Flippantly Vague Musings of a Quirky Vegan

2008-11-22T13:27:00.001-08:00

Etsy shop time!

Holy moly, it has been over a year since I last posted. Wow. That totally sucks.

In any event, I will try to ignore that it has been that long, and get right to the point of this post. My sister and I have set up an etsy shop in honor of my Mom. My Mom was a big crafter who loved anything and everything sparkly and colorful. Not too long ago, we all gathered together and started to sort through all of my Mom's belongings, and we came upon a HUGE amount of arts and crafts that she had stored away in her craft room. So many things....beaded jewelry, keychains, drawings, portraits, watercolor paintings, ornaments, decorations, surplus craft suppy....the list goes on and on. We decided that the best way to deal with all of her crafts was to create a shop where we could sell her beautiful and unique items and then donate the proceeds to charities that we think our Mom would be proud of. So here is the shop:

Sistersunited on Etsy

We would love to be able to sell all of our Mom's crafts. More will be added daily and there will be different types of her arts and crafts listed, not just Christmas items. Please check the shop often! Thanks and Happy Holidays!

2007-11-16T12:58:00.001-08:00

Good finds

I have been trying to get back into cooking and baking lately after taking a sabbatical of sorts. I think I am the only vegan blogger left to not have the two latest cookbooks, Veganomicon and Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. They are next on my list of purchases, though, darnit!

But here is one of my favorite prepackaged comfort foods: New England Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup. I think the last time I made it I ate it for every meal. It's not fancy or anything, but just good and warming. I jazzed it up with one of the suggestions on the back and made a Thai Curry version (coconut milk, curry powder and basil), and next I want to make the Mediterranean version with pesto and white beans. I actually have a pot simmering away on the stove right now. Once again, sorry for the lack of pictures. Camera is still sick.

And I found this new cookie at the store yesterday, and felt the need to reward myself with these for my hard work in school: Vanilla Bean with Green Tea Cookies! These are nice and mellow, not anything wacky tasting...my husband gave me the raised eyebrow look when I offered him one ("green tea? why?? in a cookie?") but gave me the double thumbs-up after partaking in it. Definitely a go-to sandwich cookie when in desperate cookie withdrawal. Or even when not!

Three months ago yesterday my Mom died. I am adjusting to the reality of it all, slowly, and I know that the holidays are going to be difficult this year. My Dad and sister and her husband are coming here for Christmas, and I imagine it will be wonderful and sad and all those different emotions jammed into one week. My Dad attended a seminar sponsored by Hospice on how to handle the holidays after the death of a loved one, and he sent me a copy of the power point presentation. I got some good ideas, but was wondering if any of you have experienced the holidays together with your family after a tragedy like this, and what you did to get through it. How do you celebrate?

2007-11-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

It'll be an Etsy Christmas this year!

I love Etsy. I've noticed another awesomely cool blogger loves Etsy too. Well, if you haven't checked out Etsy yet, you need to go there now and buy something immediately. Go. Now.

Buy whimsical. Buy handmade. Support artists. Spend some hard earned money.

You can check out what I like from Etsy on my sidebar. I have unusual tastes.

(my camera is still being flaky, so no new pictures of food, but I felt the need to post something relatively happy for a change. It feels good.)

2007-10-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

I'm still hanging around.

I lied. I am still going to write about my Mom, and all that has been going on with my family since August.

It's been a weird, wild, emotional, traumatic, intense couple of months here lately. Losing my Mom in August put my life into a strange tailspin of bereavement, especially when I am in the middle of school. It's amazing how hard it is to try to focus on studying when your mind strays all of the time. I also found that when I came back to school after spending some time in Florida for my Mom's funeral and to be with my Dad, I had an aversion to touching people's bodies, which for a massage therapist isn't exactly a beneficial thing. I just felt really disconnected with my touch. I imagine that is totally normal for anyone that has gone through trauma.

The past six or so months were terrible for my Mom. I won't go into the all that she was going through, but she suffered so much. None of us knew she would pass on so soon, none of us were remotely prepared for it (are you truly ever?), and none of us knew what to do with ourselves when her death happened. Seeing your Mom laying in a casket, feeling her cold, cold hands heavy with makeup to cover her IV bruises, waiting to see if she ever takes another breath, having to get up in front of 300 people and tell your most beloved memory with her without passing out, seeing her grave covered with wilting flowers on the day you must fly back home....can my heart break any more?

And you know, it seems that when things get bad, they get REALLY BAD. Not too long after my Mom died, one of our beloved dogs, Zeppelin, started to get really sick. He got extremely swollen in his belly and lost all ability to get up and use his muscles. He couldn't walk anymore, and we had to carry him outside and hold him upright so he could go to the bathroom. After a few trips to the vet, we found out that he diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. Terminal. He was bleeding internally, oxygen was not getting to his muscles, he was anemic, and was dying quickly in front of our eyes. We had to make that horrible decision on whether or not to let him die naturally (which probably meant watching him suffocate as the internal bleeding moved into his lungs) or to facilitate his death so that is was "easier" (it's never easy) on all of us, and peaceful for him. After my husband and I talked about euthanasia, I laid down next to Zepp, put my hand on his paw and asked him if he was ready to go, in between my sobs of heartbreak. Now, I don't normally walk around thinking I can talk to animals, but damnit, I swear he lifted his head up and look me straight in the eyes and in my heart I felt he told me his was ready...ready to move on. Now I know that many people believe that facilitated death does not permit animals to move on to the Rainbow Bridge, but we honestly feel so secure in our decision to let him go. It was a gentle death for him, but one full of pain and hurt for us. We held him as he left us, our eyes clouded by the downpour of tears, and we said goodbye.

But no, the pain didn't end there. Once my semester ended, I had a 10 day break from school so I flew back to Florida to be with my Dad. I felt that I really needed to start to heal, and being with my Dad when he needed it the most was the right thing to do. Well, on my second day there, my Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Less than two months after losing his wife to cancer. Life sure does try and take a swipe at ya, doesn't it. He doesn't know all the details yet and needs to have more tests to define his diagnosis, but I feel very strongly that he will kick this cancer in the ass, and live a long, healthy life. But don't let me fool you....I am still scared. Still reeling. Still waiting to see what else life can throw my way, our way. I've tried to be as positive as I can be, but that ain't easy, folks.

In addition to it all, I have fallen off of the vegan wagon. No, I am not eating meat, but I did start to eat cheese and hell if it isn't difficult to stop. I just don't have the fight in me to worry about too much right now. I am still cooking and baking, and reading every one's blogs, but that occasional cheese pizza sneaks into my shopping cart no matter how hard I try to refuse.

On that note, I do want to get back into posting actual vegan food. My camera went wonky again, so I don't have any pictures, but I have made some fantastic food lately. While in FL, I made this dreamy dessert that DGMGV blogged about....holy goodness it was good. And now I am going to make these easy cookies with my kids, for some good kitchen bonding. And I have inundated Food Fight Grocery with my orders for these items, which may be the best substitute for fake meaty things in my recipes...so good when you lightly fry them up and then smother then in a spicy buffalo sauce. I just started to drool.

Next time: more food, less pity party. :-)

2007-09-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

Thank you

I have been meaning to write a "thank-you" post to all of you for a few days now, but it seems time has become funky around here and I have lost track of days, and even hours....I guess the passage of time during grief isn't meant to be normal or easy. But nonetheless, I need to send out a hefty thank you to all of you that have sent me their condolences and warm energy. It's amazing to get love from all corners of the world. It truly helps.

I won't blog more about my mom beyond this post. I know people don't come to these types of blogs to read about sadness. We all have it in our own lives on a daily basis, and I don't want to burden my readers with my own sadness. This is meant to be a fun vegan inspired blog, and I will keep it that way after this.

My Mom died Aug. 15, the same day we learned about her having brain cancer. This summer had been a true struggle for her, with so much suffering and pain. My family has been on guard for the last few months because of her illnesses, but we never suspected her life would end like it did, and as quickly as it did. Reality has slammed me up against a wall.

I'll be back.

In happier times, with the grandkids, 2005

2007-08-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

Rest in Peace

Mom
1945-2007

2007-08-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

Send good energy my way please....

My mom is very, very sick. I can't wrap my head around much else these days, so I don't expect to blog much in the near future. I really wanted to write about my trip to the Grand Canyon, but I don't have the attention span to go through the 100+ pictures to find the right ones to post, and I have too much emotion coursing through my brain to sit down and write more than a small paragraph. Maybe one day soon I will find it cathartic to blog, but not today.

2007-07-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

Greetings and Salutations

We are back from our vacation. It was wonderful and invigorating, but alas, we got back last week and had to jump right back into our lives. Massage therapy semester two started the next day, and then I had to have my two upper wisdom teeth removed on Thursday. Needless to say, I haven't eaten much beyond applesauce and mashed potatoes this weekend.

I plan on posting our pictures from all the canyons we visited as well as a good write up, but first I need to go study massage material about whiplash and migraine headaches. I hope to have a decent post ready for tomorrow.

Here is one of my favorite pictures of the trip: The elusive California Condor, soaring gracefully in the sky above the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

If you don't know the story about the California Condor at the Grand Canyon, please go here. It is a touching story about a captive breeding program, which I am not always in total agreement with, but this time it worked well.

2007-07-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

Off to the Grand Canyon and beyond!

Tomorrow we head to on our vacation to the Grand Canyon and southern Utah. We will be visiting Bryce Canyon, Mt. Zion, Lake Powell, and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary as well as both rims of the Grand Canyon. I look forward to seeing some spectacular scenery, and searching out some vegan food along the way. I do have one restaurant in mind so far in Kanab, UT that am excited to experience and blog about, but I am definitely bringing a ton of fresh veggies and fruit with us, as well as handy soy milk single serve boxes, granola bars, organic bread and cereal. Just in case. :-)

Until next week!

2007-06-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

F-Minus

2007-06-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

Since I was out of cupcakes...

I made cookies! Kris has created a fantabulous recipe for these chocolate peanut butter shell cookies that the kids and I made today. They are actually pretty easy for the kids to form and fun to squish little hands into the chocolate dough! And super excellent to eat, by the way. Don't tell my butt, but I have already eaten three of them. Before dinner. Within 10 minutes of them coming out of the oven. Shame on me.
(My older daughter desperately wants all the bloggers out there to know that she took the picture above. I think it looks better than mine.)

I did finally eat dinner, which was a bowl of Spicy Asian Noodles with Teriyaki Tofu. Oh, so yum! I stir fried some teriyaki tofu, zucchini, broccoli, carrots and edamame and added them to a bowl of angel hair pasta drenched in a spicy sauce, topped with a sprinkling of sesame seeds. The sauce is one I adapted/veganized from an Epicurious recipe, which is basically some toasted sesame oil, tamari, balsamic vinegar, agave nectar and a healthy dash of cayenne pepper all mixed up to taste. It brings a slight sweat to my forehead, which is perfect since I am about to go jump into our pool to cool off. Sweet!

2007-06-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

Mouse Takes Over The World...only after a quick nap.

I love it when I catch Mouse being cute:

I guess she loves this cookbook almost as much as I do, although I don't believe I have fallen asleep on it yet. There's still time, though.

'Smores Cupcakes:

I seriously need to stop eating cupcakes.

(and yes, our camera has decided to start working again, after a little bit of tweaking, but I am not holding my breath.)

2007-06-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

Donation Solicitation

Today I set up a fundraising account with Firstgiving to help a local charity, Circle L Ranch. I would love to make my fundraising target of $100.00 before September, so if anyone would like to help me reach that goal, please feel free to donate as little or as much as you'd like. Thanks in advance!

