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!