Magical Mushroom Gypsy Soup

Simplicity is beauty

After a snowy saunter with my shepherd by the mighty St. Lawrence, in conditions frosty enough to make your toes fall off (-20 C), a warm bowl 'o something scrumptious was essential. I write this as I consume a midnight bowl of magical mushroom soup - it is my third today (I boast) and has lost no marginal value to bowls one and two.

It tastes like a liquid hug from Mother Nature.

Indeed, it was an enchanting gypsy man who delicately crafted this pot of alchemy, just before packing his bindle and continuing his sejourn.

Now, I can only be left guessing what mystical ingredients it contains.

Graduated chefs achieve their own unique flavour with the culinary delights they create. The creator of this soup is no stranger to this phenomenon - it tastes like its a part of the family of foods I have grown to delight in, and I associate it with his culinary touch. But like all best-kept secret recipes, no two pots of it ever taste quite the same. This makes each new encounter thrilling. It also leaves me guessing as to what exactly the ingredients and their proportions are. But I`ll give it the best whirl I can, based on observation, and let you explore and experiment in your own way at home.


1) It begins with a hearty vegetable broth ...

Vegetable broth is forgiving. So long as you ensure to add at least a good load of chopped onions and another pile of chopped vegetable, you`re good to go. Carrots make it sweet, and are strongly recommended; potatoes make it hearty; celery makes it fresh, leeks make it gardeny, etc. Add these to a big `ol pot of boiling water, as well as at least two tablespoons of olive oil. Garlic and ginger will create zing.

Add spices to add interest: cumin, coriander, fresh parsley, basil, thyme, sage, bay leaves; anything and everything will do.

Red hot chili peppers will give it pizzazz and kick - even a couple dried ones will do the trick (whoever gets it in their mouth should get a prize!)

Add sea salt, stir it all up, and boil it good.

Then let it simmer for a while. The more hours, the merrier the flavour! Patience is a virtuous ingredient.

You can also `cheat` and add a bit of powdered vegetable base in addition. My favourite is Harvest Sun Organic Vegetable Bouillon Powder. It comes in a little green tin, and I`ve found it across the country - from Sidney, B.C. to Montreal, Q.C.

This dusty magic is a show-stopper

2) Here is the second, and final step. It is also the most fun and entertaining part of the process ...

Add tons of MUSHROOMS!!

Example: hit up local funky Chinese grocer and go to the dried-stuff section. Once there, go nuts buying all the wildest, most exotic mushrooms you can find! You can do this while the broth is simmering ...
Add at least three varieties. Favourites include:
- black fungus (it`s extra special tasty!)
- Chinese dried mushroom
- peony
- shitake
- padi straw
- morel
- anything that looks squishy

Note: fresh mushrooms work too


Add-ons: 


Drunken Magical Mushroom Soup:
If you've got your party pants on, add a quarter cup of sherry, or 2 tablespoons of brandy and 2 cups of ale or stout beer (towards the end of the process, since alcohol evaporates).

Here`s a fun recipe for Forest Mushroom and Irish Ale Soup.

Creamy Magical Mushroom Soup:
Combining with soy or almond milk, and blending in the blender to make a creamy-hearty mushroom soup is another option.


Presentation: 

Ladle it in a bread bowl, garnish with fresh cilantro, and voila! Dinner is served.
 

Eating your dishes is more fun than washing them

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned

Dear Life:

How the heck do you go by so fast? I must be having fun.

Please last a little longer.

Yours truly,

Jewely

Back to my westcoast roots

Like a tumultuous breakup, my Vegan Adventure spiraled out of control towards the end of the summer of 2010. It started with an unavoidable slip-up: I attended the Global Ecological Integrity Group Conference at the University of British Columbia, and everything they served, albeit 'vegetarian,' had either dairy or those darned oeufs in them. That kind of "broke the seal" if you will. Then, I moved to la Belle Province, Montreal, and started my masters studies. I was living in a studio apartment the size of a battery cage and pumping out assignments as eggs. Like a factory farmed hen, I lost control, and I went to town eating all sorts of non-vegan items, hitting up the famous fromageries, French pastries, and Sunday brunch omelettes with my new Montreal beau. 

Oh! What a bad girl I've been.

Forgive me, and my ermines, Father

Fast-forward 21 months, and I'm nearly done my thesis, but out of money, and living in the grungy ghetto of the island of Montreal - Verdun. Here, I live in the company of two friendly ferrets (Bert & Annie), and a giant german shepherd named Teddy that guards the house and only acts like a teddy bear to me (we're working on him). Yes, Verdun has a bit of a bad rep; yes, most of the people on my block are on welfare; yes, the tenant in my place before me dealt crack, bred Jack Russell Terriers, and had two girlfriends in two years that 'mysteriously' went missing ...

....but I am happy.

Which reminds me of the days, back in the wild and wooly westcoast, when I was an even happier, Happy Vegan.

I have been dabbling with the idea of re-embarking on my Vegan Adventure for a couple of months now, but it was a Skype conversation with a longtime friend from Thailand this morning that really catalyzed my decision. I feel like I've been taking out some of my frustrations on, cheese, of all things lately ... some days resorting to consuming an entire 700g block of Mozarella, no jokes.

In my mind, I knew the madness had to stop. And it does stop, today.

My friend from Thailand had recently taken on a vegan/local/non-processed food challenge in her current home in Bangkok. I find this SO cool! She did it for a month. We discussed this, as well as our vegan vices (she loves yogurt, I love cheese).

After our enlightening conversation, I decided I would re-start my Vegan Adventure, but with a few subtle adjustments, at the seams:

Number one: the challenge starts today, but I will finish the cheese and butter in my fridge, and the non-vegan chocolate in my cupboard.

