Veggie Sometimes

Earthlings

2011-02-05T15:19:00.000-06:00

Anyone squeamish from "Food, Inc." would do well to skip this movie altogether. There is little new information here, though it does give those new to activism, animal rights, vegetarianism, etc. a general overview of the role of animals in human society.

The tone of the film started out a bit grandiose and preachy,coining the word "specisist" to define anyone who puts the desires of their own species above any other and linking these people to Nazi's and rapists. This is the kind of talk that often turns the casual viewer (and I mean someone not already entrenched in the cause) off. While the juxtaposition between concentration camps and cattle ranches is a good one, it seems to be used for the soul purpose of horror. The facts are horrific enough and this is where "Food, Inc." was more successful.

The movie breaks the role of animals in human culture down into five categories:

1. Pets- The main focus here is the benefit to adoption and avoidance of pet stores and puppy mills. Footage of euthanasia is stunning in the cases where injection overlooked for the inexpensiveness of gas. I adopted my cat from a shelter and plan to do so for all future pets. I'm a bit torn now as to where is the best place to adopt from though. Should I continue supporting no-kill shelters even though they are unable to support a large number of animals or should I rescue from traditional kill shelters? Am I supporting their killing of thousands of animals or am I rescuing one? It's a tough thought.

"...fellow prisioners of the wonder and travail of Earth."

2. Food- More and more Americans are becoming aware of the meat industry and its shortcomings, thanks in part to films such as this and Oprah. [side note: I want to see a "where are they now" episode following her week long vegan challenge a year from now. How many stuck with it?] The footage is much the same as you have seen before with some exceptions. When I ate meat, I thought Kosher meant better. I was horrified by what was shown at the largest processing plant of Kosher meat in the U.S. How does anyone think this is okay? I have a dream where one day I live in a house and can keep chickens. I keep trying to convince my friends who already have goats to get some chickens and maybe a pig or two. I just want to play with them! Also, I find it difficult to refute eggs that I, essentially, produced. More food for thought.

3. Clothing- Since becoming vegetarian, I have avoided leather products. After reading a post on The Kind Life about wool production, I am determined to decrease my consumption of animal fibers as well. What surprised me most in this segment was where most leather comes from. It always seemed weird to me that so many leather goods were made in India considering the Hindu belief that cows are sacred, and even more so to realize that it is these sacred animals that are being slaughtered for coats.

"Of all the creatures that were made, man is the most detestable... He is the only creature that has pain for sport, knowing it to be pain." -Mark Twain

4. Entertainment- Hunting, racing/gambling, rodeos, circuses, bullfighting, and zoos are all profiled here.

5. Science- Focusing on medical testing, experimentation, etc. I try to avoid products that have been tested on animals mostly because I can't imagine what we still need to learn about shampoo. However, I am unsure how I feel about medical testing and am no less confused now. With a running time of only 90 minutes, it is not surprising that questions would go unanswered. However, when an accusation is made I expect a full argument.

"As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields." -Leo Tolstoy

Should you see "Earthlings"? The short answer is yes. It is especially designed with the public in mind, however it is full of graphic images which may be unsuitable for younger viewers. Have you seen this movie? What did you think?

(all quotes as seen in the film)

SVW: Single Vegetarian looking for Websites

2011-01-12T11:53:00.000-06:00

I think I may OD on vegan blogs and websites soon and am desperate to find some great sites for vegetarians not just vegans. I've got to hand it to them, those vegans are super organized and love the Internet! I must be the prime example of a vegetarian blogger- too lazy to post consistently. Maybe, I'm too busy. I like the way that sounds a lot more and it's probably closer to accurate.

Have you found any great websites or blogs of the vegetarian persuasion? Shoot me a link in the comments section please!

Viva Vegan!

2010-12-01T16:13:00.000-06:00

I love getting cookbooks from the library. It seems impossible to judge the merits of a good cookbook online or in the few minutes you have to flip through it at the book store. I think the only time I buy cookbooks now is from Half Price Books because how can you go wrong with a $5 cookbook? I was excited to get Terry Hope Romero's "Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers" as it has gotten great reviews from a number of veggie and non-veggie sources alike. I was maybe half way through the second chapter of this book (Salsas and Condimentos) when I shut the book, put it down, and decided I just needed to buy it.

When I'm only checking out a cookbook, I usually write the page numbers for the recipes I like on the back of the rental due receipt. When I finally decided this was a book I just needed to own, I had already written down about 20 numbers!

The recipes are all vegan (duh!), but are easily adaptable to vegetarian palettes as well. Latin food has been friend to the vegetarian for a long time with it's dishes rich with beans and veggies. Who even misses the meat when you have Cuban Black Bean Soup, Fried Sweet Plantains, Arepas, Creamy Corn-Crusted Seitan Pot Pie, and Dulce Batata?

The book also includes some simple seitan recipes (can you ever have enough) and is conscious of what products are and are not readily available in your local supermarket. I'm lucky to live in Texas so I have easy access to things like plantains, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, yucca, and more. I cannot wait to make so many things from this book!

Use Your Noodle!

2010-11-13T16:17:00.001-06:00

I was never a fan of noodle dishes when I ate at Chinese restaurants. Why would I get lo mein when I could have sweet and sour chicken? I am also not the biggest fan of soup so would avoid those dishes like the plague. Now that I no longer delight in chicken, it was time to give serious thought to noodles. Right off the bat I love the look of udon noodles, like thicker, soft spaghetti. Second, the brand I bought was fully cooked and came in two packages so I didn't need to cook more than what I needed for myself. (I'm kicking myself right now because I can't find the picture of the package!) The finished product of this lightly fried dish was heaven and I was so happy to have some leftover for lunch the next day. It re-heated very well in the microwave.

I've adapted this recipe from "The Kind Diet" with my changes in green. [side note: the following pictures reflect the recipe as written with a few additions. I did not limit the paprika as I suggest you do]

Fried Udon Noodles

(serves 2)

1 8-oz package udon noodles

2 T olive oil

2 c sliced green cabbage

1 c half-moon onion slices

2 t finely chopped garlic

1 1/2 T sweet paprika (1 T or 2 t paprika, depending on your taste)

1 T low-sodium Tamari

salt & pepper to taste

chopped parsley to garnish

1. Cook udon noodles as per package directions and set aside. (This is where I used the Tamari. I think I will heat them in water first instead so they don't fry as long, then add the Tamari to the cabbage when I add the onions).

2. Heat 1 T oil in large skillet or wok over medium heat. (I'm so excited, I just got a wok at IKEA for $4!!! I can't wait to use it next time). Add cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender, about 15 minutes. Add a teaspoon or so of water to the pan if the cabbage begins to stick or burn.

3. Heat the remaining oil over medium-high in a separate pan. Add onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook until onions are translucent, again add a teaspoon of water if the onions start to stick. (This may be hard to tell when the onions are ready. The paprika really coats those suckers! I would give it about 5-8 minutes).

3. Add onion mixture to the cabbage and stir to combine. Add drained noodles and toss together until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve!

I really shouldn't have put this in a red bowl, but you get the idea. It was so delicious!! This is a great recipe for Meatless Monday or a quick dinner.

Vegan MOFO

2010-11-06T16:15:00.000-05:00

So, it's Vegan MOFO (Month of Food) and bloggers all around the world are participating. As a vegan flirt and lazy food blogger (really, I think I would post more if I had the internet at home, but it's a real pain in the tukus to upload, transfer, download, load, etc. etc. etc.). Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yea, so for the above reasons I am not participating. I am trying to eat more vegan meals this month and so far so good. I promise to post some of my delicious creations very soon!

One of my favorite bloggers, An Opera Singer in the Kitchen is participating and she posted a really cool survey that I am totally stealing. I changed some of the questions to reflect a vegetarian lifestyle and not just vegan. Thanks!!!

1. What is one food you thought you’d miss when you went vegetarian, but don’t?
Steak. I thought I would miss it more than anything but it's the weird things I miss, like hot dogs.

2. What is a food or dish you wouldn’t touch as a child, but enjoy now?
Anything with veggies! I only liked green beans, carrots, and ice berg lettuce. Period. Now, I eat all kinds of interesting things like asperegus (in small quantities), avocados, cabbage, radishes, parsnips, etc.
3. What vegan dish or food you feel like you should like, but don’t?
Vegan cheese, except Daiya but that's only good for pizzas or quesadillas or where ever it can be melted. This is one of the reasons I am not vegan.
4. What beverage do you consume the most of on any given day?

Water or pomegranet cranberry juice

5. What dish are you famous for making or bringing to gatherings?

I don't know! I think I'm just famous for bringing something homemade.

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

Oh, I'm sure there are a lot I just can't think of. I am still nervous about a few veggies like beets and Brussel sprouts. I don't like nuts in desert (though the vegan brownies at Spiral Diner are amazing!)
7. What’s one food or dish you tend to eat too much of when you have it in your home?

Fudge. Or at least that's what I'm guilty of eating right now!

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

Pizza. I love homemade pizza!
9. What ingredient or food is worth spending the extra money to get the good stuff?

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

I try not to keep a lot of snacks around but it's usually a piece of candy or something. Thankfully, I can easily eat just a few spoonfuls of ice cream or gelato, or just a couple pieces of fudge.
11. What are your favorite vegan/veggie pizza toppings?

Field Roast Italian Sausage. I am also in love with marinated artichoke hearts on pizza. yum!
12. What is your favorite vegetable? Fruit?

Green Beans and apples.
13. What is the best salad dressing?

It changes. I eat a lot less Ranch dressing now that I'm vegetarian which is weird. Maybe it's just that I've grown up. I usually do a simple Balsamic with oil, or French dressing, or homemade Mustard Shallot dressing.
14. What is your favorite thing to put on toasted bread?

American Cheese! Honey is a close second.
15. What kind of soup do you most often turn to on a chilly day or when you aren’t feeling your best?

Okay, I think I can answer one of the above questions better now. I am not a soup fan. Growing up soup always meant you were sick. Now, I like it every once and a while and I always keep some on hand, but I never really go for it. That being said, Whole Foods makes an amazing Roast Garlic Potato soup that I really like with crostini.

16. What is your favorite cupcake flavor? Frosting flavor?

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Icing.
17. What is your favorite kind of cookie?

Chocolate Chocolate Chip (vegan)

18. What is your most-loved weeknight meal?

Tempeh Piccatta (converted from "The Kind Diet")
19. What is one dish or food you enjoy, but can’t get anyone else in your household to eat?

It's just me so none! Though, I'm nervous about my birthday this year. Where can I go that my parents will also enjoy??
20. Favorite non-dairy milk?

So Delicious Coconut Milk Unsweetend. It is yummy in oatmeal, eggs, deserts, anything. I'm still having a problem drinking it straight, but what are you gonna do?
21. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?

Disaster? Failure? I know none of these things! (Although, as much as I love to make curry, I don't like that my apartment smells like it for days afterward)
22. Favorite pickled item?

Pickles! I'm also on the hunt for an inexpensive Kimchi.
23. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods…what would they be (don’t worry about how you’ll cook them)?

Apples, eggs, and black bread
24. Fondest food memory from your childhood?

I loved watching my Dad cook. He and my mother had completely different styles. He never used a recipe and rarely measured anything. The whole house would smell great while he was concocting something new.
25. Favorite vegan ice cream?

I like gelato. So Delicious Coconut Water gelato in Lemonaid is wonderful!
26. Most loved kitchen appliance?

Is it lame to pick my rubber spatula? It's perfect for flipping and mixing and stirring. I heart it.
27. Spice/herb you would die without?

Shallots. I am obsessed.
28. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?

Strawberry Rhubarb
29. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?

