I don't even like banana baked goods and I liked these

I'm bored. I have work to do, but I wanted something I could sink my teeth into. Almonds weren't doing it for me. I assessed the scene. Bananas. I have bananas.

So I quickly googled "banana" "vegan" and "muffin", clicked on this, and went to town.

But instead of 2 c of flour, I subbed out about .75 c with a blend of flax seeds and walnuts ground up in the blender (.5 c walnuts, .25 c flax), .25 c oat bran, and .25 c of carrot pulp left from the juicer. I don't know if this makes them "healthier" in the caloric sense, but certainly better than straight white flour, right?

I only used half the sugar, and the sweetness was perfect; a whole cup would be waaaay too much. I also skimped a little on the oil - just a few tbsp shy of what the recipe requires. I could have used about 1/2 or 3/4 of the oil, given the oil from the nuts. I threw in a 1/2 tsp of baking powder in addition to the baking soda; it seemed like a good idea for good baking. Also added a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract for good measure.

Lust de falafel

When TequilaTanya and I lived in Paris, *the* place to get a cheap, amazing falafel with a bajillion toppings was in the Hassidic quarter at L'as de Falafel, or "The Ace of Falafel."

TequilaT is half Arab, and I've lived in the Middle East. We have high falafel standards.

While these Baked Falafel patties over at ChowVegan lack that thick outer crunch of deep fried balls of garbanzo goodness, they are damn good.

After a failed lentil burger incident a few months ago because the ingredients didn’t bind well, I was extra cautious and threw in an “egg”(1 tbsp ground flax to 3 tbsp water). For double the recipe, I used about 3/4 of the “egg”.

The falafel turned out just fine in the over, but GREAT in the pan with a little oil – not fried, just browned on low-med flame.

I also used dried garbanzos that I cooked til soft (read: easy to mash with a masher, no need for a food processor). They taste a lot better than their canned counterpart.

Fattoush is a really good (vegan!) accompaniment. Epicentre has a good, straightforward recipe.

Cheating: it happens to the best of us!

The "vegan" bride gets in touch with her Argentine roots by lunching on a hearty steak the day after her nuptials 

General T's Stir-Fry

Inspired by a crispy fresh stir-fry prepared by Gitana in Lima two
weeks ago, I decided to create my own stir-fry magic for lunch this
afternoon. While the Whole-Foods-purchased vegetables were still not
as tasty as their Peruvian counterparts, this colorful dish still
turned out delicious.

Ingredients:
1/4 eggplant
1/2 red pepper
1 carrot
1/2 head broccoli (plus stalk)
Handful shittake mushrooms
1/4 package Lightlife organic flax tempeh
1TB Simply Asia General Tso stir-fry sauce

Chop veggies. Cut tempeh into approximately 10 bite-size pieces. Boil
eggplant briefly to soften. Heat wok or large pan on Med-High with a
bit of water. Add veggies (incl. eggplant) and cover for a few minutes
until broccoli turns bright green and veggies begin to soften slightly
(but still remain crisp). Add tempeh. Drizzle everything with a touch
of olive oil. Flip tempeh until all sides brown slightly. Drizzle stir-
fry sauce and mix. Remove from heat and serve. Yields two generous
servings.

NB: we didn't use stir-fry sauce in Peru; just a touch of salt. I
considered doing that today but it tasted too bland. The veggies just
aren't as flavorful here as they are in Lima!

Vegan linzertorte thumbprint cookies for Gitana's wedding!

You know you're a Type A Hippie when...

... you rewrite your wedding To-Do list on a clean page so that it's
neat and pretty - and at the top of your list is "Buy tofu."

