I am probably the worst blogger ever

But I think that might mean that I am pretty busy doing stuff in the real world, for which I do not apologize.

Anyway, I got some soy ice cream from Trader Joe's and it's pretty bangin. Cherry chocolate.

Alright, well, Rhombie took my photos for my yearbook yesterday, which was nice. I am not sure I liked the white background in the end, and I might have preferred gray instead, but overall it was full of pleasantries.

This post is nearly unrelated to vegan food except for the soy ice cream, and the fact that my mother has officially purchased the tofurkey for Thursday.

Oh, the joy of busting out.
Next year I will be gone from this house.

Organic Laundry Starch Recipe

Today my grandmother asked me to go to the store and get some non-aerosol starch for the laundry, and got to thinking: "Why should I buy another bottle when there is probably a really easy way to create this on my own?"

Lo and behold, it was one of the easiest homemade creations I have ever made and my parents have been buying it from the store for over 20 years.

I searched around and compiled a few tips and tricks to create this cornstarch "recipe," tested it out, and it works!

1 pint (2 cups) filtered water
1-3 tbsp. organic cornstarch
5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)

Mix the cornstarch into the pint of cool water, then add 5-10 drop of essential oil, shake, spray, iron.

If you are planning on not using your starch for quite some time, pop it in the fridge. Shake before every use.

An Adventure Through the Pages of Genius: Cooking Through Veganomicon.

I've decided to do a cook-through of my very first vegan cookbook. It's still my only actual vegan cookbook, along with two bake-books. I borrow Vegan With a Vengeance when I need it from the S.O.

I am going to try my hand at each and every recipe in Veganomicon, and through as many of the variations as I can. The hardest part will be the tofu nori rolls and the soy ice creams, I think. The rest are made with more familiar methods, I believe. But how does on advance if they never push themselves out of his comfort zone, right?

I am not sure I am going to start on page one and move forward, or skip around. I feel like starting on page one will hold me more accountable to pushing through every recipe, even those I am less inclined to do due to fear or lack of interest. Then again, lack of interest merely masks fear for me; nothing in Veganomicon is uninteresting.

I will chronicle the pages here, without spoiling the recipes entirely. Maybe my journey through this amazing book will encourage someone else to also buy it, because it is well worth it. It's got everything from the super-simple to the very advanced and addresses a wide range of cooking styles from different parts of the world.

After Veganomicon is conquered, I think I might move on to an all-Indian vegan cookbook and see what happens!

So, how did it work out?

The cornbread turned out a little too dense in the middle. I am going to make another type tonight, possibly increasing the ratio of cornmeal (or polenta) to whole wheat flour. I may use whole wheat flour this time instead of white whole wheat, and do .5 cup whole wheat flour with 1.5 cup cornmeal/polenta mix and keep most other factors the same.

My favorite part of the cornbread had to be making it in the cast-iron skillet. It was beautiful and had a truer feel to it than my family's "tradition" of making cornbread from a box of Jiffy mix in an 8 inch round pan.

I will also preheat the cast iron more this time around, as I don't believe it got enough time in the oven beforehand when I baked it the first time. The crust didn't begin to form immediately for me, at least not visibly, and that's a characteristic that I was looking forward to experiencing.

All in all, the cornbread turned out just fine. A little dense/moist in the middle, more than I would have liked, but still delicious and sweet.

Also notable, in my version of the recipe, I added a tbsp. or so of agave nectar to give it some more sweetness and omitted the peppers.

I'll give it another go this evening and take some photographs to share.

Cornbread!

My mother is inviting some friends over tonight for a vegetarian dinner, and we're having a somewhat "traditional" meal, as it goes in my midwestern family.

Chili beans, corn bread, baked potatoes, and salad. It's nothing short of a miracle that we could pack so many carbs into one meal.

I'm preparing some cornbread to do my part, and the recipe I'm using is here. The chili beans, which my mother bought, are coming from... a can! (Cue scary music.)

Because I've already eaten tofu scramble and roasted broccoli since arriving home from volunteering at the tutoring center, I won't be enjoying too much of tonight's dinner, but the cornbread will definitely be a part of my evening meal. I could even write poetry about cornbread.

Soft, yellow crumbs stick in my throat
Sweet corn flavor fills my olfactory senses
Cornbread, oh cornbread
Forget me not on your long journey into the dark
as I ingest what I cannot detest
Cornbread

How is that for some true artistic ability?!



I am actually going to cook it in my cast iron, if it's large enough, which is exciting. It presents very well in cast iron, as cast iron is beautiful. The skillet also adds iron to the food, making it great for an meek and anemic vegan like myself! (This is not true; I donate blood, and one must have high iron levels for that!)

So I bid my lone reader farewell as I head off into the evolving world of my kitchen to cook up come cornbread, true Oklahoman style: VEGAN!

chronicles of turai.

Last Sunday while I was at Food Not Bombs, I picked up a new kind of vegetable on my way out. It was described by an Asian woman as what I can only phonetically describe as "Musswah," but I managed to find it on Google by searching ridged cucumber.

I have discovered, tentatively, that it is ridged gourd, in fact, and that it is called Turai.


This is what the vegetable actually looks like, and it's a beautiful hue of green. Less typical than a cucumber or something of the like.

I am going to try my hand at this recipe, which I found on Food.com, because I actually have all but one of the ingredients on hand, and the missing is only a garnish.

