Vegan Freak Podcasts and food

Alex and I have been steadily going thru the Vegan Freak podcasts for the last few days. We're no where near finished but it's been a lot of fun and very enlightening at the same time. If you want to go vegan I definitely recommend you tune in. They're very entertaining. My ipod has definitely gotten a lot of great use and I'm so glad I got it. So usually while I'm listening I try to think of what we should eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. While I don't have pictures for all of these things I have been enjoying making and eating it all.

This morning I made some multi-grain pancakes and waffles from Vegan Visitor, a new blog I happened to stumble upon. Actually I found a ton of recipes that I want to make from that blog and have them all bookmarked.

For lunch the other day I made the Lemon Basil Pesto in Eat, Drink and Be Vegan (ED&BV). No picture either but it turned out really really good. I'm actually wanting to make a spinach and basil pesto to put on some pizza I've been craving for the last few days. So more on that in the future. I also made the Black bean and Orange Hummus which is so good. I figured it would be good as a veggie dip or just spreading on the only vegan bread we can find in this city, a rye bread that is actually very good.

Tonight we had the Orange Sesame Tofu and some leftover Coconut Basmati Rice all from ED&BV. With a spinach salad I threw together with some green apples, green onions, cucumbers and walnuts and a homemade vinaigrette that Alex's mom actually showed me how to make. In all it turned out wonderful.

And for dessert, I decided to make the Basic Chocolate Cupcake from Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World. I contemplated making a buttercream but decided we had enough sweets for the day so I just topped it with some powdered sugar. Still very yummy.

Table for two

Dinner over the last 3 days. All new recipes that were very welcome and very tasty. Although, we did decide that we're not big fans of seitan. I have yet to find a recipe that I love. I'll keep trying though in hopes that it's out there. Well I know it's out there since eating at Buddha's Veggie in Calgary but I have yet to figure out how they actually make it. I actually ordered a vegan Chinese cookbook so hopefully there will be some ideas in there. More updates on that when I actually receive it.

Olive Oyl Pasta with Walnut-Pecan balls from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan by Dreena Burton. The Walnut-Pecan balls are actually from the Food Network Canada website. Dreena now has a selection of completely vegan recipes that can be found at foodtv.ca. I'm so mad this came out blurry but really it was so amazing I can't say enough good things about this dish. It was divine.

Sautéed Seitan with Mushrooms and Spinach from Veganomicon by Isa and Terry with a side of baked potato.

Green Pea and Lemon Risotto with Roasted Red Peppers from Veganomicon. I actually used edamame instead of the green peas because I wanted to up the protein content without having to make an entirely separate dish.

Vegan and proud

For the last couple of months I've been writing primarily about crafts. And although that is one side of why I started this blog I feel I should start giving some equally important time to the other side as well.

Yesterday, I watched the movie Earthlings. To quote Veg-TV, "EARTHLINGS is a feature length documentary about humanity's absolute dependence on animals (for pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research) but also illustrates our complete disrespect for these so-called "non-human providers.""

I can freely admit that some parts of this movie made me cry and realize how cruel we humans really are. I felt like I needed to cleanse myself afterwards. It was shocking to believe the things we do to animals all for the sake of taste and enjoyment. When people would ask me 'Why are you a vegan?' I felt really good about saying that I chose this path for health reasons and that no I wasn't one of those save the animal nutters although I did believe that animals had a right to live their lives out in peace. After watching this movie, even Alex who I've never pressured into becoming vegan or vegetarian because I truly believe that we all have to make this decision on our own for the right reasons. In any case, even he honestly considered the possibility of making the transition to veganism. But that's neither here nor there. I truly felt shamed to call myself a part of a species that could be so heartless. And it made me wonder about those omnis who say they care about animals. Because when it really comes down to it you can't pick and choose what animal to care about more. You either care or you don't. And if you eat meat you don't care. That's the short and simple of it. What makes a cow, a chicken or a pig any less worthy of consideration than the panda or the polar bear? Which animals should we selectively care about so that we can go on consuming the ones we find so delicious? It makes me sick. And don't get me started about seafood because at the rate that we're depleting the oceans we'll be lucky if there isn't a fish left to be consumed or otherwise in the next 50 years. Not to mention the amount of pollution found in all fish the world over. Just another indication of human kind's complete disregard for the planet and those within it.

It's interesting how this movie came out in 2005 and I'm only just hearing of it. Actually, I've read this elsewhere online. And after watching it and knowing it's content. It's not hard to realize why. Why would mainstream media want to give a film about our blatant disregard for other species air time? An Incovenient Truth, the documentary by Al Gore, was talked about incessantly when it came out. Why? Because it's much easier to talk about and confront global warming than it is to talk about our very own consumption habits with regard to food. It's like the elephant in the room that no one wants to acknowledge. Just today I was watching Oprah and they were talking about how 60% of Americans are obese and the other 30% are over weight. And if you think that's only an American epidemic then you're wrong. According to Statistics Canada, Canadians (children and adults) are fighting the same fight with obesity. The numbers are rising everyday and so are the death tolls of animals.