I ♥ Whole Foods

During this morning's Whole Foods shopping spree (during which I picked up a few delicious baking ingreds for Gitana's wedding), I decided to test a few new food items:

Blackwell's Organic Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Gelato. This stuff is gluten free, cholesterol free, dairy free, and vegan (oh, and they don't mention this on the packaging, but its also delicious). By the time I got home from the store, the gelato was perfectly soft and melty - of course, it was necessary to take a few bites before tucking it into the freezer for a rainy day. (NB: this had more of an icy/sorbet texture than a creamy texture. My favorite [store-available] vegan ice cream stands to be Temptation's chocolate chip cookie dough. It's tastier and creamier than it's regular dairy counterpart, I swear!)

Asherah's Gourmet Protein Powerhouse Vegan Burgers. I got to try a sample from Asherah herself, who was manning the tasting table. Made from organic quinoa and organic vegetables, these burgers are chock full of nutrients and leave you feeling wholesomely full. (Unfortunately they're only available at local grocery stores and restaurants!)

SoyBoy Roasted Red Pepper & Tofu Ravioli. I'm making it for the 'rents for dinner tonight. I bet TequilaDad won't even be able to distinguish the difference between tofu and ricotta cheese after his signature happy hour glass of Old Smuggler Scotch Whiskey ;)

*UPDATE: I made the vegan burger for lunch today. As per Asherah's suggestion, I prepared it in a whole wheat wrap with hummus, lettuce, tomato... Delish! Between Asherah's burgers and the desserts at Vegan Treats, it might be worth making a trek to Suburbia, PA after all!

Vegan Wishlist

Now that I know that vegan ice cream cake is not outside the realm of possibility, I'm going to make a running list of carnivorous dishes that I'd love to someday make (or find) vegan versions of:

- tres leches cake
- new england clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl

(OK that's all I could come up with for now - because so many of the other foods that came to my mind, I've already seen or tried delicious vegan versions of! Meaty cheesy pizza, chicken and cheese quesadillas, whoopie pie, cheesesteak sandwich, bbq bacon cheeseburger, sausage and cheese omelette, dulce de leche, monkey bread, donuts, etc. But I'm positive that other things will come to mind, so I'm going to keep this post even though it doesn't have much substance.)

The Vegan's Dilemma

Tonight my parents and I were invited to a catered dinner party for a group of volunteers from our Church and their families. I was safe (and correct) to assume that the cuisine would be Italian, so I figured there MUST be some vegan-friendly dishes, right? Spaghetti with red sauce, maybe a garden salad? Or at the very least, grilled fish (which I still indulge in from time to time)? Well, I was wrong. And I faced the ultimate Vegan's Dilemma: a carnivorous dinner party. When you're in a social situation and there are no vegan food options, and you don't want be rude or draw attention to your eating preferences, what do you do?

The menu:
Appetizers: cheese and crackers; little buttered toasts with bruscetta topping on the side
Dinner: cheese tortellini mixed with grilled chicken in a creamy alfredo sauce; pre-mixed Caesar salad (incl. grated parmesan and creamy Caesar dressing); sausage and peppers in a red sauce; bread rolls and slices
Desserts: chocolate cake with buttercream frosting; brownies; cookies; mixed fruit; coffee with milk; green tea

My strategy:
I grabbed a large slice of bread, took a small helping of tortellini, a small helping of Caesar salad, a few peppers from the sausage tray, and snuck back to the appetizer table for a large spoonful of bruscetta tomatoes.

I assembled the bruscetta tomatoes on the bread and ate it slooowly with a fork and knife. I moved the tortellini and salad around on my plate. I picked at the peppers (I know it wasn't very vegan of me to take the peppers that had been cooked with the sausage, but whatevs). The result? No one noticed! Since I ate super slowly, no one noticed that I was only eating three of the five things on my plate. I debated not serving myself the foods that I definitely wouldn't be eating (tortellini and Caesar salad), but I didn't feel like being bombarded with questions. (Hey, if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em.) Since I had the tortellini and salad on my plate (and strategically moved them around), no one blinked an eye. And I made it a point to comment on how delicious the tortellini was (what can I say - sometimes I feel no guilt about lying). As for dessert, as tempted as I was by the cake and brownies (non-vegan desserts still have a way of luring me in), I exhibited great willpower and opted for a handful of grapes with my green tea. People DID comment on my dessert choice, but I simply said "I'm attending a wedding next week and as of now, I can barely fit in my dress" - which is not untrue!

