Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday. I don't normally like to make a huge deal of it, but for some reason this year a lot of little celebrations are happening. I guess that is the result of my widening social circle :)

On Sunday I invited my family and some close friends to spend the day with me at The Gentle Barn, an amazing farm animal sanctuary in Santa Clarita, CA. We spent a couple hours hanging out with cows, horses, chickens, turkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, llamas, etc. And finished the afternoon with some delicious vegan cupcakes that my cousin Jana made, check out her awesome cakes at Jana's Fun Cakes!

My cousin & I with Buttercup, the sweetest cow ever!

 

Me and the llama...he's got his eye on me!

 

This is Portia, she was genetically engineering to be a fat Thanksgiving turkey,
and now she can't even hold her own weight :(
 

 

This poor pot belly is blind because his previous owner did not know how to properly
feed him, he had zero protein in his diet.

Husband, cousins, friends and me!

AWESOME vegan cupcakes, I think the best vegan frosting I have ever had!

It was so much fun spending time with my family, friends and all the animals! I couldn't ask for a better way to spend the day!

On Monday the husband and I drove out to Temecula where my mom and dad live and had an awesome Mexican fiesta with family complete with vegan tacos, homemade Mexican brown rice and margaritas! It was nice to have the immediate family all together, doesn't happen often.

I could eat Mexican food everyday.

 

Vegan chocolate cake with spider & pumpkin sprinkles!

SO good.

Mom, dad and brothers.

Husband and brothers

 

Tonight I think the husband and I are going out for a nice vegan meal (post on that later in the week) and then Friday will be another dinner with friends and karaoke! Super busy week, but it's worth it!

Vegan Grilled Cheese w/Tomato & Avocado

I love grilled cheese sandwiches. Before going vegan, grilled cheese with tomato soup was my husband and I's staple meal throughout the winter. I would crave them from In N Out Burger (it's been almost 20 years since I've consumed red meat, so it's all I would order there). I always told myself that cheese would be the biggest factor for me not to be vegan. Luckily, I got over that and discovered the wonderful world of vegan cheese. I really don't miss the nasty, casein filled crap I used to consume on a regular basis.

I whipped up these delicious sandwiches the other night and they were awesome. The bread is crispy and the avocado is warm and creamy - heaven. These would go great with a big bowl of tomato soup in the winter or homemade gazpacho in the summer.

What you will need:
Bread of choice, I went with sourdough
Vegan butter (Earth Balance is my favorite)
Daiya Mozzarella cheese shreds (or your favorite brand)
1 ripe tomato, diced
1/2 avocado, sliced thin or diced
Garlic salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat a large skillet (use one that has a lid) over medium high heat.

2. Butter 1 side of two pieces of bread. On the non-buttered layer the Daiya, tomatoes and avocado then sprinkle with spices. Place the second piece of bread butter side up on top and place in hot skillet.

3. Keep your eye on it, and flip over when you have your desired doneness of the bread.

4. Put the top on the skillet while the second side cooks. This helps the Daiya get all melty and wonderful. Again, watch for your desired doneness.

5. Remove from skillet, slice and dig in.

 

 

Grilled Polenta & Greens

This meal is quick and delicious. Perfect for those nights where you don't have a lot of time to make a fancy dish.

What you will need:
6 cups fresh greens (kale, spinach, collard, mustard - whatever you have)
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 tube of polenta
2 tbsp olive oil
garlic powder, sea salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Slice polenta into 3/4" rounds and sprinkle both sides with garlic powder and pepper. Place flat into skillet. Cook for 5-10 minutes depending on how crispy you want it. Flip each disc to cook other side.

2. Heat vegetable stock in a large wok. Once stock is bubbling, add fresh greens a dash of sea salt & pepper. Toss continuously until green have cooked down.

3. Pile greens onto plate and place 3-4 slices on polenta on top.

Vegan in San Francisco

Last weekend I went to visit my best friend in San Francisco. It was great to go back to my old stomping ground and spend some quality time with the woman who has been my friend since the first day we met back in 4th grade at the bus stop.

