This is Vegan

Ginger, Maple & Mustard Glazed Tempeh with Patatas Bravas

2012-01-28T08:54:00.002-05:00

If you ever want to buy me a present, cookbooks are usually the way to go. I am obsessed with them and have way too many already, but am always searching for more. Everyone knows how I feel about vegan cookbooks, so it is always the go-to gift idea for Christmases and birthdays and I could not be happier about it.

One of the awesome new cookbooks I got for Christmas last month was Spork-Fed. Paul picked it up for me because we have a running joke in our house regarding the massive quantity of meals we cook that would ideally be eaten with a spork, a kitchen tool we don't have. At least twice a week we stand at the utensil drawer trying to determine if a spoon or a fork is the best food shovelling tool for whatever has just come out of our kitchen. As an aside, do you know how hard it is to find a spork that's not plastic or part of a Swiss army-style set of utensils meant for camping and outdoor shenanigans? Oh yes, we've looked.

Paul liked the look of the recipes, although neither of us knew about the Spork Sisters Jenny Engels and Heather Goldberg until we already had the book. Which is weird, because they are so well-loved in the vegan world! These lovely ladies own and operate Spork Foods out of Los Angeles and along with catering they also offer vegan cooking classes and in-home dietary consultations. Spork-Fed is an amazing way to let those of us who aren't fortunate enough to live in the vegan heaven that is L.A. try some of their recipes.

This is the first meal we tried out of the book and we are madly in love with it. Gluten-free and full of flavour, combining it with a salad or some steamed greens makes it a great weeknight dinner.

These little potatoes are lethal. You will fight over the last bit of them and you will be more than comfortable physically attacking someone you love if it means you get one extra bite. The flavour comes from a combo of ketchup, vegan mayo and the most glorious component of all - a healthy dose of smoked paprika. Organic, sugar-free ketchup is best, although I'll admit that this time I was bad and used the sugar-laden variety that no one should ever eat. There are also lots of options for vegan mayo - premade Vegenaise works, or you can make your own at home with silken tofu. There are even a few nut-based raw vegan mayo recipes floating around the web that would work, too (this one from one of my favourite blogs, Addicted to Veggies looks particularly wonderful).

I'm sure you've already seen this article in one of its many incarnations floating around the web over the last week or so. You have no idea how much I used to be like this girl. I went vegan for the animals, but my love of chicken fingers and nuggets never went away - I just chose not to eat them. Now, I love to indulge that side of me with a plate full of tempeh fingers!

The ginger, maple and mustard flavour is amazing; reminds me a bit of the honey concoction I used to dip those god forsaken chicken nuggets in before I went vegan.

Because Spork-Fed is a relatively new cookbook, there isn't all that much online about it quite yet. I haven't got a digital copy of either recipe for you either, sadly - you'll just have to check out the book. I still wanted to share the pictures, because these are two of our favourite new recipes.

While I can't share the recipes, I will use this as an opportunity to talk about tempeh. I'm overwhelmed at the amount of support my previous post on soy received! It's a very controversial topic and one that I think no one is right or wrong about - we all need to decide if and how soy fits into our own diets.

Tofu is definitely the more easily identified soy product, but tempeh is slowly starting to give it a run for its money. Although by no means a thorough analysis of the differences between tofu and tempeh, here is a basic list:

- Tofu is made by curdling soy milk with a coagulant. The curds that result are then pressed into blocks. Tempeh, on the other hand, is made with whole soy beans rather than a milk. It is produced via a fermentation process that involves soaking and cooking the soybeans with a mold and then allowing it an appropriate amount of time to incubate. Yes, I'm aware of how gross that sounds, but this process actually makes the soybeans and their many nutrients more easily processed by the human digestive system. Similarly, the fermentation process seems to neutralize the more controversial components of soy, such as phytic acid.

- While tofu is essentially tasteless, tempeh has a uniquely nutty, earthy flavour that is loved as much as it is hated. The intensity of this taste depends on who you ask. Tempeh newbies seem to notice/fear it the most. It can be mellowed out by boiling or steaming the tempeh block before proceeding with baking, pan frying or grilling. I did this for years, but now we're at the point where we love a nice, strong tempeh flavour. If I'm feeding a non-vegan, however, or a newly transitioned vegan, I wouldn't think of giving them tempeh that hasn't been boiled for a solid ten minutes first.

- Tempeh has more calories than tofu, but it also has more protein and fiber. Double the protein and six times the fiber, actually.

- While tofu comes in many forms and consistencies, tempeh really only comes in one shape. There are differences in flavour combos, though - Red pepper, curry and kasha are some of my favourites. Henry's Gourmet Tempeh is my favourite brand.

- There are some dishes where tofu works best, but a lot of the time tempeh makes a great substitute. Here are some of my favourite ways to use tempeh.

Which do you prefer, tofu or tempeh?

Sesame Tofu Bowl with Peanut Dressing

2012-01-24T09:35:00.000-05:00

Ah, the great soy debate. It comes to mind every time I post about a tofu dish, because I often wonder what side of it my readers fall on. Health food? Not a health food? Okay in moderation? Not okay at all?

This much we know about tofu: It is high in protein. Complete protein. It's also very high in calcium. It's versatile - it can be used instead of meat; it can be used instead of cheese. It can be baked, broiled grilled and fried; it can thicken smoothies and frost cupcakes.

A lot of people are allergic to it. Many more, still, have a lot of difficulty digesting it.

It's also continually voted Most Likely to be Genetically Modified. And highly processed. And put in places it has no business being. Places where people have no idea they are even consuming it, because it's hidden amongst a novel of preservative and chemical ingredients on the package of a convenience food. Subsequently, it can be quite dangerous.

So what is it? Good or bad? Neither? Both?

Soy (tofu particularly) experienced the backlash that all popular products experience:

Step one: Someone says Product is awesome. Says it has immense health benefits. It's going to extend our lives.

Step two: Because we are creatures of excess, we stuff ourselves with insane amounts of Product, three times a day, even though the studies we used to discover how great it is clearly show how moderately it is to be consumed. At the same time, industry competitors grow alarmed at how much Product is cutting into their market dominance and launch a backlash.

Step three: Someone/many someones fall ill, because they consumed Product three times a day for a year, because someone told them it was a health food and it was going to save their lives. Industry competitors use this as an opportunity to show people how awful Product is in an attempt to once again secure market dominance.

Step four: Panic.

Soy is a classic case of mainstream success turning into mainstream backlash. A couple decades ago it was going revolutionize our health. Then soy milk became the first alternative to animal milk to be mass marketed and people slowly began swapping out cow's milk.

Naturally, the dairy industry was not amused. They're still not. Every year, the United States meat and dairy industries fund a colossal amount of anti-soy research. The results, in turn, get presented as a part of a larger anti-veg*n project, because let's be honest - they're a business, just like any other, and we are cutting into that business. Soy is the natural front-runner for criticism, because it is so popular among vegans and is such a prevalent symbol of veg*ism in the mainstream.

The thing is, they are not completely wrong about soy. And while the vegan community rarely agrees with anything that the animal agriculture industry has to say, there are many health-oriented vegans that similarly support the notion that soy is bad. In the same way, many factions of animal agriculture rely on soy as an inexpensive way to sustain the animals that are to be sold to slaughter and are thus more moderate about the issue than their counterparts. This is not a black or white issue for either side.

The bottom line is this. If you eat ten pounds of soy every day, you're going to have problems. If you're one of the many, many people that has a soy allergy or intolerance, you're also going to have problems. Even if you have just a little bit. Statistics on increased cardiovascular health and the anti-inflammatory properties of tofu mean nothing to you if you cannot digest soy properly. For you, it's not a health food. For you, it's a sourcer of stomach aches. And just like those with a peanut allergy aren't going to be PB-ing their morning toast anytime soon, you aren't going to rush out and try the latest tempeh flavours.

I've been studying soy for years and I personally believe that the more major accusations against soy (that it "causes" cancer, that it "causes" infertility, that it will always lead to estrogen dominance, etc.) are quite unfounded and bordering on malicious. In fact, there's even been some evidence of soy playing an important role in the prevention of cancer and may even increase fertility when part of a well-balanced vegan diet when compared to the Standard American Diet. Unless, of course, soy is all that you eat. Remember, the important word in that sentence is well-balanced.

Me? I'm a proud Soy Moderate. Too much of it and I feel like crap, so I only eat it once or twice a week at the most. Some weeks I have none, some weeks I have more. I have non-dairy milk everyday, so I use unsweetened almond instead of soy. If I had a health issue related to excess estrogen I would probably consider removing it from my diet entirely. But I don't, so I don't.

The soy I eat is always organic. Non-GMO, obviously. Unless I'm being bad and indulging in something deep-fried and completely unhealthy for a whole host of reasons other than the fact that it contains soy. I'm not above admitting to being a bad vegan now and again.

I'm also quite fond of fermented soy, such as tempeh and miso. The fermentation process neutralizes the phytic acid and soy isoflavones, which are what researchers point to in the great cancer debate (although there is really no concrete proof of the connection existing the in the first place). Tempeh also has more protein and fiber than tofu and in our house we use it a lot more often than tofu. Between the two, tempeh is clearly the healthier choice.

Within the vegan community, the line between soy support and soy backlash is usually drawn between those who went vegan for the animals and those who went vegan for their health, although once you're vegan for awhile that line tends to get blurred. Neither side is particularly wrong or particularly right, I don't think. Originally coming to veganism as an extension of my animal advocacy only to later discover the immense health benefits of plant-based living is probably why I started out as an avid soy supporter and now take a much more moderate stance. While I choose not to consume it all that often, for me it is always a better choice than supporting the violence built into the Standard American Diet. I do, however, also believe that soy is immensely abused within veg*n communities and should return to its rightful role as a moderate component of a whole food, plant-based diet. That being said, I fully support those who choose to completely abstain from soy as much as I support those who select a soy product instead of chicken. We each have the right and responsibility to create a version of vegan that works best for us.

While I do reach for the tempeh more often than I reach for the tofu, one of the few times I prefer tofu to tempeh is in bowls like the one pictured at the top of this post. Tempeh has a great nutty flavour and aroma that works well in so many dishes, but I find that it can also overpower them. Tofu, on the other hand, is much more mild and lets the flavours of the other dish components do the talking instead.

There is also something super magical about tofu in a peanut sauce.

The recipe for this meal comes from the Show Me Vegan blog and you can find it here. I love it, because it's another one that combines raw and cooked components. In conjunction with the tofu and brown rice, I chopped up some raw baby spinach, bell pepper, green onion and red cabbage. I'm actually coming around to cabbage, I can't believe it! It has to be raw, though. The thought of cooked cabbage still gives me the heebie jeebies.

Vermicelli, Chickpeas and Vegetables in a Creamy Curry Sauce

2012-01-20T15:35:00.001-05:00

I'm starting to feel like all I talk about/post about is curry. I wasn't joking a few posts back when I said I was obsessed with it. If you read the blog, you already know all that I know about curry and why I love it so much, so I won't go down that road again.

Instead, I will talk about another food item that I've come to love: Rice noodles! Especially vermicelli rice noodles.

My love for them is much more simple than my love for curry. I love them because they are gluten-free, and I love them because they are so stinking cheap. Like, obscenely cheap. One pack cost us about $1.00 and I made three meals out of it. They are also super easy to find. Even our quite poorly stocked local supermarket had a bunch of varieties in their international aisle. I've, of course, eaten them many times in many restaurants, but I'm new to the world of cooking with vermicelli.

Up to this point, I've been quite fond of using soba and udon noodles in stir-fries and other Asian-inspired dishes. However, when I pledged to cut down on gluten in 2012 I thought it might be a good idea to search for alternatives. Udon noodles are always wheat-based. Soba noodles are supposed to be gluten-free because they are made from buckwheat, however a lot of the mainstream brands seem to be made with a combination of buckwheat and regular wheat flour, making them not gluten free. While I'm (quite obviously) not completely gluten-free, when I do find a reasonable substitute to a gluten-based product, I almost always bring it in. As such, I'm super excited to now have vermicelli as a part of my noodle arsenal.

So great is my love for these skinny little noodles that they've made their way into many different dishes, like this tofu noodle soup that I made a couple weeks ago!

The recipe for this meal comes from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson, but sadly I've not been able to find a digital copy to share with you all.

I honestly probably could have stopped right here with the recipe and been more than satisfied with the dinner - veggies and chickpeas and curry, what's not to love? The recipe doesn't call for broccoli, but whenever I make one of these meals I try and make it a fridge-cleaner, tossing in spare veggies that have accumulated throughout the week so I can be sure that they don't go to waste. I also put in a teaspoon of red pepper powder to zip things up a bit.

While the curried veggies would have been good on their own, this creamy sauce (courtesy of silken tofu and coconut milk) transforms them into something great.

If you have a copy of Vegan Planet, be sure to check out the recipe on page 264.

Quick & Easy Chocolate Cake (with Raw Vegan Soft Serve)

2012-01-17T10:42:00.003-05:00

I am so not supposed to be baking. And I'm certainly not supposed to be eating what I bake. But it's mid-January. High time for the new years resolutions to go by the wayside, no?

I'm kidding. I've not forgotten my pledge to consume less sugar in 2012. But to be fair, I never said I was going to consume no sugar in 2012. So technically I'm not breaking anything. Right?!

This is turning into a textbook case of addiction. I'm going to press on anyway.

We had friends over for dinner last week and I don't feel right about not serving dessert when I cook for people. The fact that it was chocolate cake with chocolate frosting was totally my fault, though, as I've been craving it for what seems like an eternity. I'm sure I could have done something healthier with fruit. But I didn't.

Anyway, I chose this recipe because our dinner date was on a weeknight and I didn't have time on my side. It comes from Vegan Express and much to my drooling over the last couple years, it's featured prominently on the cover of the book. While Vegan Express has guaranteed that many quick dinners have made their way to my kitchen table, I hadn't tried anything from the dessert section until this cake. Vegan Express is the book I tend to grab when it's just me and Paul trying to survive the work week. Since we never have luxuries like cakes and sweets when it's just the two of us (see, I'm not that much of a sugar monster!), I've never really had the need to get a dessert together quickly.

And come together quickly it does. So quickly, in fact, that I made it on my lunch break and frosted it just before our guests arrived in the evening.

It's just what you want out of a chocolate cake - moist and rich, the icing is a firm alternative to the traditional buttercreams that frost the majority of chocolate cakes and is made from dark chocolate, almond milk and a spoonful of peanut butter for good measure, this cake is the ideal end to a spicy dinner (we had chipotle sweet potato enchiladas). Perfect with a glass of ice cold unsweetened almond milk the next day, too.

And as a side note to this chocolate cake, I want to say a little something about homemade vegan soft serve, because what is better with chocolate cake than a little bit of ice cream?

Cakes themselves are enough of an indulgence. Adding ice cream to them crosses a line. At least for us sugar-limiting folks. Unless it's homemade raw vegan soft serve!

Vegan ice creams are delicious, don't get me wrong, and when you really want to treat yourself to something similar to the non-vegan ice creams of your youth, there is nothing wrong with them. The problem comes when they stop being treats and start becoming habits. It's problematic not just for our health, but for our pocketbooks too, as they don't come cheap without a coupon or some sort of supermarket blowout sale.

Making vegan soft serve at home will cost you under $1.00 per single serving, saving you money while providing an icy treat with less calories than pretty much all of its freezer aisle counterparts. Certainly less than any kind of traditional non-vegan ice cream! There is also the added bonus of avoiding artificial flavours and refined sugars.

All you need is a banana and a food processor. No sugar. Not even any milk, really, unless you want to thin it out a bit.

You freeze the banana and then give it a whirl in the food processor until it achieves the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Then you eat it. Done.

You will be so surprised at how deliciously refreshing this is. It's great on it's own, but you can also make it in different flavours. For vanilla, add a dash of vanilla extract. For chocolate, a little cocoa or cacao powder. Frozen fruit works great, too (especially strawberries!). Peanut butter, mint extract, maple syrup. Fresh walnuts or pecans for topping. My personal favourite involves adding a scoop of pureed pumpkin and a sprinkling of dark chocolate chips. The possibilities of this cheap and easy vegan ice cream are endless! These days, we even opt out of ice cream when we make milk shakes, using pureed frozen bananas instead.

One banana yields about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of this soft serve, depending on the size of the banana. For best results, always use a food processor and not a blender. Especially not a high-power blender. My BlendTec in particular tends to completely liquify frozen bananas, which is a sign that it's a great blender, but is not what I want out of my soft serve ice cream. It's great for milkshakes, though!

You can find the recipe for the chocolate cake and frosting here as well as in the Vegan Express cookbook.

Tahini Noodles with Raw Vegetables

2012-01-14T08:27:00.000-05:00

I'm not very good at uncooking. I really like eating raw vegan food at restaurants, but when I try to make it at home it rarely turns out right. You know how when you order a salad at a restaurant and it's really good, so you try and replicate it at home and even though you have all the exact same ingredients, it never tastes right? The lettuce is soggy, the carrot isn't shredded quite right and the tomatoes leak all over everything? That's pretty much the story of my experimentation with raw uncooking.

I haven't been able to put my finger on what exactly I'm doing wrong, but it has been pretty discouraging in the past. I think the main problem is that the recipes I'm trying are too advanced for someone who doesn't know what they are doing. "Attend a raw cooking class" is on my agenda somewhere; I just need an alternative in the meantime.

Because I've never been big on the taste of most raw vegetables, a couple months ago I decided that my best course of action would be to ease into uncooking by incorporating raw components into non-raw meals. At least until I get used to the taste of raw vegetables and have a chance to work on my uncooking skills. So, instead of roasting or stir-frying veggies to go with a grain, I've tried throwing them in completely raw, or at the very least, lightly steamed.

Kind of lame of me to be so timid about this, I know. But it's a step in the right direction, no?

It seems like I might not be the only one slowly wading into the raw uncooking pool, because this recipe from VeganYumYum is exactly what I'm talking about. Cooked whole grain spaghetti noodles and a super spicy tahini-based sauce, and then big bowl of raw vegetables requiring no more prep than washing and chopping.

Paul got me the cookbook for Christmas and there is so much that I'm excited to try. I've been a huge fan of Lauren's blog of years (seriously, if you haven't tried her alfredo sauce you need to stop everything you are doing and pull out your blender right this instant) and am excited to see what the cookbook has to offer. I chose this recipe to try first because of its nod to the whole-foods approach to eating and because it's January and we're all resolving to take better care of ourselves in the new year.

I chose well, because the recipe is really delicious. It's not something I would normally make and being that I'm not usually big on cold noodles or raw vegetables I was surprised at just how much I liked it. The tahini sauce is especially delicious - spicy but creamy, it packs a nutritional punch thanks to its sesame seed base (calcium and B vitamins galore - learn more about sesame seeds and tahini and their role in preventing osteoperosis, certain cancers and other diseases here). I loved this meal so much. Even with cabbage in it! So much, in fact, that I ate it for three meals!

The only problem with it is that it's winter. It's cold out. And eating cold noodles and vegetables isn't as appealing right now as it will be in July. Not to mention that the raw vegetable selection in January in Canada is pretty abysmal. I'll continue making this one, for sure, but I think it will be even better in the summer. It would make a great side dish at a summertime cookout!

If you don't have a copy of the book, you can find the recipe here on the VeganYumYum blog.

New Menu at Thrive Juice Bar, Waterloo

2012-01-10T08:55:00.004-05:00

I'm very pleased to report that Thrive Juice Bar, located in the Bauer Buildings in "midtown" Waterloo, has a brand new menu, offering up more vegan goodies than ever before. In fact, they are now pretty much entirely vegan! They may even be completely vegan - the only reason I hesitate to say this is because organic goat cheese is offered as a pizza topping option on their website and I'm not sure if this is just a relic from the old menu or if they have carried it over to the new one. Regardless, the way I understand it, the menu items as they stand are now all 100% vegan. There are even some raw vegan options as well!

I am very, very excited about the changes they've made. A big fan of Thrive since my very first meal there, the only teeny tiny issue we ever encoutered involved menu discrepancies regarding vegan versus vegetarian options. A couple times that we visited, there seemed to be some confusion among staff about which items were vegan and which were not and even though it's totally understandable when you have that many offerings, it made me a bit apprehensive about ordering some items after we accidentally ended up with something non-vegan. The confusion usually involved the bread products being used for certain menu items, but I'm told that they now have a reliable vegan bread supplier and all sandwiches (and other menu items) are completely vegan!

My many thanks go to Team Thrive for so diligently working toward an entirely vegan establishment.

I stopped in there for a quick smoothie over the holidays and when I spotted the menu I cursed myself for having had breakfast already. So, to celebrate the return of my appetite post-stomach flu, Paul and I popped in for lunch on Saturday afternoon and tried out their revamped veggie burger!

Veggie Burger Melt
From the menu: our house made one inch thick black bean, portobello mushroom & wild rice veggie patty - lightly toasted organic whole wheat kaiser bun with vegan daiya cheese, chipotle aioli, fresh tomato, red leaf lettuce & avocado served with vegan kettle chips & house made coleslaw.

Except on Saturday, instead of kettle chips they were serving the burgers with a wonderful salad of grilled potatoes tossed with sauteed onions, fresh greens and a vegan aioli. I should have taken a picture of it but apparently I was too busy licking the bowl clean.

Our one regret was that we didn't make it in time for their newest feature - VEGAN BELGIAN WAFFLES! Click here for a picture of them, courtesy of the Thrive Facebook page. I'm told they are available in traditional wheat as well as a gluten free option. They are served until 11am, however while in there a little birdie told us they are thinking - maybe just maybe - a move to all-day waffles might be in the near future.

They've also got tons and tons of vegan and raw vegan desserts up for the grabs now too. Since I was just coming off the flu and I stupidly resolved to consume less sweets in 2012, I didn't get a chance to try any this time. I did indulge my sweet tooth with some fruit, though - with one of their many fruit smoothies:

Speaking of smoothies, Thrive has also launched a "Green Leaf Project" for 2012, in an effort to cut down on waste and do their part to contribute to a more sustainable planet. Bring your own cup, mug or canister and receive 10% off of your drink order!

If you're in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, stop by Thrive and let me know which new menu items you tried - can't wait to head back and fall face-first into those waffles of theirs.

Thrive Juice Bar
The Bauer Buildings
105 – 191 King Street South
Waterloo, ON
(519) 208-8808
Find out about daily specials via Facebook and Twitter.

Tofu Noodle Soup & Pumpkin Cornbread

2012-01-06T16:54:00.006-05:00

It's kind of funny that I wrote that great New Year's post about all my resolutions and goals for 2012. That I started a brand new fitness plan on Monday. That I was focusing more on whole foods and less on glutens and sugars. That I even played into supersitition a little bit by making black eyed peas for health and wealth on New Year's Day.

And then I came down with the stomach flu or food poisoning or some other horrid variation of gastrointenstial torture, not even two days later.

Oh, irony. You are not lost on me.

It's been five years since I've had this sort of stomach illness and needless to say, I did not handle it well. I am normally a pretty positive and cheerful person, but the second some germs get into me I am ripe with self-pity. So an apology is in order to the Twitter followers who were subjected to my whiny tweets on Wednesday - just be thankful you are not married to me! Ha!

I'm much, much better now, thank you for wondering. Whatever it was left as quickly as it came and two days later my ravenous appetite and desire to get back to that new fitness routine have both returned.

I did spend a couple days laying low on food, especially super spicy foods with competing flavours and components. This tofu noodle soup from Vegan Soups & Hearty Stews for All Seasons was the perfect way to transition back into food after not being able to eat for a day. Because I was still a bit queasy the night I made it, I decided to skip the dill and just sprinkled a little bit of poultry seasoning into the broth. The noodles are rice vermicelli. Warm, comforting and reminiscent of that other noodle soup from your childhood, it's the perfect thing for those feeling a bit under the weather. If you don't have the book, Vegan Break has a cool video demonstrating how to make it and you can find it here.

Because I wasn't able to eat for nearly 24 hours, I also decided to indulge in some homemade pumpkin cornbread too. The recipe comes from Never Homemaker and it is found here (I used the vegan version, obviously).

Being sick reminded me that I wanted to say a little something about being sick.

And that is that vegans can get sick too. We live in the same world as everyone else, and while I do believe that most vegans who are doing it properly develop better armour against illnesses than many of those who are fueled primarily by the Standard American Diet (SAD), we are still humans and we are still living in the same germ-infested world as our non-vegan counterparts. And sometimes those little germy buggers get through our armour.

