VeganMoFo V: Home for the Holidays in Style

Next month begins the non stop holiday season, though I've already been assaulted by the foul scent of decaying cinnamon brooms.  Well, last year I never blogged about how I got prepared to visit family.  Era and I are a road warriors so we drove 18+ hours non-stop to Texas w/ 2 chihuahuas and a trunk filled with gift bags.  This is how we do it without the stress:

tags

1. If you are bringing gifts, pick a theme.  It makes it so much easier.  I like to do baking themes because the assembly is streamlined.  Last year it was holiday cookies and confections.  I've done breakfast themes, game night themes, and so on...

tins!

2. Head to the dollar store.  There is no need to spend so much money when you can get something for $1.  Those sweet ass tins and gift tags are from my neighborhood Dollar Tree.  Holler.

cookie power!

3. A nice presentation makes people feel appreciated.  The cookies above are covered in plastic wrap.  See what a difference some curling ribbon and a tag makes?  I ended up filling each bag with some sort of beverage, several different types of cookies, savory snack mix, focaccia, a tin of fudge, and a mini loaf of either banana bread, date cake, or baklava bread.

Nana Marg's Nuts and Bolts from Garden of Vegan

cookies from VCIYCJ and 500 Vegan Recipes

4. Plan and bake ahead.  Keep in mind about the picky eaters and people with allergies (Mom and sis hate coconut.  Era and bro-in-law hate raisins.  Sister hates peanut butter.  Sis-in-law allergic to bananas).  Bake the cookies and freeze until ready to assemble.

seriously delicious date cake (thanks to Kmouse for talking it up!)

5. Most of all, don't forget to pack the leftovers for yourselves!  Muahahaha.  Era and I always back snack mix, meal bars, fresh fruits and veggies, drinks, caffeine, and sammiches on our trips.  Such a fun time!  I love my road trips with my dogs and the boy.

a lil' sumthin' for the road

Woo!  All right.  Tomorrow it's gonna get all tea party up in herre.  Have a great Friday everybody.

VeganMoFo V: What's a Matcha for You?

Last night I used pear and cardamom to make some matcha rolls.  The pear was ripe but firm.  However, it made everything saucy, which isn't what I was going for.

pull apart or stand alone?  i am definitely from the pull apart school

This is basically a modification of my boozy apple pecan cinnamon rolls.  It's a bit less complicated because the filling is just sliced pears, and I replaced the cinnamon with cardamom in the sugar mixture.  Also no booze.  It's topped with black sesame seeds just because.  But I'd totally make these again (and, perhaps, measure the matcha) with sweet red bean.

Besides chowing down on some cardamom rolls, I started thinking about my favorite vegan bargains for less than 2 bucks.  Now presenting...

Vegan Deals Under $2

Tofu-$0.98 from Fresh and Easy
Tempeh-$1.99 from Trader Joe's
Artisinal Bread-Varies.  Check the bakery clearance at your local store.  Check to see that it's still fresh and hasn't gone bad.  I've gotten really good breads for less than $1 before and they were far from expiration.
TVP-Varies.  In bulk, this stuff is definitely cheap.  Plus, it lasts forever.  In many Mexican grocers, you can find packages of "carne de soya" that run about $1.50.
Fruits/Veggies-Varies.  It goes without saying that fresh produce can be super inexpensive, especially greens.
Lara Bars-About $1.29.  Ideally, I'd like to have these on hand at all times.  These saved me many times when there were no other vegan options.
Soyrizo-$1.99 at Trader Joe's.  The best soyrizo in all the land!
E.L.F. Makeup-Usually $1-$10 at Target, KMart, and certain grocery stores.  Cruelty free and vegan.  Most basic makeup things cost $1.  I'm talking shadows, primers, mascaras, tools, etc.  The huge eyeshadow books cost $5-$10.  I love these things.

That's all for now.  Do you have any vegan deals you absolutely adore?

Mission: Secret Santa

I have a fever, y'all, and the only cure is makin' gift baskets!  Seriously, it's a sickness.  I get it from my mama.  She kinda started the whole thing.  It's a cheap way to make things look like a million bucks.  I think you know by now that I don't believe in blowing money when I can take five minutes to really think about who a person is and try to encapsulate that in a basket.  Ha ha.  I'm mostly just a really, really cheap person.

