Grocery Delivery

Kris and I have been receiving Organics To You for a while now. And we have a love/hate relationship with it. Let me be clear. I love OTY. The people are so friendly and accommodating. The produce is gorgeous and fresh and delicious. The prices aren't even bad. The problem is we can't go through it fast enough. At least not in the Winter.

I love the idea behind the whole grocery delivery thing. I love people bring my groceries to me. I love that they pick the produce out for me that I (still) can't seem to do for myself. But I just don't know what to do with 4 kinds of Kale! One might be Collard Greens, I am not sure, yes they have a list online, but still, if it is Collard Greens, how do I cook them without bacon?! (seriously, I have cooked them in Earth Balance, but SEND IDEAS, I need some!!)

I can't say enough about how much I really do love OTY, but I also want to give a big thumbs up to Hearth of Vancouver.

This is very near and dear to my heart as it is as local as it gets for me and is operated by a wonderful woman with a lot of goodness in her heart and veggies in her garden.

I very simply haven't switched to them because OTY has done nothing to lose my business, it seems unfair to leave them when they have been a providing very valuable service for me (although we are considering switching to every other week). I heartily suggest either company if you are looking for fresh local produce and other groceries.

Let me close up by saying, if you have delicious plant-based recipes share them! Leave a comment below or catch us on our facebook page. We want to hear from you. I am pretty sure Kris is getting sick of the umpteen versions of the same stew I have been making for weeks!

Season's Greetings!!

Have a safe and happy holiday!!! We love you!!! 

~VanVeggie

Vancouvria

I love Portlandia. (If you have been living under a rock at least check this out so you know what I am talking about) This is a cute little spoof on the trailer for the Vancouverites -

Lazy Vegan - Famous Sicilian Buzzito

Another tasty vegan microwavable burrito from The Higher Taste - or as the call them Buzzitos.

I actually enjoyed this one a little more than the Vegan Supreme. Grab and go Italian food can be a little tricky if you want to avoid animal products, so this was nice and different.

Like before, I nuked it then threw it in the toaster oven. If I could change one thing, I would use Kalamata olives instead of black. I love black olives, but the sharp flavor of the Kalamata's would have really added something.

Easy, vegan, and yummy. Not a bad trio.

Winner!!!

Who's the big winner? Michelle S. from Vancouver!! She has a copy of Vegan Diner, showing up on her doorstep in the next few days!

Thank you everyone for participating! (If you are confused, because there aren't 50 followers, go here - VanVeggie's Facebook Page to get the full scoop.)

CONTEST!!!

Okay my lovely veggies!!! We need followers, and yes, we are willing to bribe you!!

When we get 50 followers, there will be a random drawing from our followers*, for your choice of cookbook!

Vegan Diner - by Portland local Julie Hasson

-OR-

Babycakes Covers the Classics - by Erin Mckenna (for our gluten-free friends) 

Tell your friends!!

(* Open to US residents only, because we are broke and can't afford to ship it anywhere else.)

Cookies!! (a la Babycakes)

I had the lovely Miss Donna over today. (She isn't really a "Miss" since she is suuuuper married) to make some gluten-free (for her) and vegan (for both of us, even though I ate some Cheetos just now - I never said I was a saint, only that I am trying to be one) cookies.

We got the recipe "Chips Ahoy!" out of BabyCakes Covers the Classics: Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes from Donuts to Snickerdoodles. My advice, buy it or do as I did, and check it out from your awesome local library. Or WIN IT! What What? More on that later...


What we discovered was a seriously awesome recipe! 


What constitutes an awesome recipe for me - 
1) It has to be easy. Check (even though you will need some specialty ingredients, so once you get them, then it is easy)
2) I like to eat things right away, so I don't like things that have a long cook time. These took 7-10 minutes. Check.
3) It needs to taste good. Double check.