This is probably very obvious to the lot of you, but I mention it because sometimes we vegans feel like we're not allowed to get sick. We feel like we have to be in perfect health, one hundred percent of the time, because we're considered examples for a life philosophy that is often so openly challenged by the mainstream with regard to its dietary appropriateness. I suppose we shouldn't care what anyone thinks, but I understand why we do. It's important to us that the mainstream finds veganism a viable and appealing option because there is so much more at stake than dietary choices. How we convey veganism affects not just us, but the animals and the earth, too. Our diets are but one component of a larger peaceful life philosophy, based on the concept of inherent dignity and compassion for all living creatures. If we're talking about how awful we feel, no one is going to want to go vegan, are they? So, you see, there's a lot at stake when it comes to how we present ourselves.

Denying sickness when it finds us becomes a kind of defense mechanism against the constant barrage of anti-vegan propaganda thrown in our faces on a daily basis. Because if we have a bad day, if we come down with the flu, if we're stressed out now and again, it almost always comes back to our veganism. About what we're "missing" in our diets, about how much of such-and-such food item we are/are not eating and essentially what's wrong with us and not what's wrong with the cold/flu/stressful situation. It's just easier to pretend like we are in perfect health, all of the time.

It's also true that just like we vegans can get sick like everyone else, we can also not take care of ourselves sometimes. And it has nothing to do with the overall compassionate philosophy of veganism and everything to do with how we "do vegan" on a personal level. About how we ([[cough]]-I-[[cough]]) decide to exist solely on seitan, sugar cookies and vodka for an entire month and maybe feel a wee bit sluggish when the bender is over. The way the "vegan diet" is lumped into one all-encompassing entity and then blamed for the ailments of some of our vegan friends is probably the most frustrating thing of all (pretty sure none of these folks practice vegan with the same irresponsibility that I did last month!).

I will note that since I went vegan, the only time my immune system lets up enough to let a virus in is when I fall under the lusty spell of proccessed vegan treats and neglect my fresh, raw, gloriously green veggies. Without fail. And even then, my body bounces back so much quicker and with so much more vigour than it ever did when I was SAD-fueled. Proof that it's not veganism that's helping me get sick, but the exact opposite - my deviation from it in it's truest sense, and that is with vegetables at its core. Veganism gives us everything we need to survive and thrive. It's up to each individual vegan to decide what they partake in and it's not fair to judge the entire cause based on each individual's choices. Or mistakes. Because even the most seasoned vegans make mistakes sometimes. Veganism as a philosophy is completely and totally separate from each individual diet. The two should never be confused and the fact that they so often are is likely one of the reasons vegans feel they can't be honest about their health when they're feeling unwell. Promoting the difference between the vegan philosophy and the individualized vegan diet is the key to encouraging honesty within the vegan community, I think.

Vegans, it's okay to be human. It's okay if you're not "on" one hundred percent of the time. It's okay if you're sick through no fault of your own. It's also okay if you're sick because you chose keg stands over lemongrass shots - just as long as you don't make it a habit. The vegetables are ready and waiting for when you are ready and waiting to feel better. It's important to the vegan cause that overall we are healthy and happy people. It's important to our individual selves, too, of course. And I suppose it might hurt the vegan cause to appear weak via illness now and again, but I think what hurts it more is not being real and honest about ourselves. Especially when it comes to our newly transitioned vegan friends who are still learning the ropes with regard to doing vegan properly - how frustrating must it be for them when everyone seems to be thriving and offering no admission of ever having made dietary mistakes or poor decisions now and again. This is probably where we come off elitist. Where we lose a lot of people.

Maybe I'm wrong. This sentiment isn't felt by other vegans as strongly as it is by me and that's okay too - another example of how "doing vegan" is an individualized process. Just know that I will always strive to be one hundred percent honest with you. If I feel like crap it's most likely my fault and you're probably going to have to hear about it. And if you're feeling like crap I'm happy to hear about it too. Maybe we can figure out a game plan together. I've been vegan for three and a half years and I will be the first to say that I still have a lot of questions. Veganism has the answers; we can work together to find them.

In summary. I got stomach flu/one of its horrid gastrointestinal counterparts. I'm better now. Feeling great, actually, and I can't wait to get back to my new running schedule. Sorry for complaining. Vegans get sick sometimes and that's okay. Taking care of yourself is important, but no one should judge you if you make mistakes now and again, because no one is perfect, not even them. Eat this soup. And the pumpkin cornbread, too.

Hottie Black Eyed Peas & Greens with Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Apples (Happy New Year!)

2012-01-02T11:23:00.004-05:00

2011 was not the best year. In the grand scheme of the universe and its problems mine don't even register, so honestly I feel a wee bit dramatic whining about it. But all the same, I hope 2012 has good things in store for me and the creatures I care about.

I'm not a superstitious gal, but I don't want to take any chances this year. So, I took a page from the book of southern cooking and made black eyed peas for dinner last night.

A tradition that dates back to the Civil War, black eyed peas are thought to bring prosperity and and good luck for the coming year to those who consume them on New Year's Day. When served with greens, the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money. Combining the peas with tomatoes is thought to represent not only wealth, but health too.

So I covered all my bases and made a big batch of black eyed peas and collard greens, with a cup of cooked tomatoes mixed in for good measure.

The recipe comes from Appetite for Reduction and it is absolutely amazing. Amazing! I won a copy of the book during Vegan Mofo from the wonderful blog Vegan and So Forth and finally had my chance to try it out. I love it when the first recipe from a new cookbook turns out great because it lets me know that I didn't pick up a dud. Not that I've ever not liked an Isa Chandra Moskowitz cookbook. Anyway, much thanks to Vegan and So Forth for doing the giveaway!

(Wo)man cannot live on black eyed peas alone, so at the cookbook's suggestion I paired them with mashed sweet potatoes and apples that are steamed, sweetened with agave and flavoured with ginger and cinnamon. A perfect winter side dish.

You can find the recipes for both the black eyed peas and the mashed potatoes here.

The heartiness of this dish and the ease with which it comes together were very welcome after the insanity of New Year's Eve. We spent it with our friends on the dance floor of our favourite club, Starlight - here are some pictures of us all dressed up!

There is only one word to describe my December and it is a word that a woman my age probably shouldn't have to use: Bender. Along with the holidays, the bender is over for another year and it's time to get things under control once again.

I'm not typically one for resolutions, but this year I hope to continue to take my health and wellness seriously (far more seriously than I have in the last month), limiting (although not eliminating - let's not get carried away) sugar and gluten. January is going to be a completely alcohol-free month for both of us and we're also both starting new fitness regimes today.

Let's see how long this lasts.

And one more, fun resolution that runs completely contradictory to my other resolutions - every month, one weekend morning will be set aside for a big vegan breakfast feast.

Hope that the new year finds you happy and healthy. A special warm welcome to those of you who have resolved to go vegetarian or vegan for 2012 - I hope that you find This is Vegan useful as you transition!

Christmas Round-Up 2011

2011-12-27T18:54:00.000-05:00

[Christmas Eve, 2011]

Does anyone else feel like they have a giant ball of dough sitting square in their gut today? My body takes a serious beating every holiday season. A delicious beating...but serious nonetheless. Truth be told, I'm kind of struggling to remember what kale looks like.

The festivities have left me too tired to be witty or creative so I am just going to show you what we ate.

We started the celebrations with a Christmas Eve lunch at my Mom and Dad's:

Vegan meatballs - I think my mom said they were made of eggplant?

Pan-fried potatoes (lots of them)

The greatest stuffing I have ever had in my life.

My mom even made her own (stuffed!) seitan roast.

Everything above, plus steamed veggies with almonds, white wine gravy and an apple quinoa! I tried to pace myself but I still left stuffed.

From there we headed to a potluck at my in-laws. I brought veggie sandwiches.

Mixed veggies and herbs on freshly baked rye bread (thanks Grainharvest Breadhouse!).

We came home and set up an air mattress on our living room floor, to assist in the movie-watching laziness that was about to commence. Oh, and we opened presents!

This toy had to be taken away from her in less than an hour. A new Dora Personal Record.

This year marked the first Christmas Day in twelve years that we didn't have a single place to be. So we decided to start on a new tradition - The Christmas Morning Brunch! Except that we slept in and opened a bottle of amaretto first and thus it took me a lot longer to make what I was making than I thought it would. Long story short, it was more like The Christmas Mid-Afternoon Meal.

The main feature - Vegan Benedict Florentine with homemade Hollandaise sauce from Vegan Diner! I'd be lying if I said I'd ever had a non-vegan version of this. Or that I even know what a benedict is. I'm not actually sure I'd ever even heard of it before this cookbook (you think I'm joking when I say I've always hated breakfast food, but I am so serious).

Regardless of what non-vegan versions are like, this one features spicy homemade herbed seitan breakfast sausage patties, English muffins, tomato and baby spinach. And the Hollandaise, which just might be the best part!

The one exception to my Hatred of Breakfast Rule is the breakfast potato. These are also from Vegan Diner.

Veganism is winning me over to the breakfast-loving side, let me tell you.

If you don't have your very own copy of Vegan Diner, you can find the recipe for the Breakfast Potatoes here. The Benny recipe is also available on Google Books, but for some reason I can't get a link to post here on the blog. You can find it easily, by scrolling down a couple pages past the Breakfast Potatoes recipe. You can also find the recipe for the herbed breakfast sausage patties here. Alternatively you can use tempeh bacon or pre-made veggie ham, but these patties are super easy to make and not something to shy away from.

We also drank quite a bit of coffee on Christmas, because Santa brought Paul a Keurig - but don't worry, he loves the environment just as much as we do and made sure to include a reusable K-Cup so that we can enjoy lots of fair-trade coffee without filling the landfills with too many of those little plastic cups.

Santa brought me many kitchen goodies too. My favourite is this cake stand!

I hope those of you who celebrate had an enjoyable Christmas and that you're not feeling it as much as I am. Back off, gluten. I think we need to see other people for awhile.

Black Rice with Corn and Cranberries, Roasted Root Vegetable Salad & Gardein Turk'y

2011-12-24T09:12:00.001-05:00

One of our holiday traditions involves a festive vegan feast for two on the Sunday before Christmas. We've been doing it for years now. We are usually really busy with family events on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and though our relatives are always kind enough to make sure there are some vegan foods available for us, we love the idea of a full-on traditional (vegan) feast. The weekend before Christmas is usually that best time to do it.

This year is kind of weird, though, and for the first time in our entire twelve year relationship, we have nowhere to be on Christmas Day. So theoretically, we could have our feast then - but we've got plans for a whole new kind of Christmas Day tradition that I will blog about when the time comes!

For now, here is our Sunday-Before-Christmas-Vegan-Feast-For-Two 2011, courtesy of Vegan Holiday Kitchen!

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad - parnsips, radishes and sweet potato with fresh field greens, all tossed in a citrus dressing.

Black rice (which I had never had before, and now absolutely love!) with corn and dried cranberries. Sadly I didn't have as much corn as I thought I did, so visually it's not as festive and colourful as it should be - but you get the idea!

I nearly fell over when I saw that our neighbourhood supermarket was stocking Gardein Turk'y. This is, after all, the place that keeps discontinuing my unsweetened almond milks and didn't understand what I was saying when I asked for tempeh. Now, I usually make my own seitan roasts but since we had spent a large portion of the day cleaning up after the previous night's Ugly Xmas party, I was looking to cut a couple corners this year.

The verdict - awesome! The outside is crispy, the inside moist and the gravy that accompanies it is delicious. It's was the perfect addition to our little feast. It's also great if you happen to be the only vegan attending an omni Christmas dinner, as so often happens, because it comes in individual pieces rather than a whole turk'y, so none will go to waste. Not that any would anyway - I'd imagine these guys make for pretty great Boxing Day turk'y sandwiches.

This is a Christmas of firsts, and we have another new tradition to share.

Our dog has had a bit of a rough year, but because she has us to take care of her and make sure she gets what she needs, it is so minimal compared to the plight that millions of farm animals experience each year. We don't know how much time we have left with her, but we do know that so far we have had six wonderful years. Six years in which she has been safe, fed, warm and loved and sadly this is not the case for so many of her animal counterparts out there in the world.

We can't take them all in and financially we can't support them all (although if I ever won the lotto, the first thing cheque I would write would be to various farm sanctuaries - maybe even start my own!). But I do believe that just because you can't do everything doesn't mean that you should do nothing and this Christmas we've decided to sponsor a turkey from Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary for all of 2012, and then when Christmas 2012 rolls around, we will sponsor another animal.

If you're looking to start a new Christmas tradition this year, please consider the animals! We chose Cedar Row because it's so close to home for us - maybe we can even visit our turkey friend sometime soon! There are plenty of farm sanctuaries and animal organizations in every neck of the woods that are struggling to help the earth's forgotten creatures, especially in these times of economic confusion. If you don't know of any local farm sanctuaries, consider Farm Sanctuary and their adoption program - I would argue that Farm Sanctuary is the most important resource on veganism and animal advocacy currently in operation, using a more positive platform than many other organizations via education and awareness rather than intimidation and aggression. Their New York location is another place I hope to visit in 2012.

From our home (and our home on the web) to yours, we wish you the merriest of Christmases, filled with love and laughter and all of the creatures you love.

Peanut Butter Cups (and the 4th Annual M&P Ugly Xmas!)

2011-12-21T09:14:00.001-05:00

My favourite Christmas tradition is our annual Ugly Xmas party. For the last four years our friends have helped us mark the season in our unfinished basement, decked out in all that is bright, loud and festive and together we sing, dance, drink and eat.

Peppermint Patties are usually a staple for this type of Christmas event but honestly, this year I've managed to max out my interest in peppermint. I blame the peppermint lattes I started injecting directly into my bloodstream on November 15th.

The peppermint patties are delicious, don't get me wrong, but this year I went in another direction with the sweets and decided to try the Oh She Glows peanut butter cup recipe instead. I was pleasantly surprised with not just how delicious they were, but how easy they were to make. Done in an hour, these little cups are rich, decadent, and will be disliked by no one.

One little tip that I will add to an already-great recipe. The cups are made of two layers, one peanut butter and one chocolate. I found it useful to put the bottom peanut butter layer in the freezer on its own for about a half hour to an hour before putting the chocolate layer on top. When I tried to do them together it made a hot and gooey mess and it was not visually attractive at all. No idea how Angela managed to pull it off doing the two layers together, but I was not skilled enough!

Also, even though I've blogged about these festive cool hummus pizza bites before, here's another photo of them - another staple at our annual party!

And now...onto the outfits!

Dora is surprisingly cool with taking photos in get-ups like this.

Paul

Me!

Us

And our buddies...

And, as always, a secret ballot determines the person who embodies the spirit of Ugly Xmas the most each each year. The winner gets a take home prize, but more importantly they get to wear "The Ugliest" hat and have their name recorded on it for all of human history! This year's winner was Tracy...

...her sweater featured velcroed skiiers!

Thanks to all our friends who came out to the 4th Annual M&P Ugly Xmas. Plans are already in motion for next year!

Curried Split Pea Soup

2011-12-17T18:45:00.000-05:00

Vegan with a Vengeance took its turn in my cookbook roster this week. I've had this book for close to five years and I'm at the point now where I've tried almost everything that doesn't feature cauliflower or cooked cabbage (pretty much the only two vegetables that I don't like). There was one lonely little pink sticker still poking out of it and it pointed to this recipe for a warming split pea soup.

It couldn't have worked out better, because I am on a pretty serious curry kick these days. I'm always into curry, but the last month or so I've noticed that it's pretty much all I want. I want to eat it. I want my house to smell like it. I want to pour the powder on the floor and roll around in it.

Nevermind that last point. Because that would be an unforgivable waste of curry powder.

Luckily curry loves my body (and your body!) as much as I love it. Curry is thought to have some serious cancer fighting properties, in thanks to its main component: turmeric. An active component of turmeric is an antioxidant called curcumin and it is thought to protect vital organs, particularly the colon, from free radical damage. There is also some evidence of it destroying already-existing cancer cells within the body and on a molecular level, it can even interfere with the way cancer grows and spreads throughout the body. Studies have shown that people who frequently consume turmeric have lower rates of breast, colon, prostate and lung cancers.

If cancer doesn't terrify you like it does me but you happen to experience joint pain or arthritis, adding more turmeric to your diet could mean the relief you've been searching for. In addition to its cancer-fighting properties, the curcumin found in turmeric is also a powerful anti-inflammatory - one that you can't accidentally overdose on and has zero side effects (unless you call deliciousness and post-meal-satisfaction a side effect).

Turmeric also gives things a vibrant yellow/orange colour and goes a long way in making a blah meal aesthetically pleasing. Besides, how else would I have mimicked Paul's favourite cake from his pregan days - Betty Crocker boxed yellow cake? Yes, that's turmeric in a birthday cake. That's also turmeric in the Lemon Mousse pie Paul just made, too. No, you can't taste it.

Turmeric is my best friend. I buy it from my favourite Indian grocer, in bags the size of my head.

I also buy it in the form of curry powder. When it comes to curry powder, quality does matter and you do notice a difference between brands. But if I'm no where near a specialty store, I'm not above buying a no-name pack of curry at the supermarket. Still good. Just not as good.

This soup features tons of other delicious elements in conjunction with the curry power - ginger, coriander, cardamom, cumin - each with its own unique flavour and suspected healing properties. This is a perfect soup to curl up with now that the cold weather is upon us.

In addition to the Vegan with a Vengeance book, you can find a digital copy of this recipe here.

I was going to wait until Boxing Day to pick up these adorable Christmas bowls at half price, but there were only a couple left and I was terrified they would be sold out by then. My obsession with buying random plates and bowls is starting to get a bit out of control.

Lemon Mousse Pie

2011-12-15T16:59:00.004-05:00

I feel kind of ill-equipped to be blogging about this pie that comes courtesy of Vegan Pie in the Sky because Paul made the entire thing from start to finish. My only contribution to the process was busting through the door at 6pm with a fork in my hand, only to find out that it wasn't yet ready. Because it takes a small eternity for this particular pie to set.

We are not a patient people when it comes to sweets. The twenty minutes it takes to make chocolate chip cookies is a lot to ask of us, so you can imagine our horror when we learned that this pie needed to set in the fridge for FOUR HOURS.

In fact, our version of it needed to set for longer than four hours because we are not hip enough to own the cute little individual spring form pans that this recipe calls for. Instead, we had to use a 9" spring form pan and make a full size lemon mousse pie.

Science is not our strong suit so of course we didn't factor in the chemistry behind the size difference and almost ruined the entire pie by pouring the gelatinous lemon mixture on top of it before the mousse was ready. Who would have thought that a pie with a larger surface area would take longer to firm up than a pie with a smaller surface area?!

It appears that high school science classes have failed us. Maybe even elementary school science classes?

Lucky for us, it was only the very edges of the pie that slumped because of this oversight and we managed to salvage the rest. Plus, the pie was just for us and when it comes to desserts for ourselves we rarely bother with the fancy and typically even forgo separate plates in favour of eating right off the pie dish/cake plate/muffin tin to save on dirty dishes.

Anyway, the point of all this is that if you are making this as a full-size pie and are serving it to people whose opinions you value I very much recommend letting it set for five to six hours.

Did you notice my use of the word "gelatinous" and did it generate some concern?

Rest assured that gelatin is still has disgusting as ever - made from the collagen found inside animal bones and we certainly did not use it. We used agar. I'm just not sure the term "agarinous" has yet generated widespread acceptance with regard to all that is vegan and jiggly and would make Bill Cosby proud.

For those that are unfamiliar with agar (or "agar agar"), it comes from red algae and it is the best way to mimic Jell-o in vegan desserts. Like a lot of sea vegetables it can be pricy, but a little bit goes a long way in adding a certain jiggly quality to foodstuffs and (Praise Seitan) it is agar agar that makes vegan Jell-o shooters possible.

You can buy it in flake or powder form. I've found that powder is ideal for baking because it's more quickly and easily dissolved when heated and powdered seems to be the preferred form in vegan cookbooks. Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero even go so far as to say it is the only acceptable option for making their pies. The thing is, agar can be difficult to find and the flake variety seems to be more readily accessible than powder. At least around here.

So Paul used the flake, and on this particular Isa and Terry recipe it was completely fine, you just need to use a little bit more of the flake and cook it for a little bit longer. A ratio of approximately 1 tbsp of agar flake for every 1 tsp of agar powder should do the trick.

If you haven't ever used agar agar or agar powder, know that there is a bit of a learning curve to it. I am constantly screwing it up when I make Boston Cream cupcakes - some days it's perfectly jiggly, other days it's super runny. It's a bit of a diva with a Goldilocks complex: it demands the exact right cooking temperature and time, the exact right liquid-to-agar ratio and the exact right amount of time to set. You also don't want it to get old, either. I've never seen an expiry date on the powder but I find that as it gets older its ability to "gelatinize" (agarinize?) becomes compromised.

So truthfully, I don't like to work with it all that often because it's caused quite a few kitchen meltdowns over the last few years. But when the stars align and you get it right, it's one of the most amazing things. And it always, always makes for the best desserts.

Paul has even gone so far as to state that this lemon mousse pie is his favourite vegan dessert of all time.

While lemon might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to festive desserts, the gingersnap crust should do the trick - I guarantee that it will impress both the vegans and the non-vegans that you're spending the holidays with.

No digital recipe for it yet, you'll have to pick up a copy of Vegan Pie in the Sky!

"Vegg" Nog

2011-12-12T17:00:00.000-05:00

Three years ago today I launched This is Vegan for the very first time!

On December 12, 2008 I had been vegan for about six months and TIV began as a simple ocular response to the question, "What is Vegan?" by featuring pictures of the food I was eating. Since then it has taken on a more traditional blog format with recipes, discussions, book reviews and giveaways. TIV has given me a platform to not only share what I am passionate about, but to interact with others that share that same passion, or at the very least, are curious about it. This blog has opened doors to new experiences and friendships and in that way it has given me so much more than I have given it!

I want to take a quick moment to thank you all for your continued interest, input and support regarding this little project of mine. There are tons of vegan blogs to choose from out there and I'm honoured that you take time out of your day to stop by mine. I hope to continue to provide my response to "What is vegan?" for many years to come!

Now -- I think this celebration calls for a little drinky, don't you?!

I should preface this by saying that I've never had egg nog in my life. Paul has, though. Hard to believe now, but we did celebrate many a Christmas as "pregans", and in those days Paul insisted on buying a small carton of egg nog and a bottle of spiced rum every single year, thinking he would like it and not at all remembering the many times in years past when he discovered just how much he didn't like it. This went on for years until, of course, he went vegan and now the decision to act impulsively (or, rather, not act impulsively) at the grocery checkout is made before he even arrives at the store.

All that doesn't matter now because we've found a perfect egg nog alternative, courtesy of Vegan Holiday Kitchen.

Up to this point I've had very little need for vegan nog alternatives because like I said, I've never had interest in the real thing. I've not really looked at the cartoned variety that is available at our supermarket, but I do know that lot of the recipes I've encountered online call for tofu and I'm not super crazy about silken tofu. Especially in a drink.

But then Nava Atlas sent me a copy of her Vegan Holiday Kitchen cookbook, featuring her very own Vegg nog (sans tofu)! It calls for vanilla almond milk and all the traditional eggnog spices (mmm nutmeg) as well as cashew butter.

We also employed our good friend the Captain to spice things up even further.

The verdict: Mellow, creamy and delicious!

The mellow was great, but we tend to like things with super strong flavours and we may or may not like the alcoholic portion to be strong, too. So we ended up doubling everything except for the milk.

Much thanks to Vegan Holiday Kitchen for our newest Christmas tradition! Now I just need a set of these to enjoy it in.

Hard to believe that Christmas is less than two weeks away now!

Classic Spinach Lasagna (and a moment for the sharks...)

2011-12-09T15:40:00.003-05:00

I don't think I've ever had a bad lasagna. As long as it has enough sauce and Daiya (or a non-dairy vegan cheese of your choice), you can't really do wrong by the big L. It's warm. It's hearty. And as long as you have a big enough lasagna dish, it can feed an army.

There are approximately thirty million animal-free lasagna recipes in the vegan world. I'm sure all the variations are delicious in their own way, but sometimes going the traditional route is the most rewarding. Whole wheat noodles. Tofu ricotta. Some spinach. Lots of mozza Daiya.

Using tofu in place of ricotta is pretty old school. The vegans of yore didn't have the substitutes that we have today so they got down and dirty with their fingers, crumbling tofu and mixing in spices. Sometimes it's nice to pay homage to our vegan foreparents and do the same. This is 2011, though, and the only work my fingers did involved pressing the button on the food processor.

The recipe comes from How it All Vegan, and you can also find it here.

P.S. For local readers...

My friend's nine-year-old nephew is leading the local charge against the cruel practice of shark finning, by starting an online petition asking Kitchener city council to ban the sale of shark fins, as well as any products that may contain them. Shark finning is one of the most violent atrocities inflicted upon living creatures and the results of it have no place in our region. As it stands, the practice of shark finning is illegal in Canada but there is no such law prohibiting the sale and purchase of shark fins harvested internationally here in Waterloo Region. However, supporting the industry financially makes us just as culpable in the violence as those who commit the physical acts themselves and it is time that we end our involvement entirely.

