Finally I'm Fresh

If you're a vegan and you're into naturalish products, you're constantly tempted to slip up and try something more, how shall we say it, mainstream?

It could be a soap, a shaving cream, a tampon with a plastic applicator instead of a paper one. There is a diffent temptation for each of us.

For me it's deodorant.

I've been searching a long time for a deodorant that A) works. And b) won't give me leukemia. With those two parameters, it's hard to find the perfect choice.

After almost giving up on the natural deodorant search and settling with some strongly scented commercial stuff like Axe, I sniffed around the co-op (literally) - pulling off cap after cap in hopes of finding something non-feminine and effective.

And then I did.

It was love at first sniff. I found Zion Health's Adama Minerals citrus blossom ClayDry deodorant.

My new particular flavor showcases what a sucker I am for citrus - orange blossom. It is an all gender acceptable, light orange aroma grounded in the earthy smells of clay. A touch of hippy, a touch of high class. Just like I it.

Stop by the Clintonville Community Market and try some out. Well, not right in the store. But buy some and try it out.

The Wynn creates a vegan oasis in the desert

Tofu and Eggplant

It's an old cliche - a billionaire creates an epic hotel, hires some of the world's finest chefs, goes vegan and then makes all the world famous chefs create vegan menus.

Well, it's not a cliche at all, but it should be.

Tracy and I sat down together to see if there were any good reasons to get out of town for the weekend. The idea of Vegas came up. It was probably a joke at first, but the idea became a real possibility when we remembered some old vegan news clippings that fell through our google news filters about an eccentric rich guy, Steve Wynn, who was doing something crazy: veganizing his restaurants. ( read about his veganism )

Starbucks Soy Frapp Official

READ: Soy Caramel frappuccino, no caramel sauce, no whip

It's official, guys. I've had one a day since Tuesday. You can, once again, enjoy caramel, mocha, green tea, or any other flavor frappuccinos with soy milk at every starbucks in the city. Confirmed locations include: Kingsdale, Fifth Ave./Grandview, Lane Ave., the Goasis in Ashland, and probably all the rest. I thought I might miss the caramel sauce/whipped cream part, but they're plenty sweet and amazingly delicious. I went in on Tuesday to the Fifth Ave. location just to confirm that they exist. They were concerned that it might be too sweet, so they asked my opinion. And while it is sweet, I sort of recognize that as the point of a frappuccino. The soy milk is sweetened, so you may want to do half the pumps of syrup. But I really enjoy the sugar overload. Check them out!

Gardein's Classic Styled Meat-free Buffalo Wings

These are gardein's version of a vegan buffalo wing. They are slightly spicy-- although if you don't have a taste for spicy food, these will be very spicy to you. And if you're Andrew, you won't even notice that they're spicy. Andrew was really eager to try them since we both miss the vegan buffalo wings from Chicago Diner. And while these were a very different kind of buffalo wing, we found them very enjoyable! I only wish they had more of that sauce. A vegan ranch goes really well with this, too! I found them at the Whole Foods on Lane Ave. Give them a try!

Boca is back!

So my beloved Boca Meatless Spicy Chicken Patties are back! They didn't actually go anywhere. Boca just made the stupid move, to cut costs I assume, of adding egg whites to their recipe. One of the first things I ate my very first day of my vegan bet was this patty with vegan ranch dressing. This patty helped me to realize it wouldn't be that hard to be vegan. I ate these all the time. I couldn't understand why Boca would suddenly make them not vegan. But thanks to the tons of angry vegans out there, Boca has made it vegan again. Go get some!

Vegan MoFo Day 12: Daiya Cheese on a Rustic Pizza

My Daiya cheese came in last week. I ordered the Italian shredded blend from Vegan Store, mostly because the cheddar was out of stock. So, I made a pizza!

I'm usually not a huge face of vegan cheese. I'll sprinkle a little on some seitan parm or drizzle a bit on a pizza, but it's never the centerpiece of what I'm eating-- always an accent. I don't really miss the melt-y, greasiness of dairy cheese-centric foods. I'd probably puke after a heavy dose of pure cheese.

That being said, I do have favorites... Well, one favorite. I love Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet's mozzarella. It's the best. It has a pleasant flavor with no strange after taste. It melts well. It's just an all around good product. I wouldn't have tried Daiya had everyone not mentioned it to me so frequently for the pure fact that I'm so please with FYH. But I did.

The Daiya cheese was good. Andrew and I realized we had tried it before because Z Pizza, based purely on our tastebuds, uses the same cheese. It didn't steal the show for me, though. It melted just as well as FYH. It tasted different, but still good. And I actually had one issue with it. It's almost TOO gooey and melty. It sticks to the roof of your mouth and your lips and face [[well, the lips and face thing may just be me heh]]. It's almost like glue cheese.