The only drawbacks were as follows. The dough is kinda yucky. It is really sticky and oily. The chips don't really stay in the dough well and the dough gets all over your fingers and spoon. Like way more than normal. And also since there is a lot of oil, it doesn't taste good (yes, I like my dough to taste good before I bake it. I look forward to licking the spoon) and they probably aren't all that great for your hips. We used canola oil instead of coconut oil. It was an option and I had it in my pantry, so maybe next time I should switch it up.

In the end it didn't matter, because what we ended up with were moist, chewy, and scrumptious cookies that even the most white flour loving, animal-product consuming, cookie aficionado, will groan over.

The lovely Donna

mmmmm

Cauliflower

I received cauliflower in my Organics To You box yesterday. As far as I knew, I didn't like cauliflower.

So I opened up Vegan With A Vengeance to see what it had to offer.

It had this to offer - Cauliflower-Leek Kugel with Almond-Herb Crust

So I only had enough ingredients to make a half recipe. Also I didn't have any onions, so I added some garlic to add flavor.

It was DELICIOUS!!! The pictures really don't do it justice, not that it was that pretty, but it wasn't this ugly either.

Books - Skinny Bitch

Skinny Bitch - Co-authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

I hesitated reading this book. I have always wanted to be skinny and never have been. I call people skinny bitches, but only to their face. But the truth is, I don't ever want my daughter to feel that she needs to be. I don't want her to value herself based on her pants size, like I so often do. And also I don't want her to be a bitch. Self-confident and fiery? Absolutely! But with enough awareness to realize that bitchiness, while sometimes fun, really is mean-spirited and tacky. Thus resulting in my wavering over reading this book. (In other words yay for me, boo for our new generation of women.)

But getting past the title and into the meat of the book (or soy-based meat replacement), I realized that the authors, rather rapidly, explain what they mean by the title of the book and it isn't that you need to be a bone-thin twat. Rather the opposite. In fact thinness has very little to do with it. So good. I can keep reading.

There are many short chapters covering everything from politics to poop. If you spend your time reading peer-reviewed medical journals or can easily digest current economic theories, then this book is going to drive you nuts. It is a lot of catchy and intense one-sentence facts pulled from studies. There are about umpteen million footnotes. For the average reader, this is nice. Someone did the research for you and just gave you the goods. However, if you are looking for deep reasoning behind making a life changing decision, like going vegan, you may find that you need something more in depth.

Three things I really liked about this book. One, I laughed out loud a lot. I really like to laugh. It is up there with sex and food and pictures my daughter draws for me, as far as basic needs go. Two, they give you a list of stuff you can buy at the store. Like what kind of cereal, milk, bread, cheese, etc to buy. When you are getting started, you don't need recipes, you need food. You know, to answer the what the hell am I supposed to eat question. And of course we know, you are supposed to eat veggies and fruit, and I have upped my veggie intake by about 500%, but that isn't really what you eat everyday. You don't wake up in the morning and pull out the celery, or start roasting pepper. Well maybe you do, but I sure don't. I want toast or cereal or granola bars. This will give you a realistic list to start with.

The last thing I really enjoyed is their coaching. Every time you say "no I can't" - they say "shut up, stop whining, don't lie to yourself, you totally can."

And the truth is, they're right, you totally can.

The consensus - worth picking up or borrowing from a friend.

Dovetail Bakery

I had a Chinook Book coupon for Dovetail Bakery and decided to use it on this foggy December morning. I have only had their goods through New Seasons, so I was excited to try it fresh from the bakery.

http://dovetailbakery.blogspot.com

Located in NE Portland (I know, not Vancouver - wah wah), this tiny shop offers a limited selection of baked goods. There aren't any menus, so check their blog to see what the specials are. For example, we ordered from their pastry case and then we saw a heaping plate of biscuits and gravy go by. We didn't even know that was an option! Come prepared or you will look like we did...out-of-town idiots.

I ordered the raspberry jam scone, hubby got the sticky bun and the little bean got a cinnamon bun. All of them were fantastic!!!! Also they make pies and you can order just the pie crust, so you can make your own at home. All of it is 100% vegan, even the creamer for your coffee was coconut creamer. 