From Food.com:
# 2 cups ridge gourd, peeled and sliced (turai)
# 1 cup onion, sliced
# 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
# 1 teaspoon chopped gingerroot
# 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
# 1 green chilies, chopped
# 1/2 cup yellow moong dal, soaked and drained (split yellow gram)
# 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
# 1 cup tomato, chopped
# 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
# salt
# 1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves, chopped, for garnishing



1. 1 Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
2. 2 Add cumin seeds and allow to crackle.
3. 3 Once they stop crackling, add onions and saute until lightly browned. Sprinkle few drops of water to prevent onions from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
4. 4 Add garlic, ginger, green chilli and stir-fry until the raw smell of ginger and garlic is gone.
5. 5 Fold in the turai and saute for 3 minutes.
6. 6 Add the moong dal, turmeric powder, salt and 1/2 cup of water.
7. 7 Cover and cook on medium heat till the turai and dal are soft.
8. 8 Add tomatoes and mix well.
9. 9 Simmer for 5 minutes so that the tomatoes soften.
10. 10 Garnish with corriander leaves.
11. 11 Serve hot.

Once I've prepared the turai, I'll post an update. It was such a find!

A Last Hoorah with Donut Holes.

I've been a food slob for the past week or two, and I certainly haven't been eating my vegetables. In light of this, I'm making some donut holes to make it very official that I am a terrible foodie, and then moving on.

After the donut holes, however, around lunchtime, I am going to enjoy some roasted broccoli and rice, and that will be the meal of redemption that leads me down the path of enlightenment.

Donut Holes:
2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch+2 tbsp. water (combined)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. soymilk + 1 tsp vinegar, more or less
1/4 c. oil

Combine dry ingredients, then add cornstarch mixture, "buttermilk", and oil. Drop into hot canola oil by spoonfuls. Fry until brown, appx. 3 min.

This recipe modified from this Cooks.com recipe.

Back in Action.

Vegan Bakesale!

Where: Camarillo Farmers Market
When: October 2nd, 8 AM to 12 PM.



My friends and I are holding a bakesale to support Animal Acres of Acton, CA. Come check it out if you're interested in donating or picking up some sweet treats for October.

There will be cupcakes, cookies, scones, and brownies. :) Don't forget to bring a reusable bag to stash your loot.

2 Potlucks for the Post of 1!

Alright, I'll admit that I haven't updated about the potlucks as often as I should.

I'll also admit that for the last two potlucks, count 'em, I haven't taken individual pictures of the food!

I hope that someone can still draw some inspiration for their own outreach from my little grassroots movement though.

I have photos.
One of the potlucks was just a small Earth Day potluck and it ended up being a little messy and disorganized because a lot of people were occupying the spot we usually take. We ended up taking a really small plot of grass under a tree and nothing was quite as organized as I'd like.

We also forgot to take the group photo from that day, but I have photos of the group!



24. April 2010

this potluck was rather peculiar.

it included a frazzled host & melting soy ice cream.





this one wasn't nearly as frazzled and was the Cinco de Mayo Potluck of 5. May, 2010.

Everyone was centered around one central blanket. I'm not sure if it was the best setup, but it was good that there was something in the middle. Next time I think I will have a blanket in the middle that is rather square and have all the food on it and then have a larger blanket under that that creates the "seating" to be centered around.


Kate saved the day with her Spanish skills and her ability to make tortillas look like Texas... or was that Sam? I've got no idea. But the Texas tortilla is pretty significant.



There's the whole group from Cinco de Mayo!
We only had two vegans and two vegetarians, which was impressive. So many omnivores gathering to try out something new and vegan! The world might stop on its axis!

*Update on the 30 Day Whole Food Challenge*
Uhmm... I'm not sure my diet as of yet exactly qualifies as "whole."
At the potluck I had empanadas with dough that I made, and I ate some stuff that had tortillas and probably canned beans (I am assuming no one else soaked the beans overnight & did the two hour cooking).
I also accidentally ate some peanuts that had MSG on them... don't ask me how that happened. They only said SALTED but I guess that means MSG, trans-fats, salt, and a slew of other ailments. The unsalted were just peanuts though. I switched to those once I realized about the first set.
I haven't used any soymilk, but I've eaten some organic cereal.
I have to wait until Saturday to go the farmers market to stock up on REAL whole foods because I've basically run out after missing the farmers market for the SAT last Saturday.
I'm going to definitely stock up on Saturday and prepare for three weeks of PURE WHOLE FOOD GOODNESS. I might just continue it a week or so afterward to make up for the MSG and tortillas.

Breakfast Couscous. Whole Food Challenge Day Three.

On the third day of the Happy Herbivore challenge to eat only whole foods for 30 days, I woke up late and had no idea what to eat. I searched my pantry for a moment and discovered: couscous.

I decided that couscous was a fine choice for a breakfast, but didn't know what to put into it. Naturally, I first thought of... coconut? No so naturally, but I saw a bag of shredded coconut in the cupboard and decided to give it a shot.

My next thought was to add raisins, and then some maple syrup for sweetener.

It was pretty delicious, and cinnamon or brown sugar can easily be added to give it that warm, homey feeling. I love coconut and can eat it in just about anything that will take it, but if you're not a fan, you may want to omit the coconut and go with something like a juice-cooked couscous.

Unfortunately, I was literally running out the door this morning 2 minutes AFTER my first class had begun, so I don't have an original photo. Here is a similar photo (without the coconut) from Erin's Food Files.



So, here is the "recipe" as follows:

Ingredients:
-1 cup couscous
-1 cup water
-1/4 cup shredded coconut (more or less to taste)
-1/2 cup raisins
-2-3 tbsp maple syrup, agave nectar, or brown sugar (to taste)
-2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Boil water, remove from heat, and add couscous, coconut, and raisins. Stir, then cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Add maple syrup or other sweetener to couscous, and cinnamon if you decide to add it. Stir and fluff well. Serve warm.