I don't know. Maybe it's just me. But I still love FYH...


Here's what I did for my pizza: I made one whole wheat pizza bread dough recipe. Preheated my oven to 500 F. I used left over Puttanesca sauce for my base, drizzled with cheese, topped with sauteed red onions, sliced roma tomatoes, and spicy tempeh. Baked for 10 minutes and ate.

I really want to make a vegan Canadian "bacon" and pineapple pizza. Maybe next time. . .

The SlimCado: Lite!

There's a reason why avocados taste so good. Well, Haas avocados.

SlimCados are a naturally occurring, naturally "lite-r" variety of your standard Haas avocado, which also happen to be naturally less delicious. I don't know why Brooks Tropicals writes "light" like that, either. Stupid marketing ploys. [[more info here]]

I like the idea of these, especially since they're not GMO. But if I wanted 50% less fat and 35% less calories, I'd probably just pass on avocados all together. At about 30 grams per medium avocado, 15 grams doesn't seem all that better. Tofutti sour cream on my burrito and vegenaise on my sandwich would do me more good [[about 9 grams of fat per serving]]-- they're richer and more enjoyable. The SlimCado is just bland, mushy green stuff without all the fatty health benefits of an avocado. The texture is more of an overripen apple, crumbly and wet. It didn't have that smooth velvetiness you get with your standard avocado, making for some very strange looking guacamole.

Anyway, I just added some tofutti sour cream to my guacamole to make it richer. Operation SlimCado failed.

New Shoes: For Shame

I know I have complained in the past about how expensive Olsen Haus shoes are and how I'm cheap when it comes to clothing... but sometimes things change.

Recently, my boss has complained that the office looks too casual, because we all wear jeans and sandals. So, that was kind of an excuse for Andrew and I to go buck wild and buy new stuff. Somehow that included these...

I'm ordinarily a size 9.5 to a 10, but Olsen Haus doesn't make half sizes. I went for a 9 and they fit perfectly. They're white vegan patent leather with a thick heel and a peep toe. Inside the shoes, they read "Olsen Haus: Pure Vegan; There is only the Truth". I'm not sure what that means, but I'll assume it's some pro-vegan propaganda. If you go to the Olsen Haus website, she has some interesting diagrams under "the 'truth' about animals" [[more references to "the truth"]].

Anyway, I think they're cool shoes and decently comfortable for a heel; a habit I'm slowly coming into. I had to grow out of my 10 dollar sandals and t-shirts someday...

Zoe & Zac: An Eco Shoe Line

I have a lot of issues with my feet. I'm a little more than 5'6'' and they're a whopping size 10. Most of the time when I go to the size 10 section, the options are slim. All of a sudden the cute stuff I saw on the size 7 rack has been relinquished to bright pink rhinestone heels and strange assortments of wedding shoes. Now that I'm vegan, I'll often see a pair of shoes that I love and then quickly realize they're made out of leather. And since the size 10 rack is bad enough, I'm pretty much out of options at that point. Even when I find pleather shoes, if they're closed toe, it's a no-go. I'm slightly ashamed to share with you all that pleather makes my feet sweat. And when they sweat, my shoes become horrendously smelly and completely unwearable. I think it's safe to say I have major shoe issues.

Recently, I wrote a post about Olsen Haus and how awesome her shoes are but how I couldn't bring myself to buy them. And as much as I love what she's doing, I'm glad I didn't. Payless has an eco, vegan line called Zoe & Zac that's really adorable, cheap, and doesn't make my feet sweat.

You should definitely check out this line. Their shoes are made of organic cottons [[which thankfully, breath well, heh]], 20% recycled rubber, and nickle-free metal and hemp. I'm a huge fan of the ballet flat [[at my height wearing heels makes me feel like a giant]] -- which is usually made of leather or pleather, all bad things for me. This weekend I picked up their cotton black flats, the Snapdragon Ballet, for 10 dollars. They also have some cool wedges and interesting sandals, along with a line of accessories.

A lot of people are concerned about the hidden ecological costs of these shoes. Importing these shoes from China isn't great for the environment, true. And the fact that they can charge 10 dollars for these doesn't speak well for the manufacturing conditions. To this I say, I do what I can. I'll buy American when financially able, but until then I have to settle for the lesser of the evils.

Buffalo Chicken-Style Seitan Wraps

Andrew would always talk about these amazing wraps he used to make. So I tried to recreate them. A little hot wing sauce, a little seitan, some spinach,vegan ranch and my addition -- guacamole [[don't worry, it worked]].

