Fun Fri(Food)Day: Who Says Vegan Food Has to Be Healthy?

There's fruit in this....

Ryan and I went for a walk and discovered a cherry tree in full bloom. We decided to not allow the tart fruit to go to waste--well a handful of the fruit. We picked the cherries and then I made this delicious vegan pie from the website College Candy.

The crust could use some work, but over time I'll figure out how to do it right.

Even though it's not the prettiest pie it tastes darn pretty to me.

Because My Body's Not a Graveyard.

I've been having a hard time lately. It's like that saying--once you know you can never go back. Well, I feel that way not just about feminism, or racism, or capitalism but also about animals. Once I learned how they are treated by us, humans, I just can't go back to a lifestyle that supports it.

And it's hard.

It's not hard to eat a vegan diet or refuse leather goods or to not go to circuses. But it is hard being with friends and wanting them to understand but not wanting to be pushy or radical or scary to them.

I don't find it radical to want all creatures to be treated with respect. I know all of my friends feel the same way--if they didn't then I wouldn't be there friends; still, how do some people choose to live consciously on a daily basis while others just acknowledge it theoretically?

We've all been exposed, in some capacity, to videos where the chickens are being de-beaked, where the foxes are skinned alive, where pigs are eating the tumors off of each other, where dogs and cats are being throw in mass graves after being shoved into gas chambers to die a slow death.

Anyone who watches it will admit it's heart-breaking, but so many people now refuse to watch. They blame it on sensationalism or over-dramatization--even though they fully know that these things really do occur, everyday. They know they occur and that's why they won't watch.

Knowing is hard, because once you know if you don't change, then you're an asshole. Then every time you eat meat or dairy or whatever, images of raped cows and bleeding slit-throat-pigs pop into mind. And no one wants to feel guilty for eating food.

But pretending it doesn't exist doesn't make it go away. Pretending the meat was grown in a vat and not connected to living creatures does not make their deaths invisible. Or that animals don't feel "enough" pain as a justification for our normalization of their abuse.

So yeah, knowing is hard, but we have to know, we have to learn, if we want our world and all the beautiful, feeling, creatures in it to have better lives (and that includes our own).

To watch and learn check out some of this site and this video.

Fun Fri(Food)Day: Cookies You Can't Eat.

Isn't it frustrating going to blogs where other people are blabbing on about the food they just cooked, with tempting pictures, etc., knowing that there is no way you'll ever get a taste?

Well.

Sorry.

I just made these (vegan) oatmeal cookies and I'm pretty sure I'm going to eat all of them; or at least, you reader, will not get one. I'm not even going to be nice enough to share the recipe. Because I'd have to type it all up and well, I'm too lazy for that.

So the title is slightly misleading--or it could be read multiple ways--like they're inedible or something, but they're not, they're very edible, all I was saying was that you can't have any.

Umm.

Yeah.

Thanks for reading.

Fun Fri(Food)Day: What Can I Do With This?

We found this beautiful flowering kale at Sprouts yesterday. We had to buy it, though we have no idea how to cook/eat it. If you have any suggestions please let us know.

Who could resist this ruffly lacy purple and green gem?

I may just have to set it out in a large vase (bowl) and turn it into a table arrangement.

fun Fri(Food)Day: Vegan All Day Vegan All Night.

This week I haven't really cooked anything new. We made a bunch of falafel which lasted almost the whole week. Delicious to wrap in a tortilla with lettuce, pickles and hot sauce.

We picked up tofurky's peppered deli slices, which are sooooooo good. We've shied away from the imitation slices for several years but after having a Vegfund event and trying them we questioned why we had waited so long. Perfect for the summer when you don't want to turn the stove on for any reason. I can't wait to try all the different flavors.

Oh and I made rum-injected melon balls. Target tried to sell me a melon-baller for over 10 dollars. I said no way. And found one at Peppercorn for $3. The price it should be, if not cheaper. I couldn't find a needle/syringe probably because I'm not a heroin addict, so I tried to use this marinade injector--the end had too big of a hole--rum basically just squirted out the whole time. I don't think the melon balls absorbed the rum that well, but it didn't really matter because the fruit was still tasty.

Anyhoo, that's what's been happening in my vegan life, how about yours?

Fun Fri(Food)Day: Traditional Meets Modern

The Menu

Pressure-cooked green beans (I love that thing now that I finally figured it out), vegan stuffing and black&white (or salt&pepper) tofu.

