OmniVeg

Jamba Juice All-Fruit Smoothies

2010-03-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a Jamba Juice run where I discovered that they are now (and probably have been for some time) offering all fruit smoothies!!!
These consist of fruits and juices like usual smoothies, but minus the dairy base. They are also no sugar added. And they are AMAZING.

I tried the Pomegranate Paradise with pomegranate juice, strawberries, mangos, and peaches. I could definitely taste the pomegranate and it actually tasted like fruit.

They also have:

Strawberry Whirl
Peach Perfection
Mega Mango

Also, some good vegan snack items to have on hand.

Golden Raisins: my mom bought these from the Farmer's Market one week and now I love them. They sell at most local Farmer's Markets.

Frozen Blueberries: I have been obsessed with these since I was about two, and as I result I can vouch for the best brand. Get the Trader Joe's Regular Frozen Blueberries. If you prefer smaller and tarter blueberries, get the wild ones. They also sell them at Safeway but they are not as good as the Trader Joe's ones.

Frozen Mangos: They sell these in a large package at Trader Joe's, and I like to snack on them plain. They are also great for smoothies, especially because they are already frozen!

Maple Leaf Cookies/ Joe Joes: These are definitely not health food items, but they are vegan. These are found at Trader Joe's. I love the Candy Cane Joe Joes, which are seasonal.

Trail Mix: Not just for hiking! It's yummy and easy to carry around. You can make your own by buying the nuts and chocolate chips from Whole Foods.

There are lots of other vegan snack food options, these are just several of my favorites.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2010-03-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

I recently had to make a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies for a class, and I stumbled upon this recipe at the last minute. These cookies turned out great! They're very sweet as dough but turn out with the classic oatmeal raisin taste after baking. A bit thin and crumbly, but still completely delicious. Everyone (vegans and non-vegans) will love them, and there is so much room for variation that they never get boring! The recipe can be found online (with more comments and suggestions) here, or below:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup non-dairy margarine
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1.5 teaspoon egg replacer (ex: Ener-G Egg Replacer)
2 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/16 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 cups Cinnamon Apple Quaker Oatmeal (or any other cinnamon apple oatmeal brand, or plain rolled oats)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 cup soymilk

Directions:

1. Cream margarine (do not melt beforehand), granulated vegan sugar and brown sugar together in a mixing bowl

2. Add vanilla, egg replacer mixture (mix the egg replacer and water together in a separate dish) and dried fruit to the wet ingredients

3. Add the rest of the ingredients in steps: first the flour, then baking soda and powder, then salt, then oatmeal

4. Add a dash of soymilk (just enough--usually about an 1/8 cup--so that the batter isn't dry; it will still be very thick)

5. Bake at 350 degree F oven for ten to twelve minutes (remember to space the cookies out on the cookie sheet--they will spread out pretty wide and thin!)

6. Cool one minute on cookie sheet

7. Remove to wire rack or foil and allow cookies to cool

Variations: substitute vegan chocolate chips/carob chips, dried cranberries, other dried fruits, or nuts for raisins (or add a combination!), add cinnamon or extra vanilla, etc.

Serves: makes about 2 dozen

Preparation time: about 20 minutes

Vegan Replacements

2010-03-04T22:56:00.000-08:00

Many times people prefer to purely make Vegan recipes, however there are replacements that can be substituted for milk or eggs.

There are many milk replacements, such as soymilk, almond milk, rice milk, and more, so it is fairly easy to switch out milk in a non-Vegan recipe.

Eggs are harder to replace. They require more chemistry to bind the products in baking, and there is no (as far as I know) available egg replacer for cooking things like omelets or other fried egg products. The most common egg replacers for baking are banana, apple sauce, flaxseed, or the commercial egg replacer. A more detailed list can be found here.

Overall, it is easy to make non-Vegan recipes Vegan with the right knowledge and supplies.

Billy the Cow

2010-02-19T23:23:00.000-08:00

Just saw this video and thought you guys' might enjoy it:

http://www.farmsanctuary.org/rescue/rescues/2010/billy.html

Random Veganness in Portland

2010-02-18T16:39:00.000-08:00

The past couple of days I was in Portland on college trips. Portland is awesome.
My sister and mom bought me an AMAZING vegan maple donut from Voodoo Donuts. They said the line was out the door.
Also, when I was at Powell's, I stumbled upon their vegan and vegetarian cookbook section, which was extensive and very tempting. I'm definitely going to be making a trip to the library soon.

Other randomness:
Macbeth is another option for vegan shoes. Davey Havok of AFI is designing a line for them, and Hunter Burgan, also of AFI has done promo for them before, and they have lots of other awesome stuff. I think that Tom Delonge (blink-182, Angels & Airwaves) and some other artists have also designed shoes for Macbeth.
This is the skit that Hunter Burgan did: http://www.youtube.com/user/TranquilMammoth?blend=2&ob=1#p/a/F97CA0F245DB4B43/0/CMmkpfS-Nxg .