We used Karen's Hot Wing Sauce. I can't find a link to it online, otherwise I'd show you. It's pretty freaking hot though. If you're not a big spicy eater, I'd recommend using one you're more familiar with or checking out some milder hot wing sauces. Or even just doing a barbecue seitan wrap.

We also used Organicville Non-dairy ranch for the first time, and it worked very well. The next day we used left over seitan to make a buffalo spinach salad and topped it with this ranch. It's a little runnier than your standard ranch, but it tasted great and is extremely healthy [[surprisingly]]. It's mostly tofu and soy milk and a measely 90 calories a serving.

[[Californian Buffalo Chicken-Style Seitan Wraps]]
I added the 'Californian' because well... what makes something Californian? Avocado.

Karen's hot wing sauce [[or whatever you'll use]]
1 tbs olive oil
1 container chicken style seitan [[in Columbus, I've only found it at Clintonville Comm. Market]]
2 whole wheat tortillas
spinach
guacamole: fresh cilantro, cholula seasoning, salt, pepper, lime.

Stove Top Version:
--Heat olive oil on low to medium heat. Once hot, add the slightly chopped chicken-style seitan [[you want bite size pieces, some are really big]]. Cool it until it's browned and cripsy, about 10 minutes.
-- Add the hot wing sauce. Just add it until it's completely coated the seitan. Cook about 5 minutes, remove from heat.
-- Pile it all in a warmed tortilla.

Microwave version:
-- Microwave seitan in a microwave-safe bowl for about 2-3 minutes until completely warmed.
-- Remove from microwave and toss with hot wing sauce.
-- Assemble in a microwaved tortilla with all the fixings.

Luna Bar's New Recipe

When I went to the store the other day and saw that my beloved white chocolate macadamia luna bar had not only new packaging but a new recipe -- I was concerned. I eat this bar, in this flavor, every morning for breakfast. I was worried it may suck.

The new recipe seems even better. It's much softer than the original bar, which sometimes got a little hard. If you haven't tried this flavor, or any line of clif bar [[clif, luna, mojo, lumbar]], I highly recommend it. They give amazing sustained energy for working out, and they don't taste like a chalky energy bar. It's a regiment staple.

The Best Vegan Sunscreen

When we were in Florida, Andrew in all his wisdom, wore SPF 50. For most of the trip it was SPF 35, but towards the end, he upped it to 50. And I was proud of him and his insistence on protecting his skin from harmful, cancerous UV rays while I stupidly laid around in my SPF 8. My hypocritical tendencies aren't the point though.

When Andrew switched brands and SPF levels, he broke out into hives. All over his back and chest -- it was awful. It's no wonder though, it smelt like a cheap prostitute and felt like glue. Not to mention, we bought it at a gas station convenient store.

It all ended well. His hives are gone now, and he left Florida with no sunburns.

Next time, I vow to order some good vegan sunscreen beforehand. I found this great article with overviews of various brands-- some gluten free, most vegan, some with nut allergy info and some for sensitive skin [[like poor Andrew]]. Check it out.

Vegan Shopping in Fort Myers, FL

Right now Andrew and I are with his parents in Florida. The weather is nice, not too hot, and the beach isn't too populated, which I like. We're sort of taking a break from working out- a forced one. We briefly considered running on the sand, but I think we decided that'd be rougher on our legs than concrete.

We're sort of surviving on packaged vegan food. We found this natural food store and deli called Ada's on happy cow. When we got there though, it was closed even though it was supposed to be open. The deli was enticing, maybe we'll make it over there later this week. Instead we went to Mother Earth- a slightly barren natural food store slightly reminiscent of our co-op. We found a few Amy's meals -- they only had the tamales, though. We also discovered some vegan "chicken" wings made by Health is Wealth. Those are amazing, and battered with whole wheat flour, making them completely regiment approved. We also found some whole wheat wrapped vegan "beef" and veggie burritos made by Helen's Kitchen which taste like barf to me. Peas and carrots just don't work in a Mexican food situation. Andrew seems to like them alright, though. I miss our Amy's burritos.

Mother Earth also had some Ezekiel products and vegenaise. All great news. Limited produce, but enough to make some killer guacamole later. I have some avocados in a bag now, hoping they get soft enough.

And since I have no food pictures for you today, here's some from our parasailing adventure today:

Before lift off...


After...