You can read about Carleton's mission here and sign his petition here.

(Not Really A) Curried Couscous Salad

2011-12-05T11:21:00.001-05:00

Quick and easy mealtime solutions are not the direct subject matter of the Show Me Vegan blog, but they really should be. Everything I've tried from there has become part of the perfect mid-week hustle and bustle antidote - especially during this season.

I recently tried the Show Me Vegan Curried Couscous Salad.

I love whole grain couscous because it's pretty much the quickest of all the grains to prepare, making it the perfect mid-week carb. Not that the 30 to 40 minutes it takes to prepare brown rice or quinoa is unbearable. It's just that some nights you need your carb fix within five minutes and not a second more.

I will note that my version is not really a curried couscous salad at all. This is because I eliminated one key salad ingredient: the oil. Oil is what makes it a salad, of course, and I'm sure it would be delicious with it. I just thought it would be fine without, too. And when it comes to oil, when you can do without, you probably should.

The curry and wine vinegar lend plenty flavour on their own, so if you're trying to limit oil when you can like I am (and if you aren't, I suggest checking out Forks Over Knives), don't be shy about leaving it out or cutting the 1/2 cup oil down considerably.

The fact that this meal is done in 10 minutes is my favourite thing about it. My second favourite thing is that the first step involves toasting the curry. I will never understand people's aversion to the smell of curry - it's one of my most favourite scents.

With a side of whole grain pita bread, you've got yourself a pretty decent weeknight meal that can be served warm or at room temperature. It keeps well in the fridge and because it doesn't need to be hot the leftovers will be perfect for your packed lunch the next day.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheeze Frosting

2011-12-01T16:03:00.005-05:00

I've been wanting to experiment with red velvet for quite some time now. It always look so pretty and festive and people have been raving about the "crimson velveteen" cupcakes in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World for years now.

Two things have been stopping me. The first is that whenever I open VCTOTW I tend to default to the tried and true favourites and because I don't bake all that often (because I don't like to consume all that sugar all that often) I find myself terrified to try something new in case it isn't as good as the aforementioned tried and true.

The second is the food dye dilemma.

The what, you ask?

Many food dyes aren't actually vegan. Particularly red food dye. In fact, the majority of red food dye contains carmine which, if you're not familiar, is manufactured by grinding up scaled insects (i.e. beetles). Seriously.

The use of carmine (and therefore insects) in crimson-hued food is so widespread that there is only one mainstream food dye producer (to my knowledge) willing to confirm an entirely vegan product, and that is Wilton. When it comes to the rest of them you are gambling a little bit with the amount of bugs in your red-ish sugar cookie. Maybe none. Maybe thirty million. Who knows?

My mom once told me she almost fainted when someone told her that the lipstick she was wearing on her wedding day had ladybugs in it and I always thought that the person who said it was completely crazy. Turns out that her wedding day lipstick likely did have ladybugs in it (or, more probably, a Polish Cochineal). Many (if not most) modern mainstream lipsticks continue to contain carmine. So I'm sorry, random person that, long before I was born, said lipstick has ladybugs in it. I was wrong and you're not crazy.

Anyway, carmine is gross, which means most red food dye is gross, which means pretty much everything is gross because there is food dye in everything nowadays, isn't there?

How vegans choose to deal with it is a personal matter. Some avoid everything red; some make exceptions depending on the circumstance and the likelihood of an artificial dye being used. Other folks avoid food dyes entirely not because of the bugs themselves but because food dyes are quite terrifying and have been connected with many gastrointestinal (diarrhea, vomiting), behavioural (ADHD) and even neurological (migraines, fainting) issues in our modern society.

Me, personally? I can't preach about food dye too much. I'm fairly certain that regardless of what I do now my kidneys will continue to have a lovely technicolour glow resulting from the copious amounts of Kool-Aid I drank as a child. As an adult I do some avoiding, but I dabble now and again. I just do my best to make sure it's insect-free and hope that I don't have a stroke the three times a year I consume it.

So that's the story of how long it took me to finally make red velvet cupcakes. It's long and winded and sometimes exaggerated, but you get the point.

I'm still scared of food dyes but with these cupcakes I was kind enough to share the neurotoxins with my friends so that I wouldn't eat too much. Tis the season for giving, am I right?!

Some photos from the annual tree decorating at our friend Andy's house. Hard to believe I have been participating in this event since 2004. Anyway, the cupcakes went over well and get the omni seal of approval. No one had a stroke. Truthfully, in this situation, the amount of wine and whiskey consumed is probably a bit more concerning than the food dye.

Skillet-Baked Panko Cutlets (with Rotini)

2011-11-28T16:27:00.000-05:00

I love seitan. But as time goes by, it seems to love me less and less. I'm not gluten intolerant and for the most part I feel fine after big bowls of pasta or my beloved slices of peanut butter toast.

But I've recently noticed that my stomach is not quite so happy with me after a big bowl of seitan. I've come to the conclusion that while I may not be gluten intolerant I do clearly have some gluten sensitivity when it is consumed in large quantities. Since seitan is a big bowl of gluten and very little else, it makes sense that I would feel less well after it than I would after a few slices of pizza.

A little Seitan 101 for those of you who don't know what the hell I'm talking about:

Seitan is a vegan protein that also goes by the name of "wheat meat" and it is made from the gluten component of wheat flour. It is often used in place of meat in vegan recipes because it so closely mimics the texture. It is also very easily infused with differing flavours making it versatile in many dishes and it can be prepared any number of ways. Stove-top, oven, grill. Sliced, shredded or in sausage-form. You can do almost anything with it.

It is also insanely delicious and my favourite of the vegan meat alternatives. Except that it kills my gut and a lot of other guts out there.

While seitan and all of the gluten "others" (pastas, breads, etc.) are all derived of the same source (wheat), the main difference between them is the quanity of gluten present in them.

They all get their start in wheat flour. While traditional breads, pastas, etc. use all components of wheat flour, seitan is made from gluten exclusively. To get at the gluten, wheat flour is hydrated, activating the gluten. All other starches and components are then removed. It is then once again dried and ground back into a powder and sold under the title "vital wheat gluten" or "gluten flour". We vegans then buy it in vast quanities and make everything from roasts to bratwurst to wingz with it.

Gluten helps dough to rise and because it is insoluble in water, it's also what gives dough structure and elasticity. When you take away all the other parts of the wheat flour and leave only the gluten it becomes really elastic, which is how seitan is able to mimic the texture of meat.

Gluten is a hot issue in 2011. It's role in dozens of ailments and diseases from ADHD to lymphoma is continually debated. Truthfully I don't know all that much about it except that it sometimes has the tendency to make me feel like crap and I feel a lot better when I don't eat a ton of it. Same with chocolate and coffee and wine and not getting enough sleep and worrying about things I can't change.

I should probably eliminate all of these things completely but instead they're given "sometimes" status in my life. These days, if I know seitan is on the menu for dinner I try to make sure all other meals that day are completely gluten-free. It helps.

Eliminating meat and dairy was so easy because it had nothing to do with food and everything to do with the animals. Gluten is a much sneakier bugger because the only one it's hurting is me.

Anyway. The whole purpose of this tangent is to show you the most recent pain-via-deliciousness that I inflicted upon myself. Damn you, Vegan Diner why did this dish have to be so amazing and why can I only have it, like, twice a year?!

I'm pretty sure all of Vegan Diner is amazing. Everything we've tried so far has been. If you are into comfort food at all, you need to get this book!

For this gluten gluttony you start by making a batch of Italian Sausage Cutlets (also from Vegan Diner).

Once they are steamed into shape they're breaded in panko breadcrumbs and pan-fried until brown and crispy.

Sadly, I don't have an oven-proof skillet (unbelievable, I know!) so I had to use a frying pan for the stove-top and then transfer the cutlets and sauce to a casserole dish for a few minutes in the oven, under the broiler (just long enough to melt the mozzarella Daiya). Which I of course forgot to take a picture of.

Once the Daiya is melted it's ready to go - serve on top of your favourite pasta. It would also make for a delicious sub sandwich or wrap!

You can find the full recipe for this dish here on Google Books. It is so good - kind of a vegan chicken parm alternative, if you happen to be looking for one.

Banana-Chocolate-Kahlua Cheesecake

2011-11-23T11:03:00.003-05:00

I have finally, finally had the chance to try a recipe out of Vegan Pie in the Sky.

I carried on about this book for months. Then it finally came out and it took me a month to get around to making something from it. After Thanksgiving and Halloween and a month straight of cramming junk down my gullet, I needed to take a break from the sweets.

Now that we're entering the season of baked goods I'm sure the next few weeks will provide ample opportunity to sample more of Isa and Terry's pie and cake recipes. And I will (hopefully) also have holiday company to help me eat it all. Which was sadly not the circumstance involving this particular cake. We basically just cut it in half and ate the entire thing between the two of us.

Pre-vegan, cheesecake was my thing. When ordering dessert at a restaurant, there was no contest. Not a close one, anyway. It was always cheesecake. Fruit, chocolate, plain. It didn't matter. As long as it was cheesecake.

When I first went vegan I figured my cheesecake days were over, and I accepted it as a part of this greater life philosophy that I had adopted. How wrong I was!

There are many, many ways to make a vegan cheesecake. They typically involve pre-packaged vegan cream cheeses. These types of vegan cheesecakes are the most authentic, I think, but they are also heavy on highly processed ingredients and are usually more costly to put together. In Vegan Pie in the Sky, Isa and Terry aschew the premade vegan cream cheeses and instead opt for silken tofu and the do-it-yourself route.

The main difficulty I ran into with this cheesecake was the lack of vegan graham crackers being mass marketed here in KW. Damn you, honey!!!! I've heard rumour of some of the specialty stores carrying the Sweet & Sara brand, but I didn't feeling like driving around looking for them. Graham crackers are relatively easy to make at home and I had the luxury of time this past weekend. I made them from scratch this summer for a camping trip that didn't happen and liked the recipe so much that I decided it would be great as a cheesecake crust too.

The nice thing about making graham crackers for the sole purpose of using them as a crust for a cheesecake is that you don't have to fuss too much with making perfect squares. I just cut the dough up haphazardly and tossed it into the oven on a baking sheet. I also baked them 16 minutes as opposed to the 12-14 recommended, because I wanted them to be crispy and easily ground up in my food processor. Worked like a charm!

As we approach the holidays, the option of adding a quarter cup of Kahlua to the batter isn't really an option at all. What's Christmas without a little Kahlua?

So. It goes like this. You've got your from-scratch graham cracker crust. Then you've got your banana-flavoured cheesecake batter. Then some melted chocolate. Then some Kahlua. Then you swirl it all around all fancy and put it in the oven...

...and you get this!

It's so rich and decadent, perfectly sophisticated for a fancy, grown-up Christmas gathering.

If all the recipes in Vegan Pie in the Sky are like this one, I think we're in for a beautiful relationship. Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, the queens of vegan baking, have clearly done it again.

I wish I had a digital recipe to share with you, but the cookbook is so new that we bloggers haven't had a chance to rip through it yet. Stay tuned to Google, I'm sure there will be one up soon. Otherwise just buy the book and have all 75 recipes at your fingertips. I highly doubt you will be disappointed - they are the queens, after all.

{{EDIT}} Scratch the above - looks like the recipe is available on Google Books! Check it out here (scroll up for ingredients list).

Raw Fettucine Alfredo

2011-11-18T15:17:00.001-05:00

Hello! I'm back (again). Turns out that this month our house has been selected as the place where technology goes to die. First my Blackberry gave out (hence my continued Twitter silence). Then my camera developed some lens issues (mainly that it wouldn't open) and then my laptop developed an attitude and refused to let me load the pictures that I did manage to take with said defective camera, hindering my ability to blog. On top of all that I haven't been feeling a hundred percent and have had little motivation to remedy any of these technological glitches.

I think I've got it sorted out now. Until the next meltdown.

Today's recipe is another one from Ani's Raw Kitchen uncookbook.

I'm still trying really hard to up my intake of living foods. I strive for one completely raw meal a day. Sure, it's usually just a kale smoothie of some sort, but it still counts (I think?). It helps. Any day I skip my smoothie I feel a noticeable change in energy levels and attitude and that motivates me to keep up with it even though truthfully I would much rather be eating some sort of tempeh-daiya-cheese scramble with a side of hazelnut mocha latte for breakfast.

When I'm feeling particularly adventurous and have a little time to kill I reach for Ani's book for my daily raw meal.

The thing is, it's cold here now. Really cold.

And we're cheap. Really cheap.

As in keeping our thermostat at an oppressively low temperature and using the money we save to buy wine. Piping hot soups and pastas and casseroles are what keep us from turning blue in the winter months. And I just can't seem to get the same effect from a raw meal.

I know that it's good for us, though. So I drink my smoothies while wearing mittens and make a break for the blankets after raw dinners.

I didn't mind this dish at all but I think I'll be more responsive to it in the summer months.

I had fun making fettucine out of zucchini with my beloved Titan peeler!

The alfredo sauce is Ani's garlic aioli and it is made from cashews, celery, onion, garlic and lemon.

One thing I've noticed with Ani's book is that her sauce recipes yield an alarming amount. I would imagine it's because these kinds of things are good to make in batches and use in different meals over the course of a week. If you don't want to do that you can totally half the recipe and still have an incredibly saucy raw fettucine alfredo.

Recipe for the dish is here and you can find the garlic aioli recipe here. Make sure you sprinkle the finished product with tons of freshly cracked black pepper. What's alfredo without black pepper?!

Butternut Squash Stuffed with Whole Wheat, Rice and Onion Stuffing; Agave-Mustard Brussels Sprouts

2011-11-09T14:17:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone! After a little bit of a computer vacation following Vegan Mofo 2011, I have officially returned to the blogosphere. Did you miss me? If you didn't, my feelings won't be hurt - I was kind of constantly in your face for a little while there. Honestly? I was even getting a little sick of myself and the sound of my own typing. Hopefully you're ready to hear from me again, because here I am!

While in the throes of Mofo I was contacted by vegan cookbook author Nava Atlas who so kindly offered to send me an advanced copy of her newest cookbook, Vegan Holiday Kitchen. I was elated! I had already bookmarked it for purchase on November 1st and having it in my greedy little paws a week early was such a treat. Nava has been such a great supporter of This is Vegan for a long time and I want to thank her so much for this wonderful gift!

In case you couldn't tell by my Thanksgiving/Oktoberfest/Halloween posts during Vegan Mofo, Paul and I are holiday fanatics. It doesn't even matter what the holiday is. We kind of love them all. We want to finish our basement but we can't bring ourselves to sacrifice the storage space - we need it for all the holiday-themed decorations we've accumulated over the years.

It can be a bit overwhelming to some people, but it's just one of the many quirky things about our relationship.

Being this holiday crazy means that a few months ago when I first heard about a new holiday cookbook put together by two of my favourite vegans (Nava Atlas of Vegan Express and Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for all Seasons fame, and vegan blogger extraordinarie Susan Voisin of Fat Free Vegan) I started chomping at the bit for its November 1st release date.

Sadly, while my American friends are starting to prepare for Thanksgiving, we here in Canada are currently between holidays. We are, however, still experiencing a beautiful southern Ontario fall and even though it's not Thanksgiving proper, Sunday night dinners present the perfect opportunity for trying some of Nava's autumn-themed recipes.

So, this past weekend after a copious amount of ball and sunshine in the backyard with our little dog, I made this autumn feast.

Butternut squashes are my favourite of all the squashes. It's really weird that I'd never served them stuffed until this past weekend. Such a shame! Sadly, I didn't have any of the wild rice needed for the recipe (which is weird because on any given day my cupboard is home to 3940389043 different kinds of rice). I was forced to sub-in plain old brown long-grain rice. Since I was losing some of the visual appeal by not using wild rice, I chopped up half a red bell pepper and tossed it into the mix, just to add a little colour.

It turns out that I suck at scooping the pulp out of roasted squashes in such a way that preserves little bowls fit for stuffing. Instead, I seem to hack the crap out of them until they are riddled with holes. I started to get the hang of it after awhile and managed to salvage four halves. For the others, I just chopped up the squash and tossed it with the rice, whole wheat bread chunks and the remaining stuffing ingredients and put what couldn't be stuffed into the remaining squashes into a casserole dish for baking. Butternut squash bowls are ideal, but we're not above eating stuffing straight out of a casserole dish if necessary.

I'm on a bit of a Brussels sprouts kick lately. I just can't get enough of them! And this might be my new favourite way to serve them. The recipe for the agave-mustard (a wonderful, cruelty-free alternative to honey-mustard!) sauce is reminiscent of the Oktoberfest mustard I love so much during the festival.

Both recipes are amazing and I encourage you to pick up your own copy of Vegan Holiday Kitchen, now available! I'm already eyeballing the Christmas section although I'm trying not to get too ahead of myself. Especially since Paul gets ahead of himself enough for the both of us (he proposed decorating the tree while we were taking down the Halloween decorations).

In the meantime, you can find the recipe for the stuffed squashes here on Nava's website.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T10:37:00.002-04:00

We celebrate Halloween the exact same way every single year. Two weeks of horror movie marathons and then a costume-fueled dance party with our friends the Saturday before the big day. We gather at our place for drinks and snacks and then head off to Starlight for what is for sure the best Halloween party in Kitchener-Waterloo. Every year tops the one before it!

This year we drank Sewer Punch out of a pumpkin punch bowl...

...and ate super salty roasted pumpkin seeds, vegan candy and pretzels...

...and cupcakes too, of course!

I was Raggedy Ann...

...and Paul was Tobias Funke of Arrested Development fame!

Our friends had super cute costumes as well, and we danced the night away, first in my kitchen and then at Starlight!

And with the end of this entry I also find myself at the end of Vegan Month of Food 2011! 31 days straight of new recipes and blog posts and I am exhausted. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to pull it off, with October being the busiest month of the year for us and then halfway through having received heartbreaking news about our dog that pretty much took over my brain from that point forward. Mofo has been a fun learning experience and I've found so many new recipes that are destined to become favourites, but for now I miss cooking my old favourites. As a result, I think I'm going to rub my eyes, crack my knuckles, turn off the computer and head back out into the world of three-dimensional people. A mini-hiatus is in order, but don't worry, I'll be back soon!

Halloween Hummus

2011-10-30T19:47:00.002-04:00

I tried to copy Susan V's Black Bean Hummus spiderweb. I failed miserably. Tahini doesn't like being in a pastry bag. Who'da thunk?

The recipe is here if you're still looking for something to spook-ify the big day tomorrow. I suggest taking her up on the soy yogurt option, which I didn't do because I didn't have any, but I think it would bring the flavour together a bit more. Plus it is more likely to cooperate with you when you are piping the spiderweb.

Potato and Eggplant Bake

2011-10-29T16:30:00.000-04:00

I'm currently in the throes of making treats and halloween-ifying our humble abode for tonight's ghoulish festivities, so I'm afraid this won't be much of a post. Forgive me.

This is what we had for dinner last night.

Eggplants are pretty much the cutest item in the produce aisle. They are so cute that I actually considered being one for Halloween this year. As cute as they are, I kind of don't like how they taste. Unless they are fried. But isn't everything more delicious when it's fried?

Between this and my hatred for salads, they just might revoke my membership to Club Vegan.

I'm trying to eat more of things I don't like in hopes that I eventually develop a like for them. After all, there was a time when I hated cinnamon, broccoli and quinoa. And now these three things seem to make up the bulk of my diet.

I still can't get used to eggplant. Or cauliflower. Or mushrooms. But just like I learned to like quinoa, I have hope that I will learn to like them too.

This dish was a pretty good start. It has a very mellow taste to it, so I ended up adding some hot sauce and pepper flakes just before serving. When I make it again I'll put both right into the potatoes while mashing them. Either way, a pretty great meal, especially when combined with a side of garlic toast!

Recipe is from Fresh and Fast Vegan and you can find it online here.

Vegetable Rundown

2011-10-28T15:54:00.000-04:00

I have a slight addiction to buying cookbooks. I just love them so much! There is no way that I will ever live long enough to try all the recipes that I have bookmarked in my cookbook collection. I'm not even sure I will live long enough to try half of the recipes that I have bookmarked in my cookbook collection.

This is further complicated by the fact that I also have a slight addiction to vegan blogs. And emailing myself recipes from all these vegan blogs. I work through the recipes that I email myself from oldest to newest and I am currently making recipes that I bookmarked in 2009. I'm only getting to them now! There are just too many vegan recipes and too little time to try them all. It keeps me up at night.

This one here is from the Show Me Vegan blog, a really awesome blog that sadly hasn't been updated in over a year. We've loved everything every one of the Show Me Vegan recipes that we've tried, so I hope the author will come back soon with more great meal ideas.

In the meantime, give this Vegetable Rundown a try. A Jamaican-style stew-and-rice combo made with vegetables, habanero and coconut milk and seasoned with thyme and lots of allspice; it's off the stove and in your belly within a half an hour.

The Mighty Tempeh Sandwich

2011-10-27T08:35:00.004-04:00

I made the most amazing soup! And then I forgot to take a picture! Unbelievable. I even have a recipe for it that I can share. Mofo is seriously frying my brain - is it considered poor form to say how relieved I am that it's almost over? I love you Mofo, but I'm exhausted.

The soup will have to wait until I make it again. For now, my new favourite sandwich. Pan-fried tempeh with some leftover tomato sauce and Daiya melted on top. Topped with tomato and baby spinach and layered on 8-grain bread. All Paul's idea. What an amazing lunch!

Williamsburg Arms, Kitchener

2011-10-26T19:49:00.003-04:00

Unfamiliar restaurants can sometimes be a traumatic experience for vegans. This is not our fault, even though it's sometimes framed to look like it is. I'm not demanding that all restaurants carry a supply of Gardein and make fresh cashew cheese for us. But I also really don't think it's too much to ask that dishes that don't require animal products (french fries, salads, vegetable pastas) don't have them. Unfortunately that's just not the case in a lot of establishments. It's even worse at restaurants that rely on pre-made and label-less items and have staff that can tell you that they don't think something has butter in it, but they don't actually know because they honestly have no way of knowing.

I'm vegan by choice but I know a lot of people who follow a plant-based diet because of severe allergies and it's for them that I get particularly irked in these instances. If I, through misguidance, accidently eat something with dairy in it I will live and experience little physical repercussion. Although if I did find out about it (as I have in the past), I would (and have been) right pissed off at the resto for a long time. Still, it's a lot more serious when someone who physically cannot have a certain food item has that certain food item because ingredients aren't made explicit.

I don't mean this as a jab to Williamsburg Arms or any restaurant for that matter. It's just sadly an accepted component of our society: as a collective, we don't care what's in our food. So restaurants have no reason to tell us.

I have a list of "safe" restaurants that I typically stick to because they are courteous enough to offer vegan options and don't treat me like a social deviant when I order them. All the same, there's a need to branch out sometimes, particularly when you're not the one picking the restaurant. I stick by my statement that vegans can eat almost anywhere, and this is how I handle it.

My "Unknown Restaurant" Protocol is as follows:

1) I always call the unfamiliar restaurant in advance and ask if they have anything vegan. I do this especially if I'm going with a group of people, so as to not hold up the ordering process once we're all seated. Maybe someday the restaurant standard will call for adequate labels of all dishes for ease of ordering, but until then, a five minute phone call never hurt anybody. I like to do this in advance because in my experience, I've found that you're more likely to get a straight answer if you're asking your questions ahead of time and not while your server is struggling to remember every person in the room's specific requests. Servers work hard, juggling so many different demands and requirements, and I think that helping them out a bit by analyzing your options in advance is the fair thing to do. Also, I've found that many restaurants that do not typically have vegan options will make something vegan for you as long as you give them adequate time to prepare (i.e. sooner than when you're sitting at one of their tables).

2) You will, at some point in your veganism, run into a restaurant that has no idea what is in its food. It's inevitable. A lot of restaurants rely on frozen, pre-packaged items sent from head offices and a lot of times these don't come with labels. I could rant and rave about this all day long, but it doesn't change that this is a 2011 fact of life. When this happens I usually avoid the restaurant entirely.

This isn't always an option, though. Sometimes you have to go to an Unknown Restaurant for work or some sort of family-oriented thing. Sometimes you go to an Unknown Restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday or recent achievement. Just because you're vegan doesn't mean you shouldn't or can't go, it just may mean that you have to eat before. Or that you have to play a little Vegan Russian Roulette with the menu.

I've done both. I suppose "stricter" vegans may argue with my methods, and in the early days of my veganism I may have argued with my methods too.

This does not mean that I just order whatever and hope for the best. I can't stress that enough. It also doesn't give excuse to eat whatever random thing and then throw my hands in the air and say "Oh my God I didn't realize this three-cheese pasta had cheese in it!". Taking this route means that I analyze the menu as critically as I can (with the help of staff and Google) and look for my safest options - items in which it would be really, really weird to have meat or dairy. Typically this means steering clear of gluten too, in order to avoid potential egg product. The truth is a lot of places serve vegan food, they are just hesitant to guarantee that it is free of animal product.

