Vegan Mecca Love

The PDX Vegan Hundred!

2009-10-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

The PDX Vegan Hundred: 100 Great Foodz in Portland, OR

1) Copy this list into your own blog, facebook or website, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Italicize any items that you would never consider eating (I changed that from crossing out because I'm a noob and don't know how to do that!).
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!

1. Fries with spicy tofu sauce at Dots - oh yeah!
2. $1 Corndog from Hungry Tiger Too - I tried a corndog when I was 4 and it was disgusting. Never again!
3. Chick-o-Stick doughnut from Voodoo Doughnuts - but I prefer the yeasted variety.
4. Tiramisu from Portobello -I tried to order this the one time I went, and they were out of it!
5. Vegan Mulita from Gorditos or Gorditos II - I have got to fix this one! I live in NW, so I get my taco/chimichanga fix at Cha Cha Cha.
6. Nanotear Ham and Cheeze sandwich from Tube - just took a bite of one about a month ago, so proud of myself! That thing looks so gross to me!
7. Milkshake from Sip
8. Gnocchi from Portobello
9. Caramel Nut Bar from Sweetpea Baking Co. - I think I've tried everything but this!
10. Soft serve from Blossoming Lotus - I don't even like ice cream, but this is good stuff!
11. Local cherry tomatoes from a farmers market - those purple-y green-y ones are my fave!
12. Dong Po Tofu from Bay Leaf - I've never been to Bay Leaf! What kind of vegan am I???
13. Jerked chickun from Assase Ital - it doesn't look appetizing to me, but people in line always tell me I have to try it!
14. A Big Big Lunch Special from an Indian cart - like over 100 times. By a lot.
15. Soy latte made with Stumptown espresso - does a mocha count? Mmmmm moooccchhhhaaaaa.
16. A crappy tofu scramble - the places that serve them in NW come to mind...
17. Cornmeal pizza from Dovi Vive. - I have got to try this stuff! I'm just never in the neighborhood.
18. Weeping Tiger sandwich from Bye & Bye - I love it! Almost as much as the bbq tofu plate!
19. Bye & Bye or Floor Punch from Bye & Bye - boozy, gigantic, and delicious.
20. A Bowl meal from a cart - nope! I have a few beloved carts I stick to...
21. vegan nutella from freddy's hazelnuts - holy crap, why have I not heard of this???
22. soy curls in bulk from food fight or proper eats - it's silly, but soy curls weird me out. Like Tofurkey brats used to, but now I love those, so I need to try soy curls!
23. buffalo wings from Vita - we went there for Valentine's Day this year, and I finally understand why people like buffalo wings! It's all about the sauce. Jesse thinks all his meat-loving friends would love these wings.
24. the weekday vegan pancakes from Laurelthirst - I've made a point to go there when I have a day off a few times!
25. Maple vegan sausage waffle from flavourspot - my mom got this and I tried it. I liked my strawberry and faux whipped cream one better!
26. Drunken noodles with pepper steak from Thai Food Cafe - need to go there!
27. Macnocheeto from Homegrown Smoker - I still haven't been there :( Bad vegan!
28. Veggie platter from an Ethiopian restaurant - only once. I don't like injera!
29. Blackberries picked from a public place - only my whole life!
30. Baba Ganouj from Ya Hala - I love their hummus...
31. Coconut Mashed Yams from Papa G’s - that sounds tasty!!!
32. Butternut Squash Wontons from Hungry Tiger Too - these are amazing. Heaven in your mouth!!!
33. Vegan slice from Bella Faccia - yum yum!
34. Apple pie from Whiffies - I went to the carts once and didn't even see Whiffies! Too much to drink at that point... I did find vegan poutine, though!
35. Chili dog from Zach’s Shack - that does not sound appetizing.
36. Vegan poutine from Potato Champion - oh yes! See above!
37. Missionary Chocolate Truffle - Jesse got me a box for Vday this year, so good!!!
38. Apron Activists 4-Course Dinner - I'm too poor! Wah wah wah!
39. Hot Wok at New Seasons - There are so many NS in this city, and I don't live near one!
40. Che Guevara Burrito from Laughing Planet - well, in bowl form. I don't like flour tortillas.
41. Bryan’s Bowl from Por Que No? - actually never been there. Like 12 years ago it was a corner store right by my best friend's duplex, and you could buy cigarettes if you flirted with the old guy that owned it.
42. Pad Thai from Pad Thai Kitchen - I like it! Not the best curries, but the noodles are where it's at! I think the Pad Kee Maow is even better.
43. Cupcake from a stand at Last Thursday - I am always distracted by the firedancers?
44. The Giant Pancake at Hungry Tiger Too - I've never ordered breakfast food there!
45. TLP from Red & Black Cafe - yum!
46. Cornmeal tempeh plate from Proper Eats - I've only been there once... I hope to live closer soon!
47. Tofu Po Boy at Palm State Gumbo - Didn't even know about it!
48. Maple Walnut Scone from Back to Eden - they're famous already!
49. Vegan Mezza platter from a Lebanese restaurant - I have eaten so many of these....
50. Crispy eggplant from Fujin
51. Lemongrass Tofu Sticks from Van Hanh
52. Tofu Salad Bun at Pho PDX
53. Cocktail made with local liquor - I am drinking one right now! haha Hot toddy with Clear Creek Distillery apple brandy and agave.
54. Biscuits and Gravy from Paradox - HOG style for life!
55. Smoky soy curls from Homegrown Smoker - I need to hang out on Alberta more!
56. Field Roast sausage - I always eat the Celebration Roast for Tday, but it's all good all year really.
57. Secret Aardvark Hot Sauce - I like it a lot, but still prefer the versatility of Sriracha.
58. Toddbot's Triangles - I want to! They aren't at my farmers market :(
59. Local microbrew - I'm so not a beer person, but I have sampled many. Ruby from McMenamin's being my favorite. Yes, I'm a girl!
60. Hot Lips soda - good stuff. You can fill up your growler with it, too!
61. Herb Crusted Tofu with Mushroom Marsala from The Farm Cafe - It is perfect.
62. had a picnic in Laurelhurst Park - a PPK potluck picnic! And many summer picnics with the kids in my class after playing and feeding the ducks :)
63. burrito from Shelley's Honkin Huge Burritos - I had one when I was vegetarian, wasn't that impressed. I got a free coupon for some new student thing at PSU.
64. Eggplant tibs from Bete Lukas - Sounds tasty.
65. Tator Tots before noon or after midnight - after midnight for sure!
66. Lone Ranger from Chaos Cafe - Never been there. Weird.
67. Sunday brunch at Sweetpea! - Love this so much!!! I need to go more often.
68. Tofu at a BBQ place (for example Derby Mustard Sauce Tofu at Russel Street BBQ) - no, but I need to! I didn't know there were vegan options at RS!
69. Mint Fava Falafel at Nightlight Lounge - I want!
70. An unexciting hummus plate at a bar. - like every time I go to McMenamin's! It's so cheap on the happy hour menu, though...
71. Vegan meatball sub from Aalto Lounge - never even been there, I don't think?
72. Koi Fusion spicy tofu tacos - good, but not great. Not enough cilantro!
73. Veggie dog from the Vegi dog stand - my good friend works there, but I've never had one and don't plan on it!
74. Sesame chicken from a vegetarian chinese restaurant - sampled from someone Else's plate, but I prefer tofu!
75. Bagel with bacun scallion cream cheese at Sweetpea. I get this every time I go to Sweetpea...
76. Vegan savoury crepe
77. Veggie kibbeh - good, but I regretted not getting a mezza.
78. Club Vegan at Backspace - had a few other sandwiches there, though...
79. ice cream sundae from Back to Eden - I haven't been there yet at all!
80. Raw fudge from Blossoming Lotus - I've never tried it! Should I? I got awful stale carrot cake there once and I've never gotten dessert again!
81. Tempeh Reuben - yum yum! I love sauerkraut!
82. Pause vegan burger
83. vegan ribs
84. something baked with local marionberries
85. Veggie bento box - Chef Naoko makes a tasty one, and it's right by my work!
86. Dave's Killer Bread - Dave got me to like sandwiches! The only sandwich bread that has ever tasted good to me!
87. Higher Taste Buzzitos - I don't like them (my flour tortilla issue). Higher Taste TLC burger, what what!?!
88. Thai food that the server swears is vegan, but you taste fish sauce. Sad but true.
89. Elephant ear from the Saturday Market - which ones are vegan? I keep forgetting about this!
90. Dovetail sticky bun - omg, these are so amazing.
91. savoury pie from Nicholas restaurant - I love the spinach and pine nut one!
92. Salad rolls from the Just Thai cart - I hear such good things about this cart!
93. Vegan torta from Gorditos II - Tortas don't sound too good to me, but I'd try one.
94. Nutritional yeast on your popcorn at a movie theater - popcorn is Devil food! Yuck yuck yuck!!!
95. Vegan grilled cheese from The Grilled Cheese Grill
96. Pasilla burrito from El Nutri
97. Something from the vegetarian menu at Andina
98. Vegan Steak and Cheese from D.C. Vegetarian
99. Dragon Noodles at Red and Black - this is yummy!
100. Falafel from Wolf & Bears -too many new places to keep up with!

Score: 50/100! I need to eat out more!!! And only 4 things I wouldn't eat - pretty good for a picky eater such as myself!

Much love to JessSconed for this awesome Portland-centric Vegan Hundred!!!

Kozy Shack? More like Kozy Crap!

2009-10-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! So, VeganMoFo obviously hasn't worked out for me this year. Between my best friend having some major complications giving birth, presenting at a state-wide conference, and everyone at work besides me being out sick, life has been extra crazy! Excuses, excuses!

I'm sure you're wondering - what's this Kozy Crap all about? Well, I did a major shopping trip at Grocery Outlet the other day, and one of the amazing deals I scored was the last 4 pack of Kozy Shack vanilla soy pudding cups for $.99. I rarely buy stuff like this (I'm way too much of a cheapskate for most prepackaged foods), but I have had the Zensoy stuff before and really liked it. I opened up a pudding cup for a snack last night, and was shocked when I stuck my spoon in it! It was not at all creamy, and pretty firm, yet gelatinous. I thought, "hmmm, maybe it just needs a stir", but after stirring it had a clumpy consistency. I thought, "hmmm, well maybe the texture is off but it will still taste good!" (I'm such an optimist!). Nope. Blech. "Hmmm, maybe it's past the expiration date?" Nope! It's good for another month! I threw it away. It was THAT bad. The only vegan food I remember ever throwing away was the old Galaxy soy cheese (though the rice singles that they have now are pretty tasty).

So, beware! Vegan public service announcement, over and out. xoxo Chelsea

The perfect fruit

2009-10-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Top 5 Reasons Why Avocado is the Perfect Fruit

5. Avocados act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene as well as lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.
4. Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including 4% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E, 4% vitamin C, 8% folate, 4% fiber, 2% iron, 4% potassium, with 81 micrograms of lutein and 19 micrograms of beta-carotene.
3. Avocados have the highest protein content of any fruit.
2. Avocados contain more potassium than bananas.
1. The Aztec word for avocado was ahuacatl, which means "testicle tree". Seriously!!!

Top 5 Ways to Eat an Avocado

5. Cut in half, fill each hole with Goddess Dressing, and top off with Sriracha.

4. On a bagel!

3. In sushi!

2. Mango Avocado Salsa!

1. With Mexican food!

fajitas...

enchiladas...

tacos... (these are from Cha Cha Cha)

tostadas...

and last but never least...

NACHOS!!!

So my new saying is, "an avocado a day keeps the doctor away!" Good thing they just lowered the price to $.69 at Fred Meyer! xoxo Chelsea

Bruschetta bellissimo!

2009-10-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

Oh, the age old question - is it broo-sket-uh or broo-shet-uh? The first one! I will never forget this because bruschetta was my fall back meal in Italy, and for my first meal I was corrected very loudly for mispronouncing it by a waiter who mocked me in a New York accent! This was only fitting after my repeatedly-setting-off-the-alarm-in-the-bank-ordeal, but I still turned red as tomato!

After getting lots of local yummies at the farmers market this weekend (tomatoes, potatoes, basil, apples, cilantro, onions, peppers, zucchini, garlic, kale, and some more tomatoes), Jesse couldn't wait to make bruschetta for dinner! He even set everything up all pretty-like so that I could take a photo for "my blog thingy." Sorry for the crappy quality photos, I left my camera at a friend's place!

Chop up all your veggies (and your apple... it's good, I promise!) and have some vino!

Mix it all up in a bowl with olive oil and balsamic to taste
*If fresh garlic gives you heartburn like it does me, roast some garlic ahead of time!

Now, drizzle some olive oil on your baguette, and toast that baby up!
If using roasted garlic, "butter" your baguette with it before popping it in the oven.

Fresh, local, and quick dinner is served!

A VeganMoFo survey!

2009-10-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

I saw this fun survey on VeganShizzle, and couldn't help but take it myself! I added a question to the bottom, and you should do the same!

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?
Hazelnut! Chocolate almond is a close second!

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
A good soup now that the weather is cooling down, an apple/pear crisp or cobbler, and whatever is next to test for Vegan Crunk!

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
Popcorn is gross!

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
Every pancake I ever made until I tried Isa's basic recipe in VWAV.

5. Favorite pickled item?
Hot peppers!

6. How do you organize your recipes?
I stick loose recipes under the spoon and fork sorter thingy in a kitchen drawer. There are so many I can barely open the drawer... maybe I should organize that someday! Put 'em in a binder or something.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
I live on the 3rd floor of a 100 year old apartment building with no outdoor space or modern things like a garbage disposal, so trash by default.

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)?
guacamole, dark chocolate, and mussaman curry!

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
A few doors down lived Besta and Papa, the sweetest old couple in the whole world. Their grandkids were my age and visited often, so I spent a lot of time at their house. When I spent the night, Besta would make us Norwegian pancakes in the morning :) RIP Besta and Papa!

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
I really like the Tempt Hemp stuff, in whatever chocolate flavor, as well as Coconut Bliss. My teeth are very sensitive to cold, so I don't eat icecream very much.

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
Japanese rice cooker that Phanny gave me!

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
Cilantro

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
The Higher Taste, a Hare Krishna gave it to me when I was a teenager.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
Strawberry freezer jam! Nothing compares to its deliciousness!

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
Desserts seem to be the way to go, so brownies, cupcakes, cookies.

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
Tofu!

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
Breakfast because then it's the weekend!

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
Jar of walnuts, jar of brown rice, jar of lentils, jar of quinoa, VWAV, french press, coffee bean grinder, Tapatio, red wine vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce (we have very little storage space in our kitchen!).

