Being a Vegan

Resilience vs. Frustration

2010-01-09T04:07:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

It's a new year and it's time to begin blogging here, again. I haven't been a bad vegan, just a bad blogger. My apologies.

Why, you ask, do I feel the urge to post since I haven't for so long?

Well, a couple of reasons, hence this posting...

It all started out with a great dinner. Boyfriend and I are currently in Canton, Ohio where I have been spending much needed time with family that I haven't seen for over 1 1/2 years. Tonight we decided to check out Vegiterranean up in Akron, Ohio. I've heard of the restaurant for a couple of years... It's Chrissie Hindes' restaurant and it's completely vegan. If you get a chance look at the website - Great menu. Cool, urban, modern, industrial atmosphere, great staff. I couldn't quit loving on every single bite of our food.

Well, here's where I got disturbed. And here's the big "A-Ha" moment.

Boyfriend decided to post the picture of the exterior of the restaurant onto facebook and simply stated that he was excited that we could share our meals and that the food was absolutely fantastic. (Boyfriend's attempting pescetarianism but he's been an omni all his life... so when I transitioned to veganism, it wasn't necessarily hard for us but we always have to compromise when going out to eat so that I don't wind up eating only a salad and feeling hungry two hours later.)

Well, you would figure, in a town where people were around me as I was transitioning my ideals and feelings towards a vegan lifestyle that there would be an understanding of how exciting tonight was for us. How special it was. Well, instead of open-minded responses to the photo, people that I consider friends wrote HORRIBLE things. Jokes that they ate my dog and she was tasty, that human fetuses in spicy sauce were enticing, that we should go to the local steakhouse and grab a steak immediately. And on and on...

I was floored and heart-broken. I feel stupid for letting it get to me like this - but hence, the A-Ha moment. I've officially realized that the transition is complete. When people talk like this to be funny - It's not funny. It hurts my feelings.

So, did I just sit back in stunned silence and let those comments make me feel depleted? No, I did what any vegan would do. I stood up for myself, and for boyfriend. I said that the next time Brad invites any of those people over they had better take off their leather shoes and leave them outside my front door before they step in.

You know, I've been home for the Holidays for three months. I celebrated my first Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years as a vegan. I'm not being proud, it wasn't like it was an accomplishment. I'm only stating this because I can't understand why omnivores think vegans are similar to aliens. I hate being labeled a hippy, granola, earthy. I hate having eyes rolled at me when I stand up for myself. Because it's still not normal, it's not accepted. It's all very elementary. I mean, I'll continue doing what I do. As will the next person, and the next person will follow suit after them. But, when is something going to give? What does it take? Resilience? Acceptance? Kindness? Compassion?

Last night my brother said, "You know, sometimes the things you say about eating meat in front of people are very offensive." I said, "And all day the things that people say to me when they find out I'm vegan... like... "You LOOK like a vegan." "You're too skinny, you need to eat a hamburger." "You mean you don't drink milk?" Or tonight was great... I had the chance to eat out with my cousin tonight. But I opted out because A) Vegiterranean was so much better than the choice he was offering - and B) because there wasn't anything on the menu for a vegan aside from a side salad with no cheese or croutons and a side order or fries or onion rings. My cousin said... "Oh, well, Brad may still want to come eat with us, why don't you just make you a potato for dinner and then you can still join us for dinner tonight." ... ... Does anyone else here the crickets chirping in reply...? Because honestly, a vegan doesn't want to just eat steamed potatoes so that the meat eaters can eat their meat while she sits and watches. I take offense everyday while people eat meat around me. But because I'm a "Hippy" it's best to keep my mouth shut. For fear I start a riot in a Chipotle.

It's very hard to demonstrate these ideals of acceptance, resiliency, and compassion in a nation that fights hunger off with a 3/4 pounder full of an animal... and wonders why they can't take a healthy shit afterwards.

Till next time.

2009-08-30T23:47:00.000-07:00

Hey All!

I haven't blogged in FOREVER! It's not because I'm trying to avoid you. I simply don't have a camera to take pretty pictures. And until I can get the money to do so (Wanna start up a fund?!) I find it ridiculous to blag on and on about amazing food without showing you how pretty it was. :( Sad right?

So, I came across this list that I thought was kinda cute. I guess that a version of the "Omnivores 100" is going around. Someone decided to come across the "Vegan 100".

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out 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
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue
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
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
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 £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Raw cookie dough

I honestly wouldn't have a problem trying any of the items that I didn't bold. I just haven't had a chance yet. This is kinda neat, because even though I've learned that as a vegan I DO have endless options for food choices... I do get kinda tired of my "old standbys" and I'm trying to look for ways to vamp it up. This list has shown me I have yet to try many things!

Enjoy!

All good things must come to an end...

2009-08-04T06:05:00.000-07:00

Today is August 4th and unfortunately that means that I have to take my brother to the airport today so that he can leave me and go back home to my mom. :( We've been having a freakin' blast together and I'm going to miss him so much. He made me promise that no matter what my financial situation may be, I better find a way to head home for Christmas. I'm gonna try my darndest.

I told you guys that I was going to have a raw day in my last blog and I upheld that promise. It was very hard because it was my first raw day and I didn't know what to expect. I hadn't planned enough so all of my meals wound up having to be made at the last moment which is sort of hard, I've learned, when you're trying to dry out certain ingredients for recipes. None the less, I totally followed through with it.