Circle L Ranch is a rescue organization in Prescott Valley, AZ that saves horses, along with other animals, from slaughter. They also have rescued Premarin mares from Canada. I plan on visiting the Circle L Ranch some time this summer with my kids, and I would love know that I was able to help them help their horses! They have done incredible work in saving horses from slaughter and the Premarin farms, and have shown immense love to these beautiful animals. Please check out their website for information on their work and see the pictures of the residents!

Please use this link to donate:
http://www.firstgiving.com/quirkyvegan

Circle L Ranch Mission Statement:

"Circle L (Circle of Life) Ranch is a sanctuary for horses, dogs, goats, sheep, cattle, chickens, and turkeys who would otherwise have been euthanized or slaughtered for meat. It is our mission to find loving homes for adoptable animals and provide permanent sanctuary for the un-adoptable. It is our hope that our existence will not only benefit the animals whose lives we save, but will raise the consciousness of everyone who visits our ranch regarding the miserable, tragic lives and deaths of so many horses, dogs, and farm animals in this country and the world."

-- Deborah Wilson MD
-- Director, Feathers Foundation and Circle L Ranch

2007-06-09T00:13:00.000-07:00

Want to know more about me?

Since I am still lacking a camera, I will add this survey/meme/whatever here to fill some space and let you all into my world just a little bit more. I first found it here and then here.

1. I love...
myself, my husband and children, my sistah, my parents, compassionate/passionate people, animals, food, smiling, the power of my hands and heart, giving and receiving warm hugs, people that totally get my weirdness, energy, knowing there are others out there that feel and see the world the same way I do.

2. Right now I want...
to go to bed. Why am I up this late?

3. I feel like...
stretching.

4. I hate it when...
I let certain people affect me negatively.

5. I fear...
witnessing the death of my children. Being stuck in the desert for the rest of my life.

6. I'm lonely without...
John and the kids, a good book.

7. I need...
to seriously go to bed. To study for my Anatomy exam. To do the dishes.

8. Today I...
took the kids to the Phoenix Art Museum and had a fabulous time. I also ate at Green!

9. Tomorrow I...
have a birthday party to attend and am taking my older daughter to see a Ballet. And I need to study.

10. I just...
watched "Kung Fu Hustle". Seriously funny!

11. I want to meet...
Ryan Reynolds. Please?

12. I'm hungry for...
not much. I am full from Green!

13. I love it when...
my kids make each other laugh. I make new friends. I make a difference.

14. I'm afraid of...
swarms of bees and flies, death, feet, acquiring more adipose tissue on my butt :-), never fully reaching my potential.

15. I'm listening to...
the TV in the other room, the warm buzz of the computer, my dog snorting.

16. I'm wearing...
my cool linen dress I got from Target. I *heart* Target.

17. I wish I was in...
Ireland.

18. I'm craving...
still full.

19. I want to get...
new shoes. and an iPhone. a winning lottery ticket so I can use that money to open animal sanctuaries/rescues.

20. I can...
burp on command.

21. I can't...
sing well.

22. I have...
too many dishes to do.

23. I haven't...
heard from my friend Melissa in a long time....it's time to change that.

24. I'm nervous...
about that A&P exam I'm not studying for!

25. My Mom thinks I'm...
strange?

26. My Dad thinks I'm...
pretty darn cool.

27. I think...
my kids will save the world.

28. I'm happy when...
people eat my food, I'm 'nuggling my husband, I'm holding hands with my kids.

29. I'm sad when...
I don't follow through, I reflect on my prior disappoinments.

30. I like eating...
blackberries, cereal, noodles.

31. I hate eating...
crunchy food (I have braces), anything from an animal.

32. I love watching...
movies at home with the hubbie, tree energy, people learn, smiles on children, Ryan Reynolds (sorry!), my husband running.

33. I love listening to...
Mute Math, the Pogues, Moulin Rouge soundtrack

34. I love playing...
Peggle Deluxe, cards with my kids, host to guests (well, most of them).

35. I hate waking up to...
whining, the dogs walking in circles around the bed, lawnmowers, the phone ringing.

36. I can see...
the computer monitor?

37. I'm glad that I'm...
taking action on my life, doing what I want rather than what others want of me, married to a beautiful man, the the mother to amazing children, the sister to a wonderful and powerful woman, and stubborn and won't back down on what I believe to be right.

38. I'm disappointed that...
it took me so long to figure myself out.

39. I look like...
don't tell me....Jennifer Aniston (minus the fab body and the money).

40. I wish I looked like...
uggg, do I really have to answer this one?
Whoever my husband is hot for this week.

2007-06-03T18:09:00.001-07:00

Artistic post ahead! (Not really)

So, no new camera yet. That means I have to be creative if I want post about my foodly expeditions. And yes, I have absolutely no talent when it comes to using my paint program on the computer. Did you know that I minored in Studio Art in college? Yeh, it doesn't show, does it?

Tonight I made a delicious pasta dish I thought I would attempt to recreate via the paint program. Pretty, no? It is a sun-dried tomato white sauce over ribbon pasta with sauteed baby bella mushrooms and crumbled tempeh bacon. It was really tasty and I so wish I had an actual picture to show you. *sigh* And that pink and purple bowl? I don't actually own a bowl like that, but hey, I was taking some artistic license with it.

I bought some beautiful rhubarb the other day, wanting to make something dessert-y with it. The cashier told me she just eats hers raw with some salt. Does anyone else eat it this way? I am not willing to try it that way just yet. I am a rhubarb coward. But anyhoo, I decided on making a strawberry rhubarb cobbler using one of the other fruit cobbler recipes in La Dolce Vegan, just subbing the different fruits. It is sitting on my counter just begging for me to dive into it...but my tummy is a tad too full just yet for some. I can also guarantee it will be fabulous based on how good it looks and smells. Here is my older daughter's rendition of the cobbler:I was told that the two white spots in the cobbler are sugar. She helped me make the cobbler and her big addition was sprinkling sugar on top of the cobbler right before baking.

Here is my younger daughter's rendition of her dinner, titled "Green Bean and Pasta, with Scribbles":
All this cuteness made your heart explode just a little, didn't it?

2007-05-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

One final post until I get a new camera...sigh!

Yes, my camera died. A slow and painfully horrible death. We buried it in the backyard beneath the ficus tree in hopes that it will spawn a few new baby digital cameras come springtime. Fingers crossed!

Here are the last food pictures I have on my memory card until our new camera arrives:

Now, I enjoy Amy's products immensely, but I have an issue with the Soy Cheeze pizza. Why did mine come out completely unattractive compared to the one on the box cover? My cheeze did not melt nicely! Or look even remotely appealing! I got this for my kids in hopes they will start liking soy cheeze more and finally let go of dairy cheese, but I don't think this product helped much. Crunchy cheeze did not go over well. Has anyone else had this problem, and if not, how did you get the cheeze to melt properly?

For my birthday (May 3), my sister sent me the cookbook that every other vegan already has....Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World! Finally, I get to experience the cupcake hysteria! So I promptly made Cookie's and Cream cupcakes (pictured), as well as Chocolate Mint cupcakes, followed by Vanilla with Lemon Cream Cheese frosting. Happiness in a cupcake liner!

Vegetable Masala burger from Trader Joe's, topped with a curry mayo sauce, spinach and sauteed mushrooms. Potato wedges, too! Such a unique tasting burger, and made without soy! The main ingredient is potatoes, along with green beans, bell peppers, onions, corn and green peppers. Cool, and my hubbie likes them too. Score!

One night after class I came home to a big bucket full of peaches on my counter, courtesy of my neighbor. These are homegrown, and they are tiny, sweet and juicy. I don't know if we can eat all of the before they go bad, but we will try....oh yes, we will try.

The last of my Fantastic Foods tofu scramble mix, with spinach, carrots, tempeh bacon and siracha sauce in a pita pocket from Trader Joe's, with a side of fresh blackberries. I seriously can't get enough of blackberries this time of year. Seriously.

School is going swimmingly (hi Robin!), and I am finally on track with eating well and sleeping better. I guess it just took some adjustments to get into the swing of things after being away from school for so long. If anyone needs a massage, just head my way. I need the practice!

2007-05-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

School is kicking my booty!

I am in my third week of massage therapy school, which I love, but darn it...the hours suck! I go from 6:30pm to 10:30pm M-Th, so I don't get home until at least 11:00pm. And of course, I am hungry, so I eat a bowl of cereal, wind down and eventually find my way to bed. Then up at 6:00am to get the kidlings ready for school. By 8:00am I am crashed out on the couch trying to catch a few winks before I need to read a billion pages of my anatomy book or study body mechanics for my Massage I class. I am truly glad I don't have a regular day job or else I would be a huge train wreck. So needless to say, I have not been cooking, much less really eating. And now I am sick, sick, sick, Really sick. I know this is my body telling me I need to take better care of myself. I hope to get back on track as soon as I get over this wretched, debilitating cold, and start making meals that keep my immune system in check. I have eaten way too much cereal as meals lately....

So, anyhoo, here are a few backlogged pictures I just downloaded off of my camera. I honestly don't know how old they are, as I really have not taken any food pictures in a long time, but I figured they needed to be shared. And plus, this way I get to write a post about something so my three remaining readers don't think I am lying in a ditch somewhere.

Mac-n-Cheeze fresh from the oven. I honestly don't remember which recipe this was, but it was good. Oh yes, it was good.

Vanilla cake with strawberry sauce. Yet again, my brain has forgotten which recipe this was.

Jamaican black bean burgers with a kicky chipotle cilantro sauce (my brother-in-law made the sauce), and a side of Caribbean Sweet Potato salad. This salad rocks, with nummy sweet and russet taters with red onion, cucumber and corn swimming in a refreshing lime vinaigrette. I added a lot of extra lime juice, just because I am crazy like that. Both recipes from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons.

My version of a garlic white pizza, with a sauce I made from melted FYH Mozzarella, a bunch of mashed roasted garlic and some unsweetened soymilk. Topped with spinach, baby bella mushrooms, more minced garlic and vegan parmesan.

Another shot of the mac-n-cheeze. Nice and creamy!

Fantastic Foods tofu scramble. I made this plain without added veggies, but with the next packet I am going to go crazy and throw in a bit of everything. I guess this product is discontinued now, but it looks like the company is trying to bring it back. Yay!

2007-04-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

Reliving my youth

(Ugly Betty...not me!)

So, um, yeah...I got braces last week. I have issues about having braces in my 30's. My teeth hurt like the dickens and I can't eat crunchy/chewy/anything remotely solid food yet. So, I am not cooking much. Just eating black beans and rice, applesauce, peanut butter by the spoonful, and lots of vegan ice cream.

I had braces wayyyy back when I was 17. I hated them then, and I still hate them now. I didn't get braces to straighten my teeth, but to help correct my horrendous TMJ problems. The orthodontist is moving my teeth around to correct my bite, in hopes that I will no longer suffer from joint problems. Fingers crossed that this works, because I am sick of yawning and having my jaw deviate out of the socket, with lots and lots of pain. No fun. I did wear a splint for a few months prior to getting the beloved braces, and that helped immensely. This is phase two of treatment.

Going back to school and getting braces....I feel like I am reliving my youth, but I just hope that this time I am not nearly as pissy as I was when I was a teenager.

2007-03-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Flippant excuses

I am a bad bad blogger. I can't seem to find anything interesting to blog about lately. Yeah, I have some cool food to share (Jamaican burgers and Caribbean sweet potato salad anyone??), but I am too preoccupied to do much about it. I will get to it soon, I promise.