I've done some form of gift basket every year since I was 23 or so.  It started super small.  Just throwing some books or something in a basket and getting that shrink wrap bag from the dollar store.  Then I started having these crazy sessions where I'd bake for two days straight and do an assembly line thing.  One year I made baskets for all 13 members of the comedy troupe I was in.  Another time, I made dessert and breakfast baskets for some coworkers.  As I type this, there is curling ribbon everywhere because I'm about to make some stuff for a fundraiser tomorrow.

Today's mission: find a suitable gift for a doctor I hadn't met before lunchtime today.  Price: $25.  I started by asking what kind of stuff he likes.  All I got from the ladies at my internship was that he likes books.  Dammit.  I'd have to get a gift card.  Those are so...impersonal.  But not if it's wrapped in a gift basket!

First I got some things from the dollar store (basket, curling ribbon, garland, cards, etc):

All of this was 8 bucks (exceptin' the gift cards), but I only used 5 bucks worth of stuff.  Then I decided to add some cuteness to it.  Check out this card!  The tree is eating the gift cards.  I took some tea I had in my house and wrapped them with ribbon.

Next, I thought long and hard about what to make.  I made the choc chip cookies, sugar cookies, and gingerbread biscotti from VCIYCJ.  I made Cheesy Quackers for the tin, but decided to keep them for myself.  Hee hee.  The doctor got pretzels instead!  I wrapped all of it up nice and purty like.

Then I put everything into the basket.  The basket includes 6 different types of tea, the aforementioned cookies and pretzels, and some chocolate peppermint coffee that I got from Target for $1.  Check that dollar section when you walk into the store.  You find some gems for sure!

This last pic is kinda crappy, but I was running late to my internship.  I couldn't find the shrink wrap bag and didn't feel like weaving through the people at the dollar store so I just got this gingerbead one instead.

And there you have it!  It's a fun and pretty easy way to personalize a gift card.  Just use your supreme baking or crafty skills and 5 bucks.  And nothing goes better with some books than gingerbread biscotti and English breakfast tea!

Who Likes to Rock the Party?

So, how's it goin?  It's been a while.  I've been holding off on blogging because I don't have any complete thoughts right now.  I do have a bunch of small thoughts, which I will gladly share with you in listy format...sorta.

Last weekend we had some people over and I have something else to add to the vegan tested, omni approved category: that raw cashew cheese au poivre I've talked about fanatically (again, I used water instead of rejuvelac)!  It was the talk of the night.  They barely even touched the dairy cheese, but demolished the vegan stuff.  I don't think I'm gonna purchase dairy cheese for parties anymore.  Even though Era's a pescatarian, he rarely eats cheese and a party is completely possible without it.  The past several parties have proven that omnis seem to like my vegan cheese ballz and spreads better anyway.  Hee hee.

Last night we went to a party/fundraiser for the school Era teaches at.  Two cool party ideas I picked up: place food in multiple parts of the house and decorate with wine bottles.  I usually just throw some chips in the living room and keep the rest of the stuff in the kitchen, but they did a good job of putting a bit of everything in all the conversational hot zones.  It was very welcoming.  And because they were having a wine and beer type atmosphere, wine bottles were placed on shelves and tables throughout the house because they didn't have a bar.  If you wanted to open a new bottle, you just brought it to the kitchen and opened it.  Love that idea!

I recently bought a Pro Bar on a whim while at the grocery store.  It's a meal replacement bar.  I managed to devour the cherry pretzel one.  SO effing good.  My latest mission is to see if I could somehow recreate it at home.  I just can't justify three bucks for a bar that I could make at home.  But this was good...a bunch of seeds and nuts, dried cherries, chocolate chunks, pretzels, peanut butter, etc.  Mmm.

In completely asstastic news, I shopped while hungry (I know) and finally picked up these herb dijon breasts by Gardein.  I'd been eyeing them for awhile.  Unfortunately, they were so freaking horrible that I don't know if I could buy anything from them again.  The texture was great.  The flavor was vile!  It tasted nothing like mustard...just saucy and bitter.  Blech.  Era tried the bbq one and said it was horrible too.  Boo to that.

