiya, arugala, and a fabulous aioli.

Hopefully relishing in all of this vegan food will continue to pump me up for Vegan MoFo 2011!! Only just over a week away, this "month of food" will surely prove to be the best yet. The word is spreading all over the blogger community and my blog list is about to freakin' pop. I have started creating a list of ideas for posts which ranges from day to day veganism, personal care and balance, veganizing odd recipes from omni cookbooks, cooking on a tight schedule/portable foods, and everything in between. Let's get those creative juices whirling away in our VitaMix's, folks - it's MOFO TIME!

My Bestie's Wedding!

2011-09-13T22:34:00.004-04:00

I am a woman of many besties and have had the privilege of attending two of their weddings. A few weekends ago my friend and work-PIC married the love of her life in a beautiful ceremony which merged her Middle Eastern heritage with her husband's Chilean culture. The gowns were immaculate, the families were full of smiles, and the reception was much-anticipated!

Cocktail hour was held in a space perfect for mingling and noshing on fare not typical of your everyday American wedding. Prepared fresh was some of the best hummus I have tasted - a family recipe, no doubt - paired with a delectable assortment of olives. The kalamatas were absolutely divine... and I usually shy away from the briney bits. I also loved how the breads presented for dipping were pita and tortilla, reflecting the unity of their traditions.

The reception was held in a bright, newly refurbished hall and was decorated to the rafters! The colors she chose were purple, orange, and yellow for most of the accents and, even though one might not think the colors complement one another, it worked magically.

Yet the real magic was in the details. A camel ice sculpture?! Hell yes. There was also a candy bar where the guests could fill bags to the brim with their selections of various sweets.

When the bridal party entered the reception hall to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" I knew this wasn't going to be an ordinary celebration. Yet the real party started when the bride and groom arrived, ushered in by large drums and fast-paced Arabic music. The couple was thrust into the air on chairs by the throngs of family and friends who circled them, followed by their parents. The room was full of clapping and amazement - surely I hadn't seen anything like it!

The bride, being the fantastically compassionate and supportive friend that she is (and who recently went vegetarian, cheers!), requested that the catering staff prepare a special vegan plate for me. I was so touched! And look, I got REAL food! Behold, a stuffed pepper packed with rice, tomatoes and the perfect amount of seasoning, steamed vegetables, and superb roasted potatoes.

We couldn't fake those smiles if we tried. The night was really spectacular, accompanied by great company and a permeating sense of love and joy for the new couple, our friends.

Vida Vegan Con '11 - Day Three & Four

2011-09-11T21:16:00.008-04:00

Yes, I know, what a late post-er I am. Well, being back in the swing of things with work, classes, and apartment-care, I've had little time to dedicate to blogging. Also, honestly, there's some finality to posting about the final events of VVC... Nonetheless, here's a quick recap of the last two days of the event!

Saturday, the first official day of the event, began with a beautiful buffet of vegan foods. I piled my plate high BECAUSE I FREAKING COULD. And I ate every last bite BECAUSE I FREAKING COULD. Here we see pancakes (om nom), tofu scramble, biscuits & gravy, potatoes, watermelon, chia pudding, and some strawberries. I could have eaten three more plates of the pancakes and potatoes, yet the scramble was really saved by the gravy. Amber of Almost Vegan posted about the spread in much more detail!

My morning began with the Build-A-Blog panel. I had caused myself a great deal of stress regarding whether or not I wanted to sign up to attend the photography workshop or not, yet I thought that, as an amateur blogger, I would have a lot to learn from attending the former. And I do not regret my decision! It was very informative (I have a stats page?!??!) and the panelists were just fantastic - Bianca of Vegan Crunk, Amey of Vegan Eats & Treats, and Sherri of Vegan Nosh.

Then was the nutrition panel, moderated by Grant Butler of The Oregonian (who did a spectacular job), which was quite fascinating. There was more knowledge and resources shared than I had expected and I am glad I attended.

I hurried down to the Vegan Battle Royale and, I must say, this was one of my favorite moments of the entire weekend. Hosted by Mo of Mo Betta Vegan, Amey, and Kittie of Cake Maker to the Stars, the event was fast-paced and jam-packed with all sorts of goodies. Almost immediately I was selected for "audience trivia" and won a copy of Becoming Vegan! As the teams were subsequently selected I thought for sure I would be an observer... but no, I was the very last name called and joined Team Vegan with a Shotgun. We went head to head with our opponents, answering blog and food trivia, taste testing and naming ingredients, and accepting dares. Our challenge was interspersed with more audience trivia and inadvertent moderation by Miss Isa herself. When it came down to it, our team was the runner-up, but we still walked away with a swag bag full of Newman's Own goodies, Tribe hummus coupons, and more! (If you're FB friends with the PPK, check out their photos of the event online!)

All that concentration and badassery of the Battle had me work up an appetite, despite my monstrous breakfast. The buffet featured an American picnic style spread with BBQ tempeh, massaged kale salad, squash noodle salad, orzo salad, raw purple cauliflower hummus with raw veggies, and some bomb potato salad. I don't think I was able to finish my plate this time...

After lunch I headed to the Small Town, Represent! panel. Living in Akron, Ohio, it was the place for me to be! The Omaha vegans were featured on the panel, providing insight and tales of the beginnings of the vegan community in their town. This panel was very well attended and could have easily went way over the scheduled time; the audience had some excellent questions and suggestions.

Closing out the workshops for the day was Planting Seeds of Compassion: Communication as Activism with speaker Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. I don't even know where to begin to summarize my experience hearing her speech. Her passion and intensity is only matched by her wit. I teared up, I became hopeful, and I reflected on the realization of my own role in representing the vegan cause. If someone has a link to a video of her speech, please let me know! I want to share it with the world.

Everyone headed on back to the dorms/hotel rooms to get fancy for the Galarama held across town. There was a line to check-in, a line to get drinks, a line to get food - but I didn't mind! We immediately jumped in the food line out of worry that they would run out... and they did. Pizza, spring rolles, and lettuce wraps were out by the time we got up there. I loaded my tiny plate with Gardein chik'n tenders (FAVE), spinach-artichoke dip, and zen sliders. We hopped back in line once Sizzle Pie delivered about 25 more pizzas (yum!) and I ate even more chik'n tenders.

We boogied and watched over our bids at the silent auction (I walked away with a beautiful brown purse and almost everyone in my crew took with them their favorite bids), sipping on cocktails and jumping in line for...

The Coconut Bliss sundae bar! Total heaven. After posing for our flipbooks and rubbing our food baby bellies we walked over to Food Fight! for the Upton Natural's pop-up sammy shop! Having already ingested a great deal of awesome, a group of us split two sammies. We sat on the curb outside and passed around a BLT and a delightful eggplant focaccia and mustered up some energy to head over to Hungry Tiger Too for some super-late-night drinks... and more food! I shared bites of corndog, tots, and their butternut wontons.

Not wanting to wait around another 40 minutes for the bus and not wanting to fork over the dough for a cab, we decided to walk the 3 or 4 miles back to the dorms in our dresses, hauling our goodies. The night was perfect... it was clear and the temperature was just right. As we passed over the river, I had to capture the glass quality of the water and peacefulness of the city at night. These are the moments I'll remember most fondly.

After crashing around 2am, I somehow was able to drag my ass out of bed to get ready for Day 2. Since my roomie and I were going to check back into the hotel that night, we had to pack up our things. This is my haul, folks... swag, purchases, and winnings! I can't even go into great detail about what I brought home because it will make my head explode, but I can guarantee that I walked away with some seriously awesome shit!

Breakfast for Day 2, same as Day 1, except I was able to control myself. Kind of.

Budgeting and Meal Planning was the first workshop of the day, with Mo and The Spicy Vegan hosted - and it was the most informative experience yet! I scribbled madly all of their tips and shortcuts, reviving my commitment to stop wasting food and to put forth more effort into planning what I buy at the grocery store.

Isa's Writer's Block workshop was next. We gathered in a circle and left our hang-ups at the door as we were prompted to write and then fine-tune short paragraphs on the spot. The experience was wonderful, yet the time flew by too quickly. Luckily, we decided to gather e-mail addresses and Isa ended up creating a FB group for the attendees of the workshop to grow connections with each other and maximize our skills as writers.

Mexican themed lunch! Soy curls, raw walnut taco meat (B-O-M-B), rice, salsa, pepperjack Daiya, guac, and the best vegan queso ever... I had a happy tummy. This was followed by the leftover Coconut Bliss ice cream from the Gala - I had two servings.

This nearly caused a food coma in the middle of the Publishing Panel and Opinionated Bloggers workshops, although I pulled through! The closing address was gut-wrenching and satisfying at the same time... I was so eager to fast forward to the next event and for time to sloooooow down so I could relish in the rest of my trip.

The crew gathered at the all-vegan bar Bye and Bye for our farewell dinner and camaraderie.

We couldn't even fit at one table! The Bye and Bye is a very comfortable and laid-back establishment with an open space inside the bar and two patios for enjoying the modest weather.

I ordered their signature drink... and cannot find the exact description online, but remember there being citrus and ginger beer with cranberry juice. Very different and very tasty!

I was in the mood for creamy comfort food, and man, did they deliver. This is the Eastern Bowl: brown rice, steamed broccoli, baked tofu covered in nooch, with a spicy peanut sauce. So simple, yet astounding! I have already replicated this at home and will post the recipe soon. P.S. Yes, I ate this entire god damned thing.

Saying good bye to spectacular new friends... Taylor and Becca.

Jared!

Dawn!

Look at this group of gorgeous vegans... :)

Couldn't leave without capturing this epic shot of Bianca's and my vegan wrist ink! Represent! She has a fantastic recap of the night on her blog.

The next morning I meandered over to Vita Cafe for breakfast on my way to the airport. After a night of heavy drinking and fun I needed some serious fuel. French toast, tempeh bacon, and tatoes!

Ran into Amey as I waited for my cab! Vegans, vegans, everywhere!

As I reflected on my trip and felt grateful that the rain waited until the day I left... I couldn't help but to feel an overwhelming sense of longing to continue this journey with new friends and those I did not have the privilege of meeting at the conference. The entire weekend was filled with great fun, AMAZING food, and this indescribable sense of community which I have never felt before. How can people from all over the country (and the globe!) who have mostly never met one another become so connected so quickly? It was like meeting someone new but starting as if we were already years into our friendship. I cannot wait for 2013 and intend on keeping up with the beautiful people I met.

Vida Vegan!

Vida Vegan Con '11 - Day Two

2011-09-04T22:33:00.008-04:00

My second day in PDX started off early - I had a lot of touristy stuff to get done. My breakfast was my remaining Oreo creme doughnut from Voodoo Doughnuts the day before. I packed my things up and hit the bus line.

My first stop was Powell's books, a gigantic bookstore in the heart of downtown Portland. This place is nerd heaven, floors and floors of books on any subject you could muster. I spent a good portion of my time searching for the perfect souvenir to bring home to my trader boyfriend (3 huge shelves of stock/trading books = crossing my fingers and hoping he would like what this non-trader lady chose). I also picked out a book for myself in the Feminist Studies section.

After taming my inner bookworm, I hopped on another bus up to Washington Park to visit the Japanese Gardens, which claim to be of the most authentic gardens outside of the islands of Japan. This Friday was wonderfully bright and sunny, allowing for lovely reflections off of the gardens' many ponds, streams, and fountains. This is what I want my backyard to look like.

The gardens were tranquil and calm, just what this lone traveler needed. I enjoyed searching for the details in each nook and cranny of the park, finding interesting stone work and tracking down hidden waterfalls.

Near the end of my self-guided tour I found a spot overlooking the city. My heart swelled as I took in the image - how could I love a city so much, only having visited it twice? Portland, one day you will be my home.

My travels built up quite the appetite as I waited impatiently at Hungry Tiger Too, a bar/restaurant with its own extensive vegan menu. A must-see on the PDX vegan food tour! I was very much in the mood for a salty BLT with creamy mayo & avocado - and the sweet potato fries? Crispy and hot, absolute perfection.

A few blocks away from Hungry Tiger Too is the "vegan mini mall" on SE Stark. Here you will find Sweetpea Bakery, Herbivore Clothing, Food Fight! Vegan Grocery Store, and Scapegoat Tattoo. I spent way too much money at Herbivore on a kickass purple logo hoodie, a metal logo necklace, t-shirt reading "Eat Like You Give a Damn", and a bunch of buttons and pins. I wish I had an unlimited budget, though, what incredible and hilarious messages some of the shirts read. At Food Fight I gathered some chocolates (can anyone say Cleo's peanut butter cups and Snap rice crispy chocolate bars?!), stickers (one reading "Vegan Means I'm Trying to Suck Less"), and a bunch of lip balms. After grabbing an iced latte at Sweetpea - my gas gauge was creeping toward "E" - I hopped on the bus to my next destination.

I rushed to meet my artist at Skeleton Key Tattoo for my afternoon appointment! They were offering a 15% discount for VVC registrants to get some vegan ink and I simply could not pass it up. I had known for some time that I wanted this symbol somewhere on my body, and finally decided on my wrist. My artist, Levi, was very helpful in perfecting the graphic and expertly inking it on my surprisingly still arm. I am so pleased with this tattoo - it is healing nicely and I can't wait to post an "after" shot.

After bandaging me up, my artist let me on my way and I rushed back to the conference to officially register. Hauling my luggage and kickass swag bag over to the dorms, I was excited to be stationary for a few hours. I met my roommate as I arrived, Samantha of SuperVegan, who turned out to be a great match - down to Earth and very sweet. We walked over to the VegNews Champagne and Cupcake reception. Alas, I did not have a cupcake (my latte gave me a sugar rush!), but did have a glass of bubbly.