I am starting Massage Therapy school next month, so I will really be gone a lot...and probably eating a bunch of vegan convenience food for the next year or so. I am still reading everyone's blog (and constantly salivating), but haven't commented much. I apologize, I really do.

Now, to just get rid of this cold I have....

2007-03-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

Elephant Cake

No silly, there is no elephant in this cake, but there is lots of chocolate! I earmarked the recipe for this Elephant Chocolate Cake in my Native Foods Restaurant cookbook (pg.279) a long time ago, mainly because I am an advocate for elephants. The recipe is dedicated in the book to Carol Buckley and Tarra at the Elephant Sanctuary, in Hohenwald, Tennessee. This has got to be my favorite animal sanctuary and I love to watch the elecam on their website. I can spend a lot of time staring at the elephants roaming around, playing with each other. It is a truly wonderful place. Please check out the link and see what they are all about.

This cake is very dense, rich and almost fudgy. It uses a LOT of maple syrup, in both the batter and the Peanut Butter Cinnamon Topping, so be prepared to watch half of your bottle glug into the mixing bowl. *sigh* You will need a big glass of vanilla soymilk to drink with a slice of this cake!

Now, in addition to the Elephant Sanctuary, I also wanted to make note of some other favorite animal sanctuaries that I keep tabs on, and I hope you all will also find these places just as fantastic and beautiful as I do:
Equus Sanctuary

Save the Chimps

Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary

I like to go to these websites when I am feeling sad. When I first got back into animal rights activism a little over a year ago, I went through a depression of sorts. I got involved in a lot of online activism and forums, and I felt like all I saw or read about was animal cruelty and abuse. Every day I saw something new and unfathomable. I cried on a daily basis, and some days I would scream at all the horrific images I came across. I became a wreck, so sad and so downtrodden, and also very angry. I felt that I was always teetering on the edge of breaking down. My husband can attest to the fact that I was very hard to live with. I didn't like those feelings, and I needed to find a way to continue being an activist for animals, but also be a more positive, happier person. I ended up shying away from a lot of the forums and images, and focused on issues that I can handle...and obviously, the animal stories that end happily. Sure, I still deal with animal cruely issues and do what I can with my activism, but I have to set a limit of what I can handle. My heart is a very sensitive one, and I need to know that there is good in the world....so I make sure I take time to see that there are people everywhere that are compassionate, and going to these sanctuary sites helps me get through my week. :-)

Now, here are a few food porn shots:

Lemon scones, from VwaV (the orange scone recipe), with lemon glaze.

Veggie pizza from Papa John's. Once a month my daughter's elementary school has a Pizza Night with Papa John's, where part of the nights proceeds goes to the school, depending on how many families order a pizza. Normally it is just my husband who orders his pepperoni pizza, but I decided to get a cheeseless one with baby portobello mushrooms and banana peppers. I souped it up a bit when I got it home with some spinach, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, garlic and some vegan parmesan. So good! Be sure to only order the Original Crust, as the thin crust has dairy in it.

Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushroom. Sorry, this one is not vegan, because I forgot to take pics of mine before I devoured them. That is just a pile of cheese on top of one of the "other" shrooms. :-)

Mexican Chocolate Rice Pudding, from VwaV. I really wanted to like this one, but alas, it was not for me. Or anyone else in the house. It is still sitting in the fridge....I wonder what I can do to it to make it better. I just don't think I like my pudding with chunks of anything in it.

2007-02-16T10:24:00.000-08:00

I love Louv

Last night I took my older daughter to an event at the Phoenix Zoo (I am not a fan of zoos in general, but this was where it was being held) to see Richard Louv give a lecture. He is the author of Last Child in the Woods, which I have not actually read yet. My dad, who is a biologist and teacher, recently read this book and was moved greatly by what Louv writes, pertaining to how this current generation of children are no longer taking part in nature, and how this may affect their health and happiness. Their sense of wonder is removed when nature is taken out of their daily equation.

I grew up in Virginia with a huge backyard which led into some woods, and spent many countless hours roaming freely, full of adventure. I was able to be alone all day, rolling around in the grass and watching ladybugs without my parents fearing the worst. My dad would take me out on hikes to go bird watching and to look for salamanders underneath logs. I had a great nature oriented childhood, and I realize now that my children have not had the same freedom I had. My husband and I have bought into the fear of the unknown, and unfortunately, the fear of nature. This fear is so pervasive that we do not let our kids outside alone even in our own backyard, which like most yards in Mesa, is surrounded by a giant cinder block wall. We are fearful of bad men jumping over the wall and stealing or hurting our kids. We are scared of everything and nothing.

Going to this lecture has opened my eyes to the need to bring nature back to our kids. I teach my children reverence for the outdoors and respect of all living beings, but I have forgotten to let them be kids, free to be wild and free to discover the world without constant supervision. There will always be a chance that something will happen to my children, be it a scraped knee or a broken bone, or maybe even worse, but I can't let the fear of these things stop me from opening up the world to them and allowing them to explore it, on their own as well as with us. It will be gradual, as I am sure it will be hard for us to break from the fears that surround us as parents. We will always be hawks, watching them with sharp eyes, but we also need to let go a bit, and give them back that sense of wonder that has been lost.

When my dad finished the book, he read the last paragraph over the phone to me, and wept. It was a powerful moment for both of us, as he understands the fears of today, but is thankful that he provided me with a chance to grow up with a sense of nature and the world.

"We have such a brief opportunity to pass on to our children our love for this Earth, and to tell our stories. These are the moments when the world is made whole. In my children's memories, the adventures we've had together in nature will always exist. These will be their turtle tales."

I bought the book at the lecture and had Louv sign the title page. He is a sweet and gracious man, and he seemed genuinely affected when I told him how my dad reacted to the book. I imagine reading this book will really enlighten me, just as his lecture did. I hope you all get a chance to read it or see his lecture, and take something positive away, too.

2007-02-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

Some days I hate being a human....

Big Buck Hunter

2007-02-05T08:49:00.000-08:00

Sunday, Sunday, SUNday!

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous outside, sunny and warm...a perfect day to take in some culture as well as enjoying the weather before it gets unbearably hot, which will happen all too soon. We decided to go to The Heard Museum in Phoenix to see the Hoo p Dance Contest. What a fascinating competition it was, with such graceful, talented and agile dancers! My kids were in awe of all the amazing feats the dancers could perform with the hoops, and I was just flabbergasted on how they can spin around for 5 minutes straight without keeling over with dizziness.After a wonderful afternoon taking in the warm sunshine, it was time to race back home to watch the SuperBowl. I am normally the kind of wife that glares at her husband as he sits in front of the tv watching copius amounts of football all day, eating chips and growing a beer belly, but yesterday I actually felt a desire to watch an entire game of football. Maybe it has to do with Peyton Manning, maybe not. Who knows. Heh heh. I think I saw stars in John's eyes as I conversed in football-speak with him, and yelled at the tv during great plays. Don't get used to it, honey.

I also had an excuse to make horribly unhealthy snacky food! Yippee! John got to eat his favorite swiss cheese fondue with veggies, apples and fresh bread (hey, at least he gets excited about eating caulifower!), while I made roasted curry flowers, agave barbeque fried seitan, buffalo seitan wings and fried artichoke hearts with a dill vegenaise dip. I was wallowing in fried, oily goodness! I was hoping John would share some of my food, but since he ate an entire fondue pot full of gooey cheese, he was a bit too full, so I had to eat it all by myself. And now I think I gained 5 pounds. Crap!I don't have a good picture of the buffalo wings, sorry! But they were excellent. I think I like the cauliflower and the bbq seitan the best, though. I don't think I will make the fried artichokes again...my stomach is turning at the thought of them right now. They absorb wayyyy too much oil as they are frying, even after considerable draining on paper towels, and were mushy in the middle. I did add some vegan parmesan to the coating mix, and eliminated the egg. Still not the greatest recipe ever.

Here's some food porn from last week:Tofutti cream cheese alfredo with sun dried tomatoes, spinach and veg parmesan over capellini. Megan the Vegan gave me the idea for this, from one of her posts that I can't find now.

Black Bean, Corn and Spinach Verde Enchiladas. Mmmmmmm.

Mac-n-Cheeze, with way too much breadcrumb topping (I like the crunch). But my kids actually liked this one, minus the breadcrumb overload.

Chocolate Almond pudding with cookie crumbs in Fillo Cups. The kids ate these in about 2.7 seconds.

Wow, I just noticed that all of my food is brown, light brown or dark brown. I am pretty sure I had some green food last week, too.....

2007-01-31T13:55:00.000-08:00

But I don't own an apron!

It's a rainy and cold day here in the desert, making for a perfect opportunity to join in on the Behind the Apron fun!

My name is Brooke, 33 years young. I live in Mesa, Arizona, the Valley of the Sun. My husband, John, and I moved here about 8 years ago after vacationing in Tucson and Phoenix for a family reunion while living in Tallahassee, FL. And now I can't wait to move far far away from here....

Anyhoo, we have two awesomely awesome kids, ages 4 and 7. We are a diverse family with totally different eating habits. It has been a challenge to create food that I think we all will like, and blogging and reading blogs has really helped me in that challenge.

I am an animal rights activist as well as an budding environmentalist (whatever that means...). I love to read, sell and buy on Ebay, teach myself to sew, cook (but hate to clean), and to constantly learn about animal issues. I am also a birth doula on the side, but haven't used that talent in about a year. I am looking to go to massage therapy school soon, and be just like my sister! (Hi Heather!) . I am involved in a few local animal rights issues, and protest as much as I can. I think my neighbors view me a the nutty vegan lady, but I am okay with that. Me and the kids in Luray Caverns, VA a few years ago.

My daughter and me at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

The latest picture of me. I seriously hate having my picture
taken. I am a total dork.

One day I will actually own a really cool apron. One day. :-)

*Edit to add: I would love to see a comment from everyone who checks my blog...come say hi!*

2007-01-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

Redemption

My daughter's preschool teacher has redeemed herself to this vegan mama! After the cupcake incident (see post below), I was a little miffed, but had to remember that I am the first vegan most of these people have ever met. I guess I am special in that regard, and my food is special too. I think she only meant well, but just had a moment of poor judgment. A few days later she asked if I had any recipes for sugar cookies, since they will be making and decorating cookies as part of their Valentine's Day celebration. She wants everyone to be able to eat these cookies, so she wants to use a vegan recipe only....WOOT! So off I went to find the best vegan sugar cookie recipe EVER on the face of the planet, just to cement the fact into the non-vegan heads that COOKIES DON'T NEED EGGS! I did my usual googling (I love how this word has become a verb now!) and found a few recipes that sounded good, but one really stood out. I decided to test the recipe before I brought it to the teacher, just so I knew it would be kick-ass. And they truly were kick-ass! And no, I don't have any pictures of said cookies, mainly because I could not stop eating them. Thank goodness I halved the recipe or else I would still be at the gym on the elliptical machine trying to work off the cookie butt!

These cookies are a cross between sugar and shortbread cookies, which I like because you don't get the sugar jolt in your brain that occurs with those unmentionable grocery store cookies that come premade in a creepy tube (yes, I made those wayyy back in my dairy days...please don't hate me!). These are subtle and refined tasting, and oh so easy to use cookie cutters with. Perfect! I made big heart shaped cookies, and took a few to the teacher for final tasting...and she LOVED them, even without any colored sugar or icing on top.

So the moral of this story is......make these cookies and all will be good with the world. Or at least with one small preschool in Arizona.