Enchilada's with seitan and peppers. My best friend couldn't believe they were vegetarian!
30. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?

Tempeh. I'll change my answer to seitan when I learn how to make it from scratch!

31. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?

I love breakfast. I only really cook it on my days off so it's a real treat. I also love to make nibbly bits for parties.
32. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.

Frozen veggies and fruit, puff pastry, Quorn Turk'y Roast
33. What’s on your grocery list?

Food grade lavender blossoms. I think I'll have to special order them and it bums me out.
34. Favorite grocery store?

Whole Foods or Central Market
35. Name a recipe you’d love to make vegetarian, but haven’t yet.

City Chicken- a pan fried veal dish my Dad makes
36. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa’s because I know you check it everyday).
Some days I feel like that's all I read! I like An Opera Singer in the Kitchen, C'est la Vegan, and Kirsten's Kitchen
37. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?

Vegan chocolate chips are awesome. Also, Oreo's are now vegan!

38. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?

I bought this crazy salt that I still haven't used. It's a really pretty lavender colour and smells divine! I think I'll use it in my next egg dish. I also finally bought liquid smoke and my Boca burgers thank me!

It's Pronounced Nj-okie

2010-11-03T17:59:00.000-05:00

Is there something better than gnocchi on the planet? Okay, that may be a totally false statement but it doesn't detract for the fact that I love these little Italian potato dumplings. I've always wanted to make them at home but they seemed labor intensive, not to mention space intensive. Lucky me to discover you can by pre-made gnocchi at better food stores. These came from Central Market and were chosen for the soul reason that there were more ingredients I recognized and the Nutritional label was a bit better (in terms of salt, fat, etc).

They were also super simple to make, though if you are trying gnocchi for the first time it could be tricky. It's hard to tell when these suckers are ready! I topped mine with some sauteed garlic and homemade pesto. So yummy!

What to do with leftovers? I combined them with a bit more olive oil, cheese (Italian blend) and topped with breadcrumbs to bake at about 350 for about 10 minutes or until the cheese was melted and the bread crumbs crisp. Pretty yummy. I would have loved a bit more sauce in the baked version and will probably make a light, vegan white sauce next time. If only I had white wine on hand that night...

State Fair of Texas

2010-10-02T16:07:00.001-05:00

The State Fair of Texas is the largest state fair in the country. It's so grand and unique in nature that Oprah filmed an entire episode there. The Fair is also home to a fried food contest that brings the most innovative and often delicious treats to visitors. Past winners have included fried butter, fried Oreos, fried Twinkies, fired short ribs, and fried peanut butter and jelly and banana sandwiches. This years treats (and tricks) were no different:

** Here I am sampling some fried green beans while the local news looks on. These are probably my favorite thing at the fair. Mostly because I can lie to myself that it's healthful (there's veggies in there yo!), but also because there are only so many treats for a vegetarian to enjoy. They are yummy and totally worth it!

** The food pavilion features food from around the world and so delicious! The carnivorous crew members indulged in turkey legs and fried short ribs, but we were on a more serious mission: Fried Beer. The winner of Most Original, it was hiding somewhere in the pavilion and we had to find it. While waiting in line, a fellow fair goer asked us if we wanted her fried beer. She said is was disgusting, put the basket in our hands, and walked away. She didn't even want any tickets for it! Of course, we couldn't take her word for it. Let me just say that if I never have to see, hear, or taste fried beer again it will be too soon. Imagine a salty ravioli filled with Shiner Bock, now imagine biting into said ravioli only to discover the beer is still in liquid state and now running down your shirt. Oh, and it's hot.

On a positive note, the Fried Green Tomatoes were great and they came with a zesty chipotle ranch dipping sauce!

** Deep Fried Oreos are so good. It's like when you hold an Oreo in milk for just the right length of time so it's soft but not soggy, then you batter and fry it. I also tried the fried chocolate (new this year) which was good but I think they were running out so I only got a small chunk. Still, that chunk had a nice cherry in it (fruit! healthy right?).

** The fried grilled cheese sandwich that debuted last year was back again. I was not impressed last year, it tasted like hot oil and no cheese. The best part was the side of tomato soup for dipping. This year, things were looking up for the sandwich though the soup was still the best part. I'm guessing this once again has something to do with being there on opening day before the fryers become disgusting.

** Word-of-the-day Jennie loved the fried Frito pie so much she was clamoring for seconds. I have to say, when I ate meat Frito pie was one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I must have eaten it at least once a month. I kinda wish this had come out last year so I could have tried it but I don't think it lessened anything for me not to. This won Best Taste at this years fair.

** I was kind of bummed when I heard about the Green Goblin. It's a pepper (pablano/habenero?) stuffed with shredded chicken, rice, cheese, and avocado. Why did they have to ruin it with chicken?!

**Fried Moonpie. Like the Oreo but with marshmallow. Pretty good, of course by this time I was fighting a nasty headache from all the sugar, oil, and beer I'd ingested.

** In an attempt to supplement my Fair beer diet, I also tried some fried Texas caviar (black-eyed peas) tossed with seasoning (including Old Bay). They come in regular and spicy, though as a lover of all things spicy I cannot imagine eating that one. The regular was so flavorful and spicy I'm pretty sure the hotter version would kill me.

** Of course, before you leave the Fair you need a little something for the ride home or to comfort you until you can come back again. Might I suggest some cotton candy or salt water taffy (my personal fav)?

I'm sure I forgot something deep fried and wondrous, but I can't remember anymore. It's a good thing I started the day with a small salad, just to keep me grounded. I also never want to see anything fried for a really long time.

Mock Chicken Salad

2010-09-25T17:06:00.000-05:00

I've kind of been obsessed with mock-chicken salad for a while now. It was one of my favorite sandwiches back when I ate meat but for some reason I haven't tried making it now. Whole Foods makes a nice one, but it tastes a lot like soy which is kind of a turn off. I think I have finally figured it out! Let me know what you think.

Mock-Chicken Salad

2 pcs Quorn Naked Chik'n Breast, diced

2-2 1/2 slices of extra firm tofu, 3/4" thick

1/4 c celery, small dice

1/2 carrot, small dice

1/4 sm onion, small dice

1/4 t celery seed

1/2 t tarragon (flakes or a small bunch diced)

3 T Veganaise

salt & pepper to taste

Cut 2-3 slices of extra firm tofu about 3/4" thick. Loosely wrap in paper towel and press for about 20-30 minutes. You want most of the moisture gone but still a bit damp.

In the mean time, chop your veggies and defrost your Quorn Chik'n Breasts. Next, combine all ingredients except Veganaise, salt & pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly mix in 1 T of Vegainaise at a time until you reach the desired consistency. I prefer my salad a bit on the dry side. No one likes a soggy sandwich! Salt & pepper to taste.

You can always slather some more mayo on toast when you make up your sandwiches. I like to sprinkle it with a bit of Cajun seasoning as well (I skip the added salt in the recipe).

Enjoy!

If it ain't twisted...

2010-08-28T14:04:00.003-05:00

... It's not a burger!

Ever since Twisted Root opened near downtown Dallas I have been a fan. Even before "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" hit the scene, the line at lunch often ran down the block. So, what's the big fuss over a burger joint?

Twisted Root is run by 3 professionally trained chefs using the best local and seasonal ingredients in all their products. When it's in season, you can find Elk, Bison, Venison, and Ostrich on the menu. Their veggie burger is spicy and house made with balck beans and corn. The sesoned curly fries are amazing, that is until you try the fried green beans and onion strings!

After placing your order, you are given a laminated card with a celebrities name on it (last time I was Brittany Spears). When your order is ready, Chef Quincy Hart calls out your name using impressions and sound effects. He is a hoot!

On my last visit, I ordered the veggie burger on a whole wheat bun (vegan!) topped with sauteed onions, lettuce, cheddar, and guacamole. All of the sauces are made in house, and I recommend Granddad's Famous BBQ Sauce. I also love the chipotle ketchup and dijon horseradish mustard. To go with my fairly healthy option, I split the Fried Ride with my two buddies. This basket of sides, more like a tray, contains servings of fried pickles, green beans, onion strings, curly fries, and sweet potato chips served with buttermilk and southwestern Ranch dressing. Total coronary but worth it!

To wash it all down we each had an Amaretto-Oreo Adult milkshake- yum! All in all, it wasn't a very balanced meal and sure, that much fried food isn't really good for you. However, I think it's important not to deny your self what you want (as long as you aren't hurting anyone) and some times a few onion rings are just what the doctor ordered!

When You're On The Go!

2010-08-25T14:15:00.008-05:00

I have been super lazy about cooking recently. I think it was the heat, or at least that's what I'm blaming! I am excited about some awesome products I've recently discovered. I wonder if it's like this for all people transitioning into a vegetarian diet, but I've become obsessed with the array of easy, meat free, processed foods available to me. The whole point was to eat more organically and naturally, and now I can't stop thinking about Quorn breaded chik'n breasts.

Quorn is a UK brand of meat and soy free products (though not vegan as some contain eggs). It is made from mycoprotein which is a type of fungus like mushrooms or truffles. So far, this product is the closest in taste and texture to chicken that I've had. That is not to say it actually tastes like chicken, it doesn't, but the texture is more enjoyable than other products on the market. It is low in fat and cholesterol, and high in protein. Yum! I've tried the Chik'n Nuggets, Naked Chicken, and Garlic & Herb Chik'n Cutlets. All are delicious and easy to incorporate into any meal. I've made mock chicken salad with the naked chicken and it's a great sub in your recipes. I cannot wait to try the meatballs, turkey roast, and stuffed chik'n breasts. (Watch out Mom & Dad! This is what I'm bringing to Thanksgiving dinner). Now, if only they had coupons...

I am also obsessed with Newman's Own Organics Ginger O's. My sister turned me on to these and I've tried to be "good" and not buy them but my resolve wore out. These cookies (hell, the whole line or Newman's Own) is delicious and the profits after taxes go to charity. I love that they use organic ingredients, are free from trans fats, and taste delicious. You can have your cookie and eat it too! You can find coupons for Newman's Own here.

The other night, I tried WestSoy Seitan strips in a Szechuan style stir fry. As of now, the company website only lists their soy milk products so I'm not listing it here. It's weird and I don't know why they would ignore the other half of their catalog. Oh well... The stir fry was awesome! I was inspired by the scechuan style string beans I had from my favorite Chinese take out place. The sauce is spicy and delicious. Here's what I did to the best of my memory:

Brown the seitan strips in a bit of peanut oil, then set aside on a paper towel to drain. In a small pot, par boil green beans and chopped carrots. Add a bit more oil to the pan and add sliced onion, garlic clove, and orange pepper until tender. Add vegetable stock, hot sauce, tamari (or low sodium soy sauce), red pepper flakes, and a touch of flour to thicken. When reduced by half, add the green beans, carrots, and seitan. Saute until coated and serve with rice or quinoa.

Super yum and easy!

Which brings me to my last obsession: Tamari. I first heard about it in "The Kind Diet" and have been loyal ever since. Tamari is a richer, more complex, gluten free Japanese shoyu. My favorite brand is San-J which is available at most major groceries, Whole Foods, and Asian markets. It has a depth of dimension or umami (thanks Iron Chef!). Trust me when I tell you, you will never want soy sauce again!

How much?!?

2010-08-15T16:11:00.004-05:00

This is a pretty cool article from Wisegeek.com on what 200 calories looks like. They use common foods, including some junk food, to show exactly what your getting. I would love to see another post demonstrating what your daily fat, protein, and fiber intake looks like. Check it out and tell me what you think!

