Yesterday after lunch I was feeling really tired and took a nap.. when I woke up it was dinner time and I just wanted something really SIMPLE. Sometimes after a lot of complicated food a nice bowl of rice or something similar is nice and easy on the bod. I woke up pretty hungry and didn't want to make 50 minutes to make rice so I had some toast instead with buttery goodness- earth balance buttery spread. Seriously this stuff is so yummy and I *almost* feel like I'm eating something really naughty when I use it on something. Later on I made some vegan peanut butter cups from The Kind Diet book... This is something I have made many times and can consistently make WELL. haha. Its a crowd pleaser! Everyone I have made it for has absolutely died over it. Reeses peanut butter cups can not hold a flame to these! They are rich and sooo decedent! My fiance wanted me to make him some for the week (Yes! Can u believe it!? Requesting vegan food!!!) so he actually went and bought the supplies and all I had to do was put it all together. I of coarse couldn't help myself and had a couple too :)
Day 5
Almost at the one week mark. Today I woke up feeling really energized and decided to go for a run.... On the treadmill. I'm not crazy. I did a little over 3 miles. After running I had the BEST organic grapefruit EVER. I drizzled the top of agave nectar (Similar to honey. sweeter then sugar so you only need a little bit. 100% natural it comes from a plant. 100% vegan unlike honey.) I also had a small side of tofu hash that I made the day before. Its pretty much ground up tofu, seasonings and herbs, and lots of veggies.. I made it with green pepper, onions, tomatoes, olives, and peas. Once its almost mixed up you could easily mistake it for scrambled eggs with veggies. Tofu is a great choice for protein because it undergoes much less processing then other protein vegan fare (Like soy "chicken" pattys and other meat substitutes). For lunch I was out and about and running right on time. I stopped in chipolte and got some chips and guac to get me by :) yum! Chipolte is one of my new fav restaurants since going vegan because almost everything is organic and if you are going to eat meat you can feel better about it knowing that their meat is from free range farms where the animals are treated more humanely. You can learn more about the company in Food Inc. or by reading their mission on their website. If you are going to eat fast food- this is one of the best choices out there HANDS DOWN.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
A Yummy Weekend!
Finally got to the grocery store.. $86 at whole foods.. but I got a lot of staples that will last me a long time like umeboshi vinegar. Yeah, read on.
Day 2
Breakfast consisted of Ezekiel bread with peanut butter again because I'm obsessed and love peanut butter and could pretty much eat it all day long. haha. So glad that is not off limits anymore. I attempted to make my organic coffee howeverrr I, like an idiot, left the silk creamer OUT the day before! ug! Bad news bears. After leaving for work without my appointment book (This is what happens when I don't get my coffee in the morning!) I stopped at starbucks for a tall soy pumpkin spice (the one in hc still has the flavor!!) latte. I didn't plan too well for the day as far as finding time to eat but then a client surprised me with a slice of vegan chocolate mousse pie and LUNCH WAS SERVED! haha. The dessert was absolutely delicious.. not my usual 'lunch' but it was perfect timing on this day when I didnt have a chance to even nook something in between clients. After work, it was dinner time so my fiance and I went out for sushi. I am completely obsessed with sushi. A former addict of the spicy crab roll I have now switched to avocado, sweet potato, carrot and cucumber, etc. I also loveeee miso soup and its totally vegan thank goodness so I had that too. I have no alcohol tolerance so I ended up drinking 1/2 of a glass of wine and feeling like I shouldn't operate heavy machinery before my fiance finished the other half in..well..3 seconds. Me+ Alcohol are just not best buddies. More like acquaintances that get along well in small doses. I pretty much went home and went to bed right after that.. well after eating a SMALL ! Yes small! Vegan cupcake. Not the most healthy vegan day with the TWO desserts.. I should probably limited to one a day :/ Oh well- my 3rd day is better!
Day 3
Surprise, Surprise the morning consisted of Ezekiel toast and peanut butter. Still haven't purchased a new creamer but at work I did have some chocolate almond milk in my refrid so I mixed a bit of that with the coffee from the lobby. Not bad! I'm turning into quite the barista! I only had a half day so I came home for lunch and had a chicken soy patty open faced sandwich (one soy patty, one piece of Ezekiel) and a big slab of hummus on top! yum! Later that afternoon I went to whole foods with my fiance and we found our early mini dinner in the hot bar! WE LOVEEEEE Mediterranean platters and they had all the stuff to make one... felafel's balls (if you haven't tried yet, you must!) hummus, cute little mini pitas, a cucumber relish (WITH WHEAT BERRIES!! WHAT A GREAT IDEAAA!) and a yogurt dill dip (which he ate but I of coarse passed on) We made our platter and ate it when we got home from the store. Sooo good! We also order this platter a lot at Juniper 61 Here is what our platter from Whole Foods looked like (minus the yogurt dip haha)
This was taken with my camera phone so not sure how good it shows up but yummm this was so good. We ate this at like 4pm and then started to make dinner. I convinced my fiance to make dinner from my favvvv vegan book The Kind Diet We also had a bet on how much it would cost to make the dinner since we pretty much had NOTHING and had to buy all the ingredients. We did the whole dinner for around 40 bucks (less then going out to eat) plusss it fed 3 people and my fiance and I both packed Tupperware of it for lunch during the week. Divide that many meals by 40 and it not so much. He estimated it would cost much more so I wont the bet..and by winning he has to make a vegan dinner with me AGAIN next weekend :) He is a BIG meat eater..your typical guy.. but it meant sooo much to me that he was willing to make this dinner with me especially when it involved ingredients he was non familiar with. But guess what? He really liked it!! Have I converted him to a vegan? Absolutely not. But could I see us making this again. Absolutely. Here is a photo of our dinner (again, cam phone til I get something better to take photos with!!)
Its pecan crusted seitan with rustic pasta. What is seitan!? Well, its kind of like tofu in that it takes on the flavor of whatever you marinade it in, etc. but it is extremely close to the texture of meat. You can make it takes like chicken or ground it up like hamburger..wheatever. Its extremely versatile and it has a TON of protein. I can almost guarantee you could throw it in a dish and people wouldn't ask what it was and would just except that it was some kind of meat. The dish was probably the best one I have ever made..it was just sooo yummy. We put the seitan on top of Rustic Pasta, also from the kind diet book. I didn't think it would be as good as it was! Even my fiance said he liked the pasta the best! We used whole wheat angel hair pasta which works really nicely with the dish since it has a nutty flavor. The "Sauce" was made by combining onions, celery, CABBAGE (yes it sounds weird- my fiance LOVED it- he wanted more cabbage in it!) garlic, olive oil and its sauted on the stove top. Then you add 5 TBS of marinara.. again I thought this was weird. Its just for some soft tomato flavor..but its NOT going to turn it into a tomato SAUCE.. then you throw in the cook pasta and mix it all up and the setain goes on top. This is just a cliffs note of the recipe- you can google for it or better yet BUY THE BOOK!! Its awesome and you wont regret it! We had a late dinner- 8pm or so and then we each had our dessert that we bought from whole foods- his wasn't vegan but I managed to find a vegan oatmeal cookie there so I thought WHY NOT! and bought it. IT WAS AWESOME! I enjoyed in with a small class of almond milk. Yum! I forgot how good oatmeal cookies are :)
Day 4
And that brings us to today.. day 4. This morning I decided to change things up a bit and had some oatmeal with a drizzle of 100% maple syrup. Its more expensive then the kind I grew up putting on my pancakes but its worth it because its totally natural.. no sugar or weirdness added. Whole foods "365" Brand has a great organic one I use- its about $10 for a glass container of it but it should last you quite awhile unless you are making a dessert that calls for a lot of it. Maple syrup is a great replacement for white sugar and you can also buy a maple sugar which is just maple syrup in crystallized form.. make sure to check ingredients. This can be pricey too.. about $13 for a cylinder but again its natural, unprocessed, and should last you a long time.
For lunch, I couldn't help myself- I pulled out the left overs from last night..maybe about 3/4 cup of pasta and a small chunk of the seitan on top. Its JUST as good reheated. I will definitely be making this again!
Day 2
Breakfast consisted of Ezekiel bread with peanut butter again because I'm obsessed and love peanut butter and could pretty much eat it all day long. haha. So glad that is not off limits anymore. I attempted to make my organic coffee howeverrr I, like an idiot, left the silk creamer OUT the day before! ug! Bad news bears. After leaving for work without my appointment book (This is what happens when I don't get my coffee in the morning!) I stopped at starbucks for a tall soy pumpkin spice (the one in hc still has the flavor!!) latte. I didn't plan too well for the day as far as finding time to eat but then a client surprised me with a slice of vegan chocolate mousse pie and LUNCH WAS SERVED! haha. The dessert was absolutely delicious.. not my usual 'lunch' but it was perfect timing on this day when I didnt have a chance to even nook something in between clients. After work, it was dinner time so my fiance and I went out for sushi. I am completely obsessed with sushi. A former addict of the spicy crab roll I have now switched to avocado, sweet potato, carrot and cucumber, etc. I also loveeee miso soup and its totally vegan thank goodness so I had that too. I have no alcohol tolerance so I ended up drinking 1/2 of a glass of wine and feeling like I shouldn't operate heavy machinery before my fiance finished the other half in..well..3 seconds. Me+ Alcohol are just not best buddies. More like acquaintances that get along well in small doses. I pretty much went home and went to bed right after that.. well after eating a SMALL ! Yes small! Vegan cupcake. Not the most healthy vegan day with the TWO desserts.. I should probably limited to one a day :/ Oh well- my 3rd day is better!
Day 3
Surprise, Surprise the morning consisted of Ezekiel toast and peanut butter. Still haven't purchased a new creamer but at work I did have some chocolate almond milk in my refrid so I mixed a bit of that with the coffee from the lobby. Not bad! I'm turning into quite the barista! I only had a half day so I came home for lunch and had a chicken soy patty open faced sandwich (one soy patty, one piece of Ezekiel) and a big slab of hummus on top! yum! Later that afternoon I went to whole foods with my fiance and we found our early mini dinner in the hot bar! WE LOVEEEEE Mediterranean platters and they had all the stuff to make one... felafel's balls (if you haven't tried yet, you must!) hummus, cute little mini pitas, a cucumber relish (WITH WHEAT BERRIES!! WHAT A GREAT IDEAAA!) and a yogurt dill dip (which he ate but I of coarse passed on) We made our platter and ate it when we got home from the store. Sooo good! We also order this platter a lot at Juniper 61 Here is what our platter from Whole Foods looked like (minus the yogurt dip haha)
This was taken with my camera phone so not sure how good it shows up but yummm this was so good. We ate this at like 4pm and then started to make dinner. I convinced my fiance to make dinner from my favvvv vegan book The Kind Diet We also had a bet on how much it would cost to make the dinner since we pretty much had NOTHING and had to buy all the ingredients. We did the whole dinner for around 40 bucks (less then going out to eat) plusss it fed 3 people and my fiance and I both packed Tupperware of it for lunch during the week. Divide that many meals by 40 and it not so much. He estimated it would cost much more so I wont the bet..and by winning he has to make a vegan dinner with me AGAIN next weekend :) He is a BIG meat eater..your typical guy.. but it meant sooo much to me that he was willing to make this dinner with me especially when it involved ingredients he was non familiar with. But guess what? He really liked it!! Have I converted him to a vegan? Absolutely not. But could I see us making this again. Absolutely. Here is a photo of our dinner (again, cam phone til I get something better to take photos with!!)