(heart cookie cutter photo courtesy of plumparty.com)

2007-01-20T21:22:00.000-08:00

What I did with blood oranges...

On my last trip to Trader Joe's, I picked up a bag of blood oranges, just because I thought they looked pretty. I don't normally buy bags of any kind of oranges (except when I am pregnant, but that is a whole 'nother story), but I felt the need to take this particular bag home with me. I am glad I did, as they came in a little handy later in the week. (photo from organicauthority.com)

It was my younger daughter's 4th birthday on Friday, and all week long I have been baking up a storm. She just started preschool a week ago, and we are the first vegan family to come through this preschool's doors so far, so the administration is really making a huge effort to become educated on the ins and outs of veganism. The receptionist who works at the desk in the front of the school is very interested in how and what we eat, and told me that she was looking forward to trying out some vegan fare, so I decided this would be a good opportunity to make some extra desserts for bring in for my daughter's birthday celebration. The list of yummies included mini fluffy white cupcakes with chocolate frosting, a chocolate raspberry cake, and a plain vanilla cake (last recipe at bottom of link page). I made lots of extra cupcakes so we could stash them in the school's freezer in case of vegan cupcake emergency. Now, when I started to pass out the cupcakes, one of the mom's reached into the container to get one, and the teacher stopped her and said..."just so you know...these are SPECIAL cupcakes. NO dairy, NO eggs." I don't think I have ever seen a person fearfully yank their hand out of a container of cupcakes faster! I wish the teacher hadn't said that, because it made a weird impression on some of the parents, but that mom still took a cupcake (after I quickly explained that they were GOOD! I PROMISE!) and said, yes indeed, they were good. :-) Sorry, no pictures of cupcakes. I figured everyone has had enough of vegan cupcake pictures lately.

On that same day, I brought in a gigantic slab of the raspberry chocolate cake for the receptionist to try, and she was ecstatic! I look forward to hearing how darn good it was! Now, I also meant to bring in some of the vanilla cake as well, but I had issues with that cake. I greased and floured the pans like I always do before filling them with batter, but for some reason, after baking and cooling, this recipe wanted to stick. And boy, did it stick! I tried everything to get those cakes out of their pans...inverting them and smacking the heck out of them, prying them out with knives, leaving them upside down on the cooling rack for hours hoping they would somehow slip out of the pans. NOTHING. I was bummed, but darnit, I perservered. After finally scraping a piece out in semi-decent shape (the ONLY piece that came out in decent shape, mind you), I decided to juice a few of the blood oranges and make a sauce for the cake. I got about 3/4 cup of juice, added it to a sauce pan with a tablespoon or so of maple syrup and a bit of cornstarch, boiled and reduced it down to a nice syrup. Poured on top of this elusive cake, it was fantastic! The cake tasted like a big moist sugar cookie, and the syrup added a fancy sweet touch!After that, I browned up a few pieces of firm baked tofu for lunch today, and decided that it could also use a bit of sprucing up. Once again, back to the blood oranges. This time I used about 1/2 cup of juice, added a few splashes of pomegranate glaze from Trader Joe's and reduced it down to a thin syrup as well. An excellent tart and fun topping to your average tofu! I am on a kick!
Who knows what I will do next...I still have a few oranges left!

I don't know how many of you have heard of Freecycle, but I encourage all of you to check it out and have fun with it. It is a world wide non-profit program where people are getting and giving stuff for free in their towns...and keeping their stuff out of landfills. You can post your old unwanted stuff on their site designated for your area, and people who are interested respond to you, or you can post a desire for something you need/want, and people can contact you if they have that item to give. And it is all free! I have given a ton of stuff away to some great people in the past year or so, and have also gotten some great items as well. One of them is this cabinet:It wasn't in great shape when I picked it up, and it wasn't painted yet either, but it became my project this past fall. I was able to sand it down, give it a decent paint job and add a few new pieces of hardware to it...and now I love it! And it was free, minus the new paint and hardware.

Now, I also got a practically unused Sunbeam bread machine for free a few months ago, and I haven't made anything yet. I was able to download the manual off of Sunbeam's website, but I am curious....what is the easiest vegan bread machine recipe you guys have? I want to start slow and easy, but also healthy and kid-friendly. Any advice?

Oh, and here is a picture of one of the grossest and most completely awful things I made this week....Vegan Hushpuppies. Egads, these were disgusting!I googled for a basic hushpuppie recipe, and used a few that I found as a template for my disastrous creation. A normal recipe consists of corn meal and flour, onion, milk, egg and salt, all fried up in oil. I read that some people substitute beer for the milk, so I did, and I also used Ener-G in place of the egg. Oh. My. Goodness, they were bitter, vile and foul. Does anyone have a decent recipe for hushpuppies????

2007-01-12T18:22:00.000-08:00

That darn cat!

First, I must post this picture of my cat, Mouse, from last night. As I was about to go upstairs to head to bed, I looked at my cat who was sitting on the couch as always. I did a double-take, because I noticed she was sitting upright. Completely. She was sitting, totally relaxed, hind legs spread out. She wasn't resting against the back of the couch either...just sitting, like someone who has had a few beers while watching a couple hours of football. I couldn't stop laughing at her, with all of her fat belly just flopped in front of her. At one point, while my husband and I were giggling at her, she just sighed a huge sigh and practically rolled her eyes at us....silly humans. I assume I caught her in this position because she had just finished a nice lick-bath, but since I did not witness the cleaning act, I can't be sure. I like to believe that once we go to bed, she struts around the house on her hind legs, opens the fridge and takes out a bottle of beer, cracks it open and turns on some HBO.Now, on to some food.

First, I finally made a Pantry Taco Soup recipe that I have had bookmarked on my computer for many, many months. It got such rave reviews that I felt compelled to make it. I did substitute a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, and used black beans and garbanzo beans. It truly was delicious, since I ate it non-stop for three days, and so easy and quick to make! I topped it with some roasted pepitas, which are my newest snack craze. Next I made some Provencal Spinach Gratin from The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen, which I happily received from John for Christmas (which I failed to mention in my last post....sorry honey!). This recipe didn't turn out as creamy as I thought it would, but I also halved the recipe, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it. As it was baking, it was getting really dry and crispy, which as far as I know, are not good adjectives for something the should be creamy and moist. I kept taking it out of the oven and adding more liquid (veg broth mixed with some flour). After doing this at least 3 times, it finally started to take on a more gratin-esque appearance. All in all, it was good (and garlicky!), especially smeared on some fresh rustic bread slices. I will tinker with the recipe again soon.
For those of you that shop at Trader Joe's...have you ever tried these?Hmmmm....dried dragon fruit. I had to get some, for more than just the sake of trying new food. Mainly, I just wanted to freak my daughters out by giving them something with the word dragon in it. Talk about some scared faces! These were interesting. I like them, not too sweet, different, very seedy....but oh what a lovely shade of pink they are! I'd love to incorporate them into some recipe of sorts, but haven't a clue how or what. Any ideas?

Next, I made my basic go-to meal of an Amy's California Burger (bunless, please), but for the side item I made some Roasted Green Beans with Slivered Almonds, also from The Mediterranean Kitchen. Dang, these were delicious! Very light, with a simple marinade of lemon juice, veg broth and olive oil. I love the idea of roasting green beans!
And tonight, I made a simple pizza with TJ's pizza dough, some barbeque sauce, browned crumbled tempeh bacon and some FYH mozzarella cheese. Easy and good!
And for dessert, a strawberry watermelon smoothie, made from bananas, frozen strawberries, some passion fruit flavored frozen peaches and watermelon juice. Now I need to go complete a few more squares of Sudoku before I go to bed. Man, I am addicted to Sudoko...but it is the bane of my existence right now.
must. complete. one. sudoku. puzzle. before. sleep.

2007-01-01T14:54:00.000-08:00

Holidays make me eat too much!

Happy New Year to you all! I hope the holiday season was good to all of you, and many good vegan creations were consumed!

We had a very gentle New Year's Eve, just watching movies with the kids and making vegan chocolate cookie milkshakes. Both of our kids managed to stay awake until past midnight, but as soon as their heads hit the pillows they were happily snoring away.

My parents visited us here for a week, and it was nice to see them again. My eternally shy kids never completely opened up to them, but I think it was a great visit for all. One of the things my mom is currently addicted to is homemade Chex Mix, so we set off to make a vegan version of my own, since it has been a long time since I ate/made chex mix. We found vegan worcestershire sauce (yay!!) and used Earth Balance. Tasty and salty!For Christmas dinner, the three omnivores ate a roasted chicken with stuffing and gravy (booooo!), so I made my mashed potatoes and some steamed peas, and I cooked up one of my favorite veggie patty with some vegan gravy. It was fine by me! My mom and I did some shopping at Trader Joe's before Christmas and bought some cranberry orange sauce/relish for dinner, and it was great, but very strong. We ended up only eating a small portion of it, and I didn't want to waste the rest, so my dad said I should try making some muffins using the leftover sauce. I googled a few recipes and found one that worked pretty well. I modified and veganized it using what I had on hand, and they came out pretty good. They work well as a breakfast muffin, as they are slightly dense and not too sweet.The kids and I made an easy food craft project out of pretzel rods that I dipped into melted chocolate and rolled into some crushed toppings such as Fruity Pebbles (not the healthiest of treats, but fun nontheless), sprinkles and peanuts. Messy, indeed. These were good to give as fun treats to neighbors with kids.
Here is a gift I bought for myself this year: Vegan Shoes!! Happy Holidays to Me!
I also made some of VWaV sparkled ginger cookies for the first time. Darn tasty! I tucked a few into some gift baskets as well, but kept the majority for myself. Naughty me.Note the new plate! My sister gave me some new fun plates to add to my quirky plate collection for Christmas! This is the more serious of them...but still nifty!

Speaking of my sister...and cookies...she also had a big bag of vegan cookies shipped to me for the holidays! Oh lordy, as if my butt wasn't big enough! Sunflour cookies rock my world. Lemony Lemon, peanut butter, chocolate chip and german chocolate. And, ummm, the are all gone now. Yep, I ate them all, with just a smidge of help from the kids.
Today I finally joined the pack and made the tofu quiches created by Susan at Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. I eliminated the bell pepper and mushrooms and added in some spinach, sundried tomatoes and green onion. Mine were kinda skimpy compared to hers, but they are pretty good. I may pop them back into the oven before I serve them again just to firm them up a bit more, since I never liked my eggs even remotely loose in my prevegan days...they had to be super dry and very firm. I may also drop the amount of nutritional yeast down next time, just because I know the rest of my family isn't as open to nut. yeast like I am. But all in all, very good!
And I will leave you with how one of my kids opened her presents this year:

2006-12-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

And the winner is.....and some blue whales.

We have a winner! Vivacious Vegan got my mystery picture exactly! It is indeed a drying rack for my cleaned plastic baggies. I came up with this idea after my husband got sick of me hanging my drying bags on anything that was upright near the sink...the faucet handle, the dish soap bottle, the phone....it is just a medium sized terracotta pot that I put some small decorative marbles in, added as many skinny dowels as I needed, and there you have it, and easy way to dry your bags in one place!

Now, I apologize for taking so long to post the winner, but since I have inherited my mother's genetic predisposition to freak out when company is coming...I got a bit distracted. This is the first time my parents are coming to see me since I have gone strict vegan, so I have been a bit worried I would be viewed as a crazy person. To combat the craziness, I cleaned every speck of my house just to make sure that at least they would think I was an exceptionally clean crazy person.