I know I'm not really "advancing the cause" by dishing non-vegan food items onto my plate in an effort to blend in and avoid annoying questions. But hey, sometimes I'd rather be polite and not make waves - namely when I'm around people I don't know very well (Church acquaintances and boyfriend's family members being at the top of that list). Besides, I feel like I do my part to advance the cause with people I know very well and am comfortable with. I know for a fact that countless friends have become more open to vegetarian recipes and vegan desserts as a direct result of my food choices.

Moral of the story: nine times out of ten, there will be some sort of vegan option. You just have to seek it out.

But just in case, eat a snack before you leave the house ;)

Katie Couric Interviews Ellen DeGeneres

If you have time to watch the entire (30min) interview, go for it. In my opinion, Ellen is an AWESOME woman with an amazing and positive attitude. In this interview, she talks about everything from gay marriage, to veganism, to women's body image / health / beauty in today's society. If your time is limited, I'd suggest watching the portion about veganism (minute 15 thru minute 20):


Watch CBS News Videos Online


Here's a link to the movie she recommended; I just added it to the top of my Netflix queue: http://www.earthlings.com/

And at the end of the interview, she refers to her website for some yummy vegan recipes (ranging from easy to complicated): http://ellen.warnerbros.com/recipes/

Enjoy!

You know you're a Type A Hippie when

you create a GoogleDocs spreadsheet, color-coded by recipe with initials to decide who buys what, to best plan vegan wedding desserts with the baker, who lives in Philly, and the bride, who live in Peru.

Dessert trial: biscotti

Well folks, today may have been my final pre-wedding dessert
experiment! After attempting to veganize my mother's notoriously good
omnivore biscotti recipe a few weeks ago, I decided to test a truly
vegan biscotti recipe from my beloved vegan cookie cookbook. I even
ordered vegan white chocolate chips online for the occassion. The
result? A great success. They turned out perfectly crunchy and
deliciosly sweet. Here they are below; I'll be making them mini-sized
for Gitana's wedding!

VeganYumYum: the sequel

OK well I don't have a fireplace lit or a chickflick on TV, but I am snowed in with a delicious salad in hand! The Avocado Wasabi Salad was a great success. It was a bit time-consuming to prepare, so I wouldn't recommend it as a quick last-minute weekday dinner solution. But if you're having company over, or have the time and motivation to prepare something delicious, this salad is the way to go.

Aside from the wonderful flavor (how can you go wrong with ANYTHING containing avocado?), this salad also has an amazing texture. The crunchiness of the toasted almonds and broccoli combined with the softness of the wasabi-tamari chickpeas creates a little party in your mouth. My only recommendation would be using a RIPE avocado as the recipe suggests. In my eagerness, I used a completely unripe avocado, so the texture of the dressing is a little chunky (even though I pureed it in a food processor). I think it would be nice if it were a little smoother. Oh, and I added two cloves of garlic to the dressing, which made it even yummier. (Also, it's extremely filling - I could barely finish two small bowls!)

Enjoy!

PS: the recipe yields about 2-3 times the amount of dressing you need for a large party bowl of salad to be thoroughly coated. Set aside the extra for another time.

PPS: I'd suggest eating this salad right after mixing. I think it would be way too soggy and lose its magic if it sat already-mixed in the fridge overnight.

VeganYumYum

http://veganyumyum.com/

Loooooove this website. I've had the iphone app for weeks, but I never actually tried any of the recipes. Then when my friend send me the link today, and I laid eyes on the Avocado Wasabi Salad, I immediately grabbed my coat and keys so that I could buy the necessary ingredients before the snowstorm hits tonight. I can't wait to sit at home tomorrow, snowed-in, fireplace lit, chickflick on tv, delicious salad in hand...