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
Corn, black bean Gardenburgers, blueberries.

20. What's on your grocery list?
We don't have a car, so I do frequent visits to many grocery stores. Tortilla chips, bagels, veggies, almond milk, nooch, tofu, and I need to get over to Food Fight and try some Daiya cheese!

21. Favorite grocery store?
Trader Joe's. I love a good deal!

22. Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet.
This is not really my area...

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa's because I know you check it everyday). Vegan Crunk probably! Though I have about 30 that I read regularly.

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Vegan truffles from Missionary Chocolates.

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
Does a $20 bottle of Rose marked down to $9 count? I'm really a penny pincher, so I can't think of anything else!

26. Ingredients you are scared to work with?

Yeast! It's weird!

27. Favorite food cart?

I love Saigon Kitchen at PSU and eat there at least once a week, but Asaasse Ital is a new favorite as well.

28. Top 3 favorite cuisines!
Thai, Mexican, Lebanese.

Have a great weekend!!! xoxo Chelsea

Happy VeganMoFo!!!

2009-10-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been a whole year since the last VeganMoFo! I miraculously posted every day last time, but am sticking with the VeganMoFo goal of posting every weekday for this time around. I'm so excited to read all of your awesome blogs, try out recipes, spend more time at the farmers markets, and take lots of fun vegan-centric surveys (and maybe some freezer-tag???)!

And now, for the first day of the Vegan Month of Food, I present - a post on vegan makeup! Say, what?!? I know, I know, you can't eat it, but...... long story short, some jerk almost hit me on my bike yesterday, and swerving to avoid him, I crashed. Nothing major, but when I woke up today my body was wicked sore! So I left work after an hour and a half and laid around all day feeling sorry for myself, checking my Facebook, and eating Tofurkey brats. You all know the brat is where it's at, so I thought I'd share my recent love for Urban Decay Cosmetics instead.

A month or so ago, I saw a post on the PPK including a coupon code for like 30% off your entire order at Urbandecay.com! Urban Decay is a cruelty-free company, but only about half of their products are vegan, so make sure you see the purple paw print before ordering! Being the thrifty, glitter-loving vegan that I am, I couldn't resist some new lip stuff. I managed to limit myself to three: lipstick in Gravity (reddish purple), Ultraglide lip gloss in Gash (dark red), and XXX Shine lip gloss in Joyride (glittery bright pink).

Lipstick: B+. Long lasting and applies evenly, but without being thick at all. The only negative is that it isn't as shiny on the lips as it appears in the tube.

Ultraglide: C-. This gloss loses big points for being way too sticky! I can only wear it when my hair is pulled back, or try to discreetly peel the stray hairs off my lips all day. Not cool! It also isn't as shimmery as it appears in the tube.

XXX Shine: A+! I loooooooove this stuff! It's pretty, has visible glittery-shimmer, and gets bonus points for the minty freshness it gives the lips upon application!

Another thing I love about Urban Decay - each package states after the ingredients list: "We don't do animal testing. How could anyone?" Agreed!

A Vegan Crunk tester, and activists vs. mall cops!

2009-08-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

Oh man, is it a sweet deal to be a recipe tester! The pickin's are pretty slim for cajun and southern foods, let alone vegan-style, here in Portland. So it was quite a treat to have tempeh gumbo for dinner last night! Nice job, Bianca!

Tempeh Gumbo and whole wheat french bread

Newsflash!

Remember a few months ago when the Radical Cheerleaders for Animal Rights were cheering about puppy mills in front of Scamp's in Lloyd Center? And as they were leaving a fellow activist was thrown to the ground and arrested? Well, Lloyd Center has dropped it's charges against Matt Rossell and lifted his 4 year ban from the premises in exchange for his promise not to sue. But there's an even bigger victory! Scamp's has closed all of it's doors! Check out this write-up in the Oregonian http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/animal_rights_protester_makes.html

A Sunday morning decadent breakfast

2009-08-23T14:12:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we were at Jesse's parents' house for dinner. I made sure to bring my vegan additions for dinner, but totally forgot to ask what was for dessert (we never really eat dessert at home), so I missed out on strawberry shortcake. Actually, I had a giant bowl of strawberries, so I was fine with it. But what really surprised me was that they made shortcakes, and that they looked like scones rather than the spongy, store-bought shortcakes I remember from my childhood. I was intrigued and decided I had to make my own! I got strawberries at the farmers market yesterday, so today was the day!

I've made scones once, and while I liked them a lot, I perused my other cookbooks this morning hoping to find a simpler recipe. Isa Moskowitz to the rescue! The basic scone recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance only required staple ingredients that I always have (the Joy of Vegan Baking recipe uses soy butter, which I usually don't have around) and only took 20 minutes from start to finish! My plan was to top my strawberry shortcake with icecream, but I used the last of my coffee creamer for the scones and put the icecream in my coffee instead. Yum yum!

Shout out to Jess for the (soy) icecream in coffee idea!

Cute little scones just out of the oven

This is what happens when I clean off the coffee table

Cookie using all of her willpower not to attack Zoey's tail

I hope you all had a fun and delicious weekend! xoxo Chelsea

Samuel Smith's Organic Raspberry Ale

2009-05-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

I really wanted framboise this evening, but was feeling too cheap to buy it, so I decided to try Samuel Smith's Organic Raspberry Ale. All Samuel Smith beers are certified vegan by The Vegan Society - how cool is that?!? I found it to be more beery and less fruity than framboise (though I think that's actually malt liquor and not beer?), but still very tasty and refreshing. It's also available in strawberry and cherry.

Cheers! xoxo Chelsea

P.S. Cookie says hello!

New shoes! Wahoo!

2009-05-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

You know I love me some cute vegan shoes, and I can't pass up an amazing deal! So when I saw a post on the PPK about a website selling J-41's for $19.99, I had to get two pairs! I've always been intrigued by their eco-friendliness, Jeep technology, and soy-based inks... but way too cheap to buy a pair. About half of the J-41's on the website were vegan, but I don't know if that's true for J-41's in general.

J-41 Seville, cute and shiny!

Not as sporty as I was expecting (yay!)

J-41 Palm Vegan, make my feet look big, but they are! So that's ok :)

P.S. Sorry ladies, but it appears the sale was only a one day thing! Check www.6pm.com for other crazy deals :)

Gyros!

2009-04-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

After making the seitan from the last post, Jesse got all excited reminiscing about gyro meat and how much seitan reminded him of it. He just had to make a seitan gyro! I've never had a gyro, but I love falafel sandwiches so I figured it would be tasty. He made another batch of VWAV seitan with marjoram and some Greeky spices, tabbouleh, and tzatziki with soy yogurt! It looked really good, but... I really didn't like it. I think the problem was that I didn't like the tzatziki on the warm sandwich. I liked everything individually, just not in one sandwich. Jesse, on the other hand, ate gyros for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the next two days! Boys are so weird!

gyro-style seitan cookin' up

Dinner's ready!

Happy almost-Friday, everyone! xoxo Chelsea

Hail Seitan!

2009-04-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

I buy seitan every now and then, and I especially like the Cast Iron kind, but I've always been intimidated by the idea of making it at home. Baking is my biggest kitchen challenge, and I think it was the whole kneading the dough part that freaked me out. The recipes being more than a page long didn't help, either... After having baking successes in the last few months, I decided to try out seitan! I used the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance (omitting the lemon zest), and it was wicked easy, cheap, and tasty!

Seitan blobs on the stove forever! I got bored so...

I took a picture of my new shoes. Cute, huh? $6 at Ross!

And I needed a drink with all that waiting! Vodka, natural soda, and canned berries are a good combo! :)

Still simmering... time for a Cookie photo shoot!

She loves the camera!

Finally, it was all ready! I simply sliced and sauteed the seitan, and served it with salad and the Crash Hot Potatoes that Jessy and Shellyfish have featured on their fabulous blogs - what a dinner! Even though I didn't cook the potatoes long enough to properly squash them, it was good eatin'!

Mmm mmmmmm!

Crunky testers and CHOCOLATE!

2009-04-12T15:48:00.000-07:00

I tested two side dishes for Vegan Crunk's upcoming cookbook this week - Mess O' Greens with Turnips and Mashed Sweet Taters. Both of these recipes were freakin' delicious, but seriously - the greens recipe would be worth the purchase price alone! I doubt I will ever make greens another way again. I enjoyed them with baked tofu. Oh yeeeeaaaahhhhh.

More greens n' turnips with a tempeh sandwich

I told you I really like 'em! I made them again last night to go with Jesse's new favorite sandwich - marinated tempeh and onion. I found some Annie's marinade's at Grocery Outlet a few weeks ago for $1.49! I should have bought more...

Pretty place setting!

I spent a few hours yesterday reclaiming the dining room table for eating. Well, most of it at least. There's still a drill press on the corner of it. You see, living in a one bedroom apartment, our dining room also serves as our office and Jesse's workspace/hobby space. Moving and organizing everything was a pain in the butt, but the room feels twice as big and it just makes me happy! Yay :)

Chocolate pancakes topped with Special Cocoa Spread and maple syrup and hashbrowns

I did a swap on the PPK last month, and got a box full of awesome stuff from New Jersey! One of these awesome things is a chocolate spread from Israel, very similar to Nutella but without the nuts. It is quite delicious on pancakes as well as on cookies, in a peanut butter sandwich, and of course - right out of the jar! I am in chocolate heaven!!!

Happy Easter if you celebrate, and if you're a heathen like me - you should eat some chocolate anyway! xoxo Chelsea

My first sushi!

2009-04-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Why have I not made sushi before? It is so super duper easy! A few weekends ago the Radical Cheerleaders for AR had a fundraiser party, and one of the squad members made a ton of sushi for it. I was inspired when I heard how cheap it was!

A few pointers:

Rice Vinegar is a must. Just cook your sushi rice in a rice cooker, then mix in about 2 T. of the vinegar. Voila!
Use some Tofutti Cream Cheese. I forgot I had it in the fridge until I was on my 2nd roll!
Don't buy wasabi in a tube. It's weird. The powdered kind is actually good, just mix it with water to make a paste.
Have a little container of water nearby when rolling to rinse the sticky rice off your fingers. It will also help to seal up the end.
Play around with the arrangement of rice and veggies. I never figured out how to get the veggies in the middle instead of on the side, but I will! Have fun!

Ready to roll!

My first couple rolls

So cute! Except for the weird wasabi! haha

Don't forget dessert! Strawberries and bananas with leftover ganache from VWAV Raspberry Blackout Cake. And a boozy concoction of coffee liquor, vodka, and chocolate almond milk :)

A couple nights later, Jesse made some fancy sushi that put mine to shame! haha Behold:

So pretty! That's baked tofu and marinated tempeh on the nigiri, and miso soup on the side :)

Nigiri close up

Have a great week, everyone! xoxo Chelsea

I'm baaaaaa-aaaaaacccckkkkkk!

2009-03-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Jeez, I have been gone for a long time! My computer died, so I've been using the laptop and took a long time to figure out how to download pictures on it (did you know that you can stick your memory card right into most laptops? I had no idea...) and then I hurt my back, got the flu, and had a really intense (but in a good way!) couple weeks at work, and somehow just got out of the habit of even logging into blogger. How have you all been? I hope life has been treating you all well! Happy Spring! Please enjoy some food porn!

Vegan Crunk's tester Sweet Potato Pecan bread

Inside shot! This stuff was so yummy and easy to make!

Pizza with Trader Joe's herby crust, FYH mozzarella, and lots of veggies (and don't forget the walnuts!)

Potato tofu veggie scramble and my cute little tea cup!

Voodoo Doughnut expanded their vegan offerings! I will never eat another cake doughnut again!!!

After drooling over dairy spinach dip at a potluck, I went home and made my own!

Jesse asked me what I wanted for dinner, and of course I replied with, "NACHOS!" Here's what I got - my own friggin' nacho bar!

Delicious!

Lemon Gem cupcakes from Vegan with a Vengeance

Reubeny sammich - tempeh, sauerkraut, grilled onions, and a Vegenaise/ketchup/hot sauce blend

Mac and cheeze and kale and shallots

And what's a blog post without some cute kitties???

Zoey and Cookie sleeping in the top of their cat tree

Cookie loves to give me baths :)

Next up, my first attempt at sushi! Woohoo! xoxo Chelsea

Creamy corn chowder

2009-02-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

I had a major craving for some corn chowder yesterday, and after sadly discovering that I was missing like 5 ingredients for the VWAV version, I decided to scour the internets for another one. Behold! I found a recipe for Creamy Vegan Corn Chowder on Allrecipes, and I had ALL of the ingredients! Woohoo! This chowdah was super tasty, and was even better the next day! It didn't seem to be thickening up as much as it should, so I doubled the flour, and of course I used a lot more herbs and a lot of extra garlic :) This was a really satisfying winter-time dinner served with whole wheat garlic bread.

Radical Cheerleaders for AR News!

If you're in Portland, you know you want to come kick it with me and the rest of the squad at this badass fundraiser! See you there!

I've always wanted an afro wig...

I got a box of chocolates! Maybe I do like Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

So, I've never been a Valentine's Day person. It's such a Hallmarky holiday, and Hello! Love me and cherish me everyday, thankyouverymuch! I guess with it being on a weekend this year, I decided to actually get Jesse a gift and we even went out to dinner! I got him a chinese dragon tea cup and some Ritter Sport bars, and he got me a fancy box of chocolates! Thank goodness Jesse bought me these, because they're so expensive I probably never would have tried one! Missionary Chocolates LLC makes vegan, organic, local ingredient truffles here in Portland and sells them in various places. A few months ago, someone on the PPK mentioned that they were sold at a wedding shop in Jantzen Beach (where Jesse works), so I couldn't resist but strongly drop the hint! I've only sampled the Sweet Raspberry Heart so far, and honestly - IT IS THE BEST TRUFFLE I HAVE EVER HAD, VEGAN OR NOT! Oh man, I am in chocolate heaven!

Only 7 left...

On our way to dinner at the Vita...

Dinner was awesome, but I forgot to bring the camera :( . I got a $50 gift certificate for $25 from a radio station deal last month, so we went all out at the Vita! The best thing hands down were the Buffalo Things - tofu buffalo wings. I've never had the real kind before so I had no idea what to expect, but Jesse misses them a lot and sorta freaked out over the deliciousness! He thought all of his meat eating friends would like the tofu ones just as much as the meat version!

Someone else's photo of the Buffalo Things! Thanks Google!

Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day, or a rockin' anti-Valentine's Day! Either way, you better have had some chocolate!!!

Update on Cookie Dookie after her spay surgery:

I haven't mentioned the kitties in my last couple posts... Cookie has been acting funny ever since her surgery. Tomorrow will be the official 2 week mark when she's supposed to be back to normal, but I was really getting worried because she hasn't been as lovey with me as she used to be. She always loved to be held on her back like a baby, and hasn't been letting me hold her that way. She also wasn't waking me up in the morning by licking my face! All is back to normal, though, she just took a little while. I finally got a picture of her exposed hairless belly, and it's pretty cute! I get to cut her stitches out tomorrow, yay! Thanks for all your love and support, blogger buddies! :)

I woke her up taking the picture... look at her feet! haha

Close up... I wonder how long until that fur grows back?

Recent tasty eats

2009-02-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

I had to stay too late at work, and now I'm too tired to attempt to be witty for a blog post. Blah! But, I do have some food porn that's been collecting since I haven't been posting much... Enjoy!

You know I love nachos! With black beans, cheesy sauce, Tofutti, guacamole, and mango salsa

Polenta and Rising Moon ravioli with marinara and a salad

Tempeh fajitas with refried beans, quinoa, and the fixin's

Stuffed acorn squash and mashed potatoes

I have to say a little about that one... it was really good! I think the flavors would have gone a little better with a butternut squash, though. I sauteed apples, garbanzo beans, celery, mushrooms, walnuts, tomatoes, and quinoa in tomato paste and wine and added a bunch of spices. I didn't even consult a recipe for this one (I'm a novice!), and it was totally edible! haha

Enjoy your Friday, everyone! There's a possibility we could get some snow and maybe even a snow day tomorrow... cross your fingers for me! xoxo Chelsea

P.S. Interested in stopping puppy mills? Check out the Radical Cheerleaders for AR blog...

TGIF

2009-02-06T18:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone!!!

P.S. This is the mixer I used - no fishy Worcestershire sauce! And cheap at Fred Meyers.

Mexi-scramble!

2009-02-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

What am I doing posting in the middle of the day? And how am I eating a cooked breakfast during the week? Well, Cookie is at the vet getting spayed today, so I took the day off. Between taking her in and picking her up and dropping off the Zipcars, I would only get in 4 hours of work at most, so I decided to just take a vacation day. I get to go pick her up in an hour. Yay! It doesn't feel right at home without the baby here!

Scramble of tofu, spinach, red and green pepper, corn, black beans, and salsa topped with Tofutti. Nom nom nom!

Cast Iron seitan in my belly makes me happy

2009-01-29T18:19:00.000-08:00

Move over White Wave, there's a new seitan in town! Cast Iron seitan has made it's debut here in Portland at local co-ops and Food Fight. It's made locally by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and her husband, and it is delicious.
I must admit, I have very little experience with seitan. I love Field Roast, but I've never done anything to it other than cut it up and eat it. So, I had no idea what the hell to do with this tub of seitan. I had brown rice and some leftover asian noodles that I needed to use up, so I decided to do a stirfry. Whoa, was it tasty!

Bok choy, onion, red pepper, and seitan

close up of the seitan

Cookin' up with teriyaki sauce and some peanut butter

And because you can never have enough kitty photos...

Cookie cat can't help but pose

Zoey cat with the pinkest nose ever!

Happy Friday, everyone!!! xoxo Chelsea

The ultimate comfort food - shepherd's pie!

2009-01-22T19:41:00.000-08:00

Lentil Shepherd's Pie, to be exact. I stumbled upon this recipe years ago on vegweb, and make my own version of it often. I like to add garbanzo beans, corn, extra garlic and onions, and some chili powder to the other spices. I also like to use the tiny orange lentils because they cook so quickly that you don't need to precook 'em! Woot! Add extra tomato sauce if you do this, though, because it sucks it right up! Mmmmmmmm!

the filling cookin' up

Just out of the oven... and check out my awesome new casserole dish! Steph got it for me for Solstice, and it has a pretty glass lid!

Why did I put it on it's side? I'm a weirdo. And salad!

Winter is definitely the season for comfort food. Walk to work in the dark, spend the day working inside (though I do get to go outside with the kids for at least half an hour a day), and then when I leave work it's dark again! No wonder Portland is full of a bunch of drunks! Anyway, food! My other major comfort foods are enchiladas and nachos. Mmmmmm. What are your ultimate comfort foods?

P.S. Do you guys like my new layout and colors? I can't believe I stuck with a basic template for so long! Does the text hurt your eyes like white text on black background does to me? I hope not!

Zippin' around in my Zipcar

2009-01-19T16:25:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Zipcar? It's a pay by the hour car sharing service, and I'm kinda in love with it. I haven't had a car in years (I had a car for a year when I was 18), and while I can walk, bike, or take public transportation pretty much anywhere I need to go, there are some places I just don't make it out to. Like Bagby Hot Springs, one of my favorite places in the world. Or my friend's Asian grocery store in Hillsboro. Or New Seasons. I've been putting it off for a long time (I was worried it would cost too much), but I finally got around to getting a Zipcar membership last month! My plan is to only let myself use it twice a month, so it won't really affect my monthly budget, and so far I've used the pickup parked .19 miles from me to pick up a cat tree, and used the hybrid .17 miles from me to pick up Jesse from work and get some takeout way out on 82nd (more on that later). I rarely get to drive, so I always get a little excited when I get the chance. Driving the pickup wasn't too exciting other than being up high off the ground and having a sweet sound system, but driving the hybrid was AWESOME! It makes no noise when you start it, and everything lights up in this badass neon blue, and I just totally felt like I was driving a race car even though I wasn't speeding at all!

Yeah, I'm all that.

So, I saw a post on the PPK about the outer SE vegan Vietnamese restaurant Nhut Quang, and that the business had really slowed and they need some love from the Portland vegan community. It's located on 82nd (one of those far-away places I never make it out to), so I decided to get a Zipcar and go get some takeout. After driving around the block only one time, we found it! We were all excited until we noticed the closed sign in the window. It was 6:30 on Sunday, and they're supposed to be open until 8:00. Of course Jesse started laughing at my lack of planning skills (I did only look up hours on the internet and didn't call), until I told him to take the bus home if he was gonna be mean! haha Then I remembered that there's another veg Vietnamese place up 82nd and Division I've been wanting to try, so we headed over there. After driving around in circles for like 15 minutes and almost giving up, I finally spied it on 84th and Division. Woohoo!

Van Hahn is a tiny little restaurant operated by Buddhist nuns. As such, the service is slow (it took 10 minutes for someone to come out of the back and give us menus), but the food is cheap and tasty! We ordered steam buns, dumplings, spare ribs, yellow noodles with tofu, and the broccoli combo (comes with an assortment of fake meats). Honestly, we both agreed that next time we'll just order a ton of dumplings and steam buns because they were the tastiest by far! Everything else was good, just not great. Jesse really liked the fake beef, though.

the tasties before plates

close up of the entrees

In other news, there is now a Radical Cheerleaders for Animal Rights blog! We just started it so there isn't much there, but check it out and subscribe to it! We'll post events coming up, and photos of old events, and keep you in the loop on all things radical and AR in Ptown. Woot!

Gettin' crunk in the kitchen

2009-01-11T21:17:00.000-08:00

So I'm doing a little testing for Vegan Crunk's upcoming cookbook (yeah, yeah, I know you're jealous!) and oh man, do I love that Bianca! I tried two recipes out today and all I can say is YUM!!!

Vegan Crunk's Corn Casserole - I could eat this everyday

Vegan Crunk's Chili of Awesomeness (my name, not hers!) :)

This weekend has flown by! I went in to work yesterday (trying to make up some of those pesky snow days) and after that I was at the Red and Black's one year anniversary at their current location party! The Red and Black is an anarchist, worker owned cafe that has always been veg, and just went vegan a few months ago! Woohoo! I think every vegan in Portland might have been jammed in there, and it was fun to see everyone out supporting our community. Yay Portland! There were lots of bands and the Radical Cheerleaders for AR performed (sorry, no pics this time!), and free vegan cake!

Adelit@s - guerrilla armada con melodias

Have a great week everybody! xoxox

Sweet potato fries, and my nemesis - The Sauerkraut Jar!

2009-01-05T18:34:00.000-08:00

First of all, why have I never made sweet potato fries before? They are delicious, full of beta carotene, so pretty, AND they are easy to make! Just don't buy your sweet potatoes at Whole Foods... I spent $6-something on 2! Yikes! For the fries, I used this recipe, which I thought was great except that the fries needed a longer cooking time. After surfing around for different dips, I decided to make a curry mayo. It was awesome! I used 3/4 cups Vegenaise, 1 tsp. curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 3 cloves of crushed garlic. Delicioso!

On to my evil nemesis, The Sauerkraut Jar. Dun dun duuuuuuunnnnn! I also made some Tofurkey brats, and was planning to have one with some sauerkraut. Jesse wasn't home from work yet, so it was just me and the jar. I've never had too much of a problem before, just use a little hot water, or bang the edge with a butter knife, but this one hated me. I yelled and screamed at it, but it still wouldn't budge! After a few minutes of walking away and coming back to try again, I thought I almost had it! I twisted it really hard and *pop* went my wrist. Being the stubborn bastard that I am, I twisted some more, and then *!POP!* went my wrist. Owwwwwwwwwwwww! I don't know what the heck I did, but I couldn't hold the camera or my plate up after that. My wrist still hurts today! The Sauerkraut Jar kicked my ass. But, we'll meet again! And next time, my wrists will be much stronger! Bwahahahahahaha!!!

Sweet potato fries, curry mayo, pathetic Tofurkey brat with no sauerkraut, mandarin

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T16:04:00.000-08:00

Today is my 4 year veganniversary. Though the transition from vegetarian to vegan took me (literally!) years, going vegan is the best decision I have ever made. It is better for the animals, better for the environment, and better for my own body and soul. Thank you all for your commitment to veganism, and to changing the world through delicious food. Cheers!

Salud! Strawberry chocolate chip pancakes and a mimosa

Presents for the kitty cats!

2008-12-30T11:54:00.000-08:00

Guess what my spoiled kitties got for the holidays? Not one, but TWO cat trees! I got them one, and Jesse's parents surprised me and got them one, too :) . They are in kitty heaven! Zoey was declawed by her previous owner (we adopted her from the Humane Society), so I was concerned about her being able to get up them. Unfortunately, the 6 ft. one is just too big for her to get up on top of, but she's loving the top of the 5 ft. one! There's a little cutout in the bottom of the bed part for her to jump up through. Happy kitties!

Once she got to the top, Zoey didn't want to share!

She eventually gave in!

It's ginormous! I custom ordered it from a guy that makes these in his spare time (let me know if you want his contact info - they are really cheap!) and I think I should have put one more ledge on it... whoops!

I tackled the cinnamon rolls from JoVB - pretty good! I subbed whole wheat pastry flour because I was out of all purpose... so they were a little heavy. Still tasty, though!

My favorite present! These are soooooo Chelsea! Jesse's little brother always gets me awesome gifts :)

Have a fun and safe New Years Eve everybody! Jesse and I are going to see his friend's band play and I don't know what else afterward... 2009, I can't believe it!

My latest obsession - pancakes!

2008-12-21T19:42:00.000-08:00

It's been snowing like the dickens here in Portland! Actual snow is a pretty rare occurrence here, so the city basically shuts down when the roads get slick. PSU was closed for 2 days last week, and had late openings for 2! It was sort of annoying because my vacation is supposed to be most of this week and all of next week (we're closed for children, so it's optional inservice time), and now I'll have to make some of that time up or just not get paid... I was planning to go in tomorrow, but I just found out we're closed again! Yikes!

One awesome perk of being around the house unexpectedly last week (other than frolicking in the snow) was that I actually had time to make breakfast! I read on one of your awesome blogs that Bisquick is vegan (sorry don't remember which...), so I decided to pick some up and try it out. Pancakes have always been a big frustration for me; I've tried a ton of recipes and they've all turned out like crap! Recently I had a breakthrough with the basic recipe from VWAV, and finally figured out what the batter is supposed to look like and when to flip the damn things (thank you so much Isa!). I have a dinky kitchen with NO counter space, so I thought I'd try the Bisquick out to cut down on dishes to wash and all that. Oh man, is it easy! And the Heart Smart kind doesn't have any weird crap in it. I've found that replacing the egg is totally unnecessary, just use equal parts Bisquick and soymilk. Here are some of my recent pancakes:

Chocolate chip soynog pancakes

Strawberry blueberry pancakes with tofu scramble and hashbrowns in the background

Strawberry flax walnut pancakes

I recently moved the living room furniture around a bit to make space for the Solstice Tree, and the kitties seem to love it! I actually really like it, too. It isn't a whole lot different, but I moved the big cozy chair into a corner where you can't see the tv, and it makes a really lovely spot for reading, and also creates a view out the window in a different direction than I've really looked before.

The cuties!

Lights on!

Lights off! Yay!

Happy Holidays everyone! Peace, love, vegan, and all that good shit :)

The Melting Pot update, and SantaCon!

2008-12-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

So...I forgot to bring my camera to The Melting Pot. Whoops! Though I didn't get any faux fondue, the meal was definitely filling and pretty good, though the price was pretty outrageous (still full price of $50 something for me); luckily I wasn't paying!

We were a group of 11, seated around a large table with 4 fondue pots in the middle. The first course was 4 different kinds of fondue accompanied by bread, tortilla chips, apples, carrots, and broccoli. The server thought there was some vegan mushroom pate for me, but it sadly had sour cream in it. Next up were our salads, mine was a mix of baby greens, walnuts, and raspberry vinaigrette. It was pretty tasty. My parents in law ordered a different salad which came with a shallot vinaigrette and was served in a gravy boat, which I stole and used to dip the leftover bread in. I wish I would have thought to ask for oil or something while everyone else was eating fondue!

Next was the entree course. The server was really nice and always asking, "how's my vegan friend? Getting enough to eat?" and made sure everyone at the table knew not to dip meat in the pot in front of me. Each pot had a different broth in it, and I got a huge platter of good stuff to cook in mine. Tofu (frozen and thawed), mushrooms, eggplant, potato, broccoli, asparagus, and Jesse had the vegetarian plate which also included some cheese ravioli. It was a LOT of food and I was totally stuffed. And then there was the final course... dessert!