Anyhoo, here is a quick meal I made a few nights ago, before all the true craziness and mania set it. Trader Joe's marinated Teriyaki tofu (LOVE this stuff!) browned up with broccoli, carrots and peas, some teriyaki sauce and a bunch of sesame seeds. Delish.

And here are some vegan gingerbread cookies the kids and I made two nights ago. I decided we needed a variety of shapes beyond the basic gingerbread man form, so I dragged out the cutest cookie cutters we had. So we have cute holiday bunnies, whales, bears and trees. Once cooled, I smeared on a thin glaze of powdered sugar and water, then added a bunch of colored sugar. Not particularly festive in terms of the typical red and green color scheme, but hey, I have never been one to follow the rules much. Oh, and we ate all the bears before they had a chance to be decorated. Heh heh.

Well, I can pretty much guarantee that I won't post until after the holidays are over, until after I can mess up my house without stressing myself out, and until my children are off their holiday sugar-high. Until then, I hope you all have a great time with family and friends!

2006-12-16T11:02:00.000-08:00

Vanilla Banana Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes, oh yes! And Want Some Vegan Marshmallows?

I found this convenient baking mix at Trader Joe's for pretty cheap and decided I wanted to veganize their recipe into some nummy cupcakes.I like to bake my own cupcakes from scratch most of the time, but sometimes it's fun to have a box mix to use. Instead of the two eggs it requires, I added one Ener-G "egg" and one half of a ripened banana, and then used Earth Balance and soymilk to replace the other animal ingredients. The mix is full of little vanilla bean flecks, so there is a very slight crunch to them, which I kinda liked. And the banana only added a barely noticeable banana-y flavor, which I also kind liked.

But, I couldn't leave well enough alone. Once they were cooled, I decided to pipe in some of Suzanne's Strawberry Ricemellow that I have been saving for something fun. I got it from Pangea. My sister-in-law Rebecca lives about 5 minutes away from their storefront in Rockville, MD, so I asked her to send me some vegan marshmallows (soooo goooooood in rice crispie treats!!) and some Ricemellow. Yay! I only piped it into a handful of cupcakes, just in case it was disgusting or something. Then I topped them off with a thinned-out veganized version of the Hershey's choco frosting recipe and some organic sprinkles. So hence, the Vanilla Banana Strawberry Chocolate title! Pretty good! The strawberry center is fun for the kids, but it sure is sweet! These would be fun for Spring, with all the cute pink and yellow-ness, and pastel sprinkles.

Next we have a veggie calzone using Trader
Joe's pizza dough, packed full of spinach, broccoli, carrots, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and marinara sauce. I also added in some Basil Pesto sauce and some Basil Tofu Ricotta from VWaV. A flavor sensation all wrapped up!

Now, what is this? It's not food, that much I can tell you.

I will give you a hint...think Homemade Recycling/Reusing ideas! I will reveal it in the next post. Do you think you can identify what this is? If so, or the first to get as close as possible, will win a bag of VeganSweets Marshmallows shipped directly from my house to yours. Leave a comment with your answer by 9:00 am MST Wednesday 12/20. Yip yip! Does this make sense?
(I will randomly select a comment if no one is close, just so you know the rules of my game. I have never had a giveaway on my blog, so please forgive me if I butcher it! I'm just tryin' to have a little fun for the holidays! :-)))

2006-12-10T14:37:00.000-08:00

Vanity, Covance and You Tube

I am in a vain mood today, which is unusual because I am normally terribly insecure and shy...but today I wanted to include a video in my post. I am in it, but it isn't anything funny or even remotely amusing. I am part of a group called the Citizens Against Covance out here in Arizona, and if you take a look at their website you will learn what we are about and who Covance is and why we are fighting their inpending arrival in Chandler, AZ. In a nutshell, Covance is an contract testing facility that tests everything from pesticides and chemicals to cosmetic ingredients and food additives on animals. They are a deceitful company in my humble opinion, and also have many violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Check out the latest news about them and tuberculosis in their monkeys on the website. They also are looking into building an incinerator (crematorium) which will blow toxic fumes across the city. I could go on and on...

But the main reason I am posting this video is mainly so I can show off my sign-holding abilities. No, that isn't true. I am showing this because through all the protests, rallies and demonstrations that I have been a part of, I have not been on TV. The media comes to a lot of our rallies and we get quite a bit of air time due to the controversial subject matter, but darnit, I never get on TV! Now, many times I have seen the back of my head or maybe even the sign I am holding gets on the evening news (minus my head, but I did see my fingers once!), but I was determined to get my mug on the news just once, just so I can get a good laugh at myself! There was one time where I was interviewed and had my photo taken many times for a local newspaper, and I was SURE I would be in the following issue, but no....nothing I said was printed and no pictures of me holding my sign. But both people on either side of me during that particular protest got their pictures in the paper, one even on the front page! Arrrgggh.

But finally, a film-maker came to one of our latest protests and made this video, and yes, I make an appearance. Now, I wish I could be depicted in low light, with my hair free-flowing in the gentle breeze, with a serene look upon my face....but no, I am squinting in the bright sun (NOT pretty!) and shown in slow-motion. Hmmm, well, I guess it is my 2.2 seconds of "fame".

Please check out the website and if you know anyone in the Phoenix area, let them know about this hard fight we are up against. We need all the support we can get! If you are interested, you can check out the following websites for more info on Covance and their cruelty:
Covance Cruelty
PCRM

Be sure to turn your sound up when you watch this...the music makes quite an impact.

That is me near the end, holding the StopCovance.com sign along with the "Honk if you say NO to Covance" sign, squinting into the blinding sunlight. And yes, I am proud.

2006-12-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

I've changed! But in a good way, I promise.

My blog name has changed, and this suits me much better than that boring old name "Vegan Taste Test". Blah! As those that truly know me, I am very much a quirky person who really can be quite flippantly vague. I don't really know what that means, but it fits.

In this new and exciting blog, I hope to accomplish amusing my readers and innundating them with witty remarks, along with taking horrible pictures of my vegan food creations, and then expounding on my forays into public activism (i.e. stories of me on the street corner holding some kind of sign protesting virtually everything). I am also planning on writing a lot about my husband and his meat-eating ways, in hopes that he will (1) finally give in and join the vegan ranks or (2) start his own blog and write cutesy stories about living with a quirky vegan. I think choice number two is more likely than choice one at this point....

I hope those of you that actually read my original blog will come back and enjoy this new one. It has Pizazz! Drama! Romance! Pictures of cruelty-free food!

2006-09-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

Breaking my Addiction

I will be taking some time off from blogging (not that I was ever the constant blogger...) to try to curb my addiction to the computer. I spend far too much time sitting and being lethargic in front of the monitor, and less time being constructive and productive. The weather here in AZ is getting nicer (slowly) and it is time for me to go out into the world and get back into shape, take a walk or a bike ride and become one with nature again. I will be back here to blog about my food on occasion, so I won't be gone for good. And when I come back, I'll be bringing some damn good food with me! Ciao!

2006-08-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

Black Bean Couscous Cakes

Today for lunch I made another one of my sister's recipes. I have been eye-balling this one for a while, but wasn't sure if I would like it, so I stalled on making it. Too bad...all that time wasted being afraid of a recipe! It is easy, fairly light, very yummy and nutritious.

Black Bean Couscous Cakes

1 can (drained) or 2 cups cooked black beans
1 cup cooked couscous
1/2 small red onion, chopped
3/4 cup blue corn flakes (I didn't have blue flakes, so I just used regular corn flakes)
1/2 TBSP fresh garlic, minced
1 1/2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP fresh chopped cilantro
1 small roma tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp. chili powder
squeeze of lemon
fresh pepper
kosher salt

Mash all ingredients together in a bowl.

Refrigerate for an hour until cool. Form into patties and saute in canola or olive oil until golden brown.

I found that they were a little dry as I formed the patties, so I added a bit more oil. They still were a little fragile in the pan, but if you are careful, they can still come out nicely shaped, or you can just smoooosh them back together as they cook. Top with salsa, guacamole, vegan sour cream, or just eat them plain with a big squeeze of lemon on top they way I did. I might try this recipe again, and add a few more veggies...maybe some spinach and grated carrot. This lunch beat the last few lunches I've made for myself...I have had one too many Teddy Grahams lately. Ugg.

8/25 Update
I made this for lunch again, and after trying desperately to keep them in their patty-shape with no luck, I gave up and just dumped it all in the pan and browned it up like a hash. I actually think it was better this way, and I ate every single speck of it.

2006-08-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

Spiced-Rum Seitan with Pineapple Salsa

1 package seitan, torn into pieces
marinade:
olive oil (I used about 3/4 cup; to taste), fresh chopped garlic, 3 tbsp spiced rum, 2 tbsp orange juice, juice from half a lime, salt and pepper to taste

Let seitan sit in marinade for a few hours, or overnight (You may want to wait to add the OJ and lime juice until the last hour of marinating so the seitan doesn't get "overcooked" or tough in the acids...but, I didn't do this and I didn't have any problems). Reserve a splash of rum for cooking.
In large saute pan, heat olive oil and fresh garlic from marinade. Heat until translucent, with pinch of kosher salt and pepper and 1/2 tbsp of Earth Balance. Add seitan and cook until browned. In the last minute of sauteing, add last of rum and a squeeze of lime. Spoon salsa over seitan and garnish with cilantro or parsley sprigs, if desired. Served with coconut rice.

Pineapple Salsa
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
1 cup finely chopped mango
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 1/2 tbsp fresh chopped mint
2 tbsp chopped red onion
squeeze of lime

Mix together and let sit for at least 30 minutes, mixing and turning frequently.

Coconut Rice
1 can coconut milk
1 cup basmati rice
1/2 tsp Earth Balance
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
1 cup toasted shredded coconut
kosher salt
white pepper

Heat Earth Balance, oil and onions in medium saucepan until translucent. Add rice and saute for 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk and cook according to rice directions. You can add a few tsp. of water if milk is too thick. Fluff with fork, add salt and pepper to taste, and top with toasted coconut.

I plan on trying this recipe with tofu next. Enjoy! Recipes by Heather Helard, my rocking sister!

2006-08-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

I'm baaaaaaaack!

I had a lovely time in Lake Tahoe. Beautiful weather, great scenery, wonderful people....but, alas, I got sick. Sick as a dog (Why do people say this? Do dogs normally get really really ill?). Sick enough that I was out of commission for about 3 days, and then I pretty much lost my voice and ended up sounding like Harvey Fierstein. Not a lovely, feminine sound, mind you.

So, now I am back, healthy and ready to start blogging again. I know you missed me.

Here are a few meals I made before I left for Tahoe. First is a prepackaged meal from Tastybite. I love this brand name, it is just so....so....to the point. I made the Bombay Potatoes.

And yes, they were tasty bites. I enjoyed them with some spicy spinach cheeseless "pizza" (more like flat bread) from Trader Joe's and some champagne grapes. Pretty good, but not fabulous.

Next are some vegetable potstickers by Ling Ling. Whenever I see this bag, I think of a non-vegan-friendly joke from the Simpsons that my husband loves to tell. The episode was "Lisa the Tree Hugger" and Homer makes a joke about Kentucky Fried Panda....it's finger ling-ling good. (go to link, scroll down into Quotes). Sorry....

Decent....good for an easy and quick meal. I wasn't really fond of the sauce though, I think it was a little too sweet.

