Who cares what today's topic is, I'm still freaking out about the caffeine...

I'm not a particularly addictive person. I crave change more than routine and I am usually the voice of moderation. I'm glad I don't normally chug a pot of coffee in the morning because getting over tea is bad enough. I had so little yesterday that I could feel the comings on of the caffeine withdrawal headache when I woke up this morning. I drank lots of water, sniffed some clear my head, and still needed a little fix. So I filled a big mug and only let the tea steep for about a minute. I want more, but I'm not going to do it. The little bit helped and I think I'm going to make it.

Otherwise it's going fine.

No animal products; check. Come on, I have to make it sound like an accomplishment.
No gluten; check. French fries with Tabasco ketchup isn't exactly "cleansing," but it's gluten free. Brown rice is my friend.
No sugar; check. Not counting the sugar in ketchup. It's a condiment!
No alcohol, check. Went out to a pub and had club soda. Hence the french fries for dinner.
No caffeine, well, I've significantly cut down. I think I can make it a whole day this weekend.

I'm really glad I posted that I'm doing this. Thanks for all your support. Without it, I'd definitely be guzzling giant vats of tea and slamming bagels. So thanks.

Giving up caffeine

Day 2 of Quantum Wellness: giving up caffeine.

I know I'm addicted to caffeine. I usually enjoy several cups of black tea a day starting with first thing in the morning. I already know I get a wicked headache if I don't get caffeinated, so I'm not quite ready to tackle this on a weekday. I do need to be useful and productive at work. So I'm testing out some cutbacks.So I did have the usual cup of black tea this morning and I've been experimenting with some herbal teas since then. The Get Charged from the Republic of Tea does have a nice pick me up. I also have some Ginger Peach White Tea that I'll try this afternoon when I need a fix. White teas do have caffeine, but a lower dose than black or green teas. I also like adagio teas, and they have some really nice herbal teas and flavored decaf black teas like strawberry.

Hopefully less everyday caffeine will make it easier to go cold turkey this weekend. Giving up cheese was WAY easier than this.

Lunch in the oven

Today is my Dad's birthday. He would have been 61 if he hadn't died 5 years ago of metastisized colon cancer that had spread to his lungs. Although no one seems to really know what causes cancer, there is plenty of research that shows that diet free of animal products can reduce your chances of getting it. Check out the China Study or Crazy Sexy Life for more information about vegan diets and cancer.

Enough of the depressing stuff, here's my tribute to Dad's favorite summertime dinner, "lunch in the oven." I don't know where the name comes from. It's just what we always called it. It does come from the oven, but we usually had it for dinner.

I'm not sure if Dad would have liked the veganized gluten-free version of "lunch in the oven," but here it is anyway, and I think it's pretty freakin' awesome even with the weird rice bread.

Lunch in the oven:

2 slices of crappy white bread (or some lovely gluten free rice bread)
4 slices of fresh summer ripe tomato
Sprinkle of vegan Bacon Salt
2 slices of vegan cheese (whatever is closest to American cheese)
4 slices smoked tofu fried in a little canola oil

Toast bread. Top with tomato, sprinkle on bacon salt, top with vegan cheese and tofu then broil until cheese is melty. About 5 minutes, but check it often.

Cut in half and enjoy.

Quantum Wellness Cleanse

Quantum Wellness Cleanse Motivation: I figure if I say I'm going to do it to the whole world (OK, the 12 of you who actually read this,) I'll be more likely to actually make it...
If Oprah can do it, so can I. Kathy Frestone's Quantum Wellness Cleanse.

21 days of no:
Animal products - ha, easy!
Alcohol - not too difficult
Sugar - good thing I don't take sugar in my tea
Caffeine - what, no tea?!?
Gluten - yeah, that's going to be a test. I really want to make some setian wings now.

Since I've made it to noon today, today is day one. The recipes in the book look pretty good. I'm off to buy some freakin' gluten free bread for what I was going to make for dinner tonight. More later...

My lip stuff is da balm!