30 Day "Whole" Food Challenge.

^^disregard the meat in that photo... I just noticed it. I'll look for a new photo.^^
I was browsing through the Happy Herbivore's website recently and discovered an entirely new phenomenon: unprocessed food.


Because I recently got 20 or so of my school-compadres to go veg*n for a week, I decided it was only right that I accept someone else's healthy eating challenge.

It's going to be really great, I believe. I love eating whole foods and experiencing flavors that are straight out of nature, not the laboratory.

Lately I've been less-than-faithful with my healthy eating, and even ate rolls this week with honey in them. As far as I'm concerned, the month of May will be my renewal. Real foods and 100% vegan eats, not 99.99%. I didn't become vegan just to half-ass it.

So, I'll make an example out of me yet! As on blogger cleverly named her site, it's Walking the Vegan Line.

In this revival I will renew my faith not only in my cause and in whole, unprocessed foods, but in myself. I am stronger than mass marketing, engineered food, and any other frivolous temptation.

This is not the last delicious meal I will ever eat, you know.

I'll keep this site posted with my whole food adventure.
No Earth Balance for a month!

You Should Get Veganomicon.

Really, you should.
This recipe book is so packed full of healthy, delicious recipes (with a side of decadence, no less).




(Photo from The Post Punk Kitchen website, linked below.)

Last Wednesday I made potato and kale enchiladas from this book of wonders. Luckily, the recipe is on the Post Punk Kitchen. Click link to see the original.

I will list the recipe's ingredients here for convenience's sake, in case you want to know quickly if you have these on hand. I would suggest allowing a couple of hours at least to prepare this, especially if you haven't roasted the peppers ahead of time. Even better, prepare the sauce the night before and refrigerate/freeze it. The only downside to this book is the cooking times. They are accurate... if you've been cooking for a very long time and are already fluent at the recipe. It took me almost 2 to get these done even with help from my sister with all of the chopping and roasting.

These enchiladas are amazing. It wouldn't hurt to add a spicier pepper to the sauce, like a roasted jalapeno or something to that effect. Spiciness depends on preference, and I like things a little on the spicy side.

This post is kind of arbitrary, other than a strong suggestion to try these enchiladas and buy the cookbook. It's definitely a lot better than my other vegan cookbooks in information and format. The first 30 pages or so tell you all the ways to roast, grill, blanch, blend, chop, etc. the most common vegan items that even an old hand can sometimes still be lost on.

As promised, the ingredients to the recipe. The rest of the information is on the link above if you're interested in making it.
Ingredients
For the Enchilada Chile Sauce:
2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
1 onion, cut into small dice
3 large green chiles (such as Anaheim or even Italian-style long green peppers), roasted, seeded, peeled (see page XX), and chopped coarsely

2ñ3 teaspoons chile powder, preferably ancho
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon marjoram or Mexican oregano (epazote)
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice (roasted preferred)
1 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2ñ2 teaspoons salt

For the Potato and Kale Filling:
1 pound waxy potatoes (Yukon gold or red)
1/2 pound kale, washed, trimmed, and chopped finely
3 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup vegetable stock or water
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds, page XX), chopped coarsely, plus additional for garnish
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

12ñ14 corn tortillas

Enjoy!

Strawberry Sauce

Oh, the wonder of discarded strawberries.

I happened to find about 5 of these discarded 2 pound boxes of strawberries as I was digging through some refuse, and I only had enough room in my bag to take home 1 of them... so I did take what I could, and ended up making a delicious strawberry sauce to accompany a rather non-spongey sponge cake.

Nonetheless, it was delicious.
Strawberry sauce can be made almost without any added sugar (it might be possible to not add any at all, really), but I made it with some sugar.

It's a great way to use any not-so-great strawberries or those you may have found in the trash and want to cook before eating. I'm normally not this way, but last night I ended up also dropping them on the ground and they spilled everywhere on the way home and I decided to take the germophobic route after my recent bout of food poisoning (not dumpster-induced, but some cross contamination with raw meat).

Strawberry sauce.
I will use a photo from an online source because I didn't get a chance to photograph my own strawberry sauce.


This one, borrowed from http://cheese8chocolate.wordpress.com/, looks very similar to mine. It could also be blended to make a more smooth consistency for appearance or textural purposes.

So, here's the most basic strawberry sauce recipe.

Ingredients:
4 C fresh strawberries, stems removed, halved or quartered
3 tbsp. unbleached sugar, brown sugar, agave nectar (I would not suggest maple syrup)
A splash of lemon juice
Pinch of salt


1. Chop strawberries
2. Combine all ingredients (except salt) in sauce pan.
3. Heat covered until strawberries have released liquid, stirring ofte
4. Add pinch of salt.
5. Heat until desired thickness and liquidity is reached.

This strawberry sauce was super-easy and delicious and vegan.

The Farmer's Market: The Herbivore's Playground

There is something intrinsically special about the farmers' market. It's a social event as well as a shopping trip, and a way to reconnect with the places from which our food comes. Friendly faces greet you as you buy real food; not a packaged and processed item that an unfriendly clerk directed you to through the familiar two words, "Aisle _."

What can that clerk really tell you about the product? Maybe the price... not where the food came from, who grew it, what ingredients they used, or when and why they grew it. These questions can normally be answered by a farmer or farmer's employee at the farmers' market. A dialogue can be reopened with our food, so to speak.

Food can be sampled; qualitative questions can be asked; recipes can be shared; suggestions can be made that someone might actually LISTEN to; there's actually an option to not buy ANYTHING that has a package surrounding it.

This is something that is so different from the corporate face of the supermarket that we face today.