Its pecan crusted seitan with rustic pasta. What is seitan!? Well, its kind of like tofu in that it takes on the flavor of whatever you marinade it in, etc. but it is extremely close to the texture of meat. You can make it takes like chicken or ground it up like hamburger..wheatever. Its extremely versatile and it has a TON of protein. I can almost guarantee you could throw it in a dish and people wouldn't ask what it was and would just except that it was some kind of meat. The dish was probably the best one I have ever made..it was just sooo yummy. We put the seitan on top of Rustic Pasta, also from the kind diet book. I didn't think it would be as good as it was! Even my fiance said he liked the pasta the best! We used whole wheat angel hair pasta which works really nicely with the dish since it has a nutty flavor. The "Sauce" was made by combining onions, celery, CABBAGE (yes it sounds weird- my fiance LOVED it- he wanted more cabbage in it!) garlic, olive oil and its sauted on the stove top. Then you add 5 TBS of marinara.. again I thought this was weird. Its just for some soft tomato flavor..but its NOT going to turn it into a tomato SAUCE.. then you throw in the cook pasta and mix it all up and the setain goes on top. This is just a cliffs note of the recipe- you can google for it or better yet BUY THE BOOK!! Its awesome and you wont regret it! We had a late dinner- 8pm or so and then we each had our dessert that we bought from whole foods- his wasn't vegan but I managed to find a vegan oatmeal cookie there so I thought WHY NOT! and bought it. IT WAS AWESOME! I enjoyed in with a small class of almond milk. Yum! I forgot how good oatmeal cookies are :)
Day 4
And that brings us to today.. day 4. This morning I decided to change things up a bit and had some oatmeal with a drizzle of 100% maple syrup. Its more expensive then the kind I grew up putting on my pancakes but its worth it because its totally natural.. no sugar or weirdness added. Whole foods "365" Brand has a great organic one I use- its about $10 for a glass container of it but it should last you quite awhile unless you are making a dessert that calls for a lot of it. Maple syrup is a great replacement for white sugar and you can also buy a maple sugar which is just maple syrup in crystallized form.. make sure to check ingredients. This can be pricey too.. about $13 for a cylinder but again its natural, unprocessed, and should last you a long time.
For lunch, I couldn't help myself- I pulled out the left overs from last night..maybe about 3/4 cup of pasta and a small chunk of the seitan on top. Its JUST as good reheated. I will definitely be making this again!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Myth Busters
There are many myths about being vegan..or should I say misunderstandings. I KNOW because up until a year ago I knew practically nothing about veganism. I read The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone and everything changed for me. I highlyyy recomend this book. Out of all the books I have read on the subject- and TRUST ME its a lottt- this is by far the easiest read. Alicia talks to you like you guys are best girl pals and totally non judgemental and understandings to the pitfalls one might face when trying out the vegan life style. Would I tell Alicia that I have been strictly vegan for 350/365 days a year- ABSOLUTELY. I wouldnt feel like I have to lie about it or be ashamed becuase she admits herself in the book that she has fallen off the wagon too. The thing I discovered and that she writes about in the books is that after you do go off you feel like "why did I do that?" and not in a self loathing way but in a "that was silly. It wasnt even worth it" way. It seems weird to think about.. When I thought of giving up icecream I thought my life would be over. I used to eat icecream EVERY night. Yes, Every Night. I would almost always do the light/low fat/gelato/skinny cow/ versions to keep it part of a lower cal plan, but nonetheless it was an every night affair that I wasnt sure I was ready to give up. In the last year I have probably had less then a pint of icecream total...when I was going through a TUB or MORE of it every WEEK before. And guess what? I dont even miss it! And when I do crave it (extremely rare) I have found an awesome vegan version. Its called Good Karma and its an icecream made from rice milk. The carot cake is my absolute favorite and it has chunks of real carot cake IN the mix! This moreeeee then does the trick for the craving. Infact its right up there with some of the hagen daaz splurges I used to have.
The misconception I plan on tackleing in the next couple weeks involves weight loss. Its one of the number one questions I get asked about! (next to- Where do you get your protein?) There are 2 misconceptions on both sides of the spectrum and I plan on disproving both of them.
1> Becoming vegan will make you GAIN weight! Pasta, Bread, CARBS CARBS CARBS... No lean protein like chicken or tuna.. its a recipe for disaster.
Why This Isn't The Case: Trust me, I was worried about this at first too. As someone who used to use the Atkins Diet to drop inches before a modeling gig or a vacation, the thought of eating rice, pasta, etc. on a regular basis scared the crap out of me. But the yo yo dieting up and down the scale buisness that would result from starting and ending the Atkins diet made me willing to try something else. More about this in a bit....
2> Of coarse you lose weight going vegan- all you eat is vegetables and fruit! What else is there? There is no variety and it's so limiting.
Why This Isn't the Case: I can honestly say that I have tried more NEW foods and branched out MORE since I have gone vegan then I did when I ate meat and diary. I felt like my whole life consisted of coming up with new ways to make a chicken breast! Now I get to enjoy foods that used to be "off limits" like PEANUT BUTTER, AVOCADOS, and even CUPCAKES! Yes I know it sounds crazy- and I was skeptical too- but I eat more of the foods I like now and try so many new foods like whole wheat pasta with grapeseed oil and herbs, LENTILS, Hummus, Juiced Fruits and Veggies, almond butter, kale, swiss chard, sweets made with maple sugar and brown rice syrup, even seaweed! (One day at a time.. don't get too uneasy!) It was actually quite a fun process trying new things and making new recipes. Going vegan opens up a whole new world of foods and trying to spice up that dead bird becomes a challenge of the past.
Since going vegan almost a year ago my weight has stayed within 3 pounds every time that I step on the scale..that is about a 1.5 pounds in in either direction. On no other 'diet' has this ever occurred. I have completely stabilized and I literally do not count a single calorie or carb anymore. I eat what I want and I dont gain weight! I havent been able eat that way in years.. everything was about how many calories I had left for the day. For me, this journey has been absolutely liberating and has given me an amazing sense of freedom. If I could see Alicia herself in person I would just give her the biggest hug- probably sob like a baby- and thank her so much for writing this book. Its changed my life.
NOW- I'll stop the mushy stuff- I've decided to challenge myself a little bit. Like I said, I pretty much eat whatever I want to maintain my weight. To lose is just as easy- be a little more conscience of what you eat and add a little working out and the pounds will melt off. With spring coming up and some trips Ive had planned I would like to lose some weight anyways so I'm going to start with a small goal- 5 pounds- and record the journey of losing them so disprove the misconception of gaining weight or not being able to lose weight on a vegan diet. At the same time I will disprove that you have no variety on a vegan diet and only eat fruit and veggies! I weighed in this morning and will weigh in a week from now and record the results:)
DAY ONE:
9:30 am (yeahhh I slept in) : 1 piece of Ezekiel Toast (a bread with no four but instead made of sprouts, millet, and lots of other good stuff..in the frozen section at sendiks) with peanut butter... Melty goodness. + a big cup of organic coffee (Rainforest Blend from Sendiks) with 1/2 cup of pumpkin spice soymilk (made by Silk, also at sendiks)
---super busy at work so didn't get a chance to eat til afternoon---
3:30- Amy's Organic (available at sendiks) Rice Noodle Mac and Cheeze. YUMOOOO! This mac has been called "heavenly" by my non vegan friend. The 'cheese' in it is made mostly from tapioca but makes the most amazing creamy cheesy sauce. You would never know by looking at it that it wasn't real cheese... creamy, stringy, amazing goodness. Make sure when you look for this that you find the rice noodle one.. the others are only vegetarian and not vegan. Let me also say this stuff isn't low in cals.. but that's the great thing is you don't have to obsess over those freakin things anymore and you will still lose weight.
--more work!----
8:00pm- Vegan Cupcake! Made them yesterday. If you want to make the best vegan cupcakes ever you NEED to buy the book "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" , It will change your life :) The one I ate today I call "Breakfast In Bed".. it tastes like the most amazing butter and syrup covered Belgian waffle you could ever dream of.
8:30- Arrived Home. Need to go grocery shopping. Out of everything!! Ended up eating a bowl of corn with Earth Balance Butter (soy- non dairy- tastes JUST like regular cow butter) sea salt and pepper... still hungry.. made a bowl of organic cinnamon applesauce.. will have to get you the brand because it could quite possibly be the best applesauce I ever had. YUM.
This weekend I'm off to whole foods to stock up! This week I will be making veg chili and tempeh sloppy joes! (more on tempeh in the blog about the 'joes once I make them)
I'm super excited to track everything and try these new recipes! I promise my dinners this week will be more exciting then corn and applesauce but I had to make do tonight! ;)
-d-
The misconception I plan on tackleing in the next couple weeks involves weight loss. Its one of the number one questions I get asked about! (next to- Where do you get your protein?) There are 2 misconceptions on both sides of the spectrum and I plan on disproving both of them.
1> Becoming vegan will make you GAIN weight! Pasta, Bread, CARBS CARBS CARBS... No lean protein like chicken or tuna.. its a recipe for disaster.
Why This Isn't The Case: Trust me, I was worried about this at first too. As someone who used to use the Atkins Diet to drop inches before a modeling gig or a vacation, the thought of eating rice, pasta, etc. on a regular basis scared the crap out of me. But the yo yo dieting up and down the scale buisness that would result from starting and ending the Atkins diet made me willing to try something else. More about this in a bit....
2> Of coarse you lose weight going vegan- all you eat is vegetables and fruit! What else is there? There is no variety and it's so limiting.
Why This Isn't the Case: I can honestly say that I have tried more NEW foods and branched out MORE since I have gone vegan then I did when I ate meat and diary. I felt like my whole life consisted of coming up with new ways to make a chicken breast! Now I get to enjoy foods that used to be "off limits" like PEANUT BUTTER, AVOCADOS, and even CUPCAKES! Yes I know it sounds crazy- and I was skeptical too- but I eat more of the foods I like now and try so many new foods like whole wheat pasta with grapeseed oil and herbs, LENTILS, Hummus, Juiced Fruits and Veggies, almond butter, kale, swiss chard, sweets made with maple sugar and brown rice syrup, even seaweed! (One day at a time.. don't get too uneasy!) It was actually quite a fun process trying new things and making new recipes. Going vegan opens up a whole new world of foods and trying to spice up that dead bird becomes a challenge of the past.
Since going vegan almost a year ago my weight has stayed within 3 pounds every time that I step on the scale..that is about a 1.5 pounds in in either direction. On no other 'diet' has this ever occurred. I have completely stabilized and I literally do not count a single calorie or carb anymore. I eat what I want and I dont gain weight! I havent been able eat that way in years.. everything was about how many calories I had left for the day. For me, this journey has been absolutely liberating and has given me an amazing sense of freedom. If I could see Alicia herself in person I would just give her the biggest hug- probably sob like a baby- and thank her so much for writing this book. Its changed my life.