Failed burger yields breakfast yumminess

While TequilaTanya was having the best vegan burger ever designed, I decided to make some mushroom burgers here, with a pinto base.

Well.

It *tasted* fine. In fact, the combo with the green onions and beans was quite good. But this recipe fails in consistency. There is nothing binding it, so instead of burgers, it turned into a vegan hash. And it was GOOD as a vegan hash. A nice, hearty breakfast dish.

I will try to make them burgers again by pureeing the beans with a little bit of the water used to boiled them to get a better consistency, and I will add a little more oil for the same reason.

nb: I used boiled, not canned pintos.

Mushroom Veggie Burger

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 green onions, diced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 3/4 cup diced fresh mushrooms
• 1 15 ounce can pinto beans
• 1 tsp parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil for frying

Preparation:

Sautee the onions and garlic in olive oil for 3 to 5 minutes, until onions are soft. Add the green onions, cumin and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked. Set aside. Mash the beans with a fork or a potato masher, or process in a food processor until well mashed.
Add the mushrooms to the beans and add parsley, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
Shape the mixture into patties. Heat about two tablespoons of olive oil and cook each patty until the veggie burgers are done, about 3 minutes on each side.

Plant Cafe

Highly recommended by Gitana, Plant Cafe (formerly called Lettus)
serves wholesome, organic breakfast and lunch fare, as well as juices,
smoothies, pastries, etc. in their three San Francisco -based
locations. So when I found out their newest location was a five-minute
walk from the office where I was interviewing yesterday, I excitedly
planned to spend my lunch break there. The place was PACKED and if
Gitana hadn't insisted that I try their signature lentil cashew
burger, it would have taken me hours to decide what to order! The
burger was certainly worth the hype (picture to follow), and I
finished it feeling deliciously full in the wholesome way that only
organic vegan food can provide.

Since my lunch break was so rushed, I snuck back after my last
interview for a relaxing cup of [excellent] drip coffee and a
[deliciously chewy and soft] vegan oatmeal raisin cookie. (Why is it
that I can justify eating dessert after both lunch AND dinner when I'm
traveling!?)

In any case, I will certainly be returning to Plant Cafe during my
next trip to the Bay Area. (And i already know what I'll be ordering!
The "Protein Smoothie": banana, hemp protein, coconut milk, and almond
butter. Yum!)

Ok I know this looks like a nasty raw beef burger but this lentil
cashew burger with grilled onions on multigrain bread from Plant Cafe
will rock your world!!

The Ultimate Type A Hippie Capital

Beloved Readers,
(OK let's face it - I know it's just you, V - so shall I rephrase?)

Beloved Reader,
Within a handful of hours on my first full day in San Francisco, I experienced several Type A Hippie moments, as well as an amazing lunching experience. I'll fill ya in on the city's amazing veg food later (plus pics). But for now, the details about getting in touch with my true Type A Hippie Self...

You know you're a Type A Hippie when...
You're packing your purse for an afternoon of job interviews and notice that your Inner Type A packs an extra pair of contact lenses (in case one unexpectedly and freakishly pops out of her eye en route to the office) and a pair of tweezers (in case one dark and unsightly chin hair decides to make its presence known right before the interview, threatening to distract the interviewer with your Arab hairiness), and your Inner Hippie packs a snack bag of raw almonds (in case of extreme hunger and a lack of vegan food options) and an individual to-go packet of powdered soy creamer (for that pre-interview cup of French-press coffee).

You also know you're a Type A Hippie when...
Your Inner Type A insists on taking her lunch break outdoors - black stilettos, Ann Taylor Loft skirtsuit, and all - and your Inner Hippie selects the crunchiest meal (a lentil cashew burger from the Plant Cafe), consumed on the steps outside of a museum (where all of the homeless people are sitting and eating their scraps).

