Thriving Vegan

Sundried Tomato Pesto

2011-12-08T17:51:00.001-08:00

In my professional life, I get to do some fun projects.... like buying awesome food for UC Davis folks to eat on campus. One such project was working with my friend and colleague, Emma, to get campus grown tomatoes dried so we could use them in the dining program on campus during the times when fresh tomatoes aren't in season.

This recipe was inspired by that project, and also takes inspiration from the amazing culinary team that I get to work with at UC Davis.

Sundried Tomato Pesto
1 cup dried tomatoes
1/8th cup raw walnuts
1/8th cup raw cashews
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp chopped white onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 red jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
pinch of sea salt and pepper to taste

Rehydrate the dried tomatoes in hot water for about 10 minutes until tender. Drain tomatoes, reserving the liquid for the pesto. Combine all ingredients (except reserved water) into a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth. Add water reserved from hydrating tomatoes until the desired consistency is reached.

Serving suggestions: serve atop fresh slices of kalmata olive bread

You can get some awesome dried tomatoes at the Davis Farmers Market from Annie Main at Good Humus. Annie also sells her dried tomatoes at the Davis Food Co-op in the produce section above the fresh peppers and potatoes. Hop on over to the UC Davis bookstore to buy some of the UC Davis dried tomatoes. They have them on the shelf next to the UC Davis olive oil. Or you can order them online, too.

Enjoy!

Corn, Black Bean, Tomato, Avocado Salsa and a splash of nostalgia

2011-09-04T20:18:00.000-07:00

I had to come home this weekend.

I've been transitioning from a temporary home into a new home, and that transition has been far from stable. So, a trip to see my mom was much needed.

Stability. Reprieve. Fresno.

Mom loves my random visits - I teach her something new every time. This visit it was making pesto - cilantro and basil. Heirloom tomatoes with fresh basil and mozzarella (none for me) on crostinis. Tofu scramble. Gomashio and kale. Garlic green beans. Cabbage slaw. We also made a corn salsa, which was very well received by her partner, Ted.

Mom is trying to jump back into a healthy lifestyle. So this weekend we stocked her kitchen up with lots of fruits, veggies and love. And we also got celebratory nose piercings, together. Yes. My second nose piercing. My mom's first.

double

Mom is 48, and a rock star. I love my mom.

Corn, Black Bean, Tomato, Avocado Salsa
serves: a shit ton of people for appetizers, or one very hungry vegan

2 ears of white corn, shucked and sliced off the cobs
3 tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 avocado, cubed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of these delicious summery veggies and serve with fresh tortilla chips.

Pair that with a weekend with family and old photographs, and you get Corn, Black Bean, Tomato, Avocado Salsa and a splash of nostalgia.

Yes, that is me. In an ice chest. Hands and feet tied with caution tape. Family reunion.

Rise of the Power Vegans

2011-07-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

"The rise of the power vegan coincides with the rise of the vegan second wife..."

Interesting article from Bloomberg Businessweek on CEOs and other power moguls going vegan.

Vegan Chocolate

2010-12-21T02:07:00.000-08:00

It's 2:00am, and I am up writing a post about chocolate. Why? Well, because chocolate is the reason why I am up at 2:00am on a Monday night...

I treated myself to a nice glass of wine and half a bar of chocolate this evening after packing up my kitchen as I prepare myself for a mid-lease move. That's right, HALF a bar of chocolate... don't judge, I'm going to run tomorrow. I'm now regretting that half bar of amazingly delicious chocolate being that I am now wired, to the max.

Why does chocolate get me wired? Well, its not the caffeine. Yes, there is caffeine in chocolate, but only in trace amounts. Only about 5-10mg per ounce. You would have to eat 15 small bars of chocolate to get the same amount of caffeine that is in a small cup of coffee.

Well then, what else is in chocolate that is keeping Dani up all night? First off, there are some awesome things called alkaloids that are found in chocolate. Alkaloids are found in many plants, and function mainly to protect the plant against things that may want to eat it. Alkaloids have played an important role in medicine for centuries due to their physiological effects. Codeine is a naturally occurring alkaloid that you may recognize - it is typically used in cough syrup.

The two main alkaloids in chocolate are theobromine (this one is toxic to many animals, including dogs, so watch out pups!) and phenethylamine. Both have strong physiological effects on the body including increased circulation, brain stimulation, increased serotonin levels (happy hormone!) and more. Studies are inconclusive about its effectiveness as an aphrodisiac, but I can confirm, at least on my end, that it is. ;)

High quality dark chocolate is most often vegan. Milk solids tend to be added as bulking agents to cheaper dark chocolates, so if you find a dark chocolate with milk solids (or even soy lecithin), then don't be expecting much. Another thing to keep in mind...the higher the cocoa content in dark chocolate, the higher the caffeine and alkaloid content.

So, now a role call on all of the amazing vegan chocolates I am currently crushing on.

Theo Chocolate
Made in Washington, these chocolate boast their amazing content with beautiful packaging! I'm a design fanatic, so aesthetic packaging is always a bonus. Try the spicy chile, which contains 70% cocoa and some amazingly awesome spices!

Alter Eco
Branded to promote social justice and fair trade agreements with cocoa growers, Alter Eco chocolate is not only vegan and delicious, but also ethical! Try the Dark Cacao 73% Chocolate bar with the roasted nibs. You won't be disappointed.

Fearless Raw Chocolate
Alright my raw foodie friends, its finally time to put down your VitaMix and take a bite of this delicious RAW chocolate! Again, I spotted this one due to its AWESOME packaging made of 100% recycled paper board! And don't get freaked out by the cute 'bite' in your Fearless bar - that 'bite' signifies the 1% of all profits donated to changemakers! This lovely chocolate company is based out of Oakland, CA. Can't wait for a tour! Try the Exploding Coconuts - 70% cocoa, 100% raw, vegan and DELICIOUS!

TCHO Chocolate
This lovely chocolate factory is located on the Embarcadero in San Francisco! Tours at 10am and 2pm every day! Still haven't gone, yet, but on the top of my list for my next city adventure. Similar to coffee, the cocoa beans are chosen for their unique flavors. I tried the 'citrus' and 'fruity' chocolates. No added flavors, just the beans! Great packaging, too, with simple coding to help the chocolate eater understand the different flavor profiles of the cocoa beans.

Now that you know all about chocolate's amazing impact on your body (and your taste buds!) get yourself out of bed and go buy some chocolate! And for those of you interested in guilt-free, serotonin-inducing chocolate indulgences, please read up on why your should buy fairly traded cocoa! ;)

Vegan Napa

2010-11-26T18:10:00.000-08:00

Napa has long been a foodie destination. With rolling hills laden with fruit-rich vineyards, the home of the west coast Dean & Deluca's, and so many beautiful wineries and restaurants, it is definitely on the top of many tourists' lists.

I don't take advantage of my proximity to the Napa valley enough - I only live about 1 hours drive to the east in cosy little Davis! And my, what a beautiful drive through the Lake Berryessa wilderness and hills.

First vegan stop in Napa was a lovely dinner with the N boy - my treat. =)

Ubuntu in Napa, CA

Ubuntu
Ubuntu is a Michelin rated vegetarian restaurant. The feature farm-fresh produce and have quite a creative flare. Many of their tapas style dishes can be made vegan if not vegan already. N and I tried the vegan milkshake, four of their delicious entrees, and he enjoyed a non-vegan rice pudding for dessert. For a treat, they served us a butternut squash whipped cream that melted in your mouth. The aperitif was delicious as well. A great environment, Ubuntu is located in downtown Napa and shares space with the Ubuntu yoga studio. I was very excited that they were featuring my favorite beans - Rancho Gordo heirloom yellow eye beans - in the stew that I ordered. I came back the following day and bought the beans from their cute little retail store. My highest recommendations for a nice treat, but I won't be visiting too often... with their amazing Michelin rating comes a hefty price tag. ;)

Vegan aperitif at Ubuntu

Oxbow Public Market
The Oxbow Public Market is beautiful! And it attracts quite a bit of foodie attention as N and I were told by the women who served us delicious vegan ice cream from the Three Twins Ice Cream Stand touting the many visits of celebrity chefs to the market. I purchased some delightful goodies from the produce/grocery stand at the entrance. Kara's Cupcakes unfortunately didn't have any vegan cupcakes, but they do serve gluten free cupcakes. I loaded up with some delicious spices and flavored salts from Whole Spice. N and I returned for lunch later in the day for a nice meal of Mexican food from C CASA. I had a delicious white bean taco and an apple, cabbage, broccoli slaw, and of course a local Napa beer! The fresh made tortillas and tortilla chips were amazing! Nico enjoyed his sustainably raised, not-so-vegan ground Bison taco and the roasted fingerling potatoes. SO GOOD!

There were many many more deliciously enticing stands in the market, but alas, we only we able to eat so much. We will definitely be visiting soon and checking out the Pica Pica Maize Kitchen, which offered up plenty of promisingly delectable vegan dishes as well!

Vegan chocolate ice cream!

Napa is also the home of Rancho Gordo, the heirloom bean company that I mentioned earlier when discussing Ubuntu. Unfortunately their storefront is closed on Sundays. But all was well, because there were several retail operations that sold their delicious heirloom beans. We stopped by the Fatted Calf (yes, it is a butcher shop, but they have beans!!!) to load up on four more bags of my Rancho Gordo faves.

Feeling the Rancho Gordo touching beans in Fatted Calf

Napa was beautiful, and we will be visiting again soon. Especially now that I know I can be a
happy vegan and foodie while adventuring through the Napa Valley.

More pictures from our visit below...

C CASA deliciousness!

C CASA

Whole Spice has an amazing selection of bulk
(and pre-packed) herbs, spices, salts and so much more!

Rancho Gordo beans make the world a better place

Touching beans, up close and personal

Vegetables on Subscription

2010-09-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

I finally signed up for my first CSA (community supported agriculture). I have a few acquaintances who farm outside of Davis at Full Circle Farm. I met them through volunteering at the Student Farm on campus at UC Davis.

The basket is delivered on campus right across from my office every Monday. Super convenient.

I had been putting off CSA membership for quite some time because I love shopping for fresh produce at the Davis Farmers Market. As my produce shopping days have decreased due to overactive weekends, it made sense to transition into a vegetable and fruit subscription.

Vegetables!

It is great to see a group of my peers being able to do something they love, grow food. And it feels even better to know that they are growing it for me and my household. I have always loved the idea of a CSA, and I can already tell you how in love with my CSA I am. Figs today! And lots of summer vegetables!

I'm making tomatillo salsa and grilling up the eggplant and peppers as I type.

Look at those purple tomatillos!

More news to come.

Interested in a CSA in your area - check out Local Harvest.

Basil Pesto (and immersion blenders)

2010-08-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

A sad state of affairs. I returned home from a weekend trip to find my blender non-functional. I picked up the bases and shook it a bit only to hear loose screws and part rattling around aimlessly. As you can imagine, sad thoughts passed through my mind when I realized I would be without a blender. No more pesto. No more 'cheeze'. No more margaritas (the most important).

What is a *vegan* girl to do?

It was inevitable, my blender breaking. Living in a house with three others and lending my lovely blender out to the community means lots of wear and tear.

I did consider purchasing a new blender, but my taste for kitchen equipment is rather expensive. And, it was 9pm at night and I had a bag full of basil that needed to be processed into pesto right away.

Lots of bolted basil that needed to be cleaned and pesto-ized

This is where the immersion blender steps in... no, more like strides in, head fully propped with nose in the air to save the day and do it with smarts and style!

I'll give you too pesto-making scenarios, and you can decide which to pursue for your own basil pesto making adventures.

Scenario 1.
Clean basil. Dump garlic, oil, lemon, some basil leaves, walnuts and salt into blender. Blend until basil kinda chops up. Grab your wooden spoon and 'stir' the basil around in hopes of creating more blending ease. Blend. Stop. Stir. Blend. Stop, stir. Decide to stir while you are blending. Knick your wooden spoon on the blender blades. Get shrapnel of wooden spoon all up in your pesto. Blend until shrapnel 'disappears'. Stir with chewed up wooden spoon. Add more lemon. Too much lemon. Add more basil. Oh no, you run out of basil.... and blend.stir.blend.stir.blend.stir.blend.... DONE!

Scenario 2.
Clean basil. Dump basil, garlic, walnuts, lemon salt into a large bowl (like a Pyrex liquid measuring cup). Stick your immersion blender in. Blend until smooth. Add more basil. Blend until smooth. DONE!

I may have over-exaggerated the blender scenario, but honestly, it took me 3 minutes to make pesto with the immersion blender. It takes me about 10-15 minutes to make it in my blender, and I often still have chunks of walnut and a chewed up spoon at the end of the event.

Recipe for Success(ful pesto!)

Ingredients:
8 cups basil leaves, cleaned and stemmed
1 cup walnuts
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, shelled
salt, to taste

Dump the garlic, walnuts, oil and lemon juice with about 1/4th of the basil leaves into a large bowl. Stick your ***immersion blender!!!*** into the bowl and stir and blend away. Add in the remaining basil leaves until you get a smooth texture. Add salt to taste. Enjoy!

8 cups of basil produced about 2 cups of pesto... crazy!

Work Perks

2010-07-13T23:04:00.000-07:00

Working for University Dining Services sure has it perks sometimes. Especially being the only vegan. Why? Because I get to sample all of the awesome new vegan recipes we test for our menus! =)

Today, I brought home some Thai Green Curry sauce for dinner courtesy of the amazing Chef Bob from the CSC. I'll try and get the recipe up soon.

Also, while ordering mushrooms for one of our Farmers Market Specials, I stumbled upon BTTR Ventures (Back to the Roots, also pronounced 'better') based out of Berkeley. I ordered 2 of their mushroom-growing kits - one for myself, and one to raffle off to the students. Super excited for my oyster mushrooms to start growing!

Check them out - they were started by two 2009 UC Berkeley graduates. UC love!

My babies should start growing soon!

Ever wonder what I get to do at work? Well, for one, I get to rock a hair net (occasionally). How cool is that?! Ha.

At work - touring a colleague from a sister university
around our back kitchens, about to enter the CSC (hair net zone!)

Coconut Ice Cream with Toasted, Chopped Almonds and Apricot Preserves

2010-07-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

I don't have a photo for this one, nor a recipe, but it was an amazing concoction I dreamed up while at work today thinking of the 1/4c of preserves I had leftover from my apricot preserve canning two nights ago.

Yes, I think of preserves at work.

Don't judge me.

Well, maybe you are like me, and in that case, celebrate! You aren't the only one obsessing over food every minute of the day. I'm all for solidarity.

Back to the dessert creation.

After cooking N and L a nice little semi-raw dinner of avocado salsa in my favorite corn tortillas with sunflower seed and sun dried tomato spread, I was sitting on my back porch on our new futon wanting ice cream.

Having made preserves the night before, and dreaming about ways to utilize that smidgen of leftovers that wouldn't fit into any of the jars, I decided ice cream and apricot preserves would be a good call.

