Portland Oregon - a vegan friendly place



 Visited Portland the first week of September and discovered a place where being vegan was understood and actually quite normal. There were vegan only restaurants, vegan food trucks, and most restaurants had vegan options. Some of my favorite meals were the vegan corn dogs at "Hungry Tiger", the vegan lasagna at "Vita Cafe" and the delicious fresh wrap at "Veggie Grill" and, of course the vegan shelf at "Voodoo Doughnuts" - had one when I got there and one on my way to the airport to come home (If I could have brought home a dozen on the plane, I would have!!!!!). There is even a whole block with vegan only businesses including a grocery called "Food Fight". I can't even describe how happy this city made me feel - it is full of polite, caring, environmentally aware, fresh and compassionate food aware citizens. I am a big fan of bike riding - use mine to run errands, pop over to the library and even to work on good days. In Portland, the bike is an official form of transportation with bumper to bumper bike traffic in the many and well-maintained bike lanes. When I got home, I couldn't stop smiling and felt so amazingly happy. I finally figured out why. Just knowing that there is such a place in my country that seems to express so many of the values that I think are important (as mentioned above). As a pedestrian crossing the streets, the cars would stop in anticipation of my arrival at the intersection and we mostly signaled each other to go first - crossing the street could sometimes be time-consuming, but so sweet. (I'll take sweet any day) It made me feel less anxious and more hopeful about the future of our planet - there is someplace I can go if I ever needed to. I posted a photo of Voodoo above and will end with a photo of the lasagna at "Vita Cafe". Delicious. All you vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores should take a visit and check out this food-oriented amazing city.

Alicia Silverstone and Jimmy Fallon

I was all set to come down on Jimmy Fallon for making fun of those who made a big deal about Whole Foods incorrect labeling causing some vegans to have eaten real chicken instead of  'chick'n'. Especially if the reason for being a vegan is one of compassion for animals and the belief that not eating meat is a way to protest the ill treatment of animals, incorrect labeling and consumption of meat unawares would be very upsetting. I am sure this incident may have been the fodder for some humor on the late night shows, and since insult humor seems to be the genre of the late night, I don't want to come down too hard on Jimmy Fallon. I just don't really want to watch them (I do watch Stewart and Colbert, however, since they have many redeeming qualities).
BUT, when I went to search for more information on this incident, I found a video from another one of Jimmy Fallon's shows and an interview with Alicia Silverstone - a famous and 'easy to like' vegan. So, I watched the video. In her usual style, she was funny and calm, AND convincing  in her enjoyment and advocacy of the vegan food choices. The video does not show that Jimmy Fallon was convinced or even liked the vegan offerings, but he did have her on his show and she is such a delightful spokesperson for the cause. Just having her on the show and letting her do her thing has redeemed him. So, now that I got that off my chest, here is the clip with Alicia.  Her website is called the kind life. Check it out. I hope people at least try some of these alternate 'meats' - seitan, tempe, tofu - they can be made into some very tasty meals. You don't have to give up flavor to be a vegan - really, it's true!!!!! Keep the faith.

The perfect Christmas gift for a vegan

The perfect Christmas gift for a vegan! My daughter gave me "Skinny Bitch - Ultimate Everyday Cookbook" by Kim Barnouin. The caption on the front states "crazy delicious recipes that are good to the earth and great for your bod" and they are all vegan. When I first got it, I decided to approach it kind of like a textbook (without the annoying yellow highlighter of course). Although I am very satisfied with being a vegan, I find myself repeating the same recipes and not venturing out to try to make more robust and healthier and more interesting recipes. I saw this as an opportunity to remedy this state of affairs. My hopes for the info in this book were not misplaced. It starts with a chapter on sustainability and the relationship to how we grow, process, distribute and eat our food. I especially took note of the types of produce that might be more likely to be pumped with pesticides and where an organic choice might be better. The next chapter provides descriptions of those foods that are part of the 'processed' group, the types of sweeteners and all the alternative protein options. Another preliminary section is now a place I check before I go grocery shopping - the book's "8 pantry staples" and a "skinny bitch" shopping list. I could go on, but let's just say, my enthusiasm for this book makes me want to do a "Julie & Julia" and go through the book from beginning to end, make the item, then blog about it. Since I don't seem to have the time to do that, I am determined to consult the book on a regular basis to get out of my vegan rut. In fact, I have already made 2 of the recipes with incredible results. The first recipe I tried was the Tangy Spinach and Strawberry Salad with a champagne vinagrette dressing. It was one of my contribution's to a New Year's Eve get-together at a friend's house. Just from the name of it, the wonderful ingredients, I had a hunch it would be good. However, it exceeded my expectations and it got rave reviews from my friends (and from me, of course). I have made it again since then because now I kind of crave it??? The other recipe I tried about a week ago was 'corn chowder' which used vegetable broth and almond milk instead of some of the regular ingredients. It was flavored with thyme, dill, salt and pepper with a creamy but light texture - so delicious. I made enough to last for at least a couple of meals, but on a cold snowy night, the whole panful was gobbled up. In addition to this book, my son gave me a tofu water expeller device. I guess my kids really know what I need and like. This cute little device will make my classic tofu stir-fry with broccoli and all the new tofu recipes I will try from the book so much easier to get started with. Getting all the moisture out of the tofu is so important so that the tofu can absorb the flavor profile of the the recipe. So, let's just say I had a great Christmas and got everything I need to have a great 2013 with lots of new exciting meals. Happy holiday to all and Happy New Year.