I'm sure you recognize these fine ladies? I sheepishly asked for a photo with the lovely icons of vegan cookbook heaven, Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. So nervous!

Also, Gena Hamshaw of Choosing Raw! I admire Gena so deeply for her voice in the vegan community regarding ED recovery and was pleased that my nerves allowed me to inform her of this - although her open and inviting demeanor definitely helped! What an honor.

After the reception the crew headed out to Tube, a vegetarian bar featuring classic comfort food, which I ordered in the form of a vegan grilled cheese. Pardon the quick, flashy photo, but I had mustered up an appetite again! I enjoyed hanging with some incredible folks: Dawn of Vegan Moxie, Jared of blog-to-come, Brit (@Brit_on_Twit), Kyle of Vegan Vagrant, Taylor of Hot Piece of Class, Becca (bekks253), Bianca of Vegan Crunk and her partner Paul, Amber of Almost Vegan and her partner Matt, and Erin of Vegan Homemade. Some karaoke-ing took place after noshing at a bar nearby to the dorms, although I was a walking zombie at that point and decided to get some shut-eye in preparation for the official conference activities the next day.

And shut-eye is sounding very appealing to me now, as well, so I will catch you folks later with more VVC updates!

Vida Vegan Con '11 - Day One

2011-09-02T19:40:00.007-04:00

That's right, folks, the Disneyland for vegans (Portland, OR) hosted the first Vida Vegan Conference last week and I feel very honored to say I was among the group of bloggers and friends who attended. I was practically bouncing in my seat as my plane started to descend over the mountainous terrain surrounding the metropolitan vegan mecca. After almost 8 hours of flying/airport hopping I was ready to get my vacation started! I was among many taking pictures of the incredible angle of Mt. Hood as we approached...

If you don't know me well, let me clue you in on somethin': I am Type A/OCD to the core. In the weeks before my trip I made sure to circle the VVC Facebook like a hawk and swooped in on every link posted and t-shirt opportunity presented. When the lovely and tireless organizers posted the schedule of the workshops, I took at least an hour and decided which ones I would attend and then programmed them into my iPhone calendar. I researched restaurants and must-see spots for hours and made rudimentary itineraries for each of the days I would be in town.

I take this shit seriously!

But where to dine FIRST? I had a very hard time choosing between restaurants fairly close to the hotel/on the way from the airport and narrowed it down to DC Vegetarian, Homegrown Smoker, and Native Bowl. The first two carts offer more sinful fare in the form of huge sloppy-creamy sammiches and down-home BBQ, mac, and greens. I decided that if I wanted to be able to wobble around the city for the rest of the afternoon I should probably search for something a little lighter, yet just as satisfying...

Enter Native Bowl, a hip little cart in the NE region of the city, owned by the lovely Julie Hasson. My stomach rumbled impatiently as I sat on the MAX and soaked up the sights of the city. I definitely made the right choice. Pictured here is the Mississippi Bowl and a vanilla rooibos tea.

How is it that I managed to consume my favorite meal of the entire trip in my first few hours? This perfectly portioned bowl from top to bottom included: jasmine rice, peppercorn ranch, BBQ sauce, the best BBQ soy curls, a tangy slaw, and scallions. I must've been a sight during my lunch - I practically inhaled this bowl! And I kid not when I say that I have been daydreaming about it ever since.

Having an insatiable sweet tooth, I knew that if I put off the mandatory visit to Voodoo Doughnuts (vegan yeasted, baby!), I would not be able to forgive myself in my lifetime. Arriving at 1:30 or so in the afternoon, there was still a line with a wait of 15 minutes wrapped around the store. Even in the heat of the glaring sun I stood for my first doughnut confection in over three years. The shop sells a wide selection of doughnuts with a few shelves in their spinning case dedicated just to their vegan selections.

I simply HAD to have a classic glazed, although the maple creme bar and Oreo creme glazed were flirty little bitches and I had to have them, too. I ate all but the Oreo creme on a bench nearby and made noises reminiscent of those old Herbal Essences commercials with not a care. These were fantabulous and I'm working on a pitch to have them consider opening up a shop in AK-rowdy. Suggestions?

After my sugar coma set in, I fetched a pint at the bar across the street and sat in the shade, watching the city speed by. It was so serene watching hipsters and families of four walk by, seeing 2 bikes for every car, and making wild guesses at how much the rent in the lofts across the street might cost... the magic was really setting in!

As 3:00 approached I made my way back to the bus line so that I could check into the hotel. After a nice, cleansing shower and micronap I prepared myself for the Meet & Greet at Vendetta, where all of the VVC registrants and their partners/friends who were in town early gathered before the Vegucated premiere.

At the bus stop I met up with a small group of other eager bloggers and made my first connections of the con. Some lovely ladies, indeed! After a few rather strong (and cheap!) cocktails and nervous, flitting stares at my favorite bloggers and authors we headed down to the Curious Comedy Theatre to enjoy the show.

Vegucated is a documentary-style film following around 3 New Yorkers who decide to go vegan for 6 weeks with the guidance of the film's creator, Marisa. The film was done incredibly well; the introduction was creative and funny, the participants were brave and genuine, their journey was heartbreaking and inspiring. I laughed, I cried, my heart swelled. I would recommend Vegucated for anyone who is vegan, vegetarian, veg-curious, omnivorous, or a die-hard carnivore. It can be guaranteed that anyone with a heart beating in their chest will walk away from the film with something personally valuable.

At the event was renowned vegan bodybuilder, Robert Cheeke, who was very energetic and approachable. P.S. Here's a sneak peak of him busting a move at the Galarama/Silent Auction, to-be-covered soon!

After the premiere a large group of bloggers headed over to the Sweet Hereafter all-vegan bar in the SE district. Since I had not eaten since my doughnuts (eek!) I decided to order the "Steve Martin", a sammy with jerk-seasoned tofu, pineapple slices, greens, and a delightful creamy-spicy sauce. My pic turned out badly because of the sultry ambiance of the dimly lit patio, however I'll let your imagination run wild.

Turning in after a spectacular first day in the city, I looked forward to my next adventures. Stay tuned for more sight-seeing and the ins and outs of VVC 2011!

Countdown: 11 Days until VidaVeganCon!!

2011-08-14T21:52:00.003-04:00

Hello, all! Can you believe that VidaVeganCon is in less than 2 weeks?! For those of you going: I cannot WAIT to meet you! For those of you staying home: Do not fret! We will all post so many pictures of the event that it will feel as if you were right alongside us. :)

I have been checking the Facebook page constantly and jumping on every opportunity to sign up for the Vegucated screening, ordering the t-shirt, and signing up for Isa's Writer's Block workshop extra early! I can't believe it's right around the corner... XD

In the meantime, I have been whipping up some new and old dishes, as well as discovering some new and delicious products, restaurants, and cookbooks. Let's recap!

My old roommate had an abundance of basil growing in his garden and so I created this creamy basil alfredo sauce to top Earthfare's homemade vegan artichoke ravioli. I believe I used cashews, almond milk, basil, spinach, salt & garlic powder. Very fresh and tasty.

To satiate my sweet tooth: WholeSoy Vanilla Yogurt with maple-pecan granola and frozen raspberries. Oh, yeah.

These tasty cutlets are Sophie's Kitchen's Breaded Vegan Fish Fillets. Topped with a homemade tartar sauce (Vegenaise, sweet relish, lemon juice, and garlic powder), these bad boys really came out well. The texture was authentic of the fish patties that you might find at a fast food restaurant. Not bad! I'm looking forward to running into some vegan prawns at the grocery store next!

On the way to see A Perfect Circle (who were FUCKING AMAZING, btw!) my bestie Liv and I stopped at Flaming Ice Cube in Boardman. I have visited their Cleveland branch, but was happy to be able to stop by the original location. Here is Liv's "pizza burger" - a homemade patty topped with Daiya mozzarella and marinara. Plus, some of their yummy macaroni salad on the side.

I ordered a chocolate mint soy iced latte to accompany my Mediterranean Panini. This wonderful sammy consisted of a creamy artichoke spread (I'm guessing with a cream cheese base), roasted red peppers, spinach, kalamata olives, tomato and onion, pressed to perfection. Definitely recommended!

Recently I purchased The Best Veggie Burgers On The Planet, LONG-awaited (we're talking years, folks!) and decided to start with some meatloaf burgers. With both TVP and wheat gluten, these protein powerhouses were quite tasty. Plus, after using my handy patty-maker, I turned out some massive burgers... This meal was rounded out with some steamed broccoli and peas as well as fresh farmer's market cherry tomatoes. Review? I just asked my bf what he thought of these burgers, made earlier this week, and he said "Fucking good, and if you keep talking about them I'm going to go eat one right now." :P

I also whipped up some "Denver omelet burgers" from the book. These are mighty fine! With a tofu and chickpea flour base, these are awesome post-workout breakfasts, especially topped with ketchup. Easy to heat up at 6:30 am after some strenuous exercise.

Mmm... a batch of my Creamy Miso Alfredo. I used some farmer's market chard and cherry tomatoes for this recipe. Nothing beats it if you want a hearty, creamy, carby meal to fill you up!

See you all soon! Bring on VIDAVEGANCON!!

A Vegan with Hyperlipidemia

2011-07-31T09:29:00.010-04:00

Yup. It happens. And I'm living proof. It all started at a health fair sponsored by my insurance company at work. They were offering to give us $75 to complete a simple health assessment (BMI, blood pressure, and testing blood for sugars and cholesterol). Imagine my surprise when my total cholesterol level came back as 273.

That's me, in the "High Risk" category. But how? All of my co-workers' eyes popped out of their heads. The vegan? High cholesterol? How?! After a crash-Google-course on the nature and origin of cholesterol, it appeared that the body creates up to 75% of cholesterol, while diet contributes to the remaining 25%. It looked like my genes were to blame.

But that just didn't make sense! Cholesterol was supposed to be something that overweight people dealt with - those who ate a surplus of steak and red meat and other artery-clogging animal products. I had been vegan for three years, how could this be? My efforts to eliminate cruelty-based foods from my diet was also supposed to ensure that I had excellent health, right? It just wasn't fair.

I followed up with my GP and it was verified that my cholesterol was at 279. My doctor told me that if I were obese I would be a ticking time bomb. Luckily, I have a heart-conscious diet and a low BMI on my side.

He wanted to start me on a statin. Both of my parents are on statins, one of whom reporting severe muscle problems due to the drugs. Like many vegans or other health-conscious people I wanted the least amount of pharmaceuticals pumped through my body. There had to be an alternative, right?

A co-worker recommended I look into red yeast rice extract. Couldn't hurt, could it? My doctor, being one to allow personal exploration and to humor me, allowed me to try more natural remedies for one month, and then my cholesterol would be tested again. So, I drove directly to a health store and purchased 30 days worth of red yeast rice extract.

Fast forward one month and I had my blood drawn once more. My cholesterol had dropped 50 points. My doctor was amazed and advised that I continue doing what I was doing and we'll do bloodwork again in three months. Phew!

So what is red yeast rice? It is an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (or, in other words, a statin). It does just what the Rx drugs would do, although I'm not pumping my body full of chemicals and risking the severe side effects that are almost commonplace with such medications. So, I continue to take my red yeast rice daily and await my next lipid test to see if my cholesterol has lowered even more.

I am also starting to take my physical fitness more seriously, as it can raise HDL levels (the "good" cholesterol), which can fight LDL levels (the "bad" cholesterol). With this also comes the revelation that just because I eat a pretty healthy diet doesn't mean that my body is as healthy as it could be. With my original bloodwork, which was ordered by my doctor, I also discovered that I have B12 (also hereditary) and Vitamin D deficiencies. I am taking an oral Vitamin D supplement and need B12 shots monthly because my body does not absorb it through my stomach the way it should (my mother is also receives these shots and she is an omni!).

Bottom line? You cannot underestimate the power of genetics on the way your body functions, even if you make the most conscious strides to control your diet and fitness. Do yourself a favor and get a full bloodwork work-up and just see where you might need help. You'll thank yourself down the line. And if you discover something a little unsettling? Don't worry, you have the fortitude to endure anything. And you're not alone!

Massive Food Porn Update!!

2011-05-22T21:04:00.004-04:00

Hello, all! Trying to get back into the swing of things with blogging. Good news x2: VegNews has issued an official apology for the use of non-vegan food photos. All is forgiven, as they have promised to use only vegan photos from here on out. Also, I'M MOVING!! :D I'm in the process of searching for an apartment and am so excited about having my own kitchen again and making tons of delicious summery fare! XD

So that's what ya'llz have to look forward to. To recap: let's start with the Akron Vegan Bake Sale for Japan. I may or may not have spent $30 on sweets... (hint: I did).

Cookies'n'cream cupcake = to DIE for. I bought two.

My pal Amy made homemade doggie biscuits! My pup loved these.

Delicous glazed doughnutty dragonfly thing. So sugary-delicious...

This is Gardein's new Ultimate Beefless Burger! Very "meaty" and kinda creepy... but tasty, nonetheless. If you're craving something that closely mimics the "real thing", go for this bad boy.

Had a hankering for spring rolls and lucky tracked down some vegan morsels at the local grocery. Dipped in sweet chili sauce with a side of creamy-spicy-slaw and some celery, this totes hit the spot.