My apricots - pre preserves

So, after some gentle persuasion (well, actually, no persuasion at all since he is always up for dessert), N and I biked to our lovely CoOp to pick up Coconut Bliss. Because N was paying the tab, I was able to nab some other delicious foodie things that I wouldn't otherwise splurge on - Soy Delicious Coconut Ice Cream Sandwiches, some vegan cookie dough I have been meaning to try, and another jar of pickles (my third one for the week! wtf!)

Cut to home.

Popped open the fridge. Heated up the apricot preserves. Took some finely chopped almonds from the fridge (from a previous cookie). Toasted them in a skillet. Plopped several scoops of Vanilla Coconut Bliss into some ice cream bowls. Drizzled with warm apricot preserves. Topped with steamy and toasted almonds. Then... "snap, crackle, pop!"

To my surprise, the delectable dessert started crackling like rice crispy treats!

I don't really need to say this, because you should already assume, the treat was DELICIOUS!

Vegan Honey Mustard Tofu and Roasted Veggies

2010-04-02T23:16:00.000-07:00

So easy. All you have to do is cut everything up and stick it in the oven at 425F for about 25-35 minutes.

Vegan 'Honey' Mustard Tofu & Roasted Veggies

I'm not going to give you the whole recipe, because all it would be is sliced tofu, chopped cabbage, chopped onions and diced carrots.

But here is the recipe for the 'Honey' Mustard Dressing.

And for all of you who are now avoiding high fructose Agave syrup (aka 'agave nectar'), you can easily replace this with ingredient with brown rice syrup. Or maple.

Vegan Honey Mustard Dressing
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/3c agave nectar or brown rice syrup
2 1/2 Tbsp dijon-type mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 garlic clove
pepper, to taste
1/3c olive oil

Puree in a food processor, blender, or bullet. Use as a dressing, or pour over tofu and chopped veggies. Roast in oven at 425F for about 30 minutes.

Pre-roasting...

Post-roasting...

Vegan Root Beer Floats

2010-03-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

A fun post - since you should all know how to make a root beer float. N picked up some bottled sarsaparilla at the CoOp. I had some plain soy ice cream in the freezer. What developed was a delicious sarsaparilla float that we downed in less than 5 minutes (brain freeze, anyone!?)

an empty jar = happy tummy

Edamame Fried Rice

2010-02-27T23:33:00.001-08:00

I really wanted to make a quick and easy meal. I had some extra brown rice in my fridge from a couple of days ago and needed to use it up.

Cooking 101 demo with Efrain at work

I just had a cooking demo at work with Efrain and he made some yummy tofu fried rice for the students to try. I decided to make it for dinner when I got home and load it up with even more yummy veggies.

This takes about 15 minutes, total, to prep and cook. Yes!

Edamame Fried Rice
serves 2

1 cup brown rice, cooked
1/4 cup purple cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup kale, chopped
1/2 cup bok choy, chopped
1/4th white onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ginger powder (or fresh ginger)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
tamari, to taste
1 cup edamame

Sautee the onions, kale, bok choy and cabbage in skillet with sesame oil and ginger. Add in the rice vinegar. Cook until tender.

Add in the brown rice, tamari and edamame. Drizzle tamari over the mixture and mix.

Serve warm!

Delicious! And veggie heavy!

Typically fried rice makes me feel very heavy. I am sure it is all of the oil that ends up in take-out quality fried rice. The fried rice dish Efrain made and the demo, and the dish I cooked up above, left me feeling light and satisfied. The best feeling ever.

Roasted Acorn Squash and Tofu Walnut Crumble

2010-02-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

In my little community in Davis we get a lot of foraged/salvaged dumpster food. It is actually a sweet set-up. And I am not talking gross, slimy dumpster food. You may not be aware of this, but it is common practice for grocery stores to toss food - yes, throw FOOD away - if it is blemished, if the packaging is a damaged, if it has any hint of rot or bruising, or if it is a day away from its expiration. We have a friend of the community who does regular deliveries of the salvaged food to our community house. The food usually in really great condition or ready to be used immediately.

Why do so many grocery stores throw away food? Why not send it to the local food bank? Why not give it to people who need it the most? Why throw it away? The answer - convenience. It is easier to throw something away than worry about having to set up a relationship with a local food bank.

Other reasons - some businesses may be wary of donating their 'rotting' food for fear of being sued. There are laws that protect companies who do want to donate their food. One in particular is the Good Samaritan Act. So it is not illegal to donate these types of foods to people who NEED THEM!

I don't need free food. I enjoy free food, and I think many would be in the same boat. Free food is awesome!

So tonight, I made a great dish with a super sweet acorn squash I picked up from the salvage pile a couple of weeks ago. I have no idea WHY it was thrown away, this particular cute little acorn squash guy, because it was perfectly fine and blemish free! Regardless, my salvaged acorn squash became a mighty tasty meal!

Roasted Acorn Squash and Tofu Walnut Crumble
serve 2-4 people

1 acorn squash, cored and sliced into 1" slices
1 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup extra firm nigari tofu
1 cup chopped red cabbage
1/2 cub chopped celery
1/2 white onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp all-purpose seasoning
1 tsp tamari
1/8 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vegan butter
sea salt

Place the squash in a 9x11 glass baking dish coated in canola oil. Roast the acorn squash at 375F for 30-45 minutes, or until tender.

In a large skillet, sautee onions, cabbage, celery and all-purpose seasoning with remainder canola oil. When onions are translucent add in the apple cider vinegar. Crumble the tofu into the skillet and pour in the tamari and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until tofu becomes slightly browned. Turn off the heat and add the walnuts.

Remove the acorn squash from the oven.

Melt butter and maple syrup together in small skillet. Place slices of squash into skillet and let cook in syrup/butter mixture for about 10 seconds on each side. Remove the squash from the skillet and fill the center of each squash slice with a scoop of the tofu walnut crumble.

Drizzle remainder maple syrup/butter mixture over top of plated squash crumble. Sprinkle a half-pinch of sea salt over top.

Enjoy!

A Valentine Surprise - Whimsy Cupcakes

2010-02-15T22:58:00.001-08:00

My partner, N, surprised me with hand-made chocolate raspberry-filled cupcakes for our 3yr anniversary (and Valentines Day). Yes, our anniversary is on Valentines day. He is super cute!

The cupcakes were hand-made by Emily Ringelman, the face of Whimsy Cupcakes in Davis. She makes vegan cupcakes on request. Definitely check her out if you live in Davis or the area. Although the lack of a store-front makes her a little less competitive than my fave Let Them Eat Cake, she definitely competes taste-wise!

They were delicious! He sure knows the way to my heart... chocolate cupcakes!

There are two missing because N and I dug right in!

So soft and moist!

Butternut Squash 'Quesadillas'

2010-02-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

I love Mexican food. I LOVE it! I remember when I was growing I became best friends with my next door neighbor, Alice. She and I would join her mom, Maria, in the kitchen to make home-made tortillas and tamales. We used to sneak balls of raw tortilla dough when Maria wasn't looking, then she would scold us at dinner when we were too full on dough balls to eat.

Although I am very white, Mexican food is a very strong part of my background. It was when I was younger I had a best friend that was Mexican. It was then that I became aware of some of the cultural and racial divides between my family and Alice's. And especially as I was growing up and experienced family members racist and hostile remarks about immigrants from the south, I would think back to Alice and Maria and how they welcomed me, a little white girl, into their home to share something so innate and simple - good food. I think it was then that I made the human connection and realized that we are all the same, we are all human, and race, ethnicity and legal status should not break down the walls of community.

So with that, I dedicate this recipe to Alice and Maria who taught me the importance of good Mexican food and community at such a young age.

Butternut Squash Quesadillas
Makes 5 quesadillas

5 whole wheat flour tortillas
1/2 of a roasted butternut squash
4" piece of extra firm nigari tofu
1/2 tetra-pack container of Mori-nu silken soft tofu
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
ground oregano and basil to taste
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
canola oil

Begin by roasting your squash at 375F for about 45 minutes or until the skin is golden, crispy and wrinkly.

Let squash cool while you prep other ingredients. In a small saucepan, caramelize onions in 1tsp canola oil, cumin, cayenne, basil, oregano, sea salt and black pepper.

In a blender or food processor, puree the tofu, caramelized onions, butternut squash until smooth and creamy.

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat tortillas until pliable. Spread squash and tofu mixture over one-half of the tortilla and fold tortilla in half. Cook on both sides until browned.

Slice into quarter and serve with fresh lime, guacamole and salsa.

Enjoy!

This squash was happy to be baked. Does a permanent
marker smiley face make an organic squash 'un-organic'? =)

Onions with cumin and cayenne

Creamy butternut squash 'cheese'! So goooood

Nico said this was my best meal ever...

Vegan Agave Whole Wheat Bread

2010-02-07T23:21:00.000-08:00

I have been moving, so my posting has been put on the back-burner.

One of my goals for this year was to master the art of baking bread. I have made eight loaves on bread in the past month. I have been testing this recipe several times, and am thinking of trying some different flours with it soon.

Beautiful, bread!

Thanks to a nice new kitchen, my last two batches (my recipe makes two loaves each) have turned out exceptionally well. In the crappy place I lived prior to my move (I moved on MLK Jr. day), the oven was ancient and was not conducive to bread baking. My crusts would burn, and my loaf would be undercooked in the center. Talk about disappointing, especially given all the time I would spend kneading and letting the bread rise.

This is a recipe that I found on a bag of flour I got for free. I veganized it!

I am going to test a 100% whole wheat flour bread soooooon. I really want to pack in the fiber.

Agave Whole Wheat Bread

2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105-115F)
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup Earth Balance
2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cup very warm water (120-130F)
4 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cup all-purpose white flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl, set aside.

Mix honey, butter salt and warm water together. Let cool. Beat in 3 cups of the whole wheat flour with electric mixer on low speed. Beat for 3 minutes, then add in additional 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and dissolved yeast mixture.

Slowly stir in 2 1/2 cup of white flour until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and turns into a ball.

Knead the dough (either on a floured work surface or in your Kitchenaid mixer) for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy.

Grease a large bowl with canola oil and place ball of dough in bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.

Grease two loaf pans with canola oil.

Punch dough to deflate (so fun!) and divide dough ball in half. Roll each half of dough on a floured surface into a large rectangle, about 18x8 inches in size. Roll dough up from short end. When completely rolled up, pinch each end of the dough to seal it, then fold the ends underneath the loaf.

Place seam side down in loaf pan and let rise for an additional 30-45minutes.

Bake for 30 minutes at 375F. Reduce heat to 350F and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Enjoy!

-How to roll the dough out-

Step 1: Punch dough to deflate! Think of that person

you really hate, then swing, hard. It feels good.

Split dough in half, and place on floured cutting board.

Roll dough out into 18x8" rectangle.

Bring on the shorter side and roll dough up, pressing down with each roll

Pinch the ends of the loaf in.

Fold the pinched ends under the loaf. Then place
in pan for second and final rise before baking.

Mamma loaf and her babies!

Finished product!

I typically freeze my second loaf...

Gracias Madre Restaurant

2010-01-05T22:42:00.000-08:00

I love living near the San Francisco Bay Area - there is such great access to amazing vegan food! San Francisco is the go-to place for me when I am craving good vegan food. From Greens Restaurant on the waterfront, Maggie Mudds (ice cream) to the super gourmet Millennium Restaurant, and so many more. Then there is Cafe Gratitude, which is in a league of its own.

Cafe Gratitude has been, by far, my favorite vegan restaurant. I learned about Cafe Gratitude about four years ago. Not sure how or where I heard about it, most likely Veg News or Vegetarian Times. For my first visit, I popped in off the street with one of my non-vegan/non-vegetarian girlfriends after recognizing the name. We just so happened to be walking by. It was fate!

Not only does Cafe Gratitude have amazing vegan, gluten-free and raw food, but they also have a very welcoming and comforting environment. The waitresses and waiters are trained to be super warm and open with the customers. There is a board game you can play on each table, the water carafes are engraved with uplifting words, all the menu items have uplifting names as well. When you order something, like 'I Am Sensational', the waiter/waitress will respond to you with... 'You Are Sensational.'

I received the most exciting news on Friday of last week - Cafe Gratitude had just opened up a new Mexican-themed cafe, Gracias Madre, in the Mission District in SF. It doors opened the day after Christmas. I was elated! (Elated - that is actually the name of the enchiladas served at the regular Cafe Gratitude). A strictly vegan Mexican restaurant! My favorite food is Mexican food! Celebrate!

Being in the Bay Area already, visiting N's parents in Mill Valley (just north of San Francisco), we were in prime location for a lunch visit. On a trip into the city this past Sunday to do some post-holiday Thrift Store shopping, N, his mom and I visited Gracias Madre for the first time. It still has the 'new building' smell, and all of the wood is super new. The sign above the restaurant is bright yellow. The 'gates' that enter into the restaurant are decorated with metal maize. The entrance has a beautiful pointalism (mosaic-esque) mural of a farm scene with Our Lady Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico, at the center.

Maize gates

Our Lady Guadalupe Mural by DaveSG

The restaurant is absolutely beautiful inside and out. Even the bathrooms are gorgeous with painted tile lining the walls. We chose a cozy seat outside under the heat lamps. Similar to the regular Cafe Gratitude, cloth napkins and water carafes graced the tables. There was also an additional coupling of two different salsas - tomato based and a chili verde base.

The water carafes are wine bottles...

Gracias Madre menu and cloth napkins - love!

N and I ordered the Chiles Rellenos and N's mom ordered the Quesadillas de Calabaza. The Chiles Rellenos were made of roasted poblano chiles stuffed with roasted peppers and onions and topped with cheese (made of cashews). The dish was served with rice and beans, and it was supposed to come with tortillas, but mysteriously they did not show up. I was too distracted to care, and had already had a taste of their amazing home-made tortillas with N's mom's quesadillas. The Quesadillas de Calabaza were made up of roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, and cashew cheese folded up in their homemade corn tortillas and topped with pumpkin seed salsa.

Gracias Madre menu

Chiles Rellenos

Chiles Rellenos

Quesadilla de Calabaza

Both items were phenomenal! I, of course, had a margarita with my meal. Mexican food is not complete without a margarita!

Nothing like a mid-day cocktail at an amazing vegan restaurant!

For dessert, N and I split the chocolate mousse, which arrived topped with cocoa nibs and an almond. The mousse was amazingly fluffy and creamy. This was the first mousse I have had since going vegan - and it was soooo good! N's mom ordered the Coconut Lime Cheesecake, which took the cake when it came to our dessert choices (no pun intended). It was so delicious! I was jealous I didn't order the cheesecake. The crust was made out of crushed almonds. It was amazing!

Chocolate Mousse

Coconut Lime Cheesecake

The best thing about their food? Not only is it ALL vegan, but it is organic/biodynamically grown and most of it is locally grown too! Can't get any better than that!