After three years of saying I would, I finally made it to my own local farmer's market. The other instances in which I have gone to farmer's markets have been in Santa Barbara with my partner's parents. I really fell in love with the farmers' markets I've been to, but have never been in the actual town that I live in on a Saturday morning (unless I have been working), and never have gone to the Camarillo Farmer's Market until today.

It was completely worth it and actually a lot of fun. It had so much more organic produce than I ever imagined it would (and at great prices). I managed to find everything I need for the entire week except for Granny Smith apples, which I bought at Lassen's.

We bought so much (beautiful) food today. My grandma and my mom met me there with the car after I rode my bike up (ha, thanks, guys!) and we managed to stuff our bag full of delicious-looking produce.

I got a loaf of handmade wheat bread for only 3.25. Not organic, but totally vegan, which was worth it. The guy selling the bread even knew which ones were vegan right off the bat, which was great. Normally it's a rule of thumb for the person helping me at the supermarket to stop, look at me strangely, and say, "Uhh, so that's not supposed to have eggs or anything in it? I'm not sure we have anything like that." (I really despise supermarkets and do my best to only shop in their dumpsters.)

As photographed at the top of the post, I bought orange beets and turnips. I'm excited for the orange beets. I have heard that they are sweeter than normal varieties, which might make my mom more inclined to eat them. I'm not sure if the nutritional information is any different. I'm sure it is. Normally, in nature, color indicates something about the vitamins within.

Beets, carrots, and more.


I bought organic kale and organic carrots. The kale was 2.00/bunch, and the carrots were a deal with the turnips and beets, 3 bunchs for 5.00. Green onions, strawberries, asparagus, celery, tomatoes on the vine, mint, parsley, some kind of -quat, but not a kumquat, and a bottle of fresh, hand squeezed blood orange juice.

It was absolutely a great morning. I'm totally spoiled, living in southern California and having all of this fresh and organic produce available to me every Saturday. It makes me wonder why I ever step into the supermarket.

The funny thing that I noticed as we walked through the two aisles, lined with booths and vendors, was that none of the children were asking for candy or junk food and my mom and I, who sometimes get attracted to the 'wrong foods,' didn't have any inclination to buy anything processed and unhealthy. No cola to be tempted by, no boxed granola bars, no crinkly bags of tortilla chips with bright labels. All the colors that attracted us there came from nature, not a photo editing program or a laboratory. The farmers' market takes the focus off of what's designed to tempt us and puts it back on what we're designed to be tempted by. It really blew me away as I reflected upon it.


How could I every have taken it for granted? Delicious food, sunny weather, nice people, and running into a slew of people I'd never expect to see (but that I actually wanted to see). Not much can top that as far as shopping for sustenance goes.




Most of my loot:

Intermittent Post: Why Vegan? +Personal Tidbit

This Earthling is beautiful.

I've decided to make a blog post detailing why I'm vegan.
It's strange how I avoid the issue on here, seeing as it's a vegan blog.
I'm always afraid to sound preachy. The enormity of the issue might sometimes require it, but it's a turn-off to my nonveg friends.
However, I'm not really here to please anyone. And not many people read this thing anyway.

However, people ask me really often and I oftentimes don't have enough time to detail to them why I'm vegan (if they really are interested. If they seem condescending I just say, "For the animals and the environment and the respect of my body."). I can simply refer them to this post, and if they are truly interested, they will read.

Here lies my personal reasoning behind being vegan (which is similar to every other vegan on the planet, minus the ones who do it for religion):
You may just want to skip to the ten second video premiere of my boyfriend making a pecking tongue at the bottom of the page.

1. The animals. Their conditions. Their bodies.

I lived for a very long time in the ignorance of the hell endured by animals to become my dinner. I thought I promoted peace, love, and unity through my life, but that's just not possible for me if I live a life involving the torture and brutalization of other beings. Cows and chickens are no different than cats and dogs in their ability to feel pain, suffer, and love. They have family bonds, they have friendships, they have habits and enjoy certain activities over others. If bulls were so happy to be part of a slaughtering operation, we wouldn't have to turn them into steers. It doesn't matter what kind of farm the "food" comes from; free range, organic, or factory farm operation, it's all in support of the same bloody end. This, to me, is unacceptable. It's not conducive to a peaceful life to literally shell out my financial support to this type of activity.

*Edit. As an abolitionist vegan, I do not condone confining animals "humanely" or in "good conditions." Some people advocate for this, and that is all very well. I do not. I would not want to be set up in a mansion with all the amenities and still have my breasts sucked dry, be continually re-impregnated, and be slaughtered only 1/5 of the way through my lifespan.

2. The Environment. It deserves much better.

It wasn't until I first decided to go vegan that I learned anything about meat and the environment. That information is just not disseminated to the public (and for those whose interests lie in the industry, with good reason).

I learned right before I became vegan of the disastrous effects of the environment on our planet. There's a saying that "A vegetarian in a hummer has less of an impact than a meat-eater on a bicycle." While this is not numerically sound, the image is still something to remember when considering the eating of meat from an environmental perspective. Eating meat has a drastic effect on the amount of pollution a person creates.

I had always considered myself to be pro-environmentalist, saving water and using low-impact lightbulbs, shutting down my idle computer, unplugging my phone charger, etc. But even driving a Prius and conserving water can't account for eating meat. Eating animal products is against my principles of sustainability and longevity for the earth.

3. My Body (is Not a Graveyard).

This is the third and final section of my vegan life's beginnings.
I wasn't healthy before I went vegan. I ate whatever I wanted. I didn't eat hamburger meat, because it made me want to vomit. I didn't drink milk for the same reason... but I ate cheese, beef, chicken, pork, dairy, lamb (hell, I even raised a lamb for slaughter in the 9th grade). I never thought of the impact of this high-protein, low fresh veggies lifestyle would have on my body (or what impact it was already having).