My newest FAVORITE snack: Whole Soy vanilla yogurt with flax-pepita-hempseed granola. Unbelievable. I have a cup like this about every day.

Classic tempeh wingz with steamed broccoli. True comfort food!

Found some lacinato kale at the market and, although the leaves were kind of skinny-pathetic, they still made a mean kale chip. In love.

Picked up some spicy vegetable cutlets from the Indian grocery and was very pleased. Baked them up with some brussels and served them with ketchup (ha, authentic, I know). Lightly spiced with turmeric and other spices, these were very yummy.

Now for the most exciting pic, for it captures some of the deli-deliciousness of the new Earthfare market that opened up on the west side!! This place is like a mini-Whole Foods. Pictured here is mock chicken salad sammy, barbecued pulled "pork" sammy, and orzo with capers and sundried tomatoes in a creamy garlic sauce. Their deli has about 7-10 different vegan options at all times and they are always impressive! They have a ravioli bar with two vegan options and even sell vegan cookie dough balls for quick baking or face-smashing! I bought some maple creme cookies, as well! Can't wait to go back and spend another monstrous portion of my paycheck!

I'll update again soon with some more pix. Until then, bloggerinos! Oh yeah, and: Vida Vegan Con countdown is ON!!!!!

Despicable behavior: VegNews

2011-04-14T23:00:00.005-04:00

I hate to blog for the first time in weeks about such a treacherous act, but... here it is: VegNews has been using stock photos of real meat, dairy, and eggs in its magazines and online articles for years. I've sent the following message to them, and I encourage all of you to make your opinion known as well:

This is a warning that you are on the brink of losing a significant portion of your customer base. Because of your actions of betrayal by portraying meat, dairy, and egg products in your magazine and online articles through istockphotos, your integrity is in serious question. This was brought to my attention by a faithful and renowned blogger:

http://www.quarrygirl.com/2011/04/13/rant-veg-news-is-putting-the-meat-into-vegan-issues/

I will no longer be purchasing your magazines and am unsubscribing from your blogs until this issue is publicly addressed and an apology is issued. I see this as morally reprehensible, especially when considering how your magazine used to be a safe haven away from the barrage of omnivorous cruelty in the world.

And the fact that you are purposefully and suspiciously hiding others' comments which have brought this to your attention is despicable.

Make this right.

I'll end this post with a picture of something actually vegan:

Now that's what vegan food looks like! NOM.

Update:

VegNews has issued a response. I'm not so sure I'm convinced. And I didn't see an apology anywhere in there. I know how betrayed by my own body I sometimes feel when I salivate at certain advertisements or smells - it's just a shame that I had assumed I could drool while reading VegNews and be completely guilt-free, liberated even. What pisses me off the most is that at first they tried to hide their actions. I can grasp the idea of having to budget money, although it is imperative that they be up front with their customers, as that is what us vegans are encouraging other companies to do about their ingredients and so forth. *sigh*

Akron Bake Sale for Japan

2011-03-20T20:01:00.004-04:00

Happy Spring, all! Isn't it refreshing to see some green popping up and hear some birds returning to roost? It's been in the 50's and even hit the 60's this week, although I hear we're gonna get some snow later in the week. Nevertheless - sunny days are ahead!

This week I was contacted by a fellow, local vegan who asked me to blog about a very special event: The Akron Vegan Bake Sale for Japan. Much like the successful bake sale for Haiti last year (which raised $1,647!!), this event will be held at the famed VegiTerranean vegan establishment downtown.

It will take place on Saturday, April 2nd from 11am-4pm. There's a list of promised goodies on the site from all sorts of local businesses, bakeries, and compassionate cooks, all of which make my sweet tooth yearn: pb chocolate rice krispie treats, passion fruit cheesecake, truffles - hello?!

The sale will benefit Direct Relief International and The Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support Collaboration. The latter is an effort put into place by three no-kill shelters as well as numerous volunteers who transport, medically treat, and rehome animals in Japan affected by this unfortunate natural disaster.

So, if you live in NE Ohio, please come by The VegiTerranean on Saturday, April 2nd from 11am-4pm and grab some goodies to support a wonderful and noble cause.

Delicious Noms on the GO!

2011-03-05T14:48:00.006-05:00

Yup. Still haven't reignited the passion between myself and the kitchen. Very busy with work and school, and I have a third 8-wk class starting up this week. So a lot of my food has been predictable. But I do have some highlights to report!!

Look at this beauty! A lovely vegan birthday cake for two of my co-workers. Each month someone on our team has a birthday we celebrate with cake during one of our team meetings. I took on the task of picking up the cake and, god damnit, it sure as hell was gonna be vegan. The only place in the Akron area which I know can veganize a cake is West Side Bakery, which provides most of the desserts for our local vegan sensation, VegiTerranean. This right here is a yellow cake with raspberry buttercream filling and chocolate buttercream frosting. OMG. This was the best cake I have ever had. SO unbelievably moist and sweet - it literally melted in my mouth. Although bakery prices are not in our budget to provide this delicacy every month, I would love to have an excuse to pick one of these up again!

Another surprising find - "ham" salad sandwich from Ms. Julie's Kitchen. I've blogged about this place before - it's such a diamond in the rough! Her menu changes almost daily and is always stocked with delectable vegan dishes which she creates from scratch, using fresh local farmer's market ingredients. The "ham" salad here is comprised of carrot and beet pulp leftover from juicing. Slathered with Vegenaise and served on toasted spelt bread, this sammy was filling, tangy, and surprisingly tasty. I've already ordered it twice!

Oh, Amy's. I've seen this entree in many a grocer's freezer but never took a chance on it. The other day I brought it to work for lunch and it was the perfect comfort food for a gray, cold Ohio day. The gravy is sweet and tomato-y and the loaf is made with lentils - so yummy. I would definitely purchase this again.

Crappy pic, I know. But when you're out on the town for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner date at VegiTerranean with your sweetie, a flash camera just doesn't cut it. This is the Gardein Chicken Piccata: chicken scallopini sauteed with a lemon white wine caper soy butter sauce, served with braised greens and rosemary white bean mashed potato. Fantastic!

This was made a little while ago as an afternoon snack. Gena's delicious ranch dressing paired with some veggies for dipping. I can't find the recipe on the site anymore, although would recommend making this dressing. I would cut the vinegar content a little, but that's just my preference.

And, simply because:

Blogger ABCs:

A. Age: 24

B. Bed size: Full

C. Chore you hate: Cleaning the bathtub - never an easy/safe angle to scrub!

D. Dogs: The love of my life, my squeebly-deebly baby booger butt: Dorian.

E. Essential start to your day: Green tea

F. Favorite color: Purple, Green, Brown, Silver, Black

G. Gold or silver: Silver, mos def

H. Height: 5’7”

I. Instruments you play: Violin

J. Job title: Intensive Treatment Services Specialist II

K. Kids: Oh christ, no thanks

L. Live: Ak-rowdy

M. Mom’s name: Barb

N. Nicknames: Sometimes my last name, Stosch (don't ask), Doodle (my dad), Slots (my mom), Kate the Skate (both 'rents), Miss Katie, Katie Lady

O. Overnight hospital stays: None that I can think of, thank goodness

P. Pet peeve: BAD GRAMMAR or spelling. Not doing your fucking job, lol. Being out of the loop. I find other random things annoying, as well.

Q. Quote from a movie: The bf made me watch Major Payne a few weeks ago and I lost it at: "If you want sympathy look in the dictionary between shit and syphillis." I am a quote machine.

R. Right or left handed: Right

S. Siblings: Li'l bro, Al

T. Time you wake up: Well, the alarm goes off at 6:05, but I don't actually drag my ass out of bed for another 40 minutes

U. Underwear: Yes. I wear this.

V. Vegetables you dislike: Cooked celery (ew), extremely bitter greens (bok choy is nasty), parsnips are fuckin' foul.

W. What makes you run late: Just about everything, ha... I used to be very punctual, but I run about 5 minutes late on the reg now

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Dental, foot... think that's it

Y. Yummy food you make: Delicious vegan food of convenience

Z. Zoo- favorite animal: Back when I visited zoos, I always enjoyed the jellyfish exhibits

Noms of Lazy

2011-02-06T19:14:00.003-05:00

Ugh. These past few weeks have been despicable in terms of blog-worthy eats. I've eaten many delicious things, although they have been very convenience-based and not very creative. I am forcing myself to eat more fresh foods and spend more time cooking dishes myself (that starts tomorrow, btw). These early months just fuckin' kill me. Lazy, mildly depressed, unmotivated, exhausted... yuck. Here are some of the yummy things that I have eaten recently, but did not make myself. :)

Tempeh reubenz!! Mmm. Olivia made rye bread and sauteed up some tempeh to make this crowd-pleasing sammich. She also whipped up a tangy thousand island dressing and homemade wedge fries. Top these babies with some saurkraut and we were in business. Carby and fantastic.

Ikea fuel!!!!!!!!!! My mom and I stopped at Moe's a few weekends ago to fuel up for a trip to Ikea in Pittsburgh. This bowl has rice, all kinds of veggies, beans, salsa, guacamole, and seasoned tofu. Not bad, but I think I still prefer Chipotle.

Yeeeah, buddy. VegiTerranean with my friend Manda. She ordered the truffled wild mushrooms and caramelized cippolini bruschetta with herbed cashew cheese and Daiya.

I started out with the butternut squash soup with apple cider gastrique. Phenomenal! The apple cider flavor lends just a hint of tangy-fruity wonder to this already tasty soup.

Omfg. Fresh spinach fettucini with wild mushrooms and roasted artichoke madeira thyme cashew cream sauce. This is fucking sinful. SO creamy, SO melt-in-your-mouth delicous... I would order this again in a heartbeat. Five million stars.

If I could cook like this at home, we wouldn't have a problem! What do you do to stay motivated during the winter months to maintain kitchen enthusiasm?

Eating Vegan in NE Ohio

2011-01-01T20:01:00.005-05:00

Hmm, so I'm curious: What do you think of when you hear the word "Ohio"? Farm country? Endless fields of corn? The Amish? Well, you'd be right for a large portion of the state. However, in urban areas we are quite civilized and modern. With distinct niches for veg-friendly, hippie communities. I live in Akron, which is in the northeast, about 40 minutes south of Cleveland. We have our own hippie/hipster area called Highland Square, on the West side, which is a community of restaurants, hipster bars and a swanky gay bar, local artistry and a tattoo shop, a library, an old-ass theatre, and tons of old fashioned apartments and homes which are quite beautiful. I lived there for a few years and miss it dearly (I'm on the East side now... sigh). Whenever I have the opportunity, however, to branch out and discover other vegan-friendly nooks and crannies of the state I get very excited and venture forth. On New Year's Eve Eve my friend Candace and I took a trip up to Cleveland to visit The Flaming Ice Cube, which is a smaller location of their main restaurant/shoppe in Boardman.

The best damn green tea w/ agave I've ever sampled.

My buddy got the Sunshine Salad: mixed greens topped with dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, green onion, seasonal fresh fruit, and toasted almonds w/ blueberry pomegranate vinaigrette and lemon tahini dressing. Yum!

My dish was the Chickenless Salad and Bacuns Wrap: (tempeh based) chickenless salad, bacuns, romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and green onion on a garlic herb wrap. With their veggie side of the day: a black bean and corn salsa which was to die for! I think I'd branch out and try something different should I visit again, although this was very fresh and light (assuming you only eat 1/2 of this MASSIVE wrap and have my monster appetite).

What's a vegan to eat when she's craving some carb-heavy Italian fare? My dad, brother, and I love to visit Giuseppe's in Northfield, a family owned ristorante which is quaint and has a very authentic menu (meaning heavily meat and cream/cheese based). Yet, there is always a vegan appetizer and a few entrees, as well as an understanding chef who is willing to personalize. Here we see the fresh tomato bruschetta. Crunchy bread, soft tomatoes, strong garlic - awesome. Oh, and they serve fresh baked bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping, as well. Bomb!

Kickass dish which I tweaked from the menu: cappellini with asparagus, onions, and artichokes in a fresh marinara sauce. Very light sauce, crisp veggies, melt-in-your-mouth pasta. This was a fantastic dish.

And I'm sure if you've been reading my blog you've seen me post about Akron's saving grace: VegiTerranean, our vegan restaurant owned by our local veg-activist Chrissie Hynde. Pictured here are samples of their new soups: butternut squash with apple cider vinegar reduction and cream of broccoli topped with cheddar-style Daiya. This place is a diamond in the rough terrain of golden arches, steak houses, and chain restaurants. I patronize it as often as my pocketbook will allow. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, yo!

If, for any reason you are driving through the Akron area or are visiting Cleveland for our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (um, why else would you go, honestly?), check out Happy Cow or Yeah, That "Vegan" Shit's blog - our local Lindy Loo has a separate blog for Cleveland Vegans who like to eat food: Vegan*In*Cleveland, which is mighty helpful.

Local vegan dining, FTW!

Happy Holidays, all.

2010-12-27T19:07:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! I have a lot to share from a truly splendid holiday. As per tradition, my family meets at my mom's house every year on X-mas Eve and there is wine, food, wine, games, wine, laughter, wine, gifts, and wine. It is awesome. Last year my mother and I spent a day making peppermint almond butter, cinnamon glazed almonds, and fudge for our relatives. This year I took on my own baking adventure and made a bunch of yummy treats to give out. Shall we start?

Big Lots Christmas tins, baby! Adorable.