It's cool when you find a friend on facebook you've known since you were three. It's even awesomer when you discover that she's a lip balm making goddess! Brea at My Lip Stuff offers a HUGE selection of lip balms to satisfy every lip balm addict (that would be me.) The original formula contains beeswax, but she's also got a fantastic 100% vegan formula for all the vegan puritans. I'm smacking the "Get Fresh" right now. It's pretty sweet. There are a few charity balms, including some stop animal testing balms. There are seasonal balms in case you need a special one to go with your Easter bonnet (it's lavender.) Options are endless, and you can customize flavors and labels . So next time you need favors for a wedding, shower, or vegan cupcake party, you can make up your own special lip balm!

I got the 100% vegan and natural sample pack of 7. I'm going to give away three of these bad boys, so send me a comment and tell me what your favorite lip balm flavor is, or let me know a flavor you think should be made into a lip balm for a chance to win an awesome vegan lip balm!

Peace out.

Attack of the Giant Zucchini!

The annual attack of the giant zucchini has already begun across America. You love it, but what are you going to do with it all. You can certainly sneak attack your neighbors by gifting them some zucchini, or you can make something with the zucchini and give them that.

A few years ago a neighbor brought over a lovely zucchini soup. When I asked for the recipe, she said (paraphrased) "Just saute some onions and the zucchini in some broth and then add some buttermilk. Sometimes, I add curry powder."

Cooking with the curry powder will make your house smell like an Indian restaurant, so if strong exotic smells aren't your thing (or your husband's, parent's, roommate's, or apartment neighbor's,) you can skip it or add it when serving.

This soup is good hot or cold, and with a quick sub for the buttermilk, is so easily vegnaized. This giant zucchini came fresh from my mom's backyard garden and the onions are from the farmers market.

Curried Summer Zucchini Soup

2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 giant zucchini, cut into bite sized cubes
2 Tbs curry powder (optional)
4 cups vegetable broth or water
Salt to taste

Mix soy milk with vinegar and set aside.

Heat the olive oil and saute the onions and zucchini about 10 minutes. Add the curry powder if using, and cook another 5 minutes until the zucchini starts to soften. Add the broth/water to cover the zucchini and simmer until zucchini is fully cooked. Add soy milk mixture and heat another minute or so if serving hot. Adjust seasonings to taste.

You can also puree all or part of the soup for a thicker texture. I left it chunky and I'm having some now, then I'm off to the beach!

And check out this super giant enormous zuke. Thanks Tara via Guava for the giant veggie link.

Red, white, and cupcakes!

Vegan cupcakes are better than fireworks.Golden vanilla cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes take over the World, and the butter cream frosting from the Red Devil cake in Vegan Table.

I'm skipping out of work today. Now I'm off to the beach. Have cupcakes, will travel.

Dude. It's a hot pocket.

Jen, that pain in the ass vegan, posted a review of Amy's Tofu scramble in a pocket Sandwich:

"bottom line: stay away from this product. make your own tofu scramble, wrap it in some pizza dough or your own home made pie crust, and freeze for later baking. some convenience foods just aren't worth the time.

So I took matters into my own hands and made my own hot pocket. Scramble was tofu, basil, salt, lemon zest, kale, asparagus, and tempeh bacon with some of Tami's garlic scape pesto. I wrapped it all up in a little pizza dough , baked it last night, reheated and ate it this morning.
I gotta say, hot pockets never tasted so good. Do I think this would microwave well? Heck no, but if you want a little hot pocket action and can wait for a few minutes for the toaster oven to make it toasty, then you've got an awesome breakfast in a neat little pocket.


I helped out with my CSA share this morning, moving crates of veggies around, and chatting with the townsfolk. By the time I got home, I was starving (and dirty and soggy-when will the rain end!) and I'm glad the scramble in a hot pocket was all prepped and ready to pop into the oven. It hit the spot.

Here's my CSA bounty: Collard greens, radish, kohlrabi, broccoli, cilantro, strawberries, and tomatoes.
It's like Christmas with all the reds and greens. The tomatoes are hydroponic, but they're really quite good. This will be another adventure in eating a ridiculous amount of green leafy things. I don't usually dig radishes, but I'm going to give them a chance. The hot topic veggie this week was the kohlrabi. This Sputnik-spaceship-like vegetable is pretty versatile and can be eaten raw, or steamed, or roasted. You can eat the greens, too.