I definitely encourage all of you locals to check it out! And, if you don't live in Northern Cali, make sure and check out both Cafe Gratitude and Gracias Madre when you visit San Francisco. It is worth the visit, I promise!

Vegan French Toast

2010-01-02T14:47:00.001-08:00

My younger brother, Kyle, is my biggest critic when it comes to my vegan cooking. Being a rather picky eater, and also being an adamant carnivore, Kyle often times outright HATES my food. I have to hand it to him, he does his best to try my cooking. And by try, I mean take one bite.

Kyle, my younger brother and biggest critic

My French toast is another story. I made this for him when he was helping me move into my new place. From the words of my biggest critic... 'This is the BEST vegan food I have ever had!'.

So there you go. For a person who is (1) very picky and (2) hates vegan food, this recipe is a winner. Try it on your non-vegan friends and family. I am sure they can't even tell the difference.

I made these again this morning while visiting N's parents in Mill Valley. When in Mill Valley, I love shopping for local food that I can't get in Davis, like Lovesticks. I look forward to this bread every time I come to the bay. I typically prefer the ones with sunflower seeds, but when I went to the Mill Valley Market, they only had one loaf left, and it was sesame seed. Still very good!

Vegan French Toast
whole wheat baguette, sliced or several slices of whole wheat bread
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp cane sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg (optional)

Mix the soy milk, flour, sugar and spices in a wide bowl. Dip the slices of bread in the mixture, letting soak for about 10 seconds. Make sure each side is covered it the flour-milk mixture. Place on a non-stick griddle pan at medium heat. Brown each side. Serve with maple syrup, jam, chocolate hummus, whatever!

I love using Judy's Breadsticks, also known as Lovesticks, for French toast.

I look forward to this bread every time I visit Mill Valley with my partner, N.

I like mine with pure maple syrup!

French toast, for me, is ultimate comfort food. Loaded in carbohydrates, I typically on fuel up on these after a big run or before a nice bike ride.... it is all about balance. These babies will give you loads of energy!

Persimmons - Persimmon Cookies

2010-01-01T23:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. Not because of the gifts, but because of the awesome food traditions! Spiced apple cider. Cinnamon rolls. Hot chocolate. Persimmon cookies. Ginger snaps. Sugar cookies. These are just a few of my favorites.

My dad loves persimmon cookies. And so does my grandpa. As you may remember, I picked up a load of free persimmons from a friend's tree. I decided to bake with some of them...

Persimmon Cookies

Ingredients:
2 ripe persimmons, pureed with skin on
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup evaporated cane juice
1 egg replacer
1/2 cup melted margarine or canola oil (I used margarine)
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1c raisins
1c chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375F. Puree the persimmons. Blend the persimmons, spices, egg replacer and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add in the flour and baking soda and mix well. Finally, fold in the raisins and chopped walnuts. Place the dough in teaspoons full on a baking stone or ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Pureed persimmons - liquid yumminess!

Cookie dough...

Finished cookies

Bon Appetit - Chocolate Cake with Chocolate-Orange Frosting and Pan-Seared Polenta with Spicy Tomato-Basil Sauce

2009-12-28T17:32:00.000-08:00

I'm visiting my great aunt and uncle at their vineyard and winery in Paso Robles. They live on about 30 beautiful acres in the hills of west Paso Robles. The name of their wine is Ecluse, French for Lock, my family's last name.

Chocolate Cake with Ecluse in the background

Every time I visit the vineyard, my Aunt and Uncle go out of their way to accommodate my veganism. My uncle is an excellent cook, and has taught me many things as I have shared his kitchen with him through the years. Prior to our arrival this afternoon, Uncle Steve baked an amazing chocolate cake from the January 2010 issue of Bon Appetite. I was given the task of making the frosting and frosting the cake. I chose to add sliced oranges on the sides of the cake for a good presentation. For dinner we also tried the Pan-Seared Polenta with Spicy Tomato-Basil Sauce. The recipes, under the entertainment section titled 'Modern Vegetarian Party', were submitted by Kate and Scott Fogarty. Although there is a picture of grilled meat on the cover of January's issue, I do like how the Bon Appetit publication is increasingly including vegan and vegetarian recipes within its pages. =)

Pan-Seared Polenta with Spicy Tomato-Basil Sauce
by Kate and Scott Fogarty

Polenta Ingredients:
8 cups water
5 tablespoons (or more) olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups polenta (coarse cornmeal)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Fresh basil sprigs (for garnish; optional)

Tomato Sauce Ingredients
4 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes with added puree (from two 28-ounce cans), divided
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (finely crushed in plastic bag)
3/8 teaspoon (or more) dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil, divided
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper

Tomato Sauce Preparation
Place 1 cup crushed tomatoes in blender. Add pine nuts and blend until very smooth, about 1 minute.

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, fennel seeds, and 3/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper. Sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining crushed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons chopped basil, wine, and oregano. Scrape in tomato mixture from blender and stir to combine. Simmer sauce until flavors blend, 5 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more dried crushed red pepper, if desired. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill.

Rewarm sauce. Mix in remaining chopped basil

Polenta Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish on rimmed baking sheet. Combine 8 cups water, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 teaspoons salt in dish. Gradually mix in polenta.

Place baking sheet with polenta in oven. Bake polenta 1 hour. Add pepper and stir to blend. Bake 20 minutes. Stir again and spread evenly. Bake until polenta is very thick, about 20 minutes longer. Cool polenta to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours (polenta will become firm). Using metal spatula, press polenta all over to even thickness. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with plastic wrap; chill.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut polenta lengthwise into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 6 squares. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add polenta squares. Sauté until crisp and beginning to color, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer polenta to small baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining polenta, adding oil to skillet as needed.

Divide polenta among plates. Top with warm Spicy Tomato-Basil Sauce. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired.

Sauteing the polenta

The finished polenta with tomato sauce

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate-Orange Frosting
by Kate and Scott Fogarty

Ingredients
Cake
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

Frosting
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) vegan "butter" (such as Earth Balance) or margarine, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed, divided1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Large pinch of salt
1/4 cup light agave nectar

Preparation

CAKE

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Sift all purpose flour, sugar, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into large bowl. Add 3/4 cup water, oil, juice concentrate, vanilla, and vinegar and whisk to blend. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack. Carefully cut around pan sides and turn out cake onto serving platter

FROSTING

Place chopped bittersweet chocolate in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir constantly until chocolate is melted and smooth. Carefully transfer bowl to work surface. Cool melted chocolate to room temperature, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.

Using electric mixer, beat "butter" in large bowl until smooth. Add powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon juice concentrate, vanilla, and salt; beat until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons juice concentrate; beat until blended. Beat in agave nectar, then chocolate. Let stand 10 minutes. Frost top and sides of cake.

DO AHEAD Cake can be made up to 8 hours ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.

Cake...

...sliced

The polenta was to die for. It was crispy, filled with flavor and not greasy. The cake was amazing! What a success... definitely something that my Uncle wants to share with non-vegans.

We paired the meal with a fresh green salad
and sauted green beans and mushrooms.

During our visit, my uncle and aunt also taught us the secrets of the wine trade - J. Riedel wine glasses. We tested out two different wines, a Pinot and a Cab. They have a great collection of Riedel wine glasses, each shaped precisely for the sensory aspects of each particular variety of wine. The shape of the glass determines the aroma and the way the wine falls into the consumers mouth, which can make or break the sensory experience of a wine. My Aunt and Uncle are now pros on Riedel glasses after attending a workshop on them. Although I was skeptical at first, there really is some validity to the whole thing. There was definitely a difference in aroma and taste when the same wine was tasted from each of the differently-shaped glasses.

Tasting the pinot - the pinot glass is the large one in the foreground...

Aunt Pam taught me that the Riedel name or logo
is stamped on the base of each Riedel glass, so
look for this for a high-quality wine glass

Persimmons - How to Dry Persimmons

2009-12-27T23:13:00.000-08:00

N and I visited Mill Valley last weekend prior to Christmas. Upon arriving at his friends house, I was super excited to see a haichiya persimmon tree abundantly gilded with ripe fruit. I haven't actually cooked or eaten an haichiya persimmons this season... I guess I have been waiting to get them for free!

N, picking persimmons!

Of course, N's friends allowed us to load up a bag full persimmons. And I was a happy woman. I split the load with N's parents and took a bowl full home with me. What to do with persimmons? Well, with haichiya's you need to eat and cook with them when they are fully ripe. They are loaded with tannins and are very astringent when you eat them under-ripe.

A bike bag full of persimmons... joy.

With the ooey, gooey, ripe haichiyas you can cook them and eat them raw. I have a sweet recipe for persimmon cookies (posting soon!).

Quick-tip. Stick the persimmons in the freezer over night if they are still unripe. This will help break down the tannins, and after defrosting them the next day you should be able to cook with them!

But what do to with the firm persimmons, especially when you have loads of them? Dry them!

Hang Drying Persimmons
This is easiest to do with persimmons that have stems. If you have the opportunity to pick the persimmons yourself, bring a pair of clippers and clip the persimmons off so the stems are in the shape of a 'T'. This will make is easier to hang them. If not, no worries, you can still hang your persimmons, it will just be a little trickier.

Supplies:
- yarn or string
- persimmons
- peeler or paring

Step 1: peel your persimmons; remove all the skins.

Step 2: take the string and cut 4" sections to tie the persimmons with.

Step 3: tie a piece of 4" string to each of the persimmon stems. If there is no stem, then try and place it beneath the 'leaves' of the persimmon.

Step 4: find a place to hang your persimmons (I hung mine in my closet). Measure out and cut a piece of string that will reach about 1ft from the floor.

Step 5: tie the persimmons onto the string; tie the string up

Step 6: let persimmons dry for about one month.

Step 7: remove strings, enjoy!

Need more guidance? Check out this great article.

Persimmons, ties and ready to be hung.

When there is no stem, just tie it beneath the leaves.

Hanging the persimmons...

Mine are hanging up in my closet from my curtain rack.

Homemade Vegan Holidays Gifts

2009-12-21T01:23:00.000-08:00

5 days until Christmas. Haven't picked out anything for your family or friends yet? Here are some awesome home-made food gift ideas that I cooked up over the week to give to co-workers, friends and family. Note - these are not my recipes, but are credited to the people/websites noted. I spent a night making the first three recipes, probably a total, of 4 hours. The candied grapefruit took me about 4 hours total. Pretty labor intensive, but really yummy! When you are done with all these, they go great in 1/2 pint and pint jars. They can be made pretty by adding ribbons, yarn, and home-made labels detailing their contents. Enjoy!

Mango Chutney
We get a lot of free food in my community. Pretty much stuff that is going to be thrown away by grocery stores. This week, we got a load of mangoes. I jumped on those because I never buy mangoes in California. The recipe is really simple and can be easily adjusted to make the chutney more or less spicy - just add more or less pepper.

Slicing mangoes - N. in the background

The finished mango chutney

Satsuma Mandarin Marmalade
Again, more free food. The mandarins in my area are ripe and bursting from the trees. The mandarins I used for this recipe came from my house-mates ranch. I am luck to be the recipient of so much FREE fruit! For the recipe, I used the mandarins in place of the tangerines. And no, I did not supreme the mandarins, that would have been insane. Instead, I peeled them, cut them in half and popped out the seeds.

I found the most efficient way to wash a but load of mandarins
was to dump them all in the sink and run them under cold water.

The finished mandarin marmalade.
Sweeter than your regular marmalade. =)

Chocolate Hummus
Yep, chocolate beans. This stuff is sooooo good! I doubled the peanut butter and used a Dagoba hot chocolate that had chili and cinnamon in it in place of the dutch processed cocoa. Super awesome product. This is something that you cannot 'preserve', so if you do plan on giving this as a gift, be sure to have the recipient pop it straight into the fridge. With the protein and the sugars in this baby, you don't want to let it sit out at room temperature for too long.

I dug into this one that I gave to N's parents -
don't worry, I ate it after I gave it to them!

Candied Grapefruit
These grapefruit are from a tree located on a property for sale right outside of Davis. Being neglected, I took the opportunity to harvest a good bounty. These candied grapefruit rinds are deliciously sweet and tart at the same time. They are also really good dipped in chocolate. Make sure to pop these babies in the oven at about 200F for 1 hr after rolling them in the sugar. This will help them to harden.

Persimmon Buttercup Squash Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting

2009-12-06T20:07:00.000-08:00

- celebrate -

My dear friend, Katie, turned 21 on Saturday. In celebration of her birth and her amazingness, I decide to make her some drop-dead awesome vegan cupcakes with her favorite foodie ingredients.

Being fall, and fall being totally awesome, I was able to load up her cupcakes with some yummy goodness. Katie has introduced me to so many new fruits and vegetables, and I wanted to share her introductions in the form of a cupcake.

Key ingredients:

Fuyu persimmons - I never ate a persimmon raw until I came to Davis; I have Katie to thank for that
Meyer lemons -I am pretty sure I had a Meyer lemon before Katie came along, but it was her who taught me about this particular variety and its amazing flavor
Buttercup squash - Katie and I did a fall squash taste-test last year; buttercup ranked the highest for both of us
Satsuma mandarin rinds - did you know you can eat these raw? They are really awesome, and go great in tea. I candied these for the tops of the cupcakes.

Katie didn't have a typical 21st birthday party. Yes, there was some booze, but not the amounts most often associated with the celebration of coming of age parties. The highlight of the night was the food and the beer tasting.

Celebrate!

Persimmon Buttercup Squash Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting topped with candied citrus rinds
makes 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes
1 cup soymilk
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 cups flour
2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp freshly grated ginger root
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup grated fuyu persimmon (1 medium persimmon)
1 cup cooked, pureed buttercup squash

Frosting
1/2 cup margarine
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
juice from 1 meyer lemon (keep the rind)

Candied Satsuma and Lemon Rinds
meyer lemon rind, sliced up in small strips
3 satsuma mandarin rinds, sliced up in small strips
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water

To make the cupcakes...
Preheat oven to 350F. Line two cupcake pans with cupcake liners. Mix the soy milk and vinegar and let sit for five minutes. Combine the sugar with the oil, vanilla, spices, persimmon, ginger, and squash. Mix in the soy milk mixture. Add in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fill each cupcake holder 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting...
Beat the lemon juice and margarine until creamy. Slowly add in the sifted powdered sugar until the frosting meets your preferred level of texture and consistency,

To make the candied rinds...
Mix the sugar and water in a medium sauce pan. When the mixture begins to boil add in the rinds. Keep the mixture on low heat and cook for 30 minutes or until translucent. Remove the rinds and press out the excess syrup. Place on a wax sheet of paper on a cookie sheet. Place in oven on lowest temperature for 15 minutes or until sugar has become crystallized.

To assemble the cupcakes...
Frost the cupcakes with about 1 Tbsp of frosting each. Sprinkle the candied rinds on the tops. Serve and enjoy!

