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.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