That's all for now.  I have a ton of new cookbooks that I haven't talked about yet.  I just bought 500 Vegan Recipes and Authentic Chinese Cuisine for the Contemporary Kitchen.  So excited about these!  My tester copy of VCIYCJ came in a few weeks ago so I'll talk about that sometime this week.  Also this week, I'm gonna be talking about holiday plans and party stuff.  Cuz I like to rock the party!  One more week until winter break.  Hell yes.

Vegan MoFo III: Party Time. Excellent!

Earlier this week, I told you I'd give some party themes that I've done in the past.  Tonight was supposed to be Food Network Friday so I veganized this recipe by Melissa d'Arabian.  The changes I made were good, but they could be better.  So I figure now is a good time to talk about themes.

The first party I ever threw had an extraterrestrial theme.  My friends and I were 19 and we had this insane idea to decorate a friend's apartment like another planet, charge people 5 bucks for cover, and make costumes mandatory.  We ended up making a lot of money.  More than we spent on the party.  This was also the time that I realized it is never a good idea to put even one drop of Everclear into the punch.  I witnessed at least 7 mental breakdowns that night.

Over the years, I've learned to make smoother punch and taught myself how to turn a simple idea into something new and exciting.  Here are some of my favorites.

Cocktail Party.  I did this for my bridal shower.  This can be really fun with signature drinks and all that.  It doesn't have to be alcohol related.  Make some virgin drinks and pair them with appetizers.  This is definitely perfect for the holidays.

Pink and Red.  One year I did this during Valentine's Day.  The colors are entirely up to you.  It only involves having plenty of decorations in that color and maybe a food item or beverage that matches the theme.

Prom.  My favorite!  My ex-best friend's birthday is two days before mine.  So for our 22nd birthday we decided to throw the prom we never had.  The theme: Celestial Dreams.  We spent all week making stars and other decorations.  We even had party favors that every guest got.  I had my husband make a playlist of songs from '96 to '00.  It was so awesome.  We even sat up a punch bowl and snack table like every high school dance has.

Luau or Caribbean Getaway.  So easy.  Just make some tropical food and buy some leis.  Also, I've done a Caribbean thing and served coconut rice and jerk seitan before.  I like doing things like this when it's cold outside so I feel like I'm getting out of the dreary weather.

Wine and Cheese.  There is something about these parties that make people feel so adult.  They just start acting all regal and stuff.  Maybe it's just me.  The only thing I know less about than cheese is wine.  I'm doing this tomorrow though.  Is it a party if there are only three people?  It's going to be fun either way because I love making a meal out of appetizers.  It's probably the easiest of all the themes.  Get some cheese, get some wine and throw in some grapes or olives.  Put I'll kick you in your shins if you swirl and sniff.

Game Night.  Most people think cards when they think game night.  If it's not Phase 10, I'm not playing it.  Game night to me is all about the board games.  I once spent days thinking of a tournament for game night with the final face off being a Super Mario death match, but only 5 people showed up.  3 of them were related to me.  I like doing snacky foods.  Chex mix, flavored nuts, pretzels, cookies, brownies, root beer floats, etc.

Other themes that I want to use for a party: 80s prom, karaoke, dinner and a movie, and a costume ball.

This holiday season be sure to think outside of the box.  We've all consumed cheap champagne while singing "Auld Lang Syne" before.  Yawn.  Why not do it in a Flashdance leotard while listening to Madonna's "Like a Virgin?"  I'm just sayin'...

Vegan MoFo III: The Ultimate Party Necessity

Okay.  I'm just gonna throw this out there.  A party isn't a party without some hummus!  Last year my dear friends Shaggy and Keli got married.  They had two or three kinds of hummus at their pre-ceremony snack table (how cool is that?).  One of the hummuses (hummi?) was jalapeno cilantro.  Oh my gooodness.  So great!  So I made some tonight.  I'll try to post the recipe tomorrow because I ran out of olive oil and want to make sure the flavors are right.  Plus, I just really want to make it again.  It is quite creamy and delicious, if I do say so myself.  See the pic:

 

I suppose I should explain a little more about this week. I keep saying fall and holiday foods, but that doesn't really express what I mean. This week is all about food that reminds me of family togetherness and food that will raise the roof on any holiday party/gathering.

Last year, I told you about my love of Festivus. I really want to celebrate this year. However, unless a bunch of Californian vegans just suddenly appear at my doorstep I only know one person in this city. I might invite some of my LA friends if we don't make our way back to Texas for the holidays. We'll see how it goes.