But most of all, you know you are a Seriously Hardcore Type A Hippie when...
Your Inner Type A removes her signature nosering before her interview, so as not to risk appearing unprofessional or to distract her interviewer with her dazzling bling... and upon discovering that the piercing FULLY CLOSED during the two-hour timespan of the interviews, your Inner Hippie goes to Walgreens and - I shit you not - purchases a box of sewing needles, a packet of matches, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol, then proceeds to repierce her own nose, locked in the unisex bathroom at the Plant Cafe. (After stabbing my unusually-fast-healing-cartilege with a self-sterilized sewing needle, I now have a newfound appreciation for the phrase "blood, sweat, and tears"...)

Rinse. Repeat.

**Update #2 - I caved and washed my hair with Head & Shoulders, then "deep conditioned" with some Pantene stuff. I'm not sure if it was the days of water rinses, the Apple Cider Vinegar, or the chemical-laden shampoo/conditioner combo. But my hair is shiny and FABULOUS and lustrous and all sorts of adjectives that end in -ous. Must try this regimen again.
 

*Update 2/3/10 - my hair now feels dry, tangled, and just not fabulous after the apple cider vinegar rinse yesterday and just a water rinse today. Will research natural conditioner-type things; else give in and use normal shampoo and conditioner tonight. At least cutting back to once every 4-5 days is better than every day, I suppose.

After four days of no shampoo and only washing with water - maybe five, I lost count - my hair was definitely feeling oily. I had, as one friend called it, sculpty hair - that point at which it is malleable and holds.

As good a time as any to try the apple cider vinegar recipe. 

Vegan Treats

This morning I drove an hour on what can only be described as a pilgrimage to the temple of the vegan dessert gods. Vegan Treats, located in Bethlehem Pennsylvania, was well worth the journey. This is one of the few places I've ever seen on Yelp with a solid five-star rating. In my opinion, it certainly lived up to its reputation.

Vegan brownies, pies, donuts, cinnamon buns, sticky buns, big cakes, little cakes, cupcakes, brownies, whoopie pies, cheesecakes, french pastries... This place is literally a dream come true. (They normally carry a variety of vegan soft serve flavors but the machine was broken today.)


When I arrived shortly after opening, the place was piled high with boxes and delivery men, loading their vans to deliver the treats to veg restaurants in New York and Philadelphia. The majority of the items I saw in the back of the bakery were large boxes and cakes, so I imagine the bulk of their revenue comes from catering for restaurants and special events. I was overwhelmed by the selection, but by the time the morning deliveries were out, I had had time to recover and decide upon my initial order: a cookies 'n' cream donut and a small coffee with soy milk. There's only a small seating area in the bakery, but the short barstools with sparkly pink plastic covers certainly add charm to the place. My donut and coffee were served in a zebra-print plate and mug, with an accompanying bright pink napkin. I fell in love, hard.

The tougher decision was settling upon which treats to take home. I decided to play it safe and ordered the most Yelp'ed about items: the peanut butter bomb and the carrot cake. And, having a serious weak spot for Oreos, I couldn't resist ordering a beautiful little chocolate cake with Oreo frosting and an Oreo crumble topping.


I took a few bites of each after I got home (then they went straight into the freezer for a rainy day!) and I can honestly say that these are some of the best desserts I've ever had, vegan or otherwise. An aspiring baker myself, I can only hope that someday my baking business will be a fraction as delicious and successful as my new favorite vegan bakery.

Sugar scrub

I "invented" a skin scrub yesterday: brown sugar with a dash of lime juice and just enough water to make it into a paste. Used it on post-sunburn skin yesterday, followed by CVS aloe lotion, definitely helped immediately, and the skin today looked a lot brighter and was healing better. Just used it on my face, worked it in gently for about a minute and rinsed REALLY well. My skin is super sensitive and prone to clogged pores; no other face scrubs really help, they just cause breakouts, even the "gentle ones." Will see how it looks tomorrow.