For breakfast I had a smoothie with so many fruits that I can't even remember them all. For lunch I tried this recipe that's been quite popular in the blog world! Thank You Fitnessista, for your fresh and tasty Raw Sloppy Joes! It was a great success! Even if I'm not having a raw day this is a great addition to a salad, which is exactly how I ate it. I just plated a huge bowl of mixed greens and topped this magical concoction on top of it. Crispy, flavorful, crunchy, delightful!

Now, my dinner was a bit odd. But the whole day I was craving oatmeal of a sort and I was really worried about doing raw the real way ... not realizing that supposedly oatmeal is not raw because the oats have been steamed - which is known to strip the grain of important nutrients. Now, as I said before - I wasn't prepared for my raw day - had I been, I could have plated one of the Fitnessista's oatmeal cookies the night before. I was bound and determined I was going to get my fix of oats in so I had oatbran. I soaked it with some water and some flaxseeds. Then I mashed up half of a banana and sprinkled truvia along with cinnamon and nutmeg into a wine glass to make the sludge look kinda pretty. Needless to say, the boyfriend and brother though my concoction looked much to be desired and it almost appeared that the both of them looked upon me like I was forcing myself through some sort of bizarre self-torture. I thought it was good though. It hit the spot. Creamy, oaty. Yum-O.

The next morning I was absolutely starving and I was SO happy to go back to the original diet. So I treated myself with 1/2 of an Amy's Tofu Scramble (In a pocket sandwich) and a bowl of Kashi 7 whole grain and bran mixed with some cinnamon sugar on top and about 1/2 cup of almond milk. I was in heaven! It was my first time, even as a vegan to try tofu in it's egg form. I LOVED it. Perhaps this weekend I will be scrambling up some tofu with some tempeh bacon. Doesn't that sound divine, people? Maybe I could do that for a quick and easy little dinner tonight. Oh the possibilities - I <3 TOFU!

Even before my raw day I was really really really wanting to try out the oatgurt recipe that Heather found.

I am so excited to try this out you have NO idea. (My brother is taking a picture of my oatgurt as I type this and he says it smells bad.) HaHa! I said "It's supposed to, it's fermenting... it's my yogurt!" I got another day to let it sit out and work it's magic - but if I get the munchies later tonight, I may have to dig in and see how it's coming along... ;-)

While I was at WF I also got some other neat things that I HAVE to share with you. BOTH are chocolatey. One is healthy, one is ... well.. decadent.

Love Fiber? Check it out! This bad boy has a whopping 14 grams! That's 56% of your daily intake and it hits the mark right at 200 calories. Not bad. Eat half, save the other half for later! It also has 3 grams of protein. Not only that but it's chocolatey! I haven't tried it yet, but when I do I'll give you my reviews. There were other flavors and if this one is a success I'm going to have to try them all!

However, it was ironic - as soon as I got this bar I noticed that La Belle Vegan was showing off a "Gnu" bar (haha, being punny) that's out. It's called Gnu. Get it? Bad, I know. They all come in at 140 calories, they have 12 grams of fiber (48% of daily intake) and they have 4 grams of protein. These little treats come in seven different flavors and if I can spy them at WF, I'll be sure to get my hands on 'em. Visit Gnu's website. They over a lot of good research and information about fiber. Very informational and I like to know information about what goes in my mouth - so check it out!

Ok, the other thing I had to show you is this:

Yumm-O! I LOVE dark chocolate. The darker, the better. One little piece and it cures all chocolate cravings. My brother really enjoyed it too. (We get the sweet tooth from our mom!)

So, I've been reading some blogs lately, specifically, I'm trying to learn more and more about the Raw Diet and I've noticed that Kelp Noodles are becoming a new trend. I'm very interested in them, have any of you tried them? What do you think of them? Where can you buy them? I'm going to have to search for them next time I go to WF. Wow, that was twenty questions, eh? We'll consider that my "question of the blog", if you will.

Alrighty, all - wish my brother a safe return home on the flight today and cross your fingers that a great paying job is headed my direction in the very near future! Diva's out!

Up too late or up too early...

2009-07-29T03:35:00.000-07:00

Good Evening or Good Morning fellow bloggians...

I am having a rough time sleeping and I've been looking at all of your blogs for about two hours now. I love getting inspiration for the days ahead. Thank you so much for all of the tips and pictures you post daily!

This will be a short post - I have a few things on my mind.

1st - I was very excited to head to WF today. (I get a little too excited and spend more money than I plan on spending everytime I go there!) But the one buy I was really excited about was Nayonaise. A lot of you blog about your love for Veganaise... and I have to be honest pre-veganism, I was never a mayo user/eater. But I've caught myself eyeing this product several times I go to WF, and I finally decided to take the plunge. Have any of you tried Nayonaise? If so, what do you think of it? I think I'll use it to to make a potato salad or tofu egg salad. I've been craving these for a while - probably because these are perfect summer social eats!

The Dijon one looked very good, but I opted for the Fat Free version. (I can always add Dijon mustard to it, if I feel so inclined, right?)

2nd - Brad, my boyfriend, always surprises me. He normally can't handle the WF trip - I SPEND way too much time in the store and it aggravates the piss out of him! But, today he went off on his own and came back to the cart with a heaping mound of HIS OWN goodies. Despite his need to still eat meat (he picked himself up some lunch meat) he decided to buy vegan cheese, and bread! I was excited for him. But I'll never tell him. ;-) Well, maybe...

3rd - As you know, my little brother has been spending time in Louisiana with me, and he's also been making small vegan purchases. Not only has he been completely turned on by all forms of tofu he has been on a kick with Almond Breeze, unsweetened chocolate almond milk.