(Special thanks to Alejandra from Always Order Desert for turning me on to this site)

2010-07-30T10:50:00.005-05:00

There is an interesting article on the Huffington Post about vegetarians vs omnivores. The author called for comments in the pro or con vein, then compiled the best ones together. It's pretty interesting. What I find the most fascinating, and this recently happened to me...again, is the loud, defensive, and almost militant stance people have on another's diet. Why do you care what I eat? It continues to amaze me how some people feel vegetarianism and veganism are personal attacks on themselves. I would understand if you are a rancher, etc., but Joe Schmoe off the street?

"I've never met a vegetarian that wasn't taking some sort of supplement"

Do you really think the average American is eating healthfully? How many fresh fruits and veggies do you consume in a day? Even better, how many portions/individual serving size of fruits and vegetables do you eat in a day? Until recently, I would have said one unless we're counting potatoes. Almost everyone could benefit from a multivitamin regardless of if you are a vegetarian, vegan, or meat lover.

The only thing I really miss so far about eating meat is the convenience of it. I can go anywhere and eat anything. Most of my cookbooks focus on meat proteins. However, I know that with time and research comes experience and ease.

"You need to eat meat!!"

Uh, not really. There are several cultures that do not eat meat and many more where meat is limited. They're doing just fine. Did you know the average vegetarian lives anywhere from 2-7 years longer than an omnivore? Vegetarians have a lower risk of heart disease and many cancers. A balanced diet, regardless of if you eat meat or not, will provide you with the nutrients your body needs. For vegetarians, that means being conscious of B12 and Omega-3 in our diets but both can be found naturally (B12: dairy, eggs, nutritional yeast, and fortified foods; Omega-3: flax seed, nuts, soy products, and leafy greens).

"No happy meat eater will become fully vegetarian"

That's just the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I did. Will it last? Who knows! I haven't eaten pork in over 15 years and it never kept me down. I guess the worst thing I did was learn about my food, where it came from, what was in it, how they made it, and how it got to my house. For now I'm happy, feel great, have lost some weight, and love the new to me thought of "what's for dinner?"

Walking Food Tour

2010-07-29T19:01:00.003-05:00

Wow, it's been a while since I wrote about food! I wanted to blame my holiday, but I wasn't gone that long. What may be worse, this isn't really a post either. I just got back from eating my way across Pennsylvania (okay, just a small portion of the Northeast) and New York City. I'm blogging about it and what else I did to amuse myself on my other blog here. I hope you check it out.

I will write in more detail about my amazing vegetarian New York experience as we get there in the narrative. Enjoy!

Egg Salad & Curry...

2010-06-30T18:43:00.005-05:00

... But not in that order.

My sister sent my this recipe for No Egg Egg Salad that she was addicted to during her month long vegan experiment. According to her, you can eat this for days and it is delicious. I decided to try my hand as I've been missing sandwiches something fierce. Cucumbers and cream cheese is delicious but not necessarily the most nutritious. It is important to note that not all silken tofu is created equally. I had no idea there was both soft and firm style so of course I bought the wrong kind. I basically made soup. The firm silken tofu is not refrigerated and is in a small cardboard box. Let me know if you try this and how it was!

No Egg Egg Salad
1 cucumber diced small
1 carrot diced small
1/2 package Mori-nu silken tofu, extra firm, diced a little larger
1/4-1/2 c Veganaise
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
caraway seeds to taste
salt and pepper

mix together and enjoy!

***************************************************************

Last night I decided to finally make the couscous I bought ages ago, but what to put with it? I haven't made curry in a while and I really wanted to get a bunch of veggies on the plate. I forgot to take pictures, but will try to get a good one of the leftovers. This is super easy, rustic, and easy to adapt to whatever fresh vegs you have. I will say, I like my curry hot to desi hot so you may need to adjust some of the ratios.

Couscous with Vegetable Curry
Serves 2

For the couscous:
1 c couscous (I get it in the bulk foods section)
1 c water
1c vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste

For the vegetables:
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c onions, large dice
1 clove garlic, diced
1 medium white potato, cubed
1 carrot, chopped
½ c green beans (or 1/3 12 oz can)
1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped
1 T tomato paste
½ c water or vegetable broth
½ t curry powder (get a quality one)
½ t hot paprika
½ t red pepper flakes
¼ t ground coriander
1 t Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pot, bring the water and broth to a boil. Gradually stir in the couscous to avoid clumping. Reduce to a simmer and cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and remove from heat. Let sit about 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Bring water to a boil in a small sauce pot. Add potato and par boil, about 4-6 minutes. If using fresh green beans add them as well.

Meanwhile, in a medium to large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until just soft. Add the carrots and cook until they begin to get tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and add the potatoes and the rest of the veggies. Toss in red pepper flakes. Let cook about 5-7 minutes or until the potatoes begin to brown. Add spices, Worcestershire, tomato paste, and ½ of the water/broth. Bring to a simmer. If there is not enough broth, add the rest of the water/broth. Cook until the liquid begins to reduce and thicken up, about 5-7 minutes.

Fluff couscous with a fork and pile into a bowl or deep plate. Top with veggies and enjoy!

Risotto-A-Go-Go!

2010-06-30T17:14:00.010-05:00

Is any one word more horror inducing than "risotto"? It evokes a painful and languorous process that sucks the soul from the living. In reality, it is a simple and delicious way to cook starch's. Sure, this cannot be done in 15 minutes, but the small amount of time you do spend is sure to produce fantastic results! Once mastered, the options are limitless.

Risotto is a cooking style where the rice (or other starch) is slowly cooked in liquid while stirring. The stirring releases the starch from the rice and thickens the sauce. When you're done, you are left with a creamy treat that will satisfy any craving.

Last night I made the most amazing risotto, my best one yet! I was inspired to try something new while watching "Chuck's Day Off" on the Cooking Channel. He made a risotto with potatoes and I thought, "Genius!"
[As always, I rarely measure anything, preferring to "eyeball it" and simply knowing how much 1c or 1T looks like. Please keep this in mind.]

Potato Risotto w/Beans
serves 3-4 as a side, 1-2 as main

1 medium white potato, cubed
1/2 c arborio rice
4-5 c vegetable broth
2 T olive oil, extra virgin
2 T vegan butter
1/4 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 c spinach, chiffonade
1/4 c green beans, cut in 2-3 bits
Vegan Parmesan (4-5 shakes)
1 T soft silken tofu
salt & pepper

In a small sauce pan, par boil the potato until just soft, about 2 minutes. Drain and set aside. Then, cook green beans until almost soft, about 2 minutes. Set aside. In same pan, bring broth up to a boil, then reduce to barely a simmer. The idea is to get it hot but not to cook it.

In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add rice and stir until opaque, about 2 minutes. Add potato and stir.

Now, to risotto: Turn up heat to high/medium high. Ladle in about 1/2 c of broth to the rice (this is 1-2 full ladles) and stir. The liquid should come to a slow boil then simmer as you stir. Once the liquid is absorbed, add another ladle. You must stir frequently or risk the rice sticking and burning on the bottom of the pan. If you must divert your attention, add a second ladle of liquid.

When you have about 1 c left of broth, add the green beans. Keep adding liquid until it is all absorbed.
[This is a great time to taste the rice. Is it hard or crunchy? If so, keep adding liquid until fully cooked.]

When your rice is cooked, add the tofu, butter, Parmesan, and spinach. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir together well. Serve!

For the crispy shallots:

In a small frying pan, heat 2 T oil. Cut about 3 slices from the shallot. Toss in whole wheat flour and add to frying pan. Give them about 1 minute per side. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel to drain. Garnish!

Risotto should be served immediately and does not reheat well. My favorite thing to do with leftovers is make risotto cakes. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Roll riotto into a ball, about 2", then roll in whole wheat flour and breadcrumbs. Fry and serve. You can also bake these, but I haven't tried that yet.

I hope you enjoy. Recipe cards are available, just leave me a comment and I'll email it to you. Let me know how your risotto turns out. Have you ever made it before? What's your favorite kind?

Take Action!

2010-06-30T17:08:00.006-05:00

* So Delicious is donating $1 (up to $5000) to the Farm Sanctuary. for every UPC mailed in between now and September 30th. Farm Sanctuary does great work rescuing farm animals from cruel and inhospitable environments to instead live their lives on a peaceful farm in upstate New York or California. See kids, it's just like your parents told you- Daisy did go live on a farm! You can mail your UPC's to:

Farm Sanctuary Donation
Turtle Mountain, LLC
POB 21938
Eugene, OR 97402

* The Huffington Post offers some tips for those who "hate" cooking. You can also check out my beginner cooks larder (that's pantry for the rest of us) on The Art of Throwing Stones. You can also find my fledgling food writing there by clicking on "cooking" or "food".

* Dangers of soy. And more evidence from Scientific American

* Very exciting news: The USDA has approved new rules for the National Organic Program (NOP) called The Access to Pasture rule. It states:
"The Access to Pasture rule specifies that organic milk and meat products come from organically‐raised animals that are actively grazing on pasture. "

Basically, it requires organic livestock to have access to pasture throughout the grazing season and that that intake must account for at least 30% of the animals diet. Of course, organic livestock must still refrain from using GMO's, antibiotics/vaccinations, synthetic parasiticides, 100% organic feed with no animal by-products.

So, how is this different from what is currently labled "organic"? I had to look that up myself, and found a great side-by-side chart from the USDA website. Many of the changes have to do with verbage and further definition/inclusion of verbage (a crop is more than just the plant but also now includes the pasture, cover crop, catch crop, or any part of the plant used for food to either humans or animals or to feed the soil).

The point is, to be labled organic is now a more defined and policed process which protects the integrity of the product and the brand. Also, all those cows making your milk and chickens laying your eggs are now entitled to more time running around outside in pastures and enjoying their lives to the fullest!

It's Not the Devil's Playground

2010-06-19T13:40:00.005-05:00

**** (4 stars)

I just finished reading (and copying) recipes from "Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook" written by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Both ladies are also the minds behind the Post Punk Kitchen and their previous best seller "Vegan Vengeance".

What I love about this cookbook is the author's relatable and funny writing style (yes, they did come up with the name for this book from repeat watching's of "Army of Darkness". Come one, that's just cool). The recipes run the gamut from simple homemade seitan (I'm still convinced I would need more counter space than my barely 2x3') to stuffed peppers to BBQ. Everything sounds delicious and the colour photos included read like food porn 101.

My only complaint with the book is that some recipes are way too long. If it can't fit on one page, there's something wrong. Besides that it's off putting, it makes it hard to photocopy which is kind of what you do when your rent from the library.

[side note: I totally rented this from the Library! So excited! I hope to one day own it, but in truth, shoes were calling my name instead.]

I am not vegan, but I love the creativity of the food and am always interested in expanding my culinary repertoire- who isn't?! This book is a nice primer for those who are considering veganism, vegetarians looking for more, and the curious (definitely omnivore friendly).

What are your favorite cook books?

Take Action!

2010-06-11T10:42:00.008-05:00

~ A recipe note: My sister tried to make my vegan chocolate chip cookies last night and they were a disaster. While going over the recipe with her we found two things she did differently from me. Here's what we discovered in case you have your own troubles with cookies (and who wants that?): She used two Earth Balance sticks of butter while I used the tub butter and "eyeballed" 1/2 cup in a measuring cup. Using two sticks (the Earth Balance ones appear smaller than other margarine or butters) was too much and her cookies were flat as a pancake. Also, when creaming the butter, I did everything by hand while she used a mixer. I can't imagine that had much to do with her cookies flattening, but thought I would share as well. In the end, your mixture should look crumbly (kinda like apple crumble pie crust) and not smooth like packaged cookie dough. It will smooth out from the heat in your hands when you roll them into balls.