Macbeth Shoes can be found at their official website, http://modlife.com/macbeth/products . They also sell at various places online and stores in our area (mostly in San Francisco).

I hope everyone is having a great break!

Peanut Butter Pasta

2010-02-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

This is the recipe for one of my favorite pasta recipes and it's really easy to make! It's called Peanut Butter Pasta, and it is similar to Asian Noodles with Peanut Sauce. I really enjoy it and hope you guys will too!

Ingredients:

1 large garlic clove

2 quarter-sized pieces ginger, peeled (I

use pre-chopped garlic)

2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons Chinese soy sauce

3 tablespoons Japanese sesame oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chili paste

Garnish:

1 large green onion, green tops only,

chopped

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, very

coarsely chopped

½ cup coarsely chopped peanuts

Pasta:

one - one and a half pounds of spaghetti

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and stir until combined.

Mix the sauce with the spaghetti.

Keep all the garnishes on the side and add on top as you wish.

Amongst Friends: Other Vegan/Veg Food Blogs

2010-02-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

We are not alone in the universe: other vegetarian-vegan themed blogs are great sources of inspiration.

I like the fresh, colorful look of Vegan Yum Yum, where Lolo (Lauren Ulm), recent author of Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining and Everyday shares her experiments with vegan cooking. The photography is awfully appealing, and she seems able to work miracles with certain vegan snag foods: her pancakes and waffles look remarkably un-gummy; her bundt cakes look light and fluffy of crumb.

Vegalicious tackles the question, "What do vegans eat, anyway?" and provides both recipes and news pertaining to topics of animal rights, environmentalism, and vegetarianism.

And there's always the Post Punk Kitchen's blog--from the ladies who brought us Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (remember Anna's chai latte cupcakes?), and, more recently, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.

Each of these sites also includes links to other vegan and vegetarian-themed blogs. Explore!

Frozen Vegan Goods

2010-02-04T16:09:00.000-08:00

For those of us who are too lazy to cook or whose parents won't feed them vegan food, don't be afraid! Vegan frozen foods are here, once again, to save the day! It's SuperVegan-Frozen-Goods!

Now, in all seriousness, there are many vegan frozen goods, that are easy to make. Even one with little microwave experience can make these. The stores that carry the most variety of Vegan frozen goods are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Both are pretty good about labeling them vegan, which is helpful when shopping. Many of these foods take no longer, and sometimes shorter, than it would to cook other frozen foods. Therefore one's hunger can be combated more quickly!

Some of my favorite frozen goods are Vegan Pad Thai, from Trader Joe's, Vegetable Gyoza, from Trader Joe's, and a vegetable pizza, that Trader Joe's used to sell but not any more. I know there are more, but these are the ones I have on a weekly basis and frequently pull out when I'm hungry!

Tofu Dogs

2010-02-01T19:32:00.000-08:00

Of the many of the "faux" meat products available on the vegan market, tofu dogs seem to be one of the more difficult items to replicate in its vegan form. Some are too rubbery or have a weird aftertaste, but, for those who loved hot dogs before their meat-eating days were over, never fear! Smart Dogs, a brand of tofu dogs and other fake meat products, has a delicious, vegan tofu dog that is the perfect replacement!

While one great way to enjoy the yumminess of your newly discovered tofu dog is to roast it over an open fire while sipping from sweet chocolate soymilk from a thermos, another great way to put these pups to use is to make tofu-dogs-in-a-blanket! The Vegan Family Cookbook by Brian P. McCarthy offers a tasty home-made recipe for dough to wrap those tofu dogs in; it's quick and easy, a perfect addition to any meal that fits into a hectic lifestyle. Enjoy!

1 pack of 8 tofu dogs
3 1/2 cups flour
5 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/5 cup extra light olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 F

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. With a spoon, stir in the soy milk and oil. Stir until just moistened.
3. On a floured surface, roll out dough to 12 x 16 inches.
4. Cut into 8 rectangular piece, 4 x 3 inches each.
5. Wrap one piece of dough around each tofu dog.
6. Place on oiled cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle of dough comes out clean.

Note: I usually end up with plenty of extra dough (the recipe makes a lot!), and a great way to use up this extra dough is to make small biscuits! They take the same time to cook and taste great with a dab of vegan margarine!

Vegan Sweets (Available at a Location Near You!)

2010-01-31T19:13:00.000-08:00

A vegan lifestyle can sometimes be difficult, but for anyone concerned about losing the great taste and texture of their favorite sweets, fear not! There exists a vegan alternative for almost any sweet you can think of. And if you're too busy or tired to make it yourself, there are many vegan retail options that taste phenomenal!

Double Rainbow, a gourmet ice cream shop founded in San Francisco, was awarded "The Best Ice Cream in America". Luckily for everyone staying away from dairy products, Double Rainbow also offers many "soy cream" flavors (which I highly recommend for vegans and non-vegans alike...so delicious!). Creamy Mint Chocolate Chip or sweet Blueberry are just two of the flavors available; both are new favorites of mine that will be in my freezer from now on! Double Rainbow soy creams can be purchased at many retail stores, such as Whole Foods and other markets. For a list of retail locations with Double Rainbow in your area, click here.