I have a ton more persimmons, so be looking forward to more persimmon recipes!

Can you tell my spatula has met the blender blades
a couple of times - they are good friends, now.

The candied rinds may foam up over the sides of the
pot, so be sure to keep it at low temperatures.

The finished product...

En mass...

Persimmon Milkshakes

2009-12-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

Persimmons. Yum.

Persimmons are by far my FAVORITE fruit! I get all giddy when persimmon season comes around. I am lucky, because my favorite fruit, and my favorite vegetable (winter squash) are in season at the same time. This could be luck, but it also means longing during the months when persimmons and winter squash is not available.

I grew up in the central valley of California surrounded by agriculture. Persimmons were a major crop in my small town, but my appreciation for persimmons did not develop until I left the central valley and moved to Northern California. When traveling home this past week for Thanksgiving I frolicked in a orchard full of hachiya persimmons. They are like globes of joy on leave-less branches. Such a sign of hope and brightness during the cold dreary months of fall and winter.

- Globes of joy in a dreary central valley orchard -

It is nice to have friends with food. Let me re-state that. It is nice to have friends who grow food, or friend who are related to someone who grows food.

Why?

Because you always have access to free 'overflow' of whatever food they are growing. This is a common happening in the summer months when people over-planted zucchini and squash in their backyards, and towards the middle of summer they have squash coming out of their noses. In the central valley, we always had an abundance of overflow produce throughout the seasons - peaches and other stonefruit in the summer, citrus in the winter.

My colleague and friend, Colin, hooked me up with some overflow today. His uncle grows fuyu persimmons, and he brought me a paper bag FULL of persimmons! They are in the firm stage still, which is my ideal time for eating them raw.

Thanks, Colin!

Don't know much about persimmons? Well, there are many different varieties and you need to know what variety a persimmon is before you bit into its orangey-flesh. Why? If it is an astringent variety and you take a bite out of it before it is fully ripe, be prepared for a mouth full of cotton! Not only that, but if you eat an un-ripened, tannin-filled astringent persimmon you can develop masses in your stomach (called bezoars), that often times have to be surgically removed... see what Wikipedia has to say about it...

Unripened persimmons contain the soluble tannin shibuol, which, upon contact with a weak acid, polymerizes in the stomach and forms a gluey coagulum that can affix with other stomach matter.^[10] The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy notes that consumption of persimmons has been known to cause bezoars that require surgery in over 90% of cases. More than 85% phytobezoars are caused by ingestion of unripened persimmons.^[11] Persimmon bezoars often occur in epidemics in regions where the fruit is grown.^[12]^[13]

So, know your persimmon. Here is a starter...

Fuyu Persimmons
These little guys are round and squat. Most fuyu varieties can be eaten firm since they are non-astringent. These are really great in salads, eaten like an apple, or baked when fully ripe.

Hachiya Persimmons
Most hachiya varieties are astringent when un-ripened. You are safe when this fruit is super soft and almost gooey. Hachiya persimmons are acorn-shaped and larger than the fuyus. These are great to bake with when they are fully ripe and gooey. You can also peel and hang the hachiyas when they are firm and let them dry. Dried persimmons are super good!

Want to know super secret?
If you have a astringent persimmon that you absolutely want to each soon, the best way to remove the astringency is to stick it in the freezer overnight. For some reason this breaks down the tannins that give you cotton mouth. I didn't know this for the longest time, so I used to throw my persimmons on the FLOOR! to bruise them... bruised persimmons also break down the tannins.

With my load of persimmons, I decided to kick the night off with a persimmon milk shake! Yep, that's right, in the middle of winter to! This is a refreshing, holiday drink. You can add some rum too, if you want an egg-nog like beverage.

Persimmon Milkshake
makes one 10oz milkshake

1 fuyu persimmon (or super ripe hachiya persimmon), sliced
1 large scoop of non-dairy ice cream
1/4 cup soy milk
2 dashes cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
1/2 shot rum (optional)

Dump all the above ingredients in your blender. Blend until smooth. Top with a slight shake of cinnamon. Enjoy!

My persimmon milk shake brings all the boys to the yard...

5 ways to survive Thanksgiving as a vegan

2009-11-25T22:54:00.000-08:00

Yep. It is that time of the year. When we Americans celebrate freedom and tradition over the death of a turkey (sometimes a lamb, or even a pig!).

Turkey-Day. It is called that for a reason. Our entire Thanksgiving revolves around the consumption of an animal...the only holiday we celebrate with such a theme.

This year I celebrate my 5th Veganniversay. I am super excited! 5 years being vegan - and I am still alive! Not that I wasn't expecting to be dead, but all those nay-sayers out there thought I would lose too much weight, my hair would fall out, my teeth would turn brown, my bones would break, and the list goes on and on and on... but after 5 years - I can say that I am at my healthiest and am at the same weight I was when first going vegan.

Me last year, with my nay-saying brothers.
Celebrating my 4th veganniversary! At my healthiest!

Fuck the nay-sayers, right! That's what I say - and that is how I am celebrating my Veganniversary, by showing off my hot, healthy vegan bod and filling it up with scrumptious vegan food! (Oh no, I'm going a little overboard! I promise I am usually not this full of myself, or this aggressive!)

So, being a vegan for 5 years, and a vegetarian for an additional 5 years (10 years meat free!), I have decided to celebrate by putting together five simple guidelines for how to survive the Thanksgiving holiday as a vegan.

(1) ALWAYS make your own food
Number one thing because it is the most important, and can help you avoid things like this... "Sorry Grandma, but butter isn't vegan. And I know you went out of your way to make your mashed potatoes, which you usually fill up with meat juice, suitable for me to eat, but being a 'vegan' I don't eat butter, either!" Did this actually happen? Well, yes and no. This happens to me all the time. It wasn't exactly grandma who poisoned the mashed potatoes with animal products, but many non-vegans don't fully understand what you can and can't eat

Take full control - make your own food. Bring at least one dish you know you can eat, and that way your AND your hosts don't feel bad for you...

(2) Don't get political!
Thanksgiving is about coming together over a meal and celebrating things we are thankful for. Most often, this is done with family. I know you are really close to Aunt Margaret, but keep your political and ethical voice toned down a bit. Most likely your family knows you are vegan, no need to rub it in their face, especially when they are carving up that animal right in front of you. Take it with a grain of salt - if you are like me, there may have been a time when you were right there in on that animal-carving action. Don't be judgmental - everyone hates a judgmental vegan.

(3) Eat before you go to dinner
If you are eating away from home, going to extended family's houses, joining friends, or any other people that are not vegan like you, then make sure you eat something before you go. And don't forget to follow rule #1 while you are at it. Don't come to dinner starving and hungry, or else you are going to be cranky and pissy. And those emotions might make you forget about tip #2...

(4) Help prepare the meal
Easiest way to make sure you get the food you need and want during Thanksgiving is to be involved in the preparation! If you are attending someone else's Thanksgiving, this is where the tip would apply. Obviously if you were hosting Thanksgiving in your humble abode, there would be not animals on the dinner table! So, when the invitation is provided, as your host(s) if they would like some assistance in preparing the meal. If your host(s) say yes, this is a great opportunity to sneakily 'veganize' some of the food to make it fitting (and delicious) for your veganism. The easiest items to veganize are...
- mashed potatoes
- gravy, unless the host(s) like to use the meat juice... yuck!
- stuffin, unless the host(s) like to use the giblets, and stuff it inside the bird
- cranberries - pretty much already vegan, unless you worry about sugar
- salads, typically pretty easy, especially if you dress it yourself

(5) Host your own Thanksgiving, or celebrate your vegan Thanksgiving before the family Thanksgiving! This probably is the best option. Make it your celebration. Choose to host. Force all your meat-eatin friends and family to do it the veg way. Only do this if you know how to cook, and know how to cook well. You wouldn't want your family resenting you for years because you made them choke down a Tofurky. This year, I celebrated my vegan thanksgiving with friends at the CoOps. The Thanksgiving was a potluck and ranged the gamut from vegan, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free, vegan and garlic free, and pretty much any form of vegan/vegetarian/food allergen you can think of! Best Thanksgiving EVER! Celebrating with other vegans and vegetarians makes things easy, fun and super special. There is no elephant (YOU) sitting at the table when you are surrounded by elephants!

With that being said, Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving last year - nearly the whole
meal was vegan. I helped my mom prep!

Pumpkin Pancakes

2009-11-21T15:31:00.000-08:00

Got through my last jar of pumpkin puree today! I made the chili for a pre-Thanksgiving part. The rest I used in my pancakes for breakfast this morning.

Ingredients for some pretty awesome pumpkin pancakes...

I love weekend pancakes!

I packed these full of whole wheat flour to amp up their fiber content. Fiber is always good. If whole wheat flour isn't your cup-of-tea, you can try oat flour for another unrefined flour - easy to make, just blend oats up in a blender or food processor and you get oat flour!

Pumpkin Pancakes
makes 6 medium pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup pumpkin puree

Combine all ingredients in a Pyrex dish so you can pour them into the pan. I use a skillet to cook my pancakes, but a griddle works better.

Place cooking pan on medium-low heat and rub some canola oil on the surface. When you can feel heat coming off the pan when you place your hand over it, the skillet should be ready for cooking pancakes!

Pour out about 1/4 cup of mixture into skillet. When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake, it is nearly ready to flip.

Cook well. Serve with some Earth Balance and 100% pure maple syrup (nothing but the best!) or some fruit preserves.

Can you tell I need a new pan? That teflon is going to kill me...

Yummy!

I am going to be playing around with persimmons (Haichiya) pretty soon - I want to develop a persimmon syrup recipe. That would go great with our pumpkin pancakes!

Pick-me-up Pumpkin Chili

2009-11-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

Work today was killer. Coming home, feeling poopie, and in bed for a nap by 6:00pm? Not a typical night for me... I did end up getting out of bed - no, more like I ended up getting pulled out of bed by my significant other.

I was up to my elbows all afternoon in food waste. 11am-3:00pm. Which felt like an eternity (probably because it IS!). I hosted an educational activity in one of the resident dining rooms on campus to engage students about food waste and why wasting food is not so cool. The activity went very well - we collected 181lbs of edible food waste (we helped the students, nearly 1500 of them, sort out the edible from the non-edible portions...)

As my interns and I were collecting the food waste, we 'saved' the plates that you see above -a great visual to show students how much 'edible' food waste is thrown away. There is about 20lbs of waste here. This is in addition to the 161lbs we collected in the compost bins...

It was quite an activity. And it took everything out of me.

Being in the center of food-waste hell all afternoon, I kinda lost my appetite. I did have a peanut butter cookie, and a small sample of our featured entree for the evening meal - but I came home without an appetite and only filled up with calories from breakfast (toast and pumpkin cream cheese) my cookie and that smidge of sample... no bueno.

Nico wasn't pleased. No food. No cuddling.

He forced me out of bed to eat some food.

I was not a happy camper - and I was cold. We don't run the heater in our house, so at the time it was 62F in our HOUSE... I changed that... it is now 67F! YAY! Heat!

Not surprisingly, after forcing some brown rice and kale salad down my throat, I did feel better. A calorie-filled Dani is a non-poopie Dani. I love how food can change my mood that quickly (I'm talking a matter of 15 minutes, boys and girls!)

Simple brown rice and raw kale salad with a sesame and
rice vinegar dressing, topped with sesame seeds and seaweed.

So, my next task was to prepare lunch for my 'kids' - Nico and Lauren. I decided a nice pumpkin chili would be the best. Being a bit chilled myself, and needing something with both heat and spice to kick it up, a chili was fitting. And don't forget - I still have loads of pumpkin!

After finishing the pumpkin chili, I felt an appetite come on - so I downed a mug-full of my warm, yummy chili. And it definitely was a pick me up.

The oh so good Pick-me-up Chili!

Thank you to my partner, Nico, for pulling my grumpy ass out of bed and forcing me to eat. Of course, his kind, warm hugs also probably played a big part in the pick-me-up factor too... but if you are lacking a cuddle buddy, this pumpkin chili will almost be enough of a replacement. Enjoy!

Pick-me-up Pumpkin Chili
makes about 3 pints

1 pint of cooked, pureed pumpkin
1 pint diced tomatoes
1 cup fresh kale, chopped
1 cup kidney beans, include juice if you are using canned
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp canola oil
5-10 cranks of freshly ground black pepper
sea salt, to taste

Start by sauteing your onions, garlic, spices and oil in a medium sauce pan. Once the onions become translucent, add in the kale, and cook until tender and bright green. Dump in the pumpkin, beans, and diced tomatoes. Continue to stew for at least 15 minutes to develop the flavor. Add sea-salt to the pot to taste.

Serve warm. With some Mi Abuelita Bonita corn tortillas! So gooooood!

Know your stuff... learn about meat

2009-11-18T00:56:00.000-08:00

If you are a vegan, you probably are so for ethical reasons. Maybe environmental reasons. Or health reasons. Or even all three - like me!

Regardless of your reason for going vegan - you are cutting out one thing that a majority of Americans eat every day. Be prepared to stand up for your vegan diet and also encourage others (gently, of course, lets not get all militant and make our vegan community look like complete assholes...) to take a look at how much meat they consume if they are not vegetarian...

One of my favorite articles by Mark Bittman is a discussion on the meat consumption rates in America, concern about a growing global consumption rate and also conventional animal production in the United States.

If you haven't seen it already, then check it out: NY Times - Rethinking the Meat Guzzler by Mark Bittman. This was written back in January of 2008, so many of you may already be aware of his article.

Again, this is my favorite article, so I decided to Wordle it... and this is what I created:

I have definitely taken part in my fair share of debates - both in front of audiences and with complete strangers who challenge my veganism if they just so happen to find out I am vegan.

One of the best strategies for a debate is to know what you are talking about. Yes, you can say that you choose not to eat meat for ethical reasons, but be prepared with some facts to back that up. For health reasons? Again - more facts... For environmental reasons - more FACTS!

Here is a great piece from Bittman's article...

Americans are downing close to 200 pounds of meat, poultry and fish per capita per year (dairy and eggs are separate, and hardly insignificant), an increase of 50 pounds per person from 50 years ago. We each consume something like 110 grams of protein a day, about twice the federal government’s recommended allowance; of that, about 75 grams come from animal protein. (The recommended level is itself considered by many dietary experts to be higher than it needs to be.) It’s likely that most of us would do just fine on around 30 grams of protein a day, virtually all of it from plant sources.

Telling people that ...Americans eat WAY TO MUCH MEAT anyway, and reduction of meat consumption is actually a GOOD IDEA for many reasons... is always something I look forward to in a debate. I also encourage my meat-eatin strangers to just thinking about cutting meat out one day a week, and tell them that this can still make a significant impact.

"...start small, then get bigger. That doesn't meat you don't ever have to eat meat, it just means you should be more conscious about it, stranger..."