Now, my love of hostessing began with my parents. When I was young they would throw these killer parties for just about every holiday. That's kinda where my people watching began. Oh, the debauchery!  I did learn a thing or two about throwing a party, though.

Tips to An Awesome Party

1. Have a plan.  Writing down what food you want to serve, the amount of people you expect, and a budget to make things run smoothly.

2. Send out an invite.  This builds anticipation and gives you a minimum of who to expect.  Even if somebody flakes, a slacker who didn't RSVP will show.  C'mon!  It's easy to do in a facebook/myspace/twitter world.

3. Always expect the unexpected.  Things will go wrong.  Whether it's some fool puking in your trashcan or way more guests showing up than you thought.  Just breathe.  Everything will work out.

4. Save money by making stuff from scratch.  There are very few things I don't make from scratch.  I always make dips, little appetizers, punch, and desserts though.

5. Punch is the way to go.  Punch will save you money and it will also help people to regulate their alcohol intake.  I try to have a sangria at every gathering.  I often make a nonalcoholic drink too.  My friends are super diverse so I try to accomodate everybody.  Even if I don't have virgin punch, there is always plenty of sodas, juices, and water.

6. A theme is great and not as hard as it seems.  Themes are fun!  They can make a simple thing seem out of this world.  I'll tell you more about some themes I've done later this week.

7. Save time by making things ahead.  On the rare occasion that I'm able to do this, I kinda love myself!  Makes things super easy.

8. Have music.  If it was up to my husband, we'd play hip hop 24/7.  I like to throw some funk, soul, Motown, and cheesy 90s boy bands in there.  I love it when people start dancing to the music.  That's when you know a party is "off the heezy."

9. Play a movie in the background.  This is something I learned from my days in Comedia-A-GoGo.  Pick a movie with crazy visuals or a really slapstick comedy and play it on mute with the captions on.  It's great entertainment for the wallflowers.  I try to pick the most insane independent movie in my collection.  Actually, I usually pick 2 or 3 and switch them out during the night.

10. Have each room serve a different purpose.  This is something I learned from my friend, Regan (of Comedia-A-GoGo).  Each room always has a different vibe.  There's usually the movie room, the food room, the drinks/chill/music room, and we always have something set up outside...usually a bonfire.

11. Enjoy your party!  This is definitely the most important tip of all.  Don't get stressed.  Just enjoy the people around you.

Sorry that this was a novel!  I just love parties.  Coming up this week: a very "smokin'" movie Monday, miniature Thanksgiving, ice cream in the cold, desserts that will bring a potluck to its knees, a Parisian Food Network Friday, and some cheezy goodness.

Vegan MoFo III: Lights, Camera, Snacktion

Okay, okay.  I know I promised an entry filled with wonderful vegan goodies, but this will have to be a two parter.  In this part, I'll tell you why making your own snacks will save you money and what my favorites are.  Tomorrow, I'll have more stuff to share.

I used to live for convenience eating.  I'd buy a bunch of energy bars, dried soups, frozen burgers, and all that other good stuff.  It was so draining on my pocket.  I'm not going to lie and say that I make snacks all the time.  I've always been super envious of people with enough initiative to cook a bunch of stuff on one day.  Things always seem to get in the way when I try to do that...like the internet and television and my supreme procrastination.

But it seriously saves tons of money to make your own stuff.  Take a granola bar.  If you've got a decent price, you are paying a dollar for it.  Now, buy some oats in bulk, throw in some bulk fruits and nuts, and you probably paid less than a dollar for an entire pan of granola bars.  It speaks for itself.

Today I made some pesto white bean hummus and plantain bread (not pictured).  I love having hummus on hand because it's so completely versatile.  I can have it in a sandwich or use it in hot pasta, among other things.  The bread was a way to use up some overripe plantains.  It's got a different flavor than banana bread.  I like it!   I often keep muffins and breads on hand for a quick breakfast or an easy snack.  I hate waiting to cook something if I'm hungry.  Having access to snacks means that I won't feel the need for huge portions later.

Best Snacks to Make At Home

• granola and granola bars
• muffins
• bagels
• soups/broths
• seitan
• burgers
• sausages
• cutlets
• bread
• hummus/dips
• waffles/pancakes

Wow.  This list is making me want to spend Sunday stocking my already packed freezer!  More to come tomorrow.  Squee!  We're half way done!  I can't wait until next week.  It is going to be AWESOME!