In addition to a sweet ice cream treat, the well-liked bakery Sprinkles Cupcakes now offers a vegan version of their popular red velvet cupcake. For anyone craving that ultra-sweet cupcake (without any animal products!) Sprinkles is the best option! For a list of current and upcoming Sprinkles locations, click here.

Study Break: Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

2010-01-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

In keeping with Anna's recent Coat of Arms article that includes tips on how to procrastinate via baking---but also with due acknowledgment that over-zealous procrastination might be hazardous to one's studently complexion---here is a recipe from The Garden of Vegan cookbook that will give you the satisfaction of baking, without biting a one-hour chunk out of your day. The miracle component: a microwave. Purists may balk at this, but the smell of molten banana and chocolate is a powerful argument.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 banana, mashed
1/2 cup dry sweetener
1/4 cup margarine
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mash the banana. Stir in the sweetener, margarine, vanilla, and soy milk and mix well. Add the flour, oats, baking powder, and salt and mix well. Spread evenly in a lightly oiled microwave-safe loaf pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Cook on high in the microwave for 4-5 minutes. Let cool before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!

I Can't Believe it's Vegan!

2010-01-28T23:32:00.000-08:00

I found a cool website that has a list of all common-to-supermarkets foods that are vegan. This is intriguing because it shows how one can be vegan without having difficulty finding good food.

Here's the link.

Woody Harrelson and Vegan

2010-01-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting story about how one might become vegan.
And it is an interesting interview.
Interview

Gnocchi and Asparagus in Basil Mint Pesto

2010-01-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe from one of my favorite websites. They also have several cookbooks which are excellent and many club members have cooked from. It was rated 3.5/4 soybeans on their website by readers. :)

Also, Beckman's Apple Cinnamon Bread is vegan! They sell at Whole Foods and most local Farmer's Markets. If you live in the Bay Area you can find your closest farmer's market and the vendors that sell there at this website: http://www.pcfma.com/index.php.

Gnocchi and Asparagus in Basil Mint Pesto
Equipment:
Large saute pan, large pot

Ingredients
1 lb gnocchi
Bunch of asparagus (about 30)
3/4 cup Basil Mint Pesto
1 red onion, sliced in thin half moons
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cups white wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
fresh black pepper
4 plum tomatoes diced

Directions
Boil the gnocchi in a big pot just until it floats to the top, drain and rinse with cold water (to prevent sticking).

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus about 2 inches from the tip and set aside.

Heat the olive oil on medium heat in your largest non stick pan, when hot add the onions and saute two minutes, add asparagus and saute 2 minutes, add garlic salt and fresh pepper to taste, and saute 2 minutes. Add white wine and turn heat up, saute veggies for 2 minutes more. Add gnocchi and toss around with the veggies. Coat everything with pesto, cooking only a minute more. Serve in dinner bowls, topped with the diced tomatoes.

Kamibashi Cares

2010-01-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

While doing research for the EAC's Green Week, I came across an odd little company that I immediately took a liking too, despite the fact that their products look like voodoo dolls (which seriously creep me out). Kamibashi is a small company that incorporates rising Asian artists and fair trade labor to create fascinating string dolls. While all of these dolls are interesting and slightly bizarre, what really drew me to this company was their Kamibashi Cares initiative. They have created seven special string dolls to help support five awesome organizations, donating 50 cents from every purchase of one of these dolls to one of the organizations.

There's Susie Survivor, raising money and awareness for the Pretty in Pink foundation and its fight against breast cancer; there's Mardi from America's Wetland Foundation, trying to protect our marine habitats and the animals that thrive within them; Oscar the Orangutan, supporting one of my favorite organizations Orangutan Outreach that rehabilitates and cares for organutans displaced and injured by palm oil farmers; Pacho the Parrot and the Amazon Conservation Team; and Desmond, Titus, and Gigi with the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The IFAW fights animal cruelty in many of its forms, such as the abuse and neglect household pets face or the detrimental harm animals in the wild battle every day.

This is a really cool initiative that will raise awareness about fair trade, cancer, and animal suffering across the globe.

For more information/links, click here: http://kamibashi.com/about/care/

Vegan Proteins

2010-01-07T18:22:00.000-08:00

Due to the fact that our vegan/vegetarian club is about to have a vegetarian challenge at our school, I started to think about my vegan diet. The thing I have to pay attention to most is the types of proteins I get. Since meat has all necessary amino acids, I have to get all these same amino acids from different sources. The four main places to get proteins in a vegan diet are: beans (legumes), soy, nuts, and some grains (such as quinoa). If you eat a variety of this protein sources, you are sure to get the right types of proteins. Also, it is nice to have a variety of foods that you can have, so you should try to eat a variety of proteins.