Be an advocate, an educator, and encourager. Don't just think that everyone should go vegan, because face it, this will never happen. But if you arm yourself with a little bit of knowledge, a friendly smile, and some kick-ass vegan cupcakes to share - you may have a better opportunity to engage these 'strangers' in conversation about why reducing meat consumption is a good thing to do!

Good luck!

Stuffed Pumpkin

2009-11-15T20:59:00.001-08:00

Another pumpkin recipe!?

Well, do remember, I have LOADS of pumpkin that I got for free, so I am trying to be creative and find many uses for them. I put together a list of things I have tried, and also included an awesome recipe for stuffed pumpkin.

The beginnings of a stuffed pumpkin...

Here is a list of creative and tricky ways to add pumpkin to stuff:
- mix it with your beans for a creamy savory treat
- add it to enchiladas
- add it to pancakes and waffles
- use it to make macaroni and cheeze, the pumpkin provides great texture and color
- pumpkin smoothies anyone?
- cook up some savory pumpkin puree and add it to freshly cooked brown rice, with loads of herbs and sea salt... yum!
- pumpkin donuts
- pumpkin preserves
- pumpkin cream cheese spread
- pumpkin cheesecake
- pumpkin pudding
- add it into your chili
- make some soup

I have tried about half of these... and they all turned out pretty well. I don't have time to type up my recipes for the items I did try, but I encourage you to experiment. Do you have any pumpkin recipes? Leave a comment if you do - even if it is one I've already mentioned!

Stuffed Pumpkin
serves 2 for a large meal, or 4 for a side dish

1 pumpkin, sliced in half and seeds removed
1/2 cup chopped purple cabbage
1/2 cup black beans
1 handful button mushrooms, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp vegetable bouillon paste

Mix together the oil, vinegar, herbs and paste in a measuring cup. Using a pastry brush, paint the insides of the pumpkins. Mix the rest of the ingredients together, and add in the left-over liquid part; stir until combined.

Fill each half of the pumpkin with the cabbage, bean, mushroom and walnut mixture. Place on a baking sheet into the oven at 375F for about 40-50 minutes, or until pumpkin flesh is tender enough to push a fork easily through it.

If during the cooking the filling looks dry, pour a little bit of water (about 1-2 Tbsp) into the filling.

When pumpkin is finished cooking, remove from oven. Serve as an entire half, or cut the half pumpkin into fourths.

Enjoy!

Stuffed pumpkin - pre cooking.

Stuffed pumpkin - post cooking.

Stuffed pumpkin - sliced!

On 'fine' vegan dining

2009-11-11T17:58:00.000-08:00

Is it possible? Fine vegan dining? Well, if you are in Northern California, you definitely have a slew of choices, especially in the San Francisco area.

Many high-end restaurants will cater to your vegan needs by making dishes without eggs, meat and dairy. Especially when you are paying $20+ for an entrée, you had better believe they will cater to you. If they don't then it isn't fine dining (some might argue with me on that one...)

Most fine-dining places have a set daily menu that are non-static (they change regularly), so it is smart to call the day you are planning of making reservations, or dropping in, to ask what is on the menu, especially if it is not strictly a vegetarian or vegan restaurant. Checking the website is also an absolute must - if they have one.

For our fine night out, we called the restaurant in advance to check in about the vegan options. The restaurant we attended was definitely a meat-heavy restaurant, but my partner really wanted something Italian so we chose this place over the other Italian restaurants that we have frequented one too many times. Luckily, the restaurant had a vegetarian option, something that is offered every day but changes with the season. Last night, it was a stuffed pepper with spinach risotto and wild mushrooms topped with mozzarella cheese. Asking the obvious questions - is the risotto made with cheese?, can I have the entrée without the mozzarella cheese?, etc. - we decided that was something I wanted, so we headed over to the restaurant.

Most breads at restaurants are vegan friendly, especially if it is a high-end restaurant. I make a lot of assumptions about bread when eating out. I am not one of those vegans who demands to see the ingredient list of the item I will be eating - so bread is something that I typically assume is vegan, unless of course it is covered in melted cheese or butter.

Why do I make this assumption? Well....

Almost all 'bread' that is served at any Italian restaurant is a crusty Italian white bread
Most white Italian breads are made using no animal products - simply water, flour, salt and yeast

So the bread is a go! Now comes the condiments for that bread. Obviously butter is out, but when eating out at a fine dining restaurant, they will typically serve your bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip it in. Both vegan!

Last night, our bread came with an amazing garlic, basil and olive oil dipping sauce. Yummy... and the olive oil was super buttery.

You may be tempted to choose a salad instead of an entrée because it is 'easier' that way - but give yourself a break. If you were like me when I first went vegan, I ate salad ALL THE TIME when I went out to eat, and I was never satisfied or exciting about going out to eat because all I ate was SALAD!!! Now I make sure to be outspoken about my need for 'real' food instead of salad when going out with friends, with my partner, with my family, etc... so we end of typically choosing a type of restaurant that I am sure can cater to my vegan needs.

So what I am telling you - go for an entree. For fine dining, like I mentioned before, they will typically find a way to make something vegan for you (unless you go to a fine dining steak house).

My partner and I had a lovely dinner at the restaurant we chose. He ended up getting a beet and feta salad along with his stuffed pepper. I decided on a glass of 2007 Boeger Chardonnay to pair with my bread and stuffed pepper. The price was pretty high - nearly $90 - for such a simple meal.

Boeger 2007 Chardonnay - my 'salad'

Beet, feta, spinach and walnut salad - not vegan.

Rustic Italian bread with basil, olive oil and garlic dipping sauce

Nico, enjoying his non-vegan feta, beet, spinach and walnut salad

Roasted red pepper stuffed with spinach risotto and wild mushrooms

Quite honestly, I would have rather spent my money at a nice fine dining vegetarian/vegan restaurant like Greens or Millennium in San Francisco. Oh well, we know now...

Pumpkin Spice Bread and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2009-11-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

This weekend I visited my friend Katie in the East Bay. She lives in Dublin, and we had a fun-filled Sunday. Katie lives in a pretty awesome apartment complex with a lake and wildlife! Think geese and wild turkeys. When we woke up, she prepared us a lovely breakfast with almond butter, apple oatmeal and some English breakfast tea. Bliss!

We went on a hike/walk up the hill adjacent to her complex. Its been a while since I have climbed anything except stairs (damn you, Davis, for being so flat!), so the short 'hike' up the hill was something I was definitely feeling in my booty today while laying in bed.

Katie had seen a posting on her local Freecycle network for free sugarpie pumpkins and knowing my love for free produce she decided on of our activities for our lovely Sunday would be a visit to the nursery. We drove a short distance into her hometown, Livermore, where she showed me where she grew up. The nursery, Alden Lane, is a couple of blocks from where she grew up. She and her mom used to visit every once in a while. When we came the place was filled with Christmas decorations and fun produce ornaments. So fun. We filled up on the free chocolate chip cookies and the spiced apple cider. Yum!

The mass of sugar pie pumpkins at Alden Lane nursery...

If you are in the Livermore area, I am sure there are some pie pumpkins left. The load that Katie and I took didn't even make a dent!

Katie, modeling the butt pumpkin.

The load of pumpkins that Katie and I took!

What to do with loads of pumpkins?
I cooked up five of them last night and pureed their flesh. I froze 3 quarts of it, and turned the other two quarts into pumpkin bread and a savory pumpkin puree to go with Lauren and Nico's lunches for today.

The rest are sitting on my windowsill, beautifully waiting to be carved and cooked for future pumpkin deliciousness!

Pumpkins on the windowsill

Easy Spiced Pumpkin Bread
1 cup organic evaporated cane juice (granulate sugar is fine for all you non-vegans)
1 cup fresh cooked, pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup water
2 egg replacers
1 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan (or one Valtrompian bread tube).

Combine all of the wet ingredients. Then add in the dry ingredients. If the batter seems a little too 'sticky' then add some more water, but only by tablespoon full. You don't want it to be too liquidy.

Pour your batter into your loaf pan and bake for 65-70 minutes.

Cool, then remove from loaf pan. Super yummy and moist!

Mini pumpkin muffins (made with the leftover pumpkin bread batter)

Pumpkin Bread in my Valtrompia tubes

Bake your pumpkin seeds!
Don't waste those lovely seeds when you are cooking your pumpkin! I challenge you to come up with a super yummy recipe for your seeds. I would love to hear what you come up with. Here are two of mine.

Sea Salt and Cayenne Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Spread your cleaned seeds on a cooking pan. Drizzle about 1 tsp of canola oil over the seeds. Sprinkle with sea salt and cayenne pepper. Bake at 375F for about 5-10 minutes, or until the seeds are fully roasted and still appear to be pretty white (be careful not to burn them!)

Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Spread your cleaned seeds on a cooking pan. Drizzle with 1 tsp canola oil. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Roast at 375F for about 5-10 minutes. When finished roasted, sprinkle about 1 Tbsp granulated sugar or evaporated cane juice over the finished seeds. Yum!

pumpkin seeds with cayenne and sea salt

New Fall Beginnings

2009-11-08T22:11:00.000-08:00

My friend Lauren and I planted our fall garden two weekends ago, and I am starting to see the 'shoots' of our labor! The garlic is a poppin', the beets and spinach are a peakin', and the greens are strong and aboundin'...

My favorite thing about my fall garden - it is nearly in my backyard. My awesome neighbor, my friend's housemate, lent me his backyard raised beds to grow some fall/winter veggies! I have never had a garden so close to where I live...

Don't get my wrong, I love my garden plot, but it is a bit of a inconvenience to visit everyday. It is near work, but it is not on my way to or from work. I typically only swing by on the weekend, or if I never need to take a trip out to the student farm.

Because my new community is so awesome, I now have a garden in my backyard (well, nearly). I'm getting closer and closer to the 'domestic' life. It is so much easier to water on a regular basis, and I can see the daily (slow) progress of my seedlings.

Here is a sneak peak of my fall/winter garden. I can't wait to start using these babies in some of my cooking!

Soon to be - Mighty Spinach!

My luck with spinach crops has been great! This is the giant Japanese spinach. And boy, is it awesome! I usually start spinach from seed, because it thrives pretty well in its most vulnerable stage. I am hoping the slugs and the birds don't go after our babies any time soon - my worst nightmare!

This is bok choi - we transplanted these from packs from our local nursery

Russian Kale! Yum!

Garlic, peaking out!

Garlic is SO easy to plant. All you need to do is take a head of garlic, separate the cloves (no need to peel) and pop them in the ground, with the 'top' of the clove pointing UP... try it at home!

This was a random onion we re-planted. Found in on the side of the raised
bed - rejected. It has come back despite its hurt feelings and dejected state...

Red 'Rhubarb' Chard - my FAVORITE!

Not in 'my' garden - but these are the persimmons growing right
outside my back door! I am excited for harvest! Persimmons
are by far my favorite fruit. Persimmon recipes to come!

Orzo Alfredo with Sauteed Mushrooms

2009-11-06T21:52:00.000-08:00

Cashews are the key to this creamy dish...

I really wanted to make a creamy 'alfredo' esque dish. So I came up with this one.

It was potluck night at Katie and Jenn's, so this is what I brought. I decided to make orzo, because I love this shape of orzo. And I love the feel of orzo in my mouth... kinda like rice, but a pasta texture!

Yummy orzo! So cute!

The orzo is always a tempting item for me to pass by while I am at the CoOp. It tempts me with its cute little shape - but its price shies me away. $4.35/lb for the whole wheat orzo! OMG! I couldn't help it this past time... I gave into the temptation, and went ahead and bought it. Feeling a little more financially secure now that I have received a promotion and pay-increase for my job, I do like to splurge on these pleasures every once in a while.

Creamy Orzo Alfredo with Sauteed Mushrooms
1 cup cashews
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups whole mushrooms
1tbsp olive oil
1/2 chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
3 cups orzo

Begin by chopping up the mushrooms and onions. Sautee them in a deep-dish cast-iron skillet with the olive oil and pressed garlic gloves.

Boil a medium pot of water, and add in the orzo when boiling. Cook until tender, but not too soggy. Strain.

The make the sauce - blend the cashews, butter, soy milk, nutritional yeast and seasonings in a blender. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. If you don't have a good blender, try doing it in a food processor or you will end up with a chunky mess!

When the mushrooms are tender, and the orzo is cooked, add the finished alfredo to both in the deep-dish cast-iron skillet. Cook until the Alfredo sauce is warm. Serve with additional ground pepper, to taste.

Nutritional Yeast!

Nutmeg and the Parprika give this dish a great taste...

Let's Talk Vegan Junk Food!

2009-11-05T21:36:00.000-08:00

I usually blog when I cook something. Tonight, I really wanted to blog, but was too beat to cook. So I decided to talk a little bit about vegan junk food.

I do admit, I am a big fan of vegan junk food. What do I consider junk-food? Well - anything that is not totally 'necessary' in ones diet. This includes alcohol and anything that is not naturally excessively salty, sweet or fatty. When I say 'necessary' I mean absolutely necessary for our physical survival. Mentally, I can tell you that I cannot survive without a bit of vegan ice cream every once in a while, or my favorite chips.

Sorry, Savignon Blanc - you are vegan JUNK FOOD to me!

Deprivation is something I am not a fan of. Deprivation is something that I used to be pretty good at in High School, but never really knew that until I began to study human health, nutrition, and psychology. When you deprive yourself of something, you tend to develop unhealthy cravings for that something. So if you deprive yourself of Oreos because you are trying to 'diet' - don't be surprised when you do decide to eat only 'one' Oreo and then end up eating the entire PACKAGE of Oreos...

I hate this saying, but it is so true - everything in moderation. Eat the effing Oreo, if you want it. But don't eat an Oreo or two every day of your life or you are going to have some health issues. Especially if you are not a very physically active person.

And I hate that word 'diet'. I think more in terms of enjoying my food - not limiting myself. And when you are trying to lose weight (not me, I am perfectly happy), deprivation is not the way to go about that. Dieting is not the way to go about that. The way to lose weight is to eat what you enjoy, stop when you are full (and really, I mean it, even if that vegan chocolate cheesecake for dessert is super enticing, if you are full, don't order it!!!!), and maintain a healthy, physical lifestyle. Bike that 2-3 miles to work or class, get off the bus a couple of stops early and walk the rest of the way to your destination, park your car the furthest from the grocery store or a couple of blocks from work (I'd prefer you to bike, of course, but I know many of you may be automobile commuters...bummer).

Enjoy your vegan junk food. In moderation. And when you do eat your vegan junk food, savor it!

Red Hot Blues - I have my friend Maggie to
thank for introducing me to these lovelies!

Tonight - I felt exceptionally well, so I decided to have THREE of my favorite vegan junk foods - yes that is right, THREE!!!! A couple of spoon-fuls of Coconut Bliss Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream (beyond good, this stuff is heavenly), a moderate glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and about 3/4 cup of some Indian potato snacks.

