MoFo #30: Liebster Awards x2

This MoFo, I've been nominated twice for the fun Liebster Awards. It's just a little way to connect with other bloggers and do something fun. It was suggested as a great way to end MoFo, so I'm going to do that. Tomorrow, I will share all the leftover photos that didn't make it into a post. :)

I received the first nomination from May The Veg Be With You.

(1) Favorite herb or spice - Chipotle powder! I like it spicy.

(2) #1 pantry staple - dried beans, since my spice cabinet doesn't seem like a proper answer. [Actually, I don't have a spice cabinet anymore. Donated everything to Food Not Bombs in Houston in prep for this move to Japan.]

(3) Fondest food memory - My grandma used to bake hardcore when we were kids. My mom is a mediocre cook, so seeing my grandma make pies from scratch as a kid was really cool.

(4) #1 comfort food - Anything with sugar, I love a good cookie or cupcake. ;)

(5) I'm vegan for the animals. I don't want to kill animals myself or pay someone to do the dirty work for me.

(6) My favorite vegan restaurant is Gracias Madre in Mission District, SF. Amaze-balls.

(7) Foods I can't live without - tofu, chickpeas, sugar

(8) Last meal selection - Hmmm that's tough one... It's a toss up between Mexican food and Southern comfort foods.

(9) I used to hate onions, but now I use them all the time. I really only dislike fennel seeds and anise. If it's vegan, I'll probably eat it.

(10) If I could be a kitchen utensil in my next life, I'd like to be something practical, like a sharp chef's knife.

I received my second nomination from Self Sufficient Cafe.

(1) I could not do without tofu and chickpeas (so versatile)... and sugar.

(2) Last dinner in 3 courses - Mexican food or Southern comfort foods - those don't come in courses, but I'll take 2 dessert courses. ;)

(3) Current favorite show is Big Bang Theory, except I kinda dislike Penny.

(4) Favorite comedian is Eddie Izzard, for sure. Saw him in Houston!

(5) Favorite junk food is anything with sugar - cookies, cupcakes, candy bars. I'm a sugar junkie, what can I say?

(6) I've been vegan for 5 years, with another almost-5 years as a vegetarian before that.

(7) Has your health improved since turning vegan? --> I've always been pretty healthy, but I guess I bloat a little less without cheese in my diet. I was mostly borderline underweight as a teen, so I've actually had more weight fluctuations as a veg than as an omni. I went veg at 18, but my senior year of college and last year of grad school made me chunky. Once the stress goes down, the weight slowly comes off (or faster if I work out). From my mom's genetic contributions, I don't usually have problems controlling my weight until I eat a 3000+ calorie/day diet (cheese in college, vegan cookies in grad school).

(8) I had never heard of nutritional yeast. I thought it was so nasty the first couple times I tried it. Now I love it!

(9) My favourite smell... Hmmmm... Today the answer is my dude's laundry detergent smell. We haven't seen each other in 5 weeks!

(10) A typical Sunday in Houston involved going to vegan brunch group, working around the house, and running errands. The dude and I would get together for Game of Thrones when it was on tv, even though we rarely hung out on Sunday evenings. Right now, I'm in Florida on vacation, so I sleep in and then help my mom with whatever she needs to do on her day off work.