Hope this was helpful to those trying to be vegan for the next week! And, if you have any more questions, you can comment and I'll try to answer them. Happy almost Friday!

Quick Post

2009-12-17T18:37:00.001-08:00

This will be a quick post, but I just wanted to mention the amazingness of Joe-Joe's, the oreo alternative from Trader Joe's. Typically I love Joe-Joe's, but just the other day, my friend (I'll leave her name off the inter-webs) gave me a candy cane Joe-Joe, and I fell in love. They were so delicious and I couldn't stop eating them. Had a major sugar crash after that. Now I have to go get some more otherwise I may implode. For my friends too. =). Merry Christmas, Happy Hankukah (sp?), and Happy New Year to all our readers (the few of you that there are)!

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-12-12T18:01:00.000-08:00

Many vegan chefs try to make vegan recipes distinctly different from non-vegan ones and uniquely vegan, and while this effort is appreciated by the vegetarian community, sometimes you just want the classics. The Joy of Vegan Baking by: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has many classic dessert recipes, my favorite being the Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are your true classic chocolate chip cookies, minus the eggs, milk, and butter, and adding simple replacements such as egg substitute, soy milk, and soy-based margarine instead. Here's to the holidays with this delicious classic!

Ingredients
the equivalent of 3 eggs in egg replacement of your choice (for this recipe, I usually use Bob's Red Mill All Natural Egg Replacer)
6 tablespoons of water
1 cup non-dairy butter/margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 cups nondairy semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional - I using opt out)

Preheat the overn to 375 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or use a non-stick cookie/baking sheet.

In a food processor or blender, whip the egg replacer and water together, untils its thick and creamy. Blending it in a food processor or blender results in a better consistency than what you could get if you did it by hand.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add the egg replacer mixture to this wet mixture, and thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the wet mixture until it begins to form a dough. When it is almost thoroughly combined, stir in the chips and nuts, if using.

Bake on the cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield: 1 dozen cookies

This cookies are perfect for parties and gatherings, as they will shock vegans and non-vegetarianis alike! They taste just like their non-veg counterparts and are definite crowd-pleasers! Enjoy!

Preventing Animal Cruelty

2009-12-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

Preventing animal cruelty is a big part of being vegetarian or vegan for many people. While each vegetarian is doing their part to reduce the demand and effectively end the cruel conditions in which livestock are kept, there are other ways you can contribute to the same cause. One of the easiest is donating. The only question is: who should you donate to? There are the big-name organizations, like PETA and Greenpeace, and there are smaller, local places (which may take longer to find, but it's worth it and a more rewarding feeling to know exactly where your money's going to help!). Have a local animal shelter? Donate food or toys to help care for the animals there. If you have a little more time on your hands and want to commit, offer to be a foster parent for a young and needy puppy or kitten. There are also good organizations that people close to me have worked with which always need more support, such as Best Friends, an animal society dedicated to giving pets deemed "un-adoptable" by shelters to loving homes, and Farm Santuary, which works to end cruelty to farm animals and has friendly farms for these rescued animals in both New York and California. But the simplest way to prevent animal cruelty is to recognize it and refuse to stand by and let it happen. The ASPCA has a page of the Top Ten Ways to Prevent Animal Cruelty. They are all incredibly easy and helpful things that everyone committed to stopping the cruelty towards animals can do.

Meatball Sandwich

2009-12-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

When attempting to create a vegan sandwich, I've found that there aren't many options to put on it. We've got your basic lettuce, tomatoes, and other assorted veggies, but unless you really dig those fake deli meats, you're stuck with just veggies or a PB&J. While I've heard some tofu sandwiches are quite yummy, here's another option: a meatball sandwich.

There are non-vegan versions of these sandwiches at places such as Togo's, Subway, or Quiznos, and they are composed of meatballs, marinara sauce, and cheese. So I say, why not veganize it? Replace the meatballs with your favorite meatballs for pasta, mine being Whole Food's Whole Kitchen Vegan Meatballs, the marinara sauce with your favorite vegan version, mine being Rao's Homemade Marinara, and either taking out the cheese or using a vegan replacement you feel comfortable with.

Once you've got your ingredients, warm the meatballs and the marinara sauce, and then slap them on a slightly toasted piece of Ciabatta bread. Delicious! Its quick, easy to make, and tastes extremely yummy. I recommend it for a weekend lunch or even a quick dinner, with some veggies on the side.

Amici's

2009-12-04T21:10:00.001-08:00

Last spring, in downtown Menlo Park there was a big opening. It was the opening of Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (website here), who serve New York style pizza, which means thin crust.

Not only do they have a wide variety of pizza types, they also serve a rare pizza item: VEGAN pizza! Not many other pizza restaurants serve vegan pizza, and those that do are just pizzas without cheese. Amici's has found a vegan cheese, that actually tastes decent, and used it as a replacement for cheese in any of their pizzas, if you ask.