With the end of one era, comes the beginning of another

Number two: I will not be an "anti-social vegan." I don't have many vegans friends (yet!)  so when I would join friends or family for meals, it had been quite difficult to navigate their homely, lovingly cooked meals. The gesture of eating a meal that someone cooks for you is like saying "thank-you", and being offered home-cooked food is perhaps one of the greatest, most deeply-engrained, honours of our species.

Thus, though I will try to bring something vegan to every dinner party I attend, I will not turn down non-vegan food items (though I will continue to practice complete vegetarianism in all situations). Therefore, if an occasion arises where, say, Aunty Di makes some of her delicious soy-pumpkin curry, with a pad of margarine (yes, my friends, most margarines are NOT vegan! - they have casein) I will eat it.

Number three: I'll hunt for a blender at the friperie.

On that note - let the Adventure begin!!!

Peace & love,

Jewely

Eat up!

As I gaze out the window to the world from my cubicle, on this cloudy overcast Vancouver day, I wonder, where in the world is summer? Yesterday was the Summer Soltice 2010?

Last year, Vancouver experienced an Indian summer that lasted into August and created bumper crops across the fruit board, resulting in a plethora of tasty huge and ripe local fruits that everyone was eating into the fall. I was stuffing my face with giant, succulently sweet blue balls of goodness (blueberries) until Christmas! Loved it!

This year, I’ve heard through the grape vine that it has been so chilly and un-sunny that our fruit crops are suffering. My friend Larry owns apple and peach orchards in the Okanagan, and he drives a truckload down and gives out boxes to his students and friends on Commercial Drive at the end of summer. But this year, he’s not so sure how many box loads we'll get. I’m worried too! What’s going on?

Ever heard of contrails? I watched a YouTube video a couple months ago with my mom and aunt entitled “Global Dimming”. Very very fascinating.

Anywho, my point is that things are changing rapidly and everyone is aware of it. So let us not give up and become ostriches that stick bird brains in the sand! Let’s keep staying aware!

This month, the UN released a new report stating that a global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change. Big news. Check it out: UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet

On Friday, the Globe & Mail published are article entitled: Eat up – we may soon witness the decline and fall of a food empire. The article outlines how societies from the Roman empire to imperial Britain crumbled as their food supplies crashed.Thought provoking ...

The more I think about being a vegan, the more I am.

Post script: I must stress that I am not a perfect vegan*, though I endeavour to be. More blogging on that to come.
*Side note: I think that it is philosophically impossible to be a 'perfect' vegan in our society, or any society for that matter (more blogging on that too, to come).

A Meditation at the 2 Month Trailhead of my Vegan Journey

I've been vegan now for two months and running. It's been an illuminating, fascinating and challenging ride to date. And it is only the beginning.

I admit, I am not the perfect vegan goddess I would like to be able to proclaim I am in this blog (yet). I have had my slip-ups and my moments of omnivore-envy.

Last Tuesday was my birthday and I went with a bunch of friends to a restaurant/bar that was one of my favourites in my pescatarian days. It's called Wazzubee's and it's located on the Drive, the hippyest corner of Vancouver you can find, and the street I've worked on for the past five years.

After enjoying an acai berry double rum shotted mojito-style beverage and a glass of white sangria, I ordered the vegetarian antipasto platter - we had been given a sample by our waitress and it was sooo good! It had an array of vegetables and legumes that had had an array of magnificent things done to theme like marinading, pickling and smothering in saucy sauces. Midway through the hor d'oevre of delights, I realized that the carrots had a cream sauce on them, likely dairy based. I blame it on the beverages. But it was my mistake.

On a different day the week before, there was an instance when I was sharing a Green & Blacks Orange & Spice chocolate with my dad and sis in the car after dinner out, only to realize that one of the last ingredients in the chocolate was whole milk powder, used as an emulsifier.

And, of course, there was the Tofu-rella episode where the cheese I got from the vegan cheese section at Caper's contained casein, a milk protein.

Ok, I committed the crime on one other occasion. Again on my birthday. After more than enough rounds, the party had moved back to my flat. My roomie made some popcorn with margarine (which contains liquid whey), and I am pretty sure I had a couple of kernels at the end of the night.

There!! I have admitted to my sins!

Phewf! I feel much better.

It's hard to avoid animal products when everything in our society is laced with them. I know I'll get better though. That's a part of the adventure for me! The anticipation of improvement. And the journey itself, of course. What the destination at the end of this journey is, I do not know. All I know is Namaste and I love animals. 

Bring me oodles and oodles of Udo’s oil!

I want to make a special mention to a very special oil I learned about from my Hare Krishna friend.


It’s called Udo’s Oil, and the one I buy is the Omega 3-6-9 DHA blend. Let me break it down for you:

Omega 3 and her sisters Omega 6 and Omega 9 are all essential fatty acids (EFA’s). When most people think of EFAs, they think of the daily tablespoon of cod liver oil that their mothers made them slug back, or a slab of dead salmon or other fish where conventional nutritional ‘wisdom’ says it is sourced from. What many people don’t realize is that Omega 3 and her sisters are originally sourced from plants. Then, when fishies eat these plants, they get the EFAs in them too. But you don’t need to eat fish to consume your EFAs my friends!

