Mofo #20 - Little Vegan Tips

These are a couple little things that I think could be helpful to other vegans.

Vitamins:
I like Garden of Life because they use algae to produce their vitamins. I take their vitamin D and calcium supplement, as well as their women's multivitamin. The multivitamin is low in calcium and iron. I take a combination iron and B12 supplement from Solaray. EDIT 2013: Garden of Life uses wool to produce lanolin, which the algae then convert to vitamin D3. I have switched to MegaFood's Vegan Daily and a vitamin D2 supplement. If my iron or B12 gets too low, the Garden of Life iron/B12 combo is marked vegan or I'll get another brand.



Body products:
I use St. Ive's apricot scrub and body wash. I like Paul Mitchell hair products, but sometimes I buy Tresemme or the Costco brand. I've heard Aveda is also cruelty-free. You can use the Cruelty Free bunny app on your smart phone to check brands.

Detergents:
Lots of the Costco brand soaps are plant-derived and not tested on animals.

Menu Planning:
The secret to my menu planning success is a white board calendar! I like to see the meals assigned to the days, then write up a grocery list for two weeks' worth of groceries. I usually plan a month at a time, so I can grocery shop when I receive my stipend payments. I like to pick out a couple cookbooks and internet print-outs, then map them onto the calendar. (This looks blank because I haven't planned for November yet.) The lower white board is for various notes, as you can see it has a wish list and groceries on it right now.



I can check my little pantry for what I already have available as I make my selections. I bought a bunch of clear acrylic containers at Bath Bed & Beyond to be able to easily see what's running low. The containers on the bottom hold flour, sugar, and Basmati rice.

Mofo #19 - Halloween Goodies

I love Halloween. I've seen some amazing vegan goodies online that I thought I'd share. When I buy sweets, I tend to pick Oreos, Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, or Back to Nature peanut butter cookies.

- Candy corn: homemade and store-bought
- Cookies: cute confetti toppings
- Candied apples: chocolate-dipped and peanut butter caramel
- Cake: cat cake pops and pumpkin cupcakes
- Marshmallows: pumpkin spice

I didn't buy any of those things, but I did make oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate chip cookies. I baked mine a couple minutes longer than the recipe called for, because they were undercooked after only 12 mins. I used two flax "eggs" and Earth Balance margarine to veganize the recipe (1 flax egg = 1 Tbs milled flax + 3 Tbs water, whisk until thick). I think the flax eggs are the reason the batter didn't completely cook in 12 mins.



On a Halloween-themed side note, I loved this PostSecret card from today.

Mofo #18 - Haute Pockets

I've never eaten Hot Pockets or Ramen noodles. I know, you'd think I never went to college. I always thought the concept of Hot Pockets is a good one - a meal you can hold in your hands that doesn't require silverware. I love burritos and calzones, so a Hot Pocket should logically be loved too. When I saw the recipe for Haute Pockets (get it, haute/hot) in Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites, I wanted to make it right away. I kept putting it off because it required puff pastry dough. Although puff pastry dough isn't as scary as phyllo dough, I was still afraid I'd rip the dough sheet and ruin everything. However, today, I proved myself wrong! The dough sheets were sturdier than I expected, so I successfully made Haute Pockets. They contain homemade sausages (recipe in the book), sauce with a little kick, and broccoli. A few of them leaked, because I had a hard time closing the edges with a fork. I enjoyed munching on these tonight as I was watching tv (so cliche for an American, I know). I tried really hard to get a picture of the filling after I took a bite, but the photo looked terrible due to poor indoor light quality.



Here are the sausages, so you can see their cute mini-size.

Mofo #17 - Isa's Alfreda

I finally broke the pizza curse tonight! I helped a friend decorate for a Halloween party this weekend and we had pizza for dinner. After coming home, I made the alfreda sauce and Italian tofu in Vegan with a Vengeance. I know that I'm going to be rushed after work tomorrow and Friday, so I decided to just make dinner tonight and pack it into two sets of Pyrex. I pressed the tofu overnight in my Tofu Xpress and marinated it during the day today. I used vegetable broth instead of white wine for the base of the marinade. I popped the tofu into the oven to bake as I prepared the sauce and cooked the last of my whole wheat pasta stash. The sauce is not white like alfredo sauce usually is, but it has a nice zing from the chili powder. I added in peas and chopped parsley. I'm really looking forward to having such a healthy, quick meal for dinner when I'm rushing in between work and social events.