At only 45 calories per cup, it doesn't harm any cows in the process, and he's been downing this stuff faster than you can whip up some calorie layden Nestle's Quik. The secret - he uses Nustevia packets to sweeten it and it's curbs his little sweet tooth. How bout them apples?

4th - Finally, I have made the decision to bring raw food into my diet. I'm going to transition the process rather slowly (similarly to how I've transitioned into veganism). The last day of this month I plan to make my "raw day". I've been really interested in a lot of the recipes many of you post, and I've honestly already tried some of them with great success. I think it will be perfect to keep me aware of the moment. As the new month comes in I can start "fresh" and feel rejuvenated. As my body starts craving more raw food I think I'll begin to intensify the diet. Having a "raw food" day every week.

As I like to end with a question here we are - I've been searching for raw food cookbooks, I've seen a few that have sparked my interest. Do any of you have a favorite raw food go-to cookbook? If so, let me know!

Cheers!

PS - the sun is rising, sheesh, will I ever go to bed?

PSS - The little bro told me earlier in the day that he was craving some carrot cake - got any good recipes? Elie Krieger has a muffin recipe but it's not vegan. If I get brave I may play with it a little...

Beach bums, Cafes, and hemp, Oh My!

2009-07-27T20:07:00.001-07:00

'ello Fellow Foodies!

Long time no talk! I've been without anytime lately, it seems. So many things have been going on and I've been very preoccupied. Finally, I have time to unwind and I am filled with the need to blog or I just may explode.

My little brother has been visiting with me since the middle of June. It has been wonderful and I'm going to miss him terribly when he heads back home to my mommy. Brad and I were lucky enough to be able to plan a trip while he stayed with us. Pensacola Beach was where we vacationed for the past three days and it was wonderful! It was my brother's first time at the beach and I think he really enjoyed himself.

In case any of you ever go to Pensacola Beach and want to try a cute little cafe that serves vegan food you should TOTALLY check out End of the Line Cafe. They even have a website complete with pics and their full menu.

Website: http://eotlcafe.com/

Menu: http://eotlcafe.com/Menu.asp

I totally recommend the Muffaletta - it's only $5.00 and it's served with a housemade olive salad (that is VERY filling), tofu bacon (won over the omnivores that came with me), lettuce, tomato & garlic mozzarella (that is made in house), served on whole wheat bread. It ALSO came with the most delectable cup of cream of celery soup you've ever tasted. All omnivores thought it was a complete success and were craving it the next day!! My little brother ordered the Taco Pocket Panini. The cafe must have been out of Panini bread because it was served on whole wheat toast as well - but for someone as picky as my little brother he ate the entire meal. TOTAL SUCCESS!

A lot of you blog about certain vitamins and nutrients that you can receive at your local Vitamin Shoppe. It's been very unfortunate that Baton Rouge doesn't have one. The closest Vitamin Shoppe is in Slidell, which is an hour and twenty minutes out of the way for a little errand such as hemp protein that I know I can get at my local WF. However, I've been wanting to try Nutiva's Organic HempShake powder for the LONGEST time. I've researched it to the point where I might as well have just paid the shipping cost to get this goodie sent straight to my door - but something held me back from doing so. I knew that the Vitamin Shoppe sold it so I could have ordered it through their website or just ordered straight from Nutiva. (Isn't it funny how we put ourselves through loops for absolutely no reason?!) Nonetheless the time had FINALLY come that I knew I was going to get my hands on my little prized possession. Coming back from the beach we had to drive through Slidell so it was the PERFECT excuse to make a pit-stop at the Vitamin Shoppe and grab what I've been desperately wanting to get my hands on since who knows when!

Ann, I just saw your comment! I'm so bad about checking these things. I guess I figure since I'm so new to the blogger world people really don't read up on me. (Look at me acting like a 2nd grader with low self esteem... gross!) But anyway I wanted to shout out to you and let you know that if you can get your hands on this stuff I totally recommend it! I'm excited to mix it with fresh fruit too!

In other foodie news I'm so very excited! You'll notice that I'm officially part of the foodie blog roll! YAY! I guess that means I'm really going to have to step it up a notch and give you more blogs! I'll certainly try my best. Just because I'm been MIA for a couple of weeks now, doesn't mean I haven't been being healthy and that I hate cooking. It's been exactly the opposite. Having my brother in town has made me really want to impress someone that knows very little about veganism. Speaking of which - for dinner tonight, I made an acorn squash, cabbage, black bean enchilada casserole with some mexican couscous on the side. I also slow roasted a plantain and cut it into quarters and sprinkled Truvia and cinnamon on top! Yummy!

I always like to end with a question I have about certain foods I'm in to or things I'm still very unsure with - since veganism is still so new to me. With that being said - I've still been having a terrible time with seitan. I'm always experimenting with it and I'm always researching new recipes. The texture is spongy and I know a lot of you know what I'm talking about. It makes me very sick when I eat it like this and it's extremely unappealing to my omnivore family and friends. Do any of you have recipes where you add chickpeas or beans to cutlets to ensure a "meatier" texture? Do any of you have an absolutely favorite way to prepare your seitan? If so, please pass along any suggestions.

Everyone have a great Monday night and I hope to be back very soon! Cheers!

Want that Giveaway!

2009-07-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

Oh gosh, it's like bingo. (I'm ADDICTED to bingo.) I win one thing and then I just want to win it all. (Well, I haven't won anything yet - hopefully I will soon!) I've entered into a giveaway that I think you should totally try for too!