They also have one dedicated vegan pizza, the Asante, which is very yummy. I just had it tonight and my stomach is still happy. Highly recommend Amici's to Vegans and non-Vegans alike.

Vegan Ice Cream

2009-12-02T21:23:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, while searching for a good dessert place in San Francisco my mom stumbled upon Bi-Rite Creamery. The creamery sells a couple of flavors of vegan ice cream (the selection changes daily). I tried one of the vegan flavors; the Strawberry Kiwi flavor, and it was so good. The vegan flavor tasted exactly like the non-vegan flavors and I was amazed (because before I’d never had vegan ice cream). There’s also the Bi-Rite Market across the street where they have the pints and gallons of ice cream. The Bi-Rite Market also sells free-trade fruit and other interesting fruits which I haven’t seen before.

Here's the address:

3692 18th Street (@ Dolores)
San Francisco, CA 94110

And the website: http://biritecreamery.com/

Anxious for Chanukkah!

2009-12-01T23:21:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe for vegan matzoh ball soup.
http://theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=147
It is not a traditional food for Chanukkah (starting Dec. 11!), but it is terribly delicious on any occasion. I have too often turned down a bowl of matzoh ball soup because they are traditionally made with chicken, but now I can finally enjoy! I am very excited to try this recipe out and have had a lot of success with the author's other recipes. Latke recipes next week... :)

Holiday Cookies: Gingerbread

2009-11-29T16:44:00.000-08:00

With the holidays coming up, many of you might be gearing up to make your favorite holiday cookies. With the right ingredients, your favorite holiday treats can be made without any animal products whatsoever! One of my favorite cookies is the gingerbread cookie. The Post Punk Kitchen has a very easy and delicious (and vegan!) gingerbread cookie recipe (click here or see below):

Ingredients
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar (I used turbinado sugar)
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup plain soy milk

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour (I used unbleached flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

spice blend:
1/2 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon (Feel free to add a touch extra cinnamon if you would like)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

Directions
In a large bowl beat together oil and sugar for about 3 minutes. Add molasses and soy milk. The molasses and soy milk won't really blend with the oil but that's okay.

In a separate bowl, sift together all the other ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches. Mix together with a firm spoon or spatula until well combined. You should have a pretty stiff dough. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour or up to 3 days in advance. If you chill longer than an hour you may want to let it sit for 10 minutes to loosen up a bit before proceeding. (Chilling the dough before baking is especially important if you want soft cookies).

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease your cookie sheets.

*If you want to make gingerbread cut outs:
On a floured surface roll you dough out to a little less than 1/4 inch thick. You can do this in 2 batches if you don't have the space. Cut out your shapes with your cookie cutters and gently place on cookie sheets (if you are using them to decorate with remember to cut a hole with a straw or something before baking).

Bake cookies for 8 minutes.

Remove from oven and let them cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet then move to a cooling rack.

*Wait until they are completely cool before icing.

These cookies are delicious! I highly recommend them for vegans and non-vegans alike!

Vegan Pie!

2009-11-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the onslaught of Vegan Thanksgiving posts, but last night I had the most amazing Vegan Pie ever!

I got it at Whole Foods (best place to get vegan food ever!). It's called Wholly Wholesome and they have (as far as I know) four VEGAN flavors of pie. I got Pumpkin, which I LOVE (sorry about the overload of caps)! But, they also have apple, cherry and I want to say peach, but I could be wrong. It was so good.

And, on that note, Whole Foods also sells an amazing vegan ice cream called Purely Decadent. It tastes just like ice cream. So now if you want to get fat and eat a lot of sugary, VEGAN food, you can. Oh, and also Tofutti Cuties are delicious and especially fatty. =)

New York Time's Op Ed on Animal Rights!

2009-11-23T17:10:00.000-08:00

In this Sunday's paper I saw a really interesting op ed piece about animal rights. I found it here online so all of you can read it, click here.

For those of you too lazy to read it (which I understand!), the article talked about how meat-eaters can eat meat without feeling guilty. The author claims that meat-eaters, by eating organic of free-range meat, forget about their guilt because they are more focused on how healthy they are being. They overlook the fact that they are eating a dead animal. He also references the Bible and how it almost supports eating meat (ironic since Jesus preached equality). Read the article though! It does a much better job explaining than I could ever do!

I hope this doesn't turn you meat-eaters away, but it is nice to see a vegan stand-point shown in an international newspaper at Thanksgiving (the most meat-eater -ish holiday that there is). I think he gives a fair argument with ample support.

Thanksgiving Humor and Helpful Links

2009-11-22T19:29:00.000-08:00

If you happen to see a turkey running around this Thanksgiving, make sure to have a disguise readily available (but you might have to tape its mouth shut).

Just kidding. But seriously. There are lots of turkey-friendly options out there for this year (outlined very nicely Tucker's post on Friday). Not vegetarian, but inviting a veg*n to your Thanksgiving feast? If you're unsure how to go about feeding them check out these quick step-by-step guidelines. And if you do decide to go the Tofurky route...click here for instructions on how to cook your feast (complete with pictures)!