NOW- I'll stop the mushy stuff- I've decided to challenge myself a little bit. Like I said, I pretty much eat whatever I want to maintain my weight. To lose is just as easy- be a little more conscience of what you eat and add a little working out and the pounds will melt off. With spring coming up and some trips Ive had planned I would like to lose some weight anyways so I'm going to start with a small goal- 5 pounds- and record the journey of losing them so disprove the misconception of gaining weight or not being able to lose weight on a vegan diet. At the same time I will disprove that you have no variety on a vegan diet and only eat fruit and veggies! I weighed in this morning and will weigh in a week from now and record the results:)
DAY ONE:
9:30 am (yeahhh I slept in) : 1 piece of Ezekiel Toast (a bread with no four but instead made of sprouts, millet, and lots of other good stuff..in the frozen section at sendiks) with peanut butter... Melty goodness. + a big cup of organic coffee (Rainforest Blend from Sendiks) with 1/2 cup of pumpkin spice soymilk (made by Silk, also at sendiks)
---super busy at work so didn't get a chance to eat til afternoon---
3:30- Amy's Organic (available at sendiks) Rice Noodle Mac and Cheeze. YUMOOOO! This mac has been called "heavenly" by my non vegan friend. The 'cheese' in it is made mostly from tapioca but makes the most amazing creamy cheesy sauce. You would never know by looking at it that it wasn't real cheese... creamy, stringy, amazing goodness. Make sure when you look for this that you find the rice noodle one.. the others are only vegetarian and not vegan. Let me also say this stuff isn't low in cals.. but that's the great thing is you don't have to obsess over those freakin things anymore and you will still lose weight.
--more work!----
8:00pm- Vegan Cupcake! Made them yesterday. If you want to make the best vegan cupcakes ever you NEED to buy the book "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" , It will change your life :) The one I ate today I call "Breakfast In Bed".. it tastes like the most amazing butter and syrup covered Belgian waffle you could ever dream of.
8:30- Arrived Home. Need to go grocery shopping. Out of everything!! Ended up eating a bowl of corn with Earth Balance Butter (soy- non dairy- tastes JUST like regular cow butter) sea salt and pepper... still hungry.. made a bowl of organic cinnamon applesauce.. will have to get you the brand because it could quite possibly be the best applesauce I ever had. YUM.
This weekend I'm off to whole foods to stock up! This week I will be making veg chili and tempeh sloppy joes! (more on tempeh in the blog about the 'joes once I make them)
I'm super excited to track everything and try these new recipes! I promise my dinners this week will be more exciting then corn and applesauce but I had to make do tonight! ;)
-d-
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Blogging
I haven't blogged in awhile but the Oprah show was to air a Vegan episode yesterday and it got me all fired up again and wanting to talk to people about vegan ism. I was SO excited to hear that she was going to be going vegan for a week, along with almost 300of her staffers. I think it is SO COOL that that many people were willing to try what may seem like an "extreme" new diet. I think its SO COOL that they were OPEN TO IT! That also tells me that there are a lot of people out there who are maybe not feeling their best and are looking for a change that could make them feel better...that even if there was a CHANCE that a vegan diet could 1. give them more energy 2. help them lose weight 3. make their skin GLOW that they would be willing to give it a shot.
THIS IS SO COOL!
... What is not cool is that no one in Wisconsin got the chance to watch this episode. Good old mother nature dumped down a shit ton of snow and the residents of the beer, cheese, & meat state missed their opportunity to hear about if this worked for them!!
I personally wrote to the Oprah show today after searching endlessly on the web for the episode. You can view CLIPS of the show HERE: http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Inside-a-Slaughterhouse-Video ...and can I say I LOVE lisa ling! I just think everything she covers is fascinating..maybe its her voice.. or the way she acts questions.. but I just love her!!
In this clip they compare giving up fast food to an alcoholic giving up alcohol... ITS ADDICTIVE. http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Struggling-with-the-Vegan-Challenge-Video/topic/oprahshow
Here Kathy Freston helps a newbie vegan create a meal for her family. Isn't Kathy amazingly gorgeous. YES THAT IS A GLOW MY FRIEND! http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Kathy-Frestons-Cooking-Lesson-Video/topic/oprahshow
In my letter to Oprah I encouraged them to air the episode again its its entirety. I imagine that this episode is going to get a lot of media buzz. Veganism is becoming a trend. Its popularity is soaring and the word is spreading.
I am approaching my almost 1 year mark that I decided to go vegan. Have I cheated at all in that 1 year. Of coarse. Not on any meat or fish but I have had dairy on occasion. Being vegan is not about being perfect. Ive said it before and I'll say it again. But if out of 365 days I have been Vegan 350 days..then that is a HUGE improvement from where I was and that is a lot of dairy and meat that I havent purchased.. and therefore a lot of companies that lost my dollars. Every time you purchase things in the grocery store or every time you order at a restaurant you are VOTING. If you think about it that way then you can feel good knowing that you are making a difference. Even if you just adopt a meatless monday.. over the coarse of a year..or five years..thats a lot of Mondays! Start small like Oprah and her crew did and just SEE how you feel.. give it a week. Give it a few days. A few meals. Why not try it and see how you feel? Make some new recipes. Try Juicing. The process can actually be fun and invigorating!!
Ive decided to start blogging again. It will help me keep on track..continuing to make healthy choices and continuing to answer questions people may have etc. THere are so many misconceptions out there. A year ago I never even knew exactly what veganism was and now I have read enough books on it for fill a library and have had a gazillion conversations about it with people who are curious ;)
Stay Tuned.. and if Oprah Re-Airs and I dont let you know PLEASE LET ME KNOW!
-d-
THIS IS SO COOL!
... What is not cool is that no one in Wisconsin got the chance to watch this episode. Good old mother nature dumped down a shit ton of snow and the residents of the beer, cheese, & meat state missed their opportunity to hear about if this worked for them!!
I personally wrote to the Oprah show today after searching endlessly on the web for the episode. You can view CLIPS of the show HERE: http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Inside-a-Slaughterhouse-Video ...and can I say I LOVE lisa ling! I just think everything she covers is fascinating..maybe its her voice.. or the way she acts questions.. but I just love her!!
In this clip they compare giving up fast food to an alcoholic giving up alcohol... ITS ADDICTIVE. http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Struggling-with-the-Vegan-Challenge-Video/topic/oprahshow
Here Kathy Freston helps a newbie vegan create a meal for her family. Isn't Kathy amazingly gorgeous. YES THAT IS A GLOW MY FRIEND! http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Kathy-Frestons-Cooking-Lesson-Video/topic/oprahshow
In my letter to Oprah I encouraged them to air the episode again its its entirety. I imagine that this episode is going to get a lot of media buzz. Veganism is becoming a trend. Its popularity is soaring and the word is spreading.
I am approaching my almost 1 year mark that I decided to go vegan. Have I cheated at all in that 1 year. Of coarse. Not on any meat or fish but I have had dairy on occasion. Being vegan is not about being perfect. Ive said it before and I'll say it again. But if out of 365 days I have been Vegan 350 days..then that is a HUGE improvement from where I was and that is a lot of dairy and meat that I havent purchased.. and therefore a lot of companies that lost my dollars. Every time you purchase things in the grocery store or every time you order at a restaurant you are VOTING. If you think about it that way then you can feel good knowing that you are making a difference. Even if you just adopt a meatless monday.. over the coarse of a year..or five years..thats a lot of Mondays! Start small like Oprah and her crew did and just SEE how you feel.. give it a week. Give it a few days. A few meals. Why not try it and see how you feel? Make some new recipes. Try Juicing. The process can actually be fun and invigorating!!
Ive decided to start blogging again. It will help me keep on track..continuing to make healthy choices and continuing to answer questions people may have etc. THere are so many misconceptions out there. A year ago I never even knew exactly what veganism was and now I have read enough books on it for fill a library and have had a gazillion conversations about it with people who are curious ;)
Stay Tuned.. and if Oprah Re-Airs and I dont let you know PLEASE LET ME KNOW!
-d-
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Lots and Lots of Updates
Updates In No Particular Order:
1. I have started Juicing.
For my birthday I was given a juicer- which I have wanted for sooo long! I dont know why but I didnt open it up right away. I think I was nervous...like ehhh im not really sure how to do this. I know I WANT to try it but I'm confused on what to mix and how much to make and blahblahblah and finally i was like this is redic! Im taking this thing out and Im making some juice! OMGGG. It is amazing!!! I now use it almost EVERY morning. In the book skinny bitch (see update #2) it says the best thing to start your day with if fruit bc its the easier for your bod to digest. When I juice I use a couple kinda of fruits (mangos are my fav and then I use either blueberries, strawberries, a pear, or an apple) and I throw in a TON of greens.. spinach, kale, swiss chard,etc.) The amazing thing is all you taste is the fruit! Its SO GOOD! Im gonna branch out more too but adding diff veggies but for now the mango blueberry is my fav :)
2. I read the book Skinny Bitch.
Heres my quick review: It basically told you everything the book The Kind Diet tells you except way bitchier. Im already vegan (which the book says is the way to become skinny) so a lot of it was stuff I already knew. Im glad I read The Kind Diet first bc Alicia talks to you like a fellow girlfriend and the authors of Skinny Bitch talk to you like a pathetic fat ass. The only thing I really took from it was the idea of eating fruit in the morning first thing. In The Kind Diet Alicia touched on factory farming and the horrible treatment of the animals on 99% of the farms these days but she did so in a way in which you could continue reading through the section...In Skinny Bitch they go into such grotesque detail I had to skip over the part about the factory farming. I get it- its a horrible industry that I do not want to support. Thats part of the reason Im vegan. I think 80% of people who have read SB had to skip through that part too making it pointless to even touch on it. They talk about extreme cases leading the readers to think "that's just so extreme that it probably only happens on rare occasions". In other books I have read when they talk about factory farming they talk about the EVERY DAY things that go on- although horrible, not as extreme. (Cutting off the birds beaks with a hot blade, disposing of male chicks they don't need, and leaving animals in tight confined spaces)I think this is enough for most people to understand how horrible factory farming is. In conclusion, if you are thinking about becoming vegan or learning more about it go read The Kind Diet. If you are already vegan, eat a piece of fruit in the morning and save $14.95.
3. I went hiking for the first time today!
Im trying to get back into working out more. I used to run 5 miles a day! Right now Im up to almost 3 and a half but its more like every other day or on 2 days off a day. The treadmill gets boring so I decided to take a friend up on an offer to go hiking. I really liked it! We did 3 miles and it includes some steeper hills and rougher tarain! We are doing it again next week so at least once a week I think I'll be doing this. We'll see! Heres a photo I took on the trail :)
4. My new favorite dinner
Awhile back I found this AWESOME vegan meatballs. Being vegan I have to especially watch my carbs because so much vegan food has carbs. Sometimes I would eat the vegan meatballs with just some spaghetti sauce over them but go noodle-less. THEN, I found a recipe that used spaghetti squash instead of pasta and my new fav food was born! Its super easy too. Just bake the squash and scoop out the insides with a fork when its done cooking. It scrapes out like angel hair pasta! It doenst have much flavor so it takes on the flavor of whatever sauce you put on! I use Muir Glen organic sauce (every kind I have tried is SO good!) and I use Nates Zesty Italian meatless meatballs. Heres a pic:
5. I found the best vegan cheese
Its called "tease" and they just started carrying it at Whole Foods! I bought the cheddar and the mozzarella. The cheddar is GREAT for macaroni because it comes out like Velveeta and once you add a little salt its the closest you are ever gonna get to that yellowy comfort food! I haven't tried the motz yet but Im sure that's good too. Follow Your Heart also makes a good motz. Heres a pic of my mac and 'tease': I used whole wheat pasta - of coarse- and it was awesome.
6. I'm loving Amys Organic foods
My favs now include Lentil Soup, Low Fat Veg and Barley Soup, Veggie Loaf frozen entree, and I'm still in love with the cheese-less pizza which subs caramelized onions for the cheese. YUM!