Now, traveling to Tahoe was my first real adventure into unknown parts as a vegan. We went to Tahoe for the Omni's family reunion (there's a ton of 'em). I brought a bunch of my own food and figured I would have to make all my own meals while everyone else ate the planned family meals. For the most part this was true, but there was one night where my cousin-in-law, Annamarie, made a fantastic Chinese-style salad with cabbage, green bell peppers, scallions, rice vinegar and ramen noodles (which I am pretty darn sure are vegan). Yummmmm. She did add chicken to it for the rest of the family, but made a special veganized bowl just for me. My brother-in-law, David, made a fantastic, albeit highly explosive, veggie chili one night. He cooks with a lot of spicy spices. I think that was the night my sinuses totally cleared up.

Next on the list of food stuffs are some Potato and Roasted Garlic Puffs by the Fillo Factory. I've had these in my freezer for a while now, hoping we would entertain a lovely vegan party or something, and I could whip these out and present them on a shiny silver platter, and everyone would "oooh" and "ahhhh". But no, we don't entertain much, and I don't have a shiny silver platter. Maybe one day.

These are damn good. Greasy and delicious, warm and oozing with garlicky potato goodness. See how the innards are creeping out of the fillo dough? That's some good stuff.

And last on the list is what I made tonight for dinner. I decided to use up the rest of my Morningstar Farms Meal Starters chik'n strips that have been sitting in the back of the freezer. I used them once before in a stir-fry, and wasn't overly fond of them, but needed to use them up to make room for all the new vegan stuff I want to buy. I bought some accidentally-vegan creole batter mix by Luzianne and covered the strips in the batter, then pan fried them in some canola oil.

They turned out nice and golden and crispy. I made a dipping sauce out of Vegenaise, ketchup, cajun seasoning, prepared horseradish, cayenne and paprika. It was a little too sweet and needs a little more kick, but overall, not too bad! I really liked the strips, though. They remind me of the real chicken strips that I loved as a kid. But now they are tasty and humane!

Oh, and VeganCyclist! I will post the rum seitan recipe tomorrow..... :-)

2006-07-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

The pool has sucked all of my energy away....

I apologize for my lack of posting. Our pool was finished a little over a week ago, and I think being in it all of the time has reduced my brain to a quivering mass of nothingness. I haven't made anything too exciting to post about, no new recipes, no trips to amazing restaurants. But I did take a few pictures of some food I have made, mainly so I don't feel too guilty about not posting. *sigh*

Okay, I lied. This is one of the few recipes I did try lately: Spiced rum seitan with coconut rice and pineapple salsa. My sister made me a book full of her greatest recipes a few years ago (she is quite the clever cook!), and most of them are veggie or vegan, but this recipe originally called for shrimp. I really like seitan, so I substitued it in lieu of the shrimp in the rum marinade. I will post the entire recipe as soon as I get off of my lazy chlorinated butt and go find it. :-) I think I might try tofu next time.

This was a breakfast from a few days ago...it looks like a horror film prop or something! But it is just steel cut oatmeal sweetened with prickly pear cactus syrup. Yummy.

Lentil stew. Excellent mopped up with a chunk of heavenly sourdough bread. Mmmm.

Marinated corn and grape tomato salad. Another recipe from my sister's handy recipe book. Delicious!

Note: I will be away for almost two weeks starting on Thursday. We are heading off to a cabin in Lake Tahoe for a much needed getaway (because lounging in the pool is HARD WORK I tell ya!!!). Does anyone know of a good grocery store or restaurant in the Reno/Tahoe area where I can find fresh organic produce or vegan friendly food? We are driving, so I will be bringing a bunch of my pantry essentials and as much produce as I can manage, but I assume I will need to make a grocery store-run at least once while there. And ideas/advice/bits of wisdom?

2006-07-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

Food, food, food.

I have to make this post quick, as I am almost late to swimming lessons....so here are a few pics from the last week, with quickie descriptions.

Cinnamon Raisin Rolls by Zen Bakery from Trader Joes, with a little homemade icing (soymilk and powdered sugar). So gooooooooood.

Homemade Chocolate Chip Brownies. Moist. Gooey. Yum.

Big family breakfast with pumpkin pancakes, fried mush (polenta), tempeh bacon, and cantaloupe. Very satisfying. The pumpkin pancakes were fabulous!

Creamy Dill Pasta Salad with Artichoke Hearts. I snatched a package of Simply Organic Creamy Dill Dip mix from the pantry and mixed it with Vegenaise and a few splashes of red wine vinegar, added it to some cooked tricolor organic pasta and some chopped canned artichoke hearts, then let it marinate and chill in the fridge for a few hours. I am addicted to this pasta salad....I have made it 4 time since I took this picture!

4th of July taters. Red, white and blue taters marinated in lots of minced garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper, then roasted at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes until crisp and tender. Tasty and festive!

2006-06-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

Chocolate and a few of my favorite things

For some reason, my local Bashas' gorcery store has had some amazing deals in their natural food section lately. A bunch of items have been reduced by almost 50%, if not more, and they aren't damaged or expired. I have been buying surplus oat, soy, rice and almond milk, thanks to this sale of sorts, along with treasures like organic shredded coconut, vegan jerky (which I will taste test as soon as I get up enough nerve), and frozen foods. I guess they are moving some older stock out to make room for new stock, but this still means I have been getting some sweet deals on food that I have wanted to try. Yip yip!

One of the items I bought was a chocolate bar by Green and Black's. I have never been a fan of dark chocolate, due to it's bitterness. My dad was always the one in my family that liked to buy dark chocolate, and I would never feel the desire to sneak any of it. I guess he was lucky, because I am notorious for sneaking bites of other people's treats. Well, it was time for me to try dark chocolate again. I bought a few bars of some different brands before, and liked them so-so, but nothing really jumped out at me as something I would crave or buy again, but I have read a few reviews of Green and Black's Organic chocolate products, and they are generally glowing on how delicious they are. The one I really wanted to try, the Hazelnut and Currant, was on sale for $1.99, so it was time to buy.

I tried it yesterday, after my picky daughter kept bugging me to let her have some. After one bite, I didn't notice too much bitterness! *does happy chocolate dance* And I liked the crunch of the hazelnuts. I didn't notice the currants too much, but I am sure they added the sweetness that masked some of the bitterness that I normally find in dark chocolate. I let both kids have a bite, and they both loved it. I am not overly surprised though.... :-) And I subsequently ate half the bar. I guess that says something!

Now I want to share a few of my favorite vegan face and hair products. These are the items that I enjoy the most out of all the brands that I have purchased lately.

From left to right:
Aveda's Brilliant Emolient Finishing Gloss. This stuff makes my hair so shiny and sleek. Love it!
Dr. Bronners Peppermint Castile soap
ShiKai Everyday Shampoo and Conditioner. I am super picky about my hair products, since my hair is very thin and straight. These make my hair smooth and manageable.
Alba Pineapple Enzyme Facial Cleanser
Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask
In front, left to right:
Alba Aloe and Green Tea Oil-Free Moisturizer
Tom's of Maine Cinnamint Toothpaste
Desert Essence Tea Tree Oil Facial Cleansing Pads

I am pretty certain all of these are totally vegan. I am still weeding out my bathroom medicine cabinet of all the items that are not vegan friendly. It's a long process! ...and I know about the issues with Tom's getting bought out by Colgate. I am unhappy about it, but for right now I am still buying their toothpaste until I can find another brand that I like. I do love their toothpaste...

Now, I don't wear a lot of makeup, but I am looking for some ideas on the best brands for non-animal tested or produced makeup. I generally wear mascara and coverup (for my dark eye circles) and occasionally some blush. What brands do you all use the most or recommend? What about hair color?

And one final picture for today...it's the pool! We are about 2 weeks away from swimming, finally! It's hot as blazes here these days, not to mention humid, and I would so love to go take a dip. Soon. Very soon. They are putting the tiles in today...so pretty! And yes, that is our dog Zeppelin's butt in the corner.

2006-06-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

Kids in the Kitchen

Yesterday was hot (107 degress!) and fairly humid, the kids were restless, the parents....lethargic. We were bored and stuck in the house. What to do? Make cookies (because there is nothing smarter than turning on the oven on a hot day....brilliant!)!!! Once again, I did a little internet sleuthing and found a recipe for Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies here. I didn't use the walnuts or the optional flax seeds. The kidlings thought it sounded good, and I had a can of pumpkin I found on sale for $.60 (it wasn't expired, I promise!) in the pantry just calling my name. Off to the kitchen we went.

The recipe was pretty basic, which made it easy for me to incorporate the kids into the steps. Each kid got a turn dumping in the ingredients, and helped stir the dry, then wet, mixtures. Then they happily took turns making big wet cookie mounds on the baking sheets, and then promptly licking their fingers. It's nice when you can let your kids lick their fingers (bowls, mixer, spoons, etc.) without fear of salmonella from eggs. Yay vegans!

Here are the kidlings slowly adding the raisins into the wet mixture...one by one. They are meticulous, yes indeed.

Mmmmm. Cookies.

Here is an indication of what good-eater-kid thought of the cookies!

After working in a hot kitchen with two kids, I figured I should cool us off with a tropical smoothie (frozen bananas, mangoes and peaches with coconut-pineapple juice). Delicious! Note my Marilyn Monroe glasses by Andy Warhol. Yes, I am cool, thank you very much!

Cookie rating:
Brooke-o-meter: 7 peas (I should have made something a little lighter. These cookies are yummy, but a little heavy. I bet these are perfect during the cooler months, with a big cup of vanilla soy milk or hot cocoa)

Picky-kid meter: 10 peas, but she would leave the raisins out next time.

Good-eater-kid meter: 10 peas. One big thumbs up!

Meat-eater-meter: hasn't tried them yet, unless he snuck some after I went to bed.

2006-06-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

Herb the Vegetarian Dragon

I found this book today, while passing time sitting at the computer....isn't it fantastic? I think I may get it for my kids, just to give them more confidence when asked why they are vegetarian (other then the typical response..."because our mommy makes us!"). The description says :
"The story of a very gentle but courageous dragon, Herb the Vegetarian Dragon teaches young readers that it’s ok to stand up for what you believe in. When the local villagers take the vegetarian Herb captive – instead of his meat-eating companions – he must rely on the truth and help of a small friend. A charming tale to start the conversation about respecting others’ lifestyles and beliefs, this book and toy Herb are great gifts for your small friends."

2006-06-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Shepherd's Pie and Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Today I found bugs in my flour. Normally I keep my flour in an airtight container in the pantry, but for some reason I kept the last batch of cake flour I used in it's original box. That was a dumb move...I went to make cupcakes today and found lots of buggy things crawling around inside the flour box. Heebie jeebies ensued. So, off to the grocery store for some more cake flour (and I hoped that would be all, since after taking notice of how much money I spent on food on the last credit card statement, I decided to reduce my spending by a lot. Or else my husband might dismember me and leave me out for the coyotes).

Well, I did buy one more thing today, and that was a frozen Amy's Shepherd's Pie. Now, I am not fond of too many prepackaged frozen dinners, but thought since I am a taste tester of sorts, I figured I should buy it and try it out. It sounded good, with mashed taters and lots of veggies packed inside.

Got home, made cupcakes using this chocolate raspberry cake recipe that I adore (thank you Susan! You are a goddess!), and promptly popped the shepherd's pie into the oven. I figured I should eat a dinner before devouring some cupcakes, to lessen my guilt. While the pie was cooking (45 minute cooking time...holy cow! For such a small pie! This better be good....), I frosted the cupcakes using a veganized version of the chocolate frosting recipe on the back of the Nestle cocoa box (Earth Balance for the butter, soy milk for the milk, etc.). I left a few cupcakes unfrosted so I could pipe a little bit of raspberry jam into the centers for a bonus treat before I frosted them.