Vegan Thanksgiving?

2009-11-20T20:03:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of people may be wondering, considering the time of year, what do vegetarians and vegans eat on Thanksgiving? Well, there are lots of options.

Personally, I love Tofurky, which is basically a meat substitue made of tofu in sausage form - therefore it is vegan. I usually have that as my main course on Thanksgiving night - or any other night for that matter! I also know that Smart Dogs (thanks to Katherine!) are also vegan, and are just as good as Tofurky and easier to spell!

One can also make vegan mashed potatoes. You can substitute the butter and milk for vegan butter and soymilk, and it tastes just as good. Most veggies are vegan, you just have to make sure to use vegan butter or olive oil instead of butter with milk.

Of course, what Thanksgiving feast would be complete without dessert? Many organic stores, like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, sell pre-made vegan treats which one can buy. However, there are also ways to "vegan-ize" a recipe. For example, eggs can be substituted with a flax seed and water concotion (recipe here - http://theppk.com/veganbaking.html).

Overall, Thanksgiving can be enjoyable for all, if you take a little effort to include vegetarians and vegans!

Jonathan Safran Foer on Eating Animals

2009-11-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

The advent of one of America's most meat-centric holidays inspires many vegetarians to reflect on their dietary choices. On Nov. 1, National Public Radio's program All Things Considered aired "For Foer, Meat Is Murder . . . And Worse," an interview with Jonathan Safran Foer, professor and writer-in-residence at New York University's Creative Writing Program, and the author of the novels Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. The interview coincided with the release of Safran's third book, Eating Animals, inspired in part by the birth of Safran's first child and his subsequent deliberations about whether to raise his son vegetarian.

Describing the book, the article claims, "Eating Animals isn't just an anti-meat screed, or an impassioned case for vegetarianism. Instead Foer tells a story that is part memoir and part investigative report. And it's a book that takes America's meat-dominated diet to task."

In an excerpt that follows the interview, Foer discusses how adopting a puppy caused him to start thinking differently about animals. The NPR piece makes for an interesting 6-minute listen; the book might make for a good holiday break read.

Your Favorite Musicians...Are Vegetarian?

2009-11-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has been to concerts or music festivals knows that there are many vegetarian or vegan musicians out there. Even better, these musicians are for the most part very open about their vegetarianism, and very active in spreading knowledge about a veggie lifestyle to their fans. Rise Against, a band with all vegetarian members, is highly active when it comes to animal rights; they are known to do PSA's for groups such as PETA and in general for being very outspoken about their vegetarianism. Other animal-friendly musicians include the members of AFI, Anti-Flag, Silverstein, and Good Charlotte, Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie), Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day), Chris Martin (Coldplay), Travis Barker (Blink-182), Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance), Gabe Saporta (Midtown, Cobra Starship), Fred Mascherino (Taking Back Sunday), Krist Novoselic (Nirvana), Paul McCartney, Michael Madden (Maroon 5), Rivers Cuomo (Weezer), Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Tom Morello and Tim Commerford (Rage Against the Machine), and many many more (but this is already a ridiculously long list...there are tons websites out there where you can find out if your favorite musicians or celebrities are vegetarian!). One final note: these artists love their vegan food. For example, Derek Grant and the rest of Alkaline Trio loved the vegan baked goods at Vegan Treats (a vegan bakery run by Danielle Konya in Pennsylvania) so much that they wrote a song about it (hear it here; and while you're listening, read a Q&A with the baker herself). Personally, I think they sum up the amazingness that is vegan baked goods very nicely.

Mac 'n' Cheese

2009-11-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

By definition, macaroni and cheese seems impossible to recreate vegan, especially considering how the vegan cheese market hasn't quite been able to hit the mark with a really good cheese substitute. But, this recipe from vegnews.com proves otherwise. Warm and fresh from the oven, this delicious, 'cheesy' meal is the vegan version of classic comfort food.

Serves 6

4 quarts water
1 tablespoon sea salt
8 ounces macaroni
4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces
2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup margarine, divided
2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped
1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup water
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 teaspoons seal salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon paprika

1. In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

2. In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.

4. In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3-cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.

5. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.

I highly recommend adding your favorite tomato sauce to your personal bowl - it definitely enriches the dish! Serve with a few slices of lightly toasted bread, margarine, green beans, and chocolate soymilk, and you have yourself a delicious, comforting meal perfect for these cold winter nights.

Here's the link for the recipe incase you want to print it out:
http://vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?pageId=40&catId=10

Hodo Soy Beanery at our Palo Alto farmers market

2009-11-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

For another inimitable source of fresh tofu, wander through the lively, jostling crowd at the California Avenue’s Sunday farmers market to reach the Hodo Soy Beanery stand. Once there, brush aside the leafy carrot tops escaping from your neighbor’s canvas bag and sample an array of organic artisan soy products.

