The Fruits of my Garden

Ahh the taste of fresh picked food. So much more flavor and energy than when purchasing at a grocery store. There is also some level of fulfillment knowing that I was able to create such life! After my run today, I went to check out the garden, and much to my surprise, my tomato plant was HUGE and the basil was out of control. I think it's probably time to start drying some to make sure it lasts all winter long. here are some of the fruits of my labor =]

For lunch, I wanted to use as much basil as possible, so I made more pesto! I made my first batch a few weeks ago and I loved it so much I had to make some more. I didn't really follow a recipe, I just kept adding basil, EVOO, and walnuts until it reached a consistency similar to normal pesto.

So, naturally I had to use the new pesto on my fresh tomatoes. Oh my gosh was it the most amazing thing I have ever tasted. The tomatoes were so tender and sweet and the pesto created a creamy consistency when mixed with the cut tomatoes. The pesto tasted almost cheesy, but so light still.

Amazing Whole Wheat Bread

Slacking..still..I suck at blogging. Well..month 2 of vegan is officially over and I am still going strong! I love experimenting with new food items and combination of ingredients.

I have recently been on a kick of making my own bread with our bread maker. My dad uses it all the time to make a cinnamon raisin bread and it smells amazing. So, after buying expensive "sprouted" bread a few times, I thought I would save some money and try to make my own. I looked online for a whole wheat bread machine recipe and this is what I found:

Whole Wheat Bread Maker Recipe:

ingredients:
1 1/8 cup water at room temperature
3 cups of whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tablespoon of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of gluten (optional--> I don't add this)
2 teaspoon of dry yeast.

Directions:
1. add the water first then add the dry ingredients.
2. add the yeast last and make sure it does not touch the water.

This yielded a hearty, nutty loaf which was gone in 4 days...but I decided with the help of a bread maker, it is so easy and fast to alter recipes and try them out. The last cycle I ran I substituted 1 1/2 cup buckwheat flour for half of the whole wheat flour and the loaf ended up too dry and crumbly. So this time I decided to try to make it more moist. To the recipe above, I added 2 tablespoons of organic apple sauce and 1 1/2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds.

I can not believe how amazing this loaf turned out. I think I found a keeper with this recipe! It is so moist and dense--the perfect accompaniment to natural peanut butter to make melty pb toast!!

Let me know if any of you have any other recommendations to alter my bread!

End of my month

Tomorrow marks the end of my 1 month vegan trail period. I have made the decision to continue on with it though..I love how I feel to much to give this up. I recently read a interesting quote regarding be amazing benefits of being vegan on Steve Pavina's blog: "People who eat animals often regard my diet as being (outside looking in), while ironically I regard their lifestyle as being far more deprived (inside looking out). I love it.

This past weekend, my last free weekend before work, I went to Chicago with my dad. I have never really been there to tour the city except for the Workout in the Park last year. We just went for the hell of it and ended up going to to some sweet festivals. We first went to the Taste of Chicago, which is known for hundreds of local restaurants providing samples of their specialties. Then later we went to a green fest which advertised having all vegetarian/vegan food...buut false advertisements lured me in..and there was no rabbit food to be eaten =[ There was sweet music and lovely people watching though!

kids break dancing in the street

Besides the major let down at the green fest, Dad and I were able to find a great place for lunch the following day. Flat Top Grill is a create your own stir fry restaurant in downtown Chicago. You start by choosing rice (white/brown) or noodles. Then you select any and all the veggies you would like to fit into your bowl. Next, your server helps to create the perfect sauce. I chose a black bean and garlic, soy sauce, and peanut sauce mix. Then you can choose all the meat you want in a different bowl-- for vegetarians/vegans, they offer tofu, seitan, quorn (mushroom meat), bbq vegetable tempeh, and curry pakora (soy protein). Finally, you have the option to make your bowl a soup or lettuce wraps. Mine was very green:


Overall, I realized traveling + vegan = stress..so I plan on staying close for a while now.

Day 21..and feeling better than ever!

So I officially suck at blogging. I have been vegan for 3 weeks now and have only blogged about it one time. Well things have been going great! I feel awesome..so much energy all the time and I feel like my skin is more hydrated..this could also be that its been so hot out so I've been drinking water non stop. In fact, I feel so amazing that I'm seriously considering sticking with veganism for another month. The only time I have really had problems was last week. I took a week-long road trip through Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, and Michigan. Finding vegan options while sight seeing..not the easiest thing I've ever done. Hersey, PA was no doubt the hardest. A milk chocolate laboratory; I was able to create my own chocolate bar....and then not be able to eat it! =[ Then, eating lunch there, I had a terrible salad with more onions than lettuce on it. If it wasnt for the beans I brought on the trip..I would have eaten shitty salads for a week. Well that may be an exaggeration. I found a vegan mexican restaurant in Lancaster, PA had a great black bean burger from Cincinnati at a vegan/ raw food restaurant called Loving Cafe and devoured both an edamame taco and a portabella mushroom taco at Tios Mexican Cafe in Ann Arbor, Michigan. But now, my traveling adventures have ended and I am home eating normal.