We had a blast with happy hours, wine tasting, and watching the entire first season of Girls, but in honor of Vegan MoFo I wanted to highlight some of the food I had over the weekend.

On Friday I worked in my company's SF office and one of the assistants was nice enough to walk over to the Ferry Building with me to get a vegan donut from Pebbles Donuts. I opted for the salted caramel and it was delicious! I wish I had taken a picture of it but I forgot. You can check out their donut porn on their website though.

That night after work we went to Off the Grid at Fort Mason which is basically a food truck extravaganza with live music. I know food trucks are necessarily known for being super vegan friendly, but I was SO happy to find a stand that offered a fried tofu vegan taco. I got two of those and they were like heaven in my mouth. I scarfed one down so fast before I realized I should take a picture, so here is the second one before I devoured it as well.

Fried tofu, cabbage & pure awesomeness

The next day we went wine tasting in Healdsburg. We stopped at Agave restaurant before hitting the wineries and I was able to get veggies fajitas free of dairy and it was ok, kinda of bland and not the best thing I had ever eaten, but at least I had a full stomach before embarking on lots of wine!

That night, back in the city, we went to one of my all time favorite restaurants: Gracias Madre. I have missed this restaurant so much since leaving the Bay Area, so I was grateful I could convince the omnis to go.

Cue angels singing...

There were four of us and we decided to order a few different dishes and eat them family style. We started with the Gorditas: potato masa cakes covered with salsa verde, avocado and cashew cream. Once again we torn into these before I had a chance to take a pic, but I was able to make everyone pause for a moment before they were all gone.

Try not to lick your screen.

For our other entrees we got a huge plate of sauteed kale with pumpkin seeds. Still the best kale I have ever had.

All hail kale

The second dish we ordered was the Enchiladas con Mole. I had never had mole before and holy cow, I have been missing out. It's spicy, rich and full of pure win. These are served open faced with the most amazing mushrooms I have ever had and cashew cheese. My mouth is seriously watering just thinking about it!

I MAY have started on the beans before taking this pic...

And lastly we ordered the Platillo de Legumbres which is rice, beans and two sides of your choice. We went for mushrooms and fried plantains. 

So much goodness on one plate

All the food was beyond amazing, I was so sad to leave. I have heard a rumor though that there will be a Gracias Madre in L.A. within the next year. I can't even put into words how happy that would make me!

Overall I had so much fun in SF with my bestie (I really do hate that word) and it was fun subjecting her to some amazing vegan food!

Black Bean, Zucchini & Olive Tacos

I made these for dinner and HOLY CRAP they were yummy! I was excited about it for hours after dinner was over. I used the recipe from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, but I tweaked it slightly by using yellow squash instead of zucchini, leaving out the jalapeno (the husband isn't a huge fan of spice) and coriander (just didn't have it) and adding more garlic.

What you will need:

Olive Oil

4 small yellow squash

1/4 tsp salt

4 cloves garlic

1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives

1/2 tsp ground cumin

6 oz. salsa verde

16 oz. can of black beans, drained & rinsed

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

Corn tortillas

1. Heat oil in large skillet. Chop squash and olives into bite sized pieces and mince garlic.

2. Saute squash with salt for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, olives and cumin and saute for another couple minutes.

3. Add beans and salsa verde and continue to cook until salsa verde cooks down a bit.

4. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add a little bit of olive oil. Heat tortillas until soft, fill with squash/bean mixture and sprinkle with scallions. *I added some Cholula to mine too because I LOVE spicy :)

 

 

Vegan Interrogated: Amy

Name: Amy Wright
Location: Seattle area
Website: www.etsy.com/shop/overthefenceart
www.over-the-fence-art.com

What made you decide to go vegan?
I went 100% vegan 3 years ago.
My love for animals, the planet and my health helped me embrace the vegan diet.

What was the reaction from your friends/family?
My friends and family supported me in the decision to go vegan from the very start.

Dumbest question someone asked you about being vegan.
The dumbest question I still get regarding being vegan is "Do you still eat fish" and "where do you get your protein"?