The rotting flesh that was inside of me was taking its impact. As soon as I stopped eating it, I felt better, lost weight, made more frequent bowel movements, and dropped two cup sizes on my once oversized breasts (that were before beginning to cause me back problems). I pretty much stopped getting ear infections, which were once common to me. (That could be coincidence, but I've read that dairy is related to ear infections.)

Flesh+flesh is not the best.
We don't make buildings out of buildings, we create them from building blocks. That's what my body needs. Building blocks from which I can create something healthy and new.




This could be my manifesto, and it may seem silly and insignificant, but it's why I do what I do. Some people claim to me that I don't make a difference, but as Edmund Burke eloquently stated, "Nobody made a bigger mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little."

I do make a difference, if only to myself and the few animals that may not be slaughtered because of my actions out of the billions that are terminated each year to satisfy the greed of the American appetite.

Overall, I'm vegan to uphold the life I want to live; not hurting others and living simply.


Live simply that others might simply live. -Elizabeth Seaton


Someone may someday come across this post and decide to also live simply.


P.S.
As a personal tidbit from my life, and as the explicit result of a terrible smoothie, I give you: This Video.


james

ashley | MySpace Video

So, I made a terrible smoothie. I had raw, shelled sunflower seeds and tried to blend them into a smoothie with a hand blender without soaking them overnight or anything to that effect, and they were still big enough to chew when the smoothie was done. I finally convinced my boyfriend to try this damn smoothie, because it was made from beets and I had a feeling he hadn't eaten many beets lately, and he then proceeded to try and get the sunflower chunk off of his tongue... onto my arm... very innocently.

There you have it.

Potluck #4, Plus a Week of Vegan! *New Photo Update*

The fourth potluck happened on April 14th, 2010 at a park nearby.
I moved it to the park because I didn't want space to be an issue, and it lifted some pressure from me about directions, cleaning, etc. because the park is pretty well-known and central.

The picnic-atmosphere was great. I didn't have a set place to put all the food though (because I didn't want it to be obvious that it was organized, having a table and such. In our city, it is illegal to have gatherings of more than 10 people without a permit).

We had 15 total attendees, which was a nice turnout. I believe I might make them biweekly, with the weeks in-between being a really small gathering for me a couple of friends in which I can cook a full meal and invite them to come enjoy it with me.

The food was great!
One guest brought the most perfect pumpkin bread. I hope she liked it enough to make it again sometime (vegan and all!) for her family. (photo below)
Some vegan pesto & "cheezy" pasta (photo below) from Miss Heather, my German class ovo-lacto bud.
I simply brought banana bread, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and hummus.
Another person brought some delicious, sliced pineapple.

Cucumber salad was also delicious, with a vinegar and oil dressing... simple evening last night. Most things weren't too overdone, and there was a lot of raw food (which was very nice!).





pumpkin bread.

pesto pasta with "cheeze"


Carolyn and I enjoying our potluck experience.



Bobby, empty-plated and looking hungrily about.

*UPDATE*
New photos from my camera. It was dead, so I borrowed my friend's iPhone. Now I have the other two photos of Erik's quesadillas (sans queso) and Carolyn's cornbread.


Carolyn's delicious cornbread.


I will post Erik's quesadilla recipe as well, which he got from Compassion Over Killing's website.




*This recipe can be found on COK's website (linked above) under "Quick Quesadillas."

* 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
* 1/2 cup water-packed roasted red pepper
* 3 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon tahini
* 1 garlic clove, peeled
* 1/4 teaspoon cumin
* 8 corn tortillas
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 1/2 to 1 cup salsa

Drain the beans and place in a food processor or blender with the next five ingredients. Process until very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Spread a tortilla with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the garbanzo mixture and place in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle with chopped onions and salsa.

Top with a second tortilla and cook until the bottom tortilla is warm and soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the second side for 1 minute. Remove from the pan and cut in half. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.



***************************************************


So, overall, the park was a great idea for a place to have the potluck!


On to the vegan week...
For Earth Day, I have received several emails encouraging me (but I already am) to go vegan for a week for Earth Day.
Because of this, I have decided to do my own little mini-campaign and encourage people around me to do so for the environment.
There's so much that can be done for the environment just through change in diet, and they aren't difficult and they don't taste bad.
My hope is that people will do the vegan/vegetarian week and realize that it's not hard to do something tremendous for the environment (and of equal importance, for animals).
The focus is of course, on the environment because it is for earth day. Otherwise I focus on animal issues.

So far I have gotten at least ten people that have agreed to do it. I've created some pledge cards that have a list of "nonvegan" items for people to avoid and links to vegan recipe sites, PETA's (gag) "Accidentally Vegan" food list, and some suggestions for yummy vegan foods during the week. They're printed in a vertical business card format, and I'm having a big vegan potluck for all the pledges to attend on Earth Day Saturday, AKA the 24th.

So, if you're reading this and you are not vegan, you should try it from the 22nd of April until the 29th!

Good luck and happy eating!

Third Vegan Wednesday Potluck!

Last night was the third vegan potluck, and I wasn't sure anyone was going to make it, but five people did manage to show up. Everyone was either moving or had huge projects to work on or their parents said no, prior engagements, etc. etc. and more etc. It was still fun with a smaller crowd! I got to talk to everyone that was there a little bit more.

Briana brought vegan tempura with tofu, eggplant, mushrooms, etc. It was great. I wasn't able to take photos specifically of the food last night, maybe because I was so shocked and frenzied after people actually showed up! Basically she made tempura without the eggs though, and it wasn't missing anything.