Plant sources rich in EFAs that people love to eat include flaxseeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. The health bennies of these seeds are endless, and I could fill up an entire blog with data on it, so I’m not going to bother! But I'll give you a quick preview anyways:

- Increases your brain power with focus, and memory
- Fights the growth of cancer cells
- Promotes optimal immune function
- Prevention of depression, heart disease, arthritis
- Increase of healthy skin cells
- Calms digestive disorders
- Blocks migraine headaches
- Lowers LDL cholesterol
- Reduces all kinds of inflammation
- Helps strengthen hair for a nice glossy coat

DHA is another part of this Udo’s Oil I buy and is derived from blue algae, another magic food with a myriad of health bennies up its sleeve. Udo’s Oil Omega 3-6-9 DHA blend cleverly mixes all of the key nutrients together, into one super magical oil. I eat Udo’s Oil everyday, with everything! It tastes great on toast in place of butter (with a sprinkle of sea salt), on salads to dress them, as well as for focaccia bread dipping and in stews, soups and casseroles. You can use it to make pates or dressings or whatever else you like! I plow through about 500 mL in a month or less. It makes me feel like I’m sparkling and glistening inside and out :)

Go Green with Hemp Seed Butter!

Everyday, after my hearty lunch (which usually consists of a legume, whole grain rice and fresh organic vegetables all mixed together with some favourite sauce or yummy oil) but before my dinner (which is often some new cooking concoction or a meal eaten out), I get a yen for a snack! Usually snack time will involve a baggy of nuts or some whole wheat rye crisps or crackers with peanut butter on top. The other day, I was feeling adventurous, so I bought some organic hemp seed butter for a change. The brand is Everland Organic, and the variety is Hemp Seed Tahini. It was green, which I found intriguing and appealing all at once.

I just popped open the jar, and shared some with a friend. She’s a fellow foodie, but by no means a vegan. We both tried it on Wasa Rye Crackers and were amazed with the results! The Hemp Seed Tahini tastes rich and nutty, with a delectable aftertaste. Then, I had 3 more! Then, I continued to eat it out of the jar … and then I started writing this post as I ate it … still crunching … Mmm

Two simple ingredients go into this green butter: hemp seeds and sesame seeds. The taste reminded me of something initially, that I could not quite put my finger on. Then, after a couple of bites, I was able to identify it: Halva. Double Mmmm. I’m excited to experiment with this glamorous green butter in baked goods, pates, dips and dressings – if I don’t eat it out of the jar all at once right now!

***

Hemp seed is a magic food, with many health benefits. Here is what NaturalHealthWeb.com has to say about it:

Hemp seed oil is truly unique. Approximately 80 percent is polyunsaturated fat – the highest of any vegetable oil. Specifically, it contains the essential fatty acids (EFAs) linoleic acid (omega 6) and alpha linolenic acid (omega 3) in an ideal ratio for absorption by the body. These EFAs cannot be produced by the body and must be obtained from our diets. Hemp seed oil also contains gamma linolenic acid (GLA), from which omega 6 is naturally converted. Modern day diets and sluggish enzyme activity often impair this conversion and cause GLA deficiency. Hemp seed oil solves this problem. No other single source oil has this ideal combination of EFAs.



EFA’s are well researched in the literature and are attributed to many health benefits. Some of these include: reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, attention deficit disorder, depression and many others.

Vegan Ultramarathoner Jurek Sets 24 Hour American Distance Record

Ever heard of the "ultra-marathon"? It's for people that think the 26.2 Mile "regular" marathon is simply not enough.

An ultra marathon is any race over 26.2 miles. They may be a fixed distance like 50, 100 or 150 miles or within a fixed amount of time, such as 24 hours. For the former, racers try to finish the distance within the shortest amount of time. For the latter, racers run as far as possible within a certain amount of time.


These races take place in all types of climates (from desert to snow) and all types of terrain (from mountains to sand). Now that I would classify as an extreme sport!
And guess who just broke the record for the 24 hour ultra-marathon on May 14, 2010? Vegan athlete Scott Jurek. He covered 165.7 miles in one full rotation of the earth. This guy eats between 5,000 and 8,000 calories a day is the 150 mile and upwards ultramarathon champ of our day.

Yes indeed boys and girls. Durek, as many vegan athletes before him have and after him will, once again breaks the stereotype of vegans being weak. It ain't no measily diet that fueled him for 24 hours!

Rock on, Jurek.

Another Almond Milk Recipe

Some people who read my blog have tried my almond milk recipe! I am curious to find out how it went for you, whether you used a cheesecloth to strain it, whether you added anything different, etc.? Please feel free to comment!

I came across a new almond milk recipe today, that I would like to try:

- 1 cup almonds, soaked overnight
- 3 pitted dates
- pinch of salt
- 3 cups water
1. Combine almonds, pitted dates, salt, and water in a blender and blend on high for two minutes.
2. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a large measuring cup or bowl. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Bon café!

The Social Vegan

One of the top reasons why I always felt resistant to become vegan was that I felt it was an “anti-social” endeavour. I envisioned vegans as never going out for dinner or going to friends’ homes for dinner, and essentially tucked away under their rock of a homestead, eating dinner alone at home every evening.

But since becoming vegan, my vision of what “vegan dining” means has completely unravelled and been re-knit into a beautiful tapestry of layers, colours and tasty delights. Never would I have guessed that I would have so many sensual treats and savoury adventures after only one month into my Vegan Adventure.


Here is a breakdown of some helpful tips I have learned through personal experience about how to be an awesome social vegan, who has fun all the time, no matter whom they are with!

Restaurants:
The following types of cuisine have tons of vegan options:
- Indian
- Thai
- Mexican
- Sushi/Japanese
- Chinese
- Ethiopian
- Middle Eastern
- Italian
- even good 'ol SAD (Standard American Diet) food

I love thinking about this because the first four have always been my most favourite cuisines anyways (in descending order of importance). So, eating at these types of restaurants is easy peasy for a vegan like me. Remember, never be afraid to call ahead of time and ask the restaurant what options they have that do not contain meat, dairy or eggs. Also, don’t be afraid to substitute out certain ingredients when you order.