Vegan MoFo III: Ode to Breakfast

My favorite meal has always been breakfast, but I almost never have it at breakfast time.  I much prefer brunch.  There is something about rolling out of bed at noon after a night of dancing or an underground hip hop show and eating a glorious feast of breakfast foods!  Not to be outdone, brinner is always a wonderful thing.  Have a hard day at work?  How about some pancakes at 7 in the PM?!  I love it.  I could eat breakfast at any time of the day.  In fact, I'm adding two more words/phrases to the English language: brupper and afternoon brea.  Breakfast is just that good, yo.

In keeping with the theme for this week, I did brunch on a budget.  I'm not gonna lie.  The photos I took were supremely lame, so I'll just give some tips on how to do a fabulous brunch on a budget.

1. Cheap, filling foods are a great foundation.  Think beans and potatoes...even tofu.  These are things that will fill people up fast and they are incredibly cheap.

2. Make stuff from scratch.  Most everybody has the ingredients for pancakes or muffins.  You can always buy some fruit to make a specific flavor, but making your own stuff really is a lot cheaper.  Plus, a lot of baked goods can be made ahead of time so it makes everything easier on the hosts.

3. Do it buffet style.  Some people will eat more and some people will eat less, but I find that buffet almost always means there will be enough food and it won't be wasted.

4. Use foods that stretch.  Tofu is a great example because you can add a bunch of cheap veggies to it and create a lot of food.  Potatoes are also great for this.

5. Pick one thing to splurge on.  Even when you have an inexpensive brunch, you can add a nice touch like a bunch of different salsas or booze to get your morning drank on!  Or a juice/tea bar for people who don't drink alcohol.  The possibilities are endless.

6. Seasonal produce.  I always have to have at least one fresh thing with my brunch.  Often times, it's a fruit salad.  Seasonal stuff is better quality and so much cheaper.

Today's Brunch Menu (sans fruit because I forgot it)

DEOTS Cinnamon Rolls

Denver Omelet from Vegan Brunch

Paprika, Cumin, and Rosemary Roasted Potatoes from Vegan Brunch

Price Breakdown*

DEOTS Cinnamon Rolls (makes 12 rolls)-$1.21

• margarine-$0.75
• canned pumpkin-$0.46 

Denver Omelet made with homemade seitan (serves 4)-$4.09-$5.07

• silken tofu-$1.98
• chickpea flour-$.30
• black salt-$.06
• onion-$0.29
• vegan cheese (I used Teese)-$0.98-$1.96, depending on how much you use
• green pepper-$0.48

Potatoes (serves 4)-$1.42

Total spent on brunch=$6.72-$7.70 or $1.68-$1.93 per person with leftovers!

That is cheap enough to buy fresh fruit and some champagne for mimosas!  And, honestly, this is more on the expensive side for me.  I usually do a tofu scramble instead of an omelet.  But my absolute favorite is a breakfast taco bar.  For non Texans: a breakfast taco is like a breakfast burrito only way freakin' better.  It doesn't have all that tortilla getting in the way of the awesome filling.  Just picture a basic flour tortilla that you'd use for tacos and stuff breakfast fillings in it.  My favorite combos are: bean and potato, nopales, bean and cheese, and tofu and bacn.  We usually make all the components to them and set them on the table with plenty of guacamole, pico de gallo, shredded cheeze, and tortillas.  Then everybody makes their favorite combo.  This is pretty much a tradition at my parents house during the holidays.

Well, I hope my supreme thriftiness has helped you.  George Constanza has nothing on me, baby!

Coming up this week: a very Tarantino Movie Monday, what to eat when you only have 20 bucks until payday, making your own snacks, dinner for two pantry raid, veganizing RayRay, and Indian on the cheap.

*All price breakdowns are assuming you have basic things like flour, oil, non dairy milk, common spices, etc.  Everything else will be factored in.  Also, the price listed is based on the amount used in the recipe.

VeganMoFo III: What I've Learned

Today was kinda horrible (personally, not healthwise) so I'll get to the good stuff.  I learned a lot about myself in the past week.  I'm just going to do this in list format because I love them and it's easier.