There was a large menu of chocolate fondues, and many of them included dark chocolate. I was very hopeful that I would get to chow down, but sadly, all of the chocolate fondue had dairy in it. The server made me a beautiful bowl of fruit, though, which pretty much made up for it. Bananas, strawberries, and blackberries, tossed in a sugar glaze and garnished with mint leaves and powdered sugar. Everyone was jealous of my blackberries! Overall, it was a very nice (3 hour!) meal, and they went out of their way to accommodate my veganness. I would definitely not recommend seeking it out for a special vegan dinner, but if friends or family invite you there, have no fear - you will leave stuffed like everyone else!

SANTACON PDX 2008

Santacon is a worldwide event that has many different incarnations depending on locale and culture. Here in Portland, it's a fun-filled day where thousands of Santas take to the streets, interact with strangers, do crazy (but legal) things, and get drunk. I went to a baby shower that afternoon, so I could only go out for the evening, but it was fun! I went with my girlfriend who it took a few drinks to even get a Santa hat on, and we started out at the Holiday Ale Festival. I had already been with Jesse on Thursday, so we didn't need to buy new mugs, and I ended up not having to spend any money at all! How is that possible, you wonder? While we were waiting in line to get in, 3 different people came up and gave me their extra tickets as they were leaving. At first I was kinda shocked and just said, "thanks, uh, ho ho ho!" but after a few people I became more comfortable with my alter ego. More people gave me tickets inside, and I had so many I even gave my friend some! I took lots of pictures with tourists, started a few Christmas carols, and had quite a jolly time. Yay Santacon!

My last minute Santa costume!

Mmmm Barleywine!

All that beer made us hungry, so we ventured to the Tube for nachos, tacos, and ham and cheese sandwiches (all vegan, of course!). Oh, and whiskey. :)

The Melting Pot

2008-12-10T18:15:00.000-08:00

Super quick post ahead! So, my sister in law is getting married tonight. Very small ceremony with a justice of the peace. We're not even going, it's that small! But, we are meeting up with them and the parents and grandparents afterward for dinner at The Melting Pot. MP said that they can accommodate a vegan... I'm so curious what they'll feed me! Fake cheese fondue? With tofu veggie kabobs to dip in it? Or will I get an entree that's not fondue-y? I just hope I can have some chocolate fondue...

A very tasty Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T20:05:00.000-08:00

So, I didn't end up making those cookies... I got lazy and roasted my veggies in the morning instead of the night before so the oven would be free for baking - but that was ok! I still had plenty to eat!

Field Roast, mashed taters and mushroom gravy, stuffing, roasted veggies, candied yams, dinneroll with jam, and there was pumpkin pie on the other plate :)

The next day I woke up bright and early for Fur Free Friday! It's a worldwide event, and the march here in Portland attracted around 200 people! We had a bloody fashion show, lots of Radical Cheerleading, a march route that stopped at places that sell fur as well as a few places that have stopped (!), cake at the end, and then a smaller group of us went to do a demo at Ungar Furs (the last exclusive fur store in Portland).

Some of the crowd

Radical Cheerleaders for AR (that's me on the left)

Two of the fur hags and me in the middle

Good job, Portland!

I will learn to bake, gosh darn it!

2008-11-26T18:56:00.000-08:00

Life has been a little crazy lately! I've been having classic hypothyroid symptoms (well, for like 10 years, but I didn't know all my weirdness could be a medical condition until recently), and trying to figure out crazy blood tests with my doctor. Fun! It looks like I have "subclinical hypothyroidism," but my B12 is on the low end of normal, so the doc wants me to take mega B12 doses and then re-check my thyroid in January. I may need to start medication and drastically cut down my soy intake... but we'll see.

Enough of that! Two of my awesome vegan blogger buds, VeganView and Vegan Crunk, have awarded me the Butterfly Blog Award! Woohoo! Thanks, ladies! "I'd like to thank the academy, and Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and Sarah Kramer, and Food Fight, and Herbivore, and, and, and..."

So onto the baking portion of this blog post! I didn't grow up in a home that ate fresh food or really cooked at all, so I never learned to cook. I've figured out how to prepare a decent meal as an adult (thanks in large part to my husband who spent a lot of time experimenting in the kitchen as a child, and has parents who are great cooks!), but following a recipe is still a little tricky for me. I'm working on it, and VeganMoFo helped a lot! And then there's baking. I have attempted to bake things a few times a year since I became vegan almost four years ago, and very little of it has been tasty. I think part of the problem has been that I tend to use random recipes off of vegweb, and part that I don't understand the lingo or have natural instincts with baking. I have a very limited sense of smell, so I can't tell when something is burning. I have no idea what pancake batter should look like compared to cookie batter. I don't have an electric mixer or one of those contraptions that mix together powdery stuff. But, there is hope!

I recently bought Vegan with a Vengeance and started using The Joy of Vegan Baking that I got for the holidaze last year. Both of these books are very patient with the novice, and have lots of pointers, tips, and tricks that have been REALLY helpful to me. Here are a few of my recent accomplishments:

Basic Pancakes plus blueberries from VWAV

Look! These look like tasty pancakes! And I made them! Isa included a whole page of pancake tips, the most helpful being to cook them on one side for about 4 minutes. I have a timer for my french press that goes for 4 minutes, which totally came in handy. I also discovered that I have probably WAY overmixed every other pancake batter I've ever made.

Chocolate Brownie a la mode from JofVB

I like that there's no soy ingredients (if you don't add the chocolate chips), and these brownies use flax seeds and applesauce for their moistness! There weren't any special tricks, but this just seemed to be a fool proof recipe. These were so tasty that I took them to work!

Peanut Butter cookies (some plus choc. chips) from JofVB

These cookies were delicious! The first batch I baked was perfect, but the second batch came out a little burnt. I think it was because I had a little less dough, so the cookies were smaller, and I should have adjusted the time a bit more (or made fewer cookies, but made those regular size). The tip in this recipe that really helped is to whip EnerG egg replacer in the blender, rather than by hand in a tiny bowl. Or at least I think it helped. It definitely looked more like egg consistency than when I usually make them!

Chocolate Chip Scones from JofVB

These were absolutely amazing. I still can't believe I made them! Colleen made very clear in the recipe exactly what the dough should look like, and how exactly what to expect from the dough as you add more ingredients. Can you tell I like chocolate yet??? Well, I AM a woman, afterall!

Four recent successes... pretty exciting stuff! Tomorrow morning we're going over to my mom's for breakfast, then over to Jesse's parents' for the rest of the day. I'm going to attempt the Sparkled Ginger Cookies tomorrow morning from VWAV :) Tonight I'll be roasting a bunch of root veggies and making Cranberry Salsa which I've made the last few Tofurkey Days and is always a hit. I serve it over Tofutti Cream Cheese with crackers. Field Roast's Celebration Roast will be my centerpiece, and Jesse's mom always makes me a vegan version of the mashed potatoes, stuffing, candied yams, and gravy. Awwww!

Have a happy, relaxed, and tasty Thanksgiving everyone! xoxoxo ~Chelsea

P.S. Don't forget Fur Free Friday! This annual event will be happening in cities all over the world, and the Portland one will be starting up at 11:00 am (meet at Pioneer Square, west side). Compassion is the fashion, don't buy fur!

Romanesco - the coolest vegetable ever?

2008-11-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

Romanesco is a hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower, with a fractal pattern that almost makes it too pretty to eat! I bought it at the farmers market last week, and a few nights ago cooked it up in a panang curry. I'm crazy about the Thai and True curry pastes - they are easy to prepare and there's no need to try to replace stupid fish sauce! In Portland, they're available at the farmers market, Food Fight, and many of the local food co-ops, or you can order them online! I use half the jar with a can of coconut milk for a good sized pot of curry.

Panang curry with tofu, romanesco, green beans, carrots, and red pepper

The romanesco was actually the best part of the curry, and I'm usually all about the tofu! Jesse snuck back in the kitchen to pick out all the leftover romansesco from the pot and add it to his dish!

But that's not all!

I've been tagged by the fabulous VeganView!

1. Link person who tagged you and post rules on your blog

2. Share 7 random/weird facts about yourself

3. Tag 7 people at the end and include links

4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving comments on their blogs

All righty, let's give it a go:

1. I can't smell most things. I remember losing the sense when I was in 3rd grade and shared a room with a persian cat that my grandma was always powdering, but now I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it. I can sometimes smell really potent things.

2. I grew up living with my grandma, who I loved, but she was crazy. By the time she stopped drinking she was pretty senile, so there wasn't much difference. We always had around 10 cats, and she insisted that her favorite cats had their own bedrooms (hence me rooming with Esmeralda).

3. I hate bathing. I must have been French in a past life, right?!? I don't like swimming pools or hot tubs much, either.

4. I don't know how to swim!

5. I have a phobia that bothers me so much I can't even type it.

6. I don't have a dad.

7. I play World of Warcraft, but I'm not a nerd, I swear! It's my husband's fault!

Now I get to tag 7 of you:

Agnes of Agnes' World of Vegan Pleasures
Bianca of Vegan Crunk
Jen of That Pain in the Ass Vegan
Jess of The Domestic Vegan
Jessy of HappyVeganFace
Melynda of Veganic Adventures
Shelby of La Belle Vegan

Cookie says "hello vegan friends!"

Grocery Outlet is the shiznit!

2008-11-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

Oh man, if you have one anywhere near you and you haven't been yet - get your ass there, stat! I saw mention of one in the Hollywood district that I didn't know existed on VeganShizzle's blog, so I got my girlfriend to drive me over there this morning. The stuff they have changes frequently, so you can't count on anything sticking around, but it will always be an adventure in cheapness! Sadly, there was no Wildwood garlic aioli, but I did score all kinds of other amazing deals. They had LOTS of good quality wine for $4-6, and Stephanie even got a crazy 4 bottles worth boxed shiraz for $2.99! I went a little nuts on Tasty Bite style Indian meals (I bought 7), but omg they were only $.99 and they had 5 different vegan varieties! Take that, Trader Joe's! Some other highlights: $.99 spiced tofu, ginormous organic peanut butter for $2.99, Health Valley to-go soups with those funny plastic tops for $.99, 32 oz. Naked Mighty Mango for $1.99 (I usually pay $2.99 for the dinky one!), raspberry Tropical Source bar for $.50... the list goes on and on! At the end of your receipt, it tells you how much you saved by shopping there, and mine was $62.54, after spending $63.51. Booyah!

As if that wasn't enough to make my Sunday totally awesome, we had breakfast at Sweetpea first! It was McBrunch day, so there were hashbrowns, apple turnovers, tofu McMuffins, McMuffins with pancakes instead of english muffins, and some kale for us iron-deficient vegans (ha!). The idea of a McMuffin scares the shit out of me, so I ate my pancakes like a normal person with syrup, and my tofu and seitan on the side. (I still love you, weirdos!) I seriously cannot believe I got to eat so much for $10. Portland love!!!

The first brunch serving, after I wolfed down my kale...

Seconds. I totally ate it all!!!

The end of veganmofo

2008-11-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

To the awesome vegan blogging community,

I have really enjoyed getting to know so many of you over the last month. Veganmofo has pushed me to pay more attention to what I eat, cook more, document my life, and meet vegans worldwide! After this, I will go back to posting more like once a week, but I will be looking forward to another veganmofo (and possibly a spring veganmofo?) and regularly checking out all your thoughtful blogs. Thank you so much for your support!
xoxoxoxo and peace and animal liberation, Chelsea

P.S. What are you guys doing for election night? There's a big party at a bar I'm considering, but if things go badly I don't know if I want to be around people...

Anybody wear Danskos?

2008-10-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

Specifically, the vegan ones? There's a pair in my size pretty cheap that I'm really tempted to get... the vegan felt Danskos were only made for a short while and are no longer manufactured. However, after Dansko recently ended their partnership with Sanita, who has always been the maker of their clogs, Sanita started selling their clogs directly to customers while Dansko is having their clogs made in China. Sanita now has one vegan clog as far as I can tell, which is really cute but too new to come down in price :)

Maybe next year! Here's the still expensive "Sanita Professional Vegan Clog"

Thanks, ladies!

Beets a roastin'

2008-10-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

I roasted some beets this evening while I was watching Obama's infomercial. Wasn't it great? It had the cheeze factor with the background music, the issues and solutions discussed plainly and with text, showed Obama in an Oval office-looking format, had the emotional highlights from his campaign speeches (when he talked about his mom dying of cancer and having to figure all the insurance stuff out, it totally broke my heart!), and on top of all that, really highlighted the people of America that will be helped by an Obama administration. How could anybody be undecided after that? Right?!?

Oh yeah, back to beets. They're good. I always thought I hated them because of the crappy salad bar canned kind I'd had, until I tried them for real at the Farmers Market a few years ago. The beets I roasted were from the market, and the cute old vendor (he had to be like 70!) told me to take as many as I wanted when I asked him about how many a pound is because I only had $3 left. How sweet is that? When they cooled down and I got to skinning them, I was delighted to find that I had an orange, a yellow, a red, and a deep purple beet. Woo hoo! My salad was quite beautiful.
Here's Cookie napping. She's extra fluffy because she just had a bath today - the poor kitty needs them fairly often because with that long hair, she gets some major dingleberries! She's currently licking the Goddess dressing remnants out of my empty salad bowl...

Tofu memories

2008-10-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

I tend to think about random things in the shower, and today what should pop into my head but the first time I ate tofu! I was 13, a fairly new vegetarian, and lived off of salad with ranch dressing, cheese pizza, and jo-joes. To make a long story short, my home was not a happy place, and I usually used babysitting money to buy my own food or ate meals at friend's houses. One of my newer friends, Alicia, had been raised vegetarian and I always got a good meal at her house!
One evening I was over and they decided to go out to dinner and invited me along. I was surprised to learn that we were going to a Chinese Restaurant because I thought that all Chinese food had meat in it. Luckily, Alicia's mom ordered the food because I didn't know what any of it was, and when it came there were all these plates of weird vegetables and a few plates with these big chunks of whitish stuff that I didn't recognize. I remember being a little embarrassed and wanting to just eat plain rice, but they told me it was just made out of beans and tasted like the sauce so I tried it.
And just like that, I was converted into a tofu lover! I didn't eat it often until I was in college and had my own kitchen to cook in (there weren't veg restaurants around Portland when I was in high school), and it's been a staple in my diet ever since. I really need one of those shirts that says "I &hearts tofu!"

P.S. Alicia's still one of my best friends. Awww!
That's us in May at the Sasquatch Festival :)

The unbelievable happened - I ate faux meat and liked it!