Julia made banana ice cream, which is essentially bananas, frozen, and put into a food processor. Easy and delicious.

Jessica made a fruit salad from green sliced grapes, bananas, strawberries, etc. Yummy and fresh.

I made chykn nuggets from Vegan Dad and a romaine/iceberg salad with raisins on top.

Here's a photo of our whole group:



I think I will have some repeat visitors from the new guests, which is a good sign! Vegan meal once a week is better than nothing, especially if it's delicious!

Pumpkin Scone Recipe

I happened to have a can of organic pumpkin pie mix in the house, so I decided to make some pumpkin scones this morning. I wanted to make vegan "Easter eggs" from Just the Food, but I didn't have the time OR the ingredients, as I must run to work in a couple of hours on "my hog" (the affectionate nickname my friends I use for our bicycles).



I made these scones as an adaptation of this recipe. Instead of just pureed pumpkin, I used organic pumpkin pie mix. I believe either one would work.

The ginger was a great addition, and all the omnivores ate them up on my last day at work.

By the way, making scones is really fun. It's like cutting apart a giant, two inch thick pizza. It's fun. I will probably do it again soon.
For convenience, I will post the modified About.com recipe here.

* 1/2 cup sugar
* 3 1/2 cups flour
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 3 tsp ginger powder
* 1/2 cup vegan margarine
* 2 cups pureed pumpkin pie mix

Preparation:
In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and ginger). Cut in vegan margarine, adding a bit at a time until mixed. Add pumpkin and combine well.

On a lightly floured surface, knead dough a few times, pushing it into a large circle, a few inches thick.

Cut into 12 or so triangular pieces. Imagine you are cutting a pizza so that you get even, triangular slices.

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until done.

Vegan Restaurant Review! -Truly Vegan Restaurant-

Last night I visited Truly Vegan Restaurant on Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood. It's a small, quaint vegan restaurant with mostly a la carte items. Located on the far end of the strip, it doesn't have as many distractions and loud folks hanging around outside on a regular basis. The area itself is not very upscale, and it's a small and quiet restaurant with ok service.


Truly Vegan Website

I got numbers 37 and 41, which was miso soup and coleslaw. The miso soup was decent; I've had it there before and it was better. The tofu in the soup is awesome though! It's not as slimy as many tofus I've had in other misos. The coleslaw is the real story though. It's great. It's well spiced and has Vegenaise on it, and it's nothing like the sweet, slimy coleslaw I had growing up.

James, my companion to the restaurant last night, got number 64, the seitan wrap. It was really good, but it needed some salsa (which we used). Again, very well-spiced and the seitan was not rubbery or too "wheaty." The wrap is pretty large, probably amounting to about a foot long and is wrapped in chapatti bread.

The prices range from $2.00 to $10.00, with most items being around $7.00. The disadvantage is that everything is a la carte, so when you pay $7.00 for a "cheese" sandwich, you literally get two buns, bean sprouts, and faux cheese. The best deals are probably the wraps, which they have for breakfast and dinner. (Breakfast served all day).

We came back later that night and got a strawberry soymilk shake, which was less than satisfactory. It was rather watery and had a lot of ice-chunks in it. I'd suggest getting a fruit smoothie instead.

Overall, I enjoy going to this restaurant every time I do.
So, I recommend this place if you're out on the Blvd. and want some quick vegan eats without having to wonder if it's casein-free or not, etc. However, don't expect large portions or really feeling like you're "getting what you're paying for" if you are used to getting sides with your order.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cauliflower Soup

Last night I was hungry and looking for something low-cal to eat for dinner because I had scarfed down a few too many of my home-made energy bars earlier that day. I stumbled across a recipe for cauliflower soup and adapted it to my own liking.

I'm not sure where I found the recipe, but I think it was on About.com.

I didn't take my own photo, but it looked the most similar to that. Yellow, not white like some others because it has no cream or cream sub.

So, here it goes.

1 tbsp Vegan margarine (Earth Balance Organic is my favorite) (-or olive oil)
1 onion (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 potato (Diced)
1 head cauliflower (chopped)
3 c. veg broth (I used three cups water with 2 packets of TJ's broth mix)
2 bay leaves
2-3 tsp freshly ground pepper
Salt, to taste. (I didn't need any salt due to the broth)


Chop onions, mince garlic, dice potatoes and cauliflower.
Heat oil in large pot. Add onions and cook for 1-3 minutes, then add garlic. Cook the duo until softened.
Add potato and Cauliflower and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add broth, bay leaves, pepper, and salt.
Boil for 25-35 minutes.
Remove bay leaves, blend with immersion blender or countertop blender.
Serve.


You may also want to grind the pepper in afterward, or on an individual basis. I found that it was much better with the freshly ground pepper.


No pic today, unfortunately.



Another update in my journey, however, runs threefold.
Sunday is my last day at my job, thankfully. I've decided to take a risk and begin spending my time gardening, playing music, and creating (possibly soap/other useful and items that can be sold). I began a few seeds in pots for carrots, bell peppers, and variety lettuce in an organic fashion (with organic seeds). My grandmother has moved in with us as of yesterday, and I hope to cook her back into good health as well as get her moving through some organic gardening outside.

I've also began a worm compost (I just haven't gotten the worms yet).

And for a little rambling about my other life:
I basically spent my whole day yesterday watching Law & Order or online, looking for band mates and doing traffic school for a ticket I got... so it was less that productive. I plan to make today better than that though (: I did manage to play drums for awhile yesterday, which is good. My double-bassing is getting pretty bitchin; even and fast.
My band is going into the studio on Thursday, for which I do vocals...
Wish us luck.