I've always said that I'm not the type of person to confront anyone on the way they choose to live their life. I never say anything when my omni friends eat meat or dairy in front of me, wear leather or just generally go on about the animals they love consuming. I'm just that non-confrontational, but really it does bother me and deep down inside I want to say 'Stop!' because really how many animals have to die and suffer for your meal? For your belt? Your shoes?

I feel like this rant has been a long time coming. I have so much more to say on the topic but I'm already sounding like the angry vegan right now so I think I'll stop while I'm ahead. Because when it's all said and done, I don't think we'll ever live in a vegan society where not even one animal has to suffer or die for us to say we've accomplished something at the end of the day. I can only say that I'm glad to call myself a vegan and know that I'll be one for the rest of my life. And the next time someone asks me 'Why are you vegan?' I will proudly say that it's because I don't believe even one animal has to die in order for me to survive.

To anyone who wants to watch the movie, I've linked to it above, you just have to click on the name. It streams for free online. You can also download it to watch at a later date.

Seize the day!

That's my new motto for 2008. I've been vegging out lately. Well basically since I got back from vacation. All the handmade gifts went over better than I could have hoped. Everyone loved everything and it makes me feel good because maybe this will become a habit in all my future gift giving endeavors. Speaking of which, I know about four people who are having babies in the upcoming months so the next few crafts will be all about babies and baby things. Luckily I got a couple of great crafting books for Christmas that deal with just that very thing so I can't wait to get started.

In my laziness I haven't been doing much cooking either. I check up on my regular vegan blogs daily and sometimes steal recipes or meal ideas from there but that's about it. I don't know what's gotten into me this month but I just don't have the drive to do anything. I've been sitting on my butt in front of the t.v. for hours everyday just wasting the time away then eating crap for dinner. Hopefully this will all change in the next couple of days. Plus I don't want Ayla watching t.v. and I'm sorry to admit she's gotten her fair share lately.

On another note, I can't say that I've been 100% idle. When we got back from Montreal I discovered to my horror that all those cute diapers it took me ages to complete (and still have not fully completed) do not fit my little angel any more! Ugh! So basically I told Alex that by the next baby we should have this cloth diapering down pat. In any case I've spent a couple of days making some new diaper covers because I've gone the lazy route (naturally) and decided not to make full diapers but just covers because they're faster to make and let's just face it she's growing too fast and I don't want to waste hours on it or any money. Because for me cloth diapering is not only about the environment but also about saving my hard earned mat leave money.

I leave you with a better late than never Christmas photo of Ayla all dressed up as Miss Mini Claus =)

Happy Holidays

Well it's come down to the last few hours. I finally finished all my handmade gifts and I pretty much stuck to what I wanted to do and I'm very proud of myself for that. Below are the last 4 dolls that I decided to go ahead with at the last minute. I'm just glad they turned out well and I hope that they're also well received.

It's been a pretty hectic last few days with the sewing, the packing and marginally cooking plus we can't forget that I have my little angel Ayla to keep me on my toes all day long. But I did manage to take a picture of my last supper it's the Broccoli Cashew Teriyaki Tofu from my new cookbook Eat, Drink and Be Vegan.

I love this cookbook and let me just tell you that this recipe is AMAZING! Actually my reasoning for choosing this particular recipe was that I wanted to find something that would use up the rest of the veggies I had in the fridge. Basically just some bell peppers and scallions. It turned out to be my last pack of tofu as well. In any case I didn't have the broccoli called for but I loved it all the same. I will definitely be making this again and again. I don't really like cashews but in this it was perfect. I even said incredulously to Alex 'Why don't we cook with cashews more often?!' The only thing I did differently in making the tofu was that I coated it in cornstarch before frying it. For those that don't already know coating food in cornstarch before frying will make it extra crispy with little effort and it doesn't splatter oil all over the place. It's perfect.

And that's it for me. I'll be off to Montreal for the next month! I won't be blogging in that time so I hope everyone has a marvelous Christmas and New Year (or whatever holiday you normally celebrate)! Hopefully I'll be back with great pictures of the things we did and the food we ate (vegan of course). I'm actually bringing along a couple of my staples foodwise as well as my 'never leave my side' cookbooks, mostly the ones I've featured here on the blog. I just hope I can win someone over to vegan cooking while I'm at it. See you all in the New Year!

PS. I wish I had a better camera. Sorry for the dark pics!