What changes have you noticed in yourself since going vegan?
So many changes I've noticed since being vegan. The first being dropping 12 lbs., my digestion improved, my energy went up and my chronic sinus trouble vanished.

Do you have any advice for people toying with the idea of becoming a vegan?
My advice to others toying with the idea of going vegan is that it's a process. I was a vegetarian for 30+ years until I switched to being vegan. I read everything that I could get my hands on in the vegan life style. Books like The China Study, The Kind Diet, and the influences of many other Eastern medicine doctors convinced me that I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
There are so many minor and major health isssues tied into eating a non-plant diet. I struggled with headaches and sinus troubles for most of my adult life. Since I became vegan and gluten-free, I am headache free!
I think I always knew that I wanted to adopt the vegan diet, and now that I have I feel that I am being true to my real self. My health has improved, no animals are suffering from my diet choices, and the planet benefits as well. Yay!

Sage Organic Vegan Bistro

In quirky Echo Park on the ground floor of the historical Jensen's Rec Building sits Sage Organic Vegan Bistro. I've been meaning to try this place for awhile now and finally got around to hitting up their brunch on a beautiful Sunday morning.

The space is cute and bright with tons of windows to give it a nice cheerful atmosphere. I love the pendant lights made of mason jars hanging from the ceiling. You can see one just to the left of the sign in the picture below - too cute! The wait staff was very friendly even when they started to get busy. It seemed like there were a lot of regulars coming through the doors as they were greeted by name. I wanna be that cool!

On to the food! To start, my husband and I shared the TexMex Chimichanga egg rolls made with bell pepper, black beans, corn, onions, cilantro and daiya. It said it comes with a mango chutney, but we got some sort of avocado dipping sauce I believe which was A-MAZING. I started eating it straight up after the egg rolls were gone. The rolls themselves were pretty fricking good as well, so much flavor and the perfect crispy outer shell.

For his meal, the man ordered the BLTA, made with tempeh bacon, which in retrospect I should have advised him against as he really doesn't like tempeh. But I kept my mouth shut and even though he ate most of his meal and said it was ok, I don't think he was super amazed by it. I had a bite and it tasted great to me :)

I was going to go with the tacos because I always lean towards anything related to Mexican food, but decided to be daring and order the Spinach, Avocado & Walnut Sausage Florentine. It was pretty good, I liked the walnut sausage and most of the flavors were savory and delicious, but something in the dish had a little too much salt (or possibly nooch??) for my liking, maybe the hollandaise sauce? I don't eat a lot of salt so I tend to be sensitive to the taste. Overall I was pleased with my dish, but I don't think I would order it again. Next time I will definitely go for the tacos or maybe the sweet potato enchilada. And there will be a next time, because even though neither of us were super impressed with our entrees, I don't think it was the fault of the restaurant or a knock to their quality (because the egg rolls KICKED ASS!). We just ordered wrong for us.

As a nice finish I ordered a scoop of coffee nib Kind Kreme to go. YUM.

Vegan Chili

This chili is tasty, hearty and great for a detox meal. I make a huge pot and it lasts a couple days for an easy reheat-able lunch.

What you will need:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 small zucchini or squash, diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 bell peppers, diced

2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 (14 oz.) can tomatoes (or 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh)
1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
water to cover
sea salt & pepper to taste
green onions & cilantro for garnish

1. Slice and dice all your veggies.

2. Sauté vegetables in olive oil with spices in a large stock pot until tender.

3. Add tomatoes, paste, beans. lemon juice and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

5. Garnish with green onions and cilantro. Enjoy!

 

Vegan MoFo!!

 

Hey there! I'm excited to be participating in the 2012 Vegan Mofo (Vegan Month of Food). This awesome month long blogging event starts today and features a ton of blogs blogging about (obviously) food!!

I didn't pick a theme so I'm just going to have recipes and restaurant reviews. I don't think I can do every single day but I'm going to do my best to do one every other day.

I look forward to checking out all the other blogs as well...this should be fun!