So, there's soup and an update about organic life in the coastal regions of the USA.

Another Vegan Potluck Under Our Belts

No pun intended, but of course there is one intended.


March 24th, 2010 marked the second vegan potluck of the series upon which I am embarking. This week we had 13 total attendees, as opposed to the seven of last week, which shows a definite improvement. We had five returning guests apart from myself, which is also a good sign. People like the potlucks, despite the fact that they are vegan and it puts them out of their food-comfort-zone.

I hope to use these potlucks to help defeat the view that vegan food is tasteless, unsatisfying, and restrictive. Having vegetarians, omnivores, and vegans all in the same room together enjoying the same food is a great atmosphere. It lifts the persistent itch of the vegans to ensure their food is animal-free, making it less awkward for everyone, and it makes it infinitely less awkward for all three groups because the omnivores don't have to feel awkward eating meat, the vegetarians don't have to feel pressure because they're eating dairy, and the vegans don't have to see/smell or having pressure to comment on the nature of their surroundings.

I generally don't comment on what other people eat, but other people seem to have a guilt fest when they eat with me if they eat cheese or meat, always making a point to mention how sorry they are. I enjoy the vegan dinner evening because not only did every person step outside of their box to contribute, they all can feel safe from criticisms and harsh realities for a couple of hours. The food is also delicious, which usually surprises people!

The next potluck will be in two weeks at my house, and I might have an impromptu one sometime during next week. It's spring break and many people will be out of town, but a vegan friend who's in college at the moment is visiting and came last night and I wish for her to come again, so I will make another one happen next week.


Overall, it was smashingly successful. Falafel, Meximosas, corn and edamame salad, spiced apples, lentil soup, leafy greens with fruit and loveliness, strawberries, fruit salad, potato pastries, and frijoledillas were on the menu for the evening. Photos? Of course:





















Click on any of the above photos to see a larger version.



I made "Meximosas," of sorts, and I borrowed the idea from Just the Food. Instead of using Soyrizo and Tofutti cream cheese as the only filling, I used Soyrizo mixed up with sauteed jalepenos, quinoa, and refried beans. The dough was 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 all purpose, but I could have afforded to to 1/3 whole wheat instead. Either way, they were delicious and tasted like little burritos in the shape of a samosa.



The corn and edamame salad was made at my suggestion by someone who didn't want to make another complex dish this week because she was crunched for time. It's a recipe from Veganomicon, and it's boiled corn and shelled edamame mixed with toasted sesame seed oil and sesame seeds essentially. The corn:soybean ratio doesn't make much of a difference in my opinion, and it's a quick, easy, and delicious side.


I was unable to photograph Erik's Frijoledillas, but they are a mixture of beans, salsa, and sauteed peppers between two flour tortillas. Much like quesadillas, sans the queso.


The potato pancakes were a potato mixture between phyllo dough, but I am not sure whether it was store-bought and I also don't know the recipe. It was also delicious though.


The one other thing I was unable to photograph was the falafel. So. Delicious. Josh, who claims to only know how to cook spaghetti and Jewish food, made the most authentic, restaurant quality falafel. It was phenomenal! He basically told me the way to get the perfect falafel is to use a lot of oil and heat very high. I'm not so big on the tons of oil, but for a holiday treat I would definitely make another attempt at falafel (and maybe with Josh's advice, not fail).


I have a photo of our whole group except for Cassie, who was taking a call from Chile at the time.






And one of most of the people at the table:




Everyone enjoyed it, thankfully. I step out of my comfort zone also, now, because I have such a diverse group of people around that I don't really know all that well. The two in front, James and Mila (seated) are the only friends I have there that I talk to outside of high school.


It's a great thing though, and a step in the right direction for all 13 of us in attendance. Once a week, sit down and have a meal with friends, conversation, and food that's healthy and cruelty-free. Everyone should try at least once in a seven day period to do that, if they have the resources and opportunity.



See you next week?

Recipe, as promised.

This recipe is courtesy of a friend of a friend, whose name I do not know, but the friend's name is Samantha and she's the nicest girl alive!

After I'm done on this cleanse I think I will make this.

Ingredients:
· 2 cups mung dhal (split mung beans)
· 1 large yam, peeled and chopped in bite sized pieces
· 2 stalks celery, washed and sliced thin
· Optional: 2 cups washed, chopped fresh spinach or frozen spinach
· 1 - 2 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
· Optional: For more heat, add 1 - 2 Tbsp fresh minced jalapeño pepper
· 2 - 4 Tbsp olive oil, or safflower oil
· 1 bay leaf
· 1 tsp gr. cumin
· 2 tsp gr. coriander
· 1 tsp gr. fennel
· 1/2 tsp powdered turmeric
· pinch cayenne or more, if you like HOT
· Optional: pinch hing (asefetida)
· 1 tsp salt or to taste
· 6 cups water or vegan soup stock
· Freshly ground pepper to taste
· 2 Tbsp lemon juice
· 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
1. Wash and rinse the dhal. Soak in hot water to cover for 1/2 an hour, or 2 hours in cold water
2. Drain the dhal, place in a 10 quart stock pot, and cover with 6 cups of the water or soup stock
3. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, add the bay leaf, and fresh ginger
4. Add the chopped celery, yam and ginger to the dahl, and bring back to a boil
5. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook covered for an hour or more, stirring occasionally. Add more water or stock if the soup seems too thick
6. When the dhal is soft but still intact, fish out the bay leaf
7. Heat the oil on low in a small frying pan. Mix in the dry spices and salt, and heat until they start to bubble - keep your eye on them so they don't burn
8. Spoon a cup of liquid from the dhal, and stir into the spice mixture. Transfer all to the dhal soup and stir it in
9. Add the chopped spinach if you're using it, and lemon juice. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes more until the spinach is thawed or wilted
10. Serve garnished with fresh chopped cilantro
Crockpot Directions:
1. Put the soaked, rinsed dhal in an 8-10 qt crockpot
2. Add all other ingredients except spinach, cilantro and spices
3. Add 6 cups of water or soup stock
4. Cover and cook 6 - 8 hours on low
5. Add more water or stock if the soup seems too thick
6. Turn the crockpot heat setting to high
7. Follow the above directions from #6, heating the oil, frying the spices, adding the spinach and lemon juice
8. Reduce the heat setting to warm or off

This soup was a hit at the potluck last week.