1.Relax-I really need to slow down and think about myself.  Two weeks ago I made a detailed schedule in order to fit writing into my day.  What I forgot to put on the schedule: meals.  What the hell is that?!  So, I will be redoing those schedules and getting myself into set feeding times so that I eat enough and don't feel like I'm forcing myself into my own schedule.
2.More Sleep-I really have to work on this.  Most people can live off of 7.5 or so hours.  But I really need at least 8 to function.  More than that is better.  I get so foggy headed and irritable if I don't sleep.
3.Convenience Eating-I always knew I was victim to this, but I realized grabbing a rice cake is enough to curb the hunger long enough to make a real meal.
4.Sweets-Probably the hugest thing is that I realized my addiction to sweet things can be controlled with fruit.  I never knew this was possible because I thought I had tried and failed before.  But a nice nectarine is so much better than a cookie.  More than that, I realized that baked goods aren't about the sugar as much as they are about the memories attached to them.  A-ha moment for realz!

In the end, what I wanted more than anything was to prove that I was in control of what I ate.  Mostly because I wasn't in control for a lot of my life.  So realizing what I am capable of gives me a happy.  I've decided that after VeganMoFo, I will continue on the healthy path.  Maybe not doing mosaics but definitely using this as a food/exercise journal.

Tomorrow is budget week and I'm starting with brunch!  So, I'm gonna try to get some sleep and leave you with this pic of today's breakfast.  They're gluten free yeast free waffles from Trader Joe's.  These were fan-freaking-tastic!

Oh, and I finally did that survey.  So tired right now.  Goodbye health week!  Hellooooo Cheapskate McGee!

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?

Almond milk. Plain Almond Breeze.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
Not sure, though I plan to do some stuff from Vegan Brunch this weekend.

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
Depends. Salt. Nooch, oregano, and red pepper flakes.

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
Uh, the very first time I made seitan it was like chewing gum...and it was stuffed! And I was serving my parents!

5. Favorite pickled item?
Okra fo sho. Last Thanksgiving we went to several stores trying to buy more pickled okra.

6. How do you organize your recipes?
My cookbooks are on a separate shelf from my other books. I arrange them by height because it drives me crazy if tall books are sandwiched between short ones. Did I not say I was neurotic?!  My internet recipes are organized by category on my computer.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
Trash, though I'd love to compost.

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)?
seitan piccata, something with chocolate, watermelon

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
Sunday breakfast that my mom used to cook, as long as it didn't involve omelettes (blech)

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
Purely Decadent Pomegranate Chip or Choc Chip Cookie Dough

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
Food processor

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
Cilantro

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
How It All Vegan was the first one I owned. I got it 8 years ago.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
Raspberry

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
pesto pasta salad

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
I like seitan best but my stomach doesn't so...tofu

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
BRINNER!

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
cereal, foil, plastic wrap

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
jars full of various nuts and seeds, passion fruit vodka, and frozen peas.

20. What's on your grocery list?
I shop mostly based on the weekly menu. Stuff I always have: bananas, tofu, lettuce of some kind.

21. Favorite grocery store?
Clark's Nutrition is my one stop vegan shop.

22. Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet.
Hardee's cinnamon raisin biscuits

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa's because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?
I don't know

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Mambas or licorice

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
vegan caviar? Dr. Cow's little morsel of cashew cheese?

26. Ingredients you are scared to work with?
Natto. Just thinking about it creeps me out.

VeganMoFo III: Expect the Unexpected

Here we are yet again!  The third edition of MoFo is totally gonna rock your pants off your butts (I totally stole that line from Jimmy Fallon, but it's true).  First up, I had a wonderful time reading blogs this afternoon and you can see what I'm talking about on the official MoFo Blog.  As I said in my previous post, I am moving away from doing nonstop decadence this year and I'm super excited about it.

For my first post I wanted to do the vegan palate challenge, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.  This day has been beyond stressed, so I decided to start slow and give a few tips on how I kept my mofo experience last year stress free.

1. Expect the Unexpected-Let's face it: life happens.  If a recipe fails or you run out of time to make something new, blog about it.  Talk about how you added baking powder instead of soda.  We'll all share a laugh.  Tell a story about your favorite food experience or the first time you cooked for yourself.  This month isn't solely about recipes and food porn.  Some of the true gems are the stories.