So, for instance, if you go to a sushi joint, you can order vegetable roll (knix the mayo), vegetable gyozas, spinach gomaae, miso, yam or veggie tempura, teriyaki vegetable don, edamame, salads, agedashi tofu (knix the fish flakes), etc., etc., etc! The macrobiotic diet, which is pescatarian and emphasizes whole grains, legumes, fresh vegetables, etc. was invented in Japan many moons ago, and so this is why so much of their food is still veg today.

Thai food is easy, half the Thai are Buddhists anyway! Choose red, yellow or green tofu-coconut curries, sweet and sour tofu soup, stir-fries, coconut or ginger tofu, noodles pad thai or fried rice but knix the egg, soups, tempeh, peanut sauce, mango salads, veg spring rolls, etc – go crazy!

Indian food is easy peasy too, because “ahimsa” which is a policy of non-violence to all living creatures, is a practice that many Indian cultures follow. Go for curries like bhindi curry, dals, dosas, roti, chana masala, veggie samosa or pakora, aloo-gobi, veg stir-fries, as well as a multitude of dips like chutneys and spicy sauces, and savoury snacks like bhel puri.

Many Chinese (as well as Vietnamese and Korean) restaurants, like the popular “Hon’s” chain in Vancouver, have a variety of faux meats – you’ll be shocked! Faux beef, chicken, pork, fish, shrimp and even goose, duck and oyster! If that’s not your bag, you can always opt for veg stir-fries, chow mein, chop suey, veg spring rolls and gyozas, noodles, sweet & sour and black bean sauces, bean curds, soups, bok-choi, hot-plates, rolls, casseroles, tofu dishes, Buddha’s feasts, the list goes on …

At a Mexican (or Latin) restaurant, you can basically order anything bean based, just knix the cheese and sour cream – so enchiladas, tacos, burritos, fajitas, tostadas, veg chilli, taco salads, tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole, and wash it down with a sangria, margarita, or mojito! Mmmm

When you go Italian (or Mediterranean), order pastas and knocchi with tomato sauces, risotto, pesto, eggplant, salads, soups like minestrone or sun-dried tomato, antipastos, veg pizza (knix the cheese), etc.

A myriad of Ethiopian vegetarian dishes evolved because of a tradition of abstinence from any animal products during the Orthodox Christian fasting days. Try the Aterkik Alitcha (split peas prepared with light sauce), Atkilt Wot (cabbage, carrots, potatoes simmered in sauce), Atkilt Salata (boiled potatoes, jalapeno mixed in salad dressing), Buticha (chickpea dip mixed with lemon juice), Inguday Tibs (mushroom sauteed with onions), Fasolia (string beans and carrots sauteed in caramelized onion), Gomen (collard green and spices), Misir Wot (pureed split red lentil are simmered berbere sauce), Misir Alitcha (pureed split red lentil are simmered in mild sauce), Shimbra Asa (chickpeas flour dumplings & cooked in wot), Shiro Alitcha (mild split peas are milled together & slow cooked), Shiro Wot (split peas are milled together and slow cooked), Salata (Ethiopian salad, dressing: lemon, jalapeno & spices), Timatim Selata (tomatoe salad, onions, jalapeno & lemon juice)

Middle Eastern food is fun times both on-the-go or for a long and special meal: falafel, donairs (falafel), dolmades, Tabouleh, grilled vegetables, couscous, hummus & pita, koshari (lentils and rice with tomato sauce), soups like fava bean and chick pea soup, veg & lentil & rice dishes, spinach pie (knix the cheese), salads like fatoush, tahini & Baba ganoush, pita chips…

Even SAD food can make a vegan happy! Go for garden or portobello mushroom burgers, veg subway sandwiches, fries, salads, and lots more!

Dinner at a Friend’s Home:
If they are not vegan, you can say something along the lines of
“Thank you so much for inviting me. I am really excited about coming to your place for dinner. I am really trying hard not to eat meat or dairy, but I would like to bring a dish or two that would be tasty for everyone. Is there something I can make that would compliment your meal?”

Happy dining!

A Mother's Day story about milk cows and veal calves

Here is a lovely story from the Georgia Straight newspaper, Vancouver's urban weekly:

A Mother's Day story about milk cows and veal calves

The true story of Mario, an extraordinarily lucky calf and the extraordinarily terrible world he comes from.

Peace & love,

Jewely

Dinner in a Snap: Mexican “Chicken” Tacos & Organic Bean Sprout Salad

So, Monday night, I had dinner at a friend’s house. This friend is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, a staunch “meatitarian”. I don’t think he’s ever tried vegan in his life, nor thought of it. His idea of our “dinner together” involved two separate menus, one with grilled prawns (for him) and one with something else (for me) that he wasn’t quite able to conceptualize. Ha! I showed him.

We started by doing a quick survey of what his kitchen already had in stock. Not much in the home of this bachelor: taco shells, Aunt Jemima pancake mix, mustard, a whole bunch of meat in the freezer (which he kindly apologized about). That was about the extent of it. I felt that the taco shells were a good start, so we decided to work with that.

We went to the local Caper’s in Kits and picked out our filler for the tacos:
- Yves Ground “Chicken”
- Avocado
- Tofu-rella Jack Cheddar “Cheese”(see NOTE )
- Salsa
- Taco seasoning (we found it in his cupboard and fried it with the “chicken” in olive oil)

Then we proceeded to make:
- Organic Spring Bean Sprouts
- Crumbled Organic Corn Tortilla Chips
- drizzled with Olive Oil and Balsamic

For dessert, we enjoyed:

- Coco Orbs (raw, chocolatey balls of vegan goodness, brought to you by Caper’s) (see PS below)

- Vegan Chocolate Mousse Cake (again, brought to you by Caper’s)

We topped it all off with a glass of Cabernet-Sauvignon.