2008-10-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

I was shopping for some fake meat for Jesse to try today when I noticed that the Tofurkey Beer Brats are a little different than most: they are made of organic tofu, vital wheat gluten, herbs, and spices. Not a bunch of weird ingredients, but two simple ones. I talked myself into making one for myself for dinner, instead of making something different like we sometimes do. I almost wimped out at the last minute ("it looks like meat! Ahhh!") but I was brave in the end! And guess what? It was totally good! I wish I would have made two for myself! I think all the condiments and especially the sauerkraut really helped. So if you're a faux-meat-aphobe like me, try these out! I was pleasantly surprised :)

Do grilled onions and sauerkraut make anything delicious?

P.S. I found a bunch of pics of us cheering at the march online and added 'em to my Sunday post :)

Fall is here - time for crisp!

2008-10-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Mmmmmmm criiiiiiiiiiiisssssp! I think my favorite is the classic apple crisp, but I had organic pears in the fridge that I got on sale and needed to use up. I used this recipe from vegweb, and added a handful of blueberries. It smells so good in the apartment!

Pears and blueberries, ready for some crispies!

Ready for the oven!

Ready to eat! P.S. I have a better picture, but blogger is loading it sideways! Annoying!

Cookie girl says hello!

March for Farm Animals!

2008-10-26T00:22:00.000-07:00

This morning the Radical Cheerleaders for AR performed and kept everybody cheering and chanting during the annual March for Farm Animals! It was really fun and there was a great turnout - I'd guess 75-100 people marching. Yay for Farm Sanctuary! Marching is always a fun change of pace for us because we get to do different cheers than usual (more chanty than movementy), like this one:
One and one, we're havin' some fun
and march on, all day and all of the night
Two and two, we wear vegan shoes
and march on, all day and all of the night
Three and three, eat at Sweetpea
and march on, all day and all of the night
Four and four, kick cruelty out the door
and march on, all day and all of the night
Five and five, shop at Food Fight
and march on, all day and all of the night
Six and six, eat carrot sticks
and march on, all day and all of the night
Seven and seven, vegans go to heaven
and march on, all day and all of the night
Eight and eight, LIBERATE!
and march on, all day and all of the night
Nine and nine, vegans are fine
and march on, all day and all of the night
Ten and ten, never eat meat again!
and march on, all day and all of the night!

Woo! I didn't get many pictures because I was busy jumping around and cheering and all, but here's two. I didn't get one of myself!

2 cheerleaders and a bunch of marchers

Cheerleaders in between chants...
and lots more marchers behind!

And here's my dinner...

Edited Oct. 27 - I found a bunch of pics online of the march that were just uploaded, here's a couple :)

"My name is Vavoom, and you know what I got?"

The whole group - 120 strong!

"I'm too sexy to eat meat, too sexy to eat meat, so sexy and sweet!
I'm too sexy to wear fur, too sexy to wear fur, rather go naked - brrr!
"Well I'm a cheerleader, green vegan machine! And I'll fight for animal liberation!"

So many signs!

My vegan food "a-ha!" of the day

2008-10-24T23:23:00.001-07:00

Do you know what happens when you put frozen bananas in a juicer? It makes banana ice cream! I'm not really an ice cream person, but I was amazed to watch a frozen banana go in the top, and ice cream come out the bottom. How fucking cool is that?

That's all I've got for today. It's been a long one. I just got home. Tomorrow is the big march for farm animals, and we're cheering at it bright and early. I'll try to get some pics.

Happy weekend, mofos!!!

Dinner and a movie

2008-10-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

So I've had this film, Whisper of the Heart, on my Blockbuster queue FOREVER, and it finally came! I love love love Hayao Miyazaki's films, and although he only wrote it and didn't direct, it had the classic Miyazaki trademarks of the young girl heroine who relies on her own intelligence and wit to save the day, the importance of nature, and the fantastical in the everyday. Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle are still my favorites, though. :)

For a quick dinner to go with my movie, I whipped up some whole wheat spaghetti, marinara and meatballs, and garlic bread. I got the meatballs on sale at Whole Foods, and though Jesse freakin' loved them, they were way too meaty for me! For the garlic bread, I just Earth Balance-d some baguette, sprinkled on some garlic, basil, thyme, and paprika, then popped 'em in the oven on 250 until the pasta was done. Yum!

Nom Nom Nom - Cookie liked it, too!
I didn't get a picture of that, but here's a recent one of her and Zoey:

She's getting so big! She still thinks she can fit in there with Zoey, though :)

Fridge tag!

2008-10-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

Here's another fun veganmofo game from Bianca of VeganCrunk! From her blog:
"So, what's in your fridge? I wanna know. I'm tagging anyone who has any of these items in their refrigerator:
1) A log of Teese
2) More than 2 bottles of hot sauce
3) Something pickled that's not a cucumber
4) Packaged condiments from a fast food joint
5) A winter squash"

I have 3 bottles of hot sauce and pickled jalapenos. Woohoo! Here goes:

The whole shebang

Top shelf:

Flax seed meal, hemp oil, cat food, Chocolate Chai Rice Dream, cocktail mix, green juice, organic chocolate syrup (so good on bananas!), Vegenaise and garlic aioli, jams, applesauce, pickles, and jalapenos. Some vegan but sad fakey syrup hiding in the back.
Bottom shelf:
leftovers, almond and cashew butter, refried beans, enchilada sauce, some old tapenade I forgot about, even older non-vegan nacho cheese and shitty pasta sauce, Earth Balance, Tofutti Sour Supreme, and salsa.
Bottom shelf:
baking soda, corn tortillas, burger buns, Dave's Killer Bread

Crisper:
salad greens, mushrooms, pears, roma tomatoes, apple, carrots, green onions, parsley, beets, carrot, nectarine

Fridge door:
onion, mustard, lemon juice, 3 curry pastes, margarine, veggie dogs (I got those for Jesse and he didn't like them), some hot sauces, Goddess dressing, ketchup, teriyaki sauce, Cha Cha Chicken salad dressing (so good for soba salad), miso mayo, a bunch of dressings that aren't as good as the Goddess.

The hot sauces:
Sriracha
Yucatan Sunshine habanero
Crystal Louisiana style

If Bianca's post didn't tag you, I'm gonna try to tag you! Bare it all if you have the following in your fridge:

1. More than one form of chocolate

2. 3 or more salad dressings

3. a nutritional supplement

4. food with a discount sticker on it

5. baking soda

Cheesy sauce - delicious and nutritious!

2008-10-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

Do you love you some cheesy sauce? I know I do! I originally found this recipe from vegweb, but I think it may be from a cookbook, or at least a variation of a cookbook recipe. Cheesy sauce is awesome on nachos (especially if you add some spice to it), but also great as a topping for baked potatoes, on broccoli, or mixed with pasta for some good old mac and cheese. Here's how I do it:

1/4 cup nooch, 1/4 cup flour, whisked together with 3/4 cups water on medium heat
stir often as it thickens quickly!

Once it's thickened, add a dash of olive oil, a good squirt of mustard, and 1 t. garlic powder
I also added some cayenne pepper

Mix it together and use it asap! It will over-thicken if you're not careful

Put it on some nachos! Or whatever. Add deliciousness AND vitamins and minerals! I actually just had a lot of bloodwork done, and my B12 level was great. I totally think it's all the nooch!

Baked tofu, mashed potatoes, and kale

2008-10-20T20:46:00.001-07:00

Holy jeepers Batman, I think this was one of the best meals I've ever made! I am never buying pre-baked tofu again! I had no idea it's so easy to make! Wowza! Alright, I think I can calm down...

At the Farmers Market on Saturday, one of the larger veggie vendors was cooking up some yummy veggies, and one of the delicious things I sampled was kale and shallots, sauteed in olive oil with a little balsamic thrown in at the end. I'm a chard girl, but I couldn't resist!

The mashed potatoes are my basic recipe of boiled potatoes mashed with Earth Balance, Tofutti Sour Supreme, and garlic. I also had a little pesto left over from the market, so I threw that in, too.

On to the best part of the meal - that beautiful tofu! I looked at a bunch of recipes on vegweb, and settled on the tried and true Simple Baked Tofu. I had all the ingredients on hand, except I ran out of balsamic so I substituted some sesame oil for the 1 T. that I was short and I omitted the salt. This was such an easy recipe, and just turned out so delicious! I used foil on a cookie sheet, and flipped the tofu halfway into baking. If you don't already have a favorite marinade for baking tofu, try this one out! You won't regret it! :)

My plating was inspired by The Farm Cafe and their tofu marsala. Aren't I a fancy pants with my square plates? haha Jesse got them for me last Christmas and I was all pissed because I wanted him to get me a cool antique ring (we didn't do wedding rings, so he kinda owes me), but I got fucking dishes! I really love them, though. Don't tell! haha

Another delicious angle...

Yum yum yummy!

Tag! The vegan freezer game!

2008-10-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

So I was tagged for this fun game by the lovely VeganView, and now I get to show you all my freezer! I was so tempted to go shopping and stock up my freezer after taking photos and realizing there isn't much in there... but maybe that means I'm being good and eating lots of fresh and local stuff? haha
From L to R: some corn, frozen water bottles wrapped with socks for the chinchillas when it gets too hot (I guess I can put those away now!), stirfry veggies, 2 tupperwares of lasagna, tater tots, spiced rum, chocolate Soy Delicious (not so great on it's own, but awesome for milkshakes), icecubes, some granola, and a bunch of little icepacks. Jesse is an avid airsoft player (real looking guns that shoot pellets - him and his friends go out in the woods and play war basically) and he used those in the summer to stick in his gear to keep him cool. Boys are weird!

Here's the door part of the freezer:

Blueberries, more corn (I can never remember if I used the last of it so I buy more - I do that with tater tots, too!), and a Voodoo Doughnut bag with our wedding doughnut in it. I tried to eat it the day after we got married, and Jesse got all upset because it's some tradition to save it, I guess. Because we're so traditional getting married late at night in a doughnut shop! haha

And now, I get to tag 3 of you for the freezer game!

Jelymo of That Pain in the Ass Vegan - because she's hilarious and super cool and I love her and I want to check out her frozen dinner collection!

Bianca of Vegan Crunk - because she is always making me drool with her scrumptious Southern style cooking and she's super duper awesome!

Jess of Get Sconed - because she's totally rad and hers was the first vegan blog I ever read (after finding her other blog Stumptown Vegans) and I wanna see what local treasures she has stashed away!

Only 10 days left of VeganMoFo! Can you believe it???

I'm not a stuffed pepper virgin anymore!

2008-10-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

So I was at the Farmers Market today, picking up vegan pesto, french bread, chocolate panini, kale, tomatoes, shallots and such, when I saw bell peppers 3 for $2 - just begging me to find the biggest ones possible! While foraging for a 3rd monstrous pepper, I wondered about what I would do with them. Just the usual tossing them in stirfry and salad and everything, or could I use them for something a little more special? Then it occurred to me - I have never made, let alone eaten, a stuffed bell pepper! Guess what I made for dinner tonight?

Here's my attempt at a recipe, complete with pictures (oh my!). You should include whatever sounds good to you, but the essentials are a sauce, a grain, a protein, and a few veggies.

For my stuffing, I started out by sauteeing tofu and a granny smith and a golden delicious apple in olive oil. Then I added some enchilada sauce and black beans. Next, chopped rainbow chard, yellow corn, and a handful of chanterelles. More enchilada sauce. Then, when it was just about done, I added yellow and red roma tomatoes, onion, cilantro, green onion, and cooked quinoa.

Cooking up some fresh and local deliciousness!

Cut the tops off your peppers, deseed, and put 'em in a baking dish

Stuff those babies!

Drizzle some sauce on the bottom of your baking dish and on top of your peppers, replace the tops, them pop 'em in the oven on 350 for about an hour!

Take 'em out of the oven and be proud of your beautiful creation! Losing your virginity can be a good experience! haha

Plate it and eat it!

Since I'm not really a recipe person, I threw in what sounded good to me. I did look at a few recipes online to see how long to cook them and at what temp (350 and 40 -60 minutes). I cooked them for about 45, and I think they could have used another 15 because they were definitely nice and roasty on the top and middle, but not quite cooked enough on the bottom. Still delicious, though!

I think I've finally accepted, and even began to embrace, the fall season :)

Yet another Veganmofo survey! Yay!

2008-10-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

Jess of Get Sconed created this fun survey - thanks, Jess! I totally love surveys and I didn't take any photos today, so you saved this mofo!

What was the most recent tea you drank?
Hmmm... I don't really drink tea. I'm gonna guess it was the Organic Oregon Chai I bought last winter? BTW, OC has honey in it, except for the organic version!

What vegan forms do you post/lurk on? If so, what is your username? Spill!
I was on the Craigslist vegan forum for like 4 years until a few months ago. When it was published to the front page of CL it attracted lots of people - many of them trolls, and some were habitual trolls with a zillion differnent user names. It was just a pain to deal with so I left. The people on that forum really helped me go vegan and gave me so much support and lots of resources. I was BigEnchiladas. Now I post on the ppk as VavoomKitty.

You have to have tofu for dinner, and it has be an Italian dish. What comes to mind first?
Lasagna!

How many vegan blogs do you read on an average day?
10 or so.

Besides your own, what is the most recent one you’ve read?
Wing it Vegan. River has been doing a Halloweeny veganmofo theme and her creations are just amazing. She made the cutest falafel monsters ever earlier this week! Seriously!

If you had to base your dinners for a week around one of the holy trilogy – tofu, seitan or tempeh, which would it be?
Tofu for sure. I don't like seitan, and I think I would get bored of tempeh.

If you had to use one in a fight, which would it be?
Seitan because I'd be all "seitan is on my side, bitches!" and I'd go to pull it out of my pocket and they'd be all "omg, she's a witch! Run!!!" and I'd win.

Name 3 meals you’d realistically make with that tough protein of choice!
Oh shit, but I wouldn't make any! Honestly, I've only had it at chinese restaurants and I got some in a can at Food Fight and it looked like brains and scared the crap out of me. What the heck do you all do with seitan?

What’s a recipe in vegan blogland that you’ve been eyeing?
Pretty much everything from Vegan Dad's blog. Like this Chocolate Pumpkin Pudding Cake... drool!

Do you own any clothing with vegan messages/brands on them?
I rock the red wings are for flying, not frying hoodie multiple times per week. I need another Herbivore hoodie! I also have a give peas a chance shirt that I got from Buffalo Exchange. And lots of AR/vegan message pins on my purse or sometimes clothes.

Have you made your pilgrimage to the 'vegan mecca' yet? (Portland, duh)
I've lived here all my life! What what! Holla!