This and more kept me in the kitchen for 4.5 hours: S'mores bars, vegan fudge, and cranberry pecan cookies. I had leftovers of all of these and, lemme tell ya, the S'mores bars are fantastic! I used up a container of Ricemellow that was sitting in my cupboard for these... so sinful.

WTF?! Homemade vegan baklava, baby. My dad saw me munching on a piece on X-mas Eve and protested - until I told him I made them, haha. :) This was a hell of a lot of work to make - but my OCD mind appreciated it very much once I got into a pattern of layering, buttering, spreading, repeating. I didn't use the full amount of syrup called for in the recipe, but if you are going to give it a try - do so! I like my baklava sweet, damnit. These were so sticky-delicious, can't wait for another excuse to make them.

Some of the vegan-friendly spread, buffet-style for the holiday: I made spinach dip according to the classic Knorr vegetable dip packet recipe. The omnis never knew. ;)

Mmm, authentic hummus from the Middle Eastern market. My mom's fave! Very lemony and very good.

BROCCOLI FUCKING SALAD. You know my love affair for this dish... we have been apart for so long. Passion: reignited. *rawr*

My (first) plate, w/ some raw veggies and olives. Happy KT!

Oh yeah... Christmas Day dinner with the fam. My mom made an omni lasagna plus helped me make a deconstructed vegan version. I mixed in about a cup & a half of cashew cream (with lemon juice and nooch) with a jar of garlicky sauce, sauteed veggies, and spaghetti. Topped with pine nuts and pepper and NOM!

What a fabulous holiday. I had such an excellent time and hope all of you had the same. Now go drink some vegan cocoa. :D

What I do on Sundays

2010-12-08T22:02:00.007-05:00

Well, good evening, bloggers. We're almost a third of the way through December and I haven't posted since Thanksgiving. Hey - I got much farther through this year's MoFo than last year's! What you have to look forward to this month: a vegan potluck, a non-vegan work potluck, review/recipe making from Becoming Raw, and holiday eats & treats. Yay!

In the meantime, let's talk about Sundays. I love Sundays. I get to sleep in, wear a hoodie and sweats all day, leisurely do dishes or perform other housework chores just so I can look around at the end of the day and go "fuck yeah", and... I cook! It's about the only day of the week that my kitchen sees over 15 minutes of me. I like preparing a big dish to serve as lunch for the work week, plus a little something here and there should I feel motivated enough. Shall we begin?

Lindsay's Super Easy Enchiladas! I had high hopes for this dish, alas... I discovered I had pitched my measly bag of quinoa during my move. Luckily, I had leftover lentils and subbed those out. If I were to make these again I would: double the sauce and use some of it in the filling. There really wasn't enough at all and my reheated lunches were very dry and some bites were decidedly unpalatable. I would also add a cheeze sauce in the filling instead of Daiya shreds... they didn't melt on the inside - they hardened. Ick. But I smothered each serving in Sour Supreme and all was well. Oh, and I used brown rice tortillas... um, wtf. They broke apart when I folded them. Uncool. Although they did lend a nice nutty flavor. A dish with definite potential.

Mmm. TLT, spicy-noochy kale chips, and cupcaaaaaaaaaaaaakes!!

I made these babies for my baby's birthday. Pumpkin cupcakes with vanilla-cinnamon "buttercream" frosting. Fan-freakin'-tastic! Trust.

Pre-cupcakes. Imagine the cheese-factor in that smile after cupcakes happened. Happy Birthday, honey.

VeganMoFo: Thanksgivingz!!1!

2010-11-26T10:47:00.009-05:00

What a fantastic Thanksgiving. I hosted a lovely vegan meal for the third year in a row, and lemme tell ya: it gets better each year! Here's a pic of my wonderful family, we have me, brother, mother, father, and step-dad who's taking the pic:

My finalized Thanksgiving 2010 menu:

Olive Antipasti

Hot Artichoke Dip

Butternut Squash Bisque

Mixed Greens with Dried Cranberries, Pecans, and a Maple-Dijon-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Crescent Rolls

Lentil Loaf with Homemade Vegan Gravy

Portobello Green Bean Casserole

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Mashed Rutabaga (special request from my step-dad)

Mom's Homemade Stuffing (so thankful for her help!)

Maple-Dijon Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Brown Sugar Syrup

The best soup in all of womankind.

Second course.

Lookit that plate! Mmm... I'm gonna go get me a plate of leftovers eerily similar to this one pretty soon...

A gorgeous pic of the cheesecake taken by my photographer-roomie. After pouring the mix into the pie crust I sampled the leftover mixture and noticed that it wasn't very sweet at all... and then realized the recipe didn't call for any sugar. Too late to mix any in, so I decided to top it with a simple brown sugar syrup and it made all the difference.

My wonderful family told me they loved the meal, dessert, and company - I was on cloud nine. I hope everyone had as lovely a holiday as I had. :)

Vegan MoFo: Big Lots

2010-11-22T16:26:00.003-05:00

Oh, my dear blogosphere. It would appear I have fallen off the MoFo wagon. Craptastic! Well, I assure you there has not been much to report as I have been preparing for T-Give and finishing up various school papers. A lot of my meals have been PB toast and Boca Spicy Chik'n Patties. Oh, and yesterday I took advantage of a Chipotle BOGO deal. But during my running around I stopped by Big Lots. GAHD I love that place. Mo has also shared her love of the BG (holla!). My mom and I had visited the previous weekend and I had found Stacy's Sticky Bun flavored Soy Thin Crisps - wha?! They were pretty darn tasty. On my second visit I spent $36 and scored 2 medium sized ceramic serving bowls, 1 plastic salad bowl, salad tongs, 3 small sauce dishes, and the following:

2 packages of organic kamut penne, 2 containers of Wolfgang Puck veggie stock, Ghirardelli Double Chocolate brownie mix, Thai Kitchen Thai Ginger & Vegetable noodles (50 cents!), some sea salt pita chips and Mediterranean Herb little cracker-doos. I also grabbed some Raisin Bran Plus Fiber... without looking at the ingredients. Along with slivered almonds and cranberries they tossed in yogurt covered somethings. Those bastards. Oh, and none of these eats were over $2.50 each. BIG LOTS FTW!

In other news, I believe I have finalized my menu for T-Give 2010! I'll remind myself to take plenty-o-pix on the big day. Now, in lieu of a dead bird, I will be presenting my Adopt-a-Turkey card. Have you ever?

What sweeties!

VeganMoFo: Vegan Pup

2010-11-16T19:11:00.004-05:00

Us vegans get a lot of flack for having vegan animals. If done responsibly, many domesticated animals can thrive (no... not just survive) on a vegan diet. Dogs, who are omnivorous, have special dietary needs and considerations - just as humans do. An argument I've heard many times stresses the differences between the human digestive system and a dog's, as if that never has crossed a veghead's mind. I'm not going to give my dog a portion of my apples and pistachios brekkie and call that a meal for her, no way. That's why I researched V-Dog really well before deciding to transition her.

V-Dog is an impressive product. It boasts all the nutrients a dog needs in its diet in kibble form. Dori loves these little nuggets. And, for a three year old pooch, she has the energy level of a friggin' 6 month old. Never has she shown signs of lethargy (except for when mama's leaving for work in the morning and the little grouch just wants to crawl back under the warm covers, of course) and has always been an observant and vibrant little twerp.

My little booger-butt has had her urine tested at the vet and was found to have a moderately high ph level, as well as the presence of some crystals in her bladder. To offset these unsavory symptoms I have been feeding her Cranimals supplement, which includes cranberry and other berry extracts as well as Omega 3's and other essential nutrients for all of her bodily functions. She LOVES this shit. It's the weirdest thing. I think she'd stick her paw in the bag and use it as a FunDip if she had the dexterity.

I love treating my little bugaboo with Zuke's organic bite-sized biscuits - so far she's tried Mean Greens and Health Nutz. This line is entirely vegan and packed with nutrition. She doesn't even know the difference. These things are like crack to her - I can't even go near her treat shelf without her getting all excited and whatnot.

This little girl has been vegan for close to a year and a half, and successfully. She is full of life and has a veterinary team who is fully supportive of her diet. Dachshunds are especially prone to excessive weight gain, from which Dori is protected by her diet. She eats just as much as she needs and has maintained a steady weight since her transition. Watching other owners with fat wieners respond in shock when they see how fit she is compared to their kielbasas always makes me laugh. Yup, I have one happy, healthy weenie.

Lookit dat face!

Vegan MoFo: Noms of Convenience

2010-11-15T22:55:00.005-05:00

My schedule is just not allowing me to become very involved in efficient MoFo-ery. This is disappointing. What was NOT disappointing was my monster brunch yesterday. I originally wanted to make a big pancake brekkie for the bf, but we slept in far too late and he had to go to work. So I spent only about 25 minutes in the kitch whipping up this fantastic plate:

Tofu scramble (onions, red & green peppers, mushies, Gimme Lean, Daiya, black salt) with home fries, jellied toast, and a naner. Hot dog! Filled me up, but not to the point of stomach explosion.

I had been seeing Evol's burritos in freezer cases nearly every health store I visited... yet they were all omni or vegetarian flavors. SUCK. Welp, I inadvertently tracked down the Veggie Fajita flavor. Which is awesome! 'Specially with some Tofutti & Frank's RedHot on top.

Oh yeah, baby...

VegNews' 2010 Product of the Year was Gardein. My favorite product from them, so far, is their Seven Grain Crispy Tenders. Fan-fuck-tastic. They're the perfect level of greasy and nostalgic - best served schmeared with a sweet BBQ sauce. And sweet potato fries.

I don't remember what this was called and it's not on the website yet... sweet and sour chick'n or something. The sauce was actually very nice, even smothering my steamed broccoli. The protein... reminded me very much of pork. And I don't know how that made me feel. Served with some warm cornbread (wtf kind of combo is that?), it was a nice meal, but nothing to write home about.

Alternatively, their Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick'n is god damned awful. It may be because I ordered it from Vegan Essentials and it had thawed out almost completely in transit... but I doubt it. The sauce was bland and disgusting. I tried frying the protein and it never progressed beyond mushy. Total failure. Ugh.

I'm hoping to become more inspired as the week wear's on, but I have many a project/paper to work on... probably be seeing some more convenience noms. What's your favorite fast & stupid-easy go-to meal?

Vegan MoFo: Chili Mac

2010-11-13T18:45:00.004-05:00

I am the number one fan of creamy, comforting, carby dishes - luckily, since I'm vegan (duh) this means that I can have these dishes plus some healthy benefits. Score. A few weeks ago I was visiting a community center with some clients and they were served chili mac for lunch. It looked SO GOOD. Of course, I was visualizing a vegan version in my head and immediately my gears started turning... I had to have this for dinner. I present to you:

Vegan Chili Mac

1/2 c TVP + 1/2 c veggie broth (optional)

1 can fire roasted tomatoes, drained

1/4 c almond milk

2 T flour

1/4 c nooch

1/2 c each Daiya flavor

1/2 box of whole wheat rotini (you know, those regular sized cardboard boxes w/ the little windows)

2 handfuls chopped kale

Dump the TVP & veggie broth in a tall glass or a bowl to rehydrate for 10 minutes (if using). Set aside.
Boil water for pasta. Add kale about halfway through and cook until al dente.
Whiz your can of maters in a food processor until only slightly chunky. Add to a large saucepan, turn on medium heat, and stir in almond milk, flour, and nooch. Simmer for a few minutes.
When pasta is finished, add Daiya to sauce and stir until it's all stringy and gooey. Add TVP, if using. Add pasta and kale to sauce and let simmer for another minute or two. Serve immediately w/ plenty of Parma/nooch/chili pepper flakes/fresh ground black pepper.

Enjoy!

VeganMoFo: Squarsh.

2010-11-10T22:15:00.003-05:00

Yup. Squarsh. For every season! Yet sweet winter gourds are my favorite... butternut, delicata, acorn, sweet dumpling, etc. I am always on the lookout for new recipe inspiration, which is certainly plentiful during MoFo! Here I steal yet another recipe from Healthy Happy Life: Acorn Squash Alfredo Sauce.

Mmm. Sweet and savory with a touch of nooch - this tasted sinful yet was so healthy! I added mushrooms and kale as veg accompaniment. I recommend this dish for anyone who wants to satisfy their sweet tooth without reaching for the cookie jar.

My all-time favorite squash recipe? Vegan Yum Yum's Delicata Squash Bisque. Without a doubt. I make this every year on multiple occasions. It is sweet, creamy, peppery... hits the spot every time. Make this now. I usually sub butternut because I haven't been able to find delicata - welp! Giant Eagle had some the other day, so I might experiment with these little babies for Thanksgiving.

Did someone say Thanksgiving?

Mmm, what are some other kickass squash recipes?

VeganMoFo: Thanksgiving is ON!

2010-11-09T18:43:00.004-05:00

My exciting news of the day? My mom and stepdad are staying in town this Thanksgiving and have accepted my offer to host Thanksgiving this year! They usually visit my stepdad's side of the family in Missouri, so for the last two years I have hosted Thanksgiving for my dad, his girlfriend, and my brother. The bf has also RSVP'ed to stop by. I'm so excited to have a full house! :D I don't think I've cooked for a crowd this large before... bring it!

Now I am going to bore you with my tentative menu:

Lentil Loaf (from last year)
Stuffing (my mom volunteered to take on this task!)
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Butternut or Delicata Squash Bisque from VeganYumYum
Maple Dijon Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Green Bean Casserole from the PPK! (my omni father was a big fan!)
Sweet Potato Smash
Salad with dried cranberries and pecans
Olive appetizer or some kind of dip with crudite... we'll see!