Bobby Flay - Tofu and Mushrooms

Bobbly Flay is far from vegan. Months ago I posted about his cookbook and how I was going to veganize all his recipes. Well I got about 2 done and then I had to return the book to the library. I don't even have the recipe for this any more. But if you ever wanted to try his shit-- check out his sauces. They're mostly peppers and oil. And all of them can easily sub agave nectar for honey. His 16 spice rub -- or whatever number of spices are in there -- is really good on tofu. All in all, if you want some Southwestern flavor, I'd check out his book Mesa Grill and play around with it. It's fun. It's hard for me to idolize a cook that murders, but veganizing his food keeps me hopeful that one day he'll "throw down" a vegan or that one day I can be that awesome AND vegan. Some pictures for your enjoyment:


The finished product, 16 spice tofu, ancho-mushroom sauce, wild rice, green beans, and cilantro oil


Some dried Ancho chilies. Mild heat, for the mushroom sauce


The spice rub, mostly various chili powders

Fast & Furious, and Some Reg Stuff

I've slacked on the regiment posting. Yesterday I made a chipotle rubbed seitan sandwich from the Candle Cafe's cookbook. Amazing as usual. I'm pretty freaking obsessed with it. You should really check it out. Also, I was going to buy Vegan Soul Kitchen- it sounded sick as heck but as I flipped through at the book store, I just kept thinking "I will never make this". I think the only thing I was stoked about was the garlic cornbread croutons. So there's that.

Andrew had his usual breakfast and dinner was just some Amy's burgers. We went out so I wasn't feeling cooking. Last night we saw Fast & Furious. One part of the movie, they were listing off possible cars that could belong to David Park [[some guy they were looking for]], and the woman said "hybrid" and his response was "HELL no". That bummed me out. I mean I get it-- hybrids are really what you think of when you think "fast cars". It just made me think of veganism and how there seems to be no room for vegan food in high end cuisine to some people. I wonder when people will start caring. . .

Tonight, Andrew has a private gig and I'm at home sort of twiddling my thumbs. We only have one car, plus I'm all sore from our run this morning and feel like sitting around and blogging I guess. Inevitably that gets me thinking, and I start to wonder what I can do to better myself [[especially with Andrew out there making it happen]]. I left Berkeley about 9 months ago, and I haven't gone back to school mostly because I have no clue what to do with myself. Culinary schools are limited to locations I don't really want to be or am able afford [[ie - NYC]]. And going back to a four year school seems fruitless. More money out the window. I would love to open a restaurant at some point, but building capital is a big deal. I guess all I can really do is go back into the kitchen and create some more, until the time comes when I am no longer a receptionist, but something I truly want to be.

Healthy Products a Sham

I'm really upset with Rudi's Organic Bakery products. We bought a package of "Wheat Buns", which seemed like they would be whole wheat, right? The top listed ingredient is "Unbleached Wheat Flour" which is just a foxes way of saying white flour. Shit like that really bothers me. I know they offer a whole wheat bun [[from what their website says]] but the wheat buns seem like a dirty trick to make people feel like they are eating a healthy product when in reality it's just white bread. It just reinforces that fact that I need to read labels a millions times more carefully. There are companies out there trying to bank on the health food train without actually being healthy.

Another thing that bothers me [[and our beloved clif bars do it]] -- "Evaporated Cane Juice". It's like, really? I know that's just sugar.

Healthy products. What a sham.

Day 6 and Mascara Reviews

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Breakfast: 1/3 cup Ezekiel Golden Flax cereal with organic blueberries and 1/3 cup vanilla rice milk; organic decaf green tea
Lunch: Southwestern Breakfast wrap from Clintonville Community Market
Snack: clif bar
Work Out: 45 minutes of cardio - running/walking
Dinner: [[all organic]] Black bean burger on a whole wheat bun with vegenaise, ketchup, and sracha and a side spinach and arugula salad with 1/4 of a tomato chopped, 1/4 avocado chopped, 1 Tb. onions chopped, and Seeds of Change red pepper dressing
Snack: organic banana
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Clintonville Southwestern Breakfast wrap

As you can see, we're been making a lot of packaged things, just because it's easier. But if I can ensure it's vegan and organic, I'm ok with that. As long as it lifts some of the cooking load off of me. The point was to avoid restaurants [[since you never really know what they put in there-- a plate of pasta can have 1500 calories]], to avoid sugars, soda, caffeine, inorganic items, and overly processed/deep fried/heart killing foods. I think we've remained successful.

We bought some vegan multi vitamins and I needed more mascara so I decided to change it up. I had been using BWC's mascara, but if you've ever used it, it's not very thick or dark, so I'd have to put about 10 layers on just get a little volume. It's a problem that occurs with a lot of vegan mascara since the animal fat is removed. I switched to Zuzu's mascara and it's AMAZING. It's really think and lasts long and I only need one layer. The black is also REALLY black, but I like it. I get the Onyx color from VeganStore . You can also go to their website, where they have their whole make up line.