If you visit Danica's Daily Blog you will see that she is giving away some awesome Amazing Greens Products. Look at all of this:

* 2 Single Serving Berry Green Packs

* 2 Single Serving Chocolate Green Super Foods

* 2 Single Serving Superfood Packets

* 2 Single Serving Wheat Grass Packets

* 2 Chocolate Green Super Food Bars

* 2 Green Superfood Energy Bars

* 2 Amazing Meal Original Packs

* 2 Amazing meal Pom. Mango Packs

* 2 Amazing Meal Chocolate Packs

* 1 Super Cool Amazing Grass Shaker Container

You'd be absolutely bonkers NOT to sign up for this giveaway! But, if for some reason you don't want to... just cross your fingers that I'll win it all... and maybe... just maybe I'll share some with you! ;-)

Cheers!

Ramblings, giddyness, and Harry Potter...

2009-06-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about so many things in my life that I fear this blog may runneth over, or I may have to blog twice in a day!

First of all who is excited for this?

I have read all the books and I'm so freakin' pumped for the release of this movie you've no idea!

Since I'm such a new blogger you can probably tell that I know very little about making my blog look kick ass. I saw that Curly Top was giving away a free blog makeover and I totally signed up for this one. Her page is beautiful, and I love what she did with La Belle Vegan's page too. It would be an honor to get her to see what sizzle she could add to my page for me! Cross your fingers for me!

Each day has become easier than the last in regards to being a vegan and I have tons of support around me. At first I was a little sheepish about broadcasting the change. I know many people in omnivore land think it's a drastic change. But, they seem to forget that I haven't eaten red meat for almost 15 years . And I haven't eaten white meat for 2 years. It was an easy step and I feel so healthy! I have so much more energy and I have a brand new passion for cooking, baking, going to the grocery store, and checking out everything at the local farmer's markets.

Your smoothie recipes rock my socks, by the way. It's become my latest obsession. I finally found a great use for all those blueberries I have! I make a chocolate Spiritien shake and put a cup of blueberries in and set off on my day! I recently saw that Nom Nom Nom blogged about a hemp powder that seems to have been on the market for a while but isn't widely sold at stores. The flavor's looked freakin' amazing. Pomegrante this, or Acai Berry that... Yum. Anyway, I found a hemp protein powder at Whole Food's that's Chocolate and will totally get the job done. I've been using this along with ground flaxseeds in my fruity smoothies and it totally rocks. I'm full and I feel great!

Plus, Hemp powder has SO MUCH MORE fiber in it than Spiritein, so it keeps you full so much longer. What is there not to love about it? You vegan pro's probably think I'm making a big deal about nothing, but like I prefaced this blog saying - I was just so freaken' excited about everything I've learned and changed that I just had to blog it or I was going to have to prance around in a tutu for a couple hours just to shake out all of my giddyness!

Many of you blog about your pets. And many of your pets are furry. Well, I have furry pets too (unfortunately I didn't think to take pictures of them, but I'll do this for you soon.) But, we actually have feathered friends as well. However, they stay with my mom because I'm still living in Louisiana since the graduation and all. My mom has been really thinking about opening up her own Bird Shop and I'm totally pumped about this idea. Segue...

See, my bird, Skeeter is officially a girl - (How are you supposed to know, ya know)... well she's layed 5 eggs within the past month! My mom's a dork, so she's been holding onto them like gold - what she's going to do with them, I have no idea - but it's cute - you can sense my mom's excitement at this find! I don't have a pic of Skeeter right now, but she's a Quaker Parakeet.

Beautiful, right? Looks like a Skeeter, eh? - Yeah, I thought so too. ;-)

Well, Skeeter cost me about $300, just for her - so this doesn't include the cage and all the food - plus vet visits and nail/feather clippings... It's quite an expense and there's a profit to be had, considering the really expensive birds.

My mom also has three other birds (Like I say, I don't have actual pics of them but you'll get the idea until I can get up to my mom's place to snap the pics myself!)

This is a Jenday Conure - This is what Sir George of Monticello Street looks like. He's absolutely precious. This bird is just like any of our furry friends. He will cuddle up under your chin and let you pet him all over. He's the sweetest bird ever!

My mom also has an African Grey, named Rocky. She rescued him. Poor guy, the owner was scared of him so she never took him out of the cage. When she DID, she pulled him out with oven mitts... Horrible, right? Well, the worst is that the cage was too small for him - so he was always hunched because his head was hitting the top of the cage, my mom's had him for a little less than a year, and she's JUST NOW been able to see his bald spot grow back in. Poor guy. But he's the talker. He tells the other birds to "Knock it off!" when they get too loud, he rings like a telephone, and answers it in a guy's voice, or a girl's voice, he meow's like a cat and he bark's like a dog.

I suppose he does look a little intimidating, but the first thing you learn about birds is that they can sense if you're scared. If you're scared - don't think you can hold one, because it scares them. You have to show them that they can trust you ... they come around - but for cryin' out loud - don't pull a bird out of a cage with an oven mitt... what is that supposed to teach him?!

Last but not least my mom has a sulfur crested cockatoo.. He's referred to as Mr. Bird. He's a sweetie too... (Not that my mom does this, cuz it's sorta weird... but you could actually put a leash on these birds and take them with you to outdoor festivals. They'll be quite content sitting beside you in a little wicker basket.) These birds like LOTS of attention and you must have the time to give it to them, or else they become very similar to a bratty three-year old child.

So, considering that birds are life long companions, my mom may be able to make a living out of this. Maybe it's a mid-life crisis thing she's going through but I totally support her in this. There's a big chance that I'll move back home, to Ohio, in August to help her try to get the ball rolling with this idea. I'll keep you posted!!