7. I took a cooking class at Cafe Manna
So fun! I went with a friend and we learned how to make 4 things- guacamole walnut potato skins, sweet potato cakes, pumpkin gnocchi, and Carmel apple fudge. It was so fun and we sat with some really nice women. We got to try everything too. They do one a month and its totally work the $40. Check out their website for info on upcoming classes www.cafemanna.com
8. I had a birthday party and served vegan food
I had my bday this month and at my party there was vegan and non vegan food. I didn't label it but lets just say there are some vegan lovers in my group of friends and they prob don't even know it :) I'll have pics of the food posted soon. The sweet potato phyllo cups were my absolute fav! A massive amount of earth balance and veganaise was also consumed :)
Thats all for now...more recipes and pics soon! :)
1. I have started Juicing.
For my birthday I was given a juicer- which I have wanted for sooo long! I dont know why but I didnt open it up right away. I think I was nervous...like ehhh im not really sure how to do this. I know I WANT to try it but I'm confused on what to mix and how much to make and blahblahblah and finally i was like this is redic! Im taking this thing out and Im making some juice! OMGGG. It is amazing!!! I now use it almost EVERY morning. In the book skinny bitch (see update #2) it says the best thing to start your day with if fruit bc its the easier for your bod to digest. When I juice I use a couple kinda of fruits (mangos are my fav and then I use either blueberries, strawberries, a pear, or an apple) and I throw in a TON of greens.. spinach, kale, swiss chard,etc.) The amazing thing is all you taste is the fruit! Its SO GOOD! Im gonna branch out more too but adding diff veggies but for now the mango blueberry is my fav :)
2. I read the book Skinny Bitch.
Heres my quick review: It basically told you everything the book The Kind Diet tells you except way bitchier. Im already vegan (which the book says is the way to become skinny) so a lot of it was stuff I already knew. Im glad I read The Kind Diet first bc Alicia talks to you like a fellow girlfriend and the authors of Skinny Bitch talk to you like a pathetic fat ass. The only thing I really took from it was the idea of eating fruit in the morning first thing. In The Kind Diet Alicia touched on factory farming and the horrible treatment of the animals on 99% of the farms these days but she did so in a way in which you could continue reading through the section...In Skinny Bitch they go into such grotesque detail I had to skip over the part about the factory farming. I get it- its a horrible industry that I do not want to support. Thats part of the reason Im vegan. I think 80% of people who have read SB had to skip through that part too making it pointless to even touch on it. They talk about extreme cases leading the readers to think "that's just so extreme that it probably only happens on rare occasions". In other books I have read when they talk about factory farming they talk about the EVERY DAY things that go on- although horrible, not as extreme. (Cutting off the birds beaks with a hot blade, disposing of male chicks they don't need, and leaving animals in tight confined spaces)I think this is enough for most people to understand how horrible factory farming is. In conclusion, if you are thinking about becoming vegan or learning more about it go read The Kind Diet. If you are already vegan, eat a piece of fruit in the morning and save $14.95.
3. I went hiking for the first time today!
Im trying to get back into working out more. I used to run 5 miles a day! Right now Im up to almost 3 and a half but its more like every other day or on 2 days off a day. The treadmill gets boring so I decided to take a friend up on an offer to go hiking. I really liked it! We did 3 miles and it includes some steeper hills and rougher tarain! We are doing it again next week so at least once a week I think I'll be doing this. We'll see! Heres a photo I took on the trail :)
4. My new favorite dinner
Awhile back I found this AWESOME vegan meatballs. Being vegan I have to especially watch my carbs because so much vegan food has carbs. Sometimes I would eat the vegan meatballs with just some spaghetti sauce over them but go noodle-less. THEN, I found a recipe that used spaghetti squash instead of pasta and my new fav food was born! Its super easy too. Just bake the squash and scoop out the insides with a fork when its done cooking. It scrapes out like angel hair pasta! It doenst have much flavor so it takes on the flavor of whatever sauce you put on! I use Muir Glen organic sauce (every kind I have tried is SO good!) and I use Nates Zesty Italian meatless meatballs. Heres a pic:
5. I found the best vegan cheese
Its called "tease" and they just started carrying it at Whole Foods! I bought the cheddar and the mozzarella. The cheddar is GREAT for macaroni because it comes out like Velveeta and once you add a little salt its the closest you are ever gonna get to that yellowy comfort food! I haven't tried the motz yet but Im sure that's good too. Follow Your Heart also makes a good motz. Heres a pic of my mac and 'tease': I used whole wheat pasta - of coarse- and it was awesome.
6. I'm loving Amys Organic foods
My favs now include Lentil Soup, Low Fat Veg and Barley Soup, Veggie Loaf frozen entree, and I'm still in love with the cheese-less pizza which subs caramelized onions for the cheese. YUM!
7. I took a cooking class at Cafe Manna
So fun! I went with a friend and we learned how to make 4 things- guacamole walnut potato skins, sweet potato cakes, pumpkin gnocchi, and Carmel apple fudge. It was so fun and we sat with some really nice women. We got to try everything too. They do one a month and its totally work the $40. Check out their website for info on upcoming classes www.cafemanna.com
8. I had a birthday party and served vegan food
I had my bday this month and at my party there was vegan and non vegan food. I didn't label it but lets just say there are some vegan lovers in my group of friends and they prob don't even know it :) I'll have pics of the food posted soon. The sweet potato phyllo cups were my absolute fav! A massive amount of earth balance and veganaise was also consumed :)
Thats all for now...more recipes and pics soon! :)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
a salad you will crave
Salads. Im either in salad mode or out of salad mode. I either want them every day OR I refuse to order them or eat them at all. Lately I have been CRAVING and EATING a ton of salads. The one I made today was especially amazing! Its arugula, mandarine oranges and walnuts with my newest fav salad dressing- Asian Ginger Plum by Wild Tree. Over the top I stacked strips of soy chicken which is just a soy breaded chicken patty that I cut up. Heres the thing with soy 'meat' products- If it tastes the same (or at least similar), does not harm any animals or support factory farming ie the abuse of animals, and is less fat, colesteral,etc then real meat WHY WOULD YOU NOT EAT IT INSTEAD!? :)
Its a SIMPLE easy change that you can make that will not only make you healthier but will also be a kind decision for the animals. If you are not veg/vegan yet this is a great way to transition into it OR even just to say "hey on mondays (or whatever day) im not going to eat meat. I'll replace all my meats with soy meat products." Even one day a week can make such a huge difference. The average american eats 98 animals per year. Every day you take away from that takes away from the number of animals and from the dollars that support factory farming. Remember, 99 percent of all of our animal food now comes from factory farms. When we buy/consume this food we are supporting their mission. Thats why I say even a day, even ONE MEAL, makes a difference. For some people going all veg/vegan is not something they want to do but giving it up for one meal/day/couple days a week is something I think everyone could do :) THink about :) :)
OHHH && HERE ARE SOME PIGLETS :) They almost look like little pink puppies all toppled onto eachother. They were at the state fair and were sooo cute.. unfortunetly we can all pretty much guess where they will be headed :( They will most likely have about 4 months of life.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Mock Tuna Sandwich
I used to love tuna salad sandwiches but now that I am vegan I have given up all fish. One thing I remember about tuna though was that its taste varied from sandwich to sandwich sometimes tasting fishy enough that I couldnt eat it. With this sandwich you can get that same tuna flavor but in what is an even more DELICIOUS way b/c this sandwich is crunchy! The mock tuna mix I got from Whole Foods in Milwaukee. Its main ingredient is chopped almonds followed by celery, onions, dill, kelp granules (to give it a more seafood flavor but I didnt taste it much), and other seasonings. I added a little veganaise to the mixture and made an open face sandwich with it using a slice of whole wheat bread, topped with arugula leaves, and then the mixture. SO GOOD and the crunch is amazing! :)
taking the blah out of oatmeal
So for the past month I have been in a bit of a rut. I really try to eat a variety of food but lately everyone morning its been a peice of ezeikiel toast (or 2) with earth balance butter. Sometimes I switch it up by using peanut butter but usually Im craving the earth balance b/c its just so freakin good! I never ate much butter before becomming a vegan b/c I knew it was just fat and badness but with earth balance butter its a soy blend so its diary free and its also made of healthy oils instead of unhealthy fats. And so the obession began.
Yesterday I ran out of my ezeikiel bread and forced myself this morning to get creative. This is what I came up with :
I used whole grain oats and added water and a pinch of salt to make the oatmeal. Once its cooked through and while still super hot I added 1 tbs of vegan chocolate chips (or a small peice of dark chocolate works too). Then I cut up a half of a banana and added that with some sliced almonds. Topping it all off is a drizzle of agave nector! Yum!
Yesterday I ran out of my ezeikiel bread and forced myself this morning to get creative. This is what I came up with :
I used whole grain oats and added water and a pinch of salt to make the oatmeal. Once its cooked through and while still super hot I added 1 tbs of vegan chocolate chips (or a small peice of dark chocolate works too). Then I cut up a half of a banana and added that with some sliced almonds. Topping it all off is a drizzle of agave nector! Yum!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
veggie fest v.s the wisconsin state fair
Yesterday my fiance, 2 friends, and I made the journey to Napperville IL for their vegitarian festival. I didnt even know something like this existed! It reminded me of being at my favorite vegan resteraunt where I can partake in anything and everything and not feel weird for the day! :P
It took us about 2 hours to get there including our stop at starbucks for a soy chai latte (my newest addiction). Once we got inside there were a tonnn of information tents. All 3 of my guests are not vegitarian so I felt for their bordom instantly. But once I grabbed some info and we made our way toward the back of the festival they had FOOD and that was something we could all agree upon! I wanted to try everythinggg!
My friend and I stopped at the Veggie Grill to enjoy a little peice of summer- something I havent had ALL summer yet- a buger! Welll a veggie burger! :)
There were a lot of people there but besides a line in the beginning to get a reusable tote the lines moved pretty quickly and you could easily access the booths. There were great deals on books, lots of free information and magazines, and of coarse the yummy food.
My fiance tried the falafal pita which he really liked and another thing that was fried plaintains with soy meat crumbles all on a bananna leaf! THAT was really good! He also tried a tamale which was okay. We also got a coconut to try... I have never tried coconut juice but to me it tastes like the butter flavor popcorn jelly belly! I couldnt get past it! Its interesting b/c the WIld Tree food product line that I sell has a butter flavored grapeseed oil that is diary free- its flavored that way with coconut oil! When I put that all together I didnt feel so crazy! Also after I mentioned to everyone that I thought it tasted like the butter flavor popcorn jelly belly they all agreed that it did! Once we finished the juice they cut the top off for us so we could eat the inside. I was suprised how much more flavor coconut has when its toasted. Raw it just doesnt taste like much to me.
Next up the smoothie booth! They had 4 different flavors and 1 vegan flavor. My friend got the very berry (non vegan) and I got the tropical fruit (vegan).
They were perfect for this HOTTT day! After the smoothies we headed back to Milwaukee and the suggestion of going to the WIsconsin State Fair that night came up. We all kind of laughed about it bc we knew that it was going to be the polar opposite of what we had just experienced at Veggie Fest. I did want to see some animals though so we decided we would go later once it cooled off a bit.
Of coarse is regular state fair fashion (or any non-veg festival for the most part) pretty much the only thing I can eat thats vegan is french fries. I DID however find sweet potato fries (on a stick- of coarse) that were dusted with cinammon and sugar. They were pretty yummy. The line for - and this is not a joke- the krispy kreme burger with chocolate covered bacon was so long it would take hours in line to get your hands on one. (it is just as it sounds; a burger utalizing kripsy kreme donuts as buns instead of the standard flour bun and topped with chocolate covered bacon v.s. the traditional regular bacon) There was the long standing corn on the cob booth- which could be healthy if they didnt dip the corn in a huge container of butter... I couldnt help but think how hard would it be to also have a non-dairy butter (say Earth Balance) available too? not just for vegans but people who want to eat a healthier fat (healthy oils instead of lard) or for people that are lactose intolerant? They could even charge more for it if necessary. But I think we are a long way away from that. Maybe somedayyyy...