2.Themes Aren't Everything-Sometimes it's easier to just wing it.  The only reason I have every single day planned out is because I'm really neurotic and obsessed with lists.  You can ask my mom...she'll tell you.  Besides, I'm sure you really have a theme and don't even realize it.

3.Take a Break-My mind went to mush towards the end of the month last year.  It's okay to not sit at your computer for 5 hours reading blogs.  Get up and walk around after an hour or so.  Too much vegan awesomeness has been known to harm.  True story.

4.Plan Ahead-Even if you have no plan, spending five minutes to think about tomorrow's post really makes things easier.  That way you can do totally awesome things like read blogs for 5 hours!

5.Don't Over Do It-Remember there is no award for the person who veganizes the most omni monstrosities.  Try to switch up the types of food that you make so that you won't feel all sickly at the end of the month.

6.Have Fun-Seriously.  Have fun!  Think of it as a bunch of friends blogging about food.  It shouldn't be work.  I mean it's work, but it's kinda awesome.

Okay.  I totally plan for a legitimate post tomorrow.  It will be like a double post!  Oh, and another new thing I'm doing this year is giving a quick rundown of what to expect for the week.  It will be on every Sunday post from now on.  But for now...

Coming up this week: the ultimate vegan palate challenge, apple mojitos, and a little Epicurious fun!

Bargain Shopping

Growing up, my family was never one to skimp on the groceries. It is not an understatement to say that my parents were/are known for overdoing it. All the kids loved coming over for our snack cabinet alone. I realized how crazy my parents were once I moved out on my own. There was no way in hell that I could afford having a snack cabinet. In fact, there were definitely times in my marriage that we had to go 2 weeks or more on only $20 for food. We ate a whole bunch of fideo.

So I became pretty good at making my dollar stretch. I'd call myself cheap, but I totally don't mind splurging on stuff either. However, I refuse to pay $1 for one frickin cucumber.

On Sunday we went grocery shopping because I was changing my diet to primarily raw. One thing I wholeheartedly believe in is shopping for the best deals. Sometimes that means going to three different stores. I'm still trying to find my rotation here. Coachella is a small, small town and I live in a neighborhood that caters to Mexican cuisine (just like back home in Texas). There are limited vegan options unless I take a 15-30 minute drive.

This is how I discovered Clark's Nutrition. This will definitely be my new vegan mecca. It's about 20 minutes away and has everything I could ever want. And they don't charge 5 flippin dollars for a dollop of Vegenaise! I'm calling out Ralph's and Henry's for their overpriced stuff. I hate getting financially bitch slapped every time I walk in those stores...and, now, I'll never have to do it again! I was seriously excited. The store is extremely, EXTREMELY vegan friendly. They also have specially marked shelves for raw foodists and gluten free peeps. But the best part was that they have just about everything I've wanted to purchase online. Plus they have an all vegan cafe and sell prepackaged raw vegan food and cheesecake! I'm from the land of corn cups and barbacoa...so please excuse the previous foodgasm.

I stocked up on some stuff for the raw journey. And they had these really inexpensive raw snacks. A box of cacao beans for $2.19 and a nori snack (tastes like Japanese flavored jerky) for $1.99. Note to all: it is never a good idea to take a giant bite of a cacao bean if you've never had one before. You might just gag...and spit the chocolate flavored dirt in the sink. Blech!

My Top Five Rules for Thrifty Shopping

1.Always write a list and stick to it. It's really hard to spiral out of control when you have everything written down.

2. Eat before you shop. Don't shop to feed your hunger. I've walked out of the store with ridiculous impulse buys because I was starving and just needed some rice cakes...?

3. Buy in bulk. It really does add up. Sometimes I'll even check the prices of prepackaged stuff and compare it to the bulk bins. It's always cheaper. We spend a majority of our shopping time scooping stuff into bags.

4. Stick to produce. Most vegans know how much cheaper fresh fruits and vegetables are. Stuff like greens are always cheap. It's also better to buy seasonally and locally. It tastes so much better.

5. Don't be afraid to shop at more than one place. It is a rarity for one store to provide the best deals down the line. Generally, we shop at 3 places. Winco has the best bulk section and a reasonably priced high variety of produce. Fresh N Easy is right across the street from them and has KILLER sales. We go for their half off refrigerated section and their clearance rack. The other week they had all sorts of spaghetti at 15 cents for a pound. Finally, there's Food 4 Less which is good for stuff used in Mexican cuisine.