And for dessert?

I tested Happy Health Life's Swirled Cheesecake Pumpkin Pie this weekend, although I had to make some adaptations. No creamer, so added a little more almond milk. Also, no nuts whatsoever, so just added a little extra cornstarch. I would either add more cornstarch or go buy the nuts because it was reminiscent of a pudding pie rather then cheesecake... but SO GOOD. Holy mother. Make this now. In fact, I think I may have another slice. Ha!

Are you thinking about Thanksgiving yet?? Please share recipes - I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone is planning!

VeganMoFo: I made KALE CHIPS.

2010-11-07T19:52:00.003-05:00

I had a few kitchen triumphs and one disaster today... First of all, I told myself I had to make simply TOO MANY dishes today. So I set myself up for disappointment when I only made three. How silly is that? Well, I'm gonna break those three recipes up into separate blogs ('cause that's just how I MoFo), but here's a delicious and spontaneous lunch I made to replace my blunder:

I call it a:

Creamy-Sweet Sausage Bagel Sammy

1 bagel, toasted

1 small handful from a tube of Gimme Lean Sausage

2 thin slices of sweet onion

2 T olive oil

1 sprinkling of Italian Daiya

1 small handful spinach

1 drizzle pure maple syrup

1/2 avocado

Toast yer bagel. Heat oil in small skillet on medium. Form sausage into a thin patty.
Once oil is heated through, place patty and onion slices into skillet. Flip them each once. Add Daiya to top of patty near end of cooking cycle.
Meanwhile, drizzle your syrup onto one bagel slice (mmm!). Top other slice with spinach and avocado. When patty is cooked through, spatula that bitch onto your maple-drizzled-bagel-half and top with onions. Sammich together and NOM.

This was so good, folks... the sweetness of the maple with the creaminess of the avocado & Daiya went so well with the mild spiciness of the sausage. Deffers making this again. Hooray for another impromptu success! *high fives self... which is just clapping, if you think about it*

Mmmmmm, what are these tasty morsels?! Why they are Cake Maker's Tastiest of Kale Chips. And there is plenty of truth in that title. Now, I have never eaten a kale chip before... yet I am definitely turned on to this form of greens-consumption because kale by itself (steamed or raw) has never really made me swoon. But cover it with tahini, sriracha, and nooch and I'm hopping on that train! I used my oven, as I do not own a dehydrator. It still took about 3 hours to get the perfect melt-in-your-mouth consistency, which was indeed time-consuming for such a relatively small yield of chips. But I'd do it AGAIN! Just be warned. Oh, and I think I added a bit too much sriracha, so perhaps my chips will last longer than I thought. Spicy!

I'll let you guys know what's for dessert later... ;)

Vegan MoFo: Laaazy Day...

2010-11-06T22:38:00.006-04:00

KT is a sleepy blogger today... after attending a KICKASS concert last night I woke up late and with ringing ears. Did some cleaning, some mandatory Enrique-Iglesias-grooving, had lunch with a bestie, took a nap, and then tackled transcribing an interview for a paper due this week. This... is me:

So, today I'm going to continue what I've been doing for the past 2 hours or so, and that is typing maniacally. This time, it's applied to a survey! One I don't believe I've seen in MoFo's past. Excite!

What is one food you thought you’d miss when you went vegan, but don’t?

Chicken. I really don't miss it that much at all. There are some tasty analogs out there.

What is a food or dish you wouldn’t touch as a child, but enjoy now?

Brussel sprouts, yo!

What vegan dish or food you feel like you “should” like, but don’t?

Um... traditional Japanese cuisine. I'm just not familiar with it, the textures, the appearance, the ingredients... so I don't start drooling when I see blogs about it.

What beverage do you consume the most of on any given day?

Water, mos def.

What dish are you “famous” for making or bringing to gatherings?

Vegan Crunk's Tofu Deviled Eggy Bites!

Do you have any self-imposed food rules (like no food touching on the plate or no nuts in sweets)?

Considering the severity of my OCD... no. Not really. This surprises me.

What’s one food or dish you tend to eat too much of when you have it in your home?

Sweet potatoes. Veggie burgers. Any sweets whatsoever.

What ingredient or food do you prefer to make yourself despite it being widely available prepackaged?

I really enjoyed the outcome of making my own vegetable stock and now the idea of buying it is off-putting...

What ingredient or food is worth spending the extra money to get “the good stuff”?

Oh, there are certain brands that are non-negotiable. Vegenaise. Daiya. Amy's veggie burgers. RUDY'S ORGANICS BREAD.

Are you much of a snacker? What are your favorite snacks?

I've been known to nosh, it is true. At work I like fresh fruit, maybe a few bites of a Clif bar, oooh - half an avocado sprinkled with sea salt and black pepper. I can turn hummus into a meal, does that count?

What are your favorite vegan pizza toppings?

Mmm, all sorts of veggies. Definitely onions, spinach, mushrooms. Maybe some pepperoni analog.

What is your favorite vegetable? Fruit?

Veggies: brussels, sweet potatoes, asparagus, spinach, red bell peppers, artichokes. Fruits: bosc pears, fuji apples, raspberries, avocados.

What is the best salad dressing?

Love lemon tahini dressing, if it's made correctly... creamy garlicky ranchy is good, maple-dijon-balsamic is bomb.

What is your favorite thing to put on toasted bread?

Straight up PB or grape jelly... maybe together, muah haha.

What kind of soup do you most often turn to on a chilly day or when you aren’t feeling your best?

My hands down favorite soup is VeganYumYum's Delicata Squash Bisque, made with butternut. I've made this twice so far this year and can't wait to do it again. This stuff is liquid gold.

What is your favorite cupcake flavor? Frosting flavor?

Ooh, I do love a big chocolate cupcake with Oreo buttercream frosting. Mmm!

What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Chocolate chip, fer sure. C'mon now.

What is your most-loved “weeknight meal”?

That's an unfamiliar subject to this grad student. Uh... roasted veggies w/ a veggie burger? Fast and simple.

What is one dish or food you enjoy, but can’t get anyone else in your household to eat?

I'm the only vegan human in the household, so I don't have that problem! But my man doesn't like hummus, which I'm working on... :P

How long, in total, do you spend in the kitchen on an average day?

Shit, maybe 30-45 minutes. This makes me sad.

How many fingers am I holding up? (Just kidding… but the answer is 11. “My name is Inigo Montoya…”)

Your reward for making it through the survey. See you tomorrow! I'll have some goodies then. ;)

Vegan MoFo: Impromptu Meals

2010-11-04T21:09:00.003-04:00

I am not the most creative person on the planet. Those who know me are well aware of this... I need to follow recipes PRECISELY. It is a rare occasion when I feel comfortable to just try making something out of nothing with no direction whatsoever. Yet lately I've been either finding vague inspiration from other blogs or following my cravings and making my own version of a favorite meal. Let's share.

My friend Liv made this lovely pesto dish with veggies and herbs straight from her garden. I wasn't involved in the creation of this dish, but I sure was involved in devouring it. I often forget how much I adore pesto... yum!

I call these bad boys Twenty Minute Twice Baked tatoes:

Preheat oven to broil.
Fork 2-3 medium russet potatoes and stick 'em in the microwave for 4-5 minutes.
While they're nuking, mix together about 1/3 cup vegan sour cream, 1/4 cup Daiya, and 1 tbsp of veg bacon bits in a bowl.
Slice tatoes in half lengthwise and scoop some of the insides out, leaving a little tater boat.
Add potato innards to sour cream mixture and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon mixture into tater boats and top with more Daiya if you're feeling adventurous. Broil for about 10 minutes or until cheese gets kinda melty.
Devour. Oh, you should probably let 'em cool down first.

Amy's California Burger with asparagus between work and class. Can't go wrong. (Yes, this classifies as an impromptu meal, damnit)

My weird-ass take on chana masala. Basically I had a can of fire roasted tomatoes and a can of chickpeas and thought I could make some magic happen. Sauteed some onions and diced potatoes in EVOO. Added the maters and chickpeas. Spiced the hell out of it with whatever was in the spice cabinet. Let it simmer with a little extra water added for about 20 minutes. Served with a side of brown rice (no basmati, unfortch). Not bad. Certainly not authentic... but still yummers!

Have you ever gone into the kitchen and blindly started adding ingredients to a pan or skillet - and enjoyed the end result?

Vegan MoFo: Breakfast Casserole In My Mouf

2010-11-03T23:05:00.003-04:00

Day 3, bitches! Let's keep this enthusiasm going!! In my last post I mentioned the benefits of cooking one big meal in preparation for the upcoming week. It's easy to come up with ideas for lunch or dinner, yet I had a specific need to mix up my breakfast routine. Lemme explain: My roomie's... room... is right next to the kitchen, which only has a big overhead light. To be polite, I prepare my brekkie (usually cereal or toast) by the light of the not-even-beginning-to-rise-at-7-am sun. And in a hurry, as I usually cannot motivate myself to get up more than 30 minutes before I'm out the door. SO! What possibilities did I have for a wholesome, preferably veggie-packed, tasty breakfast meal? Casserole, that's right, class.

I initially looked up some recipes online but... there wasn't one that really inspired me. I knew what I wanted and so I winged it (wung it...?). Picked up some vegan specialty items and used up some veggies in my fridge. Here's the recipe, from what I can remember:

Breakfast Casserole In YOUR Mouf

2 medium potatoes (sweet or otherwise)

1 or 2 pieces whole wheat bread (I used Rudy's Organics Nut & Oat - FAVE), torn into chunks

1 small head of broccoli or 1/2 reg sized head, cut into bite-sized florets

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 red and 1/2 green pepper, diced

1 small sweet onion, diced

5 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 large handful of kale &/or spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces

1 tube Gimme Lean sausage

2-3 cups almond milk (depends on how saucy you likes it...)

3/4 cup nooch

1/2 cup of each flavor of Daiya

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to broil. Spray 9x13 casserole dish with canola spray or lightly oil.
Fork your potatoes like Freddy Krueger and stick them in the microwave for 4-5 minutes.
Head olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and peppers & saute for a few minutes. Add broccoli and mushrooms, saute for a few more minutes. Set aside.
Mix together almond milk, nooch, and some salt & pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
Peel and slice potatoes into 1/4 inch slices.
Assembly: Line casserole dish with potato slices. Top with bread chunks. Top with kale &/or broccoli. Spoon/pour half of nooch mixture over ingredients. Top with veggie mixture. Top with sausage, formed into bite-sized chunks. Pour remaining nooch mixture over ingredients (adjust moisture as needed - I checked the bottom & sides of the pan to make sure the sauce had pooled a little bit). Spread Daiya & extra black pepper over top of casserole.
Broil until Daiya becomes melty and casserole is heated through, about 10-15 minutes, although keep an eye on it.

I first served it as brinner with a side of toast & jelly. I absolutely loved this meal and ate it all week... some days for breakfast AND lunch. It's multi-purpose dish. And totally capable of personalization. Can't wait to make this again... nom.

What's your favorite casserole?

Vegan MoFo: Better Know A Blogger

2010-11-02T22:50:00.006-04:00

Day 2 of MoFo and still going strong... this is big, people. It puts a smile on my face to see so many new posts from bloggers who haven't updated in so long! This is what veganism is all about - everyone's passion and creativity makes me SWOON. Yet, in my excitement about other MoFo-ers' posts, I neglected to create any real plan for this month for my own blog. I have a few recipes and fall themed posts and tips for grad school nutrition in mind, yet I don't want to make you all fall in love too quickly, now, come on. So... let's take it slowly. Get to know each other better. Let me tell you a little bit about myself. *lights incense*

I went pescetarian in April of 2008 and have been vegan since June 2008 (quick transish, huh?) It all started with me hitting a deer. :O "Hitting a deer, you say?!" Yes. The poor thing did not seem to be badly injured, as I had slammed on my brakes with all my might. His bum bumped the side of my rapidly slowing vehicle and I saw him run off in my periphery. The whole ordeal had me shaken up quite a bit. It made me think: "If I almost killed an animal, involuntarily... what the hell am I doing every time I sit down at a restaurant and order meals with meat?"

Now, my tastebuds had never been cheerleaders for red meat and were accustomed to a little bit of chicken and seafood during the first 21 years of my life. I had always toyed with the idea of becoming vegetarian, yet the idea of that sort of commitment was off-putting to me. I wasn't ready. The experience with the deer really was the catalyst for adopting a new perspective on the world's creatures and the impact of my lifestyle. I had not heard the word "vegan" until one of my besties became one for a few months. Because I didn't ask questions I still really didn't know her reason for taking that path at the time (sidenote: She's now returned to veganism and has been a card-carrying member for over 3 years now - yay!).

As a person who needs to research the living shit out of things, I delved deeper and deeper into the world of vegetarianism on the interwebs (BTW, I called myself a vegetarian even though I still ate sushi with seafood. Oh, hindsight.). It was inevitable that the truths behind the dairy and egg industries would lead to 1am sob sessions on my couch, in the dark, as I repeated to myself "Oh god, I can never eat cheese again!" I just knew I couldn't continue with my diet knowing what I knew. I just COULDN'T. My transition was a little difficult, as I was dating an omnivore and had an omni roommate, as well. Yet I would not trade in my experience for the world.

There was one day when I tried fake bacon with Vegenaise on a "BLT" for the first time and almost puked. Started crying. Asked my current SO if they would judge me if I went back to being a vegetarian. Got a big ice cream sundae at Applebee's the next day with extra fudge and a side of regret. But I came back from the brink. And I am happier than ever with my diet, my possibilities, my network, my health, and my responsibility to inform and spread veganism far and wide. Veganism is teh awesomez.