So if you are looking for something to satisfy your sweet tooth without having to question what is in it, I highly recommend checking it out. And they open at 8am! Thank you for that, if you have kiddos you know breakfast generally starts a lot earlier than a lot of places open.

**A warning - Don't go with a group of people if you want to sit down. There are 7 chairs in the whole place. So, get it to go or come with just one buddy.**

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

I didn't like squash until this year and this recipe is what turned me on. It is a vegan spin-off of this  - Ellie Krieger's Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Pictured with chili powder instead of chili flakes because I ran out, apparently.

Vegan Curried Butternut Squash Soup


1 large yellow onion - chopped
2 large cloves of garlic - minced
2 containers of Pacific Vegetable Broth (8 cups total)
1.5 of the big bags of pre-cubed Butternut Squash from Trader Joes or one big (like 3lb) squash peeled, seeded and diced
1 tbs curry powder
1 tbs canola oil
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a pan over med-low, add onions and garlic, cook until soft, not brown. Add broth, squash, and curry. Bring to a boil and then simmer until squash is soft. Take off heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. I normally return it to the burner to make sure it is nice and hot. Want thinner soup? Use less squash.

Add salt to taste and garnish with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.

Lazy Vegan - Vegan Supreme Burrito

Problem: I am so hungry and there is nothing to eat and even if there was I wouldn't want to make anything because I am too hungry and there is nothing. to. eat.

Solution:

 Thank you, The Higher Taste, for making this!!! This local company sells their goods at New Seasons and many other health food stores. I used my microwave (shhh don't tell Donna) and then stuck it in the toaster over to create a perfect end to my raging hunger.

Who doesn't love heat-and-eat burritos?!

Yes, I could have made this myself. Yes, the beans could have been cooked a little more. But that's all water under the bridge now that my belly is full and I all I had to do was move my arm a little to press some buttons.

Lazy Vegan - gardein™ mandarin orange crispy chick'n

Let me tell you one of my well known dirty secrets. Crap, I guess "well known" sort of negates the whole "secret" part of it, but anyway - I friggin' love Target. Like "carve our initials in a tree" kind of love. So imagine my joy when they started selling this in their frozen section......wait did you know about their grocery section?! Yeah some Targets don't have one yet, but two out of three in Vancouver, do (Vancouver Plaza and Fisher's Landing) and their prices are competitive. Back on topic, drum roll please! - 

That's right delicious, actually vegan, frozen products made by gardein™ (Think your frozen meatless products are vegan? Check again, home fries.) 

Today I sauteed the gardein™ mandarin orange crispy chick'n up with some steamed broccoli and had myself an easy lunch!! The sauce was good, not great, but what you would expect from any frozen meal. Next time I think I will whip up a szechuan sauce to drizzle over instead, but only if I am not lazy, because the sauce is good enough. The chick'n could trick children and drunk adults. It isn't a perfect match, but it isn't chicken, so how could it be. Honestly, I like it a little better, but that may be the self-righteousness talking.

We have our freezer stocked with a variety to try and tell you about. If you have had them or have any of the other gardein™ foods we must try, let us know!

*Small note - so far we haven't come across anything gluten-free. So watch out Celiac's sufferers.

Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving! I hope you were surrounded by loved ones, and of course amazing food! What did you have? We had dinner at my inlaws. Everyone else in the family are dairy, gluten and meat eaters. So I spent some time, tweeking old recipes of mine, to be vegan and gluten-free.  They all came out completely delish and everything was a huge hit! My husband said the gravy was the best he had ever had! Here are a few of the recipes for you to try and enjoy.

Savory Mushroom Gravy

1lb assorted mushrooms finely chopped (I used mini portobellos and cremini)

4 cups vegetable stock

4 tablespoons of earth balance buttery spread

3 tablespoons Pamela's wheat + gluten free flour blend

1 tsp thyme

1 tablespoon Trader Joe's 21 seasoning salute

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place 3 tablespoons of earth balance and mushrooms in large pan. Cook over medium heat until mushrooms are browned and all liquid has evaporated. 