In food news, I was so excited to try Nom Nom Nom's pierogi recipe (I'm actually having some leftovers for lunch) - here are a few snapshots I was able to take when I cooked 'em! The omnivore boyfriend loved them and said I need to make them often and keep the freezer stocked with these good eats! YAY!

I also made a lentil loaf recently too. I have a pic of that. I forget who's recipe it is - so I'm not going to post anything, sorry. It's just not fair to take credit and offer it! But, it was so neat because we got to use the leftovers yesteray - I shaped it into hamburger patty's and seared them on the stove and made a topless lentil burger out of it! Yumm-O!

Last but not least, I feel it is only appropriate to post a picture of myself. That way maybe we can both become more acquianted with eachother. Have a wonderfully happy summer day ya'll!

Cheers! PS - Yep, that's the omnivore boy of mine. He's my little loverbunny. We were at our friend's house the night that pic was taken - see her garden over my right shoulder? Yeah, totally kick ass! She's been growing japanese eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, yada yada - and I get to always take home some of the goodies!!!

Quick Catch-up!

2009-06-24T14:03:00.001-07:00

Hey Lovelies!

I only have about ten minutes to do a really quick blog - then I must run. It's getting easier and easier to ween myself off of the yogurts and cream cheeses. Especially since I have found some amazing recipes that I can't wait to try. I'm just a little scared, I've been hearing that vegan cheese is the only downfall about switching to a vegan diet. It's not just the fact that the cheese doesn't melt - but it's that it doesn't taste good.

All though, as I consider this minute dilemma, I realize how little of a cheese eater I really am. When I was little I preferred my mac and cheese with just plain noodles. (I know, I'm very odd.)

Last night I grabbed a quick dinner out and I really struggled with it. I ordered some Teriyaki Veggies at a sushi restaurant. Once I got home that night I realized that just because the item appeared safe on the menu, didn't necessarily mean it wasn't cooked with butter. I'm realizing going out to eat may not be happening as often as my boyfriend would like to. Or else he's going to have to put up with me being really picky when we eat out.

Update: (I later discovered that it was indeed pan sauteed in vegetable oil. So, I was in the clear - YAY!)

I had a great breakfast this morning. I woke up starving! I was craving this PBU that it seems EVERYONE is blogging about. I made it in the blender, but it was really runny. So, I stuck the PBU back in the peanut butter jar and placed it in the freezer. I'm hoping that it will harden up a bit. An idea came to me earlier today and it is to find a way to make a creamier variation of the PBU. Since I'm in transition mode towards vegan life, I'm not sure if there are any "fake" whipped-creams on the market, but if you exchanged that for the non-dairy milk, it may make the mixture creamier. Let me know if any of you have any ideas for this. I'm going to have to do some research.

At any rate this was breakfast:

I had some Fiber Rich Quaker oatmeal with water that I had to heat up in the coffee pot because we don't have a microwave here, at work. (By the way, this stuff is AMAZING! If you love oatmeal - it packs in 40% of your daily fiber needs, per packet! I was afraid it wasn't going to get hot enough but it worked out perfectly. It was thick and creamy just like a like it! Since apricots are in season and they are probably my all time favorite fruit I cut one up and put that inside the oatmeal along with some PBU goodness. It was yummy.

I also woke up this morning knowing that come hell or high water I was going to have hummus for lunch. (Isn't it weird how cravings just zing out at you?) It was easy to get out of the house in time though, because I barely had to pack any food to take to work today. There's a Wal-Mart right across the street so I just stopped there to get the goods and was on my way! (That's the worst though - when you crave something that you know isn't in the house... BAH!) At any rate, here's my HUGE lunch!

I have some other pictures I'm collecting. I finally got my digital camera working and it takes nicer pictures than my lap top does. I'm hoping that over the weekend I will have some time to take more and load them on here.

I have a question I want to throw out to all of you - I'm doing a lot of research on artificial sweeteners. When making the switch to veganism I didn't realize that Splenda was so bad. Splenda is all I ever used before. It tastes better than Equal and Sweet and Low and it was cheaper than Truvia. However, I'm noticing that there are several other packet sweeteners that have slowly but surely making there way into the consumer market. A couple that I've seen that I can remember off of the top of my head are Truvia, Purevia (made by Truvia), and Z Sweet. Are there any others that you can think of or fill me in on? I love doing maple syrup when I bake, I think I'll keep doing that and use evaporated cane juice when necessary. But other than that, I'm just looking for a sweetener I can use in iced teas, or smoothies that is comporable to Splenda but vegan.

Have a wonderful day all!
Cheers!

Transitioning into the best years of my life!

2009-06-22T04:27:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to anyone who may be following me. I haven't been around the computer recently and I haven't had anything worth blogging. However, I do now. The good news is - that I'm having little "A-ha" moments (As Oprah would like to say). The bad news is - I don't have any pictures for you. Luckily, I did find my digital camera and I've been viewing some great blogs. You guys out there in blog land, let me give it to you. Your pictures just blow me away. Everything looks so beautiful. You guys absolutely rock! Thank you for being so inspirational! In due time, I shall have pics for you.

As you'll notice from the first couple of blogs I've posted - I'm a transitioning vegan. Currently, I'm an ovo-pescetarian. I've been for 2 years. I first gave up red meat when I was a child. My father used to grill wonderful steaks and hamburgers for weekend dinners. I would always prefer to have the side of macaroni-and-cheese as my entree. The texture of the meat was off-putting. Not to put my father down. My father and I have a non-existent relationship - but this is one skill that the man deserves credit for.

