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.

Coffee, Guilt, Tips.

So I've worked in the food industry off and on since junior high, though I've never been a barista.

I've read several articles about the etiquette of tipping, but maybe they're not accurate.

What should I tip on a small coffee to stay?

It doesn't even cost two dollars.

I always just dump whatever change is left-over and yet today I could hear the barista bitching about his past few shitty tips, which I thought was rather rude.

I'm not going to be shamed or guilted into giving more money. I'll give better tips the more I go and the better I'm treated.

But to clarify, am I really supposed to tip almost the amount of the coffee on the coffee?

Maybe.

If that is the case I'm going to go get coffee less and less and when I have a meeting at a coffee shop I guess I'll just drink the water (which will piss them off even more.)

Maybe I'm just being an asshole about this, but maybe when one works at an establishment they shouldn't complain about the people coming into said establishment until they are no longer in said establishment.

I mean, what's he really upset about? At least he has a job and it probably pays minimum + tips instead of whatever real servers make which is like nothing + tip.

If anyone knows the answer to this I would gladly listen and abide by it.

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.

Top 7 Alternative Jobs I'm Considering.

Well two master's degrees don't seem to be enough; still jobless almost a year later. Wow. How pathetic. With that in mind I've been thinking a bunch about what I should do. Should I keep applying to these same types of jobs over and over again only to get rejected and/or ignored. Should I pretend I am not a part of this society and hide in my apartment until I'm homeless then go live in a cave? Should I go back to school for something more reasonable or even more unreasonable?

I am trying to write a book but even if I finish it within the next few months it's going to take a long time to edit it to perfection and get it published. In the meantime, I need $$$.

Here are 7 alternatives I'm considering.

1) Vegan Chef

I've won several vegan cookbooks lately, I'm beginning to think it's a sign. I love food and I love food that's good for people (and not mean to animals). I know cooking takes a lot of energy and time and I'd basically spend my life in a kitchen somewhere but I wouldn't mind, I could cuss, listen to good music and drink whiskey the whole time. That wouldn't be so bad.

2) Art Gallery/Bar/Coffee shop Owner

I've been wanting to do this for years, since junior high actually. I probably have some old floor lay-outs scattered around from my "dream venue" days. The biggest problem here is money. Oh and knowing how to run a business, but other than that I got everything else covered, event ideas, martini concoctions, I could probably even find some artists hanging around.

3) Inventor of Some Billionaire Idea

Like silly bandz or spanx. If I could do that, then I could do the other things I want because I'll finally have money. And I invent stuff all the time I'm just not an engineer, so I can't actually design these things. It needs to be real simple. Perhaps I'll come up with something tonight. I just need to make sure it's a plural name so I can end it in a z or an x instead of an s, because that obviously works.

4) Hooker

A high-class hooker. Three months out of my life and I've paid off my student loans. I'm just saying mom, it's a lot of cash. Who needs morals when you have money?

5) S&M Agent of Destruction

Along the same vein as prostitution except I get to inflict pain upon others. And I never actually have to touch them or act like I like it. I think I could do that; they enjoy it so it is actually painful? I didn't think so.

6) Circus Performer

This isn't true. I couldn't do this because I hate clowns, why are they smiling all the time? I mean, what do they have to be so happy about, they're wearing shoes that don't fit, clothes that are ridiculously misshapen, and they're so ugly they have to cake on make-up to hide their own faces. No thanks. I couldn't handle looking at them let alone all the methed-out carnival workers.

7) Guru

How does one become a guru anyway? It can't be that hard to get followers, I mean, the Tea Party exists. Surely I have the face of a leader, the face of someone you can trust. And I have all of the answers. So send me your cash and I'll let you know the secrets. $1 for the first. Prices vary depending on intensity.

Music Mondays: They're Babes in Toyland.

Let's start the week off with some anger-filled energy. I mean, why not. Sometimes it just feels good to scream it all out. Or sing, if that's your preference.



I have a dress that's pretty similar to that, though I wore it as Courtney Love, thinking next year I can recycle it and be Kat instead.

For the Love of DOG: Remove Those Poop Signs.

Can I just say to all you homeowners/condo owners/ apartment owners etc. a sign with a dog crapping is actually more disgusting to look at than the crap itself.

I probably wouldn't even notice the crap if you didn't bother with the sign.

Plus do you really think that a bright white sign with a shitting dog xed out in red is really readable to said dogs?

The only thing the sign does is make your lawn look like crap. Ha. crap. Exactly what you're trying to avoid.

And does a little poop really damage your rock garden or your dried out grass? I didn't think so.

Since I'm not a dog would it be okay if I pooped on your lawn, because I'm thinking about it.

Please people for the love of dog remove those signs. Anyone alive today knows its not okay to have their pet poop in someone else's lawn and if they did they'd scoop it up.

Fun Fri(Food)Day: My First Tofu Scramble.

I know. It's strange that I have never made one before until this week, but I am now on a scramble roll. This one was made from the Post Punk Kitchen recipe found here.

I added asparagus, broccoli, carrots, and onions.

I also added the potatoes into the scramble, from here on out I'll just cook them on the side. And I will never again add nearly as much turmeric--it was a bit too tingy for my taste buds. But other than that it was pretty darn good.

Think for the next one I'm going to try a scramble I saw on the Watercourse menu with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, and basil, yum. Or maybe I'll just go in there and have them make it for me. (perhaps when I get a job...)