2. Add 3 cups of the vegetable stock, stirring to loosen up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Place remaining Earth Balance and flour mix into a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Cook until browned and fully combined, about 2-3 minutes.  Slowly whisk in remaining stock; bring to boil, continuing to whisk until thickened. Add to first mixture. Stir in Thyme and seasonings.  Serve hot.

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

2lbs green beans

1 1/2 cups 'cream' of mushroom soup (recipe follows)

1 1/3 cups gluten free french 'fried' onions (recipe follows)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Combine green beans, soup, pepper and 2/3 cups of onions in a casserole dish

2. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Stir mixture and sprinkle remaining onions on top.

3. Bake for an additional 5 mins.

'Cream' of Mushroom Soup

2 cups finely chopped mushrooms

3 tbsp Earth Balance

1 1/2 cups cashew cream

2 cups vegetable stock

1/4 of a yellow onion minced in food processor

1/2 tsp garlic powder

up to a 1/4 cup Pamela's wheat + gluten free flour mix

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place earth balance and onion in 4 quart pot. Saute until onion is clear. Add mushroom, cook until browned, and most liquid is evaporated.

2. Add vegetable stock. Bring to boil. Add cashew cream, stirring continuously. Stir in seasoning.

3. make a roux with the flour, and slowly add in to thicken.

Gluten Free French 'Fried' Onions

1 large yellow onion

1 cup Pamela's wheat + gluten free flour mix

1/2 cup corn meal

1 cup almond milk (any dairy free milk is fine)

salt and pepper to taste

Large cookie sheet

Olive Oil

1. Mix flour, corn meal, and seasoning in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Place milk in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Thinly slice onion. Place onion in milk. Allow onion to soak for about 5 minutes.

4. Transfer onion into the flour mixture. Dredge through and make sure onions are coated completely.

5. Rub about a capful of olive oil on the cookie sheet.  Place onions on cookie sheet in an even layer.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top.

6. Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes. stir onions carefully, try to flip them over. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until nice and crispy.

Vegan Whipped Potatoes

10 lbs Organic potatoes 

1/2 cup cashew cream

1/2 cup Earth Balance buttery spread

2 tbsp vegan gourmet cream cheese

2 tbsp chives (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Scrub and peel potatoes. Quarter potatoes and place in large pot. Cover with water. Bring to boil; cook until fork tender. Drain potatoes.

2. Place potatoes in stand mixer. Place mixer on medium setting and mix for about 2 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients. Continue to mix for about 5 minutes; potatoes should be a light, whipped consistency. 

3. Transfer to a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or until top is golden brown.  

Give these a try, and let me know what you think! 

Tofurky!

Last night we tried our first Tofurky® Roast and Savory Giblet Gravy



We used, yams, carrots and leeks for the surrounding veggies.
Before -

 After - 

Kris carving the bird - 

The inside - 

With the Giblet Gravy - 

The verdict - 


I really enjoyed it. It tastes like fake meat for sure, but it was still yummy and stuffing was great. Kris wasn't as huge of a fan. He was expecting it to be tastier and maybe a little more like the real deal. We both agreed that the Giblet Gravy was excellent!!!


I think it is a winner!

You can't be F*&#ing Serious!! - PETA edition

Remember in Super Mario 3, when you got the Raccoon tale, and then you got fly, and it was the most amazing shit ever?!? Well that Raccoon was a Tanooki and PETA thinks you are sick and Nintendo is a fur mongering monster.

Via LaTimes -

Does Nintendo's new Super Mario 3D Land game promote the wearing of fur?

That's what the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is asserting in the organization's latest attempt to grab attention for its pro-animal, anti-fur agenda.

PETA explains its gripe with Mario, a graphic character from a video game, on its website:

"When on a mission to rescue the princess, Mario has been known to use whatever means necessary to defeat his enemy -- even wearing the skin of a raccoon dog to give him special powers.