This kick-ass dinner was quick, healthy, and tasty to boot.

NOTE: I am mad at Tofu-rella cheese and here’s why: the same company has other cheeses called “Vegan-rella” and they are all stacked together in the vegan cheese section of grocers. This blinded me. The following morning, low-and-behold, my clever roommate, who seems to have an unconscious ability to always know everything about what’s going down, alerted me to the fact that Tofu-rella contains “Casein” – a milk protein and one of those evil hidden ingredients that bites us vegans in the bum when we least expect it. At Caper’s I had had my cheese-tinted glasses on, too excited about all the vegan cheese options I saw to realize that the one I chose, nestled amongst them all, was not vegan at all. Boo.

PS: The deli girl at Caper’s was stoked when we asked her what vegan desserts she had. Turns out, she was a vegan too. She was also a fellow ginger (we gingers have a certain unspoken ‘understanding’). She had sampled each and every one of the vegan delights there, and was able to direct us to the yummiest.

Always Opt for Almonds

I want enlighten you about the magical healing powers of almonds.

Basically, in a nutshell (touché) almonds keep you young and skinny and strong! So if you drink almond milk everyday, you will be getting all of these wondrous benefits. Hurrah! Here's a quick run down:

Almonds are a great source of vitamin E, with 25g providing 70 percent of the recommended daily allowance. They also have good amounts of magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, fibre and are a good source of healthy monounsaturated fat. They contain more calcium than any other nut which makes them great for vegetarians who do not eat any dairy products. They also contain amygdalin, also known as laetrile or vitamin B17, the an anti-cancer nutrient.

Almonds contain several phytochemicals including beta-sisterol stigmasterol and campesterol which is thought to contribute to a healthy heart. A handful of almonds a day helps reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering LDL, or ‘bad’ blood cholesterol by as much as ten percent.

Their high monounsaturated fat content, a key fat found in many Mediterranean diets, gives them much greater benefits than simply being cholesterol-lowering. Nearly every research study shows those who eat a traditional Mediterranean diet not only have a lower risk of heart disease and cancer, they also live longer.

Weight Loss Aid

For many years almonds were considered ‘fattening’. However, studies, including the Nurses’ Health Study and the Physicians’ Follow-up Study showed those who ate the most nuts tended to have lower body mass indexes [think squirrels!]. Although almonds are high in fat and calories, eating them in moderation can actually help with weight loss.

Read more at Suite101: Health Benefits of Almonds: High Protein, Heart-Friendly and a Good Diet Aid http://food-facts.suite101.com/article.cfm/top_healthy_foods_almonds#ixzz0n0Mp4QTF

And ... here's how I get my almonds each and everyday: Almond Milk! I think I drink about 500 ml daily, which is equal to a quarter cup of almonds. You can also buy almond milks fortified with B12, A and D. My cube mate at work (we share a grey cube wall and chit-chat about natural things to eat/put on yourself/wash yourself with) just traded in cow's milk and has gone to the dark side with me! She just started buying Earth's Own Almond Fresh and she swears by it. It's on sale right now at Caper's! There's also a coupon for it on their website.

À Bientôt!

First Fancy Dinner

It feels like so long ago that I first embarked on my Vegan Adventure. It's only been 3 weeks, but already I feel like I have grown substantially from it, and it has certainly been fruitful (so to speak), full of many "Ah ha!" moments and vegan epiphanies.

I made my first full blown vegan dinner for my gracious Mom and Aunty two weekends ago. They were both shocked that no animals were harmed in the making of this delicious and moral meal. Here's the yummy low-down of our dinner menu:

- Garlicy Falafels

- Baked Plantaine Chips

- Silian Greens with Pine Nuts & Raisins

- Miner's Lettuce Salad

- Foccacia Bread dipped in Balsamic & Olive Oil

I'm not going to lie to you and pretend that I am some contemporary goddess who fell into the female realm of domesticity with ease and grace. For instance, making falafels, in and of itself, should not be a tricky task. But for someone who has never cooked much more than toast in her life, it proved to be a puzzle. It took me three tries to get falafels right!

Attempt #1: I added the vegetable stock to my falafel dough, not realizing that the recipe called for veg stock in order to soak the chickpeas in, and then to drain them from (ie. the veg stock was to be drained!) Soooo, attempt number one turned out to be a soupy mess.

Attempt #2: I used canned chickpeas this time instead of cooked, because that's all we had. I idiodically thought that if I added some veg stock powder straight to this falafel dough, it would be tastier. WRONG! It turned out so salty that our blood pressures were all probably dangerous high. Oops.

Attempt #3: Perfecto! Here's the scoop:

Garlicy Falafels*

Yields 2 dozen

Ingredients:

• Chick peas (2 cups dried, or 6 cups cooked/canned)
• Stock or water (5 cups)
• Whole wheat flour (1/2 cup)
• Garlic cloves (3 diced)
• Parsley (3 tablespoons chopped)
• Sea salt (1 tablespoon)
• Basil (1/4 cup)
• Olive oil (2 tablespoons [for lighter frying] or 3-5 cups [for deep-frying])

1. Cook the dried chick peas in stock or water (1 – 1.5 hours or so simmering in a covered pot). After they have been cooked, drain them and mash them well.