Time to try the shepherd's pie! The mashed potatoes looked somewhat appealing on the top, so I dug in. Okay, the inside looked nothing like it does on the box, but I have come to expect that from packaged food. First bite: eh, pretty good. Subsequent bites were about the same...eh, pretty good. Adequate, I would say. I ended up eating most of the garbanzo beans and chunks of potato with the tater topping, and leaving the rest of the innards for the trash (and I hate wasting food!). Well, this left more room for the cupcakes, which was really my wish all along...more room for the chocolatey goodness!

Cupcakes=Brooke's butt just got bigger.

Brooke-o-meter:
Shepherd's pie, 5 peas.
Cupcakes, 10 peas.

Meat-eater-meter:
Shepherd's pie, 7 peas after a tiny, tiny taste
Cupcakes, 8.5 peas

Kids-o-meter:
Well, they barely ate their dinner, so no cupcakes for them. Oh, the looks of agony on their faces! Ha! And they were not interested in trying the shepherd's pie.

2006-06-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

It's A Good Ting!

Why didn't someone tell me about Tings earlier?

I have been eating Fruity Booty and other Robert's snacks for quite a few years, and love them a lot. But I guess I just never saw Tings on the snack aisle. Too bad. All those wasted years not enjoying Tings!

After seeing a few people post about Tings over the past few days, and checking out the Ting testimonials at Vegan Essentials, I decided to track some down at Sprouts. Yay, they had them! Now, I am still unsure of my liking of nutritional yeast (but am coming around), so I was a little wary, even after reading that they taste just like Cheetos. When I opened the bag, wow there was a yeasty smell....uh oh, that can't be good. But I dove in nontheless. First bite: Hey, these are good! Second bite: Hey, these are really good! Third bite to the bottom of the bag: Hey, who put Cheetos in this bag?! These are fabulous!

Cheesey, crunchy, salty. Everything I love in a good snack product. Finger licking good, and there was no scary yellow-orange "cheese' residue on my fingers, unlike those pesky Cheeto things. And they are vegan! Woo Hoo!

Brooke-o-meter: 10 frickin' peas (on a scale of one to 10 peas)!

Meat-eater-meter: 7 peas, but only tried one small Ting. I guaranteed him that if he ate more than one, he would be licking the inside of the bag.

Picky-kid-meter: 10 peas.

Good-eater-kid-meter: 10 peas, but she needed a big drink with them...a lil' salty!

2006-06-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

An Adventure with Fondue

After reading Vegan Lunch Box for a while now, I decided to make one of her famous recipes...the Lunch Box Fondue! Fondue is one of the few things that I really crave since going vegan....the OMNI and I used to love going to The Melting Pot on special occasions and indulging happily on the fantastic swiss cheese fondue. Yummmmm. I miss that, and when I saw that fondue recipe I thought I might be able to have fondue again! Yippee!

I have been squirrelling away the ingredients for the recipe for a few days, but could not find the miso! Ackkk! Where does one find mellow miso??? Well, minus the miso, I made the fondue with just a few slight adjustments. I am still unsure if I really like nutritional yeast yet, so I decreased the amount just a bit. I figured I could always add more if I felt the desire. I also added a bit of white vinegar in lieu of the miso in hopes it could impart some tangy-ness (tanginess?). Well, after I blended and cooked as the recipe reads, I tried it with a piece of bread. BLAND! Very Bland! Was the miso really that important to the taste or did I just expect more from the recipe....I dunno. But I was determined to not let this mixture go to waste, so I wracked my brain trying to figure out what to add to make it either more cheesy or just to give it more flavor. I added a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (cuz I love vinegar!), and then added a few splashes of hot sauce, hoping to wake up the flavor. It was better, but still not great. Even the OMNI tried it and said it was pretty darn bland. :-(

Then, I decided to give it one more shot and use it as the base for a Spinach Artichoke dip! Ooooh ooooh! So I thawed a bit of spinach, cut up some artichoke hearts, chopped up half a clove of garlic and added it to the fondue mixture, then topped it off with a few more splashes of hot sauce. Threw it in the oven at 350 degrees and waited. After about 10 minutes, it smelled pretty garlicky in the kitchen so I figured it was time to take it out and try it.

And, oooh oooh! It was pretty good! Here it is with some fantastic roasted garlic bread I picked up at my local grocery store.

Too bad I was too full from taste testing the first batch of fondue to eat up all of this dip, but there will be more for tomorrow!

Brooke-o-meter:
3 peas for the original fondue, 8 peas for the final outcome

Meat-eater-meter:
2 peas for the original fondue, no rating for the final outcome (he was too full and bloated from his trip to Taco Bell to taste test! That's right, may the Vegan Gods smite you for eating Taco Bell!!!)

Picky-kid-meter:
She actually liked the original fondue! No rating though.

Good-eater-kid-meter:
Not a chance! How weird!

2006-06-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

2006-05-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

It's a Nate's Night!

Tonight, Claren (the eat-everything kid) wanted meatless meatball sub sandwiches, so I popped open a bag of Nate's Meatless Meatballs in Classic Flavor. I totally snagged the idea for this sandwich from a May 23rd post on this blog. And just as Jennifer says, they ARE spooky good. I also bought a bag of Chicken Style Meatless Nuggets also by Nate's, which I had never tried before, but figured that since the meatballs were so good, the chicken nuggets would be too. I put a few in the oven for Aislyn (the picky one), who did not want a sub, and a few more for me and Claren to taste test, as I simmered the meatballs in some marinara sauce.

Here is Claren enjoying her sub sandwich. She looks grumpy, but is actually quite overjoyed at the delicious-ness of her food. She is such a good little eater (except when she chews her carrots for 30 minutes before she decides to swallow them....that drives me nutty!).

Here is an artistic photo of the chicken style nuggets, which you may have noticed are not shaped anything like the other nuggets we have purchased...but I guess if they named them "Chicken Style Balls", well, that would be just too creepy. I really just wanted to show off my cute little bunny platter. Isn't it adorable???

This is Aislyn being dramatic about her first bite of her nugget. This is how she looks each time we try something new. And yes, it is annoying. She also has developed a strange and somewhat Darth Vader-ish sound that eminates from the back of her mouth when she eats, thanks to the new expander and bands that the orthodontist put in a few weeks ago. The sound is like a sink disposal mating with a vacuum. It's not pleasant.

This is her after a few bites, and after adding some ketchup to dip it in. She decided she liked them, but not enough to eat the rest of them. Sheesh. Note the farm placemat: Now, this is probably not a good vegan placemat, but I assure you the farm animals depicted are not raised for food consumption and are very well cared for! I only buy happy non-food farm animal pictures!!! Hee hee.

Claren and I liked the chicken nuggets, but they do need to be dipped in a sauce or added to marinara like the meatballs. And boy do they look meaty when you cut them open, they are stringy just like real chicken, which may or may not be off-putting, depending on your view of vegan food.

Now, I have a serious question to post. I have been vegan since early February, and I did it mainly for animal rights reasons. I have always been an extremely sensitive person, so I am not surprised at how personally I take it when I see other people consume meat. I have learned so so so much in the last few months about animal cruelty/factory farms/etc., and I have really become so very sad and angry at the rest of the world about the lack of compassion to animals. I recently read an article called I'm so vegan it hurts, and I really relate to how hard it is to deal with the meat-eating, milk-drinking population. But, the problem is that I have had some serious issues lately with my husband, who is totally and unabashedly omnivorous. He is a wonderful man, extremely supportive of my veganism, and never has any ill intent. His heart is full of love, but I don't think he is ready (or may never be) to make the change. Now, I have been wondering what a relationship like ours will go through in the future....I am the one who changed. I am the one who has made an entire life shift, as we all know that veganism is a lifestyle, not just what we eat or don't eat. It encompasses everything we do and think about...what we wear, what we shampoo our hair with, what to eat, what companies to buy from, what stores and restaurants we choose to patronize, what entertainment we seek out...and for many vegans, who we socialize with. Now, since I am the one who changed, and he has stayed the same, does this mean an eventual end to our relationship? I am willing to do anything to keep our relationship intact, but I need guidance and advice from those vegans out there that have gone through this. How do we stay sane? How do you stay happily married to a meat-eater? I am searching for balance in my life, and the strength to not let my veganism get in the way of relationships. Guide me, oh blog-o-sphere!

2006-05-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

Gaping Hole in the Ground!

No food. Still staring at pool-like canyon in backyard!
(Okay, I have been eating, just nothing interesting enough to post. I did eat an entire bag of Bearitos Organic no-oil microwave popcorn with melted Earth Balance in one sitting though. Shame on me. Shame shame.)

Here is the pre-pool hole:

Brooke-o-meter:
I give the pool-hole a measly 2 peas for taunting me on a daily basis.

2006-05-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

Lazy filler post ahead!

I have been lazy and preoccupied the last few days, hence the lack of posting. We are in the process of putting in a pool, and I can't seem to tear myself away from staring lovingly at the huge, gaping pool-like hole in the ground. So much so, that I have been mainly snacking for my meals....it is wrong to eat a bowl of pistachios for dinner? I personally don't think so, but I don't think my kids find it fair that they are forced to eat their chik'n nuggets, peas, and applesauce while Mommy gets to munch on Uncle Eddie's molasses cookies all day. Mwahahahahaha. Ha.

Anyhoo, I made my one of my favorite breakfasts today, after gazing at the pool hole for two hours out the window. It's my fakin' bacon and peanut butter toast! Yes, I know, kind of a weird combo, but hey, I dig it. This meal is a throw-back to my youth, when my mom would cook up a batch of bacon and make either bacon and peanut butter toast or a peanut butter, bacon, lettuce and mayo sandwich. Ahhhh, sigh.

I truly adore the smoky tempeh strips by LightLife, they are mighty versatile and oh so delicious. They doesn't taste like bacon at all (to me, at least), but I really like the nuttiness of the tempeh and the smoky flavor. My younger daughter loves it when I make fakin' bacon, she says it's "really yummy, Mommy!". The OMNI hasn't tried it yet, but each time I cook it around him he makes the comment that it smells very good. Very authentically bacon-y!

It is nearing the end of the school year, which means I will hopefully be taste-testing and posting more often, because with two kids at home all day during the summer, I will need my usual escape mechanism....the computer room! (Wow, that totally makes me sound like a bad mom, but really, I'm very good. I just need my space. A lot of it.)

Note the plate of raspberries. See, I did eat something nutritious today!

No rating today. Too lazy. And I need to go look at the pool again.

2006-05-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

Seitan Buffalo Wings with Vegan Ranch Dip

I had a mishap a few weekends ago when I tried to make some homemade seitan using this recipe. It came out horribly, horribly wrong. I think my gluten dough was too wet when I added it to my simmering broth, and it kind of just fell apart slowly in the liquid. But I also had no idea what seitan was supposed to look, smell or taste like, since I had never had it before. I was a seitan virgin. I should have started out small, using this product I found in the refrigerator section of my local Sprouts store first, before embarking upon my version of homemade seitan.

So today, after a little internet searching, I found a good recipe for seitan buffalo wings. The last time I went to Green, we had the mock buffalo wings and they were mighty yummy, so I wanted to replicate them (although Chef Damon told me his mock chicken is actually freeze-dried mushroom stems!). I did as the recipe tells, and they turned out really great! I love the texture of the seitan, and the buffalo sauce was spicy enough to make us sweat (yes, the OMNI ate these!).