After we all found some food we headed to the animal barns. Its so weird b/c I never cared to see the animals before. I was like cows? big deal. Pigs? why do I want to see those? BUT NOW, that I have stopped eating them its like I want to see them. I want to face them and look them in the eye and be able to say "I dont eat you anymore!" Its SO WEIRD, but I have heard of other vegans and vegitarians having this same experience. We went the the cow barn first and I pet my first cow. He was so calm. I wasnt sure if I was allowed to pet him. I didnt know how he would react. But he just kind of looked up sweetly and continued eating his hay. He was so sweet!
As I moved down the line of cows there was one that seemed to be extremely dressed. She was laying down and chomping up and down like she was eating but there was nothing in her mouth. He eyes looked glazed over. I approached her and wanted to sit next to her to comfort her but I was worried I might irritate her more. Above me I heard a guys voice "can I answer any questions for you?". I looked up. He was about my age- maybe younger. I asked him if he worked on the farm and he said he did. I asked him if it was his familys farm and he said his whole family worked on it. He seemed like a really nice guy and so I thought why not keep asking questions! I didnt ask them in a pushy way or mention once that I didnt eat meat. I just asked any other normal person might ask.
I said "she is breathing really heavy. Is she going to be alright?
"Yeah she is just over heated. It gets really hot in here thats why we have the big fans"
Then he pointed to one above my head although she seemed to be under it enough that she wasnt getting hit by the breeze.
"Are all these milking cows? or beef cows?"
He told me that she was the only milking cow.
I have read that milking cows have a worse life in many ways then beef cows. They spend there whole miserable lives producing 10X more milk then they naturally would and they are always made to be pregnant so that they keep lactating. I thought in my head no wonder she looks so much worse then the others.
"How long does a milking cow live?"
He told me that depends on so many factors. That he has heard of milking cows living 17 years but it could be more like 2 years sometimes. This cow was 2 years old.
"Sometimes their udders just blow out, then we have to shoot them or send them off. Sometimes they just drop or get infections." Again reiterating "it depends on so many factors".
This guy was really nice. I didnt feel anything bad towards him at all. This is his living- the way his family makes money- and I get that. I really do. In no way did I get the vibe from him that he was a bad person.
"Do you ever get attached?...like dont want to send them off?"
He looked confused. "attached?".. his confusion grew. "You mean to the cows?"
It was as if the thought had never even crossed his mind. Understandable I suppose considering his line of work. "Its sad sometimes. I've brought cows to show (at the fair) and had to shoot them (the next day). Its unfortunate but for me its a form of income".
I get that. I really do. I really liked this guy! He was answering my serious questions I had. He wasnt getting defensive or making me feel stupid. and I was doing the same for him. We were having a two way, honest, non judgemental conversation.
"Do the cows get to graze or are they pretty much kept in barns or..?"
I asked this because I have been up north enough to see cows out grazing in fields! I want to beleive that maybe when books, videos, etc talk about cows being shackled up that is not the norm! It couldnt possibly be the norm on a wisconsin family farm could it?
"No, we dont let them out at all. They are pretty much on concrete their whole lives. Inside"
Our conversation wrapped up and I thanked him for answering my questions. I genuinely meant it. I wanted to ask him if I could come to the farm but I dont think I would be allowed to. Who knows..
Next we moved on to the pig barns when I saw baby pigs in a incubator with their mother. They were all toppled on top of eachother. They looked like little pink puppies.
When I was at veggie fest they had a brochure at one of the info tables that said "why eat one but not another?" with a picture of a dog and a pig on it. I couldnt help feeling this way at the State Fair later that day.
I feel like I learned so much yesterday. At BOTH fairs which I wasnt expecting. Im def. going to attend veggie fest next year and Im looking into possibly even having a booth there. I feel like there are a few things I could add to their line up. We will see! :)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Updates!! :)
Its been awhile since I have posted last but I have been busy busy leading my fabulous vegan life and eating fab vegan food! :) I forget a LOT of the time to document all the amazing stuff I try or learn about etc! I'm super excited to blog next week after I attend Veggie Fest in Illinois this Saturday!
UNTIL THENNN :) Here are some random updates!!!
SWEET POTATO FRIES Not only are these becoming more popular but they are better for you then traditional fries bc they are lower on the glycemic index MEANING that it doesn't effect your blood sugar (and your weight!) like white starchy fries do. That's good news for everyone not just vegans. I actually prefer to make sweet potato fries myself by buying a sweet potato, cutting into strips, drizzling some olive oil and roasting in the over at 400 or more degrees for a half hour. I have heard- but haven't tried yet- that if you roast them for 10-15 minutes DRY and THEN add the olive oil that you will get a crispier fry. Def. worth a shot bc it IS hard to get these guys crispy. In a pinch the other day I made THESE out of a bag:
The brand that I used was "Alexia Natural Gourmet". I have found her products at Whole Food and Outpost so far. I use her other frozen mixes too- will talk about in a minute! The fries wereeee crispy BUT a little too spicy for me. She use chipolte seasonings and it was hot!
Well were are on the topic of Alexia products I made 2 other packages tonight.
This is the roasted red potato and mushroom mix. It also have green beans BONUS! :) I havent tried it yet just made it to have on hand. I haveee however tried the next one I made: 
This one is sooo good and its great bc it has beans in it so I am getting some protein! Sometimes I just cant stomach another burrito. This is a fun twist on getting your beans. How these products work is that you have the frozen veggie mix and then you get a packet of oil mix. For the mushroom/potato/green bean one the mix is a thyme infused olive oil. For the bean and potato one (which also have spinach, onion, and other amazingness!) you get a pesto basil olive oil! They are really simple to make: You put the oil packet in warm water to 'melt' it and then after a couple minutes you cut it open and add it to the frozen mix in a skillet. Heat through on medium heat til everything gets browned, fragrant, and ready to eat! :)
Thats the mushroom and green bean mixed all cooked up and ready to go. Here is the bean mix: 
My camera phone does not do any of the food Im posting about justice but it at least gives you an idea and seeing the bags of food sometimes makes it easier to find it in the store :)
I find that I need to have things ready to eat. Like everyone else you get home from work, school, whatever.. are famished and just want something quick and easy. So I pick a day and I just prepare. I get everything ready for salads - washed greens, cut up nuts, dried fruits, etc. so that I can throw it together quickly. I prepare things like above ahead of time bc even if they only take 10 minutes sometimes I dont even want to wait that long! I often keep cooked whole wheat pasta or brown rice in the refrig ready to go as well. Eating healthy is 90% about preparation for me. Once I make a bunch of stuff I have to make sure I dont FORGET ABOUT IT! I like to have my options laid out so that when I open up the refrig I can clearly see my options- soooo... I label! :)
Sometimes I even make a list and put it somewhere in the kitchen so when its time to make a meal I can look at it and see my options that I sometimes forget. I often get into a rut where eat the same thing for days on end. By having a list and having options I have more variety in my diet, feel better, and have more energy.
Eating healthy requires more preparation but it doesn't necessarily require a hugeee time commitment. Today I whipped up this vegan 'snack wrap'.. Looks like a mcdonalds snack wrap to me except sooo much better and sooo much healthier.
For my revised snack wrap I used a whole wheat tortilla that is high in fiber and only 50 calories. This is a mini tortilla and creates the same size snack wrap that mcdonalds has. For the inside I cut up a vegetarian chicken patty (Mine is boca brand). I also through in some spinach leaves but you could use any green. (Remember the darker the better!) Then I wanted to add some healthy fat so although you could use veganise, salad dressing, or whatever else you want I whipped up some guacamole and used a couple tablespoons. (I use Wild Tree Guac mix which requires only 2 TBS of seasoning and an avocado. so easy!) The result was a yummy, quick snack... protein, fiber, and healthy fat. And no chickens were harmed in the process :) *and side note, no humans either ;) This snack wrap is totally heart healthy!!*
Last but not least I want to talk about going OUT to eat. Im not going to lie- going out to eat and trying to eat 100 percent vegan isn't easy. There are several GREAT resteraunts- more so on the east side of milwaukee and downtown milwaukee- that offer vegan options but a LOT of times your options may be limited to a 'garden salad' (0 nutrient iceburg lettuce with 2 slices of tomato and a few stale croutons) with vinaigrette dressing (Which i hateeee!). Sometimes though you just have to ASK!! If might be embarrassing at first but you will be surprised how cooks can get creative in the kitchen and whip you up something thats not on the menu or MODIFY something for you. Two great examples- Last week I went to a pizza buffet place with friend. I knew they had a salad bar so I figured I could at least have that. I actually pretty impressed with some of the salad toppings they offered but I am MORE impressed when they offered to make me a cheese-less pizza with sauce and veggies on WHOLE WHEAT CRUST! They didnt even blink an eye. In less then 10 minutes a whole wheat vegan pizza was sitting on the pizza line. Sure it wasnt the most amazinggg pizza ever (like the vegan pizza Milwaukee's Olive Pit offers!) but it did the trick and it was nice to be accomodated :) Heres a pic:
Another example was this past weekend when some friends and I went to Molly Cools in Milwaukee. They used to have a veggie burger which I was planning on ordering but upon getting there and reviewing the menu the veggie burger was no where to be found! :( I asked the waiter about it and he said they took it off awhile back and asked me if I had any dietary requirements that would lead me to order it. I laughed nervously and made a joke of my veganism, planning on ordering the 'garden salad'. Instead he offered to pop back in the kitchen and see what the chefs could whip together. He came out with the most amazingggg pasta marinara with roasted broccoli, asparagus, and other assorted veggies. It was soooo unbeleiveably good. He joked (or maybe not?) that he 'knew what he was ordering after his shift"! AWESOME :) So lesson here; take control. Prepare foods at home, ask for the foods you want when you go out, and dont ever feel like you are limited or dont have great stuff to eat on a vegan diet.
The world is your... er.. soy patty.
UNTIL THENNN :) Here are some random updates!!!
SWEET POTATO FRIES Not only are these becoming more popular but they are better for you then traditional fries bc they are lower on the glycemic index MEANING that it doesn't effect your blood sugar (and your weight!) like white starchy fries do. That's good news for everyone not just vegans. I actually prefer to make sweet potato fries myself by buying a sweet potato, cutting into strips, drizzling some olive oil and roasting in the over at 400 or more degrees for a half hour. I have heard- but haven't tried yet- that if you roast them for 10-15 minutes DRY and THEN add the olive oil that you will get a crispier fry. Def. worth a shot bc it IS hard to get these guys crispy. In a pinch the other day I made THESE out of a bag:
The brand that I used was "Alexia Natural Gourmet". I have found her products at Whole Food and Outpost so far. I use her other frozen mixes too- will talk about in a minute! The fries wereeee crispy BUT a little too spicy for me. She use chipolte seasonings and it was hot!
Well were are on the topic of Alexia products I made 2 other packages tonight.