That is probably about 400-500 calories total, essentially a meal. But during the day, I ate very well, probably fewer calories than I should have, and I was running around like CRAZY! And biking to and from work. So I felt the need to eat, junk food. And plenty of it. Not a binge, but just enough to feel, well, full.

For all you vegan junk-food addicts out there, here is a list of what 'normal' food just surprisingly happens to be vegan. Handle with care. I remember when I first went vegan, I went overboard on trying to find all the vegan foods that I could eat, and they just so happened to be a lot of processed foods. And a lot of processed foods never does ANYONE, even vegans, ANY GOOD!

Here is what I have in my house, currently, that I consider junk food. It seems like I have quite a bit, but I just stocked up on the Coconut Bliss tonight because it was on sale at my local CoOp. I also just visited an Indian food store in Fresno over the weekend, and decided to buy some of my favorite snack foods that I ate while I was in Indian two summers ago....

All the vegan junk food I have in my house, RIGHT NOW!

Coconut Bliss - AMAZING!

The cookies are surprisingly vegan! I found that out week
3 of my 5 week stint in India, boy was I lucky to have found
out so 'late' in my trip - I probably would have come back
10lbs heavier if I would have discovered them any earlier...

Vegan Pumpkin Pie...mmmmmMMmmm good

2009-11-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

How to roast a pumpkin...

Step One: slice pumpkin in half

Step Two: scoop out seeds and strings - reserve them in a bowl if you plan to make roasted pumpkin seeds from them

Step Three: line a cook pan with foil

Step Four: spread canola oil over each bare side of the pumpkin; place each half cut-side down on the baking pan

Step Five: roast in the oven at 425F for about 30-40 minutes or until fully tender

Step 6: remove from oven and let cool; scoop out flesh and puree in a food processor or blender until smooth

Voila! Roasted pumpkin!

Now take that roasted pumpkin and put it to some use! Make a freaking pumpkin pie FROM SCRATCH!!!!! No canned pumpkin ALLOWED!

Scrumptious Pumpkin Pie
2 cups roasted pumpkin
1 10-12oz pack of Mori-Nu silken firm tofu
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 cup organic evaporated cane juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 tbsp molasses

Crust...
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp all-spice
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp molasses
2 tsp cold water

Preheat the oven to 375F.

In a food processor or blender - blend all the ingredients for the pumpkin pie together.

Combine all of the ingredients for the crust in a medium mixing bowl, adding in the liquid ingredients last. Continue to add water until the mixture is crumbly and somewhat sticks together. Transfer the crust into a deep-dish pie dish and press the crust into the pan evenly and all the way to the top of the pan.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 375F. Remove the crust, and turn the heat up to 425F.

Pour the pie filling into the crust once it has been removed from the oven. Return the pie to the oven, and bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 and bake for an additional 45 minutes or until the center of the pie is firm.

Enjoy with some vegan whipped cream!

Yummy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

2009-10-29T23:16:00.000-07:00

It is definitely squash time - I am having it every night of the week, just about!

AND! I had some for breakfast when I ate one of my leftover pumpkin butternut squash cupcakes... naughty vegan. Not the healthiest choice, but definitely portable when I am rushing out the door to get to work... and easy clean-up too!

For this amazing little ditty, I use the best bouillon out there. I am a fan of making vegetable stock from scratch, but I can't seem to store it very well - and given that my freezer is currently packed full of frozen chicken (housemates, don't you love 'em!) for who knows how long - I don't have much choice but to buy some compact bouillon. I get the 'Better than Bouillon' brand of certified vegan vegetable bouillon. It takes me a while to get through, but it is very easy to use and add into anything and everything that you want to enhance the flavor of.

Better Than Bouillon - Vegetable stock

Risotto is typically made with loads of some sort of stock - typically chicken - but vegetable stock has been my staple for risottos and pilafs for about 10 years now, and no one knows the difference, really!

When making risotto, you need to use a special rice to give it that creamy texture - Arborio rice. This is a short-grain rice specific to Italy that has a really high starch content, making the finished product creamy and chewy. I also like to use Arborio rice for rice puddings. =)

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto
makes 6-8 medium servings

1 medium butternut squash, roasted
6 cups vegetable broth
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp canola oil
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 tsp freshly chopped/ground sage or oregano

Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush about 1tsp of canola oil on both of the sliced sides and place faced-down on a foil-covered baking pan. Roast in oven at 425F for up to 30 minutes, or until tender. Cool.

In a large saucepan, saute the onions, garlic and sage in canola oil until golden and translucent. Add in the Arborio rice and stir for about 1 minute. Add in the vegetable broth 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly with each addition.

Add and additional cup of vegetable stock each time the liquid becomes soaked up in the pan. Continue until the rice is creamy and al dente.

Peel the squash and cube it. Add the cubed butternut squash into risotto and stir.

Serve warm!

Mine is a bit charred because I have a crappy oven.
I just peeled off the charred part - I don't want cancer!

This is what your risotto will look like at the very beginning stages of thickening.

Cube the squash...

About half-way there...

Add in the cubed squash when the risotto is
just about to get to that perfect creamy level!

Finished! Look at that creamy amazingness!

Vegan Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Cupcakes

2009-10-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

What happens when you run out of pumpkin, and you still need about 1/2 a cup to finish your cupcake recipe?!

Well, some people would go to the store if they didn't have any pumpkin - but I decided to forgo the traveling in this gusty weather and use butternut squash in addition to the pumpkin. *Note: I did end up going to the store, not for pumpkin, but for those damn cupcake liners!

The typical squash load at my house - pumpkin, delicata, butternut!

I typically bake my own pumpkin for most of my baked-goodie dishes. It just tastes better, and you are in more control. But it is pretty tempting to be able to buy already baked and pureed pumpkin flesh, especially when you can find an organic one that tempts you with word like 'Farmers Market Caned Pumpkin'... I am not usually such a sucker, but convenience is bliss, and being a women and feminist I am proud of the steps that my fellow women have been able to take due to the introduction of processed foods into our lives - out of the kitchen and into the workplace, right?

Enough politics - back to the cupcakes!

Do you eat cupcakes? Like to make cupcakes?
Then go buy this book - NoW!

My friend's birthday is tomorrow, so she requested a seasonal cupcake recipe - something that I am super pleased to provide given my taste for in-season produce. My recipe is adapted from the VCTOTW cookbook - which is a cookbook I highly recommend, even for those non-vegan peeps out there. The cupcakes in Isa and Terry's book will blow your mind. Many of my non-vegan friends have actually bought their book because they love the cupcakes I make from it so much. Not only that, but it is damn cute with loads of food porn.

Vegan Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 24 cupcakes

2 cups cooked pumpkin and butternut squash, mashed or pureed (or canned), mixture of your choice
2/3 cup canola oil
2 cups organic evaporated cane juice
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
24 cupcake liners

Frosting:
2 cups vegan powdered sugar
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
3/4 cup sliced raw almonds (for topping, optional)

For the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix all the liquid ingredients together in a large bowl or Kitchen Aid mixer. Add in the dry ingredients. Fill cupcake liners in cupcake pan 2/3 full.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the cupcake springs back when pressed gently in the center.

For the frosting:
Mix the cream cheese and margarine together. Mix in the vanilla. Add in the powdered sugar slowly until you reach the right consistency. Frost cupcakes right before serving. Top cupcakes with a sprinkling of almond slices (toasted are a good option, and you can toast them yourselves if you can't find any non-toasted).

Enjoy!

Want to learn more about how to use squash in various items. Check out a post on my other blog about winter squashes, with MORE recipes!

Voila!!

Making Apple Pie!

2009-10-25T22:50:00.001-07:00

Life is like a bowl of apples...

Yum yum yum!

Easy apple pie, so good that it knocks your socks off!

I mixed this recipe up a bit. I used the hot water pie crust recipe from How It All Vegan, and the Gingerbread Apple Pie filling from Vegan with a Vengeance my two fave vegan cookbooks. The only two that I have unpacked from my moving boxes. Unfortunately, I don't have as much kitchen space as I used to, so I can no longer display my lovely vegan cookbook collection.

Enjoy!

Pie filling...

More pie filling...

Check out those spices!

The legendary crust cutter...

Rolling dough between wax paper is so
much easier, and easy to clean up too!

Pie, filled and ready to be topped...

Cutting the crust.

Baked and ready to eat! Yum!

Apple Season is here!

2009-10-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

I don't eat butter - but I do eat apple butter!

I went on a big apple gleaning adventure last weekend, and I decided to make some apple butter and apple crisp. We gleaned thousands of pounds of apples to take to the local food banks - my form of activism against poverty and malnutrition in the lower-income. The apples I got to take home from the gleaning were the rejects, the ones with the blemishes and the worms in them. So much care was taken to make sure no worms or moldy cores went into the butter and crisp.

Harvesting apples!

For the apple butter, the apples had to be peeled and cored. My good pal, Lauren from Ireland, helped me with that for the first batch. For the second batch (the pictures below), I did all the coring and peeling as I watched Primer, a sci-fi movie about time-travel. That took me about a good 2 hours, given the extra time I took to pull up the Wikipedia article to follow the plot.

Apple crisp is much simpler, and only slicing and coring needs to happen. So, short on time, go for the crisp.

Apple Butter
recipe from Ball Blue Book, borrowed from Maggie

6 quarts of apples, peeled and cored (about enough to fill up a large pot)
4 cups organic evaporated cane juice
2 cups water
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
4 pint (16oz) jars, lids, rings

Place the apples and water in a large pot (or pressure cooker) and stew (or pressure cook for 7 minutes) until the apples are soft.

Using an immersion blender, or a food processor, blend the apples and water together.

Add in the sugar and spices and cook until thick. This took me about 30-45minutes. The Ball Blue Book recommended cooking it down until it mounded up on the spoon. Also a good sign it is ready to be canned.

Sanitize the jars, lids and rings in a hot (steaming, not boiling) water bath. Using a wide funnel, fill each jar with the warm apple butter mixture. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

I made two batches of apple butter - the first batch made about 3.5 pint jars, and the second batch made 4 pint jars. Of course the first batch I didn't fill the pot all the way to the top as I did in the second batch.

This is something that can be enjoyed all year round, but I definitely enjoy it the most around the fall and winter months. Cloves, cinnamon and apples are definitely a cool-weather food for me! The apple butter goes great with almond butter on top of toasted whole-wheat bread. I am still finishing off my Full Belly Farm crunchy almond butter (such a treat, I only get it once a year!!!), and am savoring each and every slice of toast that I enjoy with it, and my home-canned jams and preserves.

Here is a recipe for the apple crisp, I made this for work. I don't have any pictures from the one that I made with the gleaned apples - but you can imagine it tasted pretty damn good. I made two batches of this for the community meal that I cooked last Sunday night for my new community. Enjoy!

Vegan Soul Food!

2009-10-19T22:35:00.001-07:00

Busy weekend - I road into Oakland for a concert - Monsters of Folk - starring my fave Conor Oberst. Prior to the show, my pal friend Brennan and I went out to eat at Souley Vegan in Jack London Square, Oakland! Vegan soul food rocks. Given most soul food is already vegan (think collards, black eyed peas, etc. without the lard of course), I was happy to see other 'soul foods' on the menu including BBQed tofu, fried tofu, mac-n-cheese!, yams, omg!

So Brennan and I each ordered what we wanted and shared it - so what did we have? The finger lickin fried tofu, BBQed tofu, collards, black eyed peas, yams, mac-n-cheeeeeeeese!

BBQed tofu, Fried Tofu, Yams

Mac-n-Cheeze, collard greens, black-eye peas

So good. Go there if you are in Oakland. It is worth it! =) And the people that run it are super nice and chill.

Canning Tomatoes and Fresh Salsa!

2009-09-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

Dude! Living in Davis is super duper awesome, especially when you have friends who have friends working on agricultural studies. We just had 1,000lbs of processing tomatoes delivered to our community from a recent study in Davis.

What to do with 1,000lbs of tomatoes? Well, since they are processing tomatoes, the likely solution is to can them. I decided to hoist 20lbs from the delivery to can in my house. I didn't end up canning all 20lbs - I canned about 2/3rds of it. The rest is still sitting in my colanders on my counter or in the fridge as a yummy chunky salsa I made.

- Processing tomatoes -

Tomatoes are in season in California during the summer months - July through November usually. In the Davis/Yolo County area most of the tomato crops are for processing because there is a tomato plant located in Woodland, about 7 miles north of Davis. It is really funny, during these summer months, to see loads of processing tomatoes traveling along the 80 and the 113 toward Woodland, tomatoes spilling out over the side of the uncovered truck bins. The tomatoes aren't really edible, in fact when they fall over the sides and slam onto the ground many of them remain intact.

- Photo from Erika's post on Sunset-

How to process/can tomatoes...
The easiest way to process tomatoes is to can them. What I do is start out by quartering the tomatoes and cooking them down until their liquid is boiling. Once boiling, load up your tomatoes (now like a stew) into sterilized pint or quart jars and seal them with sterilized lids and rings. Tomatoes need to boiled in a hot water bath for 40 minutes min. So grab some of your raw tomatoes and chop up while you are waiting for the other ones to cook in their hot water baths.

The tomatoes can sit on your shelves for at least a year, I am sure. What is better in the winter than some summery tomatoes?

You can't really tell in this photo - but the sink is completely filled.

Cookin' up the tomatoes...

Finished product!

I made fresh salsa with the rest of the processing tomatoes. Here is a simple recipe!

Basic Salsa Recipe...
1 qt. chopped tomatoes
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 tsp. chopped jalapeno peppers (or to desired hotness)
1/4 c. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin powder

Mix yo ingredients up, and eat them! Yum!

Fresh salsa... so goooooood!

Easy Baba Ganoush

2009-09-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

It's eggplant season!

Yo! Baba Ganoush is the best!

What is Baba Ganoush? Pretty much humus with eggplants in it. It has a different taste and texture than hummus, but is also pretty awesome.

Nutritional benefits of eggplant? Well, unless you eat the skin, eggplant isn't very nutrient dense. In Baba Ganoush, the skin isn't used, so pretty much depend on the nutrition in everything else in the recipe. Chickpeas are a great source of fiber and protein. The sesame seeds (tahini) is an excellent source of calcium, as well as fiber. The olive oil - heart healthy fat there!

I made 16 cups! of Baba Ganoush today for a work party, and I documented the process. Here is the simple recipe, and some pictures to go along!

Baba Ganoush
makes 4 cups; serves 8 people

1 large eggplant
1 can chickpeas, drained (garbanzo beans)
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp tahini
dash sea salt
1/8 cup olive oil

Slice eggplant in half, and roast in 400 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft.
Allow to cool slightly, then scoop out inside of eggplant, leaving skin behind.
In a blender or food processor, combine eggplant and remaining ingredients, except oil and parsley, until smooth. Mixture will be somewhat thick. Add in the olive oil and continue to blend/mix until fully incorporated.
Serve with chips, pita, crudités, in wraps, etc. Yummy!