As far as the cleanse goes, I'm a little bit failing at the moment.
For the day, I've not been 100% raw and it's only 6:40 on the first day.
I'm not too worried though. The only non-raw thing I have eaten is organic sunflower butter with a banana and an apple. Other than that I've been sticking to it.

I haven't really prepared for it, which is the biggest issue I think I'm having. I have veggies in my house though and I will throw something together for dinner and take it over to the s.o.'s house this evening. If it turns out well, I will post the recipe on here. (:

Raw Foods Cleanse.

In the midst of my weekly potlucks, I think I'm going to do a raw cleanse.
I've noticed that I've been very drawn to processed foods like Tofutti "ice cream" sandwiches and tortilla chips lately, and drawn away from whole foods like fruits and veggies.


I love whole, raw foods. They're delicious and nutritional and make me feel great, so why not eat them?! That's the thought I had as I downed another Tofutti sandwich last night.



I want to rid my body of these cravings, which usually stem from having eaten the food to begin with, so I will today begin a two week raw cleanse.



hello, raw. (:

Band Practice of the Veg*ns.

So, I thought I would post a little update about Extinct?, the band I'm currently screaming/emoting for. We had a band practice today (sans a bassist) and recorded a rough video of the practice for the audio.

The song basically is anti-meat... the lyrics go something like, animals... and they fucking rape them... and such. Ha, young punks in love, I guess.

I normally play drums, but in the band with my boyfriend I do vocals. I think I'll end up playing drums on some of the songs though, because that's what I like to do and I can occasionally do it well, too!

I will post the link here, rather than the video, because it's really not related to much on this blog.

If you like what you hear (which would probably mean you like crust/punk/sludge/metal or something like that) then add us at www.myspace.com/themanwhowasdeath (:

Video Link

Cheers!

The Event and The Aftermath

So, this evening's potluck, the first of many, was a success. Plus one point in my book of awesome vegan life scorecards.



I am impressed with myself for having successfully executed an organized event, and I'm really excited to host another one.

We had a mango, corn, and black bean salad. It was quite delicious (and created by the hands of a skilled omnivore). Niki, another guest, brought a Trader Joe's mix of vegan fried rice, and DeVante brought bruschetta. Samantha brought Mung Dahl soup, an AMAZING Indian concoction she got from her Indian friend (very authentic, she even had to make a trip to a special Indian foods store). Another guest brought vegan brownies and oranges from his backyard, and I made twice baked potatoes with kale, garlic, and shallots mixed in to the mashed mix.

The recipe from which I derived my version of Colcannon Potatoes is here from that wonderful blogger of Vegan Planet. (: I will soon post the AMAZING Mung Dahl soup recipe from Samantha...

Overall, it was a really good experience. I'm inexperienced at hosting and usually an awkward conversationalist (because I usually only have veganism on my mind, and it's distracting). But the conversation traveled many places.

The three omnivores that showed up were all markedly surprised at the satisfaction they received from vegan eats and at how good a whole vegan meal could taste. That was really gratifying to me and made me feel like less of a freak. The potluck really de-vilified "vegan" food and took a little of the "us and them" mentality away; at least for those three people, I hope. I was a little worried that the omnivores were out numbered 4:3, because I invited more omnivores than vegetarians, but only three showed up. They didn't seem to mind though, and none of us were overbearingly shoving any sort of dogma at them.

Hopefully these will break down some of the stigma in my community against vegans, their food, and their lives. The number of vegan and vegetarian people is definitely growing in this very republican suburb, and many people are beginning to feel that their lifestyle is being criticized or threatened. Whether that's true remains to be seen. But for now, I just want to enjoy a potluck with my friends.

Unfortunately I forgot to take any photos of the food before we began eating, but I did take photos of the people that were eating the food. I will upload the sign I made and maybe a potluck photo or two sometime soon.

Here are some photos from the first potluck:


my very professional sign that i made...



I'm on the right... and then from the left to right is Cassie and Samantha, my vegetarian buddies.



My omnivorous friends enjoying the new experience (really!).
<3


Cheers!

Potluck

So, I am soon beginning a reign of vegan potlucks every Wednesday at my house. If anyone has any ideas about the best potluck foods, let me know. I plan to make enchiladas straight out of Veganomicon. They are the best I've ever made, and use a homemade roasted pepper sauce, which is amazing.

Another person is bringing samosas Indian themed dahl soup, which I will definitely photograph and post the recipe of.

I invited a really diverse group of people, and only 4 vegetarian/vegans. It's a sort of outreach to get people to try out a new thing once a week. It's very important to step out of the box every once in awhile and do something new (and delicious).

It's also going to cut back on eight omnivore's meat consumption this week, and therefor their carbon emissions for the week, which is very nice. Hopefully they really enjoy the recipes and start trying some vegan recipes at home.


See you there!

For info on the potlucks and if you live in the southern California/Central Coast/Ventura area, comment/email away and I will email it to you.