Stored the leftovers in the fridge to avoid ants. Will see how it holds up.

Sugar scrub

2 tbsp brown sugar
Juice from 1/4 small lime (I used a key lime)
Enough water to make a paste that won't drip (a few drops worked for me)

Use as a body scrub or face scrub. I think that rubbing gently, but for a few minutes in trouble spots, seems to be better than aggressively scrubbing for shorter times.

You know you're a Type A Hippie when

You stock up on your breakfast basic non-perishables - flax seeds, oat bran, kiwicha powder - in bulk so you don't run out, then organize them in your pantry according to the order in which you put them on your cereal in the morning.

Dessert Trial: Brownies

This afternoon I experimented with a brownie recipe from my new favorite book (a gift from Gitana herself) "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero (my vegan baking idols). The recipe was fantastic - I almost had to ask my dad to put me in a straightjacket to stop myself from eating the raw batter by the spoonful.

Feeling a little daring, I swirled half a can of soy dulce de leche into the batter before popping it into the oven. Unfortunately, every time I tested the tray and came out with a toothpick-ful of gooey melty caramel, I thought the brownies were taking unusually long to bake and added another five minutes to the timer... And by the time I was satisfied with the consistency of the caramely top, the chocolate goodness underneath had become somewhat cakey.

But the good news is, I won't be using that sneaky dulce for the wedding brownies, so they're doomed to turn out perfectly moist and brownie-like. And I'll be making at least two trays, so there'll be plenty to go around.

I have not yet purchased my professional food camera, so you'll have to settle for these iphone shots for the time being:

vegan brownie bites with dulce de soya swirl

Just eat a piece of meat.

Early last fall, my hair started falling out in clumps. I’m 27.
Washing my hair every day was traumatizing as more and more strands tangled in my fingers.
It must be because I’m vegan. Or so said my father the doctor, my fiance the Inca, and my endocrinologist. Just eat a piece of meat.
I bought expensive shampoo with placenta in it. I’m not sure what type of animal it came from, but at six months before my wedding, and with a frightened look on the Inca’s face every time he looked at my receding hairline for long, I was desperate.
It had to be stress was the consensus. I was changing countries and moving in with my fiance in Peru. That would stress anyone, right?
But it didn’t get better once I started to settle in here. I had a serious problem. Several bloods tests and doctors’ visits, and even a non-vegan week involving red meat, didn’t help.

Around the holidays, I desperately wanted to recreate the feeling in my new home from my old home: warm cookies, a steamy kitchen, and plates of not-so-good-for-you decadence.
I found this RecipeZaar Vegan Oatmeal Raisin recipe – my first time making cookies from scratch – and they were unbeLIEVable AND easy to adapt (added nuts, added cocoa powder, etc.) They had flax as an egg replacer.
I ate so many I felt ill. But my hair loss seemed to slow in those days.

Just say no.

Today was one of those awful moments when, after mentioning several times that I don't eat animal products, an enormous piece of rotisserie chicken on my plate at a family lunch.

I ate the fries and the salad. I was fine. But there were a pair of eyes burning a hole into my plate from across the table. The host was undoubtedly confused as to why I wasn't touching it. And because I sometimes have no spine, I ate 5-6 bites of the chicken and handed the rest off to the Inca during a discrete moment alone at the table.

It's really frustrating. And I feel gross. I'm trying to balance it out with a bowl of cereal and a whole mango for dinner.

I hate being in that position, and I hate not having the spine to say "I'm sorry, I don't eat meat" when the food is in front of me.

Food, Inc.

Add this to your Netflix queues! Fascinating documentary about the food industry...