A small break

I have been avoiding all work related to sewing and cooking for the last few days. I guess my body just needed some time to rejuvenate. Now that I'm rested up I'm going to dive right back in and finish up those last few gifts on my list. I'm leaving next Wednesday so I have no time to lose. And of course Ayla's diapers are being pushed back to the bottom of the pile. In all honesty we can get by with what we've been doing but it would just look more 'presentable' if I finished them up properly. On another note, we caved and bought some disposables just in case. I'm not sure how it's going to work out with the washing and drying of cloth diapers every two days while we're rushing here and there to see family and friends so we figured it would be safer this way. But I can honestly say that it really hurts me to use them and I'll probably try not to if I can avoid it. I really feel passionately about cloth especially since I've started using them and I'd hate for Ayla to have all those chemicals and crap they put in disposables up against her skin. And then I just think to myself, 'Omg! That will be 72 diapers I've committed to a landfill!'. I know I'm anal.

So last weekend I went to a potluck lunch with my girlfriends and had an amazing time. I brought some Mango-Ginger Tofu, Mango Summer Rolls and Toasted Coconut Cupcakes. The first two came from Vegan with a Vengeance and the last was from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Everything turned out wonderfully and I'm so glad because I usually don't like serving anyone things I've never made before. I told Alex that I'd definitely consider making this for the family over the holidays because I loved the way it turned out.

After that filling lunch we all exchanged gifts and I got to give away the two aprons I've not yet posted on the blog. I'm so proud of them and I can't wait to make my own apron now after having worked on these two. I didn't have a pattern for either of them, I basically knew the design I wanted for both of them then just traced it out on tissue paper and worked from there. When I sew like that I call it 'organic'. Both of them suited the recipients very well. I wish we had thought to take a picture with them actually in the aprons. Maybe next time! I also gave some of my cupcakes away and the pinstriped charming handbag I wrote about on my last post. All very well received.

Now on to my gifts! I LOVED everything! I couldn't get over how thoughtful the girls had been! I mean everything I got was exactly what I wanted. You know how sometimes it's hit and miss with gifts but this time around it was all hits! I've already read each book cover to cover and just tonight I used my cookbook stand with a two recipes from my new cookbook, Eat, Drink and Be Vegan (another amazing cookbook by Dreena Burton!). And I'm contemplating making a gift from the Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts book as well. It's just all perfect! I'm saving the PJs I got for when I go to Montreal and I'm so happy I got them because they'll really come in handy since they've had more than one snow storm over there already! Blah. So all in all I'm thrilled with my gifts and can't wait to give and receive more. Oh, I should also mention that Ayla got some great clothes that she really really needed and a gift box set of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. I'm contemplating when I should start reading them to her. I've never read Charlotte's Web (I know for shame!) but I would like to enjoy it with her but that won't be for a little while yet so I might just go ahead and read it to her now. I'm sure we'll read it over and over again before I get tired of it. In any case, her clothing is all washed and ready to be packed. I can't wait for the family to meet her. I think this just might be my best/favorite Christmas ever!
Just a few random pictures that I've taken over the last few days. First up is tonight's dinner Blackened Tofu with the Autumn Purée both from my new cookbook Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. Loved, loved, loved this recipe! I'll definitely be making it again. I also had some leftover coffee butter cream icing from my Toasted Coconut cupcakes so I decided to make some chocolate cupcakes using my new black cocoa (Yes!) that I got shipped to my friend Twee's place and then had her bring to me here (why can't there be a distributer in Canada?!). These cupcakes are so black it's unbelievable! And the flavor is so intense it's like eating an Oreo cupcake. Heaven!

Next is the Pancake recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. I had read on Vegan Dad about how good these pancakes were and had to give them a try. And they don't disappoint! I think the key to making great pancakes is using a cast iron pan. Those pans make every pancake turn out a winner I swear it never fails!
And last, a picture of all my cookbooks that I've collected on top of my fridge. I'm quite proud of my collection and I love looking at them up there. Still, there's so many more that I want that I suspect I'll need to be getting a bookcase very soon.

More gifts

As promised have two more of the Charming handbags finished. As usual I love them both and wish that I could keep them for myself.

I also made two more dolls of Olive and Archie fame for a friend's daughter who's birthday is on Monday. I've already given them to her because her party is today. She loved them and said 'You know what's missing?' .... 'The tongue!' She's too cute.
Also made a lovely dinner curteosy of Veganomicon. Smoky Grilled Tempeh, I paired this with some roasted peppers and a Chinese vegetable whose name escapes me. Well I say lovely in the sense that it could have been lovely if I realized that my veggie broth is salted and my soy sauce is heavily salted. So in the end the tempeh was a little too salty. But in my opinion (not Alex's) still edible. The peppers turned out great, I love when they get that little bit of char on the top. Actually, later on that night I made a sandwich out of the Low fat Cauliflower Hummus (also of Veganomicon fame) and sliced up the tempeh on rye bread. Now that tasted wonderfully! So I'll be doing that for lunch today.

I'll be taking a little break from sewing gifts to finish Ayla's diapers. Yes I know I should have been finished those ages ago. But you know how things are. I get an idea for a gift and the diapers are on the back burner.