I think I use the word "feel" in my line of work easily 25x a day. I'm currently working with adults with severe and persistent mental illness at a community health center doing group facilitation, which is part counseling and part education. While I'm doing that full time I am also pursuing a Master's degree in mental health counseling. Busy, busy, busy. My schedule can be quite 'diculous, if ya ask me, and I have noticed that it's starting to affect my diet/health.

There's a clip from the Simpsons in which Marge & one of the kids are at the duck pond or something and there are bread crumbs on the ground... in scramble a gaggle of grad students who hungrily peck at the morsels while their professor tries to wrangle them back into the classroom. That's... how I feel sometimes. My meals are so sporadic and usually based on convenience: lots of cereal, veggie burgers, fruit, Clif bars, Subway. If I have the energy on the weekend I like to prepare at least one large dish to provide at least one meal a day throughout the week (which I'll blerg about w/ recipes, promise!). Any bloggers out there currently in school? What kind of difficulties do you face concerning your dietary needs vs. your schedule?

Here's what I ate today: local franchise Aladdin's has THE BEST HUMMUS on the planet. Hands down, STFU, end of story. Rich, creamy, nutty... with their signature hot sauce on the side. True vegan comfort (and convenience) food right there.

I'll leave you a pic of my love bug, Dorian, as she adjusts to the change in temperature by unfolding and crawling INTO my warm, fresh-from-the-dryer laundry. Awww... This lovely little lady lump is my world and I love her to pieces. I'll post about her transition into veganism, as well, in the near future.

So... tell me a little bit about yourself. ;)

Vegan MoFo: Care Package!

2010-11-01T15:48:00.006-04:00

Welcome to VeganMofo, fellow bloggers! :D :D :D I have to admit, I was feeling apprehensive about starting such a commitment again, after falling off the MoFo wagon early last year. Yet here I am! I revamped the blog so that you won't even recognize it (whaddya think?!) and am ready to share some awesomeness with y'allz. First things first, here is the vegan care package I received from my package-partner Stefanie (sadly, I lost the link to her blog and haven't been able to contact her via e-mail! :/). The swap was organized by Lindsay and this is my 2nd year participating.

Lookit all these goodies!! Stefanie included in her card how most of the products were local to the Santa Cruz area. Kickass.

Oh god, vegan chocolate cups... peppermint, turtle, peanut butter, coconut (which was AMAZING), and a mandarin spice cup. These were the first to go...

These soaps were the first thing I smelled when opening the package! They're currently sitting in my office b/c they smell so nice. :) And I love the lippy gloss!

Mmm, some savory treats. The bread pictured in the back is fantastic... kind of spicy and great in wraps. The ginger chews are like something I've never tasted! I plan on bringing them to work and having one with tea every now and then. I have yet to try the jerky, but it looks so good!

Holy mother. These are fantabulous. They were so rich and sticky and sweet and full of impressively healthy ingredients. I hated to see them go! Highly recommended, from a small company called Rusty's Handbuilt Cookies, located in Eugene, OR.

A bite inside the turtle cup... heaven.

Some fresh wraps made with Vegenaise, mushrooms, spinach, avocado, water chestnuts, and some sriracha atop the spinach thepla. Lovely light lunch.

Thanks so much, Stefanie, for the incredible package - I hope you can supply me with your link again so I can share it! Has anyone ever participated in a vegan care swap?

Treehugger's Cafe

2010-10-09T12:15:00.002-04:00

Hello, bloggers. I am going to try to get into the habit of blogging more frequently because November is Vegan MoFo! I was mildly disappointed when I heard it would be a month later this year - it excites me so! - but this will give me more time to prepare! I have been alternating between weeks of cooking almost daily - big meals to take to work the next day and such - and eating cereal, Subway, and a veggie burger every day. My motivation is totes whack right now. But that's just what the change of the season does to me. Sigh. Trying to kick myself back into gear here! So let's recap last night, shall we?

Last night was date night and the bf and I visited Treehugger's Cafe in Berea, thanks to a $30 for $15 deal via Groupon! First time visiting this restaurant, and we do not regret it. They're an omni establishment, but very veg-, raw, and gf-friendly. The interior was beautifully decorated with colorful prints of wildlife along the walls, a special bulletin boards dedicated to our domesticated furry friends, and bookcases filled with t-shirts and other (presumably) local & health-conscious goods for sale. The atmosphere was very laid back - we dined on a big, comfy couch! And the staff? We were served by the most friendly, helpful, pleasant, astounding, and just lovely waitress I have ever encountered! We got lost on the way up there (damn you right to hell, GoogleMaps...), called the restaurant for some help and our future waitress answered, giving us detailed directions including landmarks - even though it was 20 minutes before closing! What an amazing experience. Wish we would have been able to get up there sooner so I had time to really take a good look around. They had deli AND bakery cases full of food made mostly in-house... my wallet would've been considerably lighter would that I had the chance to investigate further... onto the food!

Mmm, Ginger Peach iced tea... unsweetened, this bev really hit the spot. The ginger was very mild and the peach balanced very well with it.

Sweet tater fries!! Dusted with cinnamon and served with a honey mustard sauce (I got some ketchup for myself...). Perfection.

They used some monster tatoes, lookit!

My main: vegan oat veggie burger (I forget the formal name and that page of the menu isn't online anymore!) on Tuscan herb bread with "rice cheese", lettuce, and onion. Oh, and bomb-ass pineapple salsa! This burger was pretty good - kinda dry, but that might be because I got an end of the day batch... the salsa helped! I really liked the rice cheese, too. The coleslaw was very fresh, using cabbage and raddichio with a light dill dressing. It was very crunchy and I wasn't absolutely crazy about it. The bf got a salmon and risotto plate with a white dill sauce, which he said was really gooooood.

Lookit the size of that cookie, which I dug into this morning. Still moist, veeery chocolately - absolutely amazing.

We had happy tummies. Off to the haunted house!! God, I love October. :)

For shame, blogger!

2010-08-24T21:47:00.001-04:00

I've been a bad, bad girl... I've been careless with a neglected photos. And it's a sad, sad world... when a girl will ignore a blog just because she caaan... well, actually that's not true. I've been pretty busy. Pretty busy moving in to a house with INTERNETS, that is. Yup, moved in w/ a friend and have taken over the 2nd floor. Returning to internetdom is very much like a kid in a candy store, but I have finally gotten around to updating this sad site.

Exciting news: It's that time of year again for Lindsay's Vegan Care Package Swap! Here's my loot from last year. I'm very excited for this round... and the reminder that Vegan MoFo is not too far away, either!

Let's get down to business, shall we?

The annual office BBQ at my work - vegan Boca burgers and all! They also had KT-friendly pasta salad this year. Yum. Had 2 burgers again. :O

Fettucine con aglio e olio from Casa D'Angelo. Lovely dinner date with my dad on Saturday. You know how it is visiting an Italian restaurant... "Okay, I'm either having spaghetti & marinara or a salad w/ just tomatoes & olive oil on it." Not this time! This dish included - completely unadulterated from the menu description - artichokes, olives, spinach, peppers, onion, and tons of garlic. Super tasty!

Traveling backward in time to my birthday party in early July. My wonderful boyfriend (whose hand makes a guest appearance in this photo) allowed my friends and myself to trash his house on the anniversary of my 23rd birthday (that means I'm 24). I whipped up a quick vegan spinach dip, using silken tofu instead of Veganaise to keep the fat content low, served with pumpernickel, cukes, and carrots. Also, milano cookies w/ a hint of maple, fresh cherries, pretzels, and pistachios. Some healthy choices to offset the massive alcohol intake. From what I remember, it was a good night. :)

Another visit to Melt Bar & Grilled, mmm... sammy with FYH mozzarella, wilted garlic spinach, roasted red peppers, grilled onions, 'matoes. D-lish. I have to get up there before the end of the month b/c they August special is the "Guitar Gyro" and, as always, they are offering a vegan version!

Downtown Akron hot spot, Crave, offers all of one veganizable dishes - but it's worth it. The grilled vegetable panini includes asparagus, peppers, onions, and eggplant with a hot pepper jelly on ciabatta. Out of this world! The jelly makes this sandwich. I've had this dish at least 3 times over the last few months.

Lastly, a Father's Day celebration. Both of my uncles' families gathered with my own on a sweltering, yet gorgeous summer afternoon. Luckily, my aunt had prepared peach sangria - but unluckily for you readers I did not take a pic. It was the perfect refreshment, as well as my Labatt Blue's. And look at all this vegan goodness! I threw together a black bean dip w/ falafel chips as an app and my cousin & his girlfriend created a fantastic roasted red pepper hummus. My aunt also made an outstanding salsa from scratch (none of these are pictured, either, bad KT!). I had almost filled up on dippables before we were handed our plates. Let's dissect, shall we: black bean vegan burgers w/ an amazing spicy sauce from (I believe) Costa Rica, corn rubbed w/ olive oil & spices, vegan broccoli salad made w/ Vegenaise (my uncle's gf is incredible!), my mom's out-of-this-galaxy garlicky, balsamicky bean/veggie/pasta salad aside her homemade vegan baked beans. I ate like a god damned king that day among my beloved familiy. Even though I love the holidays, there's something about summer family gatherings that the snow just can't come close to replacing.

I hope to update soon!

Mobile Eats!

2010-06-13T19:46:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd post some of my cell phone pix of food on the go... I've had some really delicious meals lately!

Mmm, spinach lasagna from Ms. Julie's Kitchen! Julie's place is an almost-vegan dining spot which is very cozy. It opened up a few months ago and Julie takes pride in her small menu of local, organic, and healthy dishes. Other meals I've had: spicy black bean burger (YUM!), greek salad, falafel sandwich, 13 bean chili with cornbread, sweet potato cake... fantastic! And right down the street from work (woo!).

Another mid-day vay-cay from work: bento from Cilantro, a Thai fusion restaurant in downtown Akron. Veggie tempura, edamame, sesame rice, seaweed salad. It doesn't look like it, but this is so much food! Easily 2 lunches. But just delicious.

Olivia had me over on Friday night to check out her lovely garden and made me a soba noodle stir fry using many fresh veggies from her backyard! Simple dish and very satisfying - she's an excellent cook. :)

*drool* VegiTerranean has started serving flatbread pizzas. This one has herbed cashew cheese, soy mozzarella, figs, caramelized onions, and pine nuts. The bread is seasoned with salt a bit too much for my palate, but otherwise this was just great.

Who says vegans can't GORGE themselves while eating out on the town? People who haven't been to Melt Bar & Grilled, that's who! This place is technically a grilled cheese restaurant with countless varieties of the sammich, but they offer both cheddar and mozzarella style FYH cheeses and for each monthly special they boast a vegan version! Here was the May special: seasoned seitan strips, garlic mashed redskin potatoes, mozzarella style cheese with a huge mound of fries and their peppery coleslaw. I ate this entire thing in one sitting and wished for death the rest of the night. BUT I'D DO IT AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT.

In other news: I am considering trying out City Fresh, a take on a CSA which has no commitments and option for weekly payments. First pick up is this Thursday, so I think I'll check out people's hauls and maybe sign up for the next week! If I do, I'll be sure to share my pick up bloggy style.

Peace!

Creamy Miso Alfredo

2010-06-06T19:00:00.001-04:00

Yep, 2 posts in a row! Don't get used to it... and don't forget to check out my Key West post below! I figured I would take advantage of the free coffeehouse internet and post some pics from some recent meals... and a recipe! *shock* Here is my take on a creamy pasta sauce, based very loosely on VYY's Hurry Up Alfredo, but with only 5 ingredients! I attempted to submit it to a local vegan cookbook, but missed the deadline...

Creamy Miso Alfredo

Serves 1. This recipe is an adaptation from one found on a vegan food blog. Both the miso and the nutritional yeast give the dish a cheesy taste while the cashews lend their creaminess when blended smooth. This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, quadrupled! And please, experiment with adding steamed vegetables and different spices, as well as the ratio between wet and dry ingredients to control the consistency of the sauce. Enjoy!

1 serving cooked whole wheat rotini
handful steamed kale
1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews
1/2 cup unsweetened milk alternative
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 T low sodium sweet white miso
1 t dijon mustard
salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and paprika to taste

Blend all but first two ingredients in high speed blender until smooth and creamy. Fold cooked pasta into sauce. Plate steamed kale first and top with pasta. Add plenty more fresh cracked black pepper and devour!

Isa's Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes from Vegan Brunch! This is my second time making these babies and they do not disappoint. Since I do not eat much fried food they were a bit heavy after frying them in oil - I'll probably try my hand at baking them next time, even though they will not acquire that beautiful golden brown! (Last time I checked, you can find this recipe on the PPK blog!)

Nom! Chickpea salad! This stuff is bomb... and here's how I prepare it:

I take the time to remove all the clear hulls off of my canned chickpeas, which can take a while. But the time passes quickly if you sit your caboose in front of a movie or an episode or two of Scrubs.
Mash the chickpeas up with a dinner fork until no whole beans remain.
Mix in enough Vegenaise, sweet pickle relish, a squirt of dijon mustard, dulse flakes, fresh cracked black pepper, and paprika to make your taste buds sing and refrigerate!
You can try adding in minced onions, garlic powder, hot sauce, celery (ick), other chopped veggies if you'd like. I like this stuff on sammiches with tomato and spinach as well as scooped up on crackers.