My methods are not foolproof. God knows they put some really messed up animal products in things for no reason. I suppose in that sense my methods may be controversial - but the once or twice a year that I have to use them doesn't ruffle my feathers too much. For me, veganism has always been about intent - if you try everything in your power to avoid animal products and you somehow end up consuming one anyway, it has nothing to do with your veganism. It has to do with everyone else's lack there of. It's not something I think anyone should ever beat themselves up over, regardless of what the Vegan Police might say. Agonizing and quibbling over things like this is just not how I do veganism.

Honestly, I've found that most of the restaurants that we visit (chain or otherwise) are more than accommodating and helpful in terms of finding or creating vegan options for us, regardless of what's on the menu.

I put my methods to the test at a friend's birthday party at Williamsburg Arms this past weekend. We got a basket of plain waffle fries and then stuck with the Indian curry section of the menu. We got the vegetable plate, which is channa and ali gobi with basmati rice. It sounded safe and definitely tasted safe, completely meat-free, and I've never heard of anyone putting dairy in channa or ali gobi. Although stranger things have happened, I guess, so order with caution. One thing is for sure - their veggie burger is not vegan. They also have plenty of beer that you for sure can have if all this is making your head spin.

Williamsburg Arms
1187 Fischer Hallman Road
Kitchener, ON
N2E 4H9
519-745-6460

Not-Too-Dirty Rice & Citrus Collards with Raisin Redux

2011-10-25T16:49:00.002-04:00

I always get uber excited when Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen comes up in my cookbook rotation. It is by far the most interesting cookbook I've ever owned. I haven't had much opportunity to try African-American cuisine so I don't have much to go by in terms of comparison to non-vegan versions of his meals, but his cookbook has given me the chance to try so many new meals and foodstuffs I probably would not have come in contact with otherwise.

Dirty rice is a Cajun dish that I would have never eaten, even before going vegan. What the hell is a giblet and why would someone eat it?

Bryant tones down the "dirty" in his vegan version, substituting tiny bits of seitan and crumbled tempeh in place of said giblets and the chicken liver that is also found in traditional dirty rice. Other than that, it retains the main components of dirty rice: The Holy Trinity (celery, bell pepper and onion), paprika, chili powder, cayenne, etc. You can find the recipe here, about three quarters of the way down the page.

The Not-Too-Dirty rice is pretty hefty and filling on its own, so I just made some collard greens as a side dish.

I'm not even going to pretend like I know what the word "redux" means. Let's just say it means delicious.

This dish is a quick and yummy way to get some extra greens into your system. The collards are boiled until they are just bright green and then they are tossed with freshly squeezed orange juice, raisins and garlic. You can find the recipe in Vegan Soul Kitchen, or by clicking here.

Birthday Pupcake

2011-10-24T11:27:00.000-04:00

We celebrated our dog Dora's 6th birthday a few days ago, with a homemade vegan pupcake featuring two of her favourite things: peanut butter and apples. She will go cross-eyed over the prospect of both. When you put them together, she will seriously consider ripping your head off for a bite.

Good luck trying to get her to sit still enough for a nice birthday picture with the pupcake - it was borderline cruel, so we decided to just let her go for it. I have tortured her with photo opportunities for all of the nearly six years that she's lived with us - she deserves a break!

The recipe for this pupcake comes from Spoonful of Sugarfree. We just cut the quantities way, way down and made two little pupcakes for her. Her treats usually consist of spoonfuls of pumpkin and apple chunks - she was so excited at the prospect of getting something so fancy.

Dora's situation is a complicated one. You may recall that back in July we almost lost her to Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia. While we have managed to get that under control, her health is still in a very questionable state. Her doctors have been working tirelessly to help her, but it is a very likely possibility that this birthday may be her last.

Destroyed doesn't even begin to describe the state we have been in since learning this information. But we are trying to be optimistic and are filling our days with lots of doggy cuddles, kisses on the snout and games of ball in the backyard.

And of course, a birthday pupcake fit for a queen.

The TIV Breakfast Special

2011-10-23T15:24:00.000-04:00

Before I was vegan, I was the girl begging the diner to make her something off the lunch menu at 8am. Bless the hearts of those who actually did it.

I was probably always meant to be vegan, because the texture of eggs has disgusted me for my entire life. I also tried bacon only once and promptly spit it back out and into a napkin. It's safe to say that breakfast food hasn't really been my thing.

I prefer to start my mornings with a kale smoothie, or a bit of last night's leftovers. Even so, I find savoury vegan breakfasts to be much more tolerable than their carnist counterparts and I've been known to enjoy a tofu scramble or two in my day.

For today's Mofo post I'm going to share with you our weekend breakfast specialty, because there's always something lovely about making a big breakfast on a chilly Sunday morning.

The TIV Breakfast Special

* Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 medium onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
Sea salt (I use spicy Herbamare) and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups vegan ham, cut into 1 inch cubes*
1 teaspoon Braggs or Tamari
1 package firm or extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon chives
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1-2 tablespoons hot salsa
3/4 cup vegan cheese**
Hot sauce, for serving

* Vegan ham tastes the best in this recipe, but it can be difficult to get your hands on. If you can't find it, substitute vegan breakfast links, tempeh bacon or even just your favourite vegan sausage/hot dog.

** I used mozzarella Daiya, because it's what I had in the fridge this morning. Their pepperjack flavour tastes the best in this, though!

Directions

1) Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed pan or skillet. Add the onions and stir frequently, for about two minutes, until they look translucent. Add the green pepper and salt and pepper to taste and cook until softened, about two more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside in a bowl.

2) Toss the vegan ham with the Braggs/Tamari. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the pan (if needed) and increase heat to medium-high. Add the vegan ham to the pan and saute until lightly browned, about three minutes or so. Remove from heat and place in the bowl with the onion/pepper mixture.

3) Mix the tofu with the turmeric. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and toss the tofu in, stirring frequently. As the pieces begin to brown, mix in the cayenne pepper and chives. Cook together until browned and crispy on all sides, about three to five minutes. Stir in the salsa and heat through.

4) When tofu is ready, add the onion, pepper and ham mixture back into the pan. Sprinkle with vegan cheese of your choice and keep it on the heat until the cheese begins to melt slightly and everything is heated through. Serve with additional hot sauce and a side of whole grain toast.

Broccoli Polenta & Braised Seitan with Brussels Sprouts, Kale and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2011-10-22T12:46:00.004-04:00

Here's another Mofo post that comes courtesy of Veganomicon. I chose it because I wanted a glass of wine and it gave me an excuse to open a bottle.

A little for you, a little for me
Polenta is one of my favourite foods but nutritionally it's usually kind of lacking. Not this one, though! I love how it has just as much broccoli as it does corn grits.

Polenta can sometimes be a real jerk to make. I find when I stir the cornmeal in, no matter how vigorously I whisk away at the water while doing so, it splatters all over the kitchen it seriously hurts when it hits your skin. My mom, who has been making polenta a lot longer than I have, recently gave me a trick of the trade: take the pot completely off the heat while stirring in the polenta or immediately afterward, at least until it's adequately combined. Recipes never tell you to do this and it always makes such a mess. Taking it off the heat definitely takes away the splatter potential and I do it regardless of what a recipe says.

After the polenta and broccoli have simmered on the stove for a bit you put it into muffin tins and let it set in the fridge for about an hour:

Once they have set enough that you can pry them out with a fork, they are ready to go onto a baking stone and then under the broiler. I only gave them about 40 minutes in the fridge - I was hungry last night! They sit nice and close to the broiler for 7-10 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and crispy.

If you don't have a baking stone I urge you to get one - I have three and they are all practically black, I use them so much! In the meantime, feel free to use a greased baking sheet.

You can serve the little polenta tarts with whatever you want. I went with the Braised Seitan with Brussels Sprouts, Kale and Sun Dried Tomatoes recipe that is also found in Veganomicon (online copy found here). I don't know if it's the use of wine or what, but this meal feels so fancy and sophisticated - although that is coming from a girl who just this morning dipped tortilla crumbs into mango salsa and called it breakfast.

(Raw) Fruit Parfait

2011-10-21T15:26:00.001-04:00

When I was in university I used to always go to the supermarket and get a fruit, granola and yogurt parfait when I wanted something "healthy" for breakfast. The ones I bought had more sugar than they did anything else and don't even get me started on what yogurt used to do to my stomach. Not to mention the big old "granola is always healthy" myth that I used to subscribe to. Mass-marketed granola, like the kind found in mass-marketed fruit and yogurt parfaits, is often highly processed and loaded down with enough sugar to make it inticing to the masses. I'm pretty sure all I got from those parfaits was a crash three hours later.

I did always really like the taste, though, so when I saw a recipe for a living fruit parfait in Ani's Raw Kitchen I thought I'd give it a try.

Truthfully, I haven't had the time to experiment with this cookbook as much as I'd have liked to since I got it last month. And honestly, with the colder weather these days I've found myself leaning more toward comfort foods of the piping hot variety. Also, I find that I have trouble digesting all-raw, all-the-time. Probably just because my body isn't used to being treated that well. Ha!

All the same, I really have to stop looking at raw food as an all-or-nothing thing. I need to start incorporating more raw into my diet, even if it's just a small part of a mostly non-raw meal. I've recently started replacing breakfasts with Vega-fortified green smoothies and I can't even begin to describe the difference it's made in my daily energy levels. There is a huge difference between the days I have the smoothie and the days I don't, and it's enough for me to realize that I need to incorporate more raw elements into other meals as well.

The first step in putting together the parfait is making Ani's "Buckwheat Crispies", a living cereal made from dehydrated buckwheat groats. Despite its name, buckwheat is a seed rather than a grain and it is entirely gluten-free. High in dietary fiber and magnesium, it's believed to help in lowering the risk of high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It's also considered a better choice than many wheat products for those with blood sugar concerns (that'd be me) and Diabetes. Learn more about buckwheat here.

In other news, dehydrating is scary.

Not really. Only if you haven't done it before. Which I hadn't, until these crispies. Because even though I've had a dehydrator for years, I've always been kind of scared to use it.

The dehydrator is an older model, and it sounds a bit like freight train while it's going. So this project and all future projects will occur behind the closed laundry room door, I think.

Four and a half hours later, your Buckwheat Crispies are good to go, all you need is your non-dairy milk of choice and a bowl! They apparently keep for a long time too so I made a massive batch and stored it in a big glass container for future breakfasts. You can find the recipe for them here.

Instead of the yogurt found in mainstream fruit parfaits, Ani uses a raw pudding. The one I chose is made of cashews, medjool dates, water and coconut. You can find the recipe here.

After that it's just a matter of layering the parfait: fruit (I used bananas and strawberries), buckwheat crispies, pudding, repeat!

The one thing I find most surprising about raw/living foods is how filling they are. I'm not exactly sure why I thought that they wouldn't be. They are whole foods in the purest sense of the term, after all. But honestly, I eat a raw meal and I don't feel even slight hunger discomfort until, like, five hours later.

Eating food without really doing anything to it in the first place. What a concept. It's almost as if it was meant to be that way.

Arabesque Cafe, Kitchener

2011-10-20T20:41:00.003-04:00

It's rare that I succumb to the mighty telephone at the dinner hour.

But some days...they just call for takeout.

We went with Arabesque Cafe, a Lebanese restaurant close to home. There are very few vegan things there. But what they have is so good that it keeps us coming back. Even though we have to order the exact same thing every time.

I've always been a creature of habit, anyway.

Baba Ghanoush (from the menu: eggplant, parsley and tomatoes mixed with lemon and garlic and topped with pomegranate sauce) with fresh baked pita bread.

Falafel Plate (from the menu: vegetarian patty made from chickpeas and fava beans, with salad, hummus and fries)

Arabesque Cafe
869 Victoria St. North
Kitchener, Ontario
519-954-2212

Black Bean Dream Soup

2011-10-19T17:06:00.002-04:00

The last few days have been rough. Comfort food to the rescue!

Last night, Paul made this black bean soup using a recipe found in CalciYum by Rachelle and David Bronfman. First released in 1998, it sadly looks like it's not in print anymore. I have spotted a couple used copies being sold privately on Amazon and eBay, but it looks like mass production of it has ceased.

We really enjoyed the recipe for this soup, so I'm going to share it in hopes that it maybe sparks interest about this book once again. I don't normally share recipes that are not my own out of respect for the authors - it's important that we support them financially so that they can keep writing cookbooks for us! I make the exception with CalciYum every now again because there are so many great recipes in this book that deserve to be made. I've tried to find contact information for the authors, but haven't had any luck. If you track down a copy, be sure to pick it up. You won't be disappointed! It is the book the dairy industry doesn't want you to know about and it is a showstopper in the "vegans really do get adequate amounts of calcium" argument. In the meantime I will continue cooking from my copy and sharing the results, at least via picture.

Black Bean Dream Soup From CalciYum

2 cups dried black beans, soaked overnight and drained/rinsed
5 cups water
2 cups vegetable stock
4 cups bok choy, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup tomato sauce (Paul used arribata)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more for topping

1) In a large pot, combine the beans, vegetable stock, bok choy, garlic, sweet potato and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer gently, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.

2) Remove the bay leaf and transfer the soup to a blender. Puree until smooth and return to pot.

3) Stir in the tomato sauce, salt, thyme and black pepper. Simmer, covered, over low heat for ten minutes. Top with additional black pepper.

Indian-Spiced Quinoa with Raisins and Pine Nuts and Balsamic-Glazed Carrots & Kale

2011-10-18T15:18:00.002-04:00

Here's another quick mid-week meal for you, courtesy of Vegan Planet.

When I first tried quinoa I hated it. A couple months later I tolerated it. Now it's become one of my favourite foods! I've found that not all brands of quinoa are made equal, and some of them are so much more bitter than others, even after extensive draining and rinsing. These days I like the taste of President's Choice Organic the best. Strange, I know!

I'm really glad I've learned to love quinoa, because when it comes to grains, it's the best of the best. The high calorie content used to freak me out a little bit, admittedly, but I'm not the calorie counter I used to be. There is a difference between the calories found in a plant-based whole food than those found in a mystery meat cheeseburger and your body knows it.

Because quinoa is a complete protein and provides so much of what makes a nutritious main course all on its own, I decided that some simple steamed vegetables would do as a side dish.

You can find the recipe for the quinoa here and the recipe for the carrots and kale here.

Pumpkin-Crusted Tofu with Roasted Pumpkin, Basmati Rice and Cranberry Relish

2011-10-17T17:42:00.000-04:00

Last week I said that the fried portion of my Vegan Mofo adventure was over. I lied. But only because I found a recipe that I bookmarked nearly three years ago - with a "Try this in October" note. Two Octobers came and went without me trying it. Forgive me this last fried indulgence!

Until I made this meal, I had never bought a sugar pumpkin for food purposes. Every fall, since I first moved out on my own when I was 19 years old, I haven't been able to resist the urge to buy one of the cute round pumpkins that hang around the squash aisle of the market every October. And every year they have been given Table Decoration Status until they've rotted out. It never fails. Every November we end up wandering around the house asking each other, "Do you smell that?" and "Why does it always smell like garbage in this house?" and then a few days later we notice the soggy culprit in the middle of our kitchen table.

Honestly, I don't know where the intimidation came from because I work with squash all the time. Pumpkin is no different from the butternut and acorn and delicata squashes I have become so fond of roasting this time of year.

This year I still couldn't resist the urge to buy a sugar pumpkin. But unlike previous years, I mustered up the courage to actually cook it!

The recipe that I bookmarked years ago is in Vegan with a Vengeance. I can't find a copy of it online, but since it's the archetypal vegan cookbook I'm confident that most of you have it. If you don't, you probably should!

The one noticeable difference between something like a butternut squash and a pumpkin is the exceptionally tough exterior. My chef's knife didn't really do much. I had to grab a knife that was serrated on both sides and then use it to hack the crap out of the pumpkin, much like carving a jack-o-lantern!

The prize for throwing out your shoulder while carving out a pumpkin is the opportunity to roast the seeds! Is there anything more glorious than the smell of roasting pumpkin seeds?

When they get golden brown you pull them out of the oven and let them cool down for a bit. Then into the food processor they go.

Meanwhile, you slice the pumpkin, brush on some oil and toss it into the oven.

I had it in the oven for about an hour before I was dying of starvation and took it out, even though it wasn't as tender as it should have been. The recipe suggests roasting it at 350F but I normally roast my squash at at least 375F, which is what I will do next time.

I think the cranberry relish is considered an option for this recipe but it is not. It is a must. Besides, you have nothing but time while waiting for that pumpkin to roast. It's quite tart, and when I tasted it on its own I wasn't sure if I was feeling it all that much. But combined with the pumpkin and the fried tofu I'm about to show you - amazing!

After you've drained the tofu of as much liquid as possible, you cut it into 2" slabs and prepare your breading station - flour, water and the ground pumpkin seeds mixed with corn starch and oregano, dipping each piece of tofu in each bowl until totally covered in the pumpkin seeds.

They look like this when they are finished frying but the real story is how they smell. Technology has come a long way but sadly it is still something I can't share that via the blog. You'll just have to make them yourself!

This is a pretty labour-intensive and time consuming recipe. It is definitely not a weeknight dinner. But the best meals usually take the most time, don't they? I first saw this recipe three years ago and was too intimidated to try it, especially considering my history of injury-via-frying (for the record, Paul did the frying this time), and I'm disappointed that I didn't take the time out to make it sooner. In fact, I think it's going to become an October tradition in our house.

Vegan Bratwurst (and the end of KW Oktoberfest 2011)

2011-10-16T11:59:00.003-04:00

Last week, I posted a recipe for seitan schnitzel on a bun in honour of the opening weekend of the 2011 edition of Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest. Yesterday, we marked the last day of the festival with one final trip to a festhall - after having homemade vegan bratwurst for dinner!

Tofurky makes a pretty solid beer brat, especially when topped with Oktoberfest mustard. It was a lifesaver in 2007 when I experienced my first meatless Oktoberfest and to this day we still buy them to mark the season. I dream that someday the festhalls will carry them!

The only downside is that they can sometimes be difficult to find here in KW. Which is why I'm so excited to have found a homemade vegan bratwurst recipe!

I'm honestly surprised that I only found this recipe now. I am an avid follower of Vegan Dad and I've made so many of his dishes, including his homemade pinto bean sausages, which have since become a summer/camping staple for us. The recipe for the bratwurst is similar, so I knew that they would be just as good.

You start by mashing white beans

And then you're supposed to toss in 1/4 cup of dried shiitake powder. Of which I totally forgot about when getting groceries this week and didn't realize until an hour before we needed to be out the door and in the festhall. So I improvised a bit and chopped a plain old white button mushroom into tiny bits.

Once you've got all your ingredients mixed in and you've kneaded the dough for a good few minutes (until it's nice and stretchy), you chop it into six pieces and then form it into sausage-like shapes. You then place them on foil and roll them as tight as possible, twisting the ends. They don't need to be perfect when you roll them up. The steaming process will snap them into shape.

The bratwurst is then steamed for a half hour to forty minutes or so. When they are firm, they're ready to go!

I'm a cabbage-phobe, so while Paul topped his with sauerkraut, I went without. Which admittedly is a little bit sacrilegious around these parts, but what can you do. I did load up on Oktoberfest mustard though, and it was the last of what was left in the jar. Which means that Oktoberfest is over. Sigh!

After we finished off our brats, we finished off the festival at Karlsberghaus.

Oktoberfest is by far my most favourite event of the whole entire year. Festhalls are such a joyful place - everyone is so happy and generous and you spend a week clinking cups with old friends that you never seem to see the other 51 weeks of the year. I'm always so sad to see it go. October 2012 just seems so far away! But at the same time, this year I'm also a little bit relieved. When I was 19 I could handle a weeklong party. Sadly, at 28 I am a shell of my former self and just can't keep up like I used to. The good news is that I have a whole year to rest up before we do it all over again. Prost!

Broccoli, Apple and Peanut Stew

2011-10-15T13:26:00.002-04:00

Happy Saturday! After an exceptionally beautiful first half to the month, we've recently had ourselves a pretty dreary stretch of days here in our neighbourhood. I kind of like the gloomy weather, though. It makes me feel less guilty about spending the entire day in blankets. With soup!

This here is a perfect fall soup, courtesy of Vegan Soups & Hearty Stews for All Seasons. It combines my three fave elements: broccoli, apples and peanut butter!

Can I please just put peanut butter in everything I make, for the rest of my life?

There is no digital copy of this recipe, but this is a slightly modified version of what is found in Vegan Soups & Hearty Stews for All Seasons.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread & Spiced Apple Cider

2011-10-14T16:07:00.001-04:00

We are just about halfway through the Vegan Month of Food! The blogroll is absolutely amazing this year. I've already bookmarked entirely too many recipes for future use. I'm actually a little concerned about only having a year to try them all, before I start obsessively bookmarking Vegan Mofo 2012 posts in the same manner.

As much as I love Mofo, I am getting a wee bit worn out from all this blogging via kitchen experimentation. Usually, I average 10 or so blog posts a month, but by the end of this month October will have 31! As exhausted I am, I am so happy to be participating and spreading the good vegan word around the internets.

I've suddenly found myself pressed for time today, so here is a quick post for Day 14. It's not even something that I made myself. Shame! The chocolate chip banana bread you see pictured above is a product of Paul's efforts, not mine. This is a good thing because he is a far better baker than I am.

Banana bread seems to have a sort of fanatical following, of which I've never really been a part. It's not that I don't like banana bread. I'll eat it if it's in front of me. I just don't really care either way, you know?

This banana bread I care about. A lot. Paul used the recipe found in Vegan Diner and it is definitely a dessert/treat as opposed to something wholesome to eat for breakfast. But my word, it is so good. He made two loaves and froze the second, only to defrost it three days later when we were finished guiltily licking the last of the crumbs off the first loaf's plate. Yikes.

You know what goes really well with banana bread on a chilly autumn night?

Apple cider is one of those things that I always thought would be disgusting until I tried it for the first time a couple years ago. This year's batches have been especially good, because we've spiced them all!

We found these pre-made packages of fall-inspired flavours (cinnamon, cloves, etc.) at Herrle's Market. They're meant for mulled cranberry juice or mulled wine, but they are perfect for apple cider too. You just wrap them up in cheesecloth and toss them right in the pot while you're heating the cider.

Perfect for curling up with a scary book or scary movie as you countdown to Halloween. I love this time of year!

Pumpkin Hummus (and other uses for pumpkin leftovers)

2011-10-13T17:32:00.000-04:00

It always makes me sad to think about what becomes of all the leftover pumpkin the week after Thanksgiving. It usually only takes a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of pumpkin to make a Thanksgiving pie, so what about what's left in the can? Or, if you're really ambitious, what happens to the rest of the pumpkin's innards?

Today is garbage pick-up day in our neighbourhood, and I shudder to think of how much post-Thanksgiving pumpkin puree fills the garbage bags and compost bins that line our street. Tragic!

Pumpkin is a nutritional superhero. One cup contains a whopping 145% of your daily Vitamin A requirement (important for vision, bones and immune strength) and 33% of your daily Vitamin C, as well as a plethora of B vitamins. Beta-carotene and other antioxidants - you need them for the upcoming flu season! The last place they belong is in the trash.

So here are a few ways to get rid of leftover pumpkin.

Pumpkin Hummus

This recipe is slightly modified from the one found in the autumn issue of LCBO Food & Drink. Because it's a free publication available in all of their stores, I hope that they don't mind me posting it (especially since I am one of their best customers).

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons tahini
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)
1/3 cup olive oil
Hot sauce, to taste (optional)

In a food processor or high-powered blender, combine the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, water and tahini and mix until smooth. Add the pumpkin and seasonings and mix until combined. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil and hot sauce, if using.

If you're also wanting to use up the last of the Thanksgiving seitan roast, the pumpkin hummus makes a great sandwich spread. Especially when sprinkled with Daiya! Sliced-Seitan-with-Pumpkin-Hummus-and-Mozzarella-Daiya just might be my new favourite post-holiday lunch.

If hummus isn't your thing, how about ice cream?

If you aren't already making ice cream with frozen bananas, you need to start. I was spending a fortune on really unhealthy vegan ice creams for a long time before I discovered this trick, and it can all be done in a food processor or high-powered blender. No fancy ice cream maker required!

What you need is about 1/3-1/2 cup pumpkin puree, two bananas that have been sliced and then frozen, a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice and a dash of vanilla. If it's not sweet enough for you, feel free to add a tiny bit of raw cane sugar or agave nectar. Fellow Vegan Mofo-er ChreeseOnToast has a more precise recipe. Don't forget the dark chocolate chips!