I gave up chicken, turkey, and pork about 2 years ago. I just had no desire to eat it anymore. I would rather to eat sushi or a grilled tilapia, perhaps a great filet of monkfish on top of a bed of greens ANY day. Shrimp cocktails and raw oysters are wonderfully refreshing, especially as summer is upon us.

However, I have been making the transition into vegan-land. I've really been doing my research and I really want to make this leap. I'm very excited about it. The most inspirational way I see veganism is quite simply this: Whether you're a meat eater or not, the versatility that is offered to you through the vegan diet, is virtually endless. So many people think that vegans deprive themselves to rebel against the rest of our society's ways. So many people stereotype vegans, right? People don't stop to consider that what vegan's are actually doing is helping to democratize health.

I've purchased many vegan cookbooks recently. Today I'm actually going to Border's to finally get my hands on the Veganomicon cookbook. (I've receiving 25% off with my membership, YAY!) My boyfriend has been extremely supportive of the transition and he has really enjoyed my experimental recipes and ideas for the transition. I suppose the only question that is left is this: Why do I really want to go vegan? Why am I not happy with being the weird ovo-pescetarian I've been for the past two years?

I guess it all starts about 6 years ago when I became a buddhist. I'm not a devout buddhist, but I have a sangha that I'm affiliated with, and I have a wonderful monk to help steer me towards my personal path of enlightenment. I haven't taken my precept vows, but I know that Buddhism is what my heart believes in. I'm constantly learning lessons that steer me towards being self-less in a world that is extremely selfish. So many unaware people in the world eat what they do without considering it. How did it get to that plate? Who prepared it for you? Are you eating it because you enjoy it, or because it is what this society has conditioned you to enjoy? These are issues that Americans are completely ignorant about. These are reasons why Americans struggle with an obesity epidemic. These are reasons why millions of pigs, cows, fish, deer, lambs, etc. are killed. Because people don't WANT to be aware. People want to eat blindly. The food industry adds fuel to the fire EVERYDAY by providing consumers ways to do just that. It's sickening. If one person can help to stop the unawareness - it helps. I can do my part, such as so many of you are doing.

Thank you so much for the inspiration. All of your blogs are a joy to view. You make me absolutely excited about food in ways I haven't ever been before.

Cheers!

Broccoli, Blueberries, and Booze... Oh my!

2009-06-17T22:19:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow foodies!

Here I sit, having a fantastic mojito I just concocted. Since it's summer it's the perfect time to indulge in a mojito, besides the fact that it is by far, my favorite mixed drink. Low in calories and absolutely refreshing!

I don't have a pic, unfortunately I'm sip-sipping on it and it would have looked much prettier if I could have held back before I indulged. But, never fear! I am offering the recipe to you! The best part - it's absolutely guilt free!

Mango Mojito
Ingredients:
2 parts light rum (Bacardi)
*2 parts Baja Bob's Mojito Mix
2 parts soda water
1/4 cup of fresh or frozen mango
1 sprig of mint, leaves taken off of the stem
8-10 ice cubes

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and crush the ice. Blend to the consistency you prefer.
Pour into fancy glass. Garnish with lime or simply indulge!

Makes 2 servings
Nutritional Analysis: (per serving) Calories 114, Total fat 18.5 g, Sodium, 2.5 g, Carbohydrate 4.5 mg., Fiber 1 g.

* http://www.bajabob.com/home.html Sugar Free Drink Mix! What does this mean, people? 0 Calories! Don't EVER drink a mojito again unless you've made it! You have no idea what the bartender used to mix that drink! If you can't find Baja Bob at a local grocery store, you best buy this elixir online! It's worth every penny!

All right, all right - now that I got you all excited - settle down.

Breakfast was great. I always buy plain yogurt because that leaves me to flavor it anyway I so choose. It's been in my fridge for a while and I was afraid it was going bad. I use yogurt in recipes when I want to substitute for sour cream.

(I know yogurt isn't vegan. As I've said before, I'm not a raw vegan so from time to time you'll see I use items that have some dairy in them, or I use Better N' Eggs to make Frittata's instead of a scramble made out of tofu. I have, however, been researching a few recipes for vegan sour cream, feta cheese, and mozzerella cheese... I'll let you know if I decide to make the transition!)

I mixed 1/2 cup of yogurt with Torani Sugar-Free Syrup - Vanilla. I added 1 Splenda Packet, and a dash of cinnamon. Nom. Top it off with some fresh blueberries, and you're golden. I estimate the yogurt at only 70 calories. I also had Kashi's AWESOME 7 Whole Grain Puff Cereal - at only 70 calories a cup it's a great way to fill up on guilt-free cereal! Eat it with non-dairy milk and top it with fresh fruit and you've had a wonderful breakfast!

Onto lunch. I experimented before I went to work. I told you that my Seitan Stroganoff didn't turn out to my liking - so I cooked it longer and added some leftover vegetables from a dinner I ate out recently. It turned out A LOT better than it was last night for dinner - but it was still too chewy for my liking. Hopefully, the more I cook with seitan, the better it will taste.

For dinner I was going to make a vegetarian moussaka. Unfortunately, the eggplant that was waiting to be cooked didn't last. So, I resorted to a favorite staple of mine. The BST - or (fake) Canadian Bacon, Spinach, Tomato Sandwich. Awesome! I also created a side dish of steamed broccoli - Check it out!