Dessert Trial

Tonight my parents had some family friends over for dinner. They happen to be vegans, so obviously they became my dessert guinea pigs. I served a sampling of the vegan desserts I prepared earlier this week as a trial run for Gitana's upcoming wedding: chocolate truffles, golden vanilla cupcakes with strawberry buttercream frosting, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Hey, even though the bride lives 3,500 miles away from the pastry chef, somebody's still gotta test the wedding cake (or, in this case, assortment of miniature desserts). I am happy to report that it was a great success! Oblivious to the fact that they were my guinea pigs, the company said, "These are delicious - you can't even tell they're vegan! You should make them for your friend's wedding." Done and done, folks.

chocolate truffles, admired from afar

chocolate truffles, up close and personal

my little army of golden vanilla cupcakes with strawberry buttercream frosting

oatmeal chocolate chip minis

Two more recipes remain to be tested: Brownies and Biscotti B. (I trialed Biscotti A last week. It was a veganized version of my mom's famously popular omnivore biscotti. While they turned out well and disappeared in a matter of days, I'm eager to test this other made-for-vegans recipe. Especially now that I received my shipment of vegan white chocolate chips from veganstore.com) Updates to follow!

Restoring Lost Nutrients

I'd like to share this article, which was sent in one of the Jillian Michaels e-newsletters I receive daily:

Our bodies were made to thrive on the fresh, natural foods that Mother Nature provides. But the longer a food's journey from soil to plate, the more interfering chemical processes it has probably endured along the way. Vital nutrients are lost during that trip — ones that would otherwise have played important roles in your body's healthy metabolism and everyday functioning.

So how do you get back to basics? First of all, ditching the "frankenfoods" for fresh foods is one of the best ways to reap those natural benefits. If you can't pronounce the ingredients in a food, you shouldn't be eating it — period. Second, make sure you're getting the important nutrients your body needs. Don't sacrifice them in the name of a dollar.

(I couldn't agree more! I've been trying to follow the "if you can't pronounce" rule for months. WHY on earth would you put something into your body if you don't know what it is, what it does, etc? I get SO frustrated when my family insists on buying food items from the closer, cheaper, larger grocery chain. That's great that you're saving fifty cents, but you're pouring unnecessary chemicals and shit into your body. I'd rather spend an extra $20 on wholesome, natural food items than spend that $20 on a doctor's visit in thirty years after a lifetime of eating chemical-laden cancer-causing foods. But I digress...)

Here are a few key nutrients to focus on, along with their daily intake amounts as recommended by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, and food sources that supply them.

Folic acid (400 mcg): Not only has folic acid, or folate, been shown to help lower ACTH, an adrenal hormone that can lead to increased blood pressure, it's also essential it's also essential for any woman of childbearing age — even those not planning on getting pregnant. In case a woman does become pregnant, folic acid will prevent neural tube defects in a fetus that result in brain and nervous system damage.
Food sources: 1/2 cup cooked lentils (179 mcg); 1/2 cup cooked spinach (132 mcg); six spears asparagus (134 mcg)

Niacin (20 mg): Niacin is a heart-healthy superstar because it increases your HDL ("good") cholesterol and lowers your LDL ("bad") cholesterol. It also turns dangerous, tiny LDL particles into larger ones that are less likely to induce heart attacks.
Food sources: 3 ounces tuna (11.3 mg); 3 ounces salmon (8.5 mg); 3 ounces turkey (5.8 mg)
(Note to self, find vegan alternatives for Niacin!)

Vitamin D* (2,000 IU): This baby helps your body regulate its calcium level, boosts immunity, discourages autoimmune conditions (such as chronic inflammation), lowers blood pressure, and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis and breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Not getting enough can negatively affect insulin and glucose levels in people who have type 2 diabetes.
Food sources: 3 ounces canned pink salmon (530 IU); 3 ounces canned sardines (231 IU); 8 ounces milk fortified with vitamin D (98 IU)
(Note to self, find vegan alternatives for Vitamin D too!)