If all else fails, pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin cupcakes are always looking to help you with your excess-pumpkin problem.

And while you're enjoying all this pumpkin deliciousness, don't forget to include your best friend!

Pumpkin is just as good for dogs as it is for humans. It is particularly famous for its ability to help with both doggy constipation and doggy diarrhea (and for promoting overall GI functioning in general). You can use it to make homemade dog food and dog treats, if you want. But raw is good too! We just give it to our Dora by the spoonful and it's one of her favourite treats. Just make sure it's pure pumpkin, which doesn't include any added sugars or spices.

Miso-Ginger Red Beans with Broccoli and Quinoa

2011-10-12T17:10:00.001-04:00

The brown, glistening, fried portion of This is Vegan's take on Vegan Mofo has ended along with the Thanksgiving weekend. Thank God. It was delicious, while it lasted, but like all toxic relationships, it needed to end. So today I'm blogging about something that is not fried and features very few ingredients, all of which have names that you can pronounce.

Fast food as its meant to be, this dish is brought to you by Nava Atlas' Vegan Express. Sadly, I couldn't find an online copy of the recipe for you. Nava has been so great about not only providing me with tons of recipes that have become favourites, she's also been kind enough to spread the word about This is Vegan on her Facebook page during my contests and giveaways. Rather than posting the recipe, I encourage you to support her by buying one of her many cookbooks! I have pretty much all of them, and am currently chomping at the bit for a copy of Vegan Holiday, which hits shelves November 1st.

Because it's from Vegan Express, this here is an ideal mid-week meal. So if you've had a long day at work not using your Blackberry, this quick dinner might just lift your spirits.

The recipe calls for small red beans, like these Aduki beans (although I always thought it was adZuki?). My local supermarket isn't exactly known for its adventurous offerings of beans, so it did take a little specialty-store searchin' to locate these cans. If you can't find aduki, I think the recipe would be just fine made with red kidney beans, too. I just happen to like variety, when possible!

Aduki/adzuki/azuki beans are native to Asia, where they maintain the majority of their popularity. One of their most common uses, believe it or not, is in dessert. Cooked up with sugar, they can be found in candies and cakes throughout east Asia. Like other beans, they are a good source of folic acid, iron and especially protein.

When you combine the beans with all these other plantstrong foodstuffs you end up with some pretty powerful nutrients and antioxidants - on your table in under a half an hour!

The sauce is made of miso, and if you haven't yet experimented with miso, I think you should give it a try!

Miso is a soy paste that is created by inoculating trays of rice with the vitamin B12 synthesizing fungus, Aspergillus oryzae, then mixing in a ground preparation of cooked soybeans and salt, and letting the mixture ferment for several days before grinding it into a paste with a nut butter consistency. Because it is fermented with a B12-synthesizing bacteria, miso has been commonly recommended as a B12 source for vegans (Source: WHFoods.org).

There are many variations of miso and those that are darker in colour usually have a stronger flavour. If you've never tried it before, start with one of the more mellow white varieties - a lot of people find the brown misos to be too overwhelming at first. These days, I can't get enough of the brown!

With miso, you usually get what you pay for. Cheaper brands are often comprised mostly of MSG, sugar, excessive salt and preservatives as well as GMO soybeans. Tradition Miso is my personal brand of choice: non-GMO and all organic, all the time.

The miso gives the beans and broccoli an almost gravy-like taste and texture and with a final touch of cooked quinoa, it all comes together as an awesome weeknight fusion food.

Thanksgiving 2011 Round-Up

2011-10-11T10:24:00.002-04:00

On Thanksgiving, we like our turkey alive and as far away from our kitchen as possible. Just like every other day of the year.

I do not endorse the murders of millions of turkeys but I do appreciate the underlying spirit of gluttony characteristic of Thanksgiving and it is something we continue to participate in as vegans. Without the murder, obviously.

And gluttons we were. Starting on Sunday, when we continued the yearly M&P Thanksgiving Feast tradition where we spend the day watching all the Friends Thanksgiving episodes while cooking a big dinner.

We've made a seitan roast for every Thanksgiving and Christmas since I discovered how to do it two years ago. Steamed and then rubbed down with vegan butter or olive oil and poultry seasoning and then baked to a crisp for a half hour or so. Yum!

Over the last few years I have tried out so many stuffing recipes. None of them were particularly bad, but none of them had that soul-warming "I'm going to make this every Thanksgiving until the day I die" feel to them either. At the suggestion of Willie from Until We Eat Again this year's stuffing recipe was courtesy of Susan V at Fat Free Vegan. And I'm going to make it every single Thanksgiving until I die. If you make it, please take her up on the walnuts option - best part of the whole thing!

With another round of Vegan Diner's crack gravy and some garlic-rosemary potatoes, we had ourselves quite the Thanksgiving feast on Sunday night. Holiday dinners are so hilarious. They are the most glorious thing on the planet but somehow they always look like total crap in pictures.

Sunday night's dessert was pumpkin pie, obviously. I normally make pumpkin cheezecake, but Paul wanted traditional this year. Traditional demands a dollop of whipped cream. Which stressed me out a little bit, because in my three and a half years as a vegan I've never made vegan whipped cream.

Turns out there are premade vegan whipped cream options here in Kitchener! I found this at Full Circle Foods downtown. I love that it contains no soy. Love!

Now. As if that meal didn't leave us with enough leftovers to last us well into the second coming, on Monday we went to a Thanksgiving lunch at my parents' house. Where my mom always makes enough food for an army of starving vegans, even though there are just two of us.

We had:

Eggplant lasagna

Mango salad

Green bean casserole with mushrooms and fried onions, also from Fat Free Vegan. I feel like I need to send Susan V a gift to thank her for making our holidays so delicious!

Vegan ham and Daiya mozzarella rolls, which are my mom's own creation and which I will eventually post a recipe for.

Look at all that food, plus some standard issue gnocchi with red peppers that she also made and I forgot to take a picture of at lunch (this here is my 8pm leftovers plate).

And for dessert, a Maple-Pecan pie from The PPK.

I didn't just push the barrier of acceptable levels of self-abuse this weekend. I picked it up and snapped it in half across my knee. I feel terrible today, for the record, so don't anyone dare try and tell me that drinking that much beer and eating that much fried food isn't harmful. Time to get back on track, although we do still have one more weekend of Oktoberfest to go...

Oktoberfest Pretzels at the 2011 Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Parade

2011-10-10T15:51:00.002-04:00

A pretty sweet antidote to all the insane partying done at Oktoberfest festhalls around the region over the Thanksgiving weekend is the relative tranquility of the Monday morning Oktoberfest parade. It is a family-friendly event, after all (although the woman sitting behind us appeared to be brandishing a flask full of whiskey at 8:30am - yikes!). 150,000 locals and not-so-locals line King Street bright and early every Thanksgiving morning. I've been doing it pretty much every year since I myself was a little kid, and it's so awesome to see the tradition continuing decades later.

Usually, parade mornings are freezing. As a kid I very much remember wearing winter coats and toting seriously heavy blankets all around downtown trying to keep warm while someone's parent did a hot chocolate run. This year's weather was unbelievable. Halfway through the parade I even took off my sweater and sat there in a t-shirt! Unheard of in my day, when we used to walk to school uphill both ways. With no shoes. In blizzards.

It was definitely too warm for a hot chocolate today but another parade tradition was satisfied - the Oktoberfest Pretzel breakfast! Grainharvest Breadhouse in Waterloo is the official supplier of all KW Oktoberfest pretzels. They are also the official supplier of all bread products to the house of Mary & Paul. The bakery specializes in all-natural, fresh-baked daily breads without all the added crap of many of the supermarket options. Most of their products, including their soft pretzels, are confirmed vegan by their staff!

Another great parade put on by festival organizers. Oktoberfest ist wunderbar!

Wishing all my fellow Canadians a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Seitan Schnitzel On a Bun (and Oktoberfest 2011 Opening Weekend)

2011-10-09T18:38:00.003-04:00

As the child of Croatian immigrants growing up in a predominently German town, I ate a lot of schnitzel growing up. A lot. Church on Sunday, followed by my mom's red rice and schnitzel. We even served schnitzel at our wedding for heaven's sake.

My mom made it with chicken. My grandma with pork. The beloved festhallen we attend every year for Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest (only the biggest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Germany, thank you very much) make it with both.

But I predict a schnitzel revolution.

Because, my friends, cruelty-free schnitzel is not only possible, it's actually quite simple and inexpensive too!

This may not mean much to a lot of you, but growing up in Kitchener and being the Oktoberfest enthusiast that I am, it means the world. Good old Meatless Mary made her debut at Oktoberfest 2007 and has not looked back. After years of making a job out of washing down Oktoberfest sausages and Schnitzels-on-a-bun with copious amounts of beer, I am okay with not eating at the festhalls anymore. Not even the potato salad, which looks like it is just oil and vinegar but in fact contains some sort of bizarre ingredient known as "chicken paste" (we called both the festhall and the manufacturer to confirm). It just means that there is more room in my belly for beer (which is Molson Canadian and confirmed vegan!).

All the same, food is a pretty big part of Oktoberfest and I'm glad me and Paul have a way to mark our favourite time of year with food, once again.

And just like the post-church schnitzels I used to eat as a kid, this here is all completely and totally my mom's doing. In her kitchen, with her supplies and her schnitzel know-how. I literally just stood and watched. And took pictures. Because after the General Tso's Tofu Disaster I'm not really permitted to fry things unsupervised.

For the most part making seitan schnitzel is quite similar to making traditional schnitzel. The only difference is that it's not meat, you don't dip it in egg and you don't beat the cutlets with a tiny little hammer that terrified me as a kid (seitan's elastic-y wonderfulness will bounce right back at you if you try it).

Before I share the recipe, I just want to take a minute to reflect on Oktoberfest Mustard, which is sold on every corner here in Kitchener-Waterloo. I think it's safe to assume that this is not the case in other parts of the country/world. If you can't find it, and can't figure out how to make it (it's basically mustard, vinegar and a sweetener of some sort) regular old mustard will be okay too. It pains me to say this, because I really want you to try it with Oktoberfest mustard. But regular mustard will do in a pinch and quite frankly I am tired of googling Oktoberfest mustard recipes because clicking on the links results in a bombardment of meat product every single time.

Here is the full-on seitan schnitzel recipe for you. Full credit goes to my mom for working this one out. I also will note that she's not one to cook with exact measurements, a trait that I can assure you I did not inherit. I've done my best to provide you with measurements, but if you find yourself needing a little more/little less of something don't be shy about it!

Seitan Schnitzel

Makes 4 Schnitzels-on-a-bun

INGREDIENTS

1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tahini
1 cup all purpose flour mixed with 1 tsp black pepper
3 teaspoons ENER-G Egg Replacer* mixed with 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Aluminum foil, for steaming
Vegetable or canola oil, for frying

For Serving:
4 Hamburger buns
Oktoberfest mustard/regular mustard
Sauerkraut (optional)

* You need the equivalent of 2 eggs. If you don't use ENER-G brand, check the box for substitution ratios.

DIRECTIONS

1) In a large bowl, mix together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, onion powder and poultry seasoning. In another bowl, whisk the broth and tahini until smooth. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until well blended.

2) Gently kneed the dough until it is elastic but not dry (less than a minute). Sprinkle some additional gluten flour on the surface if you find its too sticky. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces.

3) Roll each piece of dough until it is a 1/2" cutlet and then place it on a piece of aluminum foil, neatly folding up the edges.

4) Place the cutlets in a steamer/double boiler that is filled with water and steam over high heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour. They will come out looking like this:

5) Prepare your breading station with 3 shallow bowls. In the first, put the flour/black pepper mixture. In the second, the egg replacer and the rice milk and in the third the breadcrumb/flour mixture. Dip each seitan cutlet in the flour/black pepper, then the egg replacer/rice milk, then the breading/flour. If you find you lose a lot of flour when you drop the cutlet in the egg replacer/rice milk, double back and dip it a second time in the flour and the egg replacer before moving on to the breadcrumbs.

6) Next, prepare your frying station. In a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan, heat 1/2" to 1" of oil (enough so that the cutlets will be completely submerged). Test the oil with a tiny piece of bread - if it bubbles up, it's ready to go. Fry the seitan 2 or 3 cutlets at a time, about 5 minutes or until they are golden brown (flipping halfway through).

7) Pat excess oil off each cutlet and place two cutlets on each bun. Top with Oktoberfest mustard, to taste, and saukerkraut if you aren't a cabbage-phobe like I am.

Oktoberfest 2011 was kicked off on Friday, with a keg tapping downtown in front of city hall

And we spent the first Saturday at Concordia Club...

where my friend Samcha learned that Concordia now offers a veggie burger to Oktoberfesters! I will have to do some investigating to determine whether or not it's vegan.

Me and Paul, getting our polka on

When the night starts out like this...

...there's no chance for it to end any other way than this...

Believe it or not we are actually doing the hokey pokey in that last photo. As an adult, where else but Oktoberfest do you get a chance to do the hokey pokey?!

And just for the record, in these photos, the feathers are as fake as I am intoxicated.

I feel like death today. Surprised?

Garden Vegetable Medley Stew

2011-10-08T10:38:00.003-04:00

Around here, people get visibly uncomfortable when you mention how excited you are for cooler weather. Actually, uncomfortable may not be the right word. Disgusted is more like it.

The thing is, I have a secret. And it's that I kind of hate summer. I mean, I like it in the theoretical sense of "Beers on patios!" and "Jean shorts and flipflops!" just like everyone else does. But in actuality, I get fussy under the slightest bit of discomfort and sitting in a pool of my own sweat for two months is not even slightly appealing to me.

I am a fall girl. Through and through. Not winter. Absolutely not winter. It's a toss up with regard to what I hate more - the pool of sweat or the frostbitten toes. But those amazing couple of months in between the two...that's where the glory is at.

Fall is the perfect compromise - crisp air and warm hoodies, but still an abundance of fresh, local produce. Usually in the form of squash!

This is a sweet potato squash. I'd never tried one before, so when I saw a pile of them at Herrle's Market a few weeks ago I didn't hesitate to throw one in my basket.

A little googling has taught me that its more common name is delicata squash. Why do squash always have so many names? It's 2011, you'd think we could streamline this a little bit.

Anyway, it sat in my fruit and veggie basket for a solid week. I was excited, but unsure of how I wanted to prepare it. For this time, I played it safe and tossed it into a stew with lots of other earthy vegetables.

The verdict is - delicious! Sweet and mellow, delicata works perfectly in an autumn stew with potatoes and carrots. Now that I know that I like it, next time I think I'll try making a squash mash side dish with it.

The recipe is pretty self explanatory - onions, garlic, bell pepper, squash, potatoes, carrots and spices in a crushed tomato base. It comes from How it All Vegan, but you can also find it here. I used sweet potatoes instead of white (so it was extra fall-ish!), threw in a cup of peas in addition to the other ingredients and of course, I used the delicata in lieu of butternut squash.

It feels a bit strange posting about soup today. The temperature has decided to spike and apparently we're in for an unseasonably warm Thanksgiving this weekend. Everyone is very excited about the prospect of wearing shorts to Thanksgiving dinner. I am not. I want to wear the cute new slouchy boots I bought. Sigh.

There's that visible disgust again......

An Ode to Gardein

2011-10-07T19:30:00.002-04:00

Fake meat is a pretty controversial topic in the vegan community. I've been known to throw a jab or two in its general direction in my day, but truthfully I'm a fence-sitter when it comes to meat analogs.

The Cons:

1) Depending on the brand, their ingredients lists can be quite terrifying and they often contain a lot of the very items that scared some of us into veganism in the first place.

2) They can be expensive and the better ones are always more money than the creepy knock-offs. This is often because the independent companies try and include organic, non-gmo ingredients if they can. That costs money.

3) Some might argue that while they themselves are cruelty-free, vegan versions of non-vegan items do nothing short of glorifying meat, promoting the existence of the real thing. These folks are also opposed to the faux furs and faux leathers many of us vegans (myself included) wear/carry. Furthermore, a lot of times these fake meat brands are owned by parent companies that do scary things to animals. I see the point and the giant can of ethical worms that it opens (all alive and happy, I promise).

Now let's talk about the pros.

1) Sometimes you drink a lot and then you get a hankering for chicken strips at 3am. I went vegetarian before their mass availability here in southwestern Ontario and had a craving hit back then I would have kept being vegetarian anyway. But what if there was someone out there that wouldn't have?

We can argue their ethics until we're blue in the face but it doesn't change the fact that we lose tons of vegan hopefuls every single day because they think veganism is too difficult or too restrictive. Just because I personally have never found veganism to be too demanding of me doesn't mean that others have had the same experience. Since my ultimate goal is preserving the rights of animals to exist for their own purposes, having the most alternatives available to people, regardless of their tastes and incomes, is what is important to me. As more of these items flood the market, veganism becomes more present in the mainstream and with that, prices of these items come down, making them more accessible to the masses, in turn making veganism all that more appealing. With time I have faith that these people will someday rip into a collard wrap with the same zeal they once reserved for chicken wings. Until that day I will defend their right to faux meats in all their glory.

Also, if you can keep a secret, today I defend them a little bit for me too, because I've found a faux meat company I am a little bit bonkers over - Gardein.

Gardein is to the faux meats what Daiya is to the faux dairy. It's a game changer. All over Oprah and Martha Stewart, Gardein is quite the vegan superstar.

This is mostly because it is alarmingly meat-like. I must have reached some new level of veganism recently because sometimes I come across vegan products that I have trouble eating because they are too much like real meat.

Exception is made for the chicken strips pictured above because they are just too good. And let's be honest, actual chicken strips taste absolutely nothing like chicken anyway so you get the authenticity without too much "meatiness". Growing up I always liked my strips/nuggets with honey, which I'm told is weird. The good news is that if you are also a weirdo, these Gardein strips go awesomely with agave nectar and taste very much like the weeknight dinners of my childhood!

You know what else is good?

I haven't bought veggie burgers in years. We usually just throw whole portobello mushroom heads on the grill and treat those as burgers. But a few weeks ago when we were at Kindfood in Burlington I saw these magical little circles in their freezer and knew I had to try them, at least once.

You know what they kind of remind me of? McDonald's hamburgers. For real. I don't at all mean this in a derogatory way because in my day I loved McDonald's. And they are so much like the thin patties you get in McDonald's hamburgers, just not gross. They are begging for a Big Mac veganization, let me tell you. If you are grossed out by this then I'd steer clear of these burgers. But if you are one of our fine Club Vegan membership holders that went vegan not because you hated the taste of meat, but because you no longer wanted to support a violent industry - these are for you. These are so for you.

Plants and whole grains always have been and always will be the foundation of my veganism. But because veganism is not a diet and is instead an all-encompassing lifestyle that I've chosen for myself, there is room for treats now and again. Life is short - eat a fake chicken strip now and again if you want to. Just not at the sake of your broccoli.

Roasted Garlic & Artichoke Dip (and a Vegan Snickers Bar?!)

2011-10-06T12:12:00.002-04:00

I don't know about you, but this weekend starts a three-month long party bender for me. Monday is Thanksgiving here in Canada. Friday also marks the opening ceremonies for the week-long 2011 Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest (only the largest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Germany and my town's claim to fame), soon to be followed by Halloween. After that and before you know it, there come Christmas and New Year's parties. And then in January, fifteen pounds heavier, I hibernate. Much like all those bears I love so much!

It's at this point in the year that I start brainstorming party foods. Quick appetizers, dips and spreads that can be rolled out with minimal during-party effort. If Weezer's El Scorcho comes through the speakers, the last place in the world I want to be is in the kitchen.

This garlic and artichoke dip comes from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, but you can find it online here. It takes about an hour to make in the oven, but it's nothing you can't leave unattended while you're in the living room doing the Time Warp.

A lot of garlic goes into it. I'm talking, like, 10 big cloves. So it's probably best that you don't invite any vampires or anyone that you want to make out with. And this time I actually mean 10 cloves of garlic, not like a couple days ago when I told you to put 2 cups of garlic in your mashed potatoes (oops).

The other thing is that I found the 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of oil to be a bit much. Remember on The Simpsons when Homer is trying to gain weight so that he can work from home and they rub the sandwich on the wall to see if it is greasy enough? And then the wall goes clear? That's kind of what this felt like. My hands were pretty much see-through when I was done eating. I'm pretty sure cutting down the oil to just a couple tablespoons would be just fine. Especially if you've got stubborn jarred artichokes that won't drain of all the oil that they are packed with.

Instead of using bread, I bought a basil-infused gluten free pizza crust from Healthy Foods & More in Waterloo and baked it until the ends started to brown, about 10 minutes. Don't let the best before date frighten you - this crust freezes really well so feel free to stock up and defrost on day-of-use!

Sadly, I lack willpower the second I walk through their front door. The bakery is usually my first stop. On this particular day they had gluten-free vegan Snickers bars!

I swear, my intention was not to eat the entire thing in one sitting at ten o'clock at night.

Penne with Spicy Tomato Sauce

2011-10-05T10:18:00.003-04:00

Weekdays can get pretty hectic at our house. In most houses, really. It's rare that I get through the front door anytime before 6:30 and by that point I'm usually hungry enough that I'm seeing spots. I need dinners that can be done quickly, because if I have to stand around chopping and baking for any longer than an hour my consumption of an undisclosed number of Peanut Butter Spoons is all but inevitable.

At the same time, the food we have for weekday dinners can't be crap. I am very adamant about this and you should be too.

A nice whole grain pasta is usually a weeknight front runner, mostly because it's quick but also because it's one of my favourite foods. Pasta dinners can turn into a nutritional nightmare very easily, though, so I when I can I try to make my own simple, vegetable-based sauces as opposed to the jarred varieties that certainly do lack effort and expense but also quite often barely even resemble food.

The nice thing about homemade pasta sauce is that as long as you've got tomatoes, you can put pretty much whatever else you want in there and it takes only a little more time than unscrewing the lid off of a jar.

For this one, I used spinach, zucchini, poblano pepper, onions, garlic and carrots. If I really want to be thrifty with my post-work hours and I have the time, I like to chop up all the vegetables for my sauces the morning before the dinner in question, thereby cutting down the number of 6:30pm Peanut Butter Spoons considerably.

And for added fiber and protein, I also included my favourite bean - the red kidney!

There is one infallible truth when it comes to making your own pasta sauce, though. And that is that there will be red everywhere. The stovetop, the cupboards, the dog, the television remote. And especially you. It's best to just embrace it. Lucky for me, my outfit of choice when I'm at home is my ratty old pajamas and the sauce stains are actually a bit of an improvement.

And one final dose of Yummy for this particular pasta is a sprinkling of nutritional yeast and red pepper flakes, just before serving. This combo makes weeknight pasta dinners feel just a little bit fancier, even if you are eating them while wearing sauce-stained, ratty old pajamas.

For a more general recipe check out Show Me Vegan but feel free to play with it, like I did!

Japanese-style Rice & Veggie Bowls

2011-10-04T16:09:00.000-04:00

I am a notorious meal-planner, and I'm pretty strict about rotating the types of meals we eat each week. There are seven dinners every week and I don't like any of them to be similar. I strive to make sure each day features different grains and vegetables as well as a different overall theme/feel. So each week we'll have a "Mexican/southwestern" night, a "Pasta" night, an "Asian-inspired" night (etc) and week-to-week I rotate all the different recipes that I have that fall under these umbrella themes.

Make sense? Yeah...it doesn't really make sense to anyone else I know, either. Listen, I'm just trying to keep things interesting while maintaining some sort of organization (control). All these frighteningly rigid lists and rotations mean that we are able to ingest a wide variety of nutrients as well as experience a multitude of tastes each and every week. While my incessant meal brainstorming may seem a bit dramatic to some (most) sane people, all of this weekly planning has kept me a happy, healthy and enthusiastic vegan for well over three years now. If you don't want to be as extreme as me, that's cool. But I do think some degree of planning and meal rotation is integral to not just sustaning veganism, but also getting excited about it.

For today's Mofo post, I'm sharing the most recent addition to our Asian-themed recipe category - a very quick, very easy vegetable rice bowl from Fresh and Fast Vegan!

Along with a propensity to make too many lists, I am also known for compulsively buying different kinds of rice. Since patience is not my strong suit, I can assure you that I will never attempt to roll my own sushi at home. But this doesn't mean that I can't find myself a reason to buy/use sushi rice!

I'm not usually one for eating white rices (or any white grains, for that matter), but when it comes to a rice bowl like this or sushi itself, short-grain, white sushi rice is so important for texture and flavour. It has that uncanny ability to clump and stick together like none of the other rice varieties can. Treating yourself to it every once in awhile isn't going to kill you, but I'm sure a nice long-grain brown rice would also be okay for these bowls if you don't want to take the chance.