Early Summer Broccoli Salad
Serves 4 (1 serving = about a cup)

Ingredients:

4 cups of fresh broccoli, cut into bitesize pieces
1 yellow pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup golden raisins
*You'll Never Guess the Secret Ingredient Dressing, recipe follows

Directions:
In a medium pot, place enough water to cover all of the broccoli. Heat the water until it reaches a slow boil. Place a large bowl filled with water and a few ice cubes beside you. Once the water reaches the boil, add the broccoli and steam until it is tender and bright green. Remove immediately from the stove and drain. Place the broccoli into the ice cube bath to prevent further cooking.

While the broccoli is cooling, dice the pepper and mince the garlic. Place the cooled and drained broccoli into a pretty serving bowl. To it add the yellow pepper, garlic, sunflower seeds, and golden raisins. Top with the secret dressing and mix well. Serve and enjoy!

You'll Never Guess the Secret Ingredient Dressing
(Makes enough to top 4 cups of ANY salad)

Ingredients:
1 tsp horseradish
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Splenda packet
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 Hot Sauce packet from Taco Bell

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk or mix with a small fork. Enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis:(Salad including dressing) 97 Calories, 3g Total Fat, 181.5mg Sodium, 17g Carbohydrate, 6g Fiber, 5g Protein

My boyfriend and I pretty much finished up all of the Mango Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins I made earlier this week. (I've got four of them freezing.) I decided I needed to make something else that incorporated blueberries. We all know that blueberries are high in fiber - actually, per 1/2 cup serving you get almost 2g fiber! Eat your blueberries, people! But I wanted to intensify the amount of fiber in my tart. So, I reached for my Original Fiber One and got working on this recipe.

Fiberific Blueberry Tart

Makes 12 Servings

Ingredients:

Equipment
9 in. removable-bottom tart pan
Crust
1/2 cup Fiber One Original
2 sheets low fat honey graham crackers
1 egg-white, egg substitute
1 tbsp fat-free butter
1 tbsp unsweetened apple butter
1/8 tsp salt

Filling
8 oz Fat-Free Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1/4 cup fat-free yogurt
1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup plus 2 tbsp for topping
2 cups of fresh blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a food processor, chop up the Fiber One and graham crackers until they create a fine crumb crust.
Whisk egg white substitute in a medium bowl until it turns frothy. Add the crumb mixture, butter, apple butter and salt; toss to combine. Press the mixture into the bottom and 1/4 inch up the sides of a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Set the pan on a baking sheet. Bake until dry and slightly darker around the edges, about 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
To prepare filling: Beat cream cheese, yogurt, and 1/4 cup maple syrup in a deep bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. When the crust is cool, spread the filling evenly into it, being careful not to break up the delicate crust. Arrange blueberries on the filling, pressing lightly so they set in. (If you have patience, (I didn't) press them in one by one and follow the perimeter of the pan. It will make your tart look SO MUCH prettier than mine!) Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup over the berries. Chill for at least 1 hour to firm up. Dig in!

Nutritional Analysis: (Per servings) Calories: 66, Total Fat: 0, Sodium: 189mg, Carbohyrate: 12g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 4 g

Since this tart is SO LOW in calories - feel free to splurge on two slices. Or consider changing the amount of servings to 6 instead of 12. Nonetheless, if you have 2 slices (or one larger slice - you'll have eaten 4g of fiber! (That's 35% of your daily intake of fiber!) YAY! What a great reason to experiment with fresh blueberries! Complete success!

That'll do it for this blog - Diva's Out!

Ah, luck of the draw - don'tcha know?

2009-06-17T11:32:00.001-07:00

Ah, luck of the draw - don'tcha know?

Posted on 5:51 PM - by DevotedDiva

The day started out beautifully, besides that, I really had no idea what I wanted for breakfast or lunch. Don't you hate when that happens? I work about 30 minutes away from where I live, so there really isn't a way to come home for a lunch break (it would be an hour just to get home and back). So, I always have to consider what I'll be hungry for later in the afternoon. This is always such a hard decision! Do any of you out there in internet land have the same problem? Geesh.

But breakfast was a success.

I know it doesn't look all that spectacular. (I don't have a digital camera presently, but soon enough, I will.) I went blueberry picking this past Saturday. I literally ended up with 8 lbs worth of blueberries. Even better - it only cost me $6! So, I had a side of blueberries with a Cherry Tomato, Spinach, and Onion Frittata. That needs to be shortened - how 'bout a TSO Frittata. (So much cooler.) Ok, continuing - I wasn't in the mood for coffee, (I usually am) so I just got a Diet Sunkist at the gas station. LOVE Diet Sunkist. It's one of my guilty pleasures. I know pop is bad but it tastes like the real deal without any of the calories. It reminds me of being a little kid!

So, a little mid-morning snack was one of my muffins I actually modified from a recipe from Heather on her blog, HangryPants.com - if you get a chance, check her out! I don't want to take all of the credit for this recipe but it was absolutely to die for.

Mango Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Quaker Oats
*1 cup All Purpose Baking Powder
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 cup brown sugar unpacked
*1/2 cup egg-substitute
*3 tbsp unsweetened apple butter
1 cup cut mango
1 cup fresh blueberries
*1 tsp. almond extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using non-stick spray, spray the inside of 12 standard size cupcake/muffin papers. Swirl the cooking spray around the inside of each paper with your finger so that each paper is well greased to prevent the batter from sticking to the paper. Place them in a standard size muffin pan.

In a large bowl combine oats, flour, baking powder, and brown sugar. Make sure the brown sugar is fresh and there are not huge crumbles. All of the brown sugar should be distributed evenly through the flour mixture. Add the egg-substitute of your choice, the unsweetened apple-butter, and finally the almond extract. Mix thoroughly. Fold in the fresh mango and fresh blueberries.