The essentials—fresh tofu and soymilk—are simple, pure-tasting, and utterly fresh. The company’s creativity shines in their ready-to-eat dishes, including soy omlettes, chewy, flavorful tofu jerky, and soy noodle salads with touches of cilantro, sesame, or spice. The Kung Pao Yuba Salad is smoky and delicious, with a crunch of peanuts that complements the softer tofu. Their delicate sheets of yuba make excellent spring roll wrappers.

“Hodo” means “good bean” in Chinese; I cannot accuse this company of false advertising.

Hodo also has stands at several San Francisco farmers markets, and their new Beanery in Oakland—a candy factory and bakery in previous incarnations—apparently offers tours.

Nak's

2009-11-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

In downtown Menlo Park, there is a tiny Japanese Store called Nak's. It has the best Japanese snacks and the widest variety of Mochi I have ever seen. But, what makes it so appealing to vegans and vegetarians alike is the fact that they get fresh tofu everyday. While this may not seem like a huge deal, the difference in taste and quality are immense, at least to me! Whenever we want to make some dish with tofu, we always run down to Nak's to get some because it's not the same without it!

Nak's also has some other speciality items, especially from Japan. The owners are extremely nice and help to add to the charming atmosphere of the store.

It's located at 1151 Chestnut St. Menlo Park, CA 94025. Highly recommended for tofu and other speciality items not typically found in supermarkets.

Shopping Like A Super Vegan

2009-11-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

As we all know a large amount of clothes in the world are made out of wool and other animal products. Whether you feel this is wrong or not is up to you, but there is a large growth of vegan artier in the world.

There are several companies (mostly online) that supply vegan clothing and shoes. The largest one is probably World of Good. this website provides alternatives to current clothing and house hold objects, though not all are vegan the majority are. Also a lot of there stuff is official Fair Trade products.
If you are like me and have a hankering more towards shoes, there are plenty of site where you came find them. Possibly the site I find most convenient is Zappos.com. Though not totally vegan they do make it remarkably easy to choose.
Simple Shoes is another one. this is more geared towards the environmentally aware people. they love to, and strive to, reuse recycled bits of anything. They use tires, cork, cardboard, hemp, inter tubes, plastics, silk, bamboo... the list continues.
Though vegan clothes may be hard to find all you really need is a quick google search to find places like:
Alternative Outfitters
Ragazzi
Moo Shoes
and many more

Before I finish I must also remind you that Tom's Shoes also has vegan shoes. If you don't know what they are (Tom's), check it out.

Time Article: Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food

2009-11-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting Time article/expose about the costs of the meat industry. It focuses mostly on the environmental and health impact of the way the industry is set up. I have included a link, but also some excerpts here for a quick glance. The article is lengthy, but very interesting and easy to read, definitely worth checking out.

"And perhaps worst of all, our food is increasingly bad for us, even dangerous. A series of recalls involving contaminated foods this year — including an outbreak of salmonella from tainted peanuts that killed at least eight people and sickened 600 — has consumers rightly worried about the safety of their meals. A food system — from seed to 7‑Eleven — that generates cheap, filling food at the literal expense of healthier produce is also a principal cause of America's obesity epidemic. At a time when the nation is close to a civil war over health-care reform, obesity adds $147 billion a year to our doctor bills. "The way we farm now is destructive of the soil, the environment and us," says Doug Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist with the food and environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)."

"But cheap food is not free food, and corn comes with hidden costs. The crop is heavily fertilized — both with chemicals like nitrogen and with subsidies from Washington. Over the past decade, the Federal Government has poured more than $50 billion into the corn industry, keeping prices for the crop — at least until corn ethanol skewed the market — artificially low. That's why McDonald's can sell you a Big Mac, fries and a Coke for around $5 — a bargain, given that the meal contains nearly 1,200 calories, more than half the daily recommended requirement for adults. "Taxpayer subsidies basically underwrite cheap grain, and that's what the factory-farming system for meat is entirely dependent on," says Gurian-Sherman."

If you are interested in learning more about corn subsidizing, I would highly recommend reading Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilmemma" where he traces four meals back to their origins (conventional, organic, beyond organic, and hunter-gatherer). See the link at the bottom of the page to buy it off Amazon, or check your local library.

Cafe Gratitude

2009-11-09T19:07:00.000-08:00

A wonderful treat for Bay Area vegetarians and vegans is "raw food" restaurant, Cafe Gratitude. Every item on the menu adheres to a raw diet vision of eating, which means not only that every dish is vegan, but through creative and innovative techniques they are uncooked, unprocessed, and organic. The restaurant also lays particular emphasis on running a environmentally conscious business.