So happy to find some non-Tofutti vegan ice creams at my local Acme! The Mint Carob Chip Rice Dream was very refreshing and the Praline Crunch Almond Dream was rich and satisfying. I would definitely grab both of these again if I am lucky enough to find them.

Yum - a simple soba noodle lo mein dish. Fabulous served hot or cold and with bunches of veggies sauteed in sesame oil. To dress the noodles I usually mix up a concoction of plum sauce, hoisin, ginger paste, and red chili pepper flakes.

An impromptu appetizer - baby bellas stuffed with leftover hummus, sauteed onions and spinach, Daiya, and spices. Popped in the oven on broil with some extra Italian style Daiya on top until melted and warmed through. I was very pleased with these!

French toast! My first plate of the breakfast fave since going vegan... I believe I just looked up a quick vegan french toast recipe on Google and went with it. Nothing beats a huge plate of carbs drowning in pure maple syrup as comfort food before you start a long work day.

I'll hopefully see you soon, folks!

Key West!!

2010-06-06T17:45:00.002-04:00

Okay, so... I am really bad at posting. I have an excuse, though! My neighbors below me moved out and took their internet connection with them. :/ Since I have a super-awesome Droid I have been able to catch up on my favorite bloggers' activities, but unable to update my own.

But today I bring you glorious updates! My mom and I went to Key West last week and we visited many a vegan-friendly eatery! Along with the food we enjoyed 3 excellent drag shows, aimlessly strolling and enjoying the sunshine, some swimming, street performers, a ghost tour, some museums, the Eco-Discovery center (I recommend!), and lots and lots of unwinding. Key West, although very tourist-y, is such an amazing place to visit. Gorgeous plant and wildlife everywhere you turn, as well as a fascinating history. Do visit if you have the chance. But KT, what could a vegan eat in such an obviously seafood-filled town? Good question!

There's Green Republic, a vegetarian establishment which recently opened on the island. They boast a menu of vegetarian and easily veganizable sandwiches, wraps, salads, Indian cuisine, smoothies, etc. Also, all of their mock meats are made in-house!

Their set up is very simple. There are two rows of large bench seating against the windows with pillows for your tush, so carrying-out your meal to a shady bench might be the best option.

My mom got the dhal lentil rice bowl with vegan naan on the side. (BTW: my omnivorous mama ate 98% vegetarian during our trip! Save for a few pieces of sausage at breakfast, her meals were meat-free! And she reported feeling energized instead of deprived. I am so proud!)

After much debate I decided on a "bacon" wrap - tons of fresh veggies, fake smoky bacon and a mustard sauce. A perfect light dinner for walking around town.

Mmm, key lime sorbet on a hot day!

Hands down, our favorite restaurant on our trip. We ate at The Cafe (website is down, sorry!) 4 times!

Mostly vegetarian (save for a few seafood choices), this restaurant easily caters to a vegan diet. I literally made a list of the things I wanted to try for the inevitable following visits we were going to make!

Teriyaki "Un-Wing Dings", a side salad with orange-mango vinaigrette, and the best sweet potato fries on the planet to share! My mom also got a cup of cream of tomato soup.

The "Un-Wing Dings" were not bad. They are made with silken tofu, which I thought was a bit confusing... if they had been made with firm block tofu or with tempeh (*drooool*), they would have been much better. I would have liked to try the "hot" flavor instead, as well! Since they are usually served with a bleu cheese sauce, our waitress subbed the tahini dressing for me to dip. I must say - never would have thought teriyaki and tahini would mix so well, but I was pleasantly surprised!

Oh, god, sweet potato fries... how I love thee. These are one of my "if you were stuck on a desert island" foods. The curry lime sauced served with the fries is NOT vegan. But these babies did not even require a sprinkling of salt to please my palate!

Rice Dream mint ice cream cookie sammich! More about where I picked this bad boy up later... ;)

After a long day of strolling in 90 degree weather, I suggested we visit Help Yourself!, all natural and green eatery. Serving ominivorous fare, this carry-out restaurant served dishes for vegetarians, vegans, and raw foodists!

Raw Mexican Salad with black beans, corn, pico, guacamole, cashew sour cream, dehydrated tortilla chips and a tasty vinaigrette. Not bad!

Tempeh BLT wrap with chipotle vegan mayo! This was very good, although the marinade for the tempeh was far too salty for my tastes.

Help Yourself! also makes its own raw, vegan ice cream made primarily from coconuts and cashews. It reminded me very much of sorbet and was not too sweet.

Sugar Apple natural foods market and vegan deli! This place is a dream come true, reminding me of local favorites such as Mustard Seed Market and Krieger's back home. This is where I picked up not one, but TWO Rice Dream ice cream treats! Hey, a vegan on vacation has to indulge, too, right?!

Mmm... the Peaceful Tempeh sandwich with tahini-dressed side salad and fresh pressed carrot juice.

This is the best fuckin' tempeh sandwich I have ever eaten. Broiled tempeh, vegan mayo, cranberry sauce, avocado, lettuce, carrot, red onion on a multigrain seeded bread. I got this sammy twice!

Back to The Cafe! I also had this meal twice... their famous veggie burger on ciabatta bread! This burger is so soft and tasty, made from beans, sunflower seeds and fresh veggies - all that was on this sandwich is the burger, sprouts, tomato, and lettuce. No sauce needed! This is coming from the ketchup queen! Didn't need a single added flavor - the crunch of the ciabatta and the lettuce matched the fall-apart-in-your-mouth texture of the burger perfectly. And that marinated chickpea and kidney bean salad to the right? Out of this fucking world! So simple, so fresh, so delicious.

The Cafe had been offering a vegan key lime cheesecake the previous days we had visited but had run out on that day. No fear - I ordered the vegan chocolate mousse tart with mango puree and maple praline almonds. To die for! The omnivores agreed. :)

I'll leave you with the unintentional happy face left in our friend Tina's beer glass. Sums up our trip pretty well! Now... back to the grind. I wish I could take a vacation like this every week. I highly recommend visiting Key West and then posting food porn of your delicious vegan meals, fellow bloggers! :D

Trip to Portland!!1!

2010-04-04T10:52:00.001-04:00

That's right! I took a trip to Vegan Mecca, aka Portland, OR. The main reason for my trip out there was a grad school interview (which went well, thankyouverymuch), but I still researched the hell out of the best vegan eateries and other locations to visit. And I had an effing blast... I am in love with this city. Public transportation is clean, efficient, and *free* downtown... there are people riding bikes and walking dogs everywhere... and I really loved how city life mixed with the residential, suburban areas - they were right on top of each other! And everyone I met were so kind and helpful to this little wide-eyed tourist. Shall we begin?

Mt. Hood from the plane window during our descent... beautiful, huh? So, you wouldn't believe... the woman sitting next to me was a Portland resident, VEGAN, and originally from my home state of Ohio. What are the odds?! Her name is Jenna. We spent the latter half of the trip talking about our veganism, her life in Portland, and her suggestions for my visit. After we landed, Jenna and her lovely (and vegan!) husband, Brendan, were kind enough to take me to lunch at their favorite veg-friendly cafe, Vita Cafe! They raved about the place on the way there and... lemme tell ya, they weren't kidding.

Vita Cafe serves both breakfast and lunch/dinner fare. And look at the options! It was very, very difficult for me to decide - I had to take into consideration that I would be walking all over town later, so didn't want something to absolutely immobilize me. I chose the Fishwich, never having had the opportunity to try a vegan "fish" dish!

It was fan-fuck-tastic! The breading and seasoning were absolutely perfect. And to tofu itself wasn't to dry or too soggy - wonderful. And that vegan tartar sauce?! To die for! Also had a side salad with lemon tahini dressing... holy mother. I am for sure going to replicate this dressing to the best of my ability. Just the right balance of creamy and tart.

Close-up... *salivates*

Brendan ordered himself a small feast! Buffalo Tofu Wrap, fries, and vegan sausage and gravy. I took his word that it was all spectacular. :D

More of the sausage and gravy, plus Jenna's dish - the special! BBQ Seitan sammich! She cut off a hunk of it for me to try and it was out of this world. The sauce was delicious and the seitan was just the right texture... creepily reminded me of pulled pork, but oh-so cruelty free. I would most definitely visit this place again in my travels.

After dropping my things off at my hotel in Hillsboro (about an hour away on the MAX, ugh) I ventured to SE Portland. I was quite disappointed when I arrived at my destination - mini mall of Sweetpea Baking Company, Herbivore Clothing, and Food Fight Vegan Grocery - to find that I had arrived JUST after closing for Sweetpea and Herbivore. Luckily, though, Food Fight was still open!

Gah... if only I weren't flying back on a g. damned plane, I could have walked away with such a haul! Frozen foods I have never seen before! Sauces and dry ethnic foods! Ice creams! Refrigerated deliciousness! What I would give to have one of these shops in Akron. I bought a few Primal Strips which cannot be found here, some almond butter and mint chocolates, 2 Merry Hempsters chapsicks, a delicious spirulina juice concoction to fuel my trip back to the airport, and a sticker that reads "I'm vegan and I poop 3 times a day, minimum" for my bestie, Sarah, whose conversations consist of about 30% poop-talk. I had the dumbest, most unyielding grin on my face the whole time I was in here...

"What's a good place for dinner within walking distance?" I asked the clerk, and he recommended Hungry Tiger Too! Once I looked at the menu I remembered seeing their butternut wontons online and wanting to lick my computer screen.

Yup, there they are. Butternut squash wontons with creamy coconut milk and a mildly spicy chili sauce. Upon first bite, these were delectable. But, as I kept eating I found myself wishing that they would have either chosen the creamy sweet or the sweet chili motif... my tastebuds were a little confused in the end.

The clerk at Food Fight raved about the mac and cheez, and so I gave it a try. The result: meh. It wasn't cheezy... it was basically a white sauce. Which wasn't bad-tasting at all, just unexpected. And a little disappointing. But that salad in the back? Best vegan Caesar I've ever had, hands down.

My walk back was scenic, chilly, and just lovely.

After my interview, I headed back downtown to Powell's bookstore! This place is absolutely gigantic, and this is their attempt at a map/key of the store. They have both used and new books and, only having been in there for about an hour, I knew I could've spent all day. But my tummy started growling!

Back to Eden Bakery Boutique! This small bakery had sooooo much to offer! A shelf of vegan cookbooks, sustainable dishware, candy bars, purses, and - of course - the eats! They also have soft serve... which was SO hard to resist, but I had other dinner plans! The woman behind the counter was so sweet! She helped me choose my baked good and assured me that my other purchases were of excellent quality... I also bought the Papa Tofu cookbook and this awesome hemp purse with a green embroidered Vegan "V"!

"So, how's that hazelnut cinnamon roll?"

"Um... do you like hazelnuts?"

"Yes."

"Do you like cinnamon rolls?"

"Love them."

"Then, I think you're getting a hazelnut cinnamon roll...!"

Haha, this was absolutely fantastic. Definitely would get one again!

The restaurant about which I was most excited - Blossoming Lotus. This all organic, all vegan eatery serves some delicious and creative dishes - some live foods, as well! The place is kind of small, so the wait was about 30-45 minutes on a Friday evening - which isn't too bad. But I would've waited all night!

My cocktail: Sailor Jerry rum (NOM) with agave and coconut milk. Very strong and very fantastic. I also ordered the Live Soup du Jour - Cucumber and lime with a ginger carrot puree. It was pretty tasty! And I'm usually not a fan of raw soups.

My entree... Four Cheese Lasagna. I'll let the description talk for me: layers of fresh seasonal vegetable marinara, semolina noodles, herbed tofu ricotta, roasted garlic & squash mozzarella, and sesame parmesan, served on a bed of steamed kale, topped with lemon-basil cashew cream.

OMFG.

My last morning in Portland brought me back to Hungry Tiger Too for breakfast. They had a list of tasty-looking tofu scrambles and I settled on the Portland Scramble - veggie sausage, peppers, onions, nooch, and their cheez sauce. Yes, I gave their cheez sauce another chance, and I do NOT regret it! This is the best fucking scramble I have ever had. I must've looked like I hadn't eaten in days the way I was chowing down on this... oh, and my side dish? A pancake the size of a hubcap. For serious, this picture does not do it justice. It was pretty good, but it had a texture that kind of reminded me of injera, Ethiopian spongey bread, of which I am not a fan. Delicious breakfast overall, though! And, no, I did not have the gastrointestinal fortitude to finish all on my plates...

Sigh. Me waiting for the MAX to take me to the airport. Can you see the pain in my eyes?! I wish I could bring Portland back home. What an amazing city. I wish I had more time to explore! Has anyone ever been to PDX and tried any of these restaurants? I'd love to hear your opinions!

Remember Me?

2010-03-10T20:41:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I've been a bad, bad blogger... mi dispiace! During these last few months my job and this weather have kicked my ass without pause. Add a little seasonal affective disorder to the mix and the result is: no blogging. Barely anything blog-worthy to report in the last few weeks anyway! Been running through my regular meals and eating out quite a bit. But this sudden warm and sunny weather has recharged me! I am in the process of deep-cleaning my apartment, too, imagine that... it's amazing how just seeing the sun can motivate a person. :)

Ooh! I want to share with y'allz some blogs from my besties. Your Mouth Tastes Like Meat is my friend Sarah's blog, which she started recently. There's a post on there from our visit to Tommy's in Coventry! They make their own veggie burgers and omg... it was absolutely to die for. Probably because it's fried. And Tofutti milkshakes! We ate so much food that we were completely immobilized and felt as if we were going to die. But it was worth it.