After roasting the eggplant, you can use your clean hands (let cool first!) to scoop out the flesh.

Ready to be pureed.

Inside the blender:
- roasted eggplant
- lemon juice
- garlic
- chickpeas
- tahini

You can press the garlic, or add in whole, skinned cloves.

Pouring in the olive oil - I use about 1/2 of what is called
for in a regular recipe to make mine less calorie dense.

I enjoyed some of the Baba Ganoush with my fave Red Hot Blues chips by Garden of Eatin! Delish!

Making your own Kombucha

2009-09-22T22:42:00.000-07:00

Ever seen these in your health food store?

Most health-nuts and natural foodies I know drink kombucha (fermented tea), AND they make their own too! I also make my own kombucha, thanks to an awesome past roomie (Katie Cooper!) who taught me how! I do, every once in a while, splurge on this GT Daves stuff, especially when I am not at home and don't have my kombucha with me.

Making your own kombucha is much cheaper, and super easy! Before I get into the making-details, lets talk a little bit about kombucha, and what this fermented tea is all about...

What is kombucha...

According to the wikipedia article, kombucha is...

a fermented tea that is imbibed for medicinal purposes, although there is currently no scientific information supporting any purported benefits. Kombucha is available commercially, but can be made at home by fermenting tea using a visible solid mass of microorganisms called a kombucha culture. Wikipedia, 2009.

In order to ferment the tea, you use a kombucha culture, as noted in the wiki reference. The kombucha culture is this really cool symbiotic relationship between a bacteria and a yeast. The culture looks like a giant mushroom, and kinda feels like fish or dolphin skin, slimy... this is called the 'mother'. The mother actually a-sexually reproduces and creates 'baby' kombuchas!

Home-brewed Kombucha! Check out that mother!

In these kombucha beverages, the fermented tea that is, are LIVE bacteria. These are beneficial bacteria, and are good for your digestive tract. For those of you that enjoy fizzy, fermented foods then kombucha may be your next favorite food! For those of you who hate vinegary foods, avoid this. You probably won't like it.

How to make kombucha...

Ingredients/supplies you need:
1 large jar (I use an ice-tea jug)
black or green tea
sugar
kombucha culture

Step 1:
Brew your tea, yo! Make it moderately strong. Brew enough tea to nearly fill your container. I usually brew enough to fit into my clasped beverage container.

Step 2:
Sweeten your tea with sugar (preferably organic evaporated cane juice). Make it pretty sweet. The sugar is what you bacteria will eat!!!

Step 3:
Let your tea cool to room temperature; add your kombucha culture. Cover your jar with a cloth or a paper towel (it needs to breathe! It is ALIVE!) and secure it with a rubber band.

Step 4:
Wait about 5-7 days, and check your kombucha. If it is still really sweet, let it ferment a bit longer. If you let it sit too long, it will become too vinegary, so check it pretty often.

When your kombucha is ready to drink, drain about 4/5ths of the kombucha into an air-tight container and place in fridge. It tastes best when consumed cold or iced. The culture can be placed into a new batch of tea with a small amount of liquid from the previous batch, which helps to reduce contamination by keeping the pH low.

Harvesting your kombucha babies:
The babies can be harvested from the mothers and placed in other containers (so you can try brewing different tea varieties, flavors, or give one to a friend!). With clean hands, remove your kombucha from its jar. You will notice that is has several 'mushroom' layers. The layer on the very bottom is the 'mother', and 'babies' are on top. Both will be able to ferment your tea. When separated, repeat process above.

Where can I get a kombucha culture?
Find a housing cooperative nearby, they will probably have one. Email Freecycle? Ask around, maybe some of your 'hippie' friends have one, or know someone who has one (or a bazillion!)

Here are some pictures of me harvesting my kombucha babies for my friend and neighbor!

Lauren took this cool shot of my kombucha from above!

Pouring the brewed tea in a new container to let cool.

Separating the mother and babies...

The baby is in my right hand, and the mother is in my left.

Returning the mother to her original jar.

There is a really cool visual how-to guide here... check it out, it can help you figure our where and how to get started!

Good luck fermenting!

Is Honey Vegan?

2009-09-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

No. Most vegans I know do not eat honey. Here are a couple of reasons:

1) Bees, like animals, are exploited for their production of honey
2) Bees can feel pain
3) Many bees are injured or killed during harvest, even when home-harvesting

Here are a couple of reasons why some vegans I know do eat honey:

1) It can be a more sustainable sweetener, especially if you keep bees in your back-yard and treat them well; compared to cane sugar which is not locally available (at least in the Davis area, unless it is beet sugar) honey is seen as a more local sweetener
2) It is 'healthier' than sugar
3) Consumption of local honey can help with local allergies; this is a more holistic and sustainable approach to treating ailments than taking prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications

I feel the choice to eat honey is completely up to the vegan, the consumer. If you keep your own bees, and harvest them yourself - more power to you. I completely respect people who take full control of their food - even if it means slaughtering their own chicken. At least they are the ones directly responsible for that animals death instead of depending on exploited workers to slaughter their animals for them.

What are some of the sweeteners I use?

Agave Nectar - I use the raw, organic agave nectar. There are a couple of brands. The picture on the right is the Madhava brand, but if you are a super duper, hard core vegan who doesn't drink Silk soy milk because it is owned by one of the largest dairy corporations, then this isn't for you. Madhava also sells honey and beeswax (oh no!). There is also Wholesome Sweeteners, but again for your hardcore vegans, they also sell honey.

Organic Evaporated Cane Juice - this stuff works exactly the same as granulated sugar in all the recipes I have ever tried. I bake quite a bit, so yes, I do by cane sugar. I usually get the organic Florida Crystals because their production is carbon neutral, and they are at least grown and processed in the states. I also buy the organic evaporated cane juice in the bulk section at my local CoOp... I actually don't know where that comes from (research, here I come!!!)

Molasses - although definitely a bit stronger than honey, molasses can make a great sweetener too. It is often called for in many spice-y recipes. Also - you can make vegan brown sugar by mixing one cup of organic evaporated cane juice with 1.5 Tbsp molasses. The molasses I use is from my bulk section (again, don't know where this comes from...!) and is organic. I often times by the Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Molasses as well. Very rich and flavorful! Oh, and it is Fair Trade certified as well! =)

Check out some interesting articles and posts about veganism and honey consumption here for more information...

Leaving the Bees Be: Why Vegans Wont Eat Honey by Mickey Z

Vegan Outreach - Why Not Honey and Silk?

Why Honey Isn't Vegan by Noah Lewis

Peach Preserves

2009-09-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Preserving summer goodness = peach preserves. My new place has a free-stone white-flesh peach tree right outside my bedroom window, and it is dropping fruit like mad. So, I decided to harvest the fallen fruits and process them into peach preserves.

Dani's Super Easy Summer Peach Preserves

5 cups peaches, washed, pitted and quartered
3 cups sugar
3 pint jars
1 half-pint jar
4 fresh lids (not used before)
4 rings for jars

Mix the peaches and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let reduce for about 30-45 minutes. Sanitize the jars, lids, rings in a steam bath or the dishwasher. Fill each jar with peach preserves. Place filled jars in a hot-water bath for 30 minutes to sanitize. Store for up to 12 months.

Enjoy the pictures of the process below. Try with your own peaches!

Basic Couscous Salad

2009-07-03T06:29:00.000-07:00

Couscous is one of my favorite pastas to use. Note - it is a pasta, not a grain - it is made from semolina flour, which I am sure is a familiar ingredient for all of your past-loving carbivores out there. Couscous is a Mediterranean favorite as it is common in many of their dishes.

To make it a bit more nutritious and fiber-ous, I make sure and add tons of yummy fresh veggies to my couscous salad. If you have a Whole Foods nearby, or you are as lucky as I am to live in Davis and have the Davis Food Co-op, you can buy whole wheat couscous in the bulk section and that will definitely increase your fiber intake. Fiber is a good thing, so make sure you get enough of it! Americans on average only eat 15 grams of fiber a day - this is no where near the recommended 25 grams per day for women (38 g/day for men.) Most of the fiber in my diet comes from whole grains, fruits and veggies. I eat these foods on a daily basis, and it easily accounts for my daily fiber recommendation. Yesterday I ate a whopping 32.7 grams of it!!! Especially with all the tasty apricots and stone-fruit that are in season right now I am sure all of you that live in Cali can definitely start to get closer to your recommended intake - each your fruit! (And veggies, and whole grains, and nuts and seeds....)

So, to make a basic couscous salad you need to start out with cooking the couscous first. I usually cook mine with a pinch of salt and a few drops of olive or canola oil just to give it a little flavoring. (Note - don't use too much fat when cooking the couscous because you will be adding fat later when you make the dressing.) Then, simply take a look in your fridge and pantry for some salad fixings!

The base of this salad is the couscous itself, so you don't need too many greens, and I would actually recommend a hardier green over lettuce - so use your beet greens, collards, chard, kale, etc. I like to make this salad sweet, so I typically add in some seasonal fruit that I have laying around (dried fruit works too, especially dried apricots, yummy!) Then I make a simple sweet dressing to pull all the flavors together. Oh, and to give it a little extra protein boost I usually sprinkle in some chopped nuts or some crumbled tofu (which is really great, especially when it soaks up all the dressing.)

My friend, Emillio, is the head chef for the OC dining room on campus. Emillio is from Spain, and he brings a lot of his culture into his cooking. As you can imagine, Emillio is an excellent chef who really has an eye for seasonal, fresh and local veggies. In Spain, shopping in season at the open market is still very common unlike our grocery store system where the 'season' has disappeared... Emillio and I can really connect when it comes to food even though he is not a vegan, and doesn't cook strictly vegan. But Emillio has a passion for good food and knows that good food doesn't always have to contain animal products in it. I get a lot of inspiration from Emillio and his cooking. Like me, Emillio makes a seasonal couscous salad for the Farmers Market specials we serve in the dining room once in a while throughout the year. One of my favorites of his includes candied and preserved lemons (with the rinds on!). Super good!

Yesterday I attended a potluck at a friends house and I took my couscous salad with me. The fixings were kale from Camilla's garden, yellow summer squash from my garden, walnuts from the coop and an organic nectarine that my new roomie Ashley donated to the salad (surprisingly, I DIDN'T HAVE ANY FRESH FRUIT IN THE HOUSE! What is this world coming to?) Then, I made my simple sweet dressing and mixed all of the ingredients together. The recipe below is for the salad that I made for the potluck - and this is definitely appropriate for summer. But remember, this recipe can be easily adapted to anything you have on hand or whatever is in season.

Basic 'Summer' Couscous Salad
serves 4-6 people

1 cup couscous
1 cup water (1.5 cups if using whole wheat couscous)
salt
1 tsp olive oil or canola oil
1 cup kale, finely chopped
1 medium yellow summer squash, finely chopped
1 medium yellow flesh nectarine, finely chopped
.25 cup walnuts (or cashews), finely chopped
mint, finely chopped (optional)

Dressing:
2 part tahini (sesame seed butter)
2 part agave (or honey)
2 part oil
1 part white vinegar
pinch of salt
(mix in parts to about 1/4-1/2 cups worth...)

To cook the couscous, bring the water, salt and oil to a low boil, mix in the couscous, cover and let steam over low heat for about 3-5 minutes (may be longer if using whole wheat).

While the couscous is cooking, prep all of your veggies, fruits, nuts and dressing for the salad.

When the couscous is done (it should be tender, a little al dente, when you bite it, and super yummy too!) mix in the greens while it is still warm. This will somewhat 'cook' your hardier greens for you, which is the reason I recommend hardier types of greens (that and they are better for you...) Let the greens and couscous sit for about 5 minutes, or if you are too impatient, just add in the rest of your fixings.

After you have mixed the salad dressing (you can use a milk-foaming wand, or just a regular fork works well too) add it into the salad.

You can serve the salad immediately at room temperature or let it sit in the refrigerator for a bit to absorb the flavor of the dressing. This salad is best at room temp, so if you did refrigerate it, let it warm up a bit before serving.

Enjoy!

I hope you find this recipe simple and useful. It really doesn't take very much work, and the preparation of the vegetables can be therapeutic, especially if you are really stressed or angry.

This recipe can be adapted to nearly any whole grain out there. I often times substitute quinoa for the couscous.

Here is a recipe for a savory salad dressing, if you don't want your couscous salad to be sweet, or if you are watching your added sugar intake...

Savory Dressing:
2 part tahini (sesame seed butter)
2 part oil
1 part white vinegar
pinch of salt
fresh or dried herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary and/or sage), chopped and added to taste
(mix in parts to about 1/4-1/2 cups worth...)

A little tip on cooking grains...
I ALWAYS, never fail, forget the portions of water I need to use for each cup of grain that I use. Because I cook with so many different kinds of whole grains (and often buy in bulk, so there is no packaging to give me directions), my brain gets all foggy and I need a constant reminder of how much water to use. In the age of cell phones with internet capabilities, you can easily look it up online.

But an even better idea is this - print out this awesome grains cooking chart and tape it inside your cupboard door, the one nearest the stove, so it is always at hand in the kitchen when you need it!

Super brilliant, I know... =)

My squash plants and collards in my garden. They are looking
a bit thirsty here, I know, but it was a super hot day...

Resource Efficiency in a Vegan Diet

2009-06-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

Why Vegan? Many people choose the environment as a main reason for the veganism, vegetarianism, or omnivore-lightism.

Why is veganism such and environmentally friendly choice. Well, for one reason it uses a lot less energy and resources to produce vegetables than it does to produce meat and animal products.

This is something that I found on one of my favorite blogs, La Vida Locavore by Jill Richardson.

Going back to the study "Diet, Energy, and Global Warming," I'd like to share some stats from there. If you put in 100 calories of fossil fuel, you can produce:
18.1 calories of chicken
20.6 calories of milk
11.2 calories of egg
6.4 calories of grain-fed beef
3.7 calories of pork
1.2 calories of lamb
110 calories of herring
5.8 calories of tuna
5.7 calories of farmed salmon
0.9 calories of shrimp
250 calories of corn
415 calories of soy
110 calories of apples
123 calories of potatoes

The study she is referring to, "Diet, Energy and Global Warming" was written by Gidon Eshel and Pamela A. Martin from the University of Chicago.

During our Meat vs. Veg debate this past quarter here at UC Davis, my friends Nilli and Brian helped me to argue against a group of heavy meat-eaters. Our main argument for why vegetarian/vegan was environmental reasons, and we did bring up the statistic for the amount of water that it takes to produce a pound of beef - about 2500 gallons of water.

What was so great about the debate was that Brian is actually not a full vegetarian, he is a part-time meat eater. It was great to have someone on our side to help persuade the masses that they don't have to go full vegan or vegetarian to make a big environmental impact - they just need to decrease their meat intake.

Rate of Animal Slaughter in the US

2009-06-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

This was put together by Animal Visuals. I think it is very impactful, and can be a great tool to help explain how much death occurs every day in the US.