Tanooki may be just a suit in the game, but in real life tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur. By wearing a Tanooki, Mario is sending the message that it is OK to wear fur.

The statement is accompanied by a sinister looking Mario in a fur suit dripping with blood, holding the head of a dead raccoon dog.

Talk about using any means necessary to defeat an enemy.

PETA's website also features a deeply disturbing video of actual tanuki -- an animal native to Japan that looks like a raccoon but is in fact more closely related to a dog -- being bludgeoned to death and skinned by people who work in the fur industry.

The video is very upsetting, but whether that has anything to do with Super Mario 3D Land is up for debate.

While it is true that at points in the game, Mario dons a raccoon-ish looking "Tanooki" suit that enables him to float in the air and swat bad guys with his tail, he never slaughters an animal to get it.

Instead, as MSNBC's In-Game blog points out, "the magical Tanooki suits that [Mario] wears in the game typically spring from magical squares that magically hover in the air. These squares magically give up the suits, (which at first look like magical leaves), when Mario bumps his head into them."

Still, PETA has created its own game called Super Tanooki Skin 2D  in which a skinless Tanooki is chasing a flying Mario, trying to get his skin back.

Now do yourself a fun favor and listen to NPR's Last Word in Business on Nov. 16 -


PETA, we love you, we really do. But stick to what you do best - like finding celebrity promoters, so we can feel like they are just like us. As far as Mario wearing fur, I have a question, when my daughter dressed up as a kitty for a Halloween last year, should I have thrown red paint on her, started a picket line, or just called her a murderer?

New Seasons for Vancouver

That's right no more slogging it to NoPo for the nearest* New Seasons. On Nov. 9th New Seasons Market opened it's Fishers Landing location. (Located in the shopping center with Muchas Gracias, yeah you know the one.)

(Image from their website.) 

I went on the day it opened. Not the best idea. I couldn't park anywhere in the entire complex. So yesterday I decided to try checking it out again. Much better, not busy at all. Now I will admit that I have a New Seasons bias. My wicked awesome sister works at the New Seasons in Cedar Hills. So I was expecting to like it, but even with the eagerness to love it, I was still impressed. The prices were good and very comparable to Fred Meyer or Whole Foods, however if you expect WinCo pricing, prepare for sticker shock.

The people were so friendly. It was almost ridiculous. The woman in floral told me they could make any terrarium I would want (don't worry Solabee, I would never cheat on you), people told Cora her coat was cute, people told me my purse was cute, they gave me a foot rub and told me I had the face of a goddess. Well maybe not the last part, but I left feeling like that. Plus my Tofurky Roast and Savory Giblet Gravy came to total of 13 bucks, so I was on cloud nine. (I haven't had the roast or the gravy before so expect a full review later this week.)

So if you haven't, get your self over to the new New Seasons. Drop some coinage and feel shamelessly and inaccurately superior on your way to your car. Trust me it rocks.

* It totally might not be the nearest North Portland is insanely close. It is the shiniest though.

So What's All This Then?

Well, I figure it is time. Time to stop eating like my body is a trash compactor, stop pretending that I am totally down with slaughterhouses and heart disease and cancer. (okay, I was never really down with those but I was sure living comfortably with the inevitability of them.) Time to call on my girls and get to know the town I was raised in and  find out how I can live with better head on my shoulders and more favorable size tag on my jeans.

What do I know about all of this healthy, happy, living - jack all. So that is why I am recruiting some of my friends to help me out. And going to beg or bribe them to become regular contributors.

Right now, I have been meat-free for a couple of months. I have been dairy-free for a couple of hours. (In my defense I haven't cooked/baked with dairy or eggs in about 3 months.)

Tonight I will be watching this - Forks Over Knives: Vegan Thanksgiving Meal Preparation with Julieanna Hever, R.D.

Watch live streaming video from forksoverknives at livestream.com

***I know this video isn't working, I am waiting for FOK to get the YouTube version up. In the meantime check out the recipes here.***

Enjoy and welcome to VanVeggie!