I also made a vegan ranch dip using Vegenaise, some dry ranch mix (McKormick's, I think, which was surprisingly vegan!!!) and a little plain soymilk to thin it out. I just eye-balled the amounts so I don't have an exact recipe for it. It was very very good, especially with carrots and celery.

Brooke-o-meter: (scale of 1-10 peas)
7.5 peas for the wings, 8 peas for the dip

No kid rating...too spicy, although they did eat the carrots!

Meat-eater-meter:
7 peas for the wings, 7 peas for the dip

2006-05-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

Uncle Eddie's Vegan Molasses Cookies

These cookies should be outlawed. Made illegal. May the police come and take them away from me...they are making my butt gigantic!

A long time ago, when I was vegan for a few weeks back in college, I found Uncle Eddie's Vegan Cookies, and I was hooked. Those were good times. The Oatmeal Raisin cookies were (and still are) my go-to treat. But not too long ago, whilst shopping at my favorite Whole Foods store, I noticed there was a new flavor...MOLASSES! Now, I don't know how long this flavor has been out, but it was new to me! I was addicted to Paradise Bakery's Ginger Molasses cookies during the holiday season (but I think they have since put them on the regular cookie rotation), but had to give them up as I am pretty darn sure they aren't vegan (but don't quote me on that...I am just too lazy to check!). So, back to my story....I grabbed up a bag of these cookies, paid the cashier happily, and high-tailed it to my car. My car is my safety zone, where I can easily shove 12 cookies into my mouth without feeling guilty, and I don't really care about that guy in the next parking space staring at me. In actuality, I ate 3 cookies in a row, not 12, but I still think that says something about how frickin' good these cookies are. Oh, so so so good.

They are soft and fairly moist and have a smattering of raw sugar on top. There is even a nice hint of saltiness that is so yummy after indulging in the sweetness of the molasses-y goodness. Did I mention that I love these cookies yet? I think Uncle Eddie's needs to send me some coupons or something....

Oh, and these are really good when you smush some natural peanut butter in between two cookies and pop them into the freezer for a bit. Yum.

Brooke-o-meter (on a scale of 1-10 peas):
Ummm, can I go higher than 10 peas? 11? 25?

Picky-kid-meter:
10 peas

Good-eater-kid-meter:
10 peas

Meat-eater-meter:
8 peas (he said he has to try them again to be sure...)

P.S. I couldn't find the company website (the one listed on their bag is invalid). You can find them at most Whole Foods and other health food/specialty stores, or google them to find a dealer. Food Fight has Uncle Eddie's, but no Molasses. Sorry!

2006-05-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

Fantastic Burrito!

May 3rd was my 33rd birthday, and since that fell on a Wednesday, we decided to celebrate the event by going out tonight (Saturday) to my favorite vegan restaurant Green. I want to be totally hungry when we get there, as I plan on eating as many items as I can stuff into my face. And that is a lot. Therefore, I wanted to make a lunch that would keep me satisfied until dinner time, and not graze on my usual snacky pantry items (ClifZ bars, peanuts, the jellybeans I told myself to stay away from, etc.). I figured I would make something that had a lot of fiber and protein to keep my full, and still taste like yummy....hence, the Fantastic Burrito! (cue the trumpets!)

I love almost all of Fantastic Foods products, they are tasty and always work in a pinch. Easy, nutritious and they have a reliable list on the side of the box that tells you if it is vegan/vegetarian/kosher/etc. I like that. So I cooked up half a box of the Taco Filling, heated up a can of Bearitos refriend black beans, and chopped up some lettuce, avocado and some vegan American cheese. The Taco Filling is so easy to prepare, it takes less than 5 minutes, and really comes close to resembling actual beefy taco filling. It has a slight spiciness, so I think this would work for everyone, even kids who don't like spice.

The refried beans in a can always give me the creeps when I first open it up and dump it into the pan, as it looks and smells like canned dog food to me. But once it started warming up, it is less dog-food-ish. Once the main ingredients are sufficiently warmed, I plopped it all in a warm tortilla and smothered it in mild taco sauce. I don't like to make my burritos too full since I have a small mouth (go ahead, insert jokes here______), I don't like it when I bite the edge and because it is too big, the insides shoot out of the end of the tortilla and flop on the plate. Notice I used my neato pink bowling plate for serving. I have an addiction to quirky plates.

I added a handful of red grapes to my lunch, mainly because my 7-year old kept picking them off the vine and scooting them over to my plate. I guess I needed some grapes today! I think this burrito will keep me full until tonight, with the tons of fiber (5 g. in the beans, 4 g. in the filling, per serving) and protein (7 g. in the beans, 12 g. in the filling, per serving). Don't forget the grapes!

Brooke-o-meter:
8 peas (out of 10)

I didn't feed this to my kids, so no kid rating.

The meat-eater-meter:
He's had the Taco Filling before, and gives it 8 peas. A good choice for everyone!

2006-05-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

Szechwan Hot and Sour Soup

I am, admittedly, not well-rounded in the food arts from Asia. I wish I were. I am trying, though. So, when I came upon this product in my neighborhood grocery store, I figured this would be a good way to get started. And look! it says it is vegan in red letters on the back, so I was thrilled to not have to stare at the ingredient list for half an hour! Yippee!

I popped this into the microwave after pouring all the ingredients (minus the crispy shallot topping) into their convenient plastic bowl, and waited the required two minutes for heating. I even got out my super cool blue and green glass bowl to make the hot and sour event just that much more memorable. I am very classy, dontchaknow.

Well....it was...eh, just okay. Not too hot or too sour, but also not really hot or sour enough, if that makes any sense. Kinda bland, with a little kick of spiciness in the back of my throat, just to let me know that some kind of chili is actually in there. The tiny tofu chunks were weird and a little too chewy for my taste. I ate about 1/3 of the bowl, which I guess is good now that I look at the caloric content (480 calories per bowl). The OMNI gave it a bite and was not enthused either. Nothing special. My super picky 7-year old actually asked to try this, which is odd because she rarely asks to try anything new at all, let alone something soupy and noodly. She immediately spit her bite out in the trashcan, but I think that was more for dramatic appeal rather than actual revulsion.

On the bright side, I did make some mini blueberry pies, inspired by a recipe in this blog. They were extra yummy, and even though they were vegan, the OMNI was impressed. But of course, I forgot to take pictures of the pies before we devoured them whole and licked up all the crumbs.

Brooke-o-meter:
4 peas, out of 10

Picky eater meter:
0 peas, for inducing the need for trashcan spittage

Meat-eater-meter (OMNI):
2.5 peas. Outlook not so good.

2006-05-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

Vegan Beef Taquitos!

I love Mexican food. There, I said it. Love, love, love it. And when I decided to go vegan after many years of vegetarianism, I figured I would have to abandon my desire for Mexican food. What would my meals be like without cheesy goodness? So on one of my weekly jaunts to my favorite store, I came upon this product in the freezer case. It screamed my name....loudly!
I was so excited to try them, I immediately snatched up a box and sprinted towards the check-out lane.

And then I got home. I placed them in the freezer, kissing the box lightly and whispering sweet nothings into its side flap. Yes, my dears, I will eat you soon enough. But something strange came over me the next day....I got cold feet. I was actually scared to pop these into the oven, I think for fear that they would taste awful and I would have to resume my gloomy outlook on my desire for decent vegan Mexican fare. I waited. And waited. For weeks.

Until today, when I finally gave in. For a whole hour this afternoon, I opened and closed the freezer door, hoping to find something else to eat to satisfy my cravings, and each time these taquitos moved closer and closer to the freezer shelf edge, tempting me. Feeling beaten down and hopeless, I heated them up and prepared for the worst....

But wait! They are....GOOD! Really good! Even without the cheesy goodness! Especially paired with a medium spicy taco sauce! I am happy. Happy that I have found a good pre-packaged vegan taquito to quench my hunger for South-O'-the-Border yummies. Yay! They are crispy and lightly spicy, and don't taste too "faux beefy" (I don't like my food to taste too much like meat. Ewww.) The side items were a big pile of steamed petite peas and Apple Blackberry Sauce.

Brooke-o-meter:
7 peas (out of 10)

Picky kid meter (the 7-year old):
Not a chance, Mom.

Good eater kid meter (the 3-year old):
Yum!

The meat-eater-meter (The OMNI):
He hasn't tried them yet. Will post his reaction soon.

2006-04-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

Lemon Artichoke Pesto with Bowtie Pasta and toasted Pinenuts

Today I decided I wanted artichokes. I didn't know what dish to make, but all I knew was that I wanted artichokes. So I perused the vast internet of knowledge looking for a good artichoke recipe, and I came upon a few artichoke pesto meals. Okay, that got me interested. I tweaked a few of the recipes I found, and made this dish: Lemon Artichoke Pesto with Bowtie Pasta and toasted Pinenuts. Yum. After I took the picture of my pesto, I added about a handful more of the pinenuts to the bowl, and I am glad I did. I love toasted pinenuts, and they add a fantastic crunch and flavor. Maybe next time I will blend up half of the them with the pesto, and reserve the rest to add to the top.
I didn't bother trying this dish on my kids, as they were giving me the evil eye as I was making it. Anything green on top of pasta is a sin, according to them. I blended up a cup of garden vegetable pasta sauce to add to their bowtie pasta (which they call their little butterflies!). I like to blend their sauces a bit to get rid of any chunkage that might deter them from actually eating it. And plus, I can hide a bunch of different veggies that they would normally scurry away from in the sauce and they are none the wiser....for now.
My husband, John, who we will refer to as the OMNI, said this pesto looked and smelled really good, but has not tried it yet. He had to run to Home Depot for a rake. Whatever.

Lemon Artichoke Pesto w/ Toasted Pinenuts

1 cup canned artichoke hearts, quartered
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup packed fresh basil
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes (or more as desired)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
pinenuts, toasted

Blend first seven ingredients, adding olive oil for desired consistency. Top with toasted pinenuts. Devour.

I ate this with a side of steamed baby carrots and a big bowl of kiwi, apple and grapes and a glass of lime-ade. I am satiated now that I have eaten my artichokes, and am pleased with the outcome of this recipe.

Brooke-o-meter, on a scale of one to 10 peas:
8 peas, with room for improvement

2006-04-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first post of my new blog...Vegan Taste Test! As of early February, I became a vegan, after many, many years as a vegetarian. Because of this, there are many vegan foods, products and recipes that I have not tried yet! So I have decided to become a guinea pig of sorts (why are guinea pigs referred to in this manner? I must google that question....) and try new vegan prepackaged products and rate them on my scale: how kid-friendly is it (I have two vegetarian/almost vegan kids, ages 3 and 7), how adult-friendly is it (my tastes are pretty average, yet somewhat daring) and how well does the product rate with my meat-eating husband. I am also going to rate the vegan recipes I make...some from cookbooks, some from other websites and blogs that I read daily, some I make up on my own (be scared). I don't want to limit my taste testing to food products alone, so I will also rate cruelty-free cleaning, hygiene and cosmetic products on occasion....and maybe some of those cool vegan boots I keep checking out online.
Now, keep in mind, I am in no way an expert or a university-trained taste tester. I am merely your average (within reason) stay at home mom who likes a variety of foods, and am willing to go the distance and try as many vegan products as I can. I will be extremely honest, and hopefully a bit humorous, in my reports. If you have suggestions on any products or recipes you would like to me try, please feel free to shoot me a comment. I can't guarantee I will make/buy/try everything requested, but I will make a concerted effort!
Have a good day, and come back again tomorrow to see which product I have tried!