Have you tried any recipes listed here? Successes? Failures??

~ I just learned about Preserve Products through The Kind Life website and have fallen in love! I can't wait to get paid and buy a bunch of Tupperware and travel ware from them. All of their products are made from 100% recycled plastic and paper. You can even send your old (preserve) toothbrushes back to be recycled. Kinda gross, but also kinda cool. The pricing is pretty great. Has anyone tried any of their products before?

~ The UN is now advising a vegan diet for the world. The reason is simple: By 2050 there will be an estimated 9.1 billion people on this planet (WOW) and a diet high in meat and dairy will no longer be sustainable. We can help now by eating more veggies (organic of course!) and less meat in our diets. Besides, it just feels better!

~ I just signed this Petition asking for the end of arsenic laced animal feed. Who wants to ingest that?!

~ I started eating better in an attempt to get healthier and avoid the gym. Part of what inspired me was my sister (the vegetarian- vegan for June!) and my friend shine (vegan for April and now mostly vegan). I never thought I would be put on this list, but the other day I had a conversation with a friend who revealed she too had recently started thinking about the way she eats and how to make changes. She said speaking to me about how easy it has been and seeing my success has motivated her. To date, she has lost 12 lbs and looks amazing just by becoming veggie friendly. It really made me feel good to hear that someone is listening and that change happens everyday. Do any of you have any success stories?

Meat Free Monday Reviews!

2010-06-07T15:40:00.006-05:00

Happy Meatless Monday! Today I thought I would give you a couple reviews of some fast (read: frozen) meals I've tried recently. I've kept it reletavely simple today for food- an apple for breakfast (I was kinds hurting this morning, so this was all I could handle), some edemame with tamari (the uber-good soy sauce) and leftover spinach pizza from my favorite Italian place, and So Delicious Coconut Milk yogurt in chocolate for a snack. Dinner is "baked" gnocci with pesto (recipe to follow) and maybe some salad.

I'm trying not to eat so much processed/frozen dinners, prefering to save the processing for when I really need it like packaged tempeh, seitan, and Tofurky deli slices. However, while cruising the aisles at Central Market the other day when the word "NEW!" caught my eye. Morningstar Farms (my favorite breakfast sausages by the way) now have TV dinners- Sweet & Sour Chik'n and Lasagna. I am a huge sweet & sour fan so I decided to try it. The sauce is good, as are the chik'n bites, but there are not enough of them. The box promised chunks of pineapple, carrots, and peppers. I think mine had three small pieces of pineapple (Okay by me. I don't really like pineapple) and was over running with carrots and peppers. Mostly, what I had was peppers and rice with carrots and a bit of chik'n. Maybe it's because I haven't had a TV dinner in a while, but I also thought it was a bit salty. Overall, I'd give it 3 stars- Perfect for a quick meal when you're out of time, but not good enough to make it into regular rotation. This is also good for anyone just starting out on a more veggie friendly path.
My favorite new discovery is the Naan pizza by Tandoor Chef. So far, I've only found them at Whole Foods but they are to die! Your choices are Margharita, Roasted Eggplant , Cilantro Pesto, and Spinach & Paneer (which I had). I am in love with paneer, a soft Indian cheese, but have never found a good "instant" version. I don't know how one pizza would feed two people because I would have cut someone if they tried to take the other half! It is delicious and flavorful and I want one right now. I can't wait to try out the other versions (Minus the eggplant. I'm just not there yet). 5 stars! Everyone will enjoy.

What are you eating this Meatless Monday?

Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

2010-06-02T16:26:00.003-05:00

It's hard for me to type anything about food right now, as I am getting over some sort of stomach bug, but let's give it ago anyway!

Last weekend, my sister and I checked out Kalachandjis Temple & Restaurant. Open for over 27 years, it claims to be Dallas' longest running vegetarian restaurant. This beautiful Hare Krishna temple is located in an "eclectic" neighborhood in East Dallas. Truth is, if you are not an "East Village" (as I've dubbed it) regular or resident, the area can be kind of scary- think bars on windows, broken cars, roaming pit bulls- but that shouldn't stop you from trying any of the amazing hidden gems located here. Trust me, I'm a local.

Kalachandjis has been on our radar ever since I moved to the area and decided to give in an support (read: eat) vegetarian with my sister. The irony is not lost on me that we finally made the trip once I embraced a more veggie lifestyle.

Most of the menu is vegan and gluten free, though some options do contain dairy and they are clearly marked. They also refrain from using onions or garlic (I'm not sure why) but somehow that doesn't stop the flavor. The menu changes daily based on what is fresh and looking good, so be sure to check out their website for up to the minute information. They are also a donation based restaurant, so you can pay what you think is fair. This seems to be a bit tricky though as our bill was brought to us filled out ($21.90 for all you can eat for 2), I guess you just leave more or less as you see fit.

The food is served buffet style, then you can carry your trays outside to a beautiful courtyard or sit inside in the relative cool. When we were there there was: lemon tahini soup, steamed carrots, spicy peas in tomato sauce, potatoes and green beans, papadam, spinach pakora, tofu salad, collard greens, cheese quiche (I would use quiche lightly, but it was heaven!), fresh bread (cinnamon raisin!), salad bar with fresh dressings, and your choice of desert. We sampled the vanilla rice pudding (orgasmic) and the carob and walnut cake. Put the two together and you've got a winning combination. I'm sure there was more to choose from, but I forget already.

I can't wait to go back, and I hope others will join me in this strange and beautiful restaurant!

Coconut What? part trois

2010-05-30T13:15:00.008-05:00

While at Central Market I found a huge display with O.N.E. Coconut Water on sale for something like 5 for $6. Considering my foray into coconut water previously, I decided to just grab a couple flavors to try out. How could I pass up such a great deal?!

What a difference a brand makes! I love ONE! The consistency is much more like water and less syrupy. I tried the passion fruit and mango flavours, with the passion fruit being my favorite. Because the price was better/lower than the VitaCoconut, I will probably keep picking up a few of these delicious and nutritious beverages.

The other really cool thing about O.N.E. (check them out on twitter and Facebook), is they support several non-profits in the Amazons and 100% of the profits from their "bottled" water is donated to charities chosen by the consumer. Super cool!

I'm super excited for this evening. My sister is in town for the holiday weekend and we are going to explore some vegetarian restaurant we've never been to in Dallas. At the top of the list is Kalachandjis Krishna Palace and Restaurant. We've been talking about going there forever and it's so close to my house. Kalachandjis serves mostly vegan cuisine inspired by the middle east. The menu changes daily based on what's fresh and lunch and dinner service are paid for by donations only. The suggested donation for lunch is $7.95 and dinner is $10.95. Of course, if you enjoy your experience (or eat a lot) you can pay more. If you're a bit strapped for cash, you can pay a bit less. I love it! I can't wait to tell you all about our experience.

Recipe: Lavender Pound Cake

2010-05-28T18:04:00.009-05:00

I love Philosophy products. They smell great and are economical (a 16 oz body wash/shampoo/bubble bath is $16 and lasts forever). I've had this scent in my shower for a couple years now and it's maybe half way gone. It's sweet without making my teeth hurt, and feminine yet not juvenile. Every time I use it, I stare at the recipe on the label (all the food related scents have one) and dream about the day when I might tackle baking. Well, no more!

The recipe calls for dried lavender blossoms, but I have no idea where you would find those. Maybe a fancy baking/sweet shop would have them and I'm sure you can order them online, but they are just not available at my local Whole Foods or Central Market. What I was delighted to find where the leaves and stems of the flower. They are not available year round. I would have thought autumn would be a better to find them, but whatever. I picked up a bundle and off I went. Below is the recipe as it appears on the bottle with my adjustments in green.

Lavender Pound Cake

2 c flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)

1/2 t baking powder

2 sticks butter, softened (I used Earth Balance margarine sticks. I prefer the soy free blend but it seems to only be available in tub form and I learned my lesson last time- super messy)

1 c sugar

1 1/4 t lavender blossoms, dried (I used about 3 t fresh leaves which I baked in the oven for a couple minutes then chopped)

4 eggs (next time I'm going totally vegan and using egg replacer or silken tofu)

1/2 t lemon zest

1/2 c milk (soy milk)

Preheat oven to 325 and lightly grease an 8x4x2 1/2 pan (basically a loaf pan. I used parchment paper because I saw Martha Stewart do it once and the cake comes right out)

Sift flour and baking powder, set aside.

Cream butter. Add lavender, sugar, and zest. Beat until light in colour and texture. Add eggs one at a time and mix well.

Add 1/2 flour and mix. Add milk. Fold in remaining flour. Pour into loaf pan.

Bake about 1 hour then cool on a wire rack.

To go with it, I made some simple icing:
1 c confectioners sugar slowly mixed into 2 T warm milk (soy milk). Drizzle over top and let cool.

It was so delicious! Watch out this holiday season because everyone is getting one!

Let me know how if turns out if you make it!

Take Action!

2010-05-22T14:08:00.007-05:00

* Vegetarian Times magazine has released their nominations in the 2010 Foodie Awards. Click the link to vote for your favorite veggie friendly treats and staples.

* Vegetarian Times is a great magazine for veggies and friends alike. Their website has some awesome info, including a veggie storage guide and Ingredient Substitute guide. I also recently checked out an issue of VegNews, a vegan (somewhat vegetarian friendly) magazine. What can I say? They caught me with a pic of Ginnifer Goodwin, and I loves me some "Big Love". There were some cute recipes and product recommendations in both. Definitely worth a look.

* In the latest issue of Veg News, there was a short article talking about the dangers of soy. In it, they quote Dr. Neal Barnard (author, researcher, and physician) who says that soy is healthy for both men and woman and may even help reduce the risks of fibroids and osteoporosts. You can read more on The Huffington Post.

* Check out Soy Happy for a complete list of Ballparks offering vegetarian and vegan fare. (Good job Rangers!)

* I was super excited to hear that Nestle has vowed to stop using rain forest-destroying palm oil in their products. The company says it will avoid "high risk plantations or farms linked to deforestation." The production of palm oil for commercial use has lead to the destruction not only of the rain forest but also to the animals (elephants, orangutans, etc) and peoples who live there. If you can, try to avoid products that use palm oil and opt for friendlier options instead.

* Here are some of my new favorite foodie sites and recent winners of my Veggie Superstar Award. Show 'em some love:
Heather Eats Almond Butter (mostly vegetarian with great recipes)
Homesick Texan (not a veggie site, but she makes plenty of Texas style veggies!)
Kristen's Kitchen (vegan blog)
Look 2 Beauty: A Vegan Blog
Noshtopia
An Opera Singer in the Kitchen (great vegan blog with awseom pics and recipes)

Another Meatless Monday: Now with movies!

2010-05-18T17:50:00.006-05:00

How was your Meat Free Monday? I may have partaken a bit too much in the ol' Irish cure on Sunday to have a really good one (seems my bronchitis is back), but I still managed to eat pretty well and surprisingly easy. As my daily diet becomes more and more vegetarian I have to worry less and less about what I'll make on Monday. It's the other days of the week that are still giving me trouble! Thankfully, I've got a couple new cookbooks I'm reading and hope to share my insights with you soon. Breakfast was a bit lame with some So Delicious Coconut Milk yogurt and a bag of pretzels. Lunch was much better- Boca burger on whole wheat toast with shredded cabbage, onions, and BBQ; served with pickles and some sauteed green beans. I love green beans!

