Vegan Eating Adventures

Its now been about a month since I made the switch to eating vegan.  I hesitate to use the term Vegan because there are a lot of little no-no's that I definitely do.  Vegan's aren't supposed to consume honey (whoops), leather (not ready to throw out my boots...yet), and gelatin (this sneaks into everything!).  I also take fish oil supplements so that automatically counts me out I guess but you do what you can and truthfully I have been feeling great with the new diet!

So I took my mom to a vegan restaurant yesterday called Good Karma Vegan Cafe.  All of their food scraps go to the little farm that I wrote about a few blogs back, Veggielution, to compost.  It was a really cool little restaurant with local art on the wall and community ads everywhere.  The menu changes daily.  While we were there the menu included vegan chicken wings (which really looked exactly like chicken wings!), mashed potatoes, jamaican jerk tofu, and more.  I opted for the stuffed bell pepper (which came with black beans and a spicy ranch), tofu curry, and some brown rice.

Mom got the same except instead of the curry she got an indian lentil dish.  For desert we split an amazing oreo cupcake!  It was ALL vegan...and all delicious!

Indian Inspired Vegan Spinach Tofu Wrap

So last weekend I went to a great little farmer's market by my house.  So fun to take your time and browse around all the little stands on a weekend.  I love buying from local vendors. Its better for the environment (less emissions, often times lots of organic choices) and being surrounded by all these awesome ingredients. always inspires me to cook something new, yummy, and seasonal.  Heres a picture of what I got...

A lot of dishes that I make are recipes I try to replicate after eating something at a restaurant or from a market like whole foods.  I had a spinach tofu wrap the other day and it was so good!  I've been eating vegan for a few weeks now and am kinda forced to cook for myself more often so heres the recipe I whipped up.  Hope you enjoy!

Indian Inspired Vegan Spinach Tofu Wrap:

1)  Sautee 1 diced white onion in oil.
Add two bunches of spinach and continue sautéing.
Season to your liking with salt and pepper, ginger powder, garlic powder, curry, cinnamon, and turmeric.

2)  Once completely cooked down, turn off heat and add a package of firm tofu chopped into large cubes.

3)  Put mixture in a food processor (blender works too) and puree or whip till desired consistency. Remove from food processor into large bowl.

4)  Sauté some quartered mushrooms and fold into blended spinach/tofu mixture.

5)  Fill whole wheat tortillas with spinach mixture (making little burritos) and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or so just to crisp tortillas a little bit.

So easy!  You can also freeze them and heat them up for a quick lunch.

Have a great Sunday!

Finish it off with amazing vegan cookies...

http://www.cookiemadness.net/?p=1349

A little farm work is good for the soul

Yesterday I volunteered at Veggielution- a great little urban farm in the middle of a rough section of San Jose.  There is something so amazing and beautiful about this place.  Though it would seem like an unlikely spot for a farm due to the maze of freeway off ramps in the background, Veggilution seems to work in perfect harmony with its urban surroundings.

Running amongst the rows of lettuce, onions, and garlic are clucking chickens, peacocks, and screaming children.  There are people weeding, watering, and composting- all working as one as if they had been working together for years.  You hear laughter and storytelling- explanations of how each person found the farm and the different reasons why they love it.  The very essence of community.  The smell of our delicious lunch being cooked on an outdoor picnic table wafts by.  After the work is finished we sit down to enjoy a yummy pot luck of veggie soup, homeade bread, a beautiful salad, and drumsticks, continuing stories and picking out seeds for the next season.  Afterwards. each of us take home some of the newly harvested veggies.  The rest goes to the local soup kitchen.  How the world is supposed to work.

Helping people help themselves

Maybe its the new year or maybe its my turning the wise, old age of 24...either way my (unhealthy and kinda obsessive) reality show habit has slowly been replaced by reading in the evenings.  Currently by my bedside table is "Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child" (thanks Mom!), "The Art of Simple Food" by Alice Waters, "Edible Schoolyard" by Alice Waters, and "Food, Inc." by a collection of industry experts.

Obviously I'm obsessed with the whole slow and sustainable food thing and the problems with the American food industry.  And clearly I'm not alone.  It seems like so many things and people in my life right now are passionate about the same cause.  My friend Libby (Berkeley grad, hippie, smarty pants) is moving to Houston to use her fluency in Spanish and her background in Public Health to teach nutrition to low income areas.  Another friend, Erica, who is in the Peace Corps in Honduras is trying to start a vegetable garden for her community so they don't have to make the 2 hour trip to get fresh veggies.  More and more families are growing their own vegetables in their backyard to feed their own families.  All so inspiring and an exciting change to our country's current desire for quick, processed foods.

In our newspaper the other day their was an article about La Mesa Verde, a non-profit that teaches inner city families how to grow their own vegetables in their tiny backyards.  As I looked more into it I saw that their were multiple organizations doing this in the Bay Area- both for low income communities and schools.  Teaching people and school children about nutrition, while making healthy, organic food available inexpensively from their own backyards and schoolyards.  Instead of making people stand in line for food stamps so they can go get the cheap processed junk at the crappy markets by their houses they can have access to the same quality veggies that were previously only affordable by the middle/upper class.  They are taught how to prepare these vegetables into yummy and filling meals.  Sustainable food that keeps coming back that families and children grow themselves for themselves.  HELPING PEOPLE HELP THEMSELVES.  Not just giving someone a handout and sending them on their way to be in the same predicament in a week.   Is this the answer to our food crisis?  I think its a great start.

10 reasons to go vegetarian once a week...

I know to some of you meat eaters this may seems like an impossible feat, but going vegetarian at least once a week can have an amazing impact on your health as well as the environment. Here are 10 reasons to suck it up and pass on the meat just one little day a week. I promise it is easier than you think and you will feel so great you may make the switch for good!

1. Because we have no idea what those weird chemicals are doing to our bodies. 95% of the pesticides that we ingest are from meat and dairy. Always look for organic meats on the other days!

2. Decreases pollution and lessens your impact on global warming.


3. Meals are cheaper when they are meatless.

4. You can never eat enough veggies.

5. You will be saving a ton of water. 84,000 gallons a year!

6. Because E. coli and salmonella aren't that fun.

7. You will have an increase in energy.

8. You will lose weight and get a hot bod.

9. You will live longer. Vegetarian diets decrease your risk of heart disease and cancer.

10. Because animals are treated HORRIBLY in factory farms. They cut chickens' beaks off so they don't peck each other, pigs' tails off, and feed calves a formula filled with cow blood. Enough said. Watch "Food, Inc." or read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and you will be sold.

And the list goes on...

Its a new year...why not start with this!