I messed up an entire loaf of bread in the bread machine; the altitude and rye flour don't get along sometimes; instead of throwing it out though I turned the lumpy dry brick into a delicious side dish. I don't think stuffing should just be served at Thanksgiving, it's way too good for that.

Fun Fri(Food)Day: Yum Holes!

Vegan Doughnuts

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons powdered egg replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons hot water

1 1/2 tablespoons flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons hot water

3/4 cup organic cane sugar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

4 teaspoon baking powder, sifted

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon sea salt or 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup soymilk or soy creamer

3 tablespoon canola oil or melted vegan margarine (earth balance)

Cinnamon-sugar or glaze for coating

Directions:

1) In separate bowls, mix together egg replacer powder with hot water and flaxseed meal with hot water. Set aside for five minutes.

2) In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Add egg replacer mixture, flaxseed meal mixture, soymilk, and oil and stir gently to combine. Should be almost as stiff as cookie dough.

3) Heat oil in a pot or deep fryer to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully drop teaspoon-size balls of dough (in batches of 6 to into hot oil and fry two minutes. Turn beignets over and fry another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

4) Remove from oil and place on paper-towel covered sheet pan. Wait a couple minutes for oil to drain then roll the beignets in cinnamon-sugar to coat.

Source of recipe: This recipe took a bit of experimentation, but it was worth it.

Makes: About 40 medium-sized beignets, Preparation time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 30 minutes

(To make them chocolate I substituted ½ of flour for ½ cup of cocoa.)

(I believe this was off of vegweb but I'm not sure it's original source)

Fun Fri(Food)Day: Festive Fiesta Beans.

From the beautiful cookbook Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau which I won at a past vegan meetup and highly recommend.

This is the first recipe I made from it:

White Bean and Artichoke Salad

2 cans white beans, drained rinsed (I used 1 can great northern, 1 can cannelloni)

1/2 or 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

1 red, yellow, or orange pepper; diced

1/3 cup pitted black olives; finely chopped

1 small red onion; finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Mix together

In a jar or small bowl, combine 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar; shake together or mix well. Pour over salad, toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover and chill in fridge for several hours or overnight, stir occasionally to blend flavors.

So great for a picnic or as a side on a hot day.

Fun Fri(Food)Day: What to Do with Eggplant.

So I bought eggplant the other day because it was on sale for just $1.

I rarely buy it because I don't really know what to do with it besides make eggplant parmesan. And I never really worked it before since my mother has this strange anti-squash-family problem. As in she hates anything squash-like so I never ate it growing up, thought I hated it for years and have since learned to appreciate much of it--though "liking it" is a step-by-step process.

Anyway, I found this recipe on vegweb for Fabulous Eggplant Tomato Dumpling Bake and, it was, like the title suggested, fabulous. Plus we had plenty of leftovers, which is great because that means less cooking and cleaning for me. Not that I dislike cooking but it leaves time for other things, like reading or watching netflix--there is pretty much an endless supply of netflix streaming out there. I have several tv shows in the waiting.

And on another eggplant note: though I love the color of the skin it is probably the least fun veggie to try to peel. I almost cut my hand off because my peeler sucked and I had to use a knife. Scary lefty in the kitchen!

fun Fri(Food)Day: Strawberries Galore!

More vegan food (and drink), yay!

Vanilla Wafer Cookies, with chocolate frosting and strawberries.

Left over frosting from the cake I made awhile back, wafers from Good Great Dairy Free Desserts.

Strawberry Mojitos!

I had to make due with what I had so I don't know if they are technically mojitos since I made them with vodka instead of rum, but they were still delicious!

Fun Fri(Food)Day: Vegfest Fort Collins.

Today a car full of us drove up from Boulder to Fort Collins to attend Vegfest. Table after table was full of delicious vegan food, from Ethiopian, thai, bbq, italian, etc. I totally stuffed myself with its greatness.

So why go vegan?

I've seen reason after reason, from health to ethics to environmental concerns and those are all valid.

For example, when I stray from my vegan diet I feel disgusting (I won't go into detail); it obviously is better for me, my body has enjoyed it the most out of all diets I've tried.

And when it comes down to it, if I can eat delicious food without guilt and do less environmental destruction it just makes sense. The end. No need to defend it.

I'm going to go finish off a nice slice of vegan coffee cake I saved for later...which is now.

Fun Fri(Food)Day: All Sorts of Vegan Goodies!