Coconut Oil

2009-04-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all you veggies. This post is all about my new favorite oil - coconut oil. My awesome veggie roomie introduced me to coconut oil this year, and I am not quite off my kick yet.

What is so great about coconut oil?

Coconut oil is a great fat to add to cooking when you are looking for a creamy mouth-feel and somewhat creamy consistency. Anything cooked with unrefined coconut oil (my recommendation) has an amazing base flavor of coconut - not too noticeable if you don't add alot - but makes whatever dish you are making much richer and fuller.

Nutritional benefits of coconut oil? Well, it is a fat, and although not all fats are created equally, all fats are treated the same by your body. Coconut oil contains saturated fat, which explains why it is solid at room temperature, and saturated fat has definitely been linked to increase blood cholesterol level. However, studies have also shown that coconut oil can decrease your bad cholesterol level and increase your good cholesterol level (it has the opposite affect as trans-fats).

Coconut is definitely a staple in many regions, particularly Polynesia, and Polynesians, although they had high levels of cholesterol, did not experience increased risk of heart disease.

So my major beef with coconut oil is the saturated fat - but I tend to be a little relaxed about my concerns, only because compared to saturated fats coming from processed foods and animal products - the saturated fat in coconut oil comes in a better "package" than does these other foods containing saturated fat.

According to traditional Asian and Pacific populations - coconut oil is the "cure all." It is considered, by them, to be the healthiest oil. They consider the coconut palm the "Tree of Life" because it provides healthy coconuts and their milk, meat, and oil.

So how to use coconut oil in cooking? Use it like you would any fat. Coconut oil is solid, but as soon as you heat it, it will become a liquid (as is common with all saturated fats, think about lard being used to fry foods...)

I like adding coconut oil to my oatmeal in the morning, and it gives me an extra kick. It also helps me to stay full until my next meal, which usually isn't until around 12 or 1pm. I tried adding coconut oil to my traditional buttercream frosting recipe (in the place of vegetable margarin, Earth Balance), and I found the trick was to melt it once again before adding it to the powdered sugar... if you don't you will have lumps of coconut oil in the frosting, and that isn't the best...

I also add coconut oil to my savory dishes too! I add it to my quinoa, with some tahini and miso. I also add it to my beans. I haven't tried it with green yet, so let me know if you do!

Here are a few recipes using coconut oil as a base:

"Refried" Lentils

These come out really creamy, very similar to refried beans. They are very good, and they are very good for you. Lentils are packed full of fiber. In this recipe I used fresh oregano from my garden, so you are going to have to decrease the amount if you used dried, which is not as preferable.

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1tsp canola oil
1 leek, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 sprigs fresh oregano, minced
2 cups green lentils
4 cups water
freshly ground sea salt (add to taste after the lentils have cooked)

Now, I used a pressure cooker for mine so I am not sure how these will turn out in a regular pot. If you do cook them in a regular pot, make sure to keep the lid on so that they get really soft.

Sautee the onions, leeks, oils, carrot and oregano until the onions and leeks become translucent.

Add lentils and water. Cover pressure cooker and let cook until the cooker stops "steaming" - about 25-35 minutes.

One fully cooked, add salt to taste (I added about 2 tsps).

Serve warm and enjoy!

Quinoa with Miso, Tahini and Coconut Oil

This is a really easy recipe that adds a somewhat deep and creamy taste to your quinoa. If you want a more creamy consistency, add more tahini after the quinoa has cooked.

2 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp miso
1 tsp tahini
1.5 cups quinoa
3 cups water

Mix the coconut oil, miso, and tahini together in a medium-sized pot, and turn heat onto medium to melt the coconut oil. Mix as the coconut oil melts.

Once coconut oil has fully melted, add in the quinoa and mix with the heated liquid. Add in water and cover. Adjust heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes. Fluff before serving.

Can be served warm or at room temperature.

If you want to finish off your coconut based-meal with more coconut, I would suggest Larry and Luna's Coconut Bliss ice cream for dessert! It is super yummy, and you can't even tell that it is vegan!

Safe Food and our Industrialized Food System

2009-04-05T17:03:00.001-07:00

I am sure you all have seen in the news the latest recall on pistachios from a local processing plant (near Modesto) and this just following the massive recall of peanut butter. Both were due to salmonella.

An industrialized food system which centralizes a majority of our food production is not safe - as is validated by these past recalls and outbreaks. I support a more localized and sustainable food system for many reasons, but one of them is for food safety purposes. In a de-centralized system, a peanut-butter recall as we have just experienced would not be as large of an issue.

Much of the peanut products that were recalled were processed foods. I'm not saying that all processed foods are not safe, and given the fact that most foods need minimal amounts of processing in order to be edible or palatable, food processing is a major concern. When the processing is left up to the consumer - for example taking your own peanuts and grinding them up in a blender to make peanut butter - an outbreak is less likely.

Why isn't our system like this? There are several reasons, and convenience is one of them. People don't want to take the time to do simple food processing - like blending their peanuts in a blender to make their own peanut butter. And definitely, food processing is done more efficiently than when we individuals decide to process our own foods, but is safety something we should sacrifice when we do choose to consumer processed foods. I don't think so - and neither does our president. Check out his weekly address on Food Safety - this is from back in the middle of March.

Spinach!

2009-04-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share a picture with ya'll of my garden, thriving. =) My friend, Katie, likes to visit my plot (because it is so totally awesome!) and sometimes she documents things for me.

This is a picture she took of my spinach (two varieties, a smaller leaf, and the giant leaf!) The spinach is the the background. In the foreground, the plant with the white ribs, is my broad-stemmed chard. Yummy!

All organic - of course!

Mostly greens right now, my lettuce is actually starting to bolt (go to seed...). But I just planted some squash, peas, beans, tomatoes, carrots, onions, and more. So I am excited for an early summer harvest!

Best thing to do with spinach? I love to saute it up with some spring onions, fresh garlic, and a little bit of Braggs or soy sauce and olive oil.

Dani's Yummy Spinach

1 bunch fresh spinach (from your backyard, preferably)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 spring onions, chopped
1 tsp olive oil or canola oil or sesame oil
1 tsp-1Tbsp soy sauce or braggs

Rinse the spinach, and cut or tear into bit-sized pieces or strips. Saute the onions and garlic in the oil. Add the spinach and braggs or soy sauce. Cook until spinach is wilted. Serve warm, with brown rice.
*This is a great recipe to add some browned tofu to, or some quinoa, almost a complete meal (since both are whole protein sources!)

So spinach is packed full of that awesome little mineral that most vegans don't get much of - IRON! However, the iron in spinach is not as well absorbed as the iron your find in meat products. But still, this doesn't mean that I shouldn't be touting the benefits of the iron in the spinach. Spinach is packed full of loads of other great things - like phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins and other minerals. It is a great source of Vitamin C, which you need lots of to absorb iron.

The Popeye cartoons are right - spinach can be mighty good for you, and help you to grow into a fit and strong vegan too!

Eat well, be well - AND GROW YOUR OWN FOOD (or at least try!)

The Tofu Chronicles - Peanut Butter Tofu

2009-03-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

Why did I title this blog "Tofu Chronicles"? Well, I intend to give you the dirt on tofu, and all of it benefits and so-called horribleness (more on that later) through a series of blog postings. Each posting will, of course, be accompanied by one of my favorite tofu recipes.

I love tofu - I don't buy it that often because I don't eat soy products that much. However, I gave in the other day because I had an amazingly large craving for it!

Tofu is amazingly good for you - most tofu is loaded with added calcium, so it is good for veggies all around. Although I am a firm believer that plant sources of calcium are WAY BETTER for you than animal sources (mostly for absorption and other reasons), my nutrition peers don't quite yet agree, so when I counsel new veggies, I tell them to look for dark-green leafy veggies and tofu for their calcium. (Did you know that sesame seeds are also a great source of calcium? Eat some hummus, and you will be getting loads of it with every pita dip-ful!)

Tofu is also a whole protein. Protein is something that most veggies don't tend to lack, especially if they are eating enough whole grains and beans, however if you are an unhealthy veggie and eat only junk food, then eating a whole-protein source is best because you didn't get any other incomplete proteins throughout the day.

Complete, incomplete proteins? Well, actually this doesn't matter much. That whole "complementary protein" thing is garbage anyway since you body pools up all of the amino acids that you consume in a day to create whole proteins...

Obviously I prefer plant sources of whole proteins over animal proteins - for many reasons most of you have already heard me talk about by now - mainly for health reasons. When taking a look at the "whole package" of plant vs. animal proteins - plants definitely win. They are loaded with fiber, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and loads of other beneficial stuff. The only thing that animal protein has got going for it is the B12 content and it's "heme" iron source (easily absorbed by the body). Take a look at the whole animal protein source, and you find things like saturated fat, NO fiber, and cholesterol. I choose plants over animals any day.

Tofu is really easy to cook, especially if you are working with the "easy" kind. What is the "easy
kind you may ask? Extra-firm nigari tofu. Nigari is a type of treatment of the tofu with seasalt or magnesium chloride. It helps in the proces of coagulating the soy milk into the tofu. The term Nigari is derived from the Japanese word for bitter. Nigari tofu is almost good enough to eat raw, and by itself. I love to take chunks of it and dip it in Tamari or soy sauce... yum yum yum.

So here is my favorite tofu dish. It is really simple, and I usually pair it with some steamed brown rice or quinoa and some sauteed greens (whatever is in season).

Peanut Butter Tofu

Ingredients:
1 block nigari tofu, water drained
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
2 Tbsp peanut butter (I like crunchy peanut butter)

Start by cubing the tofu into bite-sized pieces. No need to press the water out, most nigari tofu usually cooks fine without pressing.

Grab a wok or a skillet and add in the sesame oil and 1/2 tsp soy sauce. Heat up, and add the tofu. Cook the tofu until golden brown on most sides (you can keep flipping them around, but it is kinda hard to get all side toasted in my experience).

In a small bowl, mix together the 2tsp of soy sauce and the peanut butter. Add to the skillet. Heat until peanut butter has fully coated tofu. Serve over sauteed veggies and brown rice.

**Add extra peanut butter and soy sauce to make it more of a "saucy" dish. This dish is usually just a sticky peanut buttery dish.

Beginning Vegan - Energy and Weakness

2009-02-01T21:42:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: I have slowly been becoming more and more vegan, but I find it very hard during school. I know that you are vegan and know alot about it. I was wondering if you could tell me a little more about how you are able to do it. Like what kind of foods you eat, recipes, snack ideas. I found I got really weak, so I know I wasn't giving my body the right foods to compensate for what I wasn't eating. If you could give me some info, or some good websites to look at that would be great!

MY RESPONSE:I eat a lot of food... ha ha ha! Probably more so now that I am a vegan than when I wasn't (I was a really picky eater, so going vegan really made me open up to new foods, especially foods without meat since I hated meat!)

This is what I typically eat in a day:
- beans and legumes
- whole grains
- loads of fresh veggies (I work on the Student Farm, so these are always in abundance at my place)
- fresh fruit
- nuts
- seeds
- nutritional yeast
- lots of tea (I drink like two pots of herbal and sometimes caffeinated tea each day, but this has nothing to do with my veganism...)
- every once and a while I will through in a vegan cookie or dessert... (homemade, or from the campus Dining Rooms, which is also from scratch)

That is usually it. Of course, all of these foods are prepared into something. I typically have leftovers for breakfast, so I don't really eat any veg-friendly breakfast cereals. I don't eat too much processed foods, really.

The beans and the grains are like my staple. When you take meat out of your diet, you need to replace it with something that will supply similar nutrients - beans and whole grains do this. Also, nutritional yeast is amazing. It is 50% protein! And all natural.... They do add in B12 too (which you need to be careful about).

About the weakness - be sure to snack throughout the day (fruits, veggies, humus, nuts, seeds, etc.) And don't just eat salad - you need something more substantial than that. If you are going to have a salad, load it up with some beans, fresh veggies, seeds, nut yeast, olive oil, balsamic vinegar... make it substantial.

My fave websites are:

www.veganyumyum.com

http://www.theppk.com/

http://veganmenu.blogspot.com/

About Thriving Vegan

2000-10-11T03:13:00.000-07:00

Dani - Thriving Vegan blogger

About the blogger:
My name is Dani, and I love food. Especially vegan food!
I became a vegan in 2004, a transition into a completely plant-based diet after being vegetarian for five years in high school. I've been experimenting with food ever since... I cook, bake, dehydrate, preserve everything that I can! My kitchen gets the most use in my house, and I am lucky to have a garden right outside my back door.

I came to Davis, CA in 2006 to study nutrition, and graduated with my B.S. in Clinical Nutrition from the University of California, Davis in 2008. I now work for UC Davis Dining Services as the Sustainability Manager. I have my dream job. It provides me the opportunity to share my excitement and enthusiasm for fresh, local, wholesome, sustainable food with students at UC Davis.

About Thriving Vegan:
Thriving Vegan hopes to inspire other vegans and non-vegans to enjoy cooking, just as much as I do. The blog began as posts responding to various questions folks would ask me: why I am a vegan, how to eat healthy (vegan or not), how I made those awesome cupcakes or that amazing risotto... and the like.

My main goal for this blog is to help folks understand that veganism is definitely do-able. You can have a healthy, balanced diet, reduce your environmental impact, nourish and protect your body through a thriving vegan lifestyle. A thriving vegan is a smart vegan, so get smart about your food and thrive.

Contact

2000-10-10T03:08:00.000-07:00

I would love to hear from you!

Have a question?
Want to share some recipes or pictures?
Want to suggest a topic?

Drop me a comment...

To contact me directly:

Email me at dnilee at ucdavis dot edu

Recipes

2000-01-01T23:27:00.000-08:00

Scroll Through to check out the recipes you can find on Thriving Vegan.

-Breakfast-
French Toast
Pumpkin Pancakes

-Beverages and Smoothies-
Kombucha (fermented tea)

-Dips and Sauces-
Corn, Black Bean, Avocado Salsa
Easy Baba Ganoush
Fresh Basic Salsa
Sundried Tomato Pesto

-Canning and Preserving-
Apple Butter
Canned Tomatoes
Peach Preserves
Dried Persimmons

-Salads and Side Dishes-
Coconut Miso Quino
Cous Cous Salad
Dani's Yummy Spinach
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

-Soups-
Pick-me-up Pumpkin Chili!

-Main Dishes and Entrees-
Orzo Alfredo with Sauteed Mushrooms
Peanut Butter Tofu
Pan-Seared Polenta with Spicy Tomato Sauce
'Refried' Lentils
Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto
Stuffed Pumpkin

-Desserts-
Apple Crisp
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Orange Frosting
Persimmon, Buttercup Squash & Ginger Cupcakes with Meyer Lemon Frosting
Persimmon Cookies
Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Pie

-Baked Goods-
Pumpkin Spice Bread