Mofo #16 - Pizza Curse Continues

Today, I volunteered for an education outreach event. They always serve pizza and the coordinator always orders a cheese-free veggie pizza for me. I was excited to have some pizza after last Friday's bust. I love my monthly serving of pizza. I opened the box to discover a pizza with ONLY SAUCE. SERIOUSLY?! The coordinator said the admin called in the pizza, and given her general ineptitude, she likely miscommunicated the order to the pizza place. WHY ON EARTH WOULD THE PIZZA PLACE THINK ANYONE WOULD ORDER A TOPPING-LESS PIZZA?! Seriously thankful that I packed a delicious lunch of lentil curry, whole wheat pita bread, and a Gala apple. I knew my cheese-free pizza would not have any protein, so I planned to bring a protein-rich lunch to balance out the day. For the curry, I cut the recipe in half, except that I used a whole white onion, half a red onion, and a whole green bell pepper. It calls for tomato puree, but I used an 8 oz can of tomato sauce. [I should note here that I had pasta leftovers when I got home from work, but I did snack on the crusts of the sauce-only pizza.]

Mofo #15 - Pasta e Fagioli with Spinach

I made the pasta e fagioli with spinach from Appetite for Reduction. I soaked the white beans on Saturday night and cooked them yesterday. That meant all I had to do today was cook the pasta (more than the recipe calls for, of course) and make the tomato sauce. I ended up adding the spinach to the sauce to wilt it, instead of creating layers of pasta, sauce, and spinach. I liked the mild taste of the sauce and the beans added a touch of creaminess, since some of the beans broke apart as I was stirring. Overall, a simple meal for a Monday night.

Mofo #14 - Falafel

Last night, I made falafel using the recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance. This book was my first vegan cookbook. I received it as a birthday gift when I was still vegetarian. Funny how life works out, it's as if my vegetarian aunt knew one day I'd convert to veganism. Anyways, having made Isa's baked falafel from Appetite for Reduction in the past, I decided to try her fatty version in VwaV. I served these in whole wheat pita with lettuce, diced red onion, diced cucumber, and plum tomato slices. The falafel are topped with the tahini dressing suggested in the book. These were very tasty and I think they'd bake just fine if you wanted to avoid the frying. I made the oatmeal raisin cookies from Vegan Diner for dessert, because I couldn't stop thinking about them for some reason.




If you love falafel as much as I do, here are links to previous falafel posts.
- Appetite for Reduction's Baked Falafel
- Vegan Fire & Spice's Falafel
- Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetite's Falafel
- Chipotle Kidney Bean Falafel
- Internet Falafel
- Chow Vegan's Falafel (no photo)

Mofo #13 - When All Else Fails

Last night, the graduate students and the postdocs hosted a social event - pizza, beer tasting, and the PhD comics movie. I had RSVP-ed and requested a cheese-free vegetable pizza. Somehow, the postdoc in charge of ordering pizza thought that a veggie pizza should include ONLY tomatoes and olives. Yes, that's right, ONLY TOMATOES AND OLIVES! WTF?! Needless to say, I was not satisfied after dinner. After the movie, I came home to make a protein smoothie. I normally have this after working out in the morning, but it became my dinner last night.

Smoothie: 1 cup vanilla soymilk + 1 cup frozen blueberries + 1 cup frozen strawberries + 1 banana + 2 Tbs hemp protein + 2 Tbs milled flax seed + 1/4 tsp iodized sea salt

Mofo #12 - Impossible Omelettes

I have been trying for two days to make these damn omelettes. The Western omlettes in American Vegan Kitchen look so delicious, but they are extremely difficult for me to make. The batter contains tofu, cooked chickpeas, and corn starch. I tried to get a thin of layer of batter in my skillet. Yesterday, the omelettes burned; today, the omelettes didn't cook through all the way before I tried to flip them. They made a mess. As you can see in the photo, the outside looks golden and cooked; but once I tried to flip it, you can see the lighter colored uncooked insides. Ugh. I didn't use vegan sausage links and added thinly sliced tomatoes instead of salsa. I have decided that I am just not cut out to cook vegan omelettes, because I had difficulty with the ones from Vegan Brunch as well. *sigh* If only a restaurant around here made vegan omelettes, I would finally get to try a properly cooked omelette.

Kitchen Disaster

I used a million dishes tonight, enough to justify running the dishwasher instead of hand-washing the big items, and burned half of my dinner. Ugh. I still ate the burnt "omelettes" because I had no back-up plan. Luckily, the pancakes came out beautifully. I packed up the batters in Pyrex to store them in the fridge and I'll try again tomorrow, hopefully producing something worth photographing.

In other news, my friend is interested in going vegan. He sent me some questions over fb and I'm really excited that he's attempting this conversion. He's a retired Marine, who served overseas, and a personal trainer.