This is the roasted red potato and mushroom mix. It also have green beans BONUS! :) I havent tried it yet just made it to have on hand. I haveee however tried the next one I made: 
This one is sooo good and its great bc it has beans in it so I am getting some protein! Sometimes I just cant stomach another burrito. This is a fun twist on getting your beans. How these products work is that you have the frozen veggie mix and then you get a packet of oil mix. For the mushroom/potato/green bean one the mix is a thyme infused olive oil. For the bean and potato one (which also have spinach, onion, and other amazingness!) you get a pesto basil olive oil! They are really simple to make: You put the oil packet in warm water to 'melt' it and then after a couple minutes you cut it open and add it to the frozen mix in a skillet. Heat through on medium heat til everything gets browned, fragrant, and ready to eat! :)
Thats the mushroom and green bean mixed all cooked up and ready to go. Here is the bean mix: 
My camera phone does not do any of the food Im posting about justice but it at least gives you an idea and seeing the bags of food sometimes makes it easier to find it in the store :)I find that I need to have things ready to eat. Like everyone else you get home from work, school, whatever.. are famished and just want something quick and easy. So I pick a day and I just prepare. I get everything ready for salads - washed greens, cut up nuts, dried fruits, etc. so that I can throw it together quickly. I prepare things like above ahead of time bc even if they only take 10 minutes sometimes I dont even want to wait that long! I often keep cooked whole wheat pasta or brown rice in the refrig ready to go as well. Eating healthy is 90% about preparation for me. Once I make a bunch of stuff I have to make sure I dont FORGET ABOUT IT! I like to have my options laid out so that when I open up the refrig I can clearly see my options- soooo... I label! :)
Sometimes I even make a list and put it somewhere in the kitchen so when its time to make a meal I can look at it and see my options that I sometimes forget. I often get into a rut where eat the same thing for days on end. By having a list and having options I have more variety in my diet, feel better, and have more energy. Eating healthy requires more preparation but it doesn't necessarily require a hugeee time commitment. Today I whipped up this vegan 'snack wrap'.. Looks like a mcdonalds snack wrap to me except sooo much better and sooo much healthier.
For my revised snack wrap I used a whole wheat tortilla that is high in fiber and only 50 calories. This is a mini tortilla and creates the same size snack wrap that mcdonalds has. For the inside I cut up a vegetarian chicken patty (Mine is boca brand). I also through in some spinach leaves but you could use any green. (Remember the darker the better!) Then I wanted to add some healthy fat so although you could use veganise, salad dressing, or whatever else you want I whipped up some guacamole and used a couple tablespoons. (I use Wild Tree Guac mix which requires only 2 TBS of seasoning and an avocado. so easy!) The result was a yummy, quick snack... protein, fiber, and healthy fat. And no chickens were harmed in the process :) *and side note, no humans either ;) This snack wrap is totally heart healthy!!*Last but not least I want to talk about going OUT to eat. Im not going to lie- going out to eat and trying to eat 100 percent vegan isn't easy. There are several GREAT resteraunts- more so on the east side of milwaukee and downtown milwaukee- that offer vegan options but a LOT of times your options may be limited to a 'garden salad' (0 nutrient iceburg lettuce with 2 slices of tomato and a few stale croutons) with vinaigrette dressing (Which i hateeee!). Sometimes though you just have to ASK!! If might be embarrassing at first but you will be surprised how cooks can get creative in the kitchen and whip you up something thats not on the menu or MODIFY something for you. Two great examples- Last week I went to a pizza buffet place with friend. I knew they had a salad bar so I figured I could at least have that. I actually pretty impressed with some of the salad toppings they offered but I am MORE impressed when they offered to make me a cheese-less pizza with sauce and veggies on WHOLE WHEAT CRUST! They didnt even blink an eye. In less then 10 minutes a whole wheat vegan pizza was sitting on the pizza line. Sure it wasnt the most amazinggg pizza ever (like the vegan pizza Milwaukee's Olive Pit offers!) but it did the trick and it was nice to be accomodated :) Heres a pic:
Another example was this past weekend when some friends and I went to Molly Cools in Milwaukee. They used to have a veggie burger which I was planning on ordering but upon getting there and reviewing the menu the veggie burger was no where to be found! :( I asked the waiter about it and he said they took it off awhile back and asked me if I had any dietary requirements that would lead me to order it. I laughed nervously and made a joke of my veganism, planning on ordering the 'garden salad'. Instead he offered to pop back in the kitchen and see what the chefs could whip together. He came out with the most amazingggg pasta marinara with roasted broccoli, asparagus, and other assorted veggies. It was soooo unbeleiveably good. He joked (or maybe not?) that he 'knew what he was ordering after his shift"! AWESOME :) So lesson here; take control. Prepare foods at home, ask for the foods you want when you go out, and dont ever feel like you are limited or dont have great stuff to eat on a vegan diet.
The world is your... er.. soy patty.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wild Tree Tasting
Today I hosted my first wild tree tasting! It was so much fun! I made a lottt of samples bc I wanted to try some new stuff and I wanted everyone to still try my 'favorites' :)
One of the biggest hits was something I eat all the time. Whole Wheat Pasta (any kind) with Wild Tree Grapeseed Oil and Wild Tree Garlic Herb Blend topped with a little sea salt. SO YUMMY! Grapeseed oil is actually much better for you then Olive Oil and Wild Tree carries many different infused flavors of grapeseed oil...they even have a butter flavored one! Everything is ALL NATURAL. So the butter flavor actually comes from coconuts! *that means vegans can eat it! yay! butterryyyy goodnesss!* Grapeseed oil has less saturated fat then olive oil and more of the GOOD fats. Olive oil has 14% saturated fat and grapeseed oil has 8%. As far as the good fats go- poly unsaturated- olive oil has 9% and grapseed oil has 76%!!!! I was so surprised to learn this!! It can be used for ANY kind of cooking- even FRYING- bc it has one of the highest flash points of all oils. It can be heated up to 419 degrees without burning! They have an unflavored kind that can be used in baking, etc. I love using the Tuscan infused oil on asparagus with the garlic herb blend and roasting it in the oven! Heavenly!!!
I'll post a pic of all the food I made soon! Until then here's some other things I made and the reviews they got :)
Strawberry Cheesecake Dip- I used vegan cream cheese (tofutti better then cream cheese) and the mix. (this stuff is so simple to make- anyone can do it!) Everyone loved this dip with fresh fruit. Comments were "This is vegan cream cheese? I never would have known" followed by "Now that you mention it, I like the taste of this better with the vegan cream cheese" THAT PRETTY MUCH MADE MY NIGHT :) Overall consensus "really good!"
Heavenly Chocolate Mousse- This was non vegan. Heavy Cream+ the mix+ electric beater. Everyone really liked this with strawberries. Almost like a chocolate covered strawberry. I had this one time BEFORE I went vegan. I made it for my fiance during a weekend getaway! Its a romantic dessert and it was sooo yummy. Suggestion: Surprise your significant other with this dessert! I may have found a way to make vegan whipped cream which would enable me to have this dessert again! Stay tuned :)
Pound Cake- Non Vegan, Did not try. When I cut into it it was superrrr moist and everyone seemed to like it. The rep that was helping me today (bc it was my first party) brought this one but it could possibly be made vegan with substitutions, will have to see if there is egg/milk in the mix itself. She did say she used the grapseed oil butter flavor in place of real butter which I thought was pretty cool- and much healthier :)
Pumpkin Bread- Great fall item! (hey, its headed out way in a couple months!) The rep that signed me up said her kids LOVE this and she cant keep enough of it in the house!
Beer Bread-Vegan. My fiance loved this!! It has a little sweetness to it. The best part is ALL you need is 1 beer and the mix. That's it! Super easy to make and impossible to screw up :) Its also available in whole wheat and flax seed!
Garlic Curry Dip- non vegan. Add mix to plain yogurt and sour cream. You could make this fat free or vegan but I couldn't find vegan sour cream at sendiks so this was regular. My fiance is a hugeee curry fan but he felt like this one wasn't strong enough. I would add more then recommended if you really like curry but for those who find it strong tasting the recommended dose is preferred. Goes great with pretzels!
Garlic Red Pepper Dip- vegan. I used vegan cream cheese but you could use regular if you prefer non vegan. No one noticed again until I mentioned it. Everyone loveeeed this! HUGE HIT! Great on crackers. My fiance likes the beer bread dipped in it!
Guac- MYYY FAV :) This is what hooked me on wild tree. Add 1 tbs of the mix to a mashed up avocado. DONE! How easyyy is that!??! I use it for sandwiches, on chips, fajitas, anything and everything! A total staple. I'm super picky when it comes to guac and this is hands down awesome! Plus the smallest container makes like 15 dips and is only $7.50!
Asian Ginger Plum Dressing- Used in my newest appetizer (see previous blog). I made a salad using mixed greens, Mandarin organes and pecans and this dressing. HUGEEEE hit! People went back for SECONDS on this- a salad!! Out of all the goodies people wanted more SALAD! This stuff is amazingly good. It can also be used for spring rolls! :)
Oooey gooey brownies- non vegan. Chewy brownies are the best Brownies and I could tell just by cutting these that they were. I'm sure they can be made vegan but the rep that was helping me brought them so I'm pretty sure they were regular.
Pizza Dough- Vegan. I didn't sample this out but I have made the whole wheat pizza dough a few times myself before this. All you add is WATER! Then whatever pizza toppings you want. They have regular and whole wheat.
Tuscany Bread Dipper- vegan. This is a dry mix that you can add to oil for dipping (we did! huge hit!) or on top of pastas, veggies, etc. very versatile.
Pesto Basil Blend- vegan. Another dry mix- can be used on pretty much anything but I added it to the roasted garlic grapeseed oil for dipping bread.
SO YEAH- WE SAMPLED A LOTTT :) Anyone else try wild tree? have any favs or have tried any of the ones I sampled today??
One of the biggest hits was something I eat all the time. Whole Wheat Pasta (any kind) with Wild Tree Grapeseed Oil and Wild Tree Garlic Herb Blend topped with a little sea salt. SO YUMMY! Grapeseed oil is actually much better for you then Olive Oil and Wild Tree carries many different infused flavors of grapeseed oil...they even have a butter flavored one! Everything is ALL NATURAL. So the butter flavor actually comes from coconuts! *that means vegans can eat it! yay! butterryyyy goodnesss!* Grapeseed oil has less saturated fat then olive oil and more of the GOOD fats. Olive oil has 14% saturated fat and grapeseed oil has 8%. As far as the good fats go- poly unsaturated- olive oil has 9% and grapseed oil has 76%!!!! I was so surprised to learn this!! It can be used for ANY kind of cooking- even FRYING- bc it has one of the highest flash points of all oils. It can be heated up to 419 degrees without burning! They have an unflavored kind that can be used in baking, etc. I love using the Tuscan infused oil on asparagus with the garlic herb blend and roasting it in the oven! Heavenly!!!
I'll post a pic of all the food I made soon! Until then here's some other things I made and the reviews they got :)
Strawberry Cheesecake Dip- I used vegan cream cheese (tofutti better then cream cheese) and the mix. (this stuff is so simple to make- anyone can do it!) Everyone loved this dip with fresh fruit. Comments were "This is vegan cream cheese? I never would have known" followed by "Now that you mention it, I like the taste of this better with the vegan cream cheese" THAT PRETTY MUCH MADE MY NIGHT :) Overall consensus "really good!"