2. Add the rest if the ingredients to the mashed chick peas, except for the oil. The mixture will be medium-hard. You can try kneading it. Form 1-1/2” balls. You can roll them with your hands, then roll them onto some flour.

3. In a saucepan, heat the oil on high. The pan should be so hot that water droplets on the frying pan should sizzle. Either lightly fry the balls until they looked toasted and golden brown (you may need to flatten them a bit for this, as I did) or deep fry them in lots of oil until they are light brown. If you deep fry them, drain them on paper towels.

We dipped in the falafels in "Nayonaise" brand vegan mayonaise. Delicieux!

* from The Cookbook for People Who Love Animals


 

Sicilian Greens with Pine Nuts and Raisins*

Serves 3

Ingredients:

• Greens like collards, kale or bok choi (a stir-frying pan full)
• Pine nuts (2 tablespoons)
• Garlic cloves (3 peeled and chopped)
• Olive oil (1 tablespoon)
• Raisins (3 table spoons)
• Balsamic vinegar (2 tablespoons)

1. Dampen your greens in a bowl. Chop them in large chunks. 

2. Toast the pine nuts over medium heat on a dry skillet until golden. Shake the pan often to keep the pine nuts from burning.

3. Place the garlic and oil in a separate skillet and sauté over medium heat for 1 minute. Add dampened greens and stir, then cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Add the raisins and pine nuts and stir. Cover and cook for two minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, cover, and continue to cook for 1 or 2 minutes longer.

** adapted from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

 

Baked Plantaine Chips***

Ingredients:

• Plantains (2 medium-large)
• Olive oil (1 1/2 tablespoons)
• Salt (1/4 teaspoon)

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Trim the ends from plantains. Peel the plantains (I failed to do this) and toss them in a large bowl with the oil and salt. Lay them out on a greased baking pan. Bake the slices for 15 minutes then remove them from the oven. Place a few slices on a cutting board and press gently with the bottom of a glass. Turn them over and return them to the baking sheet. Gently paint them with some olive oil and sprinkle some more sea salt on them. Bake them for another 5 minutes, and voila!

 *** from RecipeZaar.com

Miner's Lettuce Salad

Pick some miner's lettuce and put it in a bowl. Voila!

Foccaccia Bread

Buy some foccaccia bread and warm it up in the oven. Cut into slices and serve with small plates of olive oil and balsamic. Bon appetit!

The Feminist's Dilemma

With everyone up in arms about Boobquake - I thought it would be fitting to post an article about feminism and dairy cows:
The Feminist's Dilemma
It's written by a guy. I love it when guys call themselves feminists!

Bliss

Let me tell you about something that has come about since I embarked on my Vegan Adventure and became a full-fledged, happy vegan. It is purely metaphysical. It can be encapsulated in one word:

Bliss.

This feeling of bliss is difficult to describe using written or spoken language. It is the intangible, the transcendent, the abstract.

Have you ever been all by yourself, and cried tears of joy? Tears flowing from your face not caused by any particular person or being, or any one thing, that you can precisely put your finger on? I don't know whether or not Nirvana exists, but if it does, perhaps this is the feeling of being one baby-step closer.

Or perhaps its just hormones.
OH I don't know. Yes, I am female. Yes, I am still of a hormonally charged age (early 20s). But I have difficulty attributing these moments of sheer bliss to mere chemistry, biology, and mathematics. I feel that there may be more at work here.
...
Bliss is a state of extreme happiness. Happiness is the carrot at the end of everyone's stick. That thing we're all working for, waiting for.

To be human is to be wrought with dissatisfaction - always searching for more, more, more in order to feel fulfilled. It is thought that once we find full satisfaction in our lives, we will be truly happy. And once we are truly happy, our lives will be complete. But what happens when you feel this way in the middle, or even the beginning of your life? What's next?

These moments of bliss scare me a little bit. I want to keep this! What happens when this feeling goes away?? And when I have bliss, it is almost paralyzing: What else is there to do if, at this moment in time, I am completely satisfied?

 

Then, usually shortly afterwards, my state of bliss crumbles due to some minor sundry event: I lose my bus pass, someone in my family yells at me, I hit my funny-bone, I catch a cold. It's the sort of stuff that bogs people down day-to-day, and makes them feel as though they haven't gotten the carrot. 

But sure enough, once these minor hiccups pass, my state of bliss reemerges.

...

Dinner in a Snap: Coconut-Curry Tofu Steaks, Cheesy-Chickpea Quesadilla, Spinach-Sesame Salad

So last night, I had one of my good friends over for dinner. We met many moons ago when we both lived in the notorious "ghetto" in Ottawa. The "ghetto" was a student housing complex close to the Byward Market. It featured a robust French Madame as the landlady and her itsy-bity French Monsieur (with a Cheshire cat smile) as the landlord. The pair together was the bane of us students' existence. Regardless, it was one of the best times of my life.

Any hoo, this friend is a vegetarian and she has seen me transition over the years from omnivore, to indecisive pescatarian and now, to gung-ho vegan. She has been very patient and understanding with me throughout my journey. When we get together, all we seem to do is cook, eat and talk. It's awesome.

We had both had long days and we were simply ravinous!  I had had hopes of cooking up a gorgeous and extravagant meal with her, perhaps with quinoa or some exotic varieties of legumes and whole grains that neither of us had ever heard of before. But we were both so manic with hunger that we bee-lined straight to the grocery store to buy whatever looked good and cheap.

At the grocery we zipped right to the simplest and easiest place for veggie people to grab grub - the tofu/soy-wiener/veggie-ground-round section! We found some enticing coconut-curry tofu steaks made by President's Choice. Done. Then, in the impulse rack nearby, we happened upon whole wheat tortilla shells (on sale). Quesadilla? Done.