What age did you first go vegan? Did it stick?
22. I was vegetarian from about 12, and started cutting dairy out at 19 (I refused to eat eggs after finding a bloody one when I was 4). It stuck and I wish I had just done it at 19 instead of eliminating things so slowly!

What is the worst vegan meal you’ve had? Who cooked it?
The lasagna I made last month was pretty bad... I ran out of sauce so it got all burny :(

What made you decide to blog?
I'd been thinking about it for awhile... I read a lot of blogs anyways!

What are three of your favorite meals to make?
taco salad, nachos, enchiladas, are you sensing a theme? haha!

What dish would you bring to a vegan Thanksgiving-themed potluck?
Tofu pumpkin pie, baby! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Where is your favorite vegan meal at a restaurant? How many times have you ordered it?
I love the vegan fajitas at Mazatlan. It's also a few blocks from our apartment! I've had that at least 20 times over the years. The live noodle bowl at Blossoming Lotus is another fave. I'd guess 10 times or so on that one.

What do you think the best chain to dine as a vegan is?
I despise chains! Not just for the lack of vegan options, but it makes me so sad how homogenized the US is... I just don't get that mentality. That said, I'll go with Subway.

My kitchen needs a………
Food processor! And of course, more space. Some counter space would be nice!

This vegetable is not allowed in my kitchen…..!
Brussels sprouts

What's for dinner tonight?
I had edamame, a veggie roll, inari, and sake. And it was $8! I love sushi happy hour!

For the Love of Vegans

2008-10-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

That's the name of the vegan pizza you can buy at my local Whole Foods. I still wish they did soycheese (they will make you one if you buy the cheese separately, but it ends up costing more than it should because you don't get a discount for not getting cow cheese or anything)... anyway, it's pretty tasty! They use a base of roasted red pepper hummus, and pile on all the veggies (minus artichoke for me). Oh yeah!

P.S. This post counts for yesterday... another "oops I fell asleep on the couch" evening for me :)

9 layer dip for the last debate!

2008-10-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how close we are to the election! Less than 3 weeks! We Oregonians should be receiving our ballots in the mail in the next few days! It's all so exciting!!!!

I wanted something yummy to snack on while being glued to the television, and couldn't decide between nachos and taco salad. Then I got to thinking... why not go ultra-snacky? 7 layer dip it is! Mine actually turned out as 9 layer dip, but lots of the layers were veggies, so I don't know if that counts! I don't like fake meat for the most part, so I didn't put any crumbles or tvp in, but here's what I used from bottom to top:

Chelsea's Happy Vegan Awesome 9 Layer Dip Delight
refried beans
quinoa
spicy Tofutti Sour Supreme
spinach
tomato
cilantro
green onion
avocado
black olives

What a delicious debate it was!

Anatomy of a shopping run

2008-10-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

Well... actually I was just stopping by Whole Foods after work to get fruit. Yeah right! I was way too hungry for that :) I only spent $30.05 though, so it could have been much worse!

Here's what I got:
3 bananas
3 Granny Smith apples
3 Bartlett pears
Naked Green Machine
1 firm tofu
1 extra firm tofu
2 lbs. red quinoa
miso soup
3 cashew Lara Bars
package of dulse seaweed
Tofutti Sour Supreme
1/4 lb. nooch
pecan sticky bun

I don't usually buy bananas because they are shipped from so far away and because of the labor issues associated with their production, but my Whole Foods just started carrying Earth University bananas, so I grabbed some. From the website, "For more than fifteen years, EARTH University faculty, staff, and students have been experimenting on EARTH´s on-campus banana farm. Together, they have developed new techniques to increase quality and reduce the environmental and social impact of commercial banana production. Several of the environmental management techniques developed at EARTH over the years have become banana industry standards." Pretty cool, huh?

Have a lovely evening, everyone! I can't believe I'm posting before it's dark out - now I can catch up on all of your fabulous blogs!

Another Veganmofo survey!

2008-10-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Broke-Ass Vegan for passing along this survey!

1. If you have to choose between locally grown or organic, which do you usually choose?
Honestly, most of the local stuff here is not certified organic, but the farmers use organic methods so it isn't much of an issue. I lean towards local in general, though.

2. Favorite way to prepare potatoes:
Roasted; but mashed with Earth Balance, Tofutti Sour Supreme, and garlic is a close second!

3. Do you press your tofu before preparing/cooking it (if you eat soy)?
Not really. I tend not to prepare or plan much before I cook something... but if I'm cooking for other people I do. I usually just open up the package and squeeze it with my hands over the sink. Does that sorta count?

4. Name your favorite recipe that is a tradition in your family:
Sadly, we don't really have any traditional recipes. My Mexican grandma moved to Oregon when she was young to work in the shipyards, and changed her name to an America one, stopped speaking Spanish, and refused to cook Mexican food. My Mom cooked steaks and meatloaf and nasty stuff for her husband when I was a kid, and I mostly ate at my friend's houses. I'll have to start a tradition!

5. Any food allergies?
Not that I know of, though I have broken out in hives a few times in the last couple years...

6. When you want to go to a fancy dinner, where do you go?
The Farm or Nutshell.

7. When you have a cold, what do you crave?
Hot sauce and onions.

8. What kind of water do you drink? (Filtered, spring, tap, etc.)
Plain old tap water. We have good water here.

9. Name a flavor of soda you'd love to see:
I don't like soda, but I'd have to go with chocolate! Maybe then I would like soda?

10. If the recipes you ate as a child were compiled into a cookbook, what would the title be?
Cheese pizza, ranch dressing, cheese enchiladas, and jalapeno poppers - how to have a coronary on a vegetarian diet. (This reflects my teenage years).

11. If you were allowed to grow one food that can't grow in your climate, what would it be?
Avocado!!!

12. Favorite type of mushroom?
I can't really taste the difference from mushroom to mushroom, but I love how big portobellas are.

13. Most frustrating part of your kitchen?
There is literally no counter space. We have a tiny bit under this big glass china cabinet, but it isn't very deep because the cabinet sticks out.

14. Last food you burned?
Garlic. It cooks so fast!

15. Usual response to a veg*n's favorite question, "But where do you get your protein?":
"Actually, there's a lot of protein in veggies and even fruit! Not to mention beans and grains. I tracked my protein intake last year, and I had double the amount needed by an adult female. Protein deficiency in adults is really unheard of in the US."

16. If you were baking your own birthday cake today, what flavor would it be?
Chocolate. I wouldn't bake my own cake, though!

17. Favorite brand of chocolate chips?
Guittard semi sweet. They're always on sale at Fred Meyer!

18. You have $200 of your tax return reserved for Williams Sonoma- What do you buy?
A Magic Bullet, a nice platter, some wine glasses.

19. Do you plan your menus in advance? Any tips to share?
No, but I aspire to one day. It's really not in my nature :(

20. You have 3 minutes before you have to leave the house and you're starving- What do you eat?
Bad habit, but I don't. My body knows not to get hungry early in the morning, though.

21. If Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, and Rachel Ray got into a fight, who would win?
I'm gonna say Rachel. Her pearly white smile would blind them all!

22. If you eat oatmeal, what do you add to it before serving?
Nut milk, brown sugar, raisins and craisins.

23. If you got to travel to one country and learn all the traditional dishes there, where would you go (ignore commitments in your current place of residence)?
India of Lebanon. That's a hard one!

24. Favorite late night snack?
A bit of dark chocolate.

25. Favorite springtime food?
I can't think of what becomes ripe suddenly in the Spring... I think most of it isn't ready until summer here...

26. Favorite food-related magazine?
Vegetarian Times is alright, I don't really read magazines though.

27. Which do you prefer: shoyu, tamari, conventional soy sauce, or Bragg's Aminos?
Shoyu.

28. What vegetable or fruit do you dislike the most?
Watermelon. I wouldn't eat it for $20, it's that yucky to me!

29. Name a holiday food you look forward to all year long:
Does soy eggnog with rum count? I also love pumpkin pie.

30. If you could convert anyone to veganism with your magic wand, who would you convert?
My husband. I know that's selfish, but it would be awesome! Other than that... the President would be good.

Odds and ends enchiladas

2008-10-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

I think one of my favorite things about enchiladas, besides how delicious they are, is how versatile they are. You can roll your tortillas, stack them up, or layer them casserole-style. You can whip up an individual serving in the microwave, or cook up a whole bunch in the oven. And what can you fill them with? Why, anything really! Tonight I made a casserole-style batch with what I had in the crisper - potatoes (ok those weren't in the crisper!), chard, heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, corn, chilies, and onion. Oh yeah!

I just realized that I've been neglecting the kitties in my posts lately, so now I have to make up! :)

Zoey and Cookie sharing the chair! Awwww

I &hearts kitty cat feetsies

Check out that toe hair!

Not a kitty, but these are the super cute Vegan Earth shoes I was talking
about that I got so cheap on Ebay... :)

My best friend's birthday

2008-10-12T02:52:00.000-07:00

I'm finally home! Here's a quick recap of the night: drink at the Farm, dinner and drinks at the Montage, drink at my other best friend's bar, then we all went to Hungry Tiger. Woo hoo! Happy Birthday Steph!

My veggie linguine with cajun gravy at the Montage

Leftovers!

Awesome coconut squash ravioli wantons with sweet chili sauce at Hungry Tiger

Hungry Tiger's dessert special was apple pie from Sweetpea! Yay!!!

Friday night surprise dinner

2008-10-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

When I got home late from work last night, I discovered that Jesse had made me an awesome dinner! He doesn't cook often, but is a waaaaaaaayyy better cook them I am. Which makes sense, because he grew up cooking with his family and I didn't. Anyway, he gets home later than I do, so he usually eats whatever I make, or cereal, or chips and salsa (boys are so weird!). He made hummus, pita bread, tabouleh, and falafel and there is a TON left over. Woohoo! The falafel didn't hold together as well as he would have liked, but I didn't care because it tasted good!

Hummus and tabouleh

Falafel and pita bread

P.S. This post counts for last night... I fell asleep on the couch after watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which was pretty funny!

I'm hungry

2008-10-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

But I don't feel like cooking! There's also a sink-full of dishes that need to be washed, so I've been avoiding the kitchen this evening (except to pour a quick glass of wine). So far I've had the last 2 sugar cookies from debate day and some grapes. I'll probably just end up eating a Tasty Bite (well, the Trader Joe's cheap version) with some leftover quinoa. Maybe salad. Or more wine? Haha! I'm totally thrown off by it getting dark so early now... I can't believe it's only 7:30! It feels like 9:00 to me.

Anyway, here's some good food I've eaten lately that I haven't blogged about. Maybe I'll inspire myself to make something!

Black beans, quinoa, veggies (all local of course!),
guac, salsa, and leftover cheezy sauce (it didn't reheat
very saucy, but still tasted good) which I ate with corn tortillas

Tomato Basil Cream Pasta a la VeganYumYum, baguette, and spicy pepper olive oil

Tostones, spicy black beans, quinoa and tofutti

Milkshake of Soy Delicious Chocolate, frozen banana, chocolate hempmilk, and a handful of blueberries

Taco salad from King Burrito in NoPo

Hummus among us!

2008-10-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

I love hummus. A lot. I love roasted pepper hummus, tomato basil hummus, white bean hummus, cilantro hummus... but most of all, I love traditional Lebanese hummus. The hummus is what I look forward to when I eat out at Lebanese restaurants or get a quick falafel on my lunch break. And do you know what I just realized the other day when I was standing in the nut butter section of Whole Foods? I have never made my own! So I grabbed some tahini and made some hummus as soon as I got home!

Here is the recipe I used. It calls for using 1/4 cup of the bean water, but I found it to be a tad too runny. Next time I'll go for 1/8 a can. It was also very garlicky, with it being raw and all... so cut that down if you're not into that. Other than that, this hummus was fabulous and just like what I get in the restaurants! And way cheaper :) Woot!

Ready to blend...

Ready to go in my belly!

Presidential debate cookies!

2008-10-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Vegan Crunk's post last week, I made some cookies and had my own little viewing party! Jesse was supposed to make it, but got stuck late at work :( he did make the last 15 minutes, at least. It was torture not to break into the cookies while I was waiting for him!

I used a sugar cookie and icing recipe from vegweb. It turned out pretty well! I did have to add a little water to the dough, and I didn't realize that you're supposed to flatten sugar cookies rather than ball 'em up on the cookie sheet, but they were still tasty if a little goofy-looking!

When I got ready to make my blue and red frosting, I opened up the box of food coloring to discover that some jerk-off took the red out and replaced it with blue! Can you believe that??? So, I used yellow. Whatever. I'm still a little annoyed as you can probably tell! I quickly discovered that O-B-A-M-A is tricky to spell out on a dinky little cookie, so I went with the classic "OBAMA RULZ" after that.

And what a great debate it was! I loved that McCain was trying sooooooooo hard to be nice to Obama after last time, and it was obvious how fake it was.

Here I am ready to laugh my ass off and yell at the tv!

Rasperry cider toast to Obama

Sugar cookies before icing...

...and after!

Veganmofo survey!

2008-10-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks for passing this along, VeganView!

1. Name a song that involves food in some way?

Biscuit - Portishead

2. What criteria do you use when buying a new cookbook?

Do I have money? LOL! No really, I'm a novice cook, so I don't have many cookbooks. I use vegweb a lot.

3. What did you eat today?

A bagel with hummus and veggies, a small bowl of veggie chili, a sticky bun... I need some fruit!

4. Name a vegan food you know exists but have never tried...

I don't think I've ever had a vegan tamale. Sad!

5. The Food Network just called and needs you to start your new show tomorrow. What will the title be?

Vegan Eating for Dummies

6. Favorite hot sauce or other spicy condiment?

That is a tough one... I love Sriracha, Aarvark habanero hot sauce, and wasabi

7. How old were you when you became vegan?

8. Favorite vegan cheeze?

Follow Your Heart because it's cheap. Sheese Gouda flavor is really good on crackers with mustard, though!

9. Cutest baby animal?

Any that's not a human and is very furry!

10. Favorite type of jam/jelly?

I love the lavender-infused ones at the farmers market

11. Do you take any vitamins/supplements?

VegLife Vegan Multi

12. What food/dish most embodies the Fall Season?

Definitely pumpkin pie!

13. What food would you have a hard time living without?

Tofu, avocado, olive oil, chocolate

14. Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate?

If it's plain old coffee, then hot chocolate for sure, but if it's a yummy mocha with hemp milk or something, I'm all over that!

15. It's 10 pm and you're starving. What do you eat?

Have I been drinking? haha If not, a handful of nuts or a salad or just go to bed, if yes - I've been known to make cheezy sauce all hours of the night!