Today, I decided I should probably do some grocery shopping. Oh Trader Joes...how I adore your many aisles of delicious grocery options. I was starving at 10:45 when I went so I thought I should just get a little snack to hold me over until lunch. So I came across a Pure Bar.

It is certified organic, gluten free, raw and vegan. It also has a full serving of fruit, a source of organic protein, rich in omega-3s and a good source of fiber. I was in chocolate heaven..and I dont really care much for sweets. I recommend trying this out if you ever come across the Pure bar. There are also 5 other flavors: Wildberry, Trial Mix, Cranberry Orange, Cherry Cashew, and Apple Cinnamon. I can't wait to go back and buy a full box of them. Also, there is a coupon you can print out for them on their website.

More to come soon!

Vegetarian to Vegan

Today I start my my month long vegan venture. Good bye sushi and eggs =[ Actually, I am going to be fine. I found an ice cream place yesterday, Rita's, that has dairy free italian ice which makes summer much more enjoyable now.

After actually thinking about what I will be eating and...not eating throughout the month, I realized bread will be a problem. I don't normally eat a lot of bread since I don't make sandwhiches really, but I do eat PB toast pretty much as my go-to everything meal. Drunk snack, breakfast, lunch, treat..and I can't imagine my life without it. I was down in the Clintonville area and decided to stop by the Clintonville Community Market. I found multiple bread options that were vegan. I decided upon Ezekial sprouted 100% whole grain bread. It is located in the freezer section of the natural departments in many grocery stores. It is made from sprouted whole grains and is a flourless, organic, complete source of protein. It tastes amazing so I definitely recommend it!


I ate some for my first official vegan meal this morning. Delish!

Northstar Cafe

Northstar Cafe, located in the Short North in Columbus is my all-time favorite restaurant. They classify their food as "New American Cuisine with a healthful influence on organic ingredients." I have only been there for dinner, but they also serve a brunch that I have heard is AMAZING! This is a staple restaurant my dad and I always go to when I am in town. He is not generally into the "organic" movement, but he really likes Northstar.

There are many menu options Menu that are vegetarian and about half of the menu can be prepared meat and dairy free! Although Tuesday, when I went, I ordered the Buddha Bowl (organic tofu, long grain brown rice with peanut sauce and bright veggies) vegan, and they said the peanut sauce has honey in it. I had it anyway..because..it's not june yet.

Every time I come, I get a rice bowl,and I have tried them all. I can't get the Korma Bowl any more because it comes with a curry cream sauce (which is to die for by the way). But the square meal is delicious as well. The rice/bean/avocado mix makes it so creamy!

My dad, is more adventurous than me when ordering but now he usually sticks with the flatbread pizzas. Tuesday, he ordered a veggie flatbread. It was sooo good but..not vegan with the cheese =[ . If you are ever in Columbus and are looking for a healthy restaurant with a great atmosphere in the heart of downtown, check out Northstar! Guaranteed you will love it!The best news of all....NORTHSTAR WILL BE OPENING AT EASTON THIS FALL!!! YAY for healthy lunch during a day of shopping!

Vegan Baking??

To preface the post, I want to start out by saying..I'm not the best baker. I can cook up anything and it's usually pretty good, but when it comes to baking..I ALWAYS mess things up. So needless to say..my vegan "chocolate chip" cookie turned out interesting.

I found the recipe on vegweb.com called Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies. I am aware that chocolate is not animal friendly because it has milk in it, so the recipe called for carob chips as a substitute. A carob chip which is produced from the carob plant, looks just like a chocolate chip but tastes more bitter and nuttier.

Even though I am a terrible baker and I was using fake chocolate, I think the cookies turned out surprisingly well! They are not too sweet which is what I prefer anyway. I have let some friends try them and the general consensus is "dislike" and "this tastes too healthy" but I think you either love them or hate them. I was going to bring them to work today, but there were only 3 left this morning so they cant be that bad! I am impressed with my baking ability here, so I will try more in the future!

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
cinnamon to taste (I used a lot)
carob chips
1 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon. Add chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.
3. In a medium size bowl mix raw sugar and oil. Mix it well. Add the vanilla and then add the water. Mix it well.
4. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to.
5. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Put them in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and rotate the sheets.(top to bottom,and 180 degree rotation) Bake another 4 minutes and check them.

The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer then you want them to be.

May 10, 2010 - A New Beginning

Today is the day. Annie McDonnell a fellow vegetarian at Kent and I have decided we are going to try out being vegan for a month. The official start date is June 1st, 2010. Until then, I will eat my remaining bag of shrimp, finish my eggs and gorge on sushi!

I have considered going vegan for about 6 months now. I read Alicia Silverstone's book "The Kind Diet" and wanted to take the final steps to go vegan. Unfortunately, being a college student in a small town has prevented this from happening. There is one Natural Food Co-op that is smaller than Starbucks and is pretty expensive.

I graduate on Saturday and am moving home to Columbus. A much bigger city with tons of vegetarian/vegan restaurants makes me think this might be possible. Also, the availability and, in turn, affordability of natural, organic products makes this more feasible now. Granted I will still miss sushi..and chocolate..and eggs..but I can do it, at least for a month.

WISH ANNIE AND I LUCK!