Overall, this new transition to raw has been great and fun. I've been doing a lot of freezing and dehydrating. Made some okra chips, which were just about the best thing ever! It's starting to get into the 100s over here so I will definitely be eating a lot of cucumber and watermelon. More to come soon...

On Veganism and Weight Loss

There's this common misconception that converting to veganism will produce automatic weight loss. Just like an omni change in dietary lifestyles, it really depends on the individual. Some people lose a bunch when they first cut out animal products. Others stay the same or even gain some pounds. I think it really depends on two things: your diet before veganism and how you eat once you become a vegan.

I first went vegan at age 19. At that time in my life, I was very active. I was in college, involved in a comedy troupe and the poetry scene, had a restaurant job, and went to clubs every weekend. I literally danced my ass off. I suppose it also helped that I was completely unaware of the versatility found in a vegan lifestyle. I spent the first couple of years thriving off of fresh fruits, vegetables and tofu...with the occasional soy lunch meat thrown in a sandwich. I hated reading labels so I stayed away from a lot of sweets and breads (which have always been my weaknesses). I lost about 40 pounds and was at the lowest weight of my adult life at 138 lbs.

Once I discovered decent vegan dessert recipes, however, it was over. Around that same time I got engaged. The stress of the wedding and my new passion for cooking made for a substantial weight gain. I topped the scales at 218. On my 5'3" frame, it was ridiculous. Some people are a healthy 218. I had trouble walking up stairs. I couldn't fit any of my clothes. And I was genuinely unhappy.

It took me several months to get below 200. I'm about 40 pounds away from my goal weight. So I thought I'd share some pretty universal weight loss tips. These work for me, but it may not work for everybody.

1. WATER is essential to weight loss. It's the foundation of life, so don't skip out on this. I've always had a love/hate relationship with water. As a wee lass growing up in South Texas I wouldn't drink it. I was often dehydrated to the point that I couldn't move. I went to the doctor once because my sides had been having sharp pains for days. He told me I was constipated. I think that day definitely changed my perspective on the whole water thing. Drink 8-10 eight ounce glasses a day.

2. EXERCISE is a word that used to make me cringe. I have gym fear. I have workout clothes fear. I don't like to run. And I hate to see skinny people workout. A couple of years ago, I took a cardio kickboxing course and realized how much I loved to work out. I don't like the typical stuff, though. I walk, do pilates, kickbox, dance, bust a fool down in Wii Boxing... It's really possible to make your exercise regimen work for you. Try to, at the very least, walk for 30 minutes a day. It makes a difference.

3. I don't believe in depriving my body of anything. I'm a foodie to the core. When I want to lose weight, I simply incorporate more RAW AND LIVING FOODS into my diet. I do this for a few reasons. First, they offer a lot of fiber...and more fiber equals healthier poop. Also, they are filled with nutrients and sunshine. A lot of raw foods are packed with water as well. I also like the lack of preparation. Throwing a salad together or grabbing a piece of fruit is much easier than cooking something for an hour.

4. The one thing I learned from LA Weight Loss was this: 5 SMALL MEALS A DAY really aids in weight loss. It's common sense people! If you eat throughout the day, you will always feel satisfied. Ravenous hunger will kill a weight loss goal in a minute. This happens to be the hardest step for me. Sometimes I get so stuck on what to eat that I forget to even do so. Like now...it's almost 7 in the PM and all I've had is a handful of raw crackers and some peanut butter/carob/agave nectar concoction.

5. VERSATILITY is the key to happiness. A decade ago, while taking home economics, I learned that your plate should be as colorful as an Alaskan day is long. More colors and versatility equals more nutrients and vitamins. I also think it saves you from a dull fate and the boredom that often comes with a weight loss plan.

6. While I don't believe in depriving yourself of food, I do believe in watching SALT AND SUGAR INTAKE. I don't do iodized table salt because I think it's kinda gross. I stick to sea salt. Usually, I keep it to a bare minimum and add just enough to make the flavors pop. As for sugar, I'm currently using dates and agave nectar as sweeteners. This is a helluva lot more expensive than plain sugar, but I don't crash after and I feel better in general.

Above anything else, I really feel like you should listen to your body. It will definitely tell you what works for you.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll have to go find me some food right now. For shame.