Selenium (70 mcg): Most of the active, fat-burning thyroid hormones (T3) in our bodies are activated when selenium-dependent enzymes help convert inactive T4 to T3 by removing one iodine atom. Selenium also boosts the function of certain enzymes that help the body detox from the effects of environmental pollutants, pharmaceuticals, and radiation. Talk about one green nutrient!
Food sources: 3 ounces crabmeat (41 mcg); 3 ounces shrimp (34 mcg); 2 slices whole-wheat bread (23 mcg)

*The Linus Pauling Institute also recommends 10 to 15 minutes of direct midday sun on arms and legs or face and arms at least three times a week. It still pays to be smart, however, when spending extended periods of time in the sun, as prolonged exposure to direct sunlight has been linked to premature aging of the skin as well as skin cancer.
(Fine by me - I always look better with a little tan anyways!)

And to further illustrate my point, I'd like to present a little comparison for you:

Ingredients in General Mills Fiber One Original Bran Cereal:
Corn Bran, Whole Grain Wheat, Wheat Bran, Corn Starch, Guar Gum, Color Added, Cellulose Gum, Salt, Baking Soda, Corn Oil, Aspartame (Phenylketonurics: contains Phenylalanine), Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness.

Ingredients in Nature's Path Organic Smart Bran Cereal:
organic wheat bran, organic oat fiber, organic evaporated cane juice, organic psyllium seed husk, organic barley malt extract, organic oat bran, organic whole oat flour, sea salt.

It only takes a few seconds to scan the ingredients list on the products you buy, but it's well worth the time investment!

You know you're a Type A Hippie when...

... your inner Hippie bakes 36 mini vegan golden vanilla cupcakes with vegan strawberry buttercream frosting... and your inner Type A tracks the nutrition information in order to determine the amount of fat and calories per mini cupcake.

Goals, and our first recipe that couldn't be simpler

As a Type A struggling hippie, I make to-do lists for all of the crunchy, granola-y things I want to do.

So as I sit here sipping a 2.5 liter bottled water infused with 1/2 tsp of freshly grated ginger, swearing that the first sip already helped my migraine (indomitable by prescription meds), I am organizing my list of green/vegan/health projects for Feb. 2010:

1. Make own laundry detergent, dishsoap, and degreaser.
2. Use shampoo less and less.
3. Recycle more and more.
4. Find a less chemically bodywash, or make one.
5. Be more faithful to my yoga routine
6. Be in bed by 10:30 pm.
7. Break the bottled water habit. My stomach should be adapted to boiled Peruvian tap water by now.

Ginger water infusion

About us

Tequila Tanya and Gitana are two Type A 20-somethings exploring their hippie tendencies together through maintaining a vegan diet, attempting greener living, and struggling to figure out their lives in the wake of huge life changes.

This terrifically fastidious yet prone to lolly-gagging and slow living pair of procrastinators met in Paris and spent a year supposedly studying, but largely eating savory and sweet crepes, drinking cheap wine with twist off caps, buying train and plane tickets around Western Europe, and getting piercings in out-of-the-way Barcelona shops.

In the eight years following, their friendship and love for food strengthened and adapted as they each relocated around the US and the world, never living in the same city again until 2008. It was during that brief geographic overlap that in March 2009 Gitana made her first steps from vegetarian to vegan based on health, allergies, and ethics (yes, in that order.) Independently, Tequila Tanya made the same choice around the same time. Together they set out to explore the vegan treasures of New York City, like Red Bamboo, Lula's Sweet Apothecary, Zen Palate, and Blossom.

Health benefits followed: Skin brightened. Stubborn weight dropped. Energy picked up. Bellies were full and hearts were happy. New lifestyles emerged.

There have been temptations, slip-ups, and complications. But Tequila Tanya and Gitana remain faithful to the goal of 100% dietary veganism.

***

Gitana, a freelance journalist, now lives in Peru, where old vegan staples like Morningstar Farms products, and vegan versions of nearly everything, do not exist. But there is tofu.


Meanwhile Tequila Tanya left corporate tech America and spent eight months traveling from the US to Asia, back through the Middle East, and finally regrouping in the Philadelphia area to start T's Sweet [Vegan] Treats.