I sort of went on a cooking frenzy the other day, here are some of my concoctions.

Roll-Ups

Chipotle Black Bean Dip (not the exact recipe here but close) & Salsa

and

(vegan) Cream Cheese & Salsa

Slab it on whole wheat tortillas, roll them up, chill for a few hours, then cut into bite-size pieces. Great go-to snacks.



No-Knead Peasant Bread

This bread takes minimal effort, all you really need is time.

Also, I don't have a dutch-oven either so I just use two similar sized pans and put one on top as the lid.

Good with salads, hummus, other dips, soup etc.

Finally, Dessert: Chocolate Cake To Live For from More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts by Fran Costigan with Chocolate "Buttercream" Frosting from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (to cut down on the maple syrup usage--that stuff is expensive!)

Couldn't even tell it was vegan. So good!

Fun Fri(Food)Day: Veg Pizza and Yum Dessert

HomeMade Veggie Pizza

(I want to eat this all over)

The crust takes a few hours, but not that much of your time (it just sits) so if you have reading to do or internets to browse it's totally worth it.

Crust: (adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance)

dissolve 11/2 tablespoons in 1 cup of warm water add 2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast (or one package) sit in a warm place until yeast gets foamy (she says ten minutes, mine takes like 1)

In another bowl mix

3 cups all-purpose flour (or substitute one cup with whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour)

1 teaspoon of salt

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil, stir until combined then kneed on clean, floured surface for 10 minutes.

Put in clean oiled bowl, cover with wet towel and let rise for an hour.

Come back and PUNCH it (my favorite part!) then kneed it for another minute and put it back in the bowl. Let sit for however long you want (ten minutes, two hours etc). Then divide in half. Roll out one half into the crust (save the other half for tomorrow or freeze or make two pizza's whatever)

Sauce:

1 can of tomato paste

1 cup water

pinch of salt

handful of italian seasoning

garlic cloves, diced, to your taste (I put about 3 in there)

rough tablespoon of onion

a shot of liquid aminos

a shot of hot sauce

a pinch of sugar (or agave)

crushed red pepper flakes to your taste

cook in a pot for like 15 to 20 minutes

Toppings

carmalized onions (1 large onion, cook five minutes until tender add teaspoon of sugar, cook for 30-40 minutes until browned)

spinach

mushrooms

black olives

jalapenos

and special ingredient: peaches

sprinkled with vegan mozz cheese

Bake at 425-450 degrees until cheese melts 10-15 minutes

Dessert

Vanilla bean hemp ice cream with chocolate mint cookies (made by allthingsvegan Lisa) and topped with a juicy strawberry.

Leaning In to Eating Less Shit.

I just watched a re-run of the Oprah "vegan for a week" episode. I don't really know how I feel about it. For one thing, everyone seemed wishy-washy, like oh I'll just "lean" into it; whatever whatever. Fine. Lean into it. But do not be afraid.

I think most people are nervous that if they mess up or eat cheese or eggs or whatever that the vegan police will come down from a cloud and spray them with tofu sticky guns until they digest said animal product and promise never to do it again. Slip-ups happen and no one is going to strip you of that label if that's how you generally want to live your life.

And if you're confident in your life decisions people will respect you. Most of the time they won't snarl or roll their eyes--well they might--but then they'll notice your flawless skin, your youthful glow, your exuberant energy and they'll take it back! Unless they're assholes then you shouldn't be talking to them anyway.)

The episode showed all this processed fake "meat." Those products contain a lot of sodium and random other ingredients that people probably shouldn't put in their bodies daily. The Veganist talked about legumes, tofu, seeds, seitan but none of the people seemed to really eat that stuff. Of course, eating a vegan frozen pizza or a vegan burger from a box probably won't convince any one to switch over--but there are so many other foods outside the box (haha) that are delicious. And worth the switch. Vegan cooking is creative, fun, and full of color!

I also didn't really get why Michael Pollen was on there. After almost every vegan comment he seemed to feel the need to discredit that way of eating; just because he likes to eat meat a few times a week doesn't mean everyone else has to do it. And it was a show about being vegan for a week...not a show about why it's okay to eat meat on occasion. Lame.

There were three main points I felt were hidden in the shambles of this messy episode:

1) U.S. Citizens eat shit

2) The Animal Farming industry is shit

3) We should all quit supporting and eating shit

In other words, we should think about our actions and make sure those actions are the best choices we could possibly make.