Check out the blogroll here for all the amazing participants: http://www.veganmofo.com/blogroll/

Vegan in Vegas

This past weekend was my first trip to Las Vegas as a vegan. I already knew the Wynn and the Encore are very vegan friendly due to the fact that Steve Wynn is a vegan, but I didn't do much research beforehand into other hotels. This was a budget trip for us so we took the cheapest room we could find at the LVH.

We arrived Friday evening and after getting settled and cleaned up we went to meet our friends where they were staying at the MGM. I did a quick search on my phone for vegan options there and found a blog that stated the Italian restaurant Faminna had some vegan options. Sadly upon double checking we were told that all pastas contained eggs (BOO!) I definitely needed something more than a salad at this point so we moved on. Right across the way was the Japanese restaurant, Shibuya. They had a prix fix vegetarian menu that was $55, and most of it wasn't actually vegan but the waiter was nice enough to point out a couple things we could eat like the edamame, fried tofu and a veggie roll. Unfortunately their miso soup is made with fish broth, so boo to that too. I wish we were able to eat more, but it was better than continuing to search for another hour or two. Plus we had great company and conversation so it was all good. The presentation of the tofu was gorgeous and it was pretty tasty, plus we got a huge bowl of edamame.

The next day we got up pretty late so we went straight for lunch at the Wynn's Terrace Pointe Cafe. They had a vegan menu with a load of good choices, but they were all pretty pricey except for the burger, fries and chocolate milkshake combo for $9, so we both got that. In all honesty I was a bit disappointed when the food came out. It all tasted fine, but the proportions were tiny. My vegan milkshake was pretty awesome though :)

That night we decided to take our friends to a nice dinner at Top of the World at the Stratosphere. When my husband made the reservation the host told him that they did have a vegan option so we weren't worried about finding something to eat. The view there is GORGEOUS. You can see all of Vegas lit up and the restaurant rotates!! There was one vegetarian option on the menu with a bunch of vegetables and some quinoa. I figured I would play it safe and ask the waiter if they used butter in the preparation. Good thing I did because he said that they did. When I told him that I was vegan and didn't eat butter he told me that it's ok because it tasted really good. WTF?! When I said again that I was vegan and asked if it would be possible to do it without butter he told me no. So my husband and I were looking at a plate of lettuce and tomatoes for dinner basically. My crusader friend was not satisfied that the chef would not be able to make something vegan for my husband and I so she asked the waiter again if it would be possible and he gave us total attitude, saying it was Saturday night and the chef can't just make new dishes for everyone. I was pretty annoyed at this point but we finally got him to go talk to chef and when he came back the chef said it wouldn't be a problem to prepare the vegetarian meal without dairy. The food was ok, but it was basically $40 for a plate of carrots, asparagus and mushrooms. I was disappointed. I don't care how great the view is, I will not go back to that restaurant again. I didn't even want to take a picture of my food.

Sunday morning was the saving grace of the entire weekend. I had been reading about Ronald's Donuts on vegan websites for the past month and we decided to take a cab out to Chinatown to get some. After a $20 cab ride we walked into this typical little donut shop and I asked the very sweet owner which options were vegan and he pointed out the entire top two rows! I was ecstatic! Maple bars, chocolate bars, sugar twists, donut holes, apple fritters, etc....I had a hard time only choosing a couple to eat. We ended up with a fritter, 5 donuts, 12 donut holes and a large bottle of water all for $8. They were the best damn vegan donuts I had ever had. Heaven. The owner was so nice, I will definitely make this place a staple for future Vegas trips.

For lunch on Sunday we ate at the lounge in MGM Signature Lounge and had a great bowl of vegan chili (just ask for it without the cheese). After the donuts I was happy to have some hearty food in my belly. I didn't get a picture of this either because at this point I was just too darn tired and I may have had a couple margaritas in my already ;)

Overall I was a little disappointed in the vegan options in Vegas. You would think for a city with so many tourists that it would be more accommodating to different dietary needs. I think before we head out again I will do a lot more research as I'm sure there are places we just didn't know about where we could have found a decent meal.