Now we had our protein (tofu steaks), grain (tortilla), so all we needed was a filler for the latter and some veg. The only obstacle we encountered was finding vegan cheese to go in our quesadilla - it turned out to be a bit of a wild goose chase. A successful one, albeit.

The grocery had "Soya" brand cheese loaf. But my conscience could not allow me to buy it after perusing the ingredients and finding (to my horror) casein (a milk protein) in it. Casein is one of those secret/hidden ingredients that gets vegans when they least expect it! It's also said to be the protein that makes calves bond to their mommas and evidentally, humans bond to their milk and cheese.

But any hoo, we hit up another grocer and checked their deli out. Again, only "Soya" brand cheese, which, my friends, is not vegan! We were troubled and dismayed. In my emotional turmoil, and since my friend is a veggie and not a full-blown vegan, I said to her, "Go ahead. Put cheese in your quesadillas and I'll eat mine plain. I don't mind."

I lied.

But I felt proud of myself for saying this. I felt like I was being a martyr. But as it turns out, she could not bear the idea of enjoying a cheesy quesadilla whilst I could not.

"No," she firmly stated. She had already selflessly decided that if I was going down, she was going down with me! What a keeper.

So we danced with the idea of making our own cheese out of silken tofu (it would take too long), or out of nutritional yeast (she didn't like the smell of it), and just when we were about to give up and eat our quesadillas cheese-free, we decided to ask the deli lady where we might find some vegan cheese. She wasn't sure, but her advice was, "Try the milk and butter section."

So we zipped over there, and low-and-behold, there it was in all its glory, shining out amongst the crowd of margarine and butter and other vegan untouchables: Earth Island Cheese! Our choice of mozarella or cheddar. We were both thrilled! Despite its announcement of being "vegan" on the package, I, still feeling untrusting after the "Soya" cheese incident, quickly checked the ingredients. To my delight, it was vegan all the way. Groovy.

We raced home, and whipped up our delicious dinner in 5 minutes flat:

Coconut-Curry Tofu Steaks +
Cheesy-Chickpea Quesadilla with spinach, peppers and mushroom on whole wheat tortillas +
Spinach Salad with grated carrots, peppers, sesame seeds, and mandarin-sesame dressing
________________________
= Yum!

Now, as a vegan rookie, there were some valuable lessons that I learned from this incident:
1. Get in the habit of checking the ingredients of foodstuffs. I will blog on secret/hidden animal ingredients soon (don't worry, there aren't a lot).
2. Be bold! Ask the deli guy, or the store manager if they have vegan alternatives for things like cheese, yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, etc. From my experience, the more hip the grocer, the more choices they will have. This is also a good practice because it gets in the grocer's mind that there is demand out there for vegan options.
 
:)

A Shout-out to Squirrelly Bread

I want to give a shout-out to my local love, Squirrelly Bread. Thank you for existing, ‘o Squirrelly Bread. You make my mornings start out with a jolt of good energy that lasts long and throughout the day. You are organic, and made without flour; only the finest sprouted grains. You taste great with Udo’s Oil too, and a sprinkle of unrefined sea salt. And, you're baked just around the corner – in agricultural Abbotsford, B.C.!

There are days when I get so carried away with Squirrelly Bread that I will consume 3, 4, even 5 pieces, drizzled (or should I say, oozing) with flaxseed oil, Udo’s oil or some other yummy oil. But I never really regret it. Each piece is packed with protein and fibre and all-natural ingredients. In fact, there are very few ingredients in each loaf and all of them are identifiable – this is usually a good sign of nutritiousness in a processed food.

I must confess that any bread made by Silver Hills is good. The entire line used to be called “Squirrelly Bread”, until recently when they decided to update their look and feel. I like how each bread variety comes in a different coloured bag, with a different illustration on the bag and a slightly different theme. Props to Squirrelly for also being B.C. Certified Kosher, GMO-free and for using biodegradable bags.

My mom, a lover of healthy and simple foodstuffs, first introduced me to Squirrelly Bread. In my opinion, it’s far too delicious to add anything to it like jam, peanut butter, or marmalade. And there are so many varieties to choose from; I could live off of Silver Hills bread the rest of my life and feel perfectly complete.

If you are looking for Squirrelly Bread, but can’t seem to find it, you can use their online store locator - you can also take the opportunity to read their story and meet the people at Silver Hills - they all look vibrant and glowy – probably a result of eating their own yummy breads all their lives. There is also a call out on the website for people who want to participate in their focus group. You get free bread if you participate!

No, this blog is not an advertisement, and I am not hoping to earn some pocket cash off of this message. I just want to express my pure and undying love for a bread that I consider to be quite delicious, pure and undyingly unique.

Spicy Seitan Sausage

Nothing turns my crank more than the "idea" of meat. So when I came across fellow blogger Vegan Dad's recipe for Seitan Sausage, you can bet your bottom dollar I was all over that shite.

Seitan is a delicious and fun meat alternative. It is also known as "wheat gluten". Whole wheat is made up of three different parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. The bran is the outer shell that is high in fibre; the germ is the seed and is high in protein; the endosperm is the part that is mostly carbohydrates. Seitan is made soley from the germ of wheat. Its high protein count, as well its taste and texture resemblance to meat is what has earned it the nickname of "wheat meat". Mmmm

This recipe is super quick and easy, and comes out über yum. So yum, infact, that one sausage was almost enough to turn my carnivorous dad to the dark side, after heartily inhaling it in the car on our way out to dinner. Then, he ordered only vegan food at the Italian restaurant we went to, wrongly assuming that all vegan food was as delicious as my sausages.