It's pretty simple.

I don't know why we need to lean into it.

Giving Up is Cheesy... I mean Easy.

For awhile I didn't think I could last on a vegan diet. And along the way I've definitely ate un-vegan a few times, for example a few weekends ago I was drunk and starving so we ordered some food from a drive-thru (which will go un-named) and that food had cheese in it. This may have been the second or third time I've drunkenly ate cheese and each time it has made me feel gross.

Cheese feels like a brick in my stomach. Or hardening concrete.

For me (and many other people) it's the most difficult to resist, the melty oozing creamy goodness. But taste and feel are two different things.

How many college kids take gross shots because they know it will make them feel good on the inside?

Well it's the exact opposite with cheese. It tastes good initially but it doesn't make my body feel good, even for a little while.

It's the hardest to give up because it's in and on everything, but really it can be done.

Lately I've been going through my Vegan cookbooks and I've made several new concoctions.

Eggless "egg" salad

Lasagna Spirals (you roll instead of layer)

Mac and "Cheese"

Hot Tamale Pie

and Oatmeal raisin cookies to name just a few.

I wasn't really impressed with the "egg" salad but I think it's because I've never really liked mayo or egg salad to begin with, the texture is surprisingly similar if you are a fan and want to give it a whirl. (this isn't the exact recipe I used, but it's close, click here for it).

All the other recipes were really good though. And I don't feel nearly as guilty when I eat the cookies since they don't have any eggs, butter, or granulated sugar.

My favorite new recipe though is from the book Vegan with a Vengeance (or the website Post Punk Kitchen, same thing) Tempeh Sausage Crumbles. I make it then I mix it in with country style potatoes, sometimes I add peppers, onions, black bean, whatever my hungry heart desires.

I could eat it everyday it's so yummy.

Click here for the recipe.

Anyhoo I've been slowly adjusting both my body and my mind.

I still struggle when I go out and when I go out and get drunk; but with trial and error I will soon be completely transformed!

muhahaha

muhahaha

I look forward to hosting a vegan brunch or potluck soon (so I can prove how good that tempeh sausage really is!)

Thank You Coconut Milk.

Lately I've been hardcore craving a fudge bar. Being a vegan (or mostly vegan) I thought this was going to be a craving never satisfied. But I found these:

(I tried to flip the picture but it wouldn't work)

Coconut milk fudge bars! Yay! They're dairy-free and soy-free. And they taste pretty good even though there's that wood-stick taste like with any fudge bar. But doesn't that make it more authentic anyway? I was pretty excited, though slightly disappointed that they were MINI. Why do they have to be mini? What vegan couldn't really handle a whole one? We eat fruits and veges all day. Give be a big bar of coconut milk chocolatey goodness. Seriously.

The brand has a bunch of different frozen desserts, yogurts, milk and creamers.

The world is changing. And for the better!

Humane Slaughter? Sounds Like an Oxymoron.

The other night I watched the movie, Temple Grandin, which is about her life with autism, school, and cows, basically.

She actually lives and works up the road in Fort Collins, at CSU, which I thought was a fun fact considering I had never heard about her until I saw the movie.

She only eats yogurt and jello, yet she loves cows.

She says, "If we're going to eat them we should do it respectably." Because we can.

Which I believe is one of the biggest complaints coming from vegetarians and vegans, like myself.

Of course, most vegetarian/vegans do not believe in the killing of animals at all, but personally if it's going to happen it should happen as compassionately as possible.

I almost wrote humane--but the root of that is human--and I don't think humans really treat each other or other creatures all that well. Which is why it often takes someone who can look at the world in a unique way to find methods to actually improve it.

Yes, it's probably going to take a long time for people to stop slaughtering cows (and other animals) but through education, empathy, and energy to create change it's possible.

In the meantime people who do eat meat should consider (well, stopping ha!) but also making sure that the living creatures who died to be on their plates died in as respectable a manner as possible.

(Just like veges should make sure their fruits and such are grown and picked in a respectable manner.)

Because we're all connected on this little tiny planet called Earth and I believe we should treat each other accordingly.

To the best of our individual abilities.

Progress not perfection.

Also, if you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it!

Here's the actual Temple Grandin (Not Claire Danes).

Smoothing out my Smoothies.