Last night was my 3rd film 101 class/movie club. Every month we meet up to watch a classic or neo-classic film picked by me. The goal is to educate and entertain my friends one some great films that everyone should see. Previously we watched "Raging Bull" and "All About Eve". Tonight, I threw out all the stops and screened my favorite film of all time "Vivre sa Vie" by Jean-Luc Godard. You can read all about our movie nights here or by clicking on 'WWQTW' in the tags section of The Art of Throwing Stones.

What was even more exciting was that all the food we brought to nosh was vegetarian. We didn't even plan it that way! I (attempted) to make Goat Cheese with Sun dried Tomato Profiteroles from Giada on the Food Network. They were delicious, but somehow my profiteroles did rise the way they should. Instead, they came out looking more like biscuits (hence the picture above is from The Food Network's site) but still tasted great! Also at our spread was a veggie tray with homemade dip, pita chips with hummus or spinach artichoke dip, salad and bread sticks from Olive Garden (genius! I hope people forget to make things more often if it means OG salad- surely the best thing on the menu), and Oreo cheesecake cups. Didn't help my healthy eating much, but at least I didn't have to worry about what I was going to eat. Setting these movie nights on Meatless Monday is certainly a risk, but all my friends have been really supportive.

On a separate note:

**An Opera Singer in the Kitchen is having a great giveaway right now. Check out her site for how to enter to win a really cool Sunbeam mixer plus Naturally Nora products to use it on! She also has a lot of really cool vegan recipes that I can't wait to try. Definitely one of my new favorite food blogs! ***

Coconut What? Part Deux

2010-05-16T14:22:00.005-05:00

Somehow I developed a gnarly cough and head cold again. (I blame a seriously cold and over crowded theatre. Thanks "Robin Hood"! The only cure as I see it is to go shopping for pre-made food and things chocked full of Vitamin C. Oh, the super strength cough medicine my doc gave me last time is also helping.

In a fit of coughing rage, I decided ice cream was the best way to go. Who doesn't like ice cream when you're feeling sick? What else works to counteract the fire that seems to emanate from your face? But, I don't want dairy. That has never helped a cough.

Enter onto the scene: Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream. The whole line of coconut milk ice cream is free from dairy/lactose, gluten, soy, cholesterol, trans fats, and certified vegan and Kosher.

The flavor of coconut is not over whelming; giving the ice cream a subtle sweetness and hint of the exotic. I tried the Cookies and Cream flavour and while it does not taste just like the dairy "real thing", it hit all the points I needed in a cold dessert: soothing to my throat and completely yummy. It is sweetened with agave nectar so I found it to be sweeter than dairy ice cream (even though it has less sugar), however this helped stop me from eating the whole pint in one sitting. Way to keep me within the recommended serving!

I can't wait to try some of their other flavours, especially the mango and lemonade coconut water sorbet. Purely Decadent offers another great alternative to dairy and soy-based desserts. I just wish they would fortify more of their foods with Calcium. It's present in the coconut yogurts I crave, but not in the frozen desserts.

Check out their website where you can find coupons and more info!

Take Action!

2010-05-15T15:41:00.006-05:00

* Genetic engineering (GMOs, etc) is excluded from organic produce, except in the case of vaccines. These vaccines can be given to livestock and have them still labeled as organic. To petition for change and learn more, click here.

* Daiya and Peta are joining forces to sponsor a really cool contest: Just tell them what you would make with Daiya and how you would share it with friends and you could win 10 lbs of Daiya cheese! That's a lot of cheese! Click on "contest" above to enter, but act fast- the contest ends June 1st.

* Eating Well and Organic Valley are sponsoring a holiday cookie contest as well. Submit your favorite, healthier cookie recipe and you could win a $2000 Baker's Dream shopping spree and a years supply of Organic Valley products. Check out the guidelines and enter here.

* I've heard a lot about the dangers of soy. An excess of soy in the diet can cause growth problems in children, thyroid issues, infertility, and certain cancers (like breast cancer). That's a pretty hefty list and it doesn't include everything that has been linked to soy. What's more, soy is in so many products today either as a filler or as the main source of protein. So, how much is too much and what should you do? The average recommended use I found online, called for soy no more than 3 times a week. That's not very much when you take into account soy milk in your cereal, veggie burgers for lunch, or tempeh/tofu for dinner. It is super important that you check in with your doctor regularly and before you start any type of new diet. Also, experiment with other milk, dairy, and meat substitutes. I love coconut milk and have been putting it in my oatmeal all week. It's naturally sweet and delicious. Sub seitan (wheat gluten) in recipes that call for tempeh or tofu. Daiya cheese is soy free and melts great. What have you heard or experienced about soy?

For further reading check out this article in Scientific American.

"C" is Still for Cookie

2010-05-13T10:08:00.004-05:00

Upon eating many of these cookies yesterday, my father called me up and proclaimed the 12th of each month Cookie Day. He then put in a future (and somewhat crazy) order for cookies once a month.

I have NEVER been a baker, that was always my sisters department. I couldn't be bothered with measuring cups and spoons, hand mixers, stand-up mixers (I so wish I had the counter space or the check book to get one of these), flour everywhere, etc. I liked cooking savory dishes, the kind where you might skim the recipe then forget to add half the ingredients. It's more forgiving than baking. However, since I'm trying to eat well and limit processed foods to things I actually need (like veggie sausages) I knew I would have to give in to baking eventually. What's most shocking is I'm not that bad at it!

The following is my recipe for vegan chocolate chip cookies. I've made them a couple different ways and the variations will be listed in green. They are great for gifts, parties, or guilty pleasure treats! Printable recipe cards available on request

1c + 2T Pre-Sifted Flour (I like wheat, but any healthy grain flour is okay- no pastry flour)

1/2t Baking Soda

1/2t Baking Powder (optional for chewier cookies)

1/2t Salt (optional)

1/2c Vegan Butter (I like Earth Balance. It's got a great buttery taste and no trans fats)

1/3c White Sugar

1/3c Light Brown Sugar, firmly packed

1t Vanilla Extract

1T EVOO + 1/2t water (you can substitute any healthy oil here)

6 oz Vegan Chocolate Chips

* Add 1/2 c of your favorite crushed nuts like pecans, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc

* For Chocolate Chocolate Chip (my favorite), add 1T Cocoa or Carob powder (Do not use Hot Cocoa mix!)

Pre-heat oven to 350 and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt together. If you don't have a flour sifter, use two spoons like you were tossing a salad.

In another medium sized bowl, cream butter and sugar mixture together. Add vanilla, oil, and water and mix well. Combine wet and dry ingredients together. Add chocolate chips, nuts, etc, and mix well. This is a fairly dry batter so don't fret, it's normal!

Using your hands, shape cookies into balls anywhere from ping pong size or smaller (approximately 1T-1t size). Place on cookie sheets allowing at least 1 1/2 inch room between cookies. Bake 10-12 minutes or until slightly brown around edges.

Enjoy!!

Meat Free Monday!

2010-05-10T16:07:00.003-05:00

I've been paying for bread like a sucker! Did you know Whole Foods has a frequent bread card? (Worst name for a card ever). They do, and after you buy 5 loaves of their 365 or Whole Foods brand bread you get the 6th for free. For free!!!! I'm almost positive I've purchased at least 3 loaves there already and I got nothing to show for it except a possibly cleaner colon (I don't mean that to be gross, just you know, whole grains guys!).

It's been a pretty successful Meatless Monday so far. Last night I made Oatmeal (Steel Cut Oatmeal!- sounds gnarly) for the first time ever. Seriously. I'm not sure why, but oatmeal always skeeved me out and I never ate it as a child. I love cream of wheat though, how ironic. Anyway, it was another impulse buy while at Whole Foods (I really should be banned) and a recommendation from the "Becoming Vegetarian" handbook. What's great is you can make a big batch and keep it in the fridge til you're ready to use. Another tip: be sure to set your timer or at the very least check what time it is when you start cooking. I'm a genius and totally forgot to do this until I had already stirred the oats a couple times. I ended up over cooking them just slightly for re-heating but they were perfect last night around 1 AM. I also used a 3:1 ratio of water to coconut milk instead of all water or all milk. Now, all I need is something called blackstrap molasses and I'm good to go!

Lunch was supposed to be a salad made at home but of course I went to Whole Foods to get bread (and join the bread gang) and ended up buying some prepared foods too. I had some delicious roast garlic and tomato soup, smoked mozzarella pasta salad, Asian cabbage slaw, and French lentils. I have no idea what made them French, but there were carrots.

If I'm lucky, dinner tonight will be pizza with olive oil, roasted red and yellow peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, goat cheese, and mozzarella. Yum!

What did you do for Meatless Monday?

(I seriously need a better camera phone)

Happy 3 Month Anniversary!

2010-05-09T17:03:00.004-05:00

Three months ago I embarked on my new foodie outlook on life and eating. I started simply by participating in Meat Free Monday and planning out vegetarian dishes I could make. When all of your cooking references are based on meat protein, it's a big kick to the head when you try to think differently. I had no idea what I was doing!

Fast forward almost two months and this website was born. My new goal: To eliminate as much meat as possible from my diet. It wouldn't hurt if I could drop a couple of pounds and start feeling better all around either! Being the lazy person that I am, I wanted to see what changes in my diet could do for the over all look of my body (and mind) without changing my activity level (screw you fitness!). I think it may be time to re-address my loathing of fitness.

Friday, I spent $50 at Half Price Books buying vegetarian cook books. It is time to get serious! By the end of next month (April) I want my house to be free of meat. This, however, is a two fold problem. On the one hand, I have the most beautiful, organic, local, free-range/grass fed chicken and beef in my fridge. To throw it out would be a crime and I can't give it away- it's too nice! On the other hand, I can't bring myself to cook them. I keep thinking, if this is the last meat I'll buy for home I want to do something really special with it. I don't want my last memories to be of burnt chicken and tough steak. It should be magickal and a proper tribute.

Part of what's prompted the foray into a totally vegetarian diet was the support of my friends and even my family (who have unwittingly been guinea pigs to vegan and vegetarian delights). My good friend shine recently challenged herself to live vegan for the month of April. Her cold turkey approach scared me but I wished her luck. At the end of her 30 days, she'd lost substantial weight, her skin looked better than ever (in all fairness, it always looked nice), and she felt pretty good. After falling off the bandwagon hard (oh cheese, why do you hate us so?), she's back on the vegan train. I know that if she can do it, so can I. I also know it's a lot easier to change your life with cheerleaders in your corner (especially ones with recipes to swap).

Though I don't think I've attained my side goal of losing a few pounds, my body does feel better in general. My mind, not as much. Maybe I need more B12?? For now, I'm reading my book store spoils and ready for the next step: discovering even more delicious foods that everyone and anyone will enjoy!

Take Action!

2010-05-08T11:09:00.010-05:00

* Wednesday I went to my first Meet Up for the Dallas Vegetarians. I have never done anything like this before but it sounded like fun. Plus I had my "stranger danger" buddy shine with me, so what could go wrong? We went to the Bavarian Grill , a German restaurant in Plano. They have a completely separate vegetarian menu (and another one showing what dishes are pork free). I had the vegetable strudel filled with leeks, white and red cabbage, carrots, onions, and mushrooms (though those were not mentioned on the menu). It came with Bavarian potatoes which I learned is code for baked cheese (kinda gross) and creamed spinach (which is listed on the online menu, but not on the printed menu in the restaurant). I HATE creamed spinach, and would have loved the opportunity to sub sauerkraut. Our waitress was a bit off, I felt like she hated us, and not very helpful on substitutions. Also, all I really wanted was the German mixed salad (tomatoes in vinaigrette, cucumbers with dill, green beans with onions, shredded carrots and beets) but it turned out not to be vegetarian and they wouldn't do substitutions (the green beans were cooked in beef broth). Uh, why was it on the veggie menu then? I'll still go back to Bavarian Grill, but may take the opportunity to eat schnitzel instead. As for the Meet Up group, they were very interesting and I would go to another dinner if it was somewhere I was interested in and if my danger buddy could go too!