I was also very excited to locate dashi-konbu (also known as just "konbu" as well as "kombu") at Healthy Foods & More in Waterloo. I first heard about konbu a couple months ago in Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen, when I was preparing his baked black eyed peas. I learned that throwing a piece of konbu in with dried beans while they cook helps to increase their digestability (i.e. remove a little bit of what makes them the musical fruit). Somehow, the konbu helps soften the fiber and neutralize the sugars that are naturally found in beans, making them easier on our fussy bellies.

If you don't know what konbu is, here is a really bad picture that won't help at all:

It's basically a type of kelp/sea vegetable, not all that unlike the standard nori seaweed that wraps around your sushi, except that it's more dense, more chewy and not typically eaten raw.

In this dish, the dashi-konbu is used to gently flavour the rice. Once the rice is boiling you can go ahead and discard it.

When the rice is done you're meant to mix in a little bit of sugar and a little bit of rice wine vinegar. Except I didn't have any rice wine vingear.

But I did have rice vinegar. And I did have rice cooking wine.

Rice cooking wine is also known as mirin. Put simply, mirin is Sake's tamer brother, having a similar sweet taste with a much lower alcohol content.

Instead of the 4 tbsp of rice wine vinegar required I put in two tablespoons of mirin (rice wine) and 2 tbsp of rice vinegar. Sounds logical, yes? Either way, it tasted good and that's all that matters. Culinary experts might disagree with my methods but thankfully I don't know any better.

The majority of this dish's flavour comes from the portobello and shiitake mushrooms. Unfortunately, fresh shiitake can often be quite expensive. Feel free to cut corners and save yourself a couple bucks by buying them dried - I did! You can find them in any well-stocked supermarket's produce aisle and they are very easy to rehydrate - you just soak them in warm water for a half hour or so before using.

More great veggies are added to the mix, including snow or snap peas and bean sprouts. I also added broccoli, because I add broccoli to everything. And the final nod to deliciousness -a bit of wasabi!

Wasabi typically comes in powder and paste at most supermarkets. I like to buy it in powder form and mix it with water before using. It's cheaper and you get more of it (and the way that we go through all that is spicy, we'll take a financial break wherever we can get it). When you use the powder, you can dilute its potency with water (therefore getting more out of it). You definitely lose a little bit of the intensity when you use powder instead of paste, so factor that into the kind you select. I'm a simple girl, though, and I'm cool with playing around with authenticity sometimes.

For this dish, I mixed the wasabi powder with enough water to add to add additional sauciness. If you want it to be thick, like the wasabi paste you get at sushi restaurants, just add less water and add it slowly, stirring until you reach a similar consistency.

You can find the full recipe here on Google Books. Enjoy!

Not a Meatloaf

2011-10-03T11:28:00.001-04:00

The concept of meatloaf has always baffled me. I never had it when I was growing up, so really the only reference point I have ever had is television and the general consensus has not been very favourable. Basically, the only contact I've ever had with meatloaf has been in the form gray-ish looking slabs on TV dinner commercials and sitcom characters talking about how awful it is. It wasn't exactly something I was super eager to re-create after going vegan.

But, for my birthday last month Paul bought me a copy of Vegan Diner and it features a pretty intriguing take on the retro classic. In an attempt to break the meatloaf stigma by taking away its ick factor - the mystery meat - I decided it would make a great first sample from this book.

The one thing it does have is a lot of soy, and admittedly I'm not too crazy about that. To make it, you use a block of tofu as well as a pack of faux meat in the form of soy crumbles. Not something I typically get into, but once in awhile it's not massively horrible. I've always wanted to try those Boca crumbles everyone carries on about, but I've never seen them around here. Instead, I bought Yves Ground Round, a product I use every now and again in chili and tacos.

Along with the tofu and ground round, the recipe also includes ground walnuts, oats, onion, celery, garlic, and some other flavourful herbs/spices/liquids.

Once mixed together nicely you stuff it into a 9" x 5" loaf pan the best you can. Interestingly, I didn't even know I had a glass loaf pan until this weekend - surely a sign it's time to clean out my kitchen cupboards. Something I don't think I've ever done, even though we've lived in this house for well over six years now. Yikes?

After a layer of ketchup the loaf goes into the oven for about an hour or so...

...and comes out looking like this! It was really delicious and really, really filling. A little bit goes a long way but thankfully it warms up really well the next day as leftovers, too.

To go along with everything I made a batch of Julie Hasson's "crack gravy" (also found in Vegan Diner) and it certainly lived up to its name. We ate it all with some plain old-fashioned mashed potatoes (although in our house we always add two cloves of garlic in the name of flavour and two cups of white beans in the name of nutrition to our mashed potatoes). I also thawed out some almost-too-freezer-burned-to-use mixed vegetables - I just wish I'd had one of those old school TV tables to eat it off of!

Apple Pie

2011-10-02T14:11:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Day 2 of Vegan Mofo! My apologies to those of you who had this day in the "Mary quits this insane project" pool. Being the notorious quitter that I am the odds were certainly in your favour, but what can I say, I'm feeling ambitious for once in my life.

A month ago, many of you were shocked and appalled to learn that I'd never eaten apple pie in my life. This is the story of my first time (with apple pie).

It's actually not much of a story because I did none of the work at all. Paul made the crust and the filling and ate most of it, actually.

The Joy of Vegan Baking pie crust is seriously magical. When you make it properly, of course. I know my previous interaction with pies is incredibly limited but all the same, there are no words to describe this pie crust. It is probably one of the least healthy things to ever come out of our kitchen, and sure, there are pie recipes out there that don't follow the standard fat content rules when it comes to their crusts. They're just not the same. Usually not even close. And I firmly believe that if you are going to do something wrong, you better at least do it right.

The final stroke of genius - a little bit of rice milk brushed on, followed by a sprinkle of coarse raw cane sugar. We do this to all the pies we make, regardless of the filling.

We were hoping we would have a recipe to share with you all, but the finished product was just a wee bit too watery (okay, a lot bit too watery) to deserve your kitchen attention. We're going to work on it and post it at a later date, hopefully. In the meantime, Vegan Pie in the Sky comes out this month and I'm sure there will be at least one (probably five) apple pie recipes to try in there!

Fall always makes me feel so retro.

Disclaimer: I did not eat this giant piece of pie and soy ice cream. He with the Metabolism of a 15-Year-Old Boy did, though.

Vietnamese Seitan Baguette with Savory Broth Dip

2011-10-01T07:29:00.002-04:00

Today is October 1st. The first day of my favourite month of the entire year. And also the very first day of my very first attempt at VeganMofo participation.

VeganMofo (Vegan Month of Food) was started in 2007 over at the often imitated but never duplicated Post-Punk Kitchen, home of none other than Isa Chandra Moskowitz. The goal is to flood the old interweb with vegan food post after vegan food post, everyday, for an entire month. This year marks the 4th Annual Vegan Mofo and it is taking place for the entire month of October 2011.

Posting every single day of October is a pretty lofty goal for this gal. Paul looked at me as if I was slightly insane when I mentioned that I was considering it and then looked at me like I was totally insane when I said that I'd signed up. Between Thanksgiving, Oktoberfest, friends birthdays and Halloween, October is by far our busiest social month of the year. This should probably be a deterrent to doing this kind of project this particular month, but instead it's got me a bit excited - it means I will have tons of blog about!

A lot of bloggers are doing themed VeganMofo runs for 2011. I've decided that for my first time, in the name of making things a wee bit less intimidating, I'm just going to post about what's going on in my kitchen, regardless of type of food or preparation process. So the theme is all vegan, all the time. It is fall, though, so expect lots of autumn-inspired dishes.

Here we go. First post. And what better recipe to use than one by Isa herself?

The Vietnamese Seitan Baguette with Savory Broth Dip that you see pictured above comes from the one and only Veganomicon. I picked it because it gave me a reason to purchase vegan mayo:

There are lots of vegan mayo options out there in the world. And yet Vegenaise is the only option. In my opinion, anyway. We have bought other brands before. Used a spoonful and then threw the rest of the jar away.

The problem with Vegenaise is that it's pretty much a vegan version of crack cocaine and it is generally not permitted in our house. It leads to entirely too much reckless behaviour. Vegenaise on anything and everything, including just the spoon. I wish, for the love of God, that they would sell it in a smaller jar because we cannot be responsible for ourselves in the presence of such a large quantity.

The other cool thing about this recipe is that it gave me the opportunity to add to my spice drawer! I'd never made anything with Chinese 5-Spice before and I had a bit of a hard time even finding it here in Kitchener. It was right under my nose though - the specialty grocer next to my work had it and lots of other rare spices that I'm glad to have found out about!

Five spice is used as a means of providing balance to meals, as it represents the five major flavours: sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty and is typically comprised of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, szechuan pepper, and fennel seeds. In this recipe, it's used to make that delicious dipping broth pictured at the start of this post - and it's the broth that makes this recipe so amazing!

I got a bit lazy and used full seitan cutlets instead of smaller slices. This definitely made it a bit more difficult to eat, but did remind me of the old oven-roasted chicken subs I would get in my pregan days. I think next time I'll follow Isa's advice and slice the seitan really thinly, or even give it the old "shredded" once over by roughly chopping it into tiny pieces. I was hoping to do the cutlets up on the grill out back but the rain set in before I got a chance. Next time!

Veganomicon is a vegan staple so I'm sure lots of you have it on your shelves. In case you don't, this particular recipe is available here on Google Books.

Book Report: Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr

2011-09-28T10:23:00.003-04:00

I like to read vegan literature when I get a chance to. I generally find myself gravitating more toward books on animal rights, welfare and advocacy than anything else, but as of late I've been trying to incorporate more health and wellness into my literary diet. Most recently, I selected Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr, who is probably more commonly known for her books Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips and Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor. Crazy Sexy Diet is a follow-up to these and is an exploration of how a mostly raw, whole food and plant-based diet took her from a terminal cancer patient to energetic, positive and thriving.

From a health perspective, I'm not sure there exists is a more sound argument for veganism than Kris' story. Kris was in her early thirties, fueling her body via the Standard American Diet (SAD). Put simply, the SAD is mostly comprised of highly processed convenience foods and it is generally the diet of choice here in North America. Typical of SAD enthusiasts (myself included, for a large portion of my life), Kris' concern was less with what was in the food she was eating and more with whether or not it would make her fat. Like many of us, under the SAD she suffered from chronic ailments that sadly have become normalized in our society - acne, frequent colds, allergies, depression, eczema and fatigue, to name a few. All of these can be typical byproducts of SAD participation. When combined, however, they can very quickly go from annoying to life-shattering.

When the symptoms got bad enough, Kris visited her doctor. Soon afterwards, she was told that her liver was filled with so many tumours that it looked more like Swiss cheese than it did an internal organ. There were also ten more tumours found on her lungs. Adding insult to injury, the cancer was deemed inoperable and radiation/chemotherapy were not considered options.

Because she was SOL when it came to the more popular western medicine options, Kris really had nothing to lose by looking into an alternative that most oncologists would probably roll their eyes at: the supermarket.

Crazy Sexy Diet is a documentation of all that she learned in doing so.

The story of how Kris saved her own life isn't really all that complicated. To think - if she achieved the results she did with cancer, imagine the positive impact following this kind of diet can have for the rest of us?

I think what I like most about this book is that it is very informative, but at no point is it pushy or demanding. I like to think of it as a friendlier version of Skinny Bitch. Skinny Bitch is one of the more controversial vegan-oriented books to ever hit the market and one that I personally didn't respond all that well too. I appreciate the effort, and I do believe that anything that gets people "talking vegan" can be considered a good thing. All the same, I worry that it perpetuates misguided vegan stereotypes and furthermore, I don't really think that berating and degrading people into a certain line of thinking is the best course of action in the struggle for long term change. I understand that Skinny Bitch was written with a hint of sarcasm and even silliness to it, but even so I found the dialogue to be patronizing and downright insulting at times - and I am vegan! For me, education and empowerment always do and always will trump intimidation.

With Crazy Sexy Diet, you get the tools required for change without the added attitude. The chapters are thorough and informative without being completely overwhelming. It is the perfect book for a curious carnist or a novice vegetarian/vegan. Long-term vegans may have already discovered some of Kris' secrets (which is one of the reasons that sustaining our veganism is so darn easy!) but there are a lot of little helpful hints and suggestions that even the most seasoned vegans will find useful.

"Genes load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger." (p. 10)
Kris Carr's diet and lifestyle revolve around maintaining the delicate acid-alkaline balance in the body, measured via the pH scale. The last time I interacted with any kind of chemistry information it was the eleventh grade and in that class I spent far more time making googly eyes at Paul than I did making googly eyes at the periodic table of elements. To say that I have no working knowledge of the pH scale and the acid/alkaline components of substances is an understatement.

Thankfully, Kris walked me through it, explaining why alkaline-rich foods are so important to body functioning and just how alarmingly acidic the SAD is. She also explains why, when it comes to keeping it alkaline, the food preparation process is just as important as the food itself, with raw, living foods maintaining more of their nutritional integrity than those that are (literally) cooked to death. Sad news for a raw veggie hater such as myself.

She goes on to highlight how the body compensates for our own lack of diligence when it comes to maintaining balance - mainly, by mining integral minerals from bones, teeth, tissues and organs, thereby hindering their functioning and in turn encouraging a multitude of acute and chronic impairments as tame as a runny nose or as serious as an immune disease. This could explain the seemingly ironic correlation between countries that consume the most calcium (via dairy products) and the increased incidence of osteoporosis: cow's milk (and cheese, and butter, and ice cream), like other animal proteins, is highly acidic, thereby forcing the body to leech alkaline from from bones in an attempt to neutralize the imbalance, in turn contributing to their deterioration.

Kris covers alkaline-rich foods while also exploring the importance of phytonutrients, chlorophyll and enzymes among other things - terms that, strangely, you never hear in our nutrient-starved, diet-obsessed and generally quite ill society. We can tell you the number of calories in a bag of potato chips but very few of us know why kale is so good for you. How many of us even know what chlorophyll is? Honestly, the last time I thought about clorophyll it was while writing a fifth grade science report on plant photosynthesis.

Listen, I'm not saying you're going to buy into all aspects of this book. Admittedly, she lost me a little bit in the meditation section. Not that I'm somehow opposed to meditation or reiki or spirituality or religious dialogue. It's just not as much my scene as superfoods and paraben-free face wash and learning about how the digestive tract works. For others, spirituality is as integral to their health and wellbeing as the pesticide-free apple they have in their lunchbag, and that's fine too. Whatever works.

The great thing about this book is that you can adopt it all, or you can adopt some of it. You can make small changes here and there, or you can book yourself for a colonic, do a juice fast and make a meditation corner in a quiet room in your house all in one day. At no point does Kris demand that you integrate every last exercise and recipe into your life - she is just telling you what she did, what worked for her, and what might work for you too. I love a little bit of advice without a side of guilt.

Furthermore - and this is what I really, really love about this book - Kris at no point demands that you stop living your life. Not once does she ask you to stop participating in the occasional bender of fried tofu and bottled wine. The best part of life is living and she doesn't want to take that away from anyone. Sometimes it's the binges we go on and the nights we lose track of how many beers we've had because we're laughing too hard with our buddies that are the ones that keep us going. They are healthy while being so disturbingly unhealthy. The key, just like when it comes to pH, is keeping it balanced. This quote sums it up the best, I think:

"Consistency is important but you don't have to be perfect. Health is about keeping in an overall right direction...You may have a beer and chips in the afternoon followed by a shot of tequila for dessert. This is life - it's sweet, fun and unpredictable. I am not perfect and I never will be. Perfect is beige. I am red hot! So are you...You don't politely sit at tables - you dance on them. And after last call, you get back out on the health highway." (p. 17)

A lot of us don't have cancer, but some of us will eventually. It's scary to think about a group of all the people that we love and care about, and when cancer will affect it. Not if cancer will affect it. But when. Or maybe it already has. Too often. I'm not saying this to be alarmist; I'm saying it because it's true.

"We've been brainwashed to believe that we no longer understand our bodies." (p. 15)
My bottom line is this. We could do absolutely everything right - eat all the right food, get the right amount of exercise and remove all the toxins from our environments. And the cancer (or the heart disease, or the stroke) could get us anyway. Fit and healthy people get sick everyday and I don't want to take away from that or somehow victim-blame those who are already sick, regardless of how they fueled their bodies before or during their illnesses. These things make terminal disease no more or less tragic.

I'm just one of those people who believes in stacking the deck in my favour, regardless of whether or not it works out. I think it is time that we all began empowering one another to fight for ourselves and our right to live long and healthy lives. We need to start holding our own, because sadly, no one is going to take care of us for us. Instead there are actually many forces out there intent on doing the direct opposite: misguiding us into a false sense of wellbeing via marketing, advertising and those ridiculous "SmartCheck" labels they put on cheap cans of salt with soup labels on them. This book is part of the journey toward this kind of self-empowerment, and I encourage you to check it out!

Hidden Valley Farm Vegetarian Bed & Breakfast (Chatsworth, Ontario)

2011-09-26T15:17:00.001-04:00

Hidden Valley Farm is located in the Grey-Bruce region of southwestern Ontario. It is an organic farm that welcomes Bed & Breakfast visitors during the summer and early fall months. The farm is owned and operated by Erika and Wilfred, both of whom are vegetarian (mostly vegan) and have been for longer than I myself have been on the planet at all - their participation in a plant-based lifestyle is related to health reasons that stem from certain religious convictions.

Sadly, upon leaving I did learn that there are some animals present on their farm that are eventually sold to slaughter and in the name of full disclosure I want you to know this too. I wasn't aware of this before I visited, and after finding out I wasn't sure how appropriate it was for me to blog about my time there. My main concern being that it might be construed as my granting permission to acts of violence against animals.

In the end, I've decided that not blogging about it makes little to no sense at all. Through a little self-reflection I've determined that my conflictual feelings are nothing but an extension of the dilemma that we vegans expend considerable amounts of energy exposing and it involves the notion of food disconnect. For example, I visit and blog about non-vegan restaurants with vegan options all the time. Some (maybe even most) of these restaurants have fifty shelves of meat and cheese to every one shelf of vegetables and soy burger patties. Fifty shelves of meat and cheese from unknown origins and unknown abuses.

And yet when it comes to talking about my visit to this farm, a red light went off in my head. What I learned from this crisis of conscience is that I'm just as susceptable to food disconnect as the many carnists that I often struggle to find common ground with.

This conflict of mine seems to be the result of the precise point in food production under discussion: the one where the animals are killed. This ugly component of food production is just as present in the restaurants I visit and blog about. Probably even more so in terms of the abuses incurred as a result of the mass production of the animal product required to sustain a standard restaurant. And yet because it's already occurred and has been so neatly cleaned up, made into something that looks so very un-animal in its plastic wrap, it creates far less of a mental and emotional reaction within me. What a strange realization that I made about myself this weekend!

I've been vegan for quite some time now and I like to think of myself as equally outraged at all levels and stages of violence against animals. This experience and subsequent reflection have been nothing short of humbling and educating - I've realized that I have a lot to work on in terms of the biases that I didn't even realize I still subscribed to. It has rendered me a little bit speechless, quite honestly, so I apologize if this documentation lacks a bit of the zazz I like to think my other posts have.

Now that I've gotten the disclaimer done and over with, as conflicted as I am, I do want to share my time at the farm with you, with the realization that some of you may be outraged by it and that I may very well lose some readership and some of the confidence that you have in me as an ethical vegan. At the same time, I hope it contributes to an awareness of veganism as a lifelong learning process, replete with many shades of gray, with each and every one of us defining veganism for ourselves.

Part of the reason I want to go ahead with posting is because I want to acknowledge Hidden Valley as one of the very few B&Bs where those eating a plant-based diet can feel completely and totally comfortable with all the food options available. Guests can rest assured knowing that Erika will accommodate all of their diet restrictions and that all food served is healthy and mostly organic with no concern about cross-contamination when it comes to kitchen equipment. More often than not, your meals are even fresh-picked from the farm's very own garden, full of flavour without much sugar and other not-so-great additives.

Having gone vegetarian in the early 1970s, the farmhouse is lined with book after book about vegetarian diets, many of which are classics that have long since been out of print but mark veganism as its meant to be: vegetable and grain-based. I am obsessed with pre-1990s vegetarian cookbooks, so if you ever want to see me freak out with excitement, hit up a second hand store and find me a cookbook that predates premade, mass marketed vegan sausage links.

Erika is so open about the items she uses as well as the preparation process that she even spent an hour of her time dictating recipes to us so that when we got home we could replicate that which we enjoyed so much of at the farm.

Dinner was served at 6pm on Saturday night and we indulged in organic field greens straight from the garden, topped with a lovely lemon and grapeseed oil salad dressing and what we now affectionately refer to as "Erika sprinkles" (made mostly from sesame seeds and nutritional yeast). We also had a pesto and butter bean pasta and the most wonderful fresh-from-her-garden ratatouille.

Dessert was an incredible apple crisp!

We enjoyed great conversations about veganism, sustainable farming and the quest for long-term health, and Erika even joined us for a few rounds of Mexican Train in the living room after dinner! It is evident that both she and Wilfred are gentle and kind-hearted people and I learned so much about how they personally participate in a plant-based diet. Erika is also a vegetarian cuisine instructor (as well as a fitness instructor, on top of running a small nursery school!) and we spent a lot of our time asking her about her tips and tricks when it comes to preparing vegetarian meals.

Breakfast was served on an almost unbelievably beautiful fall Sunday morning, and it was gluten and flour-free, oat-based waffles topped with maple syrup, date butter, an apricot spread, and the most amazing all-natural organic peanut butter that I must locate here in KW. I lost count but I totally ate four or five and I regret nothing.

It's so rare that I come in contact with the animals that I am so adamant on getting people to eat less of. Seeing them interact with one another and protect and play with their young as well as the trust they showed not only when they approached us, but also when they let us reach over and scratch their furry heads, will always re-affirm my choice to not and to never again consume animal products. It is disheartening to learn the fate of these incredible creatures after the fact, but I am comforted knowing that I have nothing to do with what happens to them or the million others like them.

Raw Baja Cheeze Tacos, Raw Mexican Squash "Rice" (& the winner of the New Moon Cookie Giveaway!)

2011-09-19T10:52:00.004-04:00

This is my first attempt at an entirely raw meal, recipes courtesy of Ani's Raw Kitchen. I wanted to get in at least one decent shot at a full raw meal from this book while fresh, local produce is still available.

I want to preface this by saying that I'm actually not all that great with raw vegetables. Those of you who have been reading my blog for years are well aware that I am a known Salad Hater and I really dislike that about myself because I really and truly believe that the less cooking you do the better the nutritional integrity of the meal. It's been proven time and time again and I would never dream of disputing it. I'm just a baby when it comes to the taste of a lot of raw vegetables, so I advise you not to take any of my personal opinions on taste as any sort of fact or even any sort of typical reaction to something. If you like raw vegetables, you will love this meal. That's all you need to know.

One of the really strange things about this meal is that it took me well over an hour to make it. All the peeling and chopping, oh my word! I need a sous chef if I continue on this raw journey. The actual time in the kitchen probably doesn't differ all that much from meals that are cooked, it's just that the hands-on time required for it is much more demanding. This really isn't a problem though; it only becomes one in our demanding modern world. Good food isn't really meant to be ready super quickly.

The reason this meal takes so long is because it's actually a combination of four separate recipes. Tiny, little recipes that take up about a third of a cookbook page each, so I didn't think anything of it. It was a Sunday afternoon, though, so I really had nothing but time to fuss about with my chef's knife.

First up, I made the Mexican "Squash" Rice" (click for recipe, half a page or so down) and I'm doing this one first because this absolutely did not work for me. I've never had raw squash before and I think it was a bit too ambitious for someone who is very timidly exploring raw foods. Again, this would probably be delicious to lots of raw foodies out there and I don't want to deter anyone from trying the recipe - it was just too adventurous for a known Salad Hater like me.

Next up, the raw taco "nut" meat and this we both liked a lot (click for recipe, first on page). It's made by pulsing raw almonds and raw walnuts with spices, soy sauce and extra virgin olive oil. Savoury and delicious, it was!

Then, the Raw Pepper Corn Salsa (I can't find the exact recipe, but the one listed here is pretty darn close). I'd never eaten raw corn straight off the cob before - it's so sweet and juicy this time of year, cooking it almost seems wasteful!

And finally, the Baja "Cheeze" (click for recipe), made with brazil nuts, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and lemon juice. It was also pretty good - would probably make a great sandwich spread for those that aren't completely raw.

And now I come to my next fatal error - using cabbage leaves as the wrap, as opposed to pretty much any other leafy entity.