My first smoothie from my brand new birthday blender (yes I buy myself weird birthday presents):

I'll call it Blueberry Bliss with a Twist

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of blue berries

4 to 5 whole frozen strawberries

1 kiwi

1/4 to 1/2 cup of O.J.

splash or more of soy milk

1 to 2 tablespoons of wheat germ

ice

Directions:

blend

This made 2 large smoothies.

And check out my new glass straw. Perfect for thick smoothies!

Can I just say that smoothie is quite a strange word. It seems rather immature actually, like words children use when they're being cute. It must be the ie... creeping along making everything kidie. Whatever, they're still yumm(ie).

Vegan Day 21-25

Day 21 Dec. 5

Breakfast: left-over vegan pizza

Lunch: baked potato with home made salsa, and broccoli with garlic and balsamic vinegar

Snacks: crackers, white beans, popcorn

Dinner: Salad Wrap

Day 22 Dec. 6

Breakfast: 0

Lunch: Hapa tofu bowl

Snacks: edamame

Dinner: sweet potato/red onion tart

Day 23 Dec. 7

Breakfast: toast

Lunch: teriyaki tofu bowl

Snacks: apple

Dinner: potatoes

Day 24 Dec. 8

Breakfast: oatmeal

Lunch: quinoa vege bean surprise

Snacks: apple, grapes, pineapple

Dinner: black bean burgers with homemade potato wedges

Day 25 Dec. 9

Breakfast: toast with peanut butter and pineapple

Lunch: garden burger and fries (Mountain Sun)

Snacks: apple

Dinner: salad with stuff in it

Thoughts: I'm beginning to lean more towards my friend's viewpoint of being a "non-strict" vegan as opposed to a "strict vegetarian." What that means is that I plan to make most meals vegan but if I occasionally have something with eggs in it or cheese or whatever I'm not going to cry myself to sleep.

This is also the case with products that contain animal-parts. I will make the gradual shift over into making sure most everything I have is animal-friendly, but again, I'm not going to beat myself up if my soap I bought 2 months ago has gelatin in it, why? Because I already bought it and I'm more about not being wasteful. In fact, I think my best diet would be that of a freegan. Mainly because I'd be saving money, I'd not be wasteful, and I could use my creativity to develop amazing meals out of weird findings. But, I'd also have to shop in dumpsters and have yet to gain the courage to sift through grocery stores' trash. (though I will do it some day, I swear).

Vegan Day 12-20

Day 12 Nov. 26^th

breakfast/dinner: left overs

lunch= I failed and had a slice of pizza (such is life)

Day 13 Nov. 27^th

breakfast/lunch: left-overs

Dinner: tofu scramble from Turleys

Day 14 Nov. 28^th

more thanksgiving leftovers for lunch and dinner (there were a lot)

Day 15 Nov. 29^th

Lunch: chic’n salad wrap with edamame

snacks: apple

dinner: salad with vegetable strudel and fruit bowl (pineapple, black berries grapes)

Day 16 Nov. 30^th

skipped food and had a coffee breakfast (slick)

Lunch Happa vege roll + vege dumplings

snacks: apple

Dinner: quinoa bean burrito

Day 17 Dec. 1st

breakfast: toast

Lunch: quinoa bean burrito

snack: grapes, edamame,

Dinner: sweet potato and red onion tart

Day 18 Dec. 2

Breakfast: quinoa bean burrito

Lunch: edamame, chic'n sandwich

Snacks: apple

Dinner: chili and tortilla chips

Day 19 Dec. 3

Breakfast: cereal

Lunch: baked potato and broccoli drizzled with balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with sunflower seeds

Snacks: P.B. and whole wheat crackers

Dinner: Vegan Pizza from Sun Delis

Day 20 Dec 4

Breakfast: left-0ver pizza

lunch: left-over vege strudel

snacks: grapes, orange

dinner: Vegan Meetup Potluck food (I made quinoa dish and caramelized onion breadsticks.)

Thoughts: So I've slipped up once or twice. Once being a slice of pizza and twice being eating candy without really paying attention. It's seems slightly difficult when company is present, not when I'm cooking, but when we're out at a restaurant, especially once which I'd have to get a whole pizza catered to me (which I could have done but felt uncomfortable). Plus some people just don't get it, and I already have so many battles to fight: capitalism, the patriarchy, assholes. I'm just adding to my list, which is becoming really long. I'm cool with not being mainstream, but what comes with anti-conformity is what I call difficulty. And by difficulty I mean constantly arguing and defending myself (which is the whole point in getting other people to change etc.) but it's hard work. As they say, "it's about progress not perfection."