The batter is going to be extremely lumpy. Don’t be alarmed.

Evenly distribute the batter to all 12 muffin papers. Bake in the oven for 16-18 min. Allow to cool and then enjoy, freeze for later, or pass out to friends!

Nutritional Analysis: (12 servings, 1 per serving) 113 Calories, .5 g Total Fat, 0 g Saturated Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 113.5 mg Sodium, 24.5 g Carbohydrate, 1 g Fiber, 3 g Protein

*Ingredients that have been modified from original recipe. Nutritional stats were based on my adaptations to the recipe.

Take a look at the finished product!

Yummy! Now what to do with the other 7 lbs of blueberries - I have no idea! So, if you have any suggestions don't hesitate to send them my way!

For lunch I had leftovers from a crock pot dish that my boyfriend actually made. I love Hungry-Girl and if you don't know that, you need to know that because I live by a lot of what she posts on her website. She isn't vegan (but you can always modify her dishes to your specs).

10-Alarm Chili

I love me a good chili and the one thing that we did was substituted soy crumbles for the lean beef. We also put a mirliton in there in exchange for a green pepper. It had a kick to it, and it was very filling! If you can stand the heat this summer, you should totally try it out. Crock pots were one of the coolest inventions and I'd love to gather more crock pot recipes than I have now. If you know of any good ones, feel free to share them!

Ok, my one other AMAZING snack today was a wonderful find from a local grocery store.

http://www.godairyfree.org/Product-Reviews/Frozen-Desserts/Organic-So-Delicious-Mini-Ice-Cream-Sandwiches-Vegan.html

Actually, the ones I had were 100 calories and they were neopolitan. (I couldn't find them on the site.) But if you hadn't heard of these yet, I suggest you try to find them locally and stock up because they are the PERFECT snack for this summer!

So, with all of these good foods today of course I had to have a doozey. Why did it have to be dinner though? I was so excited to try out a new seitan recipe and it turned into a dish I could have lived without.

Unbeef Stroganoff

It actually doesn't look that bad. But it was extremely chewy. It didn't help that shitake mushrooms have a chewy texture to them as well. I think the seitan needed to be cooked longer before I added all of the ingredients together. If I were to reheat this dish - it needs to be sauteed some more on the stove. It was very off-putting to get such a chewy consistency out of the seitan. I wanted it to be kind of crispy. If someone would tell me how to achieve this I would be grateful. I'm a beginner at seitan and I love the versatility of it. I am not discouraged, however. I will make another seitan dish - I just think that the seitan needs to be cooked longer, for my liking.

Well, I think that does it for today. I really need to find some great blueberry recipes for all of these blueberries I have! All though I'm really wanting to do something more exotic than the basic loafs, cobblers, muffins, and pies... Blueberries can be just as versatile as seitan, right? C'mon - let's be inventive together and see what success I can achieve with 8 lbs worth of blueberries! Cheers!

On a Mission...

2009-06-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Posted on 1:10 AM - by DevotedDiva

Here I sit, at 3:10 AM wondering where the adventures of this blog will lead. Perhaps it will fade away, perhaps it will surpass my expectations. None-the-less, I need to address a few things before we get it up and running.

I absolutely love food! I'm obsessed with food. Many people seem to think quite the opposite because I'm so petite. They think that to be skinny means to simply starve yourself. It's quite the opposite. I want to incorporate my cooking techniques with recipes that I acquire to help out anyone in internet land who may need a fresh outlook on food. It's not a diet by any means - (I hate that word) but it is a lifestyle change.

However, there is a very fine line between dieting and making a lifestyle change. The way I see it is like this: You can diet, or you can change your hair color to red. Sooner or later, both seem to fade. You either have to re-diet, or re-dye-it.

If you make the lifestyle change things will happen naturally. If you eat right and shift your perspective on food and what it meant to you, to what you want it to mean to you - you can make a lasting impression. Women always look most beautiful when understated and natural, right? Skip the hair dye. Skip the fake diets. Got it?

So, what I eat, what I drink, what I do... (The rundown)

*I have a degree in fashion merchandising. I currently manage a boutique. It doesn't pay enough so I really need a new gig.

*I'm a Chan Buddhist. You'll find that I get myself into trouble every now and then. For ex. I smoke and I drink but to keep it all in perspective it's like the t-shirt my boyfriend has - "I love Jesus but I do drink a little." All in all, I'm a good girl, (you'll figure that out if you keep up with me long enough...)

* I consider myself a Pescetarian-Vegetarian-Vegan. Here's an easier way to describe it - I eat anything that doesn't or hasn't come from something that has legs. The only exception to this is that I use egg-substitute, which I know, still has eggs in it. But I can't remember the last time I cracked an egg open.

* I bartend at a local bar. We're actually quite special. Currently we have 292 bottles of beer and the new location is fast opening (come the first of July) and we plan to open with 500 beers and 500 scotches. I can't help but enjoy great beer. So, now and then you'll see that I splurge on my calories and have to describe a fantastic brew. (Side note: I'm not a fan of scotches, whiskeys, or ryes... however Maker's Mark just came out with a Mint Julep version. It's great and I recommend anyone to try a sip of it if you find it at your local pub.)

The new location is also going to have a coffee bar and we're incorporating something I'm really proud of. We're going to offer low cal alcoholic mixed drinks to the masses as well. I can't wait to get this started and I'm sure I'll be blogging about it as we get up and running.

I think that about does it. I don't want to bore you with useless garbledegook. So, I'll keep this first blog brief and plan to have many more in the future. Cheers!