* New study shows eating charred red meat can increase your risk of bladder cancer.

* Eat Green DFW blogs about sustainable food in North Texas. This week, they shared some delicious recipes to keep in mind when you're at your local farmers market. I haven't been about to get down to the new market at Mockingbird Station yet, but am looking forward to it. I'll probably wait until more produce is available next month.

* Daiya is now available in all Whole Foods! It is delicious and melts wonderfully.

* There's a bill being argued right now that would make it next to impossible to require GMO and non-GMO labels on food. Seriously? Don't you want to know what's in your food? At the least, don't you want to be able to choose what kind of food you eat? What bugs me the most about this bill is that it effects those who use non-GMO ingredients and already label their food that way. Personally, I only buy soy products that say non-GMO and would be pissed if I were no longer allowed to differentiate between the two. Please click on the above link to learn more and sign a petition to stop this blatant infringement on the rights of farmers and manufacturers.

Tempeh Piccata- the whole recipe!

2010-05-08T10:21:00.005-05:00

~ It's come to my attention that the recipe cards are not opening or not opening in larger formats, making them difficult to read. I am working on this problem, however, if you ever want me to email the recipes to you, I would be more than happy! Hopefully I can figure out what's going on and fix it! In the meantime, here is the recipe written out:

6 lg pieces of plain seitan 1c. dry white wine
Whole wheat flour for dredging 1/4c fresh lemon juice
1/4 c EVOO 1 c vegetable broth
1/2 c diced shallot 2 T unbleached flour
1/2 c diced onion 2 T soy margarine
1 t chopped garlic 1 c chopped parsley (or 2 T dried)
1/4 c drained capers 1/2 t sea salt and black pepper

Dredge seitan in whole wheat flour and shake off excess. If using tempeh, press it flat (I like using a plate for this), then dredge. Heat 2 T EVOO over high heat in a lg skillet. Add seitan and saute until crisp and golden, about 30 sec per side. Transfer to serving platter.

Heat remaining oil in same skillet. Add shallots, onion, garlic, capers, and saute until soft, about 1-2 min. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until reduced by half. Whisk in lemon and cook until reduced further, 1-2 min.

Whisk in broth and flour, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 min to thicken. Whisk in margarine, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour over seitan and serve immediately.

Bon Appetite!

Piccata Me Crazy!

2010-05-06T12:14:00.006-05:00

Ever since I read "The Kind Diet" I've been dying to try her recipe for Seitan Piccata. Let me start by telling you that I love anything piccata- veal, chicken, whatever. You cover anything with a lightly creamy lemon wine sauce and it becomes heaven. Since drastically cutting down on my consumption of meat, I thought my favorite Italian dish was lost to me forever.

My biggest problem turned out to be finding large pieces of seitan. It seems my Whole Foods and Central Market are often sold out. Urgh! Instead, I decided to live dangerously and substitute tempeh; plus, I'd never had it before so it would be an adventure all around. Tempeh comes in several flavors and can be found pre-marinated. I chose a 5-grain version for my piccata. The other most important ingredient is the wine. A dry white wine works best and you don't have to spend a lot of money! My newest discovery is Vieux Papes, Frances most popular table wine. (Sorry, the website is in French; so dust off your high school French-English dictionary!) You can purchase these wines at Whole Foods and they typically run around $5-6.

The whole thing came out perfectly! It was so delicious and creamy, fast and easy. The only thing I would change next time is to cut the tempeh in half width wise or try to press it out and make it thinner. I wanted a bit more crunch than was afforded me from an inch and a half piece of tempeh. Hopefully next time, I can make it with seitan (and not have to worry about so much soy).

Just to top things off and play devil's advocate, I also made vegan chocolate chip cookies. The recipe was adapted from an old cook book (possibly Better Homes & Gardens??). I'll post the full recipe soon when I make another batch, but the conversion was really simple: 1 T of olive oil for the egg, whole wheat flour instead of all purpose, and vegan chocolate chips. Everyone loved them, even my Dad who commissioned another batch with pecans. I think I'll make chocolate chocolate chip cookies in a partially vain attempt to use up the giant container of carob powder I have. Wish me luck!

Full recipe here.

Salad Daze II

2010-05-02T17:32:00.011-05:00

Happy Meatless Monday! I totally remembered in time- can you believe it? This morning I had sliced strawberries (now in season- yea!) and cantaloupe with a side of pretzels. What can I say? I was in a hurry this morning dealing with the cable guy and trying not to be incredibly late to work. My plan for the rest of the day is to devour some edamame, kale chips, and maybe soup for lunch. If all goes well, dinner will be a seitan picatta recipe I got from "The Kind Life", but I'm going to substitute tempeh instead. Cross fingers it works. (I'll post pics and the recipe if it does).

I kept hearing about nutritional yeast on several veggie blogs I follow and was tired of not knowing what the heck they were talking about. So, earlier this week I found myself wondering aimlessly around Whole Foods looking for the stuff. I had hoped it would come in a cute little glass jar and I could avoid the bulk food aisle completely, but no luck. Thankfully, I still had one glass spice jar left over from the time I received Hungarian paprika as a gift (It came in these cute pouches that revealed a plastic sandwich bag inside. Not very easy to use and messy). If you're thinking of taking the plunge, I suggest you get a similar jar. Plus, they're just so cute in the cupboard!

I have never bought anything in bulk before but thankfully the people at Whole Foods are so nice and took pity on me. It's a bit expensive (mine was $8.99 lb), but a little goes a long way so there's no need to go overboard.

Nutritional yeast is a complete source of protein, full of B vitamins, and low in fat making it a friend to vegetarians and vegans alike. It looks like large flakes of garlic powder and has a nutty/cheesy taste. You can use it in place of cheese in a dish or just sprinkle it into anything you make, such as salads, sauces, soups, potatoes, eggs, etc. I sprinkled about a tablespoon on top of a salad with Romain, spinach, cucumbers, celery, carrots, marinated artichoke hearts, garlic croutons, and balsamic vinaigrette. Yum! I can't wait to try it other ways.

Have you ever used nutritional yeast? Know any good recipes?

My Intro to Baking

2010-04-26T14:44:00.007-05:00

Last Monday was WWQTW?, the monthly intro to film/movie club I started. I was so excited to try a recipe for vegan brownies I found in "The Kind Diet" by Alicia Silverstone. The book is a great introduction to vegan living and has some amazing recipes. Even a "flirt" like me found around 30 different things I wanted to try. I was also curious to see if I could pass these brownies off as the "real thing".

The biggest shock was all of the new things I needed to buy to make the brownies. It didn't dawn on me until I was in Whole Foods that I needed just about everything in the recipe. The great thing about recipes from TKD is that there is an online community and forum that you can visit to get more info, hear success stories (and failures), and seek support. It's pretty cool. Not being much of a baker, let alone a vegan one, I checked on the site for any help/info making my brownies. It's a good thing I did as several readers had problems with the recipe. Thankfully, I didn't experience most of what they did.

Take Action!

2010-04-25T13:57:00.005-05:00

I get several newsletters a week from different food organizations, from Organic Consumers Association (OCA) to Meatless Mondays. Some call me to action on important food bills moving through Congress and the FDA, others simply provide healthy recipes. Either way, I learn a lot from them and would like to pass the buck on to you, so to speak.

* According to the Cornucopia Institute (which researches and investigates organic and sustainable practices), many of the non-organic veggie burgers we consume contain a potentially harmful neurotoxin. That kind of freaked me out. You think something being vegetarian/vegan means it's safe (or at least safer), but that's just not true. The list of burgers effected by this is astonishing and includes some of my favorites like Amy's, Boca, and Garden Burger. You can get more info and the complete list of good and bad frozen burgers here.

* I love eggs, from my head down to my legs. I had a fried egg on toast today for breakfast and it is, so far, the highlight of my day. Kind of sad actually, but there you go. The United Egg Producers (lobbyists for industrial egg producers) would like you to believe that people prefer the taste of factory farmed eggs to organic free-roaming ones. Uh, I don't think so. The first time I bought organic eggs, I was astonished by the size, colour, and taste. Where had they been all my life? Part of the reason for their superiority is that these eggs come from naturally mature chickens. I'm sure a life and diet of walking around and being outdoors probably helps as well!

The UEP would like to extend the petition allowing "organic" poultry to receive Methionine in their diet. Methionine is a synthetic amino acid that can be found naturally in free-roaming poultry given organic feed. It's already there, so I'm not sure what getting rid of it will do. It's a synthetic not a chemical, so again, I'm not sure if I care. I do however, think the UEP is ridiculous and I am for anything that puts a bee in their bonnet. If you want to learn more about the petition, it's history, and what the UEP believes, go here. You can also sign a petition saying you want truly organic eggs and poultry there.

* Tomorrow I'm posting all about my first experience into vegan baking- pictures included!

You Can Eat Well (And Healthy) in College Station

2010-04-19T17:53:00.004-05:00

I spent the last weekend hanging out with my sister and celebrating her birthday in Bryan/College Station, TX. She's vegetarian and that can be pretty tough in the land of beef. Part of my mission while there was to find amazing healthful (and veggie friendly) options.

When I got in Thursday, neither of us were interested in making too much of a fuss for dinner. Freebirds opened it's first Texas location in College Station and it has slowly grown since then. Personally, I prefer it to Chipotle; though I understand if you do not live here you will not be able to partake in the joy and deliciousness that is Freebirds. This was my only real meat experience while there, I had the chicken hybird, and it was good.

Friday, we made a quick breakfast of eggs before heading to class. I love auditing classes with her whenever I visit and am now an expert in animal nutrition! For lunch, we headed over to Antonio's near campus. If you can put it on a pizza, they have it! I couldn't make up my mind until I saw the words "Potato and Cheese" on the white board. How had I never thought of putting potatoes on pizza! The crust was drizzled with olive oil then layered with sliced potato, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. My sister had a veggie pizza topped with black beans, feta, tomatoes, and avocado. Both were delicious! For dinner, her roommates threw a BBQ but I passed and enjoyed some of the Smart BBQ I gave my sister for her birthday. (I bought her a collection of vegetarian and vegan delicacies that she can't get there). I don't know if their other products are this good, but you cannot tell the difference and the sauce is awesome!

On Saturday, we visited the Brazos Valley Farmers Market before heading out to the crawfish boil sponsored by Hill's. Oh, how I love thee crawfish! For dinner, I had heard about this cool cafe/art gallery in downtown Bryan that I wanted to try out. Bonus points that my sister had never been there! The Village serves hot and cold sandwiches and salads with live music most nights. They are on a mission to serve only organic produce with as much of it locally grown as possible. I had the Cold Cuke Sandwich (sliced cucumbers with pesto aioli on whole wheat) with a side of Asian slaw- so good! My sister had the Raspberry Veggie Sandwich (avocado, lettuce, tomato, roasted red onion, goat cheese, and raspberry chipotle mayo) with roast potatoes. The service was a bit slow and the prices are moderate, but everything was delicious and we plan to go back. There were at least 5 other things I wanted to eat! The evening concluded with a trip to Shake's frozen custard. It should be illegal! I love frozen custard so much.