16. If you have an animal companion, what is her/his favorite food?

My kitties love their fancy gross meat food, but they (especially Cookie) love to eat whatever else I'm eating. Zoey loves vegan coffee cake, Smart Bacon, and goes wild over chevre when my husband has it.

17. Worst injury you have gotten in the kitchen?

I burned myself pretty good on my inner forearm on the oven the night before I left for Italy... when I got back 2 weeks later it was still all scabby. No scar now, though! That was about 2.5 years ago.

18. When you have a food-related question, who do you call?

Whoever I think will answer the phone! Usually my husband or my best friend.

19. Summer is ending-what food will you miss the most?

That's a toss up between heirloom tomatoes and berries. I love summer!

20. What snacks do you keep in your purse/backpack/desk at work?

Purse - dried fruit and nuts
Work - Lara bars and sometimes a box of cereal or packets of oatmeal. I'm trying to start eating breakfast... it's really hard for me :(

21. Favorite soup to make on a rainy day?

Does chili count?

22. What is your favorite combination of fresh vegetable/fruit juices?

I really like green juices, a la Naked or Columbia Valley.

23. Favorite brand of root beer?

Root beer is foul

24. You are having three vegan celebs to dinner! Who are they?

~James Cromwell

~Woody Harrelson

~Erykah Badu

25. Make your own veganic question! Here's mine:
When was the first time you heard the word "vegan?" What was your first impression?
I remember hearing the word vegan (pronounced vay-gun) when I was a sophomore in high school. A punk friend of mine thought I would be interested in all this stuff he had found out about dairy because I was a vegetarian. He told me about it while I drank a milkshake and he ate a burger at Burgerville. I didn't believe him. I never heard anything about vegans again until I started college and met a few!

And here's a yummy little sticky bun I just ate from Dovetail Bakery

Stinging nettle soup!

2008-10-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sounds pretty hard-core, huh? Well, you know me! :) Nettles are actually an extremely healthy food - they are rich in vitamins A, C, D, iron and calcium, and have quite a high amount of protein for a veggie at 40%! But what about the whole stinging issue, you ask? Even brief cooking totally neutralizes it.

I bought a bag of stinging nettles from the mushroom vendors at the farmers market last weekend, and ended up using their recipe to cook them up. It made a huge pot of soup, and was surprisingly delicious! Here is the recipe:

Springwater Farm Nettle Soup
1 lb. potatoes
1/2 lb. young nettles
1/4 lb. maitakes
1/4 lb. shittakes
2 oz. butter or olive oil
1/2 pts. chicken or veggie stock
sea salt
black pepper
4 Tb. sour creme (I subbed Tofutti and halved it)

Cook the peeled, chopped potatoes for 10 min. in salted water. Drain. Wearing gloves, cut nettles up with scissors (I pulled them apart with my hands over the saucepan). Melt the olive oil in a saucepan, add the nettles and stew gently for a few minutes.

Add the potatoes and heated stock, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms (I used a mix of cremini, shiitake, and chanterelles) in olive oil until cooked. When all is soft, cool slightly and mash with a potato masher, or puree in blender. Add the mushrooms, seasonings, and sour cream. Bon appetit!

The nettles tasted similar to spinach to me, but with a bit more of a bite and they didn't get as mushy. I think next time I make this, I'll add some garlic and maybe onion. This reheated nicely, and was great with Sriracha :)

No flash, served with garlicy french bread

Zoey preferred the bread!

And a bonus! This is probably the best shot of a cat I have ever taken. It's the desktop on my computer now. I am so proud of myself!

Cookie girl mid-bath

I &hearts Indian food

2008-10-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

I went to my favorite place to get Indian food today, India Chaat House. It's only a food truck with a bit of covered seating, but I think it has the best Indian food in town. It's all vegetarian, but they will make any dish (or mango lassi!) vegan upon request. I had navraten korma, naan, and pakoras with mint and tamarind chutney. What a feast! I had to keep shooing the kitties away :)

I watched a really thought-provoking and heart-breaking documentary today, The Boys of Baraka. It follows 20 boys from inner-city Baltimore who are picked to go to the Baraka School in Africa, which totally changes their worldviews and gives them support that is completely lacking in the public schools (80% of Black boys do not graduate high school in Baltimore). I don't want to give too much away, but if you haven't seen it you should! In the special features, there is a commentary piece from Bill Cosby that tells it like it is: the biggest problem we face today is that we are losing the ability to communicate with one another. Two of the boys get in a big fight that would probably leave one dead and one in juvy back in Baltimore, but at the Baraka School, they are brought to a remote location and told to set up a tent together before they can leave. Cosby reminds us that this is a lesson that even someone like George Bush needs. As an educator, this is something I believe strongly in, and just another reason that I am horrified by the McCain/Palin ticket and their stances on foreign policy. The three year olds in my classroom don't get away with having conflicts and not talking about it and resolving it with each other, and it is ridiculous that world leaders aren't held to the same standards.

Veganism and booze

2008-10-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

There are many vegan straightedgers, but there are plenty of us who enjoy imbibing from time to time. I work the typical M-F schedule, and sadly, my husband works really long days and weekends, so our time together is pretty limited. He does have Fridays off, though, so we try to go out to happy hour after I get off work when we can. It's a nice time to catch up with each other and spend time together without the tv and computers and cell phones and all the distractions of modern-day life. We went out today, and both had an awesome baked avocado salad, which I conveniently forgot to photograph, but when it came time to order more drinks I couldn't specify what I wanted and ended up with an (admittedly tasty) pinos gris. What I wanted was a coffee drink, but I always get confused about what has dairy (Kahlua is safe? But not Irish Creme? Maybe?). So I decided when I got home I would make myself something tasty. Right now I'm nursing chocolate ricemilk spiked with spiced rum. And it's pretty tasty! What crazy vegan ingredients do you all substitute in alcohol beverages? I also enjoy making my own hot toddies at home with agave nectar...

P.S. Sorry for no pictures... my camera cord died, so I ordered this cool thing to stick in the empty slot where cd drives and stuff go that has a usb drive and is a card reader! So I just pop that baby in nice and easy! Thanks newegg.com! It just came today and Jesse is installing it as we speak :)

The best Freudian slip ever!

2008-10-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, before I get into anything directly vegan related, I have to say - did you catch the absolutely hilarious Freudian slip that Palin made toward the end of the debate? "John McCain is ready to LEAVE, excuse me, ready to LEAD..." I think about 200 people simultaneously busted up laughing at the bar I went to watch it! Oh man. I think that says it all!

Today has been a long day. After work I went to a gallery opening for a friend of a friend, then ran off to a nearby bar to watch the debate. She had some new pieces that I haven't seen before, and it was catered by a vegetarian cafe! I was very to happy to eat some real food as well as an amazing chocolate cupcake with espresso frosting before drinking wine and yelling at the big screen :)

Elise's work totally blew me away!

Free food that I can eat! Awesome!

I didn't have time to make it home after the opening to watch the debate, so I went to a bar to watch it with strangers! It was actually really fun to watch it with a bunch of boisterous, like-minded people, though I now reek of cigarette smoke.

Get out the vote! Don't let this
person be the next VP!

Happy Veganmofo y'all!

2008-10-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

I decided last night to take the plunge and participate in Veganmofo! Veganmofo, or Vegan Month of Food, is a bit daunting for the likes of me - if you know my blog, you know that posting once a week is pretty good for me, so trying to post every day will really be a challenge! I think it will be a postitive challenge, though, and also help me to really consider what I put in my body on a daily basis.

Tonight I had a surprisingly good dinner! I went over to my mom's house to help her clean and get ready to move for the first time in her life! It's a pretty big deal. Her house is closing next Friday, and it's a big job to pack up your whole life and move it, ya know? Her house is in the Arbor Lodge neighborhood, which although is gentrifying and full of cafes and shops and even has it's very own New Seasons, there are some draw-backs - property taxes have gone up A LOT, there is much more traffic even on the side streets, etc. I think it will be good for her to try something new out anyway. So, she's packing up and moving to Saint Helens of all places! It's a pretty cute small town with lots of old buildings, and even has it's own vegetarian cafe. But back to the point... my sisters were over there to help too, and made burritos for dinner. One of my sisters doesn't like most meat, so she wanted Morningstar crumbles anyway, and even though they looked gross and meaty to me, my sister insisted that I try them! I don't like flour tortillas, so I brought my own corn ones along with some brown rice and had tacos. It was probably the best meal I've ever had over there!

Morningstar crumbles, brown rice, guacamole, salsa, tomato, refried beans, and corn tortillas... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

See you all tomorrow!

Woohoo - Farmers Market Saturday!

2008-09-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

The Farmers Market was lovely today - more musicians than usual, lower prices than during the summer, and a perfect blend of summer and autumn produce! There were lots of berries and lots of pumpkins! I spent all of the $21 I had on me, and came away with a big bag of yummies :)

Here's one of the vendors where I had planned to get chard, but they were out of it by the time I came back. The only downside to walking through the whole market before buying anything!

Roasting peppers!

I bought a few heirloom tomatoes and some corn here

So pretty!

You know it's organic when you find critters!

I bought some chanterelles and nettles here

Hahaha!

Here's the goods!
1 giant zucchini
4 heirloom tomatoes
4 multicolored beets
2 ears of corn
1 lb. of seedless grapes
3 bell peppers
1/6 lb. of chanterelles
a big bag of nettles
1 loaf of Dave's Killer Bread - Nuts and Grains
1 chocolate panini

Cookie just had to investigate - kittens are so curious!

This loot is officially Cookie approved!

P.S. I've never even tasted let alone cooked with nettles... it was a total impulse buy! There's a recipe for nettle potato soup with the bag, but do any of you have favorite recipes or ways to prepare them? Thanks!!!

I think fall has arrived...

2008-09-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Zoey and Cookie watch the rain pour

I'm not sure if I'm ready for fall. I still feel like I was cheated out of part of summer with the cruddy August weather, I guess. School starts this week, there are pumpkins at the farmers market, the stores have aisles of Halloween stuff... and now it actually looks like fall outside. I wore jeans and socks this weekend. I didn't see any sun today. Oh, woe is me! I do get to wear my new Vegan Earth mary janes, though... so I guess it's not all bad! :)

I'm eating odds and ends for dinner tonight - pita and hummus, an apple, tortillas and soy cheese with salsa, and some hazelnuts (so far!). I did make some yummy enchiladas earlier in the week, though. They're cheater-style (with store bought enchilada sauce), but they were damn tasty!

Before sauce, filled with tofu, black beans, corn, zucchini, bell pepper,
jalapeno, cilantro, onion, and green onions

After sauce, ready for the oven!

Ready for my belly - enchiladas y guacamole!

Ok, just one more kitty picture! Cookie is loving the box my shoes were shipped in (and by the way, Ebay is a great place to buy brand new Vegan Earth shoes for cheap! Mine were $30 + shipping for shoes that retail at $129! I've bought 4 pairs over the last year or two - I can't help myself!).

Cookie happily resting in her box

Bath time for Cookie girl!

Have a great week everybody!

Farmers Market goods and two yummy meals!

2008-09-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well :) Sorry that I've been MIA the last week or so; it's inservice time at work, and while there are no children around and it seems like a bit of a break, I am keeping busy with meetings, workshops, family visits, and setting up the classroom environment. It probably hasn't helped that I've become accustomed to getting to work whenever I want... (thank goodness I don't normally have a flexible schedule! It's bad news for me!). Anyway, I went to the Farmers Market this weekend super late, but miraculously there was still tons of stuff left! I spent $19.20 and had a heavy bag of stuff to carry home:

a bag of creamer potatoes, 3 multicolored bell peppers, 6 heirloom tomatoes, 4 ears of corn, 2 gravenstein apples, a chocolate panini, a bunch of rainbow chard, 3 anaheim peppers, and a bag of green beans - woohoo!

So what did I cook up with all that loot? Some tasty eats, baby! Here goes:

Spicy tomato black beans, quinoa, and sauteed chard, peppers, and onion
(served with corn tortillas, as most things I eat are!)

Sloppy lentil Joe's, corn on the cob, and pretty bell pepper for garnish :)

I've you've never made sloppy Joe's with lentils - do it! Even my skeptical husband loved 'em! I cooked 1 cup of lentils (3 cups water), then added a can of tomato sauce, a bell pepper, an anaheim pepper, half an onion, 2 T. or so of molasses, a T. of cumin, and a T. of chili powder. It made enough for each of us to bring leftovers for lunch the next day - pretty impressive!

Oh, and I can't end a post without some cute kittie porn! Oh wait, that sounds wrong! How about, "cute kittie uber cutieness?"

Here's crazy Zoey with her new toy, a locally handmade cat body pillow filled with catnip!

Cookie didn't get what everyone was so excited about... she's a very mature 4 month old!

I think this one is begging for a LOLcat caption... any ideas???

Panang curry is goooooooood!

2008-09-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

For dinner last night, I finally cracked open the jar of Thai and True panang curry paste that has been sitting in the cupboard for a few months. Thai and True products are made locally in Lake Oswego, and sold at the Farmer's Market as well as Food Fight. In my opinion, they are FAR superior to other curry pastes (like Thai Kitchen brand). I mixed 1/2 a jar with a can of coconut milk, and cooked on low until I put the veggies in. At the same time I sauteed some tofu. I wasn't very authentic about the veggies, and just threw in what I had: potatoes, carrots, and onion, which is better suited for mussaman curry, but whatever! It was still tasty! After tossing in the veggies and tofu, I turned up the heat to medium and covered the pot, letting it cook for about 30 minutes. It will cook down a lot, so make sure and add about 1 or 2 cups water and turn down the heat to low while your rice is cooking. And don't pull a Chelsea! Actually turn on your rice cooker instead of leaving it on warm for 30 minutes while complaining about how long it's taking! :) Waiting again was pure torture!

Plated panang curry with brown rice

Yesterday, Tiny Kitteh was sleeping innocently in Zoey's favorite cat bed (an empty water bottle flat that she won't let me recycle!) when Zoey decided to come join her.

Tiny Kitteh didn't quite fit anymore...

...but she tried to make it work!

Until she saw Zoey's tail...

...and she just couldn't help but attack it!

Crazy kittehs!!!

My Vegan Hundred List

2008-08-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

This list has been floating around the vegan blogosphere for a couple weeks, and I finally couldn't resist it any longer! Hannah from Bittersweet veganized the Omnivore's Hundred list, so we can join in the fun, too! Here are the rules:

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Italicize any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!