I hate cabbage. But for some reason I keep forgetting just how much I hate it. Like a stubborn child, eating it makes me gag profusely. It's probably all psychological, stemming from the torture I thought I was experiencing growing up in a Croatian house with cabbage rolls on the menu at least once a week. Regardless, as an adult, in order for me to tolerate it, the cabbage has to be in a tiny amount and not at all the main flavour of the dish. I think I thought it wouldn't be a problem because I usually find raw cabbage more palatable than cooked cabbage, but still, it was just too much. I should have used collards or maybe even bok choy in an effort to not stray too far from cabbage without having to actually consume cabbage.

If you like raw vegetables you will love, love, love this recipe. I can't state that enough. I think I just got a bit over zealous with what I could handle and I should have stuck to vegetables that I actually like. Except squash, which I normally love, but evidently do not care for in its raw form - it tastes kind of like carving a jack-o-lantern smells. Does that make sense? It's just too much for a girl who just a couple years ago lived on nothing but french fries and white pasta. Baby steps are required, here.

TIV NEW MOON COOKIE GIVEAWAY WINNER!!

Much thanks to everyone who sent in comments, facebook posts and tweets! We had 28 entries. Each entry was assigned a number and into the Random Number Generator they went!

And the winner of two boxes of New Moon Kitchen cookies is...

Fatally Yours, of The Spooky Vegan, who entered via blog comment!

Congratulations! Contact me by email at mary@thisisvegan.com with your mailing address and the chocolate chip and ginger snappers will be in your hands shortly!

Morty's Pub, Waterloo (and my 28th Birthday)

2011-09-15T13:05:00.001-04:00

To say that I don't handle birthdays appropriately is a pretty big understatement.

A lot of people don't like getting older. There's nothing weird about that. However, there is something weird about the way I break into a cold sweat every September 13th, in anticipation of the big day to follow. I don't know why I'm like this, but I always kind of have been, even as a kid. It's just getting worse the older that I get.

I suppose it's just another one of the quirky neuroticisms that my patient and understanding friends have come to accept about me.

Anyway, this year I wanted to spend September 14th moping around the house, possibly dragging a bottle of wine behind me. Paul was having none of that. So we met somewhere in the middle - a relatively calm night of burgers and beers with friends at Morty's Pub in Waterloo.

When I was in university, and not yet vegan, we pretty much existed solely on Morty's chicken wings. And admittedly, it's not the first place you would think of for hosting a vegan's birthday dinner. But from my pregan days I know that the staff is really friendly and helpful and the place itself has a relaxed, laid back feeling. Plus, they have lots of beer. This makes it a prime location for marking the dreaded 28.

Also, I'd heard great things about their veggie burger and hadn't yet had a chance to get out there and try it.

As promised, it was a great night full of wonderful friends and pitchers of beer and yes, delicious veggie burgers. The one I got is pictured at the start of this post, buried under a whole lotta hot peppers. Paul got the veggie double stack, because he is a bottomless pit:

After a few hours at Morty's and more beer than I thought I actually drank, it was home to pajamas and the PVR'd Big Brother 13 finale - I'm such a wild child!

With one more thing -

Paul made me a half batch of my most favourite cupcakes - Dulce sin Leche from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World!

I wish I had some more pictures to share, but I managed to sneak my adorable little 7-week old goddaughter into every shot we took, just to give it that extra cuteness bump, and I don't like posting pictures of other people's kids. Or any kids, for that matter. I tend to watch a lot of Dateline; it fuels the paranoia.

I guess I can share one more of me, with a couple of my birthday gifts, because you'll all benefit from them - two new vegan cookbooks!

Thanks to all my friends who came out and who sent wishes and thanks to Morty's Pub for taking such good care of us. And thanks to whatever powers may be as well as the Gregorian calendar for making my birthday only come around once a year.

Morty's Pub
272 King Street North
Waterloo, Ontario
(519) 886-0440

Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival 2011

2011-09-11T16:42:00.005-04:00

It's so hard to believe that it's already that time of year again, but this weekend marked the 27th Annual Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival. Held the second weekend of September every year at the Harbourfront Centre right in the heart of Toronto, this is an event that is a must see for all plant-strong and plant-curious folks. This is evident by the fact that even Paul and I hit the open road and headed into the city, something we don't do very often because we are typical suburbanites who panic over collector lanes and $20.00 parking.

It was our second time attending the event (this was our experience last year) and somehow it managed to be even more chaotic than the first time. First of all, my car is kind of a death trap lately and started making some seriously questionable noises somewhere around Milton. Secondly, our dog is still recuperating from that serious illness that almost took her from us a couple months ago, so we don't like to leave her alone for too long. This means that this year we couldn't stay for lunch and dinner, and instead had to concentrate our efforts around one "meal" halfway through the afternoon. Naturally, this lead to some panic because honestly how do you choose from that many options?

Which takes me to the next chaotic element: the festival itself. It's takes about an hour and a half to get from our front door to the festival and we fill the time by talking about what we are going to eat. I know this sounds insane. But if you are vegan, you understand that we never get to do things like that. All you carnists out there have your ribfests and your lobsterfests and your charity BBQs. It seems like every weekend of every summer features some sort of gorge-fest for carnists. We get one. And it's the Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival. And it was this weekend.

The problem is that we get so jacked up for it that once we actually get there we experience a bit of meltdown due to over-stimulation. Seriously! There are so many booths, so many options and you can eat pretty much all of them, except that you can't because you don't have enough time and the pants you are wearing can only stretch to a certain point. And then you freak out thinking about all the food you can't eat, especially if you're like us and you drive in from out of town. So then you find yourself second-guessing the choices that you finally make. When you are limited by both time and digestion, you have to choose carefully or you will be mad at yourself until the next festival comes around.

I let myself panic for a minute, and then I get started. I may not be able to eat everything there but I sure as hell can try.

The festival is this crazy mess of hungry vegetarians running from stand to stand grabbing as much food as their little paws can hold. This is no time to try and operate a camera for blogging purposes. You stop to take one pictures and the next thing you know the stand you're at is all out of butter tarts. This is a tragedy that I have come to know all too well - so bear with me as I share some pictures, but not as many as could have been possible had I hired someone to hold my camera and an extra cupcake while I attempted to navigate the grounds.

Disclaimer: Please note that TIV does not condone eating this much brown, fried, glistening food all in one afternoon on a regular basis. But this is the Veg Food Festival for God's sake and sacrifices will be made. As Paul said as we were getting ready to head out: "This is vegan Christmas. You will not restrict me."

Our first stop was the Green Earth stand.

I got the chow mein (something I haven't had in years, believe it or not!), the Green Earth rotisserie and two chick'un nuggets.

Paul got the fried rice, the Green Earth rotisserie, a chick'un nugget and some spring rolls.

The rotisserie was alarmingly authentic!

Next we found the LPK's Culinary Groove stand.

Where they had peanut butter Nanaimo bars!

And they were making little mini sweet potato donuts right on site!

We may have sampled a sandwich cookie too.

After all that we figured we'd better walk it off a little bit - until we found the wonderful folks from Kindfood in Burlington. It's nice to see they have recovered from our buying their entire restaurant a couple weeks ago.

Paul couldn't resist trying one of their newest creations - the Bounty (like the chocolate bar) cupcake!

Four different people took four different bites out of this cupcake which is weird I suppose but this is just how we roll at the festival. Things move so quickly. There is no time for cutlery or concern over contagious diseases.

During our first spin around the grounds I didn't spot the kebab guy from last year and I was pretty sad about it. But the second time around - there he was! In all his kebab glory! Still as amazing as ever.

I'm not going to lie, at this point I was starting to feel a little bit unwell. This is my own damn fault because there were plenty of non-fried non-dessert options available and I was selecting none of them. Instead we got more fried food via King's Cafe, owners of our beloved Zen Gardens restaurant.

The plan after that King's Cafe plate was to walk around a bit more and then get some of the little tacos we enjoyed so much last year, but by this point in the afternoon I was starting to see spots and my breathing was becoming a bit laboured. It was time to call it a day. But I couldn't. Until I had one more thing.

My beloved Sweets from the Earth carrot cake.

This is a weekend we look forward to all year long, and this year's Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival did not disappoint. The food is obviously the main draw at an event like this and there is something for every type of vegan out there. Paul and I are vegan because we don't want to harm animals, not because we never liked the taste of meat. So for us, the food festival is one weekend a year where we can indulge in our pregan favourites while staying true to our belief that animals exist for their own reasons, none of which are to satiate our human palates. For those vegans that are completely put off by something that even resembles meat, fear not, because there's plenty for you too - fruit and vegetable-based concoctions in all the colours of the rainbow. There are also plenty of cooking demonstrations, presentations and speeches (I really wish we could have stayed to hear at least one of them - hopefully next year).

While the food is what keeps us talking about the Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival all year long, it's the experience of being there that contributes greatly to our return every September. It is so very cool to see that many people enjoying veganism that much. It's chaotic and frantic and you end up with icing all over your purse because you confuse which is the cupcake and which is your camera but that's kind of what makes it so awesome - everyone is so enthusiastic about the vegan lifestyle that we just run wild through Harbourfront Centre with our hands outstretched, waiting for the next delicious thing to make its way into our bellies. And the animals get to live.

There is no denying that today is a very difficult day for a lot of people, myself included. I was 17 years old on September 11th, 2001. I was on the brink of adulthood and I was ignorant and self-centered and when the planes hit I didn't get the panic. I just remember my teacher's face drain of colour as she gripped the blackboard ledge and said to the class, "You do know what this means, don't you? Someone is declaring war on the United States." Over the following weeks we came to terms with the fact that the world that we were promised as kids was not the world that we would get to live in. At the time, and for many years afterward, peace and compassion seemed an impossibility.

For me, it's no small coincidence that this vegetarian food festival always seems to coincide with September 11th. Each year as we are inundated with images of that tragic day, when our pulses begin to race, and the anger resurfaces and threatens our compassion, our patience and our understanding - there is the festival, filled with so many people who not only believe that above all else, peace and compassion trump violence, but who also live that philosophy every time they eat, every time they purchase something and every time that they interact with the world around them. It is both humbling and uplifting to interact with these people, particularly at this time of year.

TIV NEW MOON KITCHEN COOKIE GIVEAWAY!!!!

We may not have been able to eat everything that we wanted to at the festival, but we did pick up some goodies to bring home! Just to spread the Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival love a bit beyond festival weekend, I'm going to do a little giveaway.

I managed to wrestle these two boxes of New Moon Kitchen cookies and they will be shipped off to one lucky reader of This is Vegan!

There is one box of Chocolate Chip and one box of Ginger Snappers, both 100% vegan and made with organic spelt flour.

Each person can enter up to three times by commenting with the phrase "C IS FOR COOKIE" via...

1) Blog: Comment on this entry with the phrase posted above. You can use your Google/Blogger ID. If you don't have one, comment as "Anonymous" but include your name and a working email address.

2) Facebook: Join the ThisIsVegan.com Facebook Group and post the phrase above on the group wall.

3) Twitter: Post the following on your Twitter: "C IS FOR COOKIE! Enter the @ThisIsVeganBlog @newmoonkitchen cookie giveaway at http://tinyurl.com/6x86q9k".

Contest closes on Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 12pm EST. A winner will be drawn by random number generator and posted shortly afterward. Feel free to email mary@thisisvegan.com with any questions. Good luck!

KW Raw Food Group Meet-Up at Marbles, Waterloo

2011-09-10T09:27:00.001-04:00

I don't have all that much time to blog this morning, but I wanted to share some pictures from last night's KW Raw Food Group Meet-Up at Marbles Restaurant in Waterloo! I blogged about Marbles a couple months ago and I'm happy to report that they are still offering raw items on their regular menu and you can get them anytime. Last night, however, they made up a special menu for our group of 20 or so raw food enthusiasts!

I apologize for the poor quality photos. I don't have a fancy camera and even if I did I would not know how to use it. Lucky for me, the food is pretty enough on its own that my crappy photography skills are rendered irrelevant.

Here is a little bit of the food we sampled:

Famous Pad Thai
From the menu: Asian style local veggies in a ginger almond butter sauce, abundance of fresh herbs, cashews, shredded coconut and ripe mango.

Sweet Beet Ravioli
From the menu: Paper thin slices of sweet red beets, with cashew cheese filling, fresh tarragon, raw pistachios and drizzled yellow pepper puree.

Pure Raspberry Cheesecake

Mega Mango Cheesecake

Midnight Chocolate Mousse

If I had to pick two favourites, I think it would have to be the sweet beet ravioli (which I really really hope they will put on their regular menu!) and the chocolate mousse, which is funny because I am not typically one for super rich chocolate desserts. I scraped that glass so clean they probably didn't even need to wash it.

As I did last time, I will again stress that if you are vegan, be sure to ask your server which options are honey-free. Last night there was some concern about honey in the desserts, but our server assured us that the chef used agave because of the varied diets/allergies present. They are very friendly and helpful at Marbles and I know they will assist you in finding something that you can not only eat, but that you will enjoy every bite of.

Our Kitchener-Waterloo Raw Meet-Up Group meets once a month or so. You can find details on our next event here!

Thank you to Marbles for hosting, to Sasha of Blyssful Health for organizing and to all who came out for the great company and conversation!

Marbles Restaurant
8 William Street East
Waterloo, ON N2J 1K9
(519) 885-4390

Spicy Mafé Tempeh and Grilled Corn on the Cob w/ Spicy Garlic-Miso Dressing

2011-09-08T15:31:00.001-04:00

I am so love with Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen. I really can't say enough good things about it. I'm pretty sure I'm going to include it in a future TIV giveaway, because we need to get the word about this incredible book out there. I haven't made anything from it that we haven't liked, and it has us trying all sorts of meals that we probably would not have come in contact with otherwise.

One of these meals is Mafé, a West African stew commonly found in Gambia, Mali and the Ivory Coast. Traditionally a meat-based stew that is thickened with peanuts, Bryant capitalizes on the naturally nutty taste of tempeh in his vegan version.

You start by making a marinade out of vegetable stock, jalapeno and lots and lots of peanuts (so many peanuts, in fact, that I didn't have any left to use as garnish!)

The tempeh is submerged in the marinade and baked just like that for an hour or so.

Meanwhile you get to working on the stew itself - onions, carrots, more jalapeno, peanut butter, tomato paste and stock. When the tempeh is done you throw that in too, simmer for 45 minutes until nice and thick and finish it off with some cabbage and lemon juice. And more peanuts, if you managed to save some!

You can find the recipe for this Mafé here on Google Books. You won't be disappointed! We served it with some boiled brown rice and some grilled corn on the cob.

(The only kind of cow welcome on my plate)

We decided to make a night out of Vegan Soul Kitchen and so we used Bryant's recipe for grilled corn and dressing to accompany the Mafé. One little problem though...

I'd never grilled corn cobs before, so I didn't know that I was supposed to leave the husks on. Could I be more of a city girl?

By the time I realized that the husks were supposed to stay on, I had already shucked them all. It's okay, aluminum foil worked fine too! If you also use foil, when the corn is almost done you can unravel it a bit and place the cob directly on the grill so that it blackens a bit (or don't - I personally prefer it when they are not too charred).

Now. This is a terrible picture. I didn't have any white miso, so I had to use brown, making the dressing not-so-pretty. But do not let that deter you, because this hot mess is the greatest dressing you will ever smear on your corn. I'm so sad that I didn't know about it until now, the end of corn season!

Find the recipe here on Google Books. Try it before all the 2011 corn is gone!

Smoky Tofurky Sausage Beer Chili with Quinoa

2011-09-06T15:22:00.003-04:00

Mother Nature is really not messing around this year. She just keeps flipping these arbitrary switches and catapulting us from season to season in lieu of her more friendly gradual transitions. My joints are not pleased with her but at least with this particular transition my soul is.

I love fall so incredibly much. I love sweaters and scarves and the smell of squash roasting. I love opening all the windows in the house without being choked by humidity and I really love wearing my fuzzy slippers to stay warm. So bring it, Mother Nature. Let's do this.

Not only is it the first truly chilly post-summer-vacation day, it's also the first day of school for all the kids, big and small, here in Ontario. While I'm sure I was a minority, I was always one of those dorky kids that loved going back to school, from grade school to grad school. Now that I don't have the intoxicating smell of crisp notebooks and freshly sharpened pencils to get me in the fall spirit, I find myself marking the season in the kitchen more often than anywhere else.

And for me, the best place to start creating a sense of fall is in a bowl of chili.

There are about a million ways to make chili. And for the most part they're all good. This one has a special little secret ingredient, though, so I think it's worth noting.

First Show Me Vegan told me to put beer in my tacos. Now I've been instructed to put beer in my chili too. I love this!

You start by browning some crumbled vegan sausage (I like Tofurky brand best).

You add your beans, veggies, chili powder and liquid smoke...

...and also the beer of your choice!

Full recipe found here and it can easily be adapted to a crockpot if you so desire. If you hurry you might just be able to get it on the table tonight!

Peach Pie - Success!

2011-09-02T14:05:00.002-04:00

After the great blueberry pie debacle of August '11 I was more than okay with hanging up my pie baking apron for a long, long time. As you can tell, I get pretty easily discouraged and when something doesn't go my way, I am kind of notorious for quitting. Paul, not so much. Particularly when something delicious is involved. He wanted to try again. This time with a big basket of peaches we got from the market.

While he was at work I made the dough for the crust and let it chill until he got home - then he handled the rest because I had zero faith in working this out. Zero. Back to cupcakes and cookies for me. Pies are just too high maintenance.

After seeing my blueberry pie disaster, my mom did offer me a helpful hint. She told me to make 1 1/2 times the recommended dough amount. My glass pie plate is rather large and I think the recipe we use from Joy of Vegan Baking has a smaller dish in mind.

The extra dough, coupled with baking it at the correct temperature for once, made for a damn near perfect peach pie:

It's kind of funny because I always thought I didn't like pie. Now I find myself obsessed with it. Enough so that I've already pre-ordered my copy of Vegan Pie in the Sky and am plotting to give fall a proper welcome in a couple weeks, with a homemade apple pie. Can you believe that I have never had apple pie? I swear, sometimes it's like I'm from another planet.

Oh, and if you want to make this peach pie, the filling is super duper easy. Measurements are approximate, feel free to wing it:

5-6 cups peeled peaches
1 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup raw cane sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Toss it all together, put it in the first crust, cover it with the second crust and then bake it at 400F for 10 minutes, 350F for an additional 30 minutes (or until the crust is golden and it smells delicious). You can also sprinkle a little extra sugar on top before you bake, it gives it a nice little crunch!

Collard Green Lasagna

2011-08-30T17:13:00.000-04:00

I'm getting excited for fall. So excited, that I've already started building my Fall Recipe Arsenal even though it's not even September yet. Fall foods are my most favourite. Squashes and casseroles and pumpkin pie spice all over everything.

While it's still way too early (and too hot) for butternut squash soup, I figured there was no harm in sampling a little of the upcoming plethora of comfort food awaiting my stomach over the next couple months. So to start, I picked a cooler, rainier afternoon and made a lasagna!

Lasagnas always seem to be way more work than they actually are. They are pretty much the perfect meal, though, because they can be made in advance and warmed up for dinner. Or they can be made by the truckload and frozen individually for the quick mid-week microwave/toaster-oven dinners that we all succumb to, at least once in awhile.

They also provide the perfect opportunity to up the nutrient value of your dinner. And not only up it, but hide it from particularly picky palates. While I love seeing bright colours on my plate, it's just as easy to puree the greens, beans and tofu and hide them in the tomato sauce for the Picky Mickey in your life.

I used collard greens in this lasagna. I like using them in lieu of other greens from time to time. They end up overshadowed by kale, cabbage and spinach so often that I don't feel they get the proper superfood credit that they deserve. Rich in antioxidants, collard greens are known to help lower cholesterol/provide cardiovascular support and studies have also shown that, by virtue of their antioxidants, they play a role in cancer prevention too. Right off the bat we are looking at two of the major killers connected to the Standard American Diet. Not to mention that collards are a substantial source of calcium, Vitamins A, C & K, folate and dietary fiber. You can learn more about them here.

I'd love for you to try this recipe with the collard greens, but I'm sure spinach or kale would provide delicious subtitutes too.

The lasagna's "heartiness" comes from this - mashed white kidney beans and crumbled firm tofu.

If you're feeling especially ambitious you can go right ahead and make your own tomato sauce. Or you can just use your favourite - this one is mine!

Put it all together and you've got yourself quite the lasagna filling.

And the layering game begins.

The recipe comes from CalciYum, an old plant-based cookbook that no one seems to blog about. I don't think I've ever been able to find a digital copy of any of the recipes and I've tried lots of them (check out the CalciYum tag). I really like this book and its focus on working out nutritionally-balanced meals while providing tons of information on which ingredients provide you with the most bang for your buck calcium. I think it would be a great edition to your cookbook shelf.

That being said, I hope the authors don't mind me sharing this particular recipe. You know me, I never, ever post that which is not mine - but I do think CalciYum needs a spot in the vegan blogosphere and I hope the authors don't mind. They haven't sued me yet so I hope we can keep this trend going!

Lazy Day Lasagna (slightly modified from the original that is found in CalciYum)

10 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 can white kidney beans, drained
1/2 block tofu, crumbled
1 bunch collard greens, lightly steamed
2 jars tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups mozzarella Daiya (or vegan cheese of your choice)

1) In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook lasagna noodles for 8-10 minutes until tender but firm. Rinse under cold water and set aside.

2) In a large bowl, mash the beans. Add the tofu. Mix well. Stir in collard greens, pasta sauce and garlic.

3) Pour tomato mixture to coat bottom of baking dish. Layer with noodles, then sauce, then Daiya. Repeat layering until ingredients are used up. The top layer should be Daiya.

4) Bake uncovered at 350F for 45 minutes.

And that's it! Pretty simple, and it leaves enough room for you to play with it. Freshly chopped tomatoes, onions, zucchini, grilled eggplant, even broccoli - all of these would be great editions to this already great lasagna.

Kindfood, Burlington

2011-08-27T10:01:00.001-04:00

My birthday is in two weeks and all I want is a painted stairwell and a new bookshelf to put in it. How old am I?!

I was off work yesterday, so we went to the nearest Ikea in search of said bookshelf. The nearest Ikea is in Burlington, so after finding the bookshelf and putting some serious Tetris skills to work in an attempt to fit in into my little car, we drove a few streets over to Kindfood.

I knew I'd like the place the second I walked into it - it features my favourite colour scheme of pink and green. The walls are covered with thought-provoking messages about living compassionately and the floor features "Famous Vegan" facts that you can catch up on while you're waiting to get to the front of the line.

One of my personal favourite Famous Vegans!

The restaurant was featured on a local morning television program yesterday so we picked quite a busy day to stop by - it didn't phase the staff, though, because the food was delicious and everyone we interacted with was so friendly and enthusiastic, helping us choose between the many amazing options listed on their menu.

I got the OMG Grilled Cheeze!
From the menu: Oozing with Daiya cheese, vegan chipotle mayo and organic ketchup

Paul got the KIND Burger
From the menu: Grilled Tempeh burger with Daiya cheese, sliced tomato and romaine, with home-made
vegan mayo and served on multi-seed sourdough bread. He also added on avocado slices and bac'n bits!

For dessert we got Ice Cream Sandwiches! Perfect for following up a patio lunch on a hot and sticky day.

Everything was amazing! After our trip to L.A. and the tragic realization that we will probably never eat like that again (or at the very least, for a very, very long time), we are so relieved that Kindfood is only about an hour or so away from our front door.

A friend offered us a really great tip about bringing a cooler along with us. Kindfood has a little mini-market as well as tons of freshly-baked goods that you will want to sample but physically can't immediately following your lunch (well, you can, but in doing so you run the risk of popping a button or two and having to drive home in your underwear).

These are the goodies we brought home:

Cookie Sandwich!

Dulce de Leche cupcake (which got a bit mangled in the cooler, but survived!)

Kindfood
399 John St.
Burlington, Ontario
(905) 637-2700

Spicy Tofu Triangles on a Cool Bed of Lettuce

2011-08-25T15:51:00.000-04:00

I've got a memory card full of pictures of food I've made over the course of this summer that I just haven't gotten around to blogging about. Not because they didn't work out or because I didn't want to share them. Most of the recipes were spectacular and have become regulars in our recipe roster. The reason they haven't been posted yet is just because I haven't had the time to. This summer has presented some serious challenges and admittedly, the majority of my non-work-related attention has gone to helping my dog get healthy.

This is just one of the new recipes that we tried this summer that I wish I had the time to give more attention to here on the blog. But that's part of the real glory of this recipe - it's unassuming, unfancy and uncomplicated. Can be made in a frying pan or on the grill, courtesy of Vegan Express, a cookbook I've given away twice here at TIV and one that I really believe is essential hardware for busy vegans.

I served it on top of some crisp romaine, fresh from the farmer's market. The dressing was a raw ranch, which I've blogged about before and which currently graces the August header for This is Vegan. Yum!

No digi copy of this one, kids, so off to Amazon you go!