The Daily Antics of Three Awesome Pigs follow's Olivia (formerly of Poor College Vegan) and her husband, Justin, in their adventures in raising 4 pigs, whom they rescued from Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary. They are absolutely darling and each have their own distinct personalities... I hope she updates soon!

Aww, I missed Christmas posting! Well, rest assured, I had an absolutely lovely holiday. Like, the fuggin' best ever. My mom and I (and my brother was present, providing support to my 'puter) spent a whole Saturday making Chocolate Peppermint Almond Butter from Heather Loves Almond Butter's blog! We also tried to make plain almond butter... but had no success. So since we had a ridiculous abundance of almonds, we roasted them in oil with cinnamon and sugar. :) And we also made Hannah's fudge! Just plain. And delish. We packaged them all up in baggies and gave them out to family and friends as gifts. We're definitely doing this again next year!

Oh, and if you want to get a better idea of how much fun my holiday was, take a look at this video my aunt put together from Christmas Eve. We were all dancing to Salt N Pepa's "Shoop". Drunk. At like one'o'clock in the morning. It was grand. I'm the one with the wiener dog.

Zomg! The Vegan Care Package Swap, organized by Lindsay of Cooking For A Vegan Lover! I received a package from Barb - who is from Canada, and lemme tell ya... sending a package to Canada is god damned expensive! I'm doing a local swap next year. But look at my loot from fellow blogger, Barb!!!

Organic lemonade juicebox, wasabi peas, organic popping cornz, Christmas Blend coffee, spinach rice vermicelli, Bumble Barz (!), the most amazing motherfucking chocolate chunks I have ever or will ever put in my mouth, a cute note, spicy chocolate, a date bar, tea bags. Nice haul! Those chocolate chunks (as her note explains) are the best in the entire world and I am terrified to use the other half of my bag in another batch of cookies because that means that they will be GONE. I really enjoyed the Bumble Bars, as well! The vermicelli are a good base for stir fry's and would probably make a good cold noodle salad. I can't wait for next year's swap! Thanks, Barb! :D

For those of you who have never heard of Daiya (and I doubt there are many of you), you probably think I am a traitor for posting such a delicious and obviously dairy-ridden personal pan pizza. Well shun me not! For it is the absolute best vegan cheese to date there is on the market. For realz, I was having the shittiest of days... but when I remembered that there would be a package from VeganEssentials.com waiting for me when I got home with this masterpiece of cheesery I was instantly cheered up. I, uh, actually inhaled this first flatbread pizza and then immediately made another one and ate it before my pain receptors could tell me I should've let it cool for a bit. GO BUY SOME NOW. Your life will never be the same, and neither will this blog. There will be more Daiya creations to come!

Here's the rest of my haul from Vegan Essentials. I've heard wonderful things about those artichoke burgers! And We Can't Say It's Cheese?! Fuckin' amazing! I just had a little bit and it tasted just like queso. Amazing. Can't wait to make nachos or something! I also bought Olivia's birthday gift... but cannot post until she receives it!

This was lovely and refreshing to update this shizz. You'll be hearing more from me soon. :)

Thanksgiving Recap

2009-11-28T16:11:00.001-05:00

Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone. :) I hope yours was as lovely and as vegan as mine! This year my mom and stepdad went to KC again, so I hosted T-give at my place again for my dad, his girlfriend, and my li'l bro. Which means... I was in charge of the menu! Bwah ha ha. My first vegan Thanksgiving was a success, but I wanted to improve upon the nom selection and my preparation approach (I was scrambling around like a madwoman when my guests arrived... no fun). This year I actually sat down and created a schedule of the 2 hours before the fam arrived, detailing exactly what I had to do and when (OCD much?) so that I would actually have time to converse and relax before the meal. Smart cookie, huh? Well, it worked! And I'm never going to wing it again with any of my entertaining ventures - nerdy schedules all the way! Anywho, onto the food...

Yes, those are two bottles of wine you see.

Cheers!

Cranberry Wild Rice Stuffing (sans pears). This had the potential to be really scrumptious, except after I boiled the shit out of the wild rice and then baked it... they were crunchy and practically inedible. I would suggest that if you are to attempt this recipe, boil the rice as instructed, but just add it into the post-baked final product. (Oh, and I know these pics are terrible, but we were hungry!)

Mashed sweet potatoes, roasted dijon brussel sprouts, and Isa's Green Bean Mushroom Casserole. This stuff is the SHIZZ and was a real hit. I don't think I'd ever had a green bean casserole before... and that suspicion was verified when I learned my mother didn't know what a can of fried onions was. I'll definitely be making this again! :)

Mmm... Lentil loaf! This recipe is from some vegetarian cookbook that Olivia's mother owns (therefore I don't feel comfortable posting the recipe). This is the same recipe that the mother of the bride used for lentil burgers for Liv's wedding! This is especially tasty with a bit of ketchup on top. ;) Classy, huh?

Here's a shot of mah plate of leftovers (hence the sunshine). That green schtuff is a spinach dip I whipped up by combining a box of silken tofu and a packet of organic spinach dip seasoning. And everyone was surprised it was made out of tofu, which is like a bad word to omnis. Yay for no effort!

Aaand it wouldn't be Thanksgiving w/o pumpkin pie. Which I made, not from scratch. I used some can of organic pumpkin pie mix and it was brown instead of bright orange... I think it had molasses or something in it. It was a very different taste, but still yummy. And that's Soyatoo's Soy Whip on top (I purchased it and THEN realized it has palm kernel oil in it... fail).

Happy family. :) My mom is hosting X-mas Eve again this year - I'll keep this blog updated on what sneaky vegan creations we can serve my exclusively omnivorous fam. Yay, holidays!

<3

Bagels and onomatopoeia.

2009-11-19T19:52:00.001-05:00

*blink blink* Whoa. *rubs eyes* Where the hell have I been? I missed the end of Vegan Mofo... whoops. That's what two GRE's, 4 incomplete grad school applications, and 1 full time job will do to an unsuspecting blog. With all of that going on, I don't even have anything super awesome to report. There has been a lot of this lately...

Also, quite a bit of this...

Mmm... but this is not the reason I have resurrected my blog. Instead, it's what my dog has been eating!

V-Dog! My Dordles has been enjoying this crunchy kibble for a month or two now. I finally took the plunge and veganized my pooch! And the 33 lb. bag cost me about $46 and change. The shipping was free and I searched for a "v-dog coupon code", which gave me 5% off! (I recommend Googling coupon codes for ANY online purchase - I've almost always gotten a discount or some little freebie this way!) I was easily spending almost twice that amount on all natural dog foods at grocery stores... and there are animal products in those! Win-win. I can't say much about how the food has affected my little girl's energy level or anything, because she's still a puppy and has always been hyper and playful. But [I'm about to talk about my dog's poop, so skip these next few sentences if you're squeamish], I have noticed that her stool looks much healthier. How does dog shit look unhealthy, you ask? Well, it could be discolored, runny, or she could be constipated. Ever since starting her on V-Dog, it's been healthy poo all the way! Also, check out these vegan/vegetarian doggie treats I picked up for her at Pet Supplies Plus:

Old Mother Hubbard's Just Vegg'n treats (vegan!), Solid Gold's Garlic Doggie Bagels (vegetarian), some peanut butter bagels from a bin (vegan!), and Zuke's Mean Greenz treats. Zuke's company is the most impressive and boasts the most vegan products. Their line of Superfood Organic Dog Biscuits (Mean Greenz, Berry Blastz, Health Nutz) are all vegan, bite sized for training (or putting inside my pup's toys so she can work to get them out), and contain a multitude of nutrients. I would eat these frigging things myself... and there aren't many dog treats I would say that about. So far, Dori likes all of these healthy treats. And right now she is crunching away on a garlic doggie bagel. :)

In other news: I am most likely going to be hosting another Thanksgiving feast this year for my dad, his girlfriend, and my brother. :) I am very excite! But also very unprepared... any killer recipe ideas? I am going to try to get a hold of the lentil-nut loaf recipe that Olivia's mother made into burgers for her wedding - yumtastic! We'll see what else I come up with!

Vegan MoFo: Recipe Thievery!

2009-10-24T23:06:00.001-04:00

How about some MoFoing, KT, jeez?! It's been busy around here... I apologize for my neglect. I have been busy being a recipe thief from across the blogiverse. And with excellent results! Let's take a look.

What're these babies? Why, these would be Happy Herbivore's Baked Low Fat Whole Wheat Chocolate Glazed Vegan Doughnuts. But... I don't have a doughnut pan, so they're pastry lumps. Yum. Seriously. These are so rich and scrump-shuss... who cares what shape they are? And they're relatively healthy. Whole wheat flour and I used hemp milk as the non-dairy milk component (omega-3's!), and they're baked instead of fried! Try these now!

Nom... Veg Is Sexy's Pumpkin Pancakes! It's been so long since I've had a pancake breakfast and these left me full nearly all day! Very, very, very tasty. :)

All cut up and smothered in syrups... *drool*

All of my meals today came care of Veg Is Sexy's delicious creativity. Andria's World-Rocking Sweet Potato Chili! Oh, is this good... nothing beats a big bowl of piping hot chili w/ a chunk of bread for dipping on a chilly (ha!) autumn day. Mmmmmmmmm. This dish was super healthy, too. Fresh ingredients, organic beans, and for the tomato sauce called for, I just pureed 3 tomatoes in my Vita-Mix instead of using a salty canned variety. I had two of my besties over to share noms and, luckily, I still have 2 (big) servings leftover! I am absolutely hell bent on making this again in the future. Soon.

Lastly, I would like you all to wish my baby girl, Dorian, a Happy Birthday!! She's 2 today and has been nom-ing on her new toy all day. :) What a sweetie.

Vegan MoFo: Raw Wednesday and Whole Foods Haul

2009-10-21T19:18:00.001-04:00

That's right, my sickly ass made it to Whole Foods this weekend. I am feeling much better today though... I do have a mad case of man-voice, sometimes interrupted by puberty-voice. It's flattering, trust me. Check out my haul:

A couple highlights: 100 calorie Lara Bars!, red curry paste & lite coconut milk (oh, I've got ideas...), a bag of avocados, and a bunch of bulk spices: Bac'Ums (not a spice, but delicious nonetheless!), bay leaves, mustard powder, poppy seeds (muffins soon!), and garam masala for curries! I love Whole Foods... I spend about an hour in there each time I go... sigh!

Yup. Hurry Up Alfredo, indeed. This stuff can be prepared in a jiffy, and that's great for a gal who really shouldn't be leaving the couch much...

And here's my sneaky little wiener trying to score a bite of my vegan chocolate chip cookie which I couldn't resist at WF's bakery. Mah cookie!

And, as you all know, today is Raw Wednesday! You all know this, of course, because you all read Gena's blog. *glare* You should, at least. Her recipes and insight are magnificent. Anywho, this is KT's first Raw... Anyday and I'd say it was a success! I noticed I was only a tad more hungry than I usually am running around @ work. What I did find is that I was much gassy-er from all those fruits and veggies... hmm. For breakfast I had a green smoothie... (2) 100 calorie Lara Bars as mid-morning snacks... a spinach/jicama/red onion/almond salad with balsamic/maple/dijon vinaigrette and a big juicy pear for lunch... and dinner:

My own take on a raw tortilla soup using whatever the hell was in my fridge. Into my Vita-Mix went: 2 tomatoes, 2 inches or so of cucumber, handful of cilantro, 1/2 cup water, couple T of olive oil, clove of garlic, cumin, paprika, onion powder black pepper, salt. Topped with raw corn, which is surprisingly delicious. This soup all together, however, was not... :/ I don't think I'm used to the whole cold soup thing yet. Maybe I'll get there? My guacamole lettuce roll-ups were tasty, though! I'm starting to understand Gena's obsession with avocados. Yum!

VeganMofo: Take Out Noms for the Sick Lady

2009-10-17T19:25:00.000-04:00

That's right... I'm sick. *snerf* Needless to say, I've been doing a lot of lounging and very little cooking lately. But I still have some delicious noms to share. :) On Friday, for lunch, I zipped over to VegiTerranean and had Mr. Justin as my waiter! Whenever I'm feeling crappy, I crave really heavy, greasy foods... so that's what I got!

The Rubber City Melt! This sammich reminded me of weekends spent w/ my dad getting lunch @ Bob Evans or Rockne's... except this one is cruelty-free! Smoked Gardein chicken, pesto aioli, oven roasted peppers and arugula with a side of Chrissie's fries topped with tofu ricotta and a side of balsamic ketchup. I couldn't finish the fries... but I wolfed down the sammich no problem.

Mmm... Orange Tofu with vegetables from Thai Gourmet in Stow - same owners as Pad Thai, and mostly the same menu. My mom and I had a girl's night in last night, which means movies and take-out! This provided me with three servings... so good.

Took a trip to Mustard Seed Market today (after a long nap and a hot shower...) and got some foods. I'll be going to Whole Foods tomorrow to get produce since it's MUCH cheaper there than Mustard Seed. Got some nooch, almond butter, delicious delicious avocado-jalepeno hummus, Tempt Mint Chip ice cream, Tempt Chocolate Hemp Milk, Lightlife Bologna slices (2 for $5!) and a cherry tart bar thingy. Comfort foods indeed. :)

For dinner I also picked up a slice of Tofu Vegan Oatloaf from the deli - it was pretty good! Very tomato-y, even w/o the ketchup.

I hope to post something more interesting once I'm feeling better. :)