1. Natto (looks scary, but I'd try it!)

2. Green Smoothie at Blossoming Lotus, never made my own.

3. Tofu Scramble like a million times!

4. Haggis

5. Mangosteen

6. Creme brulee

7. Fondue (I need to find a vegan recipe for this!)

8. Marmite/Vegemite

9. Borscht

10. Baba ghanoush

11. Nachos

12. Authentic soba noodles

13. PB&J sandwich

14. Aloo gobi

15. Taco from a street cart in Mexico and in the US!

16. Boba Tea there's a boba shop downtown that uses soymilk in all of their milk teas - yum!

17. Black Truffle

18. Fruit wine made with fruit other than grapes

19. Gyoza just had these recently at dim sum!

20. Vanilla ice cream

21. Heirloom tomatoes

22. Fresh wild berries

23. Ceviche (how would this be veganized?)

24. Rice and beans

25. Knish

26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper (never had raw, but had it in Jamaican food)

27. Dulce de leche

28. Caviar

29. Baklava

30. Pate

31. Wasabi peas

32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl

33. Mango lassi thank you India Chaat House for making a vegan version!

34. Sauerkraut

35. Root beer float gross, I hate root beer! I do like coffee floats, though

36. Mulled cider

37. Scones with buttery spread and jam

38. Vodka jelly

39. Gumbo

40. Fast food french fries

41. Raw Brownies

42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans

43. Dahl

44. Homemade Soymilk

45. Wine from a bottle worth $120 or more (haha, maybe someday I'll be able to afford that!)

46. Stroopwafle

47. Samosas

48. Vegetable Sushi

49. Glazed doughnut

50. Seaweed

51. Prickly pear

52. Umeboshi

53. Tofurkey

54. Sheese

55. Cotton candy (had it as a kid, doubt it was vegan but I really don't know?)

56. Gnocchi

57. Piña colada

58. Birch beer (I would try it, but doubt I would like it)

59. Scrapple

60. Carob chips gross!

61. S’mores

62. Soy curls

63. Chickpea cutlets

64. Curry

65. Durian

66. Homemade sausages I had some at a breakfast place in Vancouver BC and they were yucky

67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake (I recently heard there are vegan elephant ears at the Saturday Market! I need to get on that!)

68. Smoked tofu

69. Fried plantain

70. Mochi

71. Gazpacho

72. Warm chocolate chip cookies

73. Absinthe (we have a new absinthe distillery in town, I need to try it!)

74. Corn on the cob

75. Whipped cream, straight from the can and I didn't like it!

76. Pomegranate

77. Fauxstess Cupcake

78. Mashed potatoes with gravy

79. Jerky Stonewall's is the only kind I like!

80. Croissants

81. French onion soup

82. Savory crepes

83. Tings

84. A meal at Candle 79 (someday!)

85. Moussaka

86. Sprouted grains or seeds

87. Macaroni and "cheese"

88. Flowers

89. Matzoh ball soup

90. White chocolate

91. Seitan don't like it, too meaty!

92. Kimchee yummy!

93. Butterscotch chips (never seen a vegan version :( )

94. Yellow watermelon watermelon is one of the few fruits I despise

95. Chilli with chocolate

96. Bagel and Tofutti and a little Sriracha and sprouts for good measure!

97. Potato milk

98. Polenta

99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

100. Raw cookie dough I actually prefer it raw to cooked!

I've eaten 62 out of 100, and there are only 5 I wouldn't try! Not bad considering what a picky eater I am!

Lazy Sunday breakfast

2008-08-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a great weekend! Mine has been enjoyable with some relaxing time as well as some busy time. I babysat, went to the farmer's market, went to an anti-foie gras demo, went on a bike ride, played with the kitties, picked up some Neil Gaiman books from Powell's, and found some time to play video games.

I went a little crazy at the farmer's market... I bought 4 lbs. of heirloom tomatoes. But how could I resist? They were only $2.49/lb.! I also picked up a baguette, peppers, onion, basil, garlic, a yellow melon that I don't recall the name of (it tasted cantaloupe-y), and 4lbs. of red fingerling potatoes. We made some yummy bruschetta for dinner last night, and this morning I used the leftovers for a tofu scramble.

Roasted potatoes, tofu scramble with heirloom tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, and yellow bell pepper, plus coffee with hazelnut soy creamer

A totally local meal if you don't count the coffee!

Everyone has a bit different way to roast potatoes. My method is to preheat the oven to 425, quarter potatoes (or halve if fingerlings), toss 'em in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, toss with your favorite herbs, then roast for about 45 minutes.

I know you've all been waiting expectantly for a kitten update, so here it is: Zoey is adjusting better than expected! Check her out sleeping in the background and not being terrified of the Tiny Kitteh! She doesn't hiss at her at all, and has even allowed Tiny Kitteh to bat at her playfully! She isn't quite ready to bat back yet, though :). The naming saga continues... Jesse is really liking Oscar now, and wishing Tiny Kitteh was a boy. Husbands are so annoying!

Have a lovely week everybody!

I lost my virginity...

2008-08-18T21:13:00.000-07:00

Tattoo virginity, that is! Gotcha! So I've been wanting one for a long time, but I'm pretty fickle and get bored with everything quickly, so I've taken a long time in deciding. I finally decided on a loose plan of a child hugging a farm animal with bright colors. I got a bunch of Tofurkey heart temporary tattoos at Vegfest and put them all over my body until I decided on the right spot (inner left calf). Yes, I know, probably over thinking it... but I'm crazy like that. I went in to Scapegoat, my local all-vegan tattoo shop, and made an appointment to meet with an artist. I chose Sam due to his availability and a beautiful peacock in his portfolio, and when I told him my idea he totally understood what I wanted and came up with a design. I scheduled my appointment for a week later. Unfortunately, my cat scratched the shit out of me that same day - right where the tattoo was supposed to go! So I had to reschedule and let that heal. I finally did it yesterday! I am super happy with the results - Sam is really talented and I almost cried from happiness when I saw it. But I didn't! Almost!

In natural lighting

You can see the child a little better here

Kitten approved!

Speaking of kittens, do any of you have any great kitty names up your sleeves? I'm liking Marmalade, hubby's liking Godzilla. Yikes!

Goodies from Ecuador!

2008-08-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

My youngest sister, Elizabeth, just got back from a month long stay in Ecuador, after a school year's worth of preparation with the Pangea project. She learned about the small communities who are in an ongoing lawsuit with big oil companies that are dumping in their waters, spent time in the capital city, Quito, as well as staying with a host family in Yungilla, learned about the organic practices the local farmers use, but the most important thing - she brought me back a bunch of awesome stuff! (Just kidding! Sort of.)

She brought back some strawberry and blackberry jam, but saved the "weird" ones for me - thanks! She knows me well ;). The orange one is a marmalade made with uvilla, or Cape gooseberry as it is called in South Africa where they began cultivating it in the 1800s. It is very sweet and almost has a syrupy consistency, perfect with Earth Balance on toast! The second one says it is a preserve of chigualcan, some kind of fruit that I can't find any mention of on the internets. My sister says it reminded her of star fruit. These preserves are not as sweet and remind me a little of pear... I think they deserve a more savory accompaniment than toast. Any ideas?

She also brought me back some organic, fair trade, shade grown coffee that is only available for purchase in Ecuador! I love coffee and sustainability, so this is perfect for me. The bags are even hand-woven by local women! I'm so excited about this coffee that I can't get myself to open the friggen' bag and try it... hopefully blogging about will force me to take the plunge. And take a picture to remember it by! My other gifts are a vegan soap, handmade red and black earrings (Radical Cheerleading colors, baby!), and a beautiful multicolored shawl. Yay!

Elizabeth with her host family

Beach weekend!

2008-08-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends, Stephanie, and I went to visit one of our other best friends, Shannon, at her new place in Seaside this weekend. The weather wasn't too nice (check out my windblown hair!), but we had a great time catching up, walking their dogs on the beach, cooking and eating, and drinking wine.

Shannon basically has her own petting zoo, and when I met her kittens I couldn't help but take one home! "Tiny Kitteh," as we're calling her for now, is three months old and half Himalayan, half orange tabby and 100% cute! Let me know if you have any ideas for kitty names, as Godzilla is the best we've come up with so far!

Stephanie leans toward vegan, so we stocked up on yummies before heading to the beach. I brought along my trusty veggie grill, and we enjoyed Sunshine burgers the first evening. Have you tried these burgers? I recently noticed them on sale at Whole Foods, so I bought some and now I'm addicted! The main ingredient is sesame seed, and they have a very falafel-y texture. Try them!

Saturday evening, we grilled up kebabs! We used mushrooms, bell peppers, onion, pineapple, and tofu marinated in balsamic vinaigrette. Kebabs make my belly happy.

Now that I'm back, I have a week off from work to do whatever the heck I want! Socializing Tiny Kitteh and Zoey is a big priority, but I also hope to ride my bike a lot, go to happy hours, watch some movies, and in general kick back. Oh, and I'll be getting my first tattoo at Scapegoat this Sunday - woohoo! Here's a couple other food pics for ya:

Field Roast, garlic mashed potatoes, and a salad of baby greens, heirloom tomatoes, onion, Goddess dressing and a few Bacos for good measure

Nachos with red quinoa, black beans, FYH Nacho flavor, salsa, guacamole, and Tofutti Sour Supreme

Nachos are my ultimate comfort food.

Marionberry chocolate mousse

I made the standard chocolate mousse of tofu and melted chocolate chips, but added marionberries to the mix. Not the best idea texture-wise, but the taste was great! Next time I'll just do marionberries on top.

Veganized Original Tollhouse Recipe Chocolate Chip Cookies, cooling on the fire escape

(thanks to Webly of Fueled by Popcorn for the recipe!)

OMG, shoes!

2008-08-02T18:25:00.000-07:00

I'm sorta obsessed with shoes. I know, I claim to care so much about the environment and sustainability, yet I horde shoes. I'll admit it - I'm a hypocrite! But I've come to terms with it. At least I'm not this bad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCF3ywukQYA

Anyway, I went to Scapegoat to meet with Sam about my tattoo (Aug. 11 is the big day!), then I couldn't resist standing for an hour on the Hawthorne Bridge watching the Red Bull Flugtag, then I walked to the MAX, but on the way found myself in the shoe section of the Nordstrom Rack (how'd that happen?!?).

If you have ever been to the Rack, you know how frustrating it can be. The shoes are all shoes that didn't sell at Nordstrom (overstock, last season, etc.), and are marked down substantially. You find the area with your size, and quickly try on any shoe that looks interesting (someone else might snatch it first!), bonus if it has a 35% or 50% off sticker on it. If it's a keeper, you have to go find it's mate at a counter in the back of the store. Sometimes they can't find the mate and it's a very sad occasion. Now consider all this, but add veganism into the equation! For about every 20 shoes you pick up, 19 with be leather. But there's that 1! My fabulous find today:

Now, in general I'm not a fan of Jessica Simpson... but I do tend to gravitate towards her shoe line when I'm at the Rack. Every single pair I've ever picked up has been leather, and I was almost to the point of ignoring any J.S. shoe that I saw. Thank goddess I am full of so much hope, because these were a fabulous find! The regular price was $79.95, but they were marked all the way down to the low price of............ wait for it............ drum roll please...................... $15.71! How can any girl say no to that?

OMG, shoes

So, what did I ever do with all that Farmer's Market produce? I ate it!

Bruschetta with heirloom tomatoes, basil, garlic, and onion

Spaghetti with roasted red pepper marinara, sauteed zucchini, squash, and criminis, topped with nooch and walnuts

Fajita veggies: summer squash and zucchini, criminis, red and poblano pepper, and tofu cookin' up in enchilada sauce

For the fajitas, I warmed up some refried beans, cooked some quinoa (I just discovered the red kind and it is even nuttier!), made some guacamole, got out the Tofutti Sour Supreme, and somehow loaded it all into corn tortillas. I didn't get a pic of all that because I ate it too damn fast! Sorry! Oh, and here's a pic of what I did while I was waiting for it to cook:

Whiskey Raspberry Lemonade

Ahhhhhh, summer in Portland.

Local Vegan band The Prids needs your help!!!

2008-07-23T17:43:00.001-07:00

The Prids were in a horrible accident on their way down to tour in California. They are all alive, but most of them have sustained very serious injuries and only two of them have health insurance. They are a local, all vegan, post-punk awesome band who have donated a lot of their time and resources to benefit the local vegan and AR community. Can you help them out in their time of need? Please donate any amount that you are able to!

Here is some info from my friend Nona, who has talked to Mistina of The Prids:
"Everyone is discharged. Severe injuries as previously stated.

David with broken ribs, collar bone, and 6 staples in his head. The vomiting of blood this morning brought him back to the hospital for tests. No internal bleeding, but likely due to ingesting massive amounts of blood from his head wound, and possibly from his ribs. Not found to be life threatening at this time and he is with his wife and the rest of our friends at the hotel now.

Maile with a fractured vertebrae and toe, gashes to her knee and head, staples in her leg.

Chris with a broken arm. MRI showed no spinal injury as it was previously thought by the doctors.

Joey broken ribs. He's doing alright.

Mistina with a concussion and unbreakable pain. Badly banged up (busted window out with her head and shoulder!).

BUT no broken bones because she is a stud!
Kristen has a snapped joint in her collar bone.

Pretty much everyone has concussions from mild to more severe.

Last night Mistina's cell phone alarm went off every hour in the hotel so they could monitor each other!
They are fucking alive!
Something for all to consider.

6 people, EMERGENCY ROOM. One air flight to the hospital. Totaled van with 3 thousand dollars left on it, towed to an impound. Medical care in a situation such as this is going to total for all 6 pushing over thousands of dollars.

THINK: x rays, cat scans, MRI, blood draws, fracture care, hospital stays, life flight, ambulance, etc. The only two with insurance is Maile and Kristen, and we already know insurance doesn't cover 100 percent of bills.

On top of all of this is their stay at the motel. . It is unknown how much of their gear, if any, is salvageable.

Highway patrol kept calling hospital, because they had never seen an accident so bad with all people to survive!

Portland is an awesome community with people who want to help. There is a paypal account so we all can do this. Go to www. theprids. com and click on the NEWS link. There you will see a button to donate. Even 20 dollars will help.

The response of people wanting to contribute what they have from dollars to talent is remarkable and appreciated by all.

This is what makes our community one to be proud of!

Something Mistina wants me to pass along... a little short story:

Mistina walked into to see David after the accident yesterday, and said "this is the only way our band's going to be popular" and David began crying.... then they laughed.

Even in a tragic and frightful time, these troopers can find a reason to smile and laugh."

Thank you everyone!!!!!!!!