Book Report: Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness by Robert Cheeke

2011-08-23T10:26:00.002-04:00

Alright. It's safe to say that out of all the topics discussed here at TIV, I have never been more out of my element than with this one. And yesterday, I spent three hours writing a really great, thoughtful, witty piece about this book (not really, but how are you ever going to know?) that Blogger subsequently decided to eat just as I went to post. Conveniently, I also didn't happen to notice that it hadn't been autosaving at all the entire afternoon. Blogger is clearly also concerned about my ability to talk about this. Touché, Blogger. Touché.

But we're going to give it another try because I think the message in this book is really important.

I spent my undergraduate and graduate university years hanging around the sociology department, learning about people. Specifically, my interest was in symbolic interactionism/ethnographic research, a branch of sociology that centres on studying how people interact with one another in the various groups that compose their lives. Learning about different subcultures was my bread and Earth Balance in those days, and a passion I took with me after I left school.

So, when Robert emailed me asking if he could send me a copy of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness I jumped at the chance, not only to help promote the work of one of my fellow vegans, but also because I really love learning about people from all different walks of life. I love discovering what drives them and how they came to be the people that they are.

Naturally, the topic of bodybuilding is interesting to me because it's something I know virtually nothing about and the fact that it is vegan bodybuilding we're talking about makes it all the more intriguing. Robert Cheeke presents a particularly compelling example because he is not a bodybuilder that became a bodybuilder and then went vegan (which is great too, don't get me wrong). This is a story about someone who went vegan and then went on to become a highly accomplished athlete. The veganism came first, eliminating the potential for any dispute regarding how powerful a vegan diet can be.

Since there is very little that I know less about than bodybuilding, reviewing this book based on technique itself would be a tad ridiculous. Instead, I'm going to look at it through my old sociological lens and address why it's so important that we encourage Robert and all vegans in all their varied pursuits – the more things we do, the more ways we can show the world that there is nothing we can't do.

Being that I started the book knowing nothing about bodybuilding, I learned so much about this lifestyle. Robert leaves no stone unturned when it comes to pursuing this type of passion. He provides highly detailed meal plans for every stage of training (Mass-Building, Fat-Burning, Pre-Contest, etc). Furthermore, he discusses more than the plans that he himself follows. He has also prepared meal plans for vegan bodybuilders with gluten and soy allergies and even includes a meal plan for raw vegan bodybuilding. The only option he doesn't give you is animal product:

"If it had a face, a family, and the ability to experience fear and pain, it isn't food. It is the remains of an animal that used to be alive and experience life just as we do. Eat the foods that have caused the least amount of harm to be produced and "harvested" and you'll feel really good about your food choices everyday." (page 101)

Similarly, Robert provides extensive information on training and exercise for all areas of the body. The tips he provides are not all reliant on expensive gym equipment (I say this, because for years I used lack of a gym membership as an excuse to not work out). He discusses alternative types of care for building the body, such as massage therapy and chiropractic treatment. There are also chapters on how to turn your passion into a career and how to attain sponsorship, so that you have the means to pursue it.

Importantly, he also includes sample journal pages for logging nutrition, training and achievements that you are able to photocopy and begin using immediately, in an effort to create notions of accountability and personal responsibility. For me, being accountable for your actions is imperative in the pursuit of any type of goal, be it fitness-related or otherwise. There is something about putting things in black-and-white that makes them more real and makes you less likely to abandon them and I love that he gets you started right away.

If I had to pick a favourite chapter, the one titled "Where Do You Get Your Protein?" is up there. We everyday vegans are constantly bombarded with this question. Can you even imagine how often a vegan bodybuilder gets it? At least in bodybuilding it's somewhat relevent - to pursue their passion bodybuilders need to consume incredible amounts of protein (unlike many of the rest of us, with our low to moderate activity levels, who in turn need low to moderate protein intake).

Initially, I figured a good defense for this increasingly annoying inquiry would be to print off a picture of Robert and glue it to my forehead to fend off all questions about protein deficiency in a vegan diet. Instead I've decided to go with a more subtle method of tackling the age-old protein questions - with a simple "Google Robert Cheeke and click on 'Images'".

Robert's many "responses" to the protein question in this book are thorough and informative without the added snark of some other sources (and myself, quite frankly - God I hate the protein question!!!!). Although I do enjoy Response #4, which includes a little bit of the sass that I think a question like this deserves:

"Where do you get YOUR protein? How do you monitor your cholesterol intake?" (p. 152)

Really though, his message about handling the protein question with patience is sound and something we vegans should take to heart, regardless of the blood that starts to boil internally when the question is asked. The topic of protein has taken on hostile undertones for us vegans because we've most likely encountered it in a hostile environment at some point - asked as a challenge rather than an expression of genuine curiosity or interest. We have to remember that it's not always coming from that place:

"Care should be taken when answering the question. It would be harmful to the vegan cause to answer rudely or condescendingly. Some people are asking sincerely to truly learn because they innocently don't know better. Others may be asking because they want to know which are your preferred sources, so they can get ideas to incorporate into their diets. When the question is answered rudely and not with a lot of thought or tact, people receiving the answer will have a negative reaction and a negative reaction of veganism." (p. 150)

Another interesting aspect of this book is that Robert highlights the resistance vegan bodybuilders encounter not just from the bodybuilding community, which I suppose is somewhat to be expected because vegan bodybuilders are no doubt the minority, but also from the greater vegan community. As a result, vegan bodybuilders have to defend themselves twice - once to the bodybuilding community, and once to the vegan community, with members who often see bodybuilding as extreme, unhealthy or excessive. In 2011, veganism has become synonymous with weight loss as opposed to weight gain, no doubt as a result of the many folks that have joined our movement in an effort to combat weight-related health complications. Vegan bodybuilders tend to contradict the majority, so I suppose there is bound to be some resistance. Whether or not this is justified seems to be a source of controversy within the vegan community.

In general, there is often debate among vegans regarding the role of health and fitness in the animal rights movement. On the one hand, there is concern that veganism could become a health "trend", based on personal as opposed to compassionate reasons, making it all the more easy to abandon when another trend comes along, while millions of animals continue to be violently destroyed everyday. Conversely, modern health-oriented research about the destructive effect of meat and dairy on the human body have brought so many people to veganism that may not have found us otherwise. Furthermore, many of the people that go vegan for health or personal reasons often develop an interest in helping animals after the fact and are no less passionate about it than those of us who went vegan for the animals in the first place.

I myself went vegan for the animals, first and foremost. The health gains came after and they have transformed my life, but they still come secondary to my belief that using animals for human indulgence (be it for food, be it for entertainment) is unacceptable and if there wasn't the added bonus of optimal health in its most liberating form, I would still be vegan. Lucky for me, the two go hand-in-hand. By respecting the animals and the environment it in turn means respecting what nature intended for our bodies. As a result we vegans as a whole are rewarded with fewer health complications than our omnivorous counterparts.

Coming from an animal rights place, it took me awhile to learn that being healthy is a means of helping the animals. Giving proper attention to being a healthy vegan and taking care of myself means I'm able to focus my attention on animal issues and not on whatever health ailments might be plaguing me now or in the future. This doesn't mean that I don't think there is a place for vegan indulgences. Heaven knows I can pound back a deep fried chick'n sandwich with the best of them. It also doesn't mean that I don't think there is room for passionate vegans of all shapes and sizes - please do not mistake this as a message of body-hate or body-discrimination of any kind. The animals need us all. But for me, something Robert says in his book echoes how I feel about the entire controversial issue and how I will pursue my own personal veganism in the future:

"...We don't always get the opportunity to talk with people to explain ourselves. Most of our visibility is from afar. People see us from distance and form an opinion about us. Non-verbal communication clearly outweighs verbal communication in its ability to influence ideas, opinions and perceptions. How we carry ourselves and present ourselves non-verbally is of very high importance in the future success of our vegan movement. When you are fit or muscular representatives of the vegan lifestyle, you open up doors for others who maybe had an interest in veganism but feared they could never be strong on that diet until they spotted you and learned from your example. That is a pretty powerful position to be in to further the movement." (p. 154-155)

This is Vegan was formed as my way of showing that being vegan is fun, attainable and rewarding rather than limiting. In the future, as I put more focus on my own health than I have in the past, I hope that it can also be an example of the physical benefits of veganism, too. Don’t be mistaken, life is fun because it's fun but it's also fun because I'm well enough to have fun in the first place, a luxury that only the healthy are able to take for granted.

For me, there are two steps to being a successful component of the animal movement. The first is obviously abstaining from the use of animals and speaking against their abuses. The second is to be the best possible You that you can be. Because when you are the best Vegan You that you can be, you feel good physically and mentally, about yourself and the choices you make. Going out into the world feeling this way shines through to the others you encounter and unintentionally conveys an image of veganism as something positive, inadvertently encouraging people to take notice.

We're not all going to be bodybuilders. We're not all going to exist solely on organic wholefoods. But we can take note of what Robert is saying about veganism and extending our passion for helping animals to a passion for helping ourselves thrive, too. In turn we are helping the animals a second time because we are healthy enough to pursue justice for them and also because we are working as positive examples of the vegan life.

And on one final (probably controversial) note, I want to talk a little bit about the gendered component of veganism.

Vegan stereotypes are potent across the board but they are so much stronger with regard to vegan men. It is fairly evident that the concept of western masculinity is defined in terms of strength and size, but many fail to notice the inherent connection between strength and size and notions of dominance within these definitions. In turn, men who speak out against violence against less powerful beings both vocally and in terms of their lifestyle choices are often emasculated by the mainstream.

One could argue that the problem is with the definitions of masculinity/femininity in our culture and it is those that need to change. I spent my university career agreeing with you. But as I get older and as I interact with more people and attain more life experiences, I've learned that the abstract is so much less relevant than the actual. There will always be definitions of masculinity/femininity, so the key is to ensure that they are healthy, productive and not at the expense of the lives of others.

Paul and I are both vegans but his experience as a vegan is completely different from mine. Men are inundated with notions of what it means to be "manly" and vegan men are berated and taunted for their compassionate choices in a different way than vegan women are, in a way that can sometimes be so internalized that it sadly goes unaddressed. So many kind-hearted and compassionate men would never even entertain the idea of veganism because somehow, in our culture, what men eat has come to define who they are as men.

I think it's time we start addressing this gendered component of veganism and the obstacles many compassionate men face when they decide to no longer be a part of a system of violence against animals. I think Robert Cheeke's work, both in terms of this book and his tireless efforts as a motivational speaker, is an important component of dismantling the meat = masculine myth. Robert embodies the traditional traits of masculinity via physical strength and prowess without the added component of actually exerting dominance over other, less powerful living beings. He shows it is possible to participate in traditional masculinity without also subscribing to systems of violence. And that you can, too, if that is the vegan that you envision for yourself.

If you're not a fitness buff, don't let that deter you from this book and learning from Robert's story. This is as much a story of veganism as it is of bodybuilding, and I think all types of vegans can get something from it. Much thanks to Robert for taking an interest in This is Vegan and sending me a copy, I am happy to give it the This is Vegan: Seal of Approval.

You can purchase a copy of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness here, and check out Robert's website here (and check out the cute vegan running shorts he has for sale!). If you're from my neck of the woods, Robert will be speaking at this year's Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair on Saturday, September 10th at 6pm, where he will no doubt be sharing more of his story and offering words of encouragement.

The Tragedy of the Burnt Blueberry Pie (with Macadamia Creme)

2011-08-18T15:43:00.001-04:00

This here is exactly why I hate baking.

You get really excited about making a dessert of some sort. You literally think about it for days and how delicious it's going to be and how great it's going to look on the blog. And then you follow the recipe to what YOU seem to think is "a T", turn your back for a minute and then the edge of your pie burns to a crisp along with all your hopes and dreams.

Baking is like this needy, scornful lover that never forgets a crossing. You have to pander to its every insecurity, from start of project to end!

Cooking never treats you like this. Cooking lets you be creative and experimental and it at least gives you a chance to redeem yourself if you screw up. Baking never forgives and certainly never forgets.

Let's start from the beginning.

Since I no longer work Thursday mornings, they've become our dedicated "Market" days. Sometimes the farmer's market, but more often than not we head to Herrle's Market in St. Agatha, which is a local produce haven at the edge of our busy city. The food speaks for itself (honestly, you need to taste the corn on the cob) and the place itself is so welcoming and staff so friendly, they will keep you coming back. A quick sidetrack to tell you about how great they are at Herrle's - a couple weeks ago I bought a couple portobello mushrooms from another store with the intention of making burgers that night. When I got home and went to fire up the grill I realized that the cashier forgot to put them in my bag! I pouted a bit over it on Twitter and the owner of Herrle's offered to drive over to my HOUSE and bring me a couple, so that I could still get the BBQ I wanted, even though it wasn't even them that forgot the portobellos in the first place! You can bet your buttons you won't receive that kind of considerate service at any big box store!

Anyway - back to the Tragedy of the Burnt Blueberry Pie.

We went to Herrle's last Thursday and while we were cleaning them out (seriously, I have to bring two big crates everytime I go in there) I saw these baskets of what I assume are the last of the summer Ontario blueberries. While it's tough to pick a favourite fruit, if I was forced to at gunpoint I'm pretty sure it would be the blueberry. To the point where mid-summer I start to take on a creepy blue hue from eating them so much.

That being said, I knew that even I couldn't eat all those blueberries before they went bad, so visions of desserts started going through my head.

Now, I'm not really a pie person. I always bake cobblers because they are way less labour-intensive and the margin of error is so much less. Case and point: the pie pictured above.

Because I've blogged cobblers in the past (strawberry rhubarb and peach, respectively), like an idiot I convinced myself that I was competent enough to make a blueberry pie with homemade crust this past Sunday. I don't know what would make me think that, because I really and truly suck at baking and I always have. Not to mention the fact that I'd never actually eaten blueberry pie in my life, let alone baked one.

Either way I gave myself a pep talk and I was amped to make the best pie ever. Starting with a homemade pie crust. Which is where everything went downhill.

I used the pie crust and blueberry pie recipes found in The Joy of Vegan Baking, except I don't actually have that book, so I used this website and (completely, horribly, tragically) misread the baking temperatures required. By like, a lot. So much so that if The Internet took this blog away from me in light of this disaster, I couldn't even be mad.

I thought it was a bit strange to bake such a delicate dessert at 450F for close to an hour, but apparently not enough to go and read the recipe again and realize that I'm a moron and was supposed to decrease the oven to 425F after the pre-bake and then AGAIN to the much more normal temp of 350F for the last half of baking.

Do you know when I realized that that's what I did wrong?

About ten minutes ago when I went to write this blog entry and re-googled the recipe.

Whatever.

You know what's kind of funny, though? The pie wasn't actually that horrible, even though the ends were a bit, erm, well done. Especially topped with the macadamia creme from Vegan with a Vengeance that I've blogged about before, in conjunction with Valentine's Day strawberry shortcakes.

So, in summary, go ahead and make this pie, as long as you do everything completely opposite of what I did.

This is what I've learned:

1) I'm not only a terrible baker, but I'm also not so great at critical thinking/problem solving. Or reading, for that matter.

2) The only pie that should be baked at 450F is a pizza pie.

3) Finally, and least embarrassingly, the dough was overworked and rolled way too thin, especially around the edges where it should have been its puffiest. It wouldn't have saved this pie from an hour in the hotter-than-Hades oven, but maybe pies in the future.

Mark my words, I will make another pie and I will right these wrongs.

It obviously wasn't bad enough to not eat, though.

Tipsy Soft Tacos

2011-08-15T11:24:00.000-04:00

I was planning on not even posting this one because the pictures I took are so embarrassingly bad, but the name of this recipe is so cute and the tacos themselves are so good that I decided to bite the bullet on the embarrassment and share it anyway. Don't hold it against me!

We are at that point of the summer where bright, refreshing, homemade salsas are a reality. Farm fresh tomatoes are at the height of their juiciness, so pico de gallo/salsa fresca never tastes quite as good as it does in mid-August. Sure you can make it all year round, but there's something about the way the tomatoes taste right now that it's a total waste to not make a fresh salsa at least once every summer.

Pico de Gallo

Being bombarded with such a variety of brightly coloured fresh veggies after spending half a year buried under snow ensures that I often end up with a midsummer addiction to tacos. Nothing but a little bit of beans, a soft flour wrap and tons and tons of crispy, raw vegetables that aren't half rotten by the time you bring them home. It's quick and easy and pretty a pretty darn refreshing meal for hazy August nights. Knowing that they will arrive again every year is what keeps me going through long Canadian winters.

This recipe comes from Show Me Vegan and making it is a particularly fun summertime activity because it involves the added bonus of cooking beans in beer!

And you don't need the whole bottle, so guess what you get to drink with dinner?

Tipsy Tacos and maybe even Tipsy Human!

To serve, layer the tortillas with the Beer Beans, the pico de gallo, some freshly sliced avocado and some toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds).

Find the recipe here.

Ahoy, Matey!

2011-08-08T21:29:00.001-04:00

I love theme parties. It doesn't matter what the theme actually is, just that there is one, and that I get to wear a strange outfit and bake themed desserts. In the last few years we've hosted or been to a wide variety of theme parties. 70s, Luau, Funny Hat, Country, Ugly Xmas - the list goes on and on and in many instances gets repeated. One that we hadn't ever been to before this weekend, however, was a Sailor Party!

Although I didn't think it was possible, there is actually someone out there that loves theme parties more than I do. We call her Samcha, and she celebrated her 25th birthday with a nautical backyard celebration last weekend.

Once I got the invitation I began my quest for on-theme cookie cutters. In the process I stumbled upon The Cookie Cutter Shop, your online source for pretty much any kind of cookie cutter you want. Meaning that I will never have to do without on-theme cookie cutters again!

I bought the sailboat cutter you see above, as well an an anchor cutter that was infuriatingly uncooperative. Parts of it were just too thin to handle the transition between cutting the dough and transfering it to the cookie sheet. Maybe if I had decided to bake these guys during a reasonable hour and not during a 4am bought of insomnia I would have had more patience. All the same, the sailboats turned out pretty cool, I think, although I really need to work on my icing-based motor skills (which are pretty much currently non-existent).

I used the same sugar cookie recipe that I always use (for Halloween and Christmas, mostly), found in Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar (icing too). I also did just a round of basic chocolate cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, topped with fluffy vanilla buttercream with a hint of blue in it, in an attempt to make it look like water for the lil boats.

Me, the clumsiest person on the planet, attempting to transport iced desserts across town on one of the the most hazy and humid nights we've had all summer.

Sailor Paul & Sailor Mary (it appears that the sweets survived the humidity but my obscenely-curly-but-flatironed hair did not!)

Birthday girl shark attack!

Happy Birthday, Sam! xo

The Great TIV Smoothie Post!

2011-08-04T09:08:00.001-04:00

I get far more excited over kitchen items than I do over fancy clothes or expensive jewellery. So if you ever feel like you need to buy me a gift, don't worry about breaking the bank. Just buy me a new whisk or something and I will never forget it.

So, when I feel like splurging or rewarding myself in some way, it's typically in the form of something for my kitchen. Like a new cookbook. Or a pretty dish with a fancy design.

And when I really need to get myself a consolation prize after living through a particularly crappy summer, I like to get expensive kitchen appliances - like a BlendTec blender, the most exciting way for a vegan to spend several hundred dollars this side of a trip to Portland.

We had been back and forth between the BlendTec and the VitaMix for months. Our previous blender was embarrassingly incompetent, forcing us to defrost frozen fruit in the microwave before making a smoothie. And you can forget nut-based cheeses unless you like them with chunks of cashew strewn about within. When in use it made these horrible, hair-raising noises and if you tested its patience too much the base of it would start to crack.

In short, it sucked, and it had no place in a vegan kitchen.

We decided on the BlendTec, star of the Will it Blend? series, because it was a little more cost-effective than the Vitamix while still being more than enough blender for us. And since then our smoothie-making has taken on a bit of an obsessive quality. Seriously. The fruit portion of our grocery bill has gone up like 600%. We've had it only a couple weeks and it's completed 59 cycles already.

So I thought I would share some of our favourite smoothie combos, in hopes that you will comment and share some of yours!

The Standard Issue Green Smoothie

2 big handfuls of kale
1/2 an avocado
1 orange Orange
1 cup Mango or Pineapple
Banana (frozen)
Cantaloupe
Drop of agave nectar

The Sunday Sunshine Smoothie

1 Orange
1 1/2 cups Pineapple
Handful of Grapes
1 Banana
1/2 cup Cantaloupe

The Scary Looking But Best Tasting Spinach Smoothie

Recipe from Vegan Chickie and it's found here - my favourite of the whole lot!

The Guilt-Free Vanilla Milkshake

2 cups Rice Milk
1 Ripe Banana, frozen
1 tbsp Raw Cane Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla

It is guilt-free because not only is it vegan, but it also doesn't rely on vegan ice cream, which is delicious and cruelty-free, sure, but it's also usually super high in calories and sugar.

All these smoothies make more than enough for two people, so if it's just for you, cut them in half.

Now it's your turn! What are some of your favourite blender combos? I want that cycle count to be up to 100 by the middle of the month!

Orange-Sesame Tofu and Coconut-Lime Basmati Rice (and 3rd Veganiversary Giveaway Winner TAKE TWO!)

2011-08-01T00:25:00.002-04:00

Eat, Drink and Be Vegan was the first vegan cookbook I ever got and I've loved pretty much everything I've ever made out of it. Being that I bought it well over four years ago, I thought I was at the point where I'd tried all the recipes that piqued my interest already. Some idle afternoon not that that long ago I grabbed it off my cookbook shelf and did a quick flip-through for the first time in ages and lo and behold - a baked tofu recipe that I hadn't yet tried!

Grilled on an outdoor BBQ is probably my favourite way to prepare tofu. Baking it in a flavourful marinade is a close second, though. The Cashew Baked Tofu, also from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, is definitely on my Top 5 Winter Recipes list and I thought the orange-sesame version might be a good alternative for the summertime.

Tofu with the quick orange marinade, made with an orange that I juiced myself thank you very much, and into the fridge it goes for a couple hours.

Fresh and flavourful! Too good to last long enough to become leftovers.

Recipe for the orange-sesame tofu found here and the coconut-lime basmati rice recipe is here.

This is Vegan 3rd Veganiversary Giveaway: Winner (Take Two!)

Unfortunately, I never heard from the first winner of my veganiversary giveaway and my attempts to contact her haven't seemed to work. So, I went ahead and made the executive decision to do another draw via my beloved Random Number Generator:

And the winner is...........

Dana Stodgel, who entered via Facebook!

Congratulations, Dana! Send me an e-mail at mary@thisisvegan.com to claim your prize (a copy of Vegan Express and a copy of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs & Wear Cows). Be sure to include your shipping address!

Burrito Boyz

2011-07-28T17:40:00.001-04:00

I'm not going to lie, it's kind of been a crappy summer. Between my sprained ankle and the extreme heat and worst of all, our pup falling very seriously ill, there hasn't been a lot of fun going on in and around our house as of late. The one, shining, redeeming moment was the birth our of goddaughter Naya this past week - her arrival was safe and healthy for both Mom and Baby and for that we are so grateful and excited!

Because of all the chaos that Summer '11 has brought our house I'll be the first to admit we've had to rely on convenience food now and again. And while there are many great restaurants that do vegan in KW, I'm always relieved when a new quick and inexpensive option presents itself. Because time crunches suck. As do astronomical vet bills (but not nearly as much as a sick doggy, let me tell you).

Anyway, today I'm going to talk to you about the Burrito Boyz chain, which opened a Waterloo location recently (although probably not too recently - you know I don't get out much). I'm sure this is old news to most of you, but I wanted to blog it anyway.

Why Burrito Boyz? Because they have a vegan burrito. And by vegan burrito I don't mean a veggie burrito. I mean they have a Veggie Soy option, made from TVP, for your complete, filling, tummy-rubbing fast-food-burrito experience.

Just make sure you ask for the vegan guacamole. I'm not sure what is in the regular guac that makes it not vegan, but they keep a vegan one separate and under the counter. The few times we have gone there the staff has specifically asked us (after ordering the Veggie Soy burrito without cheese) if we are vegan and then brought out the vegan guac (love that customer service!). If you aren't asked, be sure to ask them.

Now we just need to get them stocking Daiya!

On behalf of Paul, I will warn you that their hot sauce is not something to be trifled with. Burrito Boyz is not the place for acts of macho bravado. This is coming from two people who drown every meal they prepare in bottled hot sauce. I will not elaborate any further, but consider yourself warned. Don't be a hero.

Burrito Boyz
258 King Street North
Waterloo, ON N2J 2Y9
(519) 747-2690

P.S. Last call for Julie Sheridan as winner of my 3rd Veganiversary Giveaway! I haven't yet heard back from Julie and just recently attempted to contact her through Facebook. If I don't hear anything by Sunday I will draw another name - stay tuned!