Heavenly Chocolate Mousse- This was non vegan. Heavy Cream+ the mix+ electric beater. Everyone really liked this with strawberries. Almost like a chocolate covered strawberry. I had this one time BEFORE I went vegan. I made it for my fiance during a weekend getaway! Its a romantic dessert and it was sooo yummy. Suggestion: Surprise your significant other with this dessert! I may have found a way to make vegan whipped cream which would enable me to have this dessert again! Stay tuned :)
Pound Cake- Non Vegan, Did not try. When I cut into it it was superrrr moist and everyone seemed to like it. The rep that was helping me today (bc it was my first party) brought this one but it could possibly be made vegan with substitutions, will have to see if there is egg/milk in the mix itself. She did say she used the grapseed oil butter flavor in place of real butter which I thought was pretty cool- and much healthier :)
Pumpkin Bread- Great fall item! (hey, its headed out way in a couple months!) The rep that signed me up said her kids LOVE this and she cant keep enough of it in the house!
Beer Bread-Vegan. My fiance loved this!! It has a little sweetness to it. The best part is ALL you need is 1 beer and the mix. That's it! Super easy to make and impossible to screw up :) Its also available in whole wheat and flax seed!
Garlic Curry Dip- non vegan. Add mix to plain yogurt and sour cream. You could make this fat free or vegan but I couldn't find vegan sour cream at sendiks so this was regular. My fiance is a hugeee curry fan but he felt like this one wasn't strong enough. I would add more then recommended if you really like curry but for those who find it strong tasting the recommended dose is preferred. Goes great with pretzels!
Garlic Red Pepper Dip- vegan. I used vegan cream cheese but you could use regular if you prefer non vegan. No one noticed again until I mentioned it. Everyone loveeeed this! HUGE HIT! Great on crackers. My fiance likes the beer bread dipped in it!
Guac- MYYY FAV :) This is what hooked me on wild tree. Add 1 tbs of the mix to a mashed up avocado. DONE! How easyyy is that!??! I use it for sandwiches, on chips, fajitas, anything and everything! A total staple. I'm super picky when it comes to guac and this is hands down awesome! Plus the smallest container makes like 15 dips and is only $7.50!
Asian Ginger Plum Dressing- Used in my newest appetizer (see previous blog). I made a salad using mixed greens, Mandarin organes and pecans and this dressing. HUGEEEE hit! People went back for SECONDS on this- a salad!! Out of all the goodies people wanted more SALAD! This stuff is amazingly good. It can also be used for spring rolls! :)
Oooey gooey brownies- non vegan. Chewy brownies are the best Brownies and I could tell just by cutting these that they were. I'm sure they can be made vegan but the rep that was helping me brought them so I'm pretty sure they were regular.
Pizza Dough- Vegan. I didn't sample this out but I have made the whole wheat pizza dough a few times myself before this. All you add is WATER! Then whatever pizza toppings you want. They have regular and whole wheat.
Tuscany Bread Dipper- vegan. This is a dry mix that you can add to oil for dipping (we did! huge hit!) or on top of pastas, veggies, etc. very versatile.
Pesto Basil Blend- vegan. Another dry mix- can be used on pretty much anything but I added it to the roasted garlic grapeseed oil for dipping bread.
SO YEAH- WE SAMPLED A LOTTT :) Anyone else try wild tree? have any favs or have tried any of the ones I sampled today??
Monday, July 26, 2010
bite sized
Just a quick post today...
created this cute appetizer for a cocktail party.
Its a bite sized oriental salad and its super easy to make and amazingly yummy. A tooth pick or fun party pick holds it together. The base is a peice of a vegan chicken patty. Just buy your regular round pattys and cut out a square or triangle. On top of that is arugula and on top of that is a mandarine orange slice. The sauce could be spooned on top but on my plate its swirled on the side of guests to run their appetizer through it- making it a bit more fun. The dressing I use is Wild Tree's Asian Ginger Plum. Its awesome with this appetizer.
I am now selling wild tree and have been playing around with the products a lot. Many of them are vegan or can be made vegan. For example, if the dip mix is vegan it may say 'add to 8 ounces cream cheese' making it NOT vegan but by switching regular cream cheese for a vegan cream cheese (like tofutti's better then cream cheese) you can make it vegan again :)
Heres more info on the wild tree food: www.wildtree.com
I dont have a website up yet but will soon! Until then im just taking orders via phone/email :)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Grilled Cheese WHO?
So in the summer I craveee a good grilled cheese sandwich. This is my grown up version of a grilled cheese and of coarse its VEGAN! :) There are A LOT of flavors goin on but its the perfect summer sandwich. I definitely prefer this fresh flavorful version over the rubbery traditional.
Lay 2 slices of whole wheat bread (or egg-less, milk-less bread of choice) out on a plate. Spread non-dairy cream cheese on both sides. I use 'better then cream cheese' by tofutti in the 'chive and herb' flavor. Place 3 or more slices of tomato (organic if possible, tomatoes are sprayed heavily) on one of the pieces of bread. Place a couple slices of red onion over the tomato. Place swiss chard (or other dark leafy green) leaves over that. On the other piece of bread (that just has the 'cream cheese') sprinkle cut up chives and a garlic herb blend (I use wild tree 'garlic herb blend') Smoosh sandwich together and lightly butter the outside with Earth Balance butter.) Over medium heat cook your sandwich like you would a grilled cheese.
Sooooo good! And a great way to sneak your greens in!:) Swiss chard tends to be a bit bitter but this sandwich covers it nicely. The greens get wilty and are so yummy in this. Its also a pretty quick assembly and only takes a few minutes on the stove.
Lay 2 slices of whole wheat bread (or egg-less, milk-less bread of choice) out on a plate. Spread non-dairy cream cheese on both sides. I use 'better then cream cheese' by tofutti in the 'chive and herb' flavor. Place 3 or more slices of tomato (organic if possible, tomatoes are sprayed heavily) on one of the pieces of bread. Place a couple slices of red onion over the tomato. Place swiss chard (or other dark leafy green) leaves over that. On the other piece of bread (that just has the 'cream cheese') sprinkle cut up chives and a garlic herb blend (I use wild tree 'garlic herb blend') Smoosh sandwich together and lightly butter the outside with Earth Balance butter.) Over medium heat cook your sandwich like you would a grilled cheese.
Sooooo good! And a great way to sneak your greens in!:) Swiss chard tends to be a bit bitter but this sandwich covers it nicely. The greens get wilty and are so yummy in this. Its also a pretty quick assembly and only takes a few minutes on the stove.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Cafe Manna!
Went to cafe manna today and brought some of my family with me. I was excited that they wanted to try this place b/c it is sooo great! We sat outside which I recommend if its nice out! They have relaxing music playing and its just so nice. I ordered their limeade which has kale, swiss chard, lime juice, agave nectar and other yummy stuff. Its full of vitamins and minerals and is so yummy. We ordered the grilled artichoke as an appetizer bc I have never had one! The dip was so amazing- It was a mix of veganaise, lime, orange juice, and seasonings. so good!! For my entree I ordered what I order every time I go there- The manna burger! It is made with lentils and had nutmeg and other sweet spices in it for a really unique taste. I need to try something else next time I go there but the burger is sooooo good! I think now that I have had it 3 times Im ready to branch out though :) I can also recommend the savory sandwich b/c my fiance got it once and I tried some. Today I skipped dessert (in part from being full and in part from enjoying cupcakes from comet lately!) but the last time I was there I had the vegan double chocolate brownie- pictured below.
Its oooey gooey goodness and its made with healthy stuff like fruit puree and applesauce! Who would have thought?!
I love going to manna whenever I can and if you are looking to try some vegetarian food THIS is the place to go. As my grandma said it was a "great introduction". The staff is super friendly and helpful, the atmosphere is perfect, and did I mention the incredibly delicious food!?!?
Its oooey gooey goodness and its made with healthy stuff like fruit puree and applesauce! Who would have thought?!
I love going to manna whenever I can and if you are looking to try some vegetarian food THIS is the place to go. As my grandma said it was a "great introduction". The staff is super friendly and helpful, the atmosphere is perfect, and did I mention the incredibly delicious food!?!?
Sunday, July 18, 2010
A yummy life!
One common misconception is that all I eat is veggies. Or that all a vegan eats in general are veggies.
While I have eaten more veggies post vegan it is def. not all I eat! I dont eat as much desserts as I used to eat b/c they are a harder to get then regular desserts or I have to spend the time to make them. This works out in my waistlines favor but it def. doesnt mean that desserts are off limits!!
Today was especially yummy. My fiance and I hit up a local fav spot: comet cafe. You may have seen it featured on Food Networks "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives". I love this place bc they have lots of vegan options as well as non-vegan so my fiance and I can both find something we like there. In some cases we can actually order the exact same thing- like a Reuben sandwich- and his will be real meat and mine will be fake meat. or soy meat or whatever you wanna call it! Both will taste great and we both get what we want. Its a win/win for both of us!
Their desserts change daily but today they had a menu of like 10 different cupcakes and almost all of them were vegan!! woohoo!! We split (they are BIG cupcakes!) the banana split cupcake. SO YUMMY! The cake was a banana flavor and it had cherries and chocolate chips (vegan of coarse) The frosting (made with earth balance or other soy butter) was vanilla and has multi colored sprinkles and another cherry on top! I had to take a couple to go so pictures here is red velvet and vanilla buttercream..
My only complaint about comet would be that although there are vegan options they arent all necessarily the healthiest (Even vegan butter, oils,spreads etc.) have calories/fat. Its a good place if you are craving some good ol' diner food but if you are looking for a lighter and more natural/healthy option cafe manna is probably the way to go.
While I have eaten more veggies post vegan it is def. not all I eat! I dont eat as much desserts as I used to eat b/c they are a harder to get then regular desserts or I have to spend the time to make them. This works out in my waistlines favor but it def. doesnt mean that desserts are off limits!!
Today was especially yummy. My fiance and I hit up a local fav spot: comet cafe. You may have seen it featured on Food Networks "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives". I love this place bc they have lots of vegan options as well as non-vegan so my fiance and I can both find something we like there. In some cases we can actually order the exact same thing- like a Reuben sandwich- and his will be real meat and mine will be fake meat. or soy meat or whatever you wanna call it! Both will taste great and we both get what we want. Its a win/win for both of us!
Their desserts change daily but today they had a menu of like 10 different cupcakes and almost all of them were vegan!! woohoo!! We split (they are BIG cupcakes!) the banana split cupcake. SO YUMMY! The cake was a banana flavor and it had cherries and chocolate chips (vegan of coarse) The frosting (made with earth balance or other soy butter) was vanilla and has multi colored sprinkles and another cherry on top! I had to take a couple to go so pictures here is red velvet and vanilla buttercream..
My only complaint about comet would be that although there are vegan options they arent all necessarily the healthiest (Even vegan butter, oils,spreads etc.) have calories/fat. Its a good place if you are craving some good ol' diner food but if you are looking for a lighter and more natural/healthy option cafe manna is probably the way to go.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Whole Foods Love
I went to whole foods last night and found some great stuff!!!!!!!!
I got spinach with roasted garlic and it was so yummy. When garlic is roasted it loses its strong taste and turns into a nutty sweet taste. I paired it with my zucchini cake and it was total yum!
I also got a vegan chocolate mousse. It was made with tofu and unsweetened chocolate and it has strawberries in it and nuts. It was a really great dessert. I don't eat as many desserts as I used to b/c now that I am vegan it requires a little more effort (ie: making it myself, finding a specialty shop, etc.) This ends up being a good thing tho :)
They had fresh figs! I was super excited about this b/.c I have been wanting to make a fig and arugula salad for awhile now. I might have that for dinner tonight :)
I also got some mango's. sooo good thing time of year when its hot out. I tried a 'champagne mango' from sendiks this week and it was amazinggg! They didn't have that kind at whole foods but the kind I got was almostttt as good :) Just a little more tangy then the champagne variety which is very sweet.