Each dish is named in the format "I am...", which makes ordering a unique and fun (though occasionally awkward upon first visiting) process. Tables aren't exclusive, so if you come with friends don't be surprised if you end up seated with a few friendly strangers. The menu is a vegan's dream, but my personal menu looks something like this, and I'd advise any unsure patrons to order the same. First, get some "I Am Awed" to drink, as this lemon and ginger hot tea pairs perfectly with the fresh and hearty main dishes. For appetizers, share the "I Am Insightful" spring rolls. With a plethora of veggies wrapped in lettuce with fresh avocado, accompanied by an outstanding coconut-almond dipping sauce, it's a guaranteed good start. For your main course, try the "I Am Accepting" sushi bowl. No raw fish required, this Bhutanese rice bowl is warm, filling, and spectacular. Lastly, I cannot recommend their Key Lime Pie highly enough, and their nut-milk ice cream is otherworldly, if you still have the room to eat it.

Cafe Gratitude has a number of locations in San Fransisco and Berkeley, check their website for a full menu and lots more information!

Going Veggie

2009-11-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

It's always interesting to me to hear why people "go veggie". The other day I was online searching for some recipes and I stumbled upon a series of links that brought me to a page called The Vegetarian Resource Group. After just taking a quick look around I've already found it to be very promising (highlights include cool articles, statistics, a quiz rating your "level of vegetarianism", a restaurant guide, and tons of information on basically everything veg*n). The really exciting thing, though, was the group's annual essay contest (more info. here). There's a list of past winners' essays, which really got me thinking about when I decided to stop eating meat--and exactly what led to it. It was neat to see vegetarians and vegans of all ages writing about why they made the switch, or even just talking about an aspect of their veggie-fied lives. Browsing through the essays, I saw people who wrote about becoming vegetarian for health or environmental reasons, and people who told stories of traumatic experiences. People who had realizations thanks to strangers. Animal-loving people who simply came to realize that they didn't want to eat something that had once been as alive as themselves. I read through so many reasons, and with each passing word I found myself nodding along, thinking about my own vegetarianism, many years in the making. I realized I can't really pinpoint one event that caused my own switch, except it just suddenly felt like the only right way to live. I love hearing other vegetarian/vegan's stories because they make me reflect and I feel insanely happy to be a vegetarian all over again.

Frittata

2009-11-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

Vegan readers will have to pardon me. One of my favorite vegetarian dinners--ridiculously simple but also versatile and delicious--is the classic Spanish frittata.

I grew up more familiar with the frittata's French cousin, the omelet. I love the way, in an omelet, the light, fluffy envelope of beaten eggs folds over itself, enclosing sauteed mushrooms and parsley, or whatever flavorful tidbits I've decided to add.

A frittata offers other excitements, though. When a thick pool of beaten eggs has cooked in a skillet until the eggs are just setting, you get to throw the whole thing into the oven and watch the eggs puff for a final minute, forming a gentle billow. (Yes, you should be using an all-metal pan.)

Another highlight: because of a frittata's taller profile, it can accommodate the layering of zucchini rounds, or spinach, or mushrooms, or thin slices of potato, or shredded cheese -- until a cross section looks like some fantastically tempting piece of archeology. And cut into wedges, it's wonderful to eat cold.

Zen Palate

2009-11-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

The Zen Palate is a vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Manhattan (one possibly coming to LA!). They serve healthy but amazingly delicious Asian-fusion.
My personal favorite dish is the "Sizzling Medallions", which sounds a little vague and therefore sketchy, but is absolutely amazing. They are made out of seitan (vital wheat gluten). According to the menu, they are 'crispy wheat gluten filet a l'orange, with fresh asparagus, mushrooms, string beans and red onions on a sizzling platter".
One time I ordered the dish with my Grandma, who loved them and was shocked to discover that they are vegan!
Also highly reccomended are the yam fries and onion pancakes.

Loving Hut

2009-11-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

In downtown Palo Alto, there is an amazing vegan restaurant that many fellow Bay Area vegans may have heard of. It is actually a chain restaurant, but it serves amazing food, and best of all it is all vegan.

My personal favorite entree is the Pesto Divine, which is soy chicken with pesto on a really, really good French roll. They also sell many basic vegan supplies, such as soy cheese.

Loving Hut is a really great restaurant and everyone should support their cause. Not only do they advocate for animal rights, but they also try to create a greener world.

Butter Substitute

2009-11-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

This is a butter substitute that reportedly (via a friend)

The recipe is for a Prune Purée and is as follows:

Combine 1-1/3 cups (8ounces) pitted prunes and 6 tablespoons hot water in container of food processor; puree until smooth. Makes 1 cup. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 months in a tightly sealed container.

You have probably heard of prune purées before, but this is my recipe.

Recipe for Amazing Vegan Chai Latte Cupcakes!!

2009-10-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

This recipe for Chai Latte Cupcakes is published in the book "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, which is full of easy and delicious cupcake recipes. Also recommended are the Apricot Almond Cupcakes. Luckily, the recipe for the Chai Latte Cupcakes is available online!

Here is the link for Chai Latte Cupcakes:

http://theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=386

Enjoy!

Welcome

2009-10-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome to OmniVeg, a blog hosted by Menlo's Vegetarian/Vegan club.