TEAM VEGAN

Mofo #11 - Dark Chocolate

It's no secret that I have a sweet tooth. I generally don't eat sweets though, because I like to stuff my face like a fatty instead of having just a couple bites. One of the sweets that I can enjoy in moderation is dark chocolate. It's sweet enough to get my fix, but not so sweet that I just keep eating. This weekend, I decided to splurge and buy some dark chocolate at Whole Foods. I bought a dark chocolate bar with freeze-dried raspberries by Chocolove and another dark chocolate bar with mint oil by Theo. Yum. I'll be munching on these during the month as my Halloween sweets. As a general rule, most dark chocolate bars of 70% (or greater) cocoa are vegan, but double check the ingredients just in case!

Mofo #10 - Tempeh Helper

I was planning to make something else tonight, but I realized I didn't have the chickpeas ready. They're in the crockpot right now, cooking away for Wednesday. Since I had to select something else on the menu plan to cook tonight, I decided to make Tempeh Helper from Appetite for Reduction. I've had my eye on this recipe since Cristin first bought this book last winter. I decided to skip the peas called for in the recipe and use broccoli and tomato instead (since I have an excess of plum tomatoes due to a faulty scale in the produce department!). The directions were a little unclear on where to add the sauce ingredients, so I figured the safe bet was to cook the pasta in one pot, saute the tempeh with the vegetables in a skillet, and make the sauce in another pot. I also simmered the tempeh in broth for 15-20 mins before sauteing it, since this is supposed to help reduce the bitterness of tempeh.

Mofo #9 - Vegan at Costco

As a graduate student, I don't make very much money. I try to get some of my pantry staples at Costco, where I can buy in bulk and save. These are the usual items I purchase there, although some items last a long time and I don't need to buy them every month. The best part is that lots of their items are organic, like frozen fruits, frozen veggies, and PB&J.

Perishable items: bananas, baby carrots, fresh fruit on occasion, bread
Non-perishable items: milled flax seed, quinoa, peanut butter, strawberry jelly, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed), Clif bars, pretzels on occasion, Basmati rice, Kalamata olives, vanilla soymilk
Frozen items: strawberries, blueberries, broccoli, mixed vegetables, sweet potato fries, and rarely Boca burgers (used to buy these a lot in college, but I don't now)
Household items: detergents for dishes and laundry, shampoo & conditioner -- THE STORE BRAND IS USUALLY CRUELTY-FREE! Kirkland Signature dish and laundry detergents are advertised as not tested on animals and the moisture rich shampoo & conditioner say 100% vegan on the front of the bottle. I personally think it's awesome that Costco is willing to make eco-friendly and cruelty-free products for the store brand!!

The savings more than make up for the membership cost. For example, I eat a Clif bar every morning before going to the gym. The box of 24 bars is $18. At the regular grocery or Whole Foods, Clif bars are $1 each or a box of 6 for $5.50 (or up to $5.95 at some places). I basically save $6 for each Costco box of Clif bars. I save *at least* $72/year on this single item, which covers most of the $100 membership cost. :)

Mofo #8 - Chili & Cornbread

I made the hearty chili and chipotle scallion double cornbread from Vegan Diner. I used a mix of red kidney and pinto beans, fire-roasted tomatoes that I pureed, and more TVP than listed. Because I remembered reading on Julie Hasson's blog about scooping flour into a measuring cup, instead of sticking the measuring cup directly into the flour, I made sure to use her technique to prepare the cornbread. (I've actually switched to her technique for all of my baking.) It was very tasty, but I wish I had put a little more chipotle powder into the mix. I broke off pieces of the cornbread with my fork and scooped some chili on top of that to make the perfect bite. Yum!

Mofo #7 - Seitan Bowl

I made a very simple seitan bowl the other night. I made this seitan recipe, but used a pinch of red pepper flakes and a teaspoon each of cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder for the seasonings. I still used the peanut butter, sesame oil, and soy sauce. I sauteed some onion and bell peppers. Served everything over rice with a pinch of cilantro in it. This would have been better with some beans and avocado, but I didn't plan ahead to cook beans and my remaining avocado half looked questionable. I'll know better next time. For presentation, I should have cut everything into strips for a more fajita-like appearance.

Mofo #6 - Mexican Polenta

For some reason, I really wanted polenta earlier this week. I have no idea where this craving came from, but I decided to go with it since I already had cornmeal that I could use. I've only cooked polenta once to serve as the crust of the tamale pie from Yellow Rose Recipes (shown here), so I decided to check out some other cookbooks and the internet for the ratio of liquid to cornmeal that I'd need. I settled on the 4 cups broth to 1 cup cornmeal from Appetite for Reduction. I topped the polenta with black beans, sauteed red pepper and onion, and avocado. Reminded me of Mexican flavors. Overall, tasty and satisfying as I was curled up watching tv trying to fight off this stuffy nose.