I also picked up a cheese-less pizza. It has roasted veggies on it and the crust is made of rice. It the Amy Organic brand. I'll let you know how it is :)
The zucchini cakes AND mushroom poppers I had made (see previous blogs) are both REALLY good reheated. I actually like the mushrooms BETTER reheated then I did when I ate them right out of the oven. Something to keep in mind :)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Perfect Summer Breakfast
Sometimes in the morning I need something quick. Filled with antioxidants and whole grain goodness these muffins are just the thing. (I couldn't find my muffin tin so I ended up baking mine in a bread pan instead.)
Recipe:
In a bowl combine the following dry ingredients...
2 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour, but any kind will work)
3/4 cup sugar (I use maple sugar. but white would work as well)
1 and 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
zest from 2 lemons
In a separate bowl combine the following wet ingredients:
1 TBS vinegar (this is used as an egg replacement! crazy huh?)
1/3 cup of oil (I used safflower. You could also use canola)
1 TBS lemon extract (I used the juice from one of the lemons instead b/c I didn't have lemon extract. Then I added a bit more flour to keep the consistency right.)
1 cup of non dairy milk (I used vanilla almond milk)
Combine the wet and dry ingredients and fold in 1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
The cool thing about vegan baking is that you can make the same great tasting stuff without the use of eggs and dairy. Its all in the substitutions. In this recipe white vinegar does the job the egg would do. Almond milk is substituted for cow milk. Its a KIND dessert that tastes JUST as amazing. Isn't a great feeling to know that no animals were harmed in the making of your breakfast? :)
** A note about maple sugar: Maple Sugar is made from all natural maple syrup. When you go to the grocery store you may notice there is quite a price range for maple syrups- the kind filled with extra sugar and high fructose corn syrup is the cheap stuff ($3 maybe?) and the 100% pure maple syrup or organic maple syrup can be up to $14! Eating healthy doesn't have to be more expensive but when it comes to desserts some ingredients are worth splurging on. You CAN use plain white sugar in this recipe but I use maple sugar b/c it is completely natural and unprocessed. It also doenst effect your blood sugar the same way white sugar does so you wont get that horrible CRASH after enjoying your bakery. A cylinder of maple sugar at whole foods is about $15 but it has lasted me through lots of recipes and I don't get the sugary jitters or crash after which makes it worth it. Its also delicious! :)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Flip It Over!
After flipping over the bread I have been eating for years- it was as bad as I feared.
For years all I looked at was nutrition information... How many calories.. carbs... grams of fat. It wasnt until recently that I started reading the ingredients list.
The loaf of bread my mom would buy every week for me and my brother growing up was wonder bread. Over the years she would sometimes toss a different kind into the cart. As my brother and I got older we started asking for wheat bread thinking we were making a more health conscience choice. Flipping over the package of wheat bread 6 months ago I found ingredients Im pretty sure are not neccesary for making bread. The package boasts words like "natural" and phrases such as "whole grain goodness" and "smart eating". The ingredient list however tells a different story. The 3rd ingredient is high frutose corn syrup followed by 'dough conditioners' (what the hell is that??) , calcium propionate, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, ... and the list goes on of words I cant even pronounce or care to type out. I was on a search to find a better bread- something more natural.
Ezeikiel bread was what I found. Although my traditional bread didnt contain eggs or milk and was therefore vegan (*check your labels b/c many breads do contain these things) it still didnt seem natural to me. Part of the reason I adopted a vegan way of eating was to be heathier- what was the point in doing that if I was then to turn around and consume dough conditioners? Ezekiel bread is literally as natural as it gets. The names comes from the book of the Bible in which chapter 4 gives the recipe for making bread. "Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it..." Ez 4:9
Here's what the website has to say:
We discovered when these six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, an amazing thing happens. A complete protein is created that closely parallels the protein found in milk and eggs. In fact, the protein quality is so high, that it is 84.3% as efficient as the highest recognized source of protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids. There are 18 amino acids present in this unique bread – from all vegetable sources – naturally balanced in nature.
I've tried their regular bread but lately I have been enjoying the cinamon raisin version. Heres the ingredient list: (everything is organic but to keep it short I will refrain from using 'organic' infront of every ingredient) First ingredient is sprouted wheat followed by filtered water, raisins, sprouted barley, sprouted millet, malted barley, sprouted lentils, sprouted soy beans, sprouted spelt, fresh yeast, wheat gluten, sea salt, and cinnamon.
THATS IT!! :)
I like to eat my cinnamon raisin toast with Earth Balance Butter.
It tastes SO good! JUST like butter. (make sure you get the 'soy garden' version pictures above.) The only difference it is made from healthy oils instead of dairy. Seriously my brother (who is veggie, not vegan) tried it and was like "this stuff it really convincing! it tastes just like butter!" and POOF! He was converted :) Even if you arent doing vegan it a super easy way to make a difference and still enjoy the yummy taste of butter. How much easier could it be??
I should also mention that the Ezekiel bread you will find in the FREEZER section. Once you take it home you want to keep it REFRIDGERATED. Its natural- no preservatives remember! :)
Now go flip over your bread!!
For years all I looked at was nutrition information... How many calories.. carbs... grams of fat. It wasnt until recently that I started reading the ingredients list.
The loaf of bread my mom would buy every week for me and my brother growing up was wonder bread. Over the years she would sometimes toss a different kind into the cart. As my brother and I got older we started asking for wheat bread thinking we were making a more health conscience choice. Flipping over the package of wheat bread 6 months ago I found ingredients Im pretty sure are not neccesary for making bread. The package boasts words like "natural" and phrases such as "whole grain goodness" and "smart eating". The ingredient list however tells a different story. The 3rd ingredient is high frutose corn syrup followed by 'dough conditioners' (what the hell is that??) , calcium propionate, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, ... and the list goes on of words I cant even pronounce or care to type out. I was on a search to find a better bread- something more natural.
Ezeikiel bread was what I found. Although my traditional bread didnt contain eggs or milk and was therefore vegan (*check your labels b/c many breads do contain these things) it still didnt seem natural to me. Part of the reason I adopted a vegan way of eating was to be heathier- what was the point in doing that if I was then to turn around and consume dough conditioners? Ezekiel bread is literally as natural as it gets. The names comes from the book of the Bible in which chapter 4 gives the recipe for making bread. "Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it..." Ez 4:9
Here's what the website has to say:
We discovered when these six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, an amazing thing happens. A complete protein is created that closely parallels the protein found in milk and eggs. In fact, the protein quality is so high, that it is 84.3% as efficient as the highest recognized source of protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids. There are 18 amino acids present in this unique bread – from all vegetable sources – naturally balanced in nature.
I've tried their regular bread but lately I have been enjoying the cinamon raisin version. Heres the ingredient list: (everything is organic but to keep it short I will refrain from using 'organic' infront of every ingredient) First ingredient is sprouted wheat followed by filtered water, raisins, sprouted barley, sprouted millet, malted barley, sprouted lentils, sprouted soy beans, sprouted spelt, fresh yeast, wheat gluten, sea salt, and cinnamon.
THATS IT!! :)
I like to eat my cinnamon raisin toast with Earth Balance Butter.
It tastes SO good! JUST like butter. (make sure you get the 'soy garden' version pictures above.) The only difference it is made from healthy oils instead of dairy. Seriously my brother (who is veggie, not vegan) tried it and was like "this stuff it really convincing! it tastes just like butter!" and POOF! He was converted :) Even if you arent doing vegan it a super easy way to make a difference and still enjoy the yummy taste of butter. How much easier could it be??
I should also mention that the Ezekiel bread you will find in the FREEZER section. Once you take it home you want to keep it REFRIDGERATED. Its natural- no preservatives remember! :)
Now go flip over your bread!!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Out on the Vegan Town!
Tonight my fiance and I met up with our newly married friends for a nice outdoor dinner. I suggested Trocadero, a favorite Milwaukee restaurant of mine. It also has several vegetarian options- many of them vegan. Here's what I ordered:
Usually I'm not one to order alcoholic drinks. I'm just not really a fan. BUT I had my new sun dress on, we are sitting outside, and I know summer will be over before I know it sooo I splurged:) My first drink was a blood orange mojito however pictured here is my 2nd drink- a blackberry currant mojito! Both were SO good and not so overly strong that they were hard to drink. They were just delicious!
Next up was my entree... A strawberry summer salad! SOOO GOOD! I forgot to take a pic before I ate half of it... oops. Pictured here you still see the walnuts and apples BUT there were also strawberries too :P I ordered mine without the feta otherwise that would have come on top of the salad. The dressing was a champagne vinaigrette. So yummy!
Whenever I order a salad (especially now that I don't get them with cheese) I always feel so good about my decision that I feel justified in ordering sides like this.......
Sweet potatoes fries!
(the pictured beer is the fiances)
Like I said, their menu had lots of options unfortunately no vegan desserts! Guess I'll have to stick to cafe manna for those! :)
Usually I'm not one to order alcoholic drinks. I'm just not really a fan. BUT I had my new sun dress on, we are sitting outside, and I know summer will be over before I know it sooo I splurged:) My first drink was a blood orange mojito however pictured here is my 2nd drink- a blackberry currant mojito! Both were SO good and not so overly strong that they were hard to drink. They were just delicious!
Next up was my entree... A strawberry summer salad! SOOO GOOD! I forgot to take a pic before I ate half of it... oops. Pictured here you still see the walnuts and apples BUT there were also strawberries too :P I ordered mine without the feta otherwise that would have come on top of the salad. The dressing was a champagne vinaigrette. So yummy!
Whenever I order a salad (especially now that I don't get them with cheese) I always feel so good about my decision that I feel justified in ordering sides like this.......
Sweet potatoes fries!
(the pictured beer is the fiances)
Like I said, their menu had lots of options unfortunately no vegan desserts! Guess I'll have to stick to cafe manna for those! :)
Vegan "Crab" Cakes
Unfortunately I cant say they taste like traditional crab cakes b/c I have never had one before! The reason for me deciding to make this recipe was because its made mostly out of zucchini and I'm trying to get more veggies in. HOWEVER, you do use seasonings that are found on traditional crab cakes and the author of the recipe says it tastes just like them. Either way- I found them yummy!
Side Note: I think I inhaled seasoning somehow because my nose is burning inside and all I smell is spice. Try not to inhale your ingredients ;p
Onto the recipe!......
Begin by grating 2 and 1/2 cups of peeled zucchini
Next lay out on a kitchen towel and roll up like a jelly roll- ring out moisture.
(You may need to do this twice)
In a large bowl combine zucchini with 2 tbs of earth balance butter (non dairy) and one cup of bread crumbs. ( I like the whole foods brand b/c it lists simply bread on its ingredients list. You may be surprised what other crap is added in other brands. Also panko bread crumbs usually have eggs so be sure to check the label.) Add 1/4 cup of minced onion to the mix.
Season the mix by adding 1 tbs of old bay seasoning or if you don't have that on hand (I didn't!) add in a little bit of each of the following: celery salt, mustard seed, bay leaf, black and red pepper, cinnamon and ginger)
Form mixture into 8 patties (mine only made 6 for some reason- too big maybe)
Coat frying ban with safflower oil (or canola if you don't have safflower) Coat patty in a little bit of white flower (a 1/4 cup or less should be enough for all 8) Fry patties until they are golden brown on both sides.
TA DA!
Pretty simple minus the wringing out of the zucchini shreds. These can be reheated in a toaster oven or skillet. They are also only about 100 calories each and 3 grams of protein! :)
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