Soundtrack: The Housemartins, the People who Grinned Themselves to Death. Me and the farmer get on fine...

As if you need another reason to love Penzey's Spices...

Penzeys is keepin' it real by featuring a tofu and 5 vegan veggie recipes in the Summer 2009 catalog.

Cinnamon Tofu and Sweet Potatoes, pg 16
Pepper Bean Salad, pg 28
Saffron Rice, pg 35
Cucumber and Onion Salad pg, 37
Chopped Marinated Salad pg 39
Grilled veggies, pg 43.
If you're not familiar with Penzeys, they have fantastic herbs, spices, and spice blends. You won't find them in grocery stores, but they have a few stores throughout the US (one in Grand Central in New York) or you can buy online.


Almost all their products are inherently vegan. The meaty sounding ones, like pork chop seasoning, are great seasonings when you want your tofu to taste like bacon. Thinly slice some tofu and sprinkle with pork chop seasoning and fry it up. I'm also big a fan of the taco and Indian seasonings.

I don't usually make my own Indian food, because I find the spice combinations a little tricky to get right. I had a bunch of stuff I needed to use up, so here's the not-really-a-recipe version of what I made.

Kale Coconut Curry:
I simmered 2 lemongrass stalks in some So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk.
Then in a separate pan, I heated some oil and added a pinch (only a pinch) of hing.

I keep the hing tightly wrapped in the pantry because it tends to smell like armpit. Why would you want to cook with this malodorous stuff, you ask? Well because it makes Indian food taste like Indian food. When cooked in oil, the taste and aroma soften and lend a leek/onion/garlic taste to dishes. My friend Bhavna told me a story about how God held a party and the onions and garlic were late and that's why they aren't in their food. I looked forward to Bhavna's mom's visits from India because she always cooked and sent extras to work with Bhavna for me. Their family in India had a cook, but her dad would only eat what her mom cooked. I don't blame him. I wish I could recreate those dishes, but back to my impromptu creation...

To the hing and oil, I added some garam masala, Penzeys hot curry powder , and some salt. Then the chopped kale that I cooked and froze last weekend. Once mixed and cooked down more, I blended the kale up small and added it to the strained coconut milk. Now, this is why this isn't a recipe...the mixture wasn't very saucy, so I mixed some chickpea flour (besan) with some of the soupy coconut milk and then added that back to the sauce. This did it. Perfectly saucy, now.

I overdid it on the hot curry sauce, so to cut the spice, I topped it with a little unsweetened soy yogurt.

What is that? Velvet?

I made this gorgeous Red Velvet Cake for the True Blood premier on Sunday. The recipe is from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The Vegan Table. Really easy recipe and the cake is (er, well, was) super moist and yummy. Seriously, though, I turned into one of Bill Cosby's children by insisting that cake is OK for breakfast...I mean, it's got wheat and milk (unsweetened vanilla hemp in this case) and is part of this nutritious breakfast.

And as a healthy balance to my cake for breakfast, here's the bounty from my first CSA share. The tomatoes were from the greenhouse. I cooked the GIANT bunch of kale, and it went into things like scrambles and soups. I'm still not sure what the heck I'm going to do with all the bok choy. The purslane was nice in a salad.

Barbara Kingsolver and a Stay Vegan Poll

I read a lot of books about food. I'm rereading Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver to get inspiration for eating local. The farmer's market is open and my CSA shares start tomorrow. I've always got plenty of staples in the pantry, so I'm going to try to not eat take out as much and start making more of my meals from fresh local ingredients. In case you're not familiar with Barbara Kingsolver click the link to see her books. She's an wonderful novelist who loves to share her opinions and has a writing style that I find refreshingly readable. Animal Vegetable Miracle follows her family for a year in their effort to "live off the land" in West Virginia. Just be warned, this is not a vegan book, though she is vegetarian friendly, the family raises chickens and turkeys for eggs and food. They do have a whole vegetarian Thanksgiving. The book is mostly about the vegetables and I really enjoy it.