Mofo #5 - Real Food Daily in Los Angeles, CA

On Thursday, I took the bus from my friend's house to Real Food Daily. The great thing about the LA bus system is that you can go to their website and put in your information (starting location, destination, and desired walking distance). It will generate a list of possible bus routes you can take. After looking over the menu, I decided to take my server's suggestion and ordered the monthly special - The Al Capone (seitan parmesan with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans). The seitan parmesan had lots of diced veggies underneath the Daiya cheese, but I was most surprised to see capers. I don't cook with capers at home, so it was a pleasant surprise to eat something different. The seitan parmesan was awesome, the mashed potatoes weren't garlicky enough for a garlic fiend like myself, and the green beans had a nice crunch to them. I ordered the brownie bowl for dessert. The brownies had chocolate chips in them and were served with vanilla hemp-based ice cream. However, the brownies were drier and denser than I would have preferred, but the ice cream was pretty good.






From the restaurant, I was able to take a different bus to the LA County Museum of Art for their Tim Burton exhibit and the La Brea tar pit. Cameras aren't allowed in the Tim Burton exhibit, so I unfortunately don't have anything to show for my trip there. The exhibit was really interesting and I paid extra for the audio tour (you rent out an iPod Touch and headphones to listen to commentary and interviews as you walk through the exhibit). Next to LACMA is the La Brea tar pit and its museum. I didn't pay to enter the tar pit museum, but did get to see the tar pit. Not as exciting as I'd expected, but it was nice to walk around the park and soak up some sunshine.

Mofo #4 - The Vegan Joint in Culver City (Los Angeles), CA

I did not find The Vegan Joint in my pre-trip Google search, but it was within walking distance of my friend's house. I was ecstatic that the menu had a lot of Thai-inspired dishes. I decided to order the shiitake curry (mixed the brown rice into the dish) and red velvet cupcakes for dessert. I loved the hint of heat, the velvety texture of coconut milk, and the big chunks of tofu. Nom nom nom. The cupcakes weren't as light and fluffy as my favorite recipe (using 1/3 cup oil + 1/3 cup apple sauce), plus they had been in a chilled case so that made the frosting less creamy than if they were stored at room temperature. Overall, a solid meal, a diverse menu, and decent prices.

Mofo #3 - Native Foods Cafe in Culver City (Los Angeles), CA

When I was searching Google preparing for my trip, I found that my friend's apartment is near one of the best rated quick vegan spots. I was excited that I'd have a place to walk to lunch while he was away at work. However, after a long day on Tuesday and delicious extra-garlicky fries at Melody Bar & Grill, I decided to grab a quick dinner at Native Foods Cafe that night. I immediately knew that I wanted the Greek Gyro bowl - thinly shaved peppered seitan and kale over quinoa with hummus. The lemony dip/sauce included was a little too strong for me, so I didn't use it on my food. The seitan was sooo good. I ordered a piece of cheesecake too, but was too full to eat it for dessert. It had a consistency that made me think it was made of soy-based cream cheese, instead of silken tofu. The cheesecake was good, but not "change your life" amazing. I ate the cheesecake as a mid-morning snack the next day, so I wasn't awake enough to realize I should snap a photo before stuffing my face. I also had a cup of the lavender lemonade and it was a bit too tart for me.

Mofo #2 - Cha Cha Chicken in Santa Monica, CA

On Sunday, we went to Cha Cha Chicken in Santa Monica. I definitely wouldn't have suspected this little spot to be so popular, but it came highly recommended from another student's friend. It's Caribbean cuisine near the beach! I ordered the jerk vegetable enchiladas without the cheese. There was a kick of heat in the jerk spice mix. I enjoyed the sauce on the plantains.



After lunch, we walked down to the pier. There was a display of crosses on the beach for fallen soldiers, so we stopped and contemplated the sacrifice that our military has made. The display had a star of David and a crescent moon for Jewish and Muslim soldiers. I was bummed that we didn't get to ride the ferris wheel or the little roller coaster.

Mofo #1 - Simmzy's in Manhattan Beach, CA

On Saturday night, we went out to dinner at Simmzy's, a little gastropub in Manhattan Beach. They focus on gourmet burgers, craft beers, and small production wines. I was delighted to see a non-beef burger on the menu. There was The Hummus Burger made of chickpeas, couscous, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and shiitake mushrooms. It was topped with pickled veggies only, since I requested to omit the dill mayo. I ordered sweet potatoes fries as the side. I also enjoyed the Sugar Snap Peas in Red Dragon Sauce - tasty!! I really enjoyed this meal, plus the weather was lovely. Since Simmzy's is open to the outdoors, it was perfect that the weather was cool and there was a light breeze. The lighting was not optimal for photos, so my burger photo is not nearly as appetizing-looking as it should be.