Before I left on Sunday, we broke into more of the goodies I gave for her birthday. We had breakfast sandwiches- stuffed Ezekiel pita pockets with eggs, Morningstar Farms sausage patties, and Daiya cheese topped with salsa. They were so good I bought all the fixings for them as soon as I got back into town! I've talked about Daiya cheese before but this was my first time to try it. It melts quickly and evenly and has a taste similar to cheese but slightly nuttier. The raw texture was also a bit different, kind of like when you buy shredded cheese at the grocery only to discover you accidentally bought the kind where milk is the 4th or 5th ingredient instead of the 1st. It was good, and I will definitely buy it again when I need to make something vegan.

Vegan (and gluten free) cookies from Starbucks!

So, there are a couple veggie friendly options in College Station! It certainly helps when you are staying with friends or family and can cook a bit at home, but when is that not the case? Where is your favorite vegetarian/vegan restaurants where you live?

Spiral Diner- Out of This World

2010-04-14T09:58:00.003-05:00

In a non-descript grey brick building in Oak Cliff, Texas sits the Spiral Diner, Dallas' favorite vegan restaurant and bakery (I apologize in advance for the copious use of exclamation marks). Their mission is simple: serve great tasting 100% vegan cuisine, using only the best (and mostly organic) ingredients they can. I fell in love with this restaurant before I even set foot in the door based entirely on their mission statement:

*Use only cruelty-free and environmentally friendly biodegradable cleaning products
*Only purchase recycled and un-bleached paper products (with the highest post-consumer content available)
*Always buy Certified Organic ingredients whenever possible with conventional only as a last resort
*Use environmentally friendly, biodegradable take-away containers and disposable cutlery (we also encourage our customers to bring their own reusable containers with them to help us reduce packaging waste)
*Recycle 100% of all the accepted materials that come through our kitchen
*Donate a portion of profit to local grassroots organizations that are fighting for human, animal, and environmental causes
*Reduce waste by purchasing in bulk as much as possible and donating excess food to local food banks and shelters
*Never compromise on the above principles

They also keep their prices low while paying their staff a decent wage (I'm not sure how much that is, but I support anyone making more than $2.15/hr).

My lovely and talented friend shine (Are you reading her blog? You really should), decided to go vegan for April. Click on the link for her to explain the "why's" to you. Needless to say, I fully support her and was so excited when she invited me to dinner at Spiral. I must have studied the menu five times before the big day, trying to figure out what I would try first.

I got there early (who would have guessed there would be no traffic on I-30?) and ordered the Agave Limeade to tide me over-yum! When shine arrived, she ordered the Hot Nacho Cheese and Chips for us to share. I've heard a lot about nut cheese (mark it) for a couple weeks but was scared and slightly afraid to try it. To put it simply, it's delicious; kind of like if bean dip and nacho cheese had a baby. I couldn't stop eating it!

For dinner, I had the Chopped BBQ San'ich which is made from marinated and grilled seitan with a spicy BBQ sauce, dill pickles, red onion, and "mayo". In hindsight, I probably should have ordered the grapes as my side dish, but who can argue with the genius paring of potato salad and BBQ? The sauce was a lot zestier than I anticipated, but delicious none the less. While it didn't have quite the same texture as beef, I can see why seitan is such a popular meat replacement. Shine was in the mood for some comfort food and ordered one of the blue plate specials, chili mac. It looked really good and the pasta was nice and soft. For desert, I ordered a brownie with walnuts and she had a vanilla cupcake with the most outrageous yellow and green icing. My brownie was heaven. I usually don't like nuts in my deserts, but these were soft, not mushy, verses the crunchy I usually detest (mark it squared). Her cupcake had a really interesting flavor neither of us could pin point, but it wasn't bad.

[side note: Whole Foods Vegan Chocolate Chips are heaven and I may end up eating a whole bag of them!]

All in all, I give Spiral Diner 4 stars and cannot wait until my sister is in town so we can go again (though truth be told, I'm probably going back a lot sooner)! It's a great place for vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters alike!!

Pledge for Better Health

2010-04-13T13:01:00.003-05:00

So, in my own journey to take responsibility for myself and my health, I started this blog. Now, it seems GE is supporting women's right to health as well. I learned all about this campaign on one of my new favorite blogs Heather Eats Almond Butter:

"Now, how about you? Do you have a pledge of your own to make? Perhaps you’d like to eat more green vegetables or participate in more outdoor activities. Or, maybe it’s time you dust off that yoga mat or drink a green smoothie everyday. Want to make it official? If so, GE has started a campaign to encourage women to take an active role in their own health and the health of their loved ones through a new program called Pledge for Better Health. All you have to do is click here to submit your Pledge. Do this for yourself, not for me."

I made my pledge: to take control of my own health and eat better.

What's yours?

Salad Daze

2010-04-12T16:01:00.006-05:00

**Meatless Monday is moving to Tuesday this week in anticipation of my trip to Spiral Diner. Also, I may have eaten some delicious venison Swedish meatballs for lunch...***

This was the most amazing salad I may have ever had that didn't include grilled chicken or steak! Everything but the kitchen sink is in there: Romaine lettuce, arugula, cucumber, carrots, onion, Italian cheese blend, and homemade guacamole. I toasted 1/2 of an Ezekiel pita pocket for some added crunch.

For the guac (makes about 2 servings):

I also love to make my own salad dressings. It's so easy, and they taste fresh and vibrant. My favorite is a zesty shallot dressing:

In a small bowl or glass jar with lid, steep 1/2 diced shallot in 1/2 t red wine vinegar and 1/2 t balsamic. Add fresh or dried herbs like parsley, thyme, basil- anything you've got! Mix in 1 t quality mustard (I like a spicy German mustard with red wine). Salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at room temperature, covered, for at least 15 minutes but up to a couple hours. Before serving, whisk in 1/2 c olive oil (or any other healthy oil that you like). Viola! Spicy, zesty, and Delicious!

I found another use for my Field Roast sausages: pizza! I bought a couple whole wheat Italian herb pizza crusts at Whole Foods and topped it with sliced "sausage", tomato sauce, chopped artichoke hearts, roasted red bell pepper, and cheese. The whole thing bakes for about 20 minutes. I realize this is a massive load of Nightshades, but I don't eat a lot of them to begin with so I'm not as concerned. Click the link above for more info on the possible health risks from eating nightshades (i.e. potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, etc).

All it was missing was some arugula or another green to put on top. Yum!

Wednesday I'll be back with my full review of my first vegan dining experience with my gal shine . So excited!

Soup du Jour!

2010-04-11T13:55:00.006-05:00

There's something adorable about boxed soups- I love them! They take up less space in my cabinet and can be easily refrigerated for future use without getting that tin can taste. Plus, they simply look gourmet. My favorite brand is Imagine, which is all organic and mostly vegan! Check out their website for more info including recipes and a coupon!

As much as I love the look of boxed soup, I'm not a big soup girl. The idea that it's a meal in itself never quite permeated my brain. Perhaps this has more to do with eating highly processed, salty canned soups as a child. What I love now, is dressing up a basic soup to make it heartier (if needed) or simply more interesting. The other day, dressed up my Imagine Potato and Leek soup with roasted red peppers and green onions. I thought about adding chunks of potatoes or leeks, but was in a bit of a hurry so I put it off for next time.

Roasting a red pepper at home is easy and incredibly messy. [side note: it turned into such an ordeal, I bought a jar of already roasted peppers the next time I was at whole foods.] I've never roasted a pepper at home, indoors, before but it looked simple enough. The hardest part was figuring out what recipe to use. I ended up placing my pepper directly on the rack under the broiler, turning it regularly until the skin was crisp and black (about 10 minutes). Then I wrapped it in a damp paper towel and let it cool before peeling the skin off. It's important that all the skin be charred and wrinkly or else this step will be a pain in the butt! An alternate method calls for baking the peppers on a cookie sheet in a 500 oven until charred.

Next, I diced the peppers and green onions and placed them on top. My garnish was a piece of toasted french bread with olive oil. Delish!

The next morning, I was determined to use more 0f my beautiful peppers, so I made a breakfast pita. have a told you about Ezekiel whole grain products? They are amazing! I've had the pita's several times. You buy them in the refrigerated or frozen food section, and can even keep them frozen until ready to eat.

For my breakfast pita, I heated the pita in a dry pan for a couple minutes each side. Set aside. Heat about 1-2 T of olive oil (or any kind of healthy oil- almond, sunflower, palm), then sauté diced onion and roasted red pepper until soft. In a bowl, scramble two eggs with a dash of milk, salt, and pepper. Add to vegetables in pan. It's important to let the eggs sit for a bit in the pan. Stirring them constantly breaks the protein apart and ruins them. In my pita, I spread a bit of guacamole and sour cream. Because I can't help myself, I sprinkled some Cajun seasoning in one of the pita pockets- yum! Just before the eggs are done, add a bit of shredded cheese then spoon the mixture into your pita pockets. So good! My secret weapon- Taco Bell hot sauce. Add it when you do the cheese and it's amazing.

What are your favorite soups?

Tofutti Cutie! Why thank you!

2010-04-08T15:08:00.007-05:00

On the recommedation of my lovely sister, I bought a box of Tofutti Cutie ice cream sandwiches. Here is what happened:

After a delicious lunch of mesquite turkey, avocado, roasted red pepper, cucumber, onions, vinegar, oregano, all on a toasted wheat bun (I love a good sandwich); I decided to finally break into the Tofutti Cuties. They had been burning a hole in my freezer for days.

They're so cute! I was worried about the size, being used to the monster cakes of other brands, but it turned out to be just right.

I can't believe I could stop eating it long enough to take another picture. (I apologize for the quality, my phone is not very snazzy). I have to say, I like these better than milk based ice cream sandwiches. I'm sorry Blue Bell, you'll always be in my heart, but these are amazing! They have a slight coffee flavor from them, which I attribute to the chocolate. They have a few more calories than the closest milk-based competitor (130 vs 110), however they are completely vegan, with no trans fat, cholesterol, and low in sugar.

All of their products are vegetarian and most are vegan . They are certified Kosher Pavre (being not meat or dairy) and all dairy free. The other great thing is you can buy them at major chain groceries, not just your local health food store. Double yea!

Have you tried Tofutti Cuties? What did you think? Let me know!

Also, if you are not yet following this blog, I hope you will do so today. If you are, I hope you will recommend it to your friends and contribute to the discussion. Thanks!!!

Coconut what?!

2010-04-07T10:38:00.005-05:00

While out for happy hour last week, I heard my new acquaintance wax poetically about coconut water. She loves it- loves it- and says she must spend $40 a week on the stuff. My first thought was, "Damn, it must be yummy", followed immediately by, "How much does the stuff cost?!"

The brand most recommended is Vita Coco, a 100% natural product. It comes in lots of flavours including: plain, passion fruit (the one I tried), pineapple, peach & mango, and acai & pomegranate. Coconut water is full of electrolytes (which give your body energy) and potassium (which helps keep your body hydrated). It is fat free and cholesterol free. It is a fruit product, so there is naturally occurring sugar (my 11.7 oz pack had 18g- a little less than half of what's found in regular sodas). Vita Coco is also great, because it's packaged in Tetra Paks which are easier on the environment and can be recycled.

While I was at Whole Foods, preparing to gorge myself in the prepared foods section; I decided to give coconut water a try. The logic behind spending $40/week became clear- my single serving was over $2. This stuff better be good!

I liked the flavor of Vita Coco. It had just a hint of coconut but the passion fruit really came through. I did find it to be very sweet, so it may make for a good substitute to soda; maybe with a bit of club soda to add some fizz. The texture of a product is always a big deal for me. This one was a bit thicker than water, but less than juice (if that makes any sense). It is not unpleasant. My suggestion: this stuff tastes best when ice cold, so pour it into a tall glass of ice to enjoy.