When I came home that night, the sausages I had stored in the fridge had disappeared too, but there was a kind and apologetic note left behind on top of the sausage bowl. It seems as though my roommate had one Spicy Seitan Sausage and couldn't stop thereafter. This recipe is awesome.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup black beans*
- 1 cup vegetable broth (cold)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 table spoons soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic (minced or finely grated)
- 1 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp fennel seed (ground or crushed)
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- a few dashes of black pepper

Prepare 6 pieces of tin foil so they are ready for wrapping**. Put an inch or two of water in a pot and place a steamer on top. Bring the water to a boil.

Mash the beans in a large bowl until no whole ones are left. Toss the remaining ingredients into that bowl, and mix them around together with a fork. You can also kneed them with your hands, but watch out if you do! The red peppers might sting a bit. Divide the dough into 6 even parts, and then roll each part into a sausage that is 5 inches long. Vegan Dad says to "Wrap dough in tin foil, like a tootsie roll." and not to worry too much about the shape - the rolls shape naturally into 6 nice sausagey logs as you steam them. Toss the logs into the steamer, and steam them on medium heat for 40 minutes. Voila!

Notes:
* The recipe called for pinto beans, but I only had black beans and I found that they worked out just great.
** I didn't have any tinfoil so I improvised with tin pie plates cut in half. You can wrap the sausages in these if that's all you have, if you don't mind the shape being less than symmetrical.

Confessions of a Vegan Chocoholic

Okay, so by about day 3 of my Vegan Adventure, I was about to snap.

I need Chocolate!!

My roomi and I have had this beautiful wonderful thing called a “Chocolate Cupboard” stocked for the full 5 years we have lived together. It is something of a chocolate commune, containing a decadent collection of chocolates from every holiday: there are Purdy’s hearts and Easter eggs with coloured foil wrap, candy-cane striped Hersey’s kisses and even Reese’s Pieces from Hallowe’en. In addition, this scandolous cupboard contains butterscotch treats, hot cocoa packages, chocolate syrup, and a miscellany of Lindts and other Swiss chocolates, at any given time.

I can (and have) thanked my roommate for her Swiss-Austrian background, largely, for the existence of this marvellous cupboard. However, since I embarked on my Vegan Adventure, the thought of this cupboard changes the whole chemical make-up of my body: my mouth waters, then my body starts to quiver, then I start to seize up. Everytime, I must snap myself out of it!

So what is a Vegan Chocoholic to do?

Lucky for me dark chocolate is my most favouritest type. In the past, I would happily inhale any chocolate offered, but dark always did the trick best.

Yesterday after lunch, I had another bout of chocolate fever with a very high temperature. So I checked out some of my favourite darks at the local grocery, the ones with 70 % cocoa or more. The only ingredients I wasn’t sure about but which they all seemed to contain were cocoa butter and cocoa mass. So later, I did some research online, and was ecstatic to find that both cocoa mass and cocoa butter are vegan!! Woo hoo!!

Here are some of my favourite chocolates that just so happen to be vegan-friendly!:
- Endangered Species Dark Chocolate - Kudos to these guys for making wicked chocolate and for looking out for our furry/feathery friends
- Green and Blacks Organic Chocolate - dark chocolate
- Maya Gold
- Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate Bars
- Ritter Sport - dark chocolate flavours

But there is also an extensive shopping list of vegan "milk" chocolates, if that's your bag, as well as chocolate beverages, chocolate treats, and other chocolate things. Check out this link for that huge list.

Chocolate in its purest form comes from the pod of a cocoa tree. So really, chocolate is just another benevolent bean, delicately hand-crafted by our magnificent Mother Nature.

The Loving Hut

In honour of the 40th anniversary of Mother Earth Day celebrations, I went with my sis and Pop to The Loving Hut on West Broadway on Thursday. It is an all-new vegan restaurant in Vancouver, and the second of its kind in Canada (the first is in Toronto). 

The Loving Hut did not look quite like a bohemian, coconut-filled, thatched roof paradise that I had expected by its name. But what it lacked in interior décor, it made up for in deliciously filling all-vegan food, economical prices, and very friendly atmosphere. I was especially fond of their Wall of Fame, where they hung photos of everyone’s favourite famous vegetarians - Albert Einstein, Leonardo de Vinci, Ghandi, and Thomas Edison, as well as famous Canadian vegetarians like Sarah McLachlan, K-os, Bryan Adams, Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette and Brendan Brazier.

We ordered the nachos to share, followed by an asparagus soup (soup-of-the-day), Ocean Love pizza slice, Loving Hut pizza slice, Happy Spicy pizza slice, as well as a Rainbow Salad. The nachos and the Ocean Love pizza were my favourite menu items. They were cheesy and flavourful and filling. Even the sour cream and pizza dips were soooo good! I think my carnivorous sister and dad were a little stunned but just how delicious and fun vegan food is - everything we ate was totally tasty! Bonus points for serving fairly traded coffees and teas with organic soymilk.

Here is a run-down of prices. What we ordered was more than enough food for three hungry people!:

Nachos (small) - $6.75
Aparagus Soup (small) - $2.25
Ocean Love pizza slice - $4.25
Loving Hut pizza slice -$4.25
Happy Spicy pizza slice - $4.25
Rainbow Salad (large) - $6.75
2 Beck's Non-Alcoholic Beer - $6.00 (for two)
Flower Tea - $2.25
_________________

Total: 36.75

The Loving Hut is a groovy little joint to share a either a big slow meal, or quick little bite.

I give the Loving Hut two thumbs up for edibility, ethics, easy-going-ness and economical-ness. So did the omnivores that I went with!