Back to actual vegan topics...Stay Vegan is taking a poll on how long you've been vegan. Check them out to vote.

Wing it giveaway!

River is taking a break from her hiatus to give away a super gizmo* (that won't spawn if you get it wet or turn into a gremlin if you feed it after midnight.) Post a comment on her website for a chance to win (or just to say hi, whatever.)

The Healthy Chef is a steamer, dehydrator, yogurt maker and rice cooker (yes, rice cookers are awesome, Ginger.)

*For all you non children of the 80's this is gizmo...who was purchased from the Wing family...hhhmmm.

Blossom!!! NYC Restaurant Review

Oh, the joys of being able to order anything (and everything!) on the menu. I wasn't even planning this, but we went for drinks with friends and when the talk came to dinner, my friend suggested we walk over to Blossom.

Now, it was dark and candle lit inside, but I just had to snap a photo of everything. I had to use the stupid flash, so I just took one shot for each dish and I'm going to post them all anyway. I had a few bites of some dishes before I remembered to take the photos. My friends were really good sports about me sticking my camera (and my fork) in their food.
Black-eyed Pea Cake - Crispy cake of yukon gold potatoes and black eyed peas, served with chipotle aioli.
Cape Cod Cakes - A blend of hiziki seaweed, tofu, potato, herbs and spices, served with a vegan tartar sauce.

Caesar Salad ~ Romaine lettuce & herbed croutons tossed in a creamy Caesar dressing, topped with herbed gomashio.

Port Wine Seitan ~ Seitan cutlets pan-seared in a sauce of port wine and mushrooms, accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes, tempura onion and sautéed garlic spinach.

Ravioli with Cashew Cream ~ Spinach, mushroom, and pine nut filling.

Baby Spinach Risotto ~ Shiitake & portobello mushrooms, caramelized pearl onions, and shiitake-crusted tofu, braised in a vibrant lemon confit.

Seitan Skewers ~ Flame-grilled skewers basted with a rich hickory sauce, accompanied by jicama slaw.

Chocolate Ganache

Coconut Lavender Creme Brule

Every dish was fantastic, and the port wine seitan was absolutely out of this world. The photos don't do any of the dishes justice, so if you're in New York City, definitely check out Blossom. I will be back again soon.

Vegan Soap Club - Strawberry Hedgehog

Tracy at Strawberry Hedgehog sent me a lovely bar of Rosewood Orange soap. It smells fantastic and is a little reminiscent of Fruit Loops. This finally prompted me to remember to join her soap club where you get one (or three!) different soaps each month.

She was also on Good Morning Arizona recently and you can check out the video of Tracy making soap on the show.

Vegan New York take out

There aren't always vegan restaurants when you need them, but I've got a few fave "normal" New York take out options for when I'm hungry and in a hurry. In Grand Central Terminal and other locations, you can get a slice of vegan pizza with no more wait than a normal slice. Two Boots has not just one, but TWO vegan pizzas available by the slice. I've posted the Earth Mother before. My new favorite is the Mrs. Peel's vegan and it's a perfect snack before my train ride home. It's a thin crust with roasted garlic; red, green and yellow peppers; artichokes; sauce, fresh basil, and it's topped with breadcrumbs. This is slice perfection and you'll never miss the cheese.

Downtown in the Wall Street area, I've got 2 new vegan choices. There's Pump and Switch. I know that sounds like a porno, but it's the names of 2 new take out joints. Pump emphasizes health food and is set up like Chipotle with an assembly line of burrito, salad, rice bowl options. The best thing is that Pump has baked tofu and vegetarian chili.

New kid on the block Switch has pressed sandwiches and lots of vegan side items, like Israeli cous cous, grape tomato salad with basil, and killer homemade regular and sweet potato chips. The vegan sammich option is the Casablanca which is a pressed sammy with chickpeas, roasted red peppers, watercress, and a garlicky eggplant spread. I've eaten this about 3 times this week! Each sandwich comes with a little side of lime-mint edamame.