While I enjoyed Vita Coco, and especially enjoyed that I was getting more potassium than two bananas (which is super important to me as I suffer from "growing pains" and Charley horses); the price makes this a "special treat" item only. They don't currently offer coupons directly, so I'll have to wait to see if Whole Foods ever puts it on sale. I'm not holding my breath.

Have you tried coconut water? What did you think?

Meat Free Monday

2010-04-05T16:52:00.003-05:00

Today's Meat Free Monday is brought to you by meat free Easter. Since I knew I was going to my parents Monday, I decided to dedicate Easter to the veggie cause! Easter is always a tough food time for me as ham is traditionally served and I haven't eaten pork in at least 10 years. The whole thing was a lot easier than I imagined.

We brunched at Ozona Grill since they have a beautiful patio and extensive Make Your Own Bloody Mary bar. They also have several vegetarian options on the brunch menu. After my second bloody mary (complete with horseradish and picked green beans- I love it spicy), I ordered the Eggs Benedict-O; a veggie version of the classic with sauteed spinach and mushrooms taking the play of the bacon. I love brunch, but it's always hard for me to find something to order. I refuse to order something that I make at home, so french toast, pancakes, even migas, were out. Eggs Benedict is something I never order- it's too rich and to "hammy". This option was perfect and delicious.

Our next stop was Barcadia, a place I usually couldn't pay people to go! Now, it seems as if my friends are in on the fun, and who wouldn't be? Classic arcade games, giant Jenga and Connect Four, plus great food and an extensive draft beer list. I was so full from brunch that I didn't have much more than a couple bits of my friends fries and some hummus. The only negative thing I can say about the hummus is to avoid if you like flavor. It's pretty mild (bland) stuff in desperate need of roasted garlic or red peppers. After stealing a few bites of that, I knew it was time to go home and eat some of the good stuff.

Dinner was roasted garlic hummus (I can't remember the brand, but it's made locally in Texas) with an Ezekiel pita pocket and some green bean casserole. It was so good and I was so exhausted I feel asleep on the couch. When I woke up, it had only been an hour but I listened to my body and headed to bed at 10 o'clock!

All in all, it was a wonderful Easter and I am thankful for all my friends who spent it with me.

PS- Recently, I wrote about a vegan cheese by Daiya. It is currently difficult to find in all markets and must be ordered. The other day, I received an email from them saying that they were rolling out to every Whole Foods in the country this spring! I can't believe I cannot find the email to thank her personally, but thank you! Look for it soon.

Chipotle Breakfast Quesadillas

2010-04-01T12:46:00.005-05:00

My new lifestyle calls for eating a hell of a lot less meat, so I went in search of decent meat substitutes immediately. Based on several online recommendations, the product I was looking for was called Field Roast Grain Meat Co. It didn't sound very appetizing, "grain meat", but I learned it just refers to their blend of "Mien Ching" and "Seitan" that substitutes for traditional meat. As the "original grain meat" creators, they offer everything from sausages to loafs to cutlets to cheese! You can purchase their products at most health food stores like Whole Foods and Central Market.

Wednesday, I downloaded their recipe for their Chorizo-Style Breakfast Quesadilla and cracked open my package of Mexican Chipotle Sausage. The first thing I noticed of the bat was that the spice mixture used in the sausages turned my fingers and cutting board orange ( I later noticed it left it's trace around my mouth as well- uck). The scent was enticing, but the texture was much tougher than beef sausage. It took a lot more pressure to cut into it, which made my bowels nervous for later. Not to worry, everything turned out fine. (And that is my contribution to the TMI blogger movement!)

The recipe is super simple and could be manipulated to include, or exclude, any ingredients. Vegans- I bet tofu scramble would be an amazing substitute for the eggs and you can use vegan cheese too. Yum!

The recipe is a bit misleading though on how many this will feed and how best to present it in the tortilla. For the amounts shown I would use two tortillas, spread the filling over one and top with another. Then it will feed 2 people. For one person, I used half of the sausage and 1 egg plus 1 egg white when I made this again today for brunch. It fit in one tortilla a lot better and was still super delicious!
While I was aware the whole time I was not eating meat, it was delicious and filling. I can't remember the last time I wasn't hungry an hour after eating! I am definitely going to try the other flavors of sausage, and see if I can't find their cutlets as well.

Have you tried Field Roast? What did you like/dislike??

Say Cheese!

2010-03-31T12:22:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow marks the start of National Grilled Cheese month. I can't believe it, an entire month devoted to that delicious comfort food- cheese! A meal of cheese and bread may not be the most healthful, so I went digging for ways to upgrade this bad boy to fit into my lifestyle:

- Adding tomatoes and avocado's increases the nutrient value of grilled cheese and it's delicious!

- Heck, add all kinds of veggies to it- roasted red peppers, sprouts, arugula, whatever!

- Use whole grain bread

- Skip the butter usually used to brown the bread and use cooking spray/oil instead.

- Use low-fat cheese (or simply a lower fat cheese like mozzarella)

- Vegan cheese: This is hard to find in a lot of stores, but many Whole Foods (and I would assume Central Market) carry some version. The internet is a flutter with Daiya, which makes a shredded vegan cheese that is supposed to be amazing. You can check out their website for where it's sold. If they don't have it near you, let your local health food store know you want it! You can also order it from Pangea Vegan store.

What is your favorite way to enjoy this traditional treat?

[side note: I found the above picture on a cool blog called Healthy Chow. Check 'em out!

Breakfast is My Favorite Time of Year

2010-03-30T13:12:00.003-05:00

You know what they say when you plan ahead- Be prepared for change. Yesterday's Meat Free Monday went off without a hitch, though not quite in the way I expected. An unexpected call to dinner sent me out into the streets, and without my yams! I was good though and had a salad, green beans, and mashed potatoes for dinner. Still, all I could think about were my poor lonely sweet potatoes at home. I can't wait to eat them today. I am also planning the Green Eggs No Ham for dinner tonight, except I just realized I don't own a muffin tin. How do I own every other piece of cooking equipment save a muffin tin? I wonder if I can use a coffee mug. Can you put coffee mugs in the oven?

My favorite thing in the world is having a day off work. Not necessarily because I won't be working, but because it is the only time I get to really make breakfast. Pancakes, breakfast tacos, migas; you name it. Breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day. I was never one to skip it, even in adulthood. You just feel so much better during the day if you have something in your belly, and you find you're actually hungry for lunch, not just eating to eat.

Breakfast meats were my favorite- sausage, bacon, oh my! When I stopped eating pork over 10 years ago it made breakfast a bit trickier. Thankfully, we live in a world where beef, turkey, and vegetarian options are becoming more and more available. My favorite breakfast sausages come from Tom Thumb/Safeway under their "Eating Right" brand. I've tried Morning Star Farms and another brand I don't remember (I think I've blocked it from my mind), but these are the best. I've had their vegetarian sausage patties and links and can honestly not tell a difference. It's also so much better for me then the beef or even turkey options available. As they are a store brand, they are often on special (not to mention cheaper normally). Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Meat Free Monday

2010-03-29T10:55:00.009-05:00

[side note: I don't know why Blogger isn't working properly, but if the recipe doesn't show up let me know and I'll post it somewhere else.]

Since February, I have participated in Meat Free Monday (aka Meatless Monday) which was founded by the McCartney's (yes, of Beatles fame) to support environmental causes. From their website:

"Meat Free Monday is an environmental campaign to raise awareness of the climate-changing impact of meat production and consumption. Many people are unaware that livestock production is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions – that’s more than the entire transport sector."

Forgoing meat every Monday turned out to be a lot hard than I anticipated, mostly because I often forgot it was Monday and had to have a meatless Tuesday instead. Whenever you choose to participate, the edict is clear- skipping meat one day a week will lessen pollution, better your own health, and bring attention to animal rights/causes. So easy! Meat Free Monday's website not only contains information and links to environmental causes but also delicious recipes. The U.S. version of MFM also has an email newsletter full of recipe ideas they will send you every Monday. You can sign up for it here.

Today's newsletter featured the cutest idea ever and I just have to share it with you: Green Eggs No Ham. I am totally making this for dinner tonight; I've even already made pesto so I'm ready to go!

My menu for today is:
Breakfast- Cantaloupe, tea
Lunch- Roasted sweet potatoes, salad
Dinner- Green Eggs No Ham, green beans, ??

On a sad note, I was so excited about the avocado's I purchased at Whole Foods Friday. All I could think about all day was avocado. Guacomole. Avocado Ranch dressing. Avocado salad.

Soy what?

2010-03-28T16:10:00.000-05:00

I spent my Friday wandering around the new Whole Foods that just opened not far from my house. The news on the street (okay, from a girl who works there), is that it is bigger and better than ever. Having completed one week on my new diet lifestyle kick, it was definitely time to clean and restock the fridge.

Everything was beautiful! I'm trying to buy mostly what's in season and as local as I can get it. That's a pretty tall order at the grocery, even one like Whole Foods; so I'm looking forward to visiting the farmers market a little further into spring. So, what is in season now? It all depends on where you live and the season (obviously), but you can find a handy list Sustainable Table, one of my favorite websites for information on organic, local, and legislative information. From there, I made a list of what was in season that I liked: cabbage, celery, grapefruit, greens, herbs, onions, oranges, spinach, strawberries, and sweet potatoes. Yum!

Part of what got me into this was health reasons. I've been suffering from allergies a lot lately and it hasn't been pretty. I love milk and cheese and yogurt, but the mucus it causes/exacerbates has become a heavy price to pay. I heard about the brand Soy Delicious from The Kind Life, a vegan lifestyle website founded by Alicia Silverstone. It is a great source for recipes and knowledge. I've tried soy milk before but just couldn't get behind it. It does not taste like milk and has a consistency I found troubling. This is where Soy Delicious comes in. Not only do they make soy based products, but they also have a line of coconut milk products like ice cream and yogurt. Let me tell you, the yogurt is divine! I tried the Passionate Mango (love that name) coconut milk yogurt. On first glance, the consistency reminded me of baby food, but it went down smoothly and I finished the whole thing. I don't even normally finish my milk yogurt. It also didn't have chunks of fruit in it which I like as well. Their products are all vegan, kosher, and organic. You should definitely try them out. You can even print off a coupon from their website here.

Happy eating, and let me know what you think after you try it!

This is the end...

2010-03-28T15:32:00.001-05:00

Some of you may know me from my other blog The Art of Throwing Stones. Recently, I've decided to dramatically change the way in which I approach food, so of course I started blogging about it. However, that blog was never meant to be food centric so I decided to start another one just for my rants. A place to include more recipes, links to articles and other blogs, information, and anything else I think is important or that you would like to know more about.

I should open by saying that I am not a nutritionist or a doctor. I am just a girl who wants to know more and feel better.

I grew up, as many of us did, in a meat centric household. I was a very active kid with a high metabolism and it was never a problem. However, I never stopped to think about where my food came from. My sister became vegetarian many years ago and I totally respected her for it even though it was often hard for her (socially, etc). Now, I'm almost 30 and I don't feel or look great. It's all downhill from here, so they say, so I need to take charge now!

My plan for the next month is to live a more vegetarian lifestyle. Unfortunately (fortunately?), I love meat- a good NY strip steak with shallots, BBQ chicken, turkey on Thanksgiving- yum! My goal is:

* To whittle my meat consumption from 7-10 times a week to 2-3 times.
* To only eat responsibly raised, organic meat, fish, and eggs from now on as well.
* Eat more organic produce and as much as I can muster.
* To feel better about myself inside and out. Losing a couple pounds through simple dietary changes sounds like a plan!
This is to serve as my journal and progress report. I